Review Draft Guiding Principles Document for Participation in the GreenStep Cities Program

As part of the approved 2014 EPB Work Plan, the EPB forwarded Resolution #14-01-021 to the City Council to consider participation in the GreenStep Cities program. The Minnesota GreenStep Cities program is a voluntary challenge, assistance and recognition program designed to help communities achieve sustainability and quality of life goals. There are no costs to a city that chooses to participate in this program. The GreenStep Cities program is lead by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, but is governed by a public/private partnership of state agencies and non-governmental agencies. The program is based upon twenty-eight (28) best practices that outline a cost-effective, step-wise path to implementing sustainable development best practices. More importantly, many of the best practices focus on city operations and how a city itself can become more economically and environmentally efficient, e.g. more sustainable. As a community accomplishes more best practices, it can achieve greater levels of recognition as a GreenStep City. GreenStep Cities that achieve a new level or step are recognized at the annual League of Minnesota Cities conference.

At the January 28, 2014 City Council meeting, the City Council discussed the GreenStep Cities program and whether the City would benefit from participating in it.  Ultimately, the City Council postponed action on the proposed resolution to provide additional time to develop guiding principles to ensure that participation would continue to be in line with the City's goals and core values and returned review of the program back to the EPB to assist in defining the City's participation.  Based on discussion at the February EPB meeting, Staff has developed a draft document that attempts to more formally outline the purpose, benefits and guiding principles for City participation in this program.

The purpose of this case is to review this draft document and provide any feedback and/or suggested revisions.  Should the Board generally support the document (or after any identifying any necessary additions and/or revisions), Staff will then schedule this topic for a future City Council Work Session agenda for discussion with City Council.  Staff would notify the Board of that meeting date, once known, and strongly encourages Board Members to attend and participate in the discussion if available.

The attached document attempts to encapsulate the purpose and benefit of the City participating in the GreenStep Cities program.  Furthermore, the document lays out the benefits of participating in the program and, as had been the Board's intention from the beginning, that the program would be used as a guide for how public facilities and public operations may become more sustainable.  Furthermore, it reiterates that participation in this program is voluntary and provides access to additional resources (both information and individuals with experience and knowledge in the various Best Practices fields) that could serve to limit Staff time needed to research various actions.  Finally, it emphasizes that any potential action(s) would be subject to the approval of the City Council.

Preparation of this case is being handled as part of normal Staff duties.

Based on discussion.