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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-06-17 PacketMinutes of the Regular Meeting of the Energy and Environment Commission Edina City Hall Community Room Wednesday, June 17, 2009, 7:00 P.M. Members In Attendance and Roll Call: M. Germana Paterlini, Bill Sierks, Surya Iyer, Julie Risser, Hailey Lee, Paul Thompson, Jeannie Hanson, Steve Christianson, Michael Platteter Absent: Dianne Plunkett Latham, Raymond O'Connell Staff Present: Jane Timm, Heather Worthington 1. Welcome & Roll Call 2. Discussion and Approval of Agenda. Commissioner Risser made a motion to approve the meeting agenda with an addition of a letter from the Sierra Club. Commissioner Paterlini seconded. Motion carried. 3. Approval of the Special Meeting Minutes of June 8, 2009. Commissioner Risser made a motion to approve the minutes of the June 8, 2009 special meeting. Commissioner Lee seconded. Motion carried. Approval of the May 20, 2009 Meeting Minutes. Commissioner Christianson made a motion to approve the minutes of the May 20, 2009 meeting. Commissioner Sierks seconded. Motion carried. 4. Community Comment None 5. Work Group Updates Education and Outreach Work Group Commissioner Thompson gave an update of their monthly meeting. Fourth of July Parade and the flyers that would be handed out Next monthly Sun Current article from Commissioner Lee August 18 "Our Clean Energy Future" event Recycling and Solid Waste Work Group No update Climate Change Work Group No update. Water Quality Work Group Commissioner Risser gave an update of their monthly meeting. She explained they made a decision about key projects. She also talked about achievable projects. Ground water quality policy Ethanol use • Rain barrel distribution within the city Chair Iyer asked for nominations to chair the Water Quality Working Group. Commissioner Risser made a motion to nominate Commissioner Christiansion to chair the Water Quality Working Group. Commissioner Thompson seconded. Motion carried. 6. Commission Business Chair Iyer made a suggestion that the Commission discuss how many working groups were appropriate for the commission. He asked that they discuss it and make a decision at the July meeting. Chair Iyer asked that the Energy and Environment Commission bylaws be discussed at the July meeting. Assistant City Manager Worthington asked that any links that a commissioner might want added to the website be sent to her or Secretary Timm for prior approval. Assistant City Manager Worthington asked that all Working Group members go through their chair person, if they have questions for city staff. The chair person can then contact her or Secretary Timm so the appropriate staff person is notified. There was a discussion about recruiting volunteers for the Working Groups. Consensus was to create the focus of the Working Groups first. A sign up sheet would be available at the August 18, 2009 event along with flyers distributed with sign up information at National Night out. In addition, Commissioner Lee would mention the recruitment in her upcoming article in the Sun Current. Ms. Worthington distributed a financial report of the Energy and Environment Commission. Ms. Worthington reminded the Commission she would not be attending the July and August 2009 EEC meetings. Commissioner Sierks gave an overview of an EPA grant. He suggested a team of five Commissioners work to complete the application process. The application is due July 22, 2009. Commissioner Christianson made a motion that if five Commissioners agreed to write the grant they could go forward with filing the intent to apply for the grant. Commissioner Paterlini seconded. Motion carried. Chair Iyer asked that dates be chosen for the Natural Step training. No dates were chosen at that time. Commissioner Paterlini and Iyer reviewed a letter from the Sierra Club to the EPA at the request of the mayor. The Commissioners decided to comment on the letter individually. 7. Adjournment Commissioner Christianson made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Thompson seconded. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m. The next meeting will be the regularly scheduled meeting at 7:00 p.m. July 15, 2009 in the Community Room. Respectfully submitted, Jane M. Timm, Secretary Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Energy and Environment Commission Edina City Hall Community Room Wednesday, July 15, 2009, 7:00 P.M. Members In Attendance and Roll Call: Bill Sierks, Surya Iyer, Julie Risser, Jeannie Hanson, Steve Christianson, Michael Platteter, Dianne Plunkett Latham, Raymond O'Connell Absent: M. Germana Paterlini, Hailey Lee, Paul Thompson Staff Present: Jane Timm, Matt Laue 1. Welcome & Roll Call 2. Discussion and Approval of Agenda. Commissioner Platteter made a motion to approve the meeting agenda. Commissioner O'Connell seconded. Motion carried. 3. Approval of the June 17, 2009 Meeting Minutes. Commissioner Latham made a motion to approve the minutes of the June 17, 2009 meeting with amendments. Commissioner Christianson seconded. Motion carried. 4. Community Comment Karen Shragg, Director of Woodlake Nature Center gave an overview of the Audubon Program at Braemar and Fred Richards and explained the process of certification of open spaces with Audubon International. Commissioner Latham made a motion to recommend the Park Board apply for Audubon certification at Bredesen Park and to consider other parks in the future. Commissioner O'Connell seconded. Motion carried. 5. Work Group Updates Water Quality Work Group No updates. The next meeting will be held July 20, 2009 at 7 p.m. Climate Change Work Group Chair Iyer reviewed the Climate Change Report in the Energy and Environment monthly packet. Education and Outreach Work Group Commissioner Risser gave an updated schedule of "Our Clean Energy Future" event August 18, 2009. There was also a discussion regarding Xcel Energy as a sponsor. Commissioner Risser made a motion to make a formal recommendation to Dick Crockett to reach out to Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy, invite and ask them to be a sponsor of the "Our Clean Energy Future" event. Commissioner Sierks seconded. Motion carried. Recycling and Solid Waste Work Group Commissioner Latham gave an update of the survey the group is putting together to send to residents of Edina. 6. Commission Business Commissioner Latham went over the changes to the bylaws to comply with the City Code changes. Commissioner Latham gave notice that a formal vote would be taken at the August 2009 Commission meeting. There was a discussion about the Energy and Environment Commission structure. Six topics were identified and put together with contact persons assigned to each topic. • Carbon Measurement and Procurement Commissioner Paterlini • Renewable Energy • Air & Water Quality • Green Building Code • Education & Outreach • Recycling & Solid Waste Commissioner Hanson Commissioner Christianson Commissioner Platteter Commissioner Thompson Commissioner Latham Commissioner Latham made a motion to have the following contact persons responsible for the following topics: Commissioner Paterlini Carbon Measurement and Procurement Commissioner Hanson Renewable Energy Commissioner Christianson Air & Water Quality Commissioner Platteter Green Building Code Commissioner Thompson Education & Outreach Commissioner Latham Recycling & Solid Waste Commissioner Hanson seconded. Motion carried. There was a discussion of the agenda and the meeting structure. Chair Iyer will put the agenda together differently for the next meeting with no Working Group Reports. The Natural Step Framework Seminar Plan that was on the agenda was not discussed due to lack of time. The EPA Climate Showcase Communities grant/timelines that was on the agenda was not discussed due to lack of time. 7. Adjournment Commissioner O'Connell made a motion to adjourn. Commissioner Risser seconded. Motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m. The next meeting will be the regularly scheduled meeting at 7:00 p.m. August 19, 2009 in the Community Room. Respectfully submitted, Jane M. Timm, Secretary EDINA PUBLIC MEETING PROCEDURES During "Public Hearings" the Chair will ask for public comment after City staff members make their presentations. If you wish to speak on the topic, you are welcome to do so as long as your comments are relevant to the discussion. To ensure fairness to all speakers and to allow the efficient conduct of a public hearing, speakers must observe the following guidelines: • Individuals must limit their presentations to three minutes or less. The Chair will modify presentation times, as deemed necessary. • Try not to repeat remarks or points of view made by prior speakers and limit comments to the matter under consideration. • In order to maintain a comfortable environment for all those in attendance, the use of signs, clapping, cheering or booing or any other form of verbal or nonverbal communication is not allowed. During "Public Comments," the Chair will ask to hear from those in attendance who would like to speak about something not on tonight's agenda. Individuals must limit their presentations to three minutes and cannot speak to an issue for which a public hearing was previously held and closed within the last thirty days or a matter scheduled for a future hearing on a specific date. Individuals should not expect the Chair or Commission to respond to their comments. Instead, the Commission might direct the matter to staff for consideration at a future meeting. ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION AGENDA FOR MEETING July 15, 2009, 7:00 PM — 9:00 PM 1) Welcome, Call to Order, and Roll Call (2 min) 2) Discussion and Approval of Agenda and Agenda times (3 min) 3) Public Comment (10 min) Karen Shragg, Director of Woodlake Nature Center 4) Discussion and Approval of June 17 Meeting Minutes (5 min) 5) WG/Chair Reports (30 min) Water Quality Climate Change Education Recycling & Solid Waste EEC Chair 6) Staff Report (10 min) 7) Review commission structure and revise by-laws (Latham) (20 min) 8) Natural Step Framework Seminar Plan (20 min) 9) EPA Climate Showcase Communities grant/timelines (Sierks) (30 min) 10) Adjourn The City of Edina wants all residents to be comfortable being part of the public process. If you need assistance in the way of hearing amplification, an interpreter, large -print documents or something else, please call 952-927-8861 72 hours in advance of the meeting. BY-LAWS OF THE CITY OF EDINA ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION OFFICES: 1. The principal office of the Commission shall be at 4801 West 50th Street in the City of Edina, County of Hennepin, State of Minnesota, 55424 2. The Members of the Commission may designate, for administrative convenience, the legal address of the Edina City Hall as an office for receipt and transmittal of Commission communications. MEMBERS: 3. Membership. The Commission shall consist of nine members appointed by the Mayor with the consent of the majority of the Council. One member of the Commission shall be a high school student with full voting rights. All members of the Commission shall be residents of the City and shall be appointed for a term of three years, except that a student member shall be appointed for a term of one year. Of the nine members, one member shall also be a member of the Planning Commission and one member shall also be a member of the Park Board. Members shall serve until a successor has been appointed. Upon termination of a member's term, that member's successor shall be appointed for the remainder of such term. Members of the Commission shall serve without compensation and may resign voluntarily or be removed by a majority vote of the Council pursuant to Section 180 of this Code. Commission members who discontinue legal residency in the City may be removed from office by the Mayor with the consent of a majority of the Council. DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMISSION: 4.The Commission shall: A. Examine and recommend best practices for energy conservation for Edina's citizens and businesses, including recommendations for a "green" building code, use of Energy Star appliances, and other energy reduction targets. B. Examine and recommend changes in City Government purchasing and operations to conserve energy. C. Evaluate and monitor the provision of a residential recycling program. D. Evaluate and monitor the provision of a privately provided solid waste program, as well as a reduction in municipal solid waste produced by Edina residents and businesses. E. Evaluate and encourage improvements in air and water quality. F. Promote the establishment of targets for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions produced by the City's buildings, equipment and operations. G. Educate the public about energy issues, reduction, conservation, reuse, recycling and environmental protection. H. Examine and promote renewable energy options for transportation, heating, and cooling, and other energy uses. Prepare such studies, reports and recommendations as the Council may request. MEETINGS OF MEMBERS: 5. The Commission shall hold meetings monthly at 4801 West 50th Street in the City of Edina, Minnesota. 6. A majority of the members of the Commission shall be requisite and shall constitute a quorum at all meetings of the members for the transaction of business. If, however, such majority shall not be present within 30 minutes of the scheduled starting time, the members present shall have power to adjourn the meeting or continue as a work session posting the minutes in either case. 7. At each meeting of the members, each member shall be entitled to one vote. All elections shall be had and all questions decided by a plurality vote. 8. Special meetings of the members for any purpose or purposes may be called by the Commission Chairperson, or upon the request of a majority of Commission members. 9. All regular and special meetings of the Commission at which official action is taken shall be public meetings, and no person shall be excluded there from. 10. The Commission may request assignment of a staff secretary from the City. If a secretary is assigned by the City, the secretary shall perform only such clerical duties on behalf of the Commission as may be assigned by the Chairperson with the consent of the City Manager. -2 - OFFICERS: 11. The officers of the Commission shall consist of a Chairperson and Vice - Chairperson. Both officers shall be elected by a majority vote of the Commission members at each February meeting for a term to end at the next February meeting. 12. In the absence of the Chairperson or Vice -Chairperson, a Chairperson Pro Tem can be appointed by the members present. 13. The officers shall hold office until their successors are chosen and qualify in their stead. CHAIRPERSON: 14. The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the Commission. The Chairperson shall sign all documents approved by the Commission. The Chairperson shall prepare agendas for each meeting of the Commission. If Committees are established by the Commission under Paragraph 17, the Chairperson shall, with the approval of a majority of Commission members, appoint the chair of each committee for a term to end at the next February meeting. A committee Chair may be removed by the Chairperson with approval of the majority of the Commission. VICE -CHAIRPERSON: 15. The Vice -Chairperson, in the absence or disability of the Chairperson, shall perform the duties and exercise the powers of the Chairperson and shall perform such other duties as the Commission shall prescribe. RULES OF ORDER: 16. The rules of parliamentary procedure comprised in the latest edition of Robert's Revised Rules of Order shall govern the Commission in its deliberations except where they are in conflict with the By -Laws. In the event of conflict, the By -Laws shall take precedence. Rules may be amended at any meeting by a majority vote. The order of business may be suspended at any meeting by mutual agreement or by a majority vote. COMMITTEES: 17.A majority vote of the Commission shall authorize such committees as it deems appropriate and shall define their scope and duration. Each committee shall be chaired by a member of the commission and may include other commissioners, city staff, and residents of the community. Such members shall be recommended to the Commission by the IBM Committee Chair and must be confirmed by a majority vote of the Commission. A committee member may be removed by the Committee Chair upon approval of a majority of the Commission. CONFLICT OF INTEREST: 18. No member shall use their position on this Commission for financial gain for themselves or for others. If such gain could reasonably be expected, the member shall abstain from voting. AMENDMENTS: 19. These By -Laws may be amended by the affirmative vote of a quorum at any meeting of the Commission called for that purpose; provided that the substance of the proposed amendment shall have been submitted in writing to the members at least ten (10) days prior to such meeting. History: Adopted 2-16-08; amended CLIMATE CHANGE WORKING GROUP REPORT The CCWG met on June 29. Five members attended. Present was Matt laue, the intern working part-time for the City. He spends about 10 hours a week working on ICLEI-related projected. On The agenda: 1) Milestone 1: officially report results to ICLEI I provided Matt with the community data, the last remaining portion of completing milestone 1. The CACP software had a major upgrade and he transferred all the data to the new version. There were some technical issues, such as getting the conversion factors from the EPA, but Matt found his way around and he completed this task. He is preparing a final report for submission to ICLEI. 2) Emissions Data for 2008: status on data collection Matt and Heather still have difficulties in getting the data, despite the numerous requests to the utilities. The McKinstry consultants also appear not to have the data. THIS IS AN URGENT MATTER THAT SHOULD BE SOLVED ASAP 3) Timeline for PR on CDP report in July As you know, the report was officially out on July 8`h. I wrote a press release for the Edina website and submitted an article to Jennifer for the next issue of About Town. I would like to thank Heather and Jennifer for their support on getting the press release out. 4) Review of green procurement policies from model cities Matt has been looking at a few policies and we discuss what is the better approach: for ex: San Francisco codifies all their policies, other cities have in place general policies. The CCWG is working on a draft. October 17, 2007 NEW EDINA ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT COMMISSION BEGINS WORK, SEEKS VOLUNTEERS The City Council created a new Energy and Environment Commission earlier this year. The new Commission got the "green light" from the City Council this month and is ready to begin its work. The Commission has established three committees: (1) Recycling and Solid Waste Committee; (2) Education and Outreach Committee; and (3) the Climate Change Committee. The Climate Change Committee has four areas of focus: (a) Energy Efficiency; (b) Renewable Energy; (c) Reducing Carbon; and (d) Carbon Tracking and Measurement. The nine -member commission includes Chairman Bill Sierks, Vice -Chair Dianne Plunkett Latham, Surya Iyer, Ian Nelson, Raymond O'Connell, John Owens, M. Germana Paterlini, Julie Risser and Sean Wenham. The Commission invites Edina residents, including high school students, to join us in working to make our City greener and fight global warming. If you would like to work with us on these important topics, please email us at edinamail@i. edina. mn. us, or call 952-927-8861 between 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, or write to Energy/Environment Commission, Edina City Hall, 4801 W. 501h Street, Edina, MN, 55424. Please indicate the topic(s) that are of greatest interest to you. Additional Contacts: EE Commission Chair - Bill Sierks — WSierks@Comcast.net EE Commission Vice Chair - Diane.PIunkett.Latham@Comcast.net Recycling & Solid Waste Committee Chair - Diane.Plunkett.Latham@Comcast.net Education and Outreach Committee Chair - Sean—Wenham@ML.com Climate Change Committee Chair — GermanaPaterlini@hotmail.com Energy Efficiency Subcommittee Chair — John Owens - John@OwensCo.com Renewable Energy Subcommittee Chair - SuryaIyer@Hotmail.com Reducing Carbon Subcommittee Chair — Bill Sierks — WSierks &Comcast.net Carbon Tracking & Measurement Subcom Chair-GermanaPaterlini@GMail.com Upcoming Events Aug. 18, 2009 - "Our Clean Energy Future" with Bill McKibben, founder of www.350.org. Co-sponsored by Edina Community Foundation, Edina Energy & Environment Commission, Project Earth and Cool Planet. Oct. 24,2009- International Day of Climate Action. Find or start an action in your community as part of the Edina Day of Service. Visit www.350.org for ideas. Consider nominating an Edina Energy & Environment champion. Send your nomination to Edina Energy & Environment Commission, 4801 W. 50th St., Edina, MN 55424 or edinamail@ci.edina.mn.us. Ten Ways to Reduce Waste, Help the Environment and Save Money 1. Water smart! Follow Edina's odd -even sprinkling policy and remember that watering is banned daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. 2. Get a rain barrel. 3. Avoid the use of chemicals on your lawn. 4. Create a compost pile. 5. Sign up for Saver Switch with Xcel Energy - save money and reduce energy consumption during peak -use hours. 6. Get a home energy audit and find out what you need to do to reduce energy use and costs. Summer is the perfect time for home improvement projects! 7. Grow your own food. Take a tip from the Edina Garden Council and "save some green by growing green." 8. Park your car! Try biking and public transit for recreation, errands and commuting. 9. Combine trips or carpool - fill your vehicle with people. 10. Take the revised Minnesota Energy Challenge and pledge to reduce your energy use. Join Team Edina at mnenergychallenge.org. sC91�,1� o e g;p)10 AlAk• �tio.