5. Pine City ResolutionRESOLUTION # 14-07
A resolution authorizing the city of Pine City to participate in the Minnesota GreenStep Cities
Program
WHEREAS, Minnesota GreenStep Cities is a voluntary challenge, assistance and recognition
program to help cities achieve their sustainability and quality -of -life goals. GreenStep is a free,
continuous improvement program, managed by a public -private partnership, and based upon 28 best
practices. Each best practice can be implemented by completing one or more actions at a 1, 2 or 3-star
level, from a list of four to eight actions. These actions are tailored to all Minnesota cities, focus on
cost savings and energy use reduction, and encourage civic innovation; and
WHEREAS, Steps taken toward sustainable solutions aim to improve community quality of
life, building community capital and increasing government efficiency, accountability and
transparency; 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, 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; and
WHEREAS, the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program provides cost-effective 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;
BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Pine City does hereby authorize the
City of Pine City to participate in the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program that offers free, voluntary
continuous improvement framework. Passage of this participation resolution allows the City to be
recognized as a Step One GreenStep City. Be it further resolved that the City:
Appoints Nathan fohnson. CommuniV Development Director/Plannerto serve as the City's
GreenStep coordinator for best practice documentation/implementation and to work with an
intern under the direction of the NE CERT Coordinator; and
Will facilitate the involvement of community members and other units of government as
appropriate in the planning, promoting and/or implementing of GreenStep Cities best practices;
and
Grants to the GreenStep program's buildings advisor read-only access to the City's B3
Benchmarking Database so as to facilitate analysis and cost -savings advice to the City regarding
its buildings' energy use; and
4. Will claim credit for having implemented and will work at its own pace toward implementing any
GreenStep best practices that will result in energy use reduction, economic savings, quality of life
improvement, reduction in the City's greenhouse gas footprint, and recognition by the League of
Minnesota Cities as a Step Two GreenStep City. An on -going summary of the City's implementation
of best practices will be posted by the City on the Minnesota GreenStep Cities web site.
Adopted by the City Council this Wednesday, the 26t" of March 2014.
< 7-Z
Paul Ja s en, Mayor
ATTEST:
Holly Wilson, C§1Administrator