Loading...
NRC Packet 06142023Wednesday June 14, 2023 6:00 p.m. 1.Call to Order 2.Roll Call 3.Adopt Agenda 4.Approval of Minutes a.Approval of May 10, 2023 Natural Resources Commission Meeting Minutes b.Approval of June 1, 2023 Natural Resources Commission Work Session Meeting Minutes 5.Citizen Comment Period (for items not on the agenda) 6.New Business a.Summer Recycling Events Update b.Quarterly Work Session Scheduling c.Natural Resources Commissioner Resignation 7.Old Business a.Pollinator Awareness Month Report b.Budget Planning- Green Steps c.Budget Planning- Natural Resources Management Plan Projects d.Committee Reports – Workplan•Ordinance and Policy Development•Education and Outreach•Urban Forestry•Green Steps•Sustainability 8.Staff Announcements 9.Commission Comments 10.Adjourn 1 Alternative formats or auxiliary aids are available to individuals with disabilities upon request. Please contact City Hall at 651-452-1850 or cityhall@mendotaheightsmn.gov. 2 CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION Wednesday, May 10, 2023- 6:00 P.M. Mendota Heights City Hall-Council Chambers DRAFT Minutes The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Natural Resources Commission was held on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, at Mendota Heights City Hall; 1101 Victoria Curve. 1.Call to Order Vice Chair Tupper called the meeting to order at 6:00pm. 2.Roll Call Natural Resources Coordinator Spreiter called the roll. Commissioners present: Student Commissioner Byrnes, McCaslin, Husbands, Tupper, and Stein. Commissioners Absent: Fahnhorst, Swank, and Quick. Staff present: Natural Resources Coordinator Krista Spreiter and Assistant City Administrator Kelly Torkelson. 3.Adopt Agenda Motion to approve the agenda by Husbands, second by Stein. Motion passed 4-0. 4.Approval of Minutes a.Approval of April 12, 2023 Natural Resources Commission Meeting Minutes Motion to approve the minutes by McCaslin, second by Husbands. Motion passed 4-0. 5.Citizen Comment Period (for items not on the agenda) NA 6.New Business a.Natural Resources Commission Bylaws Update Assistant City Administrator Torkelson shared updates to the Commission’s attendance policy, to go into effect from this meeting date moving forwards. Commissioner Husbands asked for clarification on the differentiation between excused absences and non-communicated ones. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson noted that there can be no more than three consecutive or 25% of total meetings missed, unless an exception is granted by the City Administrator and City Council. These bylaws will be reviewed every year. Motion to approve the update to the bylaws by Stein, second by Husbands. Motion passed 4-0. 4a.3 b.Natural Resources Project Planning and NRMP Review Natural Resources Coordinator Spreiter reviewed the priority projects set forth in the Natural Resources Management Plan (NRMP); Valley Park Pollinator Corridor, Valley Park Forest Enhancement North, Valley Park South Central Forest Enhancement, Valley Park Northwest Forest Enhancement, Valley Park East Forest Enhancement, and Valley Park South Oak/Aspen Knoll Enhancement. She reviewed a flow chart that illustrates the budget process. Council is asking the Commission for budget recommendations by the end of June. Commissioner Husbands asked for clarification on the Pollinator Corridor project plans. Natural Resources Coordinator Spreiter noted that the reassessment done in the spring will identify areas that might need to be started over on and explained some of the initial setbacks and challenges with the project. Herself and Great River Greening will provide the reassessment. Commissioner Husbands asked for clarification between funding regarding grants verses City. Coordinator Spreiter replied that the estimates provided were the total cost, not considering grant funding. She added there is no guarantee for the additional grant funding in 2024. Commissioner Husbands suggested digging deeper into the budget information at a worksession. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson provided information regarding the budget process. Vice Chair Tupper asked if the funding recommendations being discussed now are in addition to funding required to be considered a “tree city”. Coordinator Spreiter recommended to keep the two funding categories separate. Commissioner Stein asked if some line items were to be outsourced. Commissioner McCaslin commented that the pollinator corridor project was in rough shape beforehand, and agreed that breaking the project up into smaller segments would be ideal. Commissioner Husbands asked for clarification on the budget process and how it reaches the City Council’s decision. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson noted that the City Council will review this Commission’s meeting minutes, which could include recommendations. c.Comprehensive Plan Sustainability Chapter Review Natural Resources Coordinator provided an overview of goals from Chapter 8, “Resilience”, of the City’s Comprehensive Plan. Vice Chair Tupper asked how the Resilience chapter will fit into their decision-making process. Coordinator Spreiter suggested reviewing this chapter 8 of the Comp Plan, the “Natural Resources” Chapter in the Comp Plan, and the NRMP as the Commission’s guiding documents. 7.Old Business 4 a.Green Steps Planning Assistant City Administrator Torkelson stated that the City has reached Step 2 of the Green Steps program. This happened due to the recording of the existing work that the City has completed. There are several steps that would need to be completed before reaching the Step 3, in which the City Council has suggested the Commission starts working on. She added that the Commission can also add their own priority areas that are outside of the Green Steps guidelines. She suggested a worksession planned within the next few weeks. Commissioner Stein suggested that the work of the subcommittees should guide the Commission’s input regarding prioritization, and then check off any Green Steps progress if it happens along the way. Commissioner McCaslin commented that grouping #16-19 of Green Steps could be an area of focus and agreed in tying back to subcommittee work. Commissioner Husbands suggested staying the course with subcommittee work then they’ll eventually check boxes within Green Steps. Vice Chair Tupper asked if staff or Commission members had thoughts about the role of the Green Steps subcommittee. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson suggested the Green Steps subcommittee could act as an advisor or accountability partner. Vice Chair Tupper noted that each subcommittee can identify priorities that fit naturally in the work that’s happening. She asked if each of the subcommittee could come prepared with priority recommendations to the June Commission meeting. Coordinator Spreiter will coordinate meetings with subcommittee leads to get dates on the calendar as soon as possible. Commissioner Husbands would like to see a more formal structure and process within the subcommittee meetings. She’d appreciate a report from each subcommittee at each Commission meeting. Coordinator Spreiter noted that the Urban Forestry and Green Steps subcommittees don’t have recurring meetings scheduled at this time. b.Earth and Arbor Day Report Natural Resources Coordinator Spreiter provided a recap of the event, which was held on April 29. Approximately 25 residents participated in the trash and clean up supply pickup, as well as the educational event at City Hall. Other residents participated on their own. The pollinator garden planting at Valley View Heights Park was a success, having planted over 100 native pollinator plants. She thanked commission members for helping at the event. Vice Chair Tupper thanked Coordinator Spreiter and staff for the work put into the event, noting it was a great event. Commissioner Husbands thanked staff for holding the event. She asked how the giveaway trees were funded. 5 Coordinator Spreiter stated they used the Earth and Arbor Day budget to pay for those 100 giveaway trees. c.Touch-a-Truck Event Planning Natural Resources Coordinator noted the event will be held from 10:00am-12:00pm on May 13, with a rain backup date of May 14. Staff has recently learned there will no longer be an electric vehicle at this event, so the commission should determine if a presence is still essential. Commissioner Stein suggested not needing to participate that way, without the presence of the electric vehicle. Vice Chair Tupper agreed. Staff will continue to bring forward any potential partnerships and pertinent events that the Commission might be interested in being present at. Commissioner Husbands asked if staff could contact dealerships and vendors to bring electric vehicles to events. Vice Chair Tupper asked if staff could contact Dakota County to bring their electric vehicles to events. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson noted that staff did try to connect with dealerships this year, and were unable to secure their presence at Touch-A-Truck, and that staff can contact Dakota County in the future. Vice Chair Tupper confirmed there won’t be a formal appearance from this Commission at the event this year. d.Committee Reports – Workplan •Ordinance and Policy Development Commissioner Stein stated that this work will take a lot of time to research, write, and bring to the City Council. The committee would like to focus on one ordinance at a time, based on input from the Commission. They would like to potentially focus on a tree preservation ordinance. Vice Chair Tupper agrees that focusing on one ordinance would be a good idea. Commissioner Husbands agrees that a tree ordinance would be a good priority. Commissioner McCaslin would like to see a road map explaining how the ordinance change process works. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson noted that staff can provide input as needed, or seek legal input as needed. Natural Resources Coordinator Spreiter will develop a generic flow chart to provide guidelines for each ordinance. 6 •Education and Outreach Student Commissioner Byrnes noted that the committee recently met to discuss the upcoming Touch-A-Truck event, the new QR codes that the Parks and Rec Commission are going to implement at parks, and how this commission can be a part of the new QR code system. Coordinator Spreiter noted that the QR code program will provide generic information to start, and lead patrons back to the City’s website. •Urban Forestry This commission hasn’t met yet; no updates. •Green Steps This commission hasn’t met yet; no updates. •Sustainability Commissioner Stein noted that he, Commissioner Husbands, and Coordinator Spreiter met with two staff from the City of Saint Cloud to learn more about their work with sustainability. Commissioner Stein signed up for the MN Department of Commerce updates on energy related rebates and incentives that will come out in 2023 and will keep the Commission informed on these. Commissioner Husbands enjoyed working with the staff from the City of Saint Cloud. She noted that they presented a sustainability plan which was very user friendly. 8.Staff Announcements Natural Resources Coordinator reminded residents of the pickup dates for the tree sale, rain barrel sale, and compost bin sale. She reminded residents of the dates for the Touch-A-Truck event. She noted that pollinator-awareness month is up and running, and residents can find tips on the City’s social media page. Pollinator-friendly yard signs are still available for residents to have. 9.Commission Comments Commissioner Husbands shared a call-to-action for the City Council; fully fund the NRMP, and to please involve this commission in the City Council’s decision-making process when the City’s natural resources are being considered. Commissioner McCaslin commented that it’s the main bird migration timeframe coming up. Vice Chair Tupper thanked staff for their work on pollinator-awareness month. She reminded residents not to blow grass clippings into the streets. 10.Adjourn Vice Chair Tupper adjourned the meeting at 7:30pm. 7 CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS NATURAL RESOURCES COMMISSION WORK SESSION Thursday June 1, 2023  6:00 p.m.City Hall  1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights DRAFT Minutes In attendance: Vice Chair Tupper, Commissioners Stein, McCaslin, Husbands Staff in attendance: Natural Resources Coordinator Krista Spreiter and Assistant City Administrator Kelly Torkelson. 1.Call to Order Vice Chair Tupper called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2.Roll Call In attendance: Vice Chair Tupper, Commissioners Stein, McCaslin, Husbands Staff in attendance: Natural Resources Coordinator Krista Spreiter and Assistant CityAdministrator Kelly Torkelson. 3.Approval of the Agenda Motion by Commissioner Stein Second by Commissioner McCaslin Motion Passed 4-0 4.New Business a.2024 Budget Recommendations Discussion 4b.8 Coordinator Spreiter introduced the discussion by reviewing the goals to identify a priorities for budget conversations from the green steps priorities as well as to review the project priorities from the Natural Resources Management Plan. The group began discussions of the green steps best practices areas starting with Buildings and Lighting. Commissioner Stein discussed the value for public buildings in setting up for funding opportunties that become available from the federal and state governments. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson shared that the city council is in early conversations about a renovation for city hall and that prioritizing conversations about energy efficiency in public buildings now could set that project up to integrate sustainability. Commissioner Husbands inquired if there were budget priorities for this year that would be able to address efficiencies in public buildings. Assistant City Administrator replied that there are several public buildings that the city owns and that if the commission wished to prioritize this best practice that staff would look to see what opportunities existed in this upcoming budget cycle to advance that priority. Commissioner Tupper advocated for promoting energy efficiency with private buildings as well, promoting a culture in the Mendota Heights community. Commissioner Stein suggested that efficient outdoor lighting and signals were something that we were already doing a lot of. Natural Resources Coordinator Spreiter agreed that the city was already making significant progress on action steps in that priority. The commission allocated priority votes for best practices in this area as follows: 1.Efficient Existing Public Buildings: 4 2.Efficient Existing Private Buildings: 2 3.New Green Buildings: 0 4.Efficient Outdoor Lighting and Signals: 1 5.Building Redevelopment: 1 The commission then moved onto discussion of best practices under the Land Use category. Commissioner Husbands asked that there be a focus on ordinance and policy development to set the city up for when developers come to do projects that they propose their projects in alignment with the city’s goals. She asked for clarification on 9 the zoning code update that the planning commission was working on if that should include natural resources updates as well. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson clarified that the zoning code update process that was being worked on by the planning commission was an update to align the outdated zoning code with the revised comprehensive plan. Coordinator Spreiter added that proposed changes to the zoning code can still be recommended by the natural resources commission independently of that process and that updates to the zoning code can be proposed at any time. Commissioner Stein agreed that a focus on policy and ordinance sets the city up for success, but acknowledged the challenge of working through the details. He also reminded the commission of the recent update from the policy committee that they were focusing the time to developing a single ordinance in order to make progress. Coordinator Spreiter reminded the commission that they needed to provide the direction on which policies and ordinances they wanted to focus on, that staff can support the commission with drafting ordinances once the direction is provided. Commissioner McCaslin asked if there were opportunities for transit or encouraging transit. Coordinator Spreiter shared that there is conversation and interest around transit, but that Metro Transit does not think that there is a demand for it. Assistant City Administrator shared that this is a good example of the return on investment for the priority areas. If the Commission makes that the priority and if the council wanted to put the investment in to make that happen, staff can look to see what it would cost, but likely it would be a high cost investment with a low utilization. This whole conversation is about identifying where are the priorities for the commission and what do they want staff to dig into more. Commissioner Stein commented that highway 62 divides the community and he is interested in working with MNDOT to look at some corridor planning. Doing a corridor study would set future projects up to integrate design changes when MNDOT does construction projects. 6.Comprehensive, Climate and Energy Plans: 0 7.Resilient City Growth: 0 8.Mixed Uses: 1 9.Efficient Highway- and Auto-Oriented Development: 0 10.Design for Natural Resource Conservation: 4 10 The commission then moved onto discussion of best practices under Transportation. Commissioner Husband asked for clarification about what a complete street is. Commissioner Tupper shared that her job is serving as the complete streets advisor for green steps and that she has a lot of expertise to support the city on this initiative. She shared that complete streets is looking at the full design of the street from storm water management to different transportation modes use of streets, like bikes and pedestrians in addition to cars. Living streets is another angle to evaluate the streets and that is looking at the green infrastructure around the city’s streets. Commissioner Husbands asked what the work to create complete streets would be. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson shared that this would likely be looking at developing a complete or living streets policy that would guide city projects moving forward. Commissioner Tupper shared that the policy helps to frame the decisions for street project design and for addressing community push back that might occur. Commissioner Husbands asked if the city had a policy, if it would also manage state projects. Assistant City Administrator shared that city policies are only internal, so it would affect city projects, but not state or county projects. Commissioner McCaslin asked about opportunities to hire grant writers to help us either with the implementation of the policy or with the writing of the policy. Commissioner Husbands thought that was a great idea. Vice Chair Tupper shared that there were so many opportunities to make progress on efficient city fleets that it should be a priority. Commissioner Husbands asked if the city should hire a position to work on grants. Assistant City Administrator shared that the commission would prioritize pursuing grants and the staff would advise if current staff would be able to complete that work or if it would require additional staff. Commissioner husbands wants the city to start with the priority and then look at what is necessary to achieve that. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson shared that the city council is having a work session next Tuesday, June 6, which the commission is invited to which is going to be looking at public financing options that the city could consider that might provide 11 designated funding streams for natural resources projects. Commissioner Stein shared the importance and challenge of developing ordinances. Coordinator Spreiter shared that the Natural Resources Management Plan has draft ordinances that are a good starting point for policy discussions. Commissioner Husbands asked what is necessary to put those in place. Coordinator Spreiter shared that that is the work happening in the policy and ordinance committee right now. Commissioner Stein shared that it is a lot of work. Natural Resources Coordinator Spreiter shared that the commission needs to provide the direction of what they want in the policy in order to make progress on that. Coordinator Spreiter shared that it is difficult to make progress without face to face meetings. Commissioner Husbands asked if the commission could do a work session to focus on making progress on those ordinances. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson said that the commission can make that a priority if it wants to. Commissioner Stein agreed that a focus on policy and ordinance sets the city up for success, but acknowledged the challenge of working through the details. He also reminded the commission of the recent update from the policy committee that they were focusing the time to developing a single ordinance in order to make progress. Vice Chair Tupper shared that the green steps committee could also focus on policy development if that was a priority. Commissioner Tupper shared that the green steps advisors are great resources that we could leverage. Commissioner Stein shared that our roads have some long term opportunities to save money if we design for narrower streets, the projects would be less expensive. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson shared that the commission could prioritize looking at life cycle cost analysis with projects and incorporate the long term financial benefits of sustainability investments. Commissioner Husbands agreed that it was a good idea to be incorporating sustainability and resilience into project design. 11.Living & Complete Streets: 412.Mobility Options: 0 13.Efficient City Fleets: 414.Demand-Side Travel Planning: 0 Assistant City Administrator Torkelson shared that this conversation would likely be tied in with a sustainable purchasing conversation, which is the first topic of the next 12 section, environmental management. The sustainable purchasing best practice includes a required action, a sustainable purchasing policy or guideline, for reaching step 3 of the green steps program. Commissioner Husbands asked if there was still a conversation about Mendota Heights being a pilot city for the County’s organics collection program. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson shared that at this time, we do not have direction to move forward on that yet, but staff are having discussions about how to get us to organics collection as we anticipate eventually having a requirement to have organics collection by the county. Commissioner Husbands thought it would be a good idea to leverage existing opportunities to make progress. Commissioner McCaslin thought that the county should provide direction and resources for organics collection. Commissioner Husbands thought that the use of sustainable pavement options would be a good priority. Commissioner McCaslin shared that it was common for grants to highlight a purchasing priority, such as American-made for the grant requirements. Commissioner Stein asked about resurfacing the city parking lot. Coordinator Spreiter shared that the parking lot project was waiting until there was direction by the city council regarding the city hall remodel. Commissioner Stein said there were lots of opportunities for small changes that would be easy to incorporate in that project. Commissioner Husbands asked for clarification about a stormwater utility. Coordinator Spreiter shared that we have a stormwater utility fee for developers right now. Commissioner Stein thought that there were some good examples around Lake Como that the city could look to that were more than ditches, they were natural plantings. Commissioner McCaslin thought that the floodplain work would be an easy project to take on. Coordinator Spreiter mentioned that staff was already working on that. 15.Sustainable Purchasing:116.Community Forests and Soils: 3 17.Stormwater Management: 318.Parks and Trails: 0 19.Surface Water: 220.Efficient Water and Wastewater Systems: 0 21.Septic Systems: 022.Sustainable Consumption and Waste: 0 23.Local Air Quality: 0 The commission then moved onto discussion of best practices under Resilient Economic and Community Development. 13 Vice Chair Tupper said that Benchmarks and Community Engagement was already in the work plan and has a lot of opportunities for things that the commission can do. Commissioner McCaslin said that it is good to prepare for renewable energy opportunities that might come along. Commissioner Stein said that it would be a good idea to connect with sustainability and natural resources partners at other agencies like SD 197. Commissioner Husbands said that the climate adaptation and community resilience focus was important. Assistant City Administrator Torkelson shared that this priority could prompt work on a sustainability plan or a climate resiliency plan and that those types of plans would address other areas of sustainability outside of the scope of the natural resources management plan. Vice Chair Tupper thought that a climate action plan would help to inform a lot of the other work that they are talking about. 24.Benchmarks and Community Engagement: 325.Green Business Development: 0 26.Renewable Energy: 127.Local Food: 0 28.Business Synergies and EcoDistricts: 029.Climate Adaptation and Community Resilience: 5 Motion to adjourn by Commissioner McCaslin, Seconded by Commissioner Stein 4-0 Adjourn at 8:02 p.m. 14 DATE: June 14, 2023 TO: Natural Resources Commission FROM: Courtney Selstad, Recycling Coordinator SUBJECT: Summer Recycling Events Update Background: Dakota County mandates that cities host special recycling collections each year for shredded paper, mattresses and pumpkins, as those materials are not recyclable through traditional curbside programs. Other special recycling collections are also encouraged as part of the county’s Community Waste Abatement Grant. In addition to the collections that Mendota Heights hosts throughout the year, residents are welcome to participate in some of the collections hosted by West St. Paul and South St. Paul. Update: Earlier this spring Mendota Heights residents were invited to bring their confidential documents for shredding and recycling at the spring shred event in West St. Paul, which diverted over 20,200 pounds of paper from the landfill. The Mendota Heights community also donated and diverted two gaylord boxes of used athletic gear this spring for reuse by a local veteran’s organization. Some upcoming recycling collections that Mendota Heights residents can utilize this summer are as follows: - Tire collection June 24th 9 am -noon at West St. Paul Public Works Facility (free) - Mattress collection August 19th 9 am-noon at Mendakota Park ($10 per mattress or box spring, $5 for crib mattresses) - Clothing and shoe collection August 21-September 1 through an outdoor donation box that will sit outside the Mendota Heights City Hall (free; items in good reusable condition only, please) The results of these summer collections will be reported at a future meeting. Requested Action: None at this time. Commissioners should feel free to share these events with other residents in the community. 6a.15 DATE: June 14, 2023 TO: Natural Resources Commission FROM: Krista Spreiter, Natural Resources Coordinator SUBJECT: Quarterly Work Session Scheduling Background Work sessions are not formal meetings; therefore, official action cannot be taken, rather they are used as a tool for city commissions to allow for informal discussion focused on key areas or topics. The Natural Resources Commission has had two work sessions in 2023, one joint work session with the Parks and Recreation Commission, and one work session held independently. Staff would like to begin scheduling regular, quarterly work sessions as a way to work through the Commission’s annual work plan, as well as provide a time for focused discussion on key tasks or goals as needed. If the Commission concurs, a work session would be held each quarter throughout the calendar year, in the last month of the quarter. Two options proposed to the Commission are: 1.Before the regular meeting held in the last month of the quarter •September 13th, 2023 at 4PM •December 13th, 2023 at 4PM 2.The last Wednesday of the last month of the quarter •September 27th, 2023 at 6PM •December 20th, at 6PM (in lieu of the 27th) Requested Action Information only. The Commission is invited to discuss the topic and provide feedback. A general consensus and direction to Staff should be provided. 6b.16 DATE: June 14, 2023 TO: Natural Resources Commission FROM: Krista Spreiter, Natural Resources Coordinator SUBJECT: Natural Resources Commissioner Resignation Background Natural Resources Commissioner Rachel Quick has resigned from the Natural Resources Commission. Commissioner Quick has served on the Natural Resources Commission since its inception in 2022. Commissioner Quick’s term on the commission expires in 2024. City Council accepted Commissioner Quick’s resignation at the regular City Council meeting on June 6th, 2023, and authorized staff to advertise the open commission seat. Once the City Council appoints a new commissioner to the seat, that commissioner will fulfill the remainder of the term. Staff will post the opening from June 7 through July 7 with interviews of candidates occurring in mid-July and an anticipated appointment by the City Council at the August 2, 2023 City Council Meeting. Requested Action Information only. 6c.17 DATE: June 14, 2023 TO: Natural Resources Commission FROM: Krista Spreiter, Natural Resources Coordinator SUBJECT: Pollinator Awareness Month Report Background During the month of May, the City promoted pollinators through Pollinator Awareness Month. Education was provided to residents via social media, Friday News, and other means on how residents can protect native pollinators and their habitat. Some highlights of the program included: •Education on topics such as landscaping for pollinators, simple ways to protect pollinators, and pollinator species •Tuesday Tips: Short tips on how residents can protect and benefit pollinators o Leave the leaves o Plant native host and nectar plants o Avoid the use of herbicides, pesticides, and insecticides o Plant a variety of native plants with differing seasonal bloom times •Forb Fridays: Native forbs (flowers) that are beneficial to pollinators o Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) o Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) o Purple Prairie Closer (Dalea purpurea) o Smooth Blue Aster (Aster laevis) •Pollinator of the Week: Education provided on a native pollinator species o Aberrant Cellophane Bee (Colletes aberrans) o Dakota Skipper (Hesperia dacotae) o Rusty Patched Bumble Bee (Bombus affinis) o Monarch Butterfly (Danau plexippus) •Pollinator beneficial landscape projects and features from individual commissioners were showcased •Pollinator Friendly Landscape Lawn signs were made available to residents Requested Action Information only. Discussion and suggestions from the Commission are welcome. 7a.18 DATE: June 14, 2023 TO: Natural Resources Commission FROM: Krista Spreiter, Natural Resources Coordinator SUBJECT: 2024 Budget Planning – Green Steps Background At the June 1st work session, the commission discussed and reviewed best practices from the GreenStep 29 Best Practices that are organized under five categories: Buildings and Lighting, Land Use, Transportation, Environmental Management, and Resilient Economic and Community Development. The goal of the work session was to establish priority best practices to recommend as focus areas as a recommendation to City Council for the 2024 budget cycle. Through discussion the following best practices were established as priorities: Building and Lighting •Efficient Existing Public Building (1) Land Use •Design for Natural Resource Conservation (10) Transportation •Living and Complete Streets (11) •Efficient City Fleets (13) Environmental Management •Community Forests and Soils (16) •Stormwater Management (17) •Surface Water (19) Resilient Economic and Community Development •Benchmarks and Community Engagement (24) •Climate Adaption and Community Resilience (29) Based on this discussion and corresponding results, the Natural Resources Commission could recommend the above eight (9) of the 29 GreenStep Best Practices as priority areas to help direct Staff and City Council in establishing goals and corresponding tasks for the 2024 calendar year. Requested Action If the Commission concurs, it should approve the above recommendation to bring to City Council. 7b.19 DATE: June 14, 2023 TO: Natural Resources Commission FROM: Krista Spreiter, Natural Resources Coordinator SUBJECT: 2024 Budget Planning – Natural Resources Management Plan Projects Background The Natural Resources Commission was asked to provide a recommendation for Natural Resources priority projects and programs to City Council for the 2024 calendar year. One of the tools used was a survey sent to all commissioners. The survey first asked commissioners to answer the following question regarding funding of the six priority natural resources projects as provided in the City’s Natural Resources Management Plan (NRMP) in 2024: Are you in favor of making a recommendation to City Council to fund all priority projects as listed in the NRMP and listed below, for the 2024 Budget Year in the amount of $32,793? (Yes/No): Commissioners were then asked to rank these priority projects in order, with (1) being the project of greatest importance, and (6) being the project of least importance to be included in the FY2024 Budget, as well as listing any projects they would like to recommend for 2024 that are not listed. The projects listed were as follows: 2024 NRMP Projects Valley Park Pollinator Corridor — $14,311 Valley Park Forest Enhancement-North — $14,700 Valley Park Forest Enhancement-South Central — $18,287 Valley Park-NW Forest Enhancement — $20,992 Valley Park-E Forest Enhancement — $8,168 Valley Park-S Oak/Aspen Knoll Forest Enhancement —$3,633 *Project costs have been increased to reflect an inflation rate of 5%. Project costs do not include potential grant funding. Costs shown for Valley Park Forest Enhancement-North DOES reflect grant funds already received. Of the four (4) commissioners that provided a response, all responded in favor of funding all priority projects as listed in the NRMP for FY2024. Of the commissioners that responded, the following ranking was also established: 1.Valley Park Pollinator Corridor — $14,311 2.Valley Park Forest Enhancement-North — $14,700 7c.20 3.Valley Park-NW Forest Enhancement — $20,992 4.Valley Park-E Forest Enhancement — $8,168 5.Valley Park Forest Enhancement-South Central — $18,287 6.Valley Park-S Oak/Aspen Knoll Forest Enhancement —$3,633 Based on this discussion and corresponding results, the Natural Resources Commission could recommend that all NRMP priority projects (1-6) be funded for FY2024. The Commission could also include the above ranking if desired, as well as the additional projects suggested by individual commissioners. Requested Action The Commission should discuss the above survey results and form a recommendation to be made to City Council for FY2024. 21