10-7-25 City Council Meeting Packet

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STAFF REPORT DATE:October 7, 2025 CONSENT TO: Mayor and Councilmembers FROM: Nicole Miller, City Administrator AGENDA ITEM: Approve City Council Letter of Support for Lake Elmo Lake Association 3M Priority 2 Grant CORE STRATEGIES: ☐ Vibrant, inclusive, connected community ☐ Efficient, reliable, innovative services ☐ Responsive, transparent, adaptive governance ☐ Balanced Finances now and future ☐ Managed Growth ☒ Resilient Infrastructure BACKGROUND: On April 1, 2025 the City Council approved support for The Lake Elmo Lake Association (LELA) to submit a letter of intent for funding to improve and enhance outdoor recreational opportunities in our community. LELA has been approved to move forward with their full 3M grant application. LELA is asking for the City Council to submit a letter of support with them to include in their application materials. As part of the 3M settlement, $20 million in grant money was set aside to compensate for losses to recreational and ecological resources resulting from PFAS released by 3M. The DNR and MPCA have elected to solicit project proposals directly from the organizations and communities via a public RFP process. The lake association will submit a full application for habitat restoration including the removal of Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) and Curly-leaf pondweed (CLP) along with restoration of the native plant community. ISSUE BEFORE COUNCIL: Does the council approve the letter of support for Lake Elmo Lake Association 3M Priority 2 grant application to remove EWM and CLP as well as restore the native plant community? PROPOSAL DETAILS/ANALYSIS: Included in your packet is the application to the 3M Priority 2 grant by The Lake Elmo Lake Association for full removal of Eurasian watermilfoil (EWM) and Curly-leaf pondweed (CLP) along with restoration of the native plant community allocated strictly for restoration of wildlife