EC Minutes 03-27-20237800 Golden Valley Road I Golden Valley, MN 55427 City Of
763-593-80271 TTY 763-593-39681763-593-8198 (fax) I www.goldenvalleymn.gov golden
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Environmental Commission
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March 27, 2023 — 6:30 pm
REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
Remote Attendance: Members of the public may attend this meeting via Webex by calling 1-415-655-
0001 and entering access code 1773 93 4642.
Questions/Comments: Members of the public who have questions about the commission or any
items on the agenda should contact the staff commission liaison — Eric Eckman, Environmental
Resources Supervisor, eeckman@goldenvalleymn.gov, 763-593-8084.
1. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order by Chair Weirich at 6:30 pm.
2. Land Acknowledgement
3. Roll Call
Commissioners present: Wendy Weirich, Debra Yahle, Tonia Galonska, Dawn Hill, Jim Stremel, Kenna
Brandt
Commissioners absent: Shannon Hansen, Rachel Zuraff
Council Members present: None
Staff present: Eric Eckman, Environmental Resources Supervisor;
Ethan Kehrberg, Sustainability Specialist;
Mars Muehleis, GreenCorps Member;
Carrie Nelson, Engineering Assistant.
4. Approval of Agenda
MOTION by Commissioner Hill, seconded by Commissioner Stremel to approve the agenda for March
27, 2023 and the motion carried.
5. Approval of January 23, 2023 Regular Meeting Minutes
MOTION by Commissioner Galonska, seconded by Commissioner Brandt to approve the minutes of
January 23, 2023 as submitted and the motion carried.
6. Old Business
A. 2022 Accomplishments & 2023 Work Plan
MOTION by Commissioner Yahle, seconded by Commissioner Hill to approve the 2022
Accomplishments and 2023 Work Plan and the motion carried with the following changes:
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City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting
March 27, 2023 — 6:30 pm
N
• Under Recycling & Organics:
o Change 'ban' to 'fee' when discussing the use of Styrofoam and singles use
plastics.
• Under Community Outreach:
o Change to: Use 'a portion of the Commission's budget...
B. EAB Removals & Replanting
i. Tree Trust would provide 100 trees for a fall sale. Trees normally sell for $150-$200.
The City would offer them for $40-$80.
ii. City considering a tiered pricing structure to allow residents in the 4 highest
Environmental Justice Priority Areas to purchase trees at $40, while all other residents
purchase for $80.
iii. Could residents pay the lower amount if they have proof of losing an Ash Tree? Not part
of this proposal, but could be included in future years.
MOTION by Commissioner Stremel, seconded by Commissioner Hill to approve
creating a partnership with Tree Trust for a fall 2023 tree sale and sponsoring the
event by dedicating up to $1,750.00 of the Environmental Commission Budget
toward the project and the motion carried.
iv. Condemned / Forced Ash Tree Removal Special Assessment Terms
MOTION by Commissioner Hill, seconded by Commissioner Galonska to approve
recommending a Policy / City Code change to increase the number of years
residents have to pay back a special assessment for condemned tree removal to 5
years at approximately 5 percent interest rate (or set by Finance Department) and
the motion carried.
7. New Business
A. Recycling Update
i. One organics load has been rejected so far this year.
ii. Staff and Republic are on the same page overall and the communication has been good.
iii. Service delays are put on the website and all social media. Emails are pushed out to
4,000 people subscribed to the Govdelivery service (over half of all customers in city).
We're also exploring technology to push notifications out to resident's phones, similar to
GV Emergency CodeRed system.
iv. Staff is currently working with Republic to schedule composition studies to sort through
samples from the City's traditional recycling and organics collection.
v. We have approximately 97% participation rate in traditional recycling and approximately
45% participation rate in organics recycling.
B. Program/Project Updates
i. No Discussion
City of Golden Valley Environmental Commission Regular Meeting 3
March 27, 2023 — 6:30 pm
C. Council Updates
i. Council Member Sanberg is resigning from the Council and the EC will begetting anew
Council Liaison.
D. Other Business
L Loppet Sustainability Fair —April 29, 2023 — 9am-12pm —Theo Wirth Trailhead.
S. Adjournment
MOTION by Commissioner Galonska, seconded by Commissioner Yahle to adjourn the meeting at 8:17
pm and the motion carried.
ATTEST:
Lot A AJC j) ill i _
Carrie Nelson, Administrative Assistant Wendy Wei ich, Chair