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HomeMy WebLinkAbout6.j. Minnesota GreenSteps Program ROSEMOUNT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CITY COUNCIL City Council Meeting Date: December 20, 2011 AGENDA ITEM: Minnesota GreenSteps Program AG PREPARED BY: Jason Lindahl, AICP AGENDA NO. Planner I ATTACHMENTS: Resolution, GreenStep Cities Program APPROVED BY: Requirements Table 1 RECOMMENDED ACTION: Motion to approve a resolution authorizing the City of Rosemount to participate in the Minnesota GreenStep Cities Program. SUMMARY Recently the City Council directed the Community Development Department to research participation in the Minnesota GreenStep Cities Program. Staff has completed an initial review of this program and found Rosemount already does many components of this environmental sustainability assessment program. As a result, staff recommends the City Council approve a resolution authorizing participation in the program and assign Planner Jason Lindahl as the City's GreenSteps Coordinator. Should the Council authorize participation in the program, staff will formally complete the program inventory and seek official recognition as a Minnesota GreenSteps City by the League of Minnesota Cities conference next June. To assist the Council with considering the GreenSteps program, this memo provides background, overview, and program benefits information as well as an initial assessment of conditions in Rosemount. BACKGROUND Minnesota GreenStep Cities is a new challenge, recognition and assistance program offered by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), the League of Minnesota Cities and a host of partners to help communities meet their sustainability goals. The program is voluntary; as a result, there are no associated fees or penalties and the city is under no binding obligation to implement or maintain the program. The concept for GreenStep Cities arose during the fall of 2007 when Minnesota's Clean Energy Resource Teams (CERTs) held regional listening sessions around the state to discuss community- based energy opportunities and the state's Next Generation Energy Act of 2007. The idea was raised of creating a sustainable cities program that would challenge, assist and recognize cities that were "green stars." This idea was taken up by the 2008 Legislature, which directed the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, the Office of Energy Security and CERTs to recommend actions cities could take to help meet the state's greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. Representatives from dozens of cities, non - profits, and other organizations provided input into a 2009 report to the legislature, which outlined what has been developed as the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program. More information about GreenStep Cities is available on the website: http: / /mngreenstep.org BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING IN MINNESOTA GREENSTEPS According to the MPCA, the benefits of participating in GreenSteps will be different for different communities. The most common benefits cited by participating GreenStep cities are listed below. 1. It offers a continuous improvement pathway for cities to "go green," making them more sustainable and resilient. 2. It saves city staff time in researching cost - effective actions for cutting energy use, decreasing the city's carbon footprint, and accomplishing other sustainability goals that exceed regulatory requirements. 3. It saves cities money while delivering a stream of multiple environmental, social and financial benefits. 4. It is tailored to Minnesota cities and provides maximum flexibility and choice in how to implement a proven best practice. 5. It offers detailed action steps to follow - through on the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement, signed by over 40 Minnesota cities, and the Minnesota Legislature's aggressive Next Generation Energy Act. 6. It provides leadership and action roles for community members and institutions so as to stretch limited city funds and strengthen a civic culture of innovation. GREENSTEP CITIES PROGRAM OVERVIEW The Minnesota GreenStep Cities program evaluates communities based on tailored yet flexible criteria intended to save time and money, reduce energy consumption and encourage innovation. These criteria include 28 best practices divided into 5 topic areas. Each topic area consists of both required and optional best practices. The program is summarized below. A more detailed assessment is provided in the GreenSteps Cities Program Requirements table (attached). Minnesota GreenSteps Cities Program Criteria Topic Areas Best Practices Action Steps Required Optional Building and Lighting 1 4 32 Land Use 1 4 27 Transportation 2 2 23 Environmental Management 3 6 57 Economic and Community 2 3 29 Development Total 9 19 168 Each best practice can be implemented by completing one or more of the 168 action steps. These actions tend to fall into categories which correspond to the typical tools a city uses to make civic improvements: 2 • Changes in city policy, ordinances, regulations. • Investments of financial capital or a commitment to funding operating costs. • Development and staffing of city assistance programs — financial, informational, educational. • Collaboration with and leveraging the resources of others, such as business groups and the county. The total number of best practices a community must complete is based on their assigned category (A, B, or C). The GreenSteps program assigns each participating community a category based on the notion that cities with greater capacity for making civic improvements are able to implement more "best practices" and "harder" actions. • Category C cities have no or only a handful of city buildings and staff. • Category B cities have over a dozen buildings and staff, maintain roads, and have a public works and planning /development department. • Category A cities are within a metro area or serve as a regional economic and service center. They are served by regular transit routes and have distinct commercial and industrial areas. Based on these criteria Rosemount is classified as a Category A city. The GreenSteps recognition levels and requirements to achieve each level are detailed in the table below. Step One is achieved by the City approving a resolution to participate in the program, designating a GeenSteps Coordinator, and registering initial information on the GreenSteps website. Step Two is achieved by completing the best practices inventory and at least 8 of the 28 total best practices. Step Three is achieved by implementing at least 16 of the 28 total best practices including the 9 required best practices for Category A cities. Minnesota GreenStep Cities Recognition Levels for Category A Cities Recognition Level I Required Implementation Steps Build community knowledge and interest Approve a resolution authorizing participation in Step One GreenStep City the program and designate a contact person Register and post initial information on the GreenStep Cities website Complete best practices inventory and begin Step Two GreenStep City implementation. Implement at least 8 of the 28 best practices. Step Three GreenStep City Implement at least 16 of 28 the best practices including all 9 required best practices. ROSEMOUNT GREENSTEP CITIES ASSESSMENT Based on an initial review of the GreenSteps Cities program inventory, Rosemount could qualify as a Step Two GreenStep city (see attached GreenSteps Cities Program Requirements table). This review found that Rosemount has completed 3 required best practices (one each in Land Use, Transportation and Environmental Management) and 6 optional best practices (3 in Land Use, 2 in Transportation and 1 in Economic and Community Development). 3 GreenStep Cities Recognition Standards by Steps for Category A Cities Best Practice Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Category Required Complete Required Complete Required Complete Required 0 3 3 9 3 Optional 0 3 8 6 7 6 Total 0 6 8 9 16 9 To achieve Step Three status, the City must complete at least 1 more optional best practices and 6 more required best practices (1 each in Building and Lighting and Transportation and two each in Environmental Management and Economic and Community Development). These required best practices include: • Efficient Existing Public Buildings • Complete Green Streets • Environmentally Preferable Purchasing • Ecological Stormwater Management • Benchmarks & Community Engagement • Green Business Development The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is in the process of developing the Step Four Criteria. Consequently, Rosemount would have an additional goal to seek should the community achieve Step Three status. Staff is comfortable Step Two can be delivered without significant resource investment. If certification to Step Three requires dedication of additional funding or staff resources; staff will bring an assessment to the Council prior to commencing additional action. CONCLUSION & RECOMMENDATION This memo summarizes the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program and offers an initial assessment of Rosemount using the program's 28 best practices. This initial review found Rosemount already does many components of this environmental sustainability assessment program and could qualify as a Step Two GreenSteps city. As a result, staff recommends the City Council approve a resolution authorizing the City to participate in the Minnesota GreenSteps program and d ass' Planner g ty P p P P l� assign Jason J Lindahl as the City's GreenSteps Coordinator. Should the Council authorize participation in the program, staff will formally complete the program inventory and seek official recognition as a Minnesota GreenSteps City by the League of Minnesota Cities conference next June. 4 CITY OF ROSEMOUNT DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA RESOLUTION 2011 - A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF ROSEMOUNT TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MINNESOTA GREENSTEP CITIES PROGRAM WHEREAS, the City of Rosemount has signed on to the U.S. Mayors Climate Protection Agreement; and WHEREAS, increasing energy prices present new challenges and opportunities to both the City of Rosemount and to the economic health of its citizens and businesses; and WHEREAS, efforts to address energy and climate issues provide an opportunity to move toward energy self - reliance and greater community resiliency; provide environmentally healthy and cheaper - to- operate public buildings; encourage new economic development and local jobs; and support local food and renewable energy production; and WHEREAS, Minnesota Session Laws 2008, Chapter 356, Section 13 directed the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency ( "MPCA ") and Office of Energy Security in the Department of Commerce ( "Office of Energy Security "), in collaboration with Clean Energy Resource Teams ( "CERTs "), to recommend municipal actions and policies that work toward meeting the State's greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals; and WHEREAS, the Next Generation Act of 2007, Minnesota Session Laws 2007 - Chapter 136: (1) sets State greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals of cutting emissions to 15 percent below 2005 levels by 2015, 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2025, and 80 percent below 2005 levels by 2050; (2) sets a State energy conservation goal of achieving annual energy savings equal to 1.5 percent of annual retail energy sales of electricity and natural gas; (3) establishes an energy policy goal that the per capita use of fossil fuel as an energy input be reduced by 15 percent by the year 2015, through increased reliance on energy efficiency and renewable energy alternatives; (4) establishes an energy policy goal that 25 percent of the electricity used in the state be derived from renewable energy resources by the year 2025; and WHEREAS, a broad coalition of public and private stakeholders including the League of Minnesota Cities, the MPCA, Office of Energy Security and CERTs responded to the 2008 legislation by establishing the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program to provide a series of sustainable development best practices focusing on local government opportunities to reduce energy use and greenhouse gases; and WHEREAS, the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program assists in facilitating technical assistance for the implementation of these sustainable development best practices in the following five categories: (1) Buildings and Lighting; (2) Transportation; (3) Land Use; (4) Environmental Management; and (5) Economic and Community Development; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Rosemount does hereby authorize the City of Rosemount (the "City ") to participate in the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program. Be it further resolved that the City: RESOLUTION 2011- 1. Appoints Planner Jason Lindahl to serve as the city's GreenStep coordinator to facilitate best practice implementation; and 2. Will facilitate the involvement of community members, civic, business and educational organizations, and other units of government as appropriate in the planning, promoting and implementing of GreenStep Cities best practices; and 3. Will identify a short list of best practices for initial implementation by June 2012 ; and 4. Will claim credit for having implemented and will work toward implementing at least 16 required and optional GreenStep best practices that will result in energy use reduction, economic savings and reduction in the community's greenhouse gas footprint. A summary of the city's implementation of best practices will be posted on the Minnesota GreenStep Cities web site. ADOPTED this 20th day of December, 2011, by the City Council of the City of Rosemount. William H. Droste, Mayor ATTEST: Amy Domeier, City Clerk 2 GreenStep Cities Program Requirements Implementation Status A Your City Buildings & 1 Efficient Existing Public Buildings Required Incomplete Li . I ting 2 'Efficient Existing Private Buildings Incomplete 3 New Green Buildings Incomplete 4 I Efficient Building & Street Lighting and Signals Incomplete 5 Building Reuse Incomplete 1 Buildings & Lighting BPs Required/Completed 1 1 r 0 6 Comprehensive Planning and Implementation Required Complete 7 Efficient City Growth Complete 8 Efficient and Healthy Development Patterns Complete 9 Efficient Highway- Oriented Development Incomplete 10 Conservation Design Complete Land Use BPs Required/Completed 1 4 Transportation 11 Complete Green Streets Required Incomplete 12 Mobility Options Required Complete 13 Efficient City Fleets Incomplete 14 Demand -Side Travel Planning Incomplete Transportation BPs Required/Completed 2 1 Environmental 15 Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Required Incomplete Management 16 Urban Forests Required Complete 17 Ecologic Stormwater Management Required Achievable 18 Parks and Trails Achievable 19 Surface Water Quality Complete 20 Efficient Water and Wastewater Facilities Incomplete 21 Septic Systems Complete 22 Solid Waste Reduction Incomplete 23 Local Air Quality Incomplete Environmental BPs Required/Completed 3 3 III Economic & Community 24 It enchmarks & Community Engagement Required Achievable Development 25 Green Business Development Required Incomplete 26 Renewable Energy Incomplete 27 Local Food Complete 28 Business Synergies Incomplete I 1Development BPs Required/Completed I 2 I 1 Floating BPs (additional to required BPs) 19 6 Total BPs Required (including floating) 9 3