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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024.04.09 ESC RM MinutesROSEMOUNT ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING PROCEEDINGS APRIL 9, 2024 CALL TO ORDER Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a regular meeting of the Rosemount Environmental & Sustainability Commission was held on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, at 6:00 PM in Rosemount Council Chambers, 2875 145th Street West. Chairperson Springer called the meeting to order with Commissioners Burman and Andrews. Staff present included the following; City Engineer Brian Erickson, Stormwater Specialist Jane Byron, and Recording Secretary Amy Simonson. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Commissioner Springer requested to move item 3.b. to New Business item 6.a. Motion by Andrews Second by Burman Motion to approve the agenda with the moving item 3.b. to item 6.a. Ayes: 3. Nays: None. Motion Carried. ADMINISTRATIVE ITEMS 3.a. February 13, 2024, Environment and Sustainability Commission Meeting Motion by Springer Second by Andrews Motion to approve the February 13, 2024, Environment and Sustainability Commission meeting minutes Ayes: 3. Nays: None. Motion Carried. 3.b. Election of Commission Chair & Vice Chair Item has been moved to New Business 6.a. PRESENTATIONS 4.a. Dakota County Solid Waste Plan Update Gena Gerard, with Dakota County's Environmental Resources Department, discussed the revision of the County's Solid Waste Management Plan. State law requires all metro counties to have a waste management plan in place that meets state responsibilities and statutory goals. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's (MPCA) Metropolitan Solid Waste Management Policy Plan provides the framework for solid waste management in the Metropolitan Area. Dakota County is asking residents (residential and commercial) to participate in the online survey. The survey is open until April 30, 2024. Commissioners asked if the survey link could be added to the city's website and posted to social media platforms. Staff will confirm if this has already been completed by the city's Solid Waste & Recycling Coordinator. OLD BUSINESS 5.a. Work Plan and Goals Updates Specialist Byron presented the following updates made to the work plan made since it was approved by the Commission in February. • The Air Quality Permitting presentation is on hold awaiting availability of the MPCA. • The Clean Energy Resource Teams, an NPO that helps with renewable energy and energy conservation, requested a presentation on the Inflation Reduction Act incentives available and are scheduled to present at the June meeting. • No applications for commissioners were received, therefore, the new commissioner orientation is on hold. • The water conservation post is on hold for later. Instead, Mow Less May information will be posted for May. Commissioner Burman inquired about an update on the review by staff of the Sustainable Purchasing Policy Framework. Specialist Byron noted the policy was forwarded to senior staff again for review due to how much time has passed since it was originally submitted. If staff have any modifications, the suggestions would come back to the ESC to review and comment. 5.b. Education and Outreach Activities Staff asked commissioners for feedback regarding tabling at the Home & Business Expo. Commissioners noted they liked the location as there was more traffic and interest in the booth and fielded lots of questions from residents. Questions were noted and tracked. Trending inquiries included rebate programs, Landscaping for Clean Water program, cost share programs available, and organics education. LED lights provided by Xcel Energy were given away but still have some left over. Commissioners discussed hosting a booth at Leprechaun Days. Due to the limited number of commissioners, it was determined that the ESC would not be able to host their own booth and instead would offer their spot to Violet Pennman, Solid Waste & Recycling Coordinator. Specialist Byron discussed the transition from No Mow May to Mow Less May, which will also expand on the concept and include additional ways to help pollinators. There will be a blog post highlighted on the city website as well as an article in the spring newsletter that will include tips, management strategies and optional registration with a printable sign for residents. The Mow Less May resolution was approved by City Council last week which will suspend enforcement of lawn height for the month of May. Specialist Byron announced that Adopt-A-Drain Minnesota is hosting a promotion during Earth Week. Drain adopters can report a drain cleaning during that week, adopters can receive a free t-shirt. There will also be a promotion for adopters to obtain discount tickets to the May 4th Twins game. 5.c. Community Survey Overview The city has posted a notice that the Citywide Community Survey for 2024 is open. Notices are first mailed to randomly selected individuals. The survey will be available online to all community members later this month. The survey does contain some environmentally related questions. 5.d. Environment & Sustainability Commission Revisioning No new commissioner applications have been received for the Commission. The current quorum requirement stands at two commissioners. Staff and commissioners discussed options and ideas for revision of the Environmental & Sustainability Commission. Ideas presented included: • Staff adjustments to integrate and coordinate with other staff members in related fields, as the city does not have a dedicated environmental staff person. Further internal discussions will occur before final decisions on staff adjustments are made. • The commission could change to quarterly meetings or revert to a task force. Both ideas were struck down. • Commissioners can serve as liaisons to other commissions when relevant items are on their agendas. This idea was well-received as it enables commissioners to fulfill their advisory roles and be more active in city matters. Commissioners were encouraged to reach out to staff with additional ideas for further discussion. Motion by Andrews Second by Springer Motion to hold Work Session May 14, 2024, at 6 PM to discuss revisioning Ayes: 3. Nays: None. Motion Carried. NEW BUSINESS 6.a. Election of Chair and Vice-Chair Commissioner Burman nominated Commissioner Springer for Chair. Commissioner Springer accepted the nomination. Motion by Burman Second by Andrews Motion to elect Commissioner Springer as Commission Chair. Ayes: 3. Nays: None. Motion Carried. Commissioner Burman nominated Commissioner Andrews for Vice Chair. Commissioner Andrews accepted the nomination. Motion by Burman Second by Andrews Motion to elect Commissioner Andrews as Commission Vice-Chair. Ayes: 3. Nays: None. Motion Carried. ANNOUNCEMENTS Specialist Byron advised that Spectro Alloys had an air permit out for comment relating to their expansion. The Commission was notified on March 8th of the open comment period. The comment period has closed now. The MPCA is seeking comments on the Air Toxics Regulations rule as directed by the State. The comment period is open from May 1st through May 22nd. Dakota County will host a Water Wise Challenge which is a competition between cities in the County to see who can be the most "water wise". The challenge will take place from May to August. Residents will sign up to take the Water Wise Pledge to take action and conserve water. The city with the most participants will win and Registration is open for the County managed Wetland Health Evaluation Program (WHEP). Volunteer citizen scientists monitor 5 wetlands during the summer. Training is free and the commitment is about 20 hours of field work over the course of the summer. STAFF REPORT 8.a. Set Next Meeting Agenda for June 11, 2024 i. Review of the Sustainable Purchasing Framework ii. Clean Energy Resource Teams presentation iii. EV stations update iv. Mow Less May update and feedback ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Environmental & Sustainability Commission at the regular meeting, and upon a motion by Springer and a second by Burman, the meeting was adjourned at 7:38 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Amy Simonson Recording Secretary