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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes <br />October 25, 2022 <br />Page 7 <br />1 to live in a City that matches their values to the budget. Racial Justice and Climate Justice are <br />2 needed. Investment in Climate Action is necessary. <br />3 <br />4 Ms. Lona Doolan, 3511 Harding Street, she wants to start a conversation about Climate Action <br />5 Planning and the challenge of reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions. The 2040 Comp Plan goal <br />6 calls for 80% in City-wide emissions by 2040. A number of residents are installing solar panels <br />7 which helps reduce emissions. They have made numerous improvements to their home to reduce <br />8 their use of natural gas. She attended a conference and stated another City is drilling geo-thermal <br />9 wells. Thirteen Minnesota Cities have created Climate Action Plans. She urged the City Council <br />10 to support the acceleration of creating a Climate Action Plans. She provided suggested actions <br />11 for the City Council. <br />12 <br />13 Ms. Barbara Draper spoke about the way to raise the bar higher and adopt a Climate Action Plan. <br />14 There is no plan for reducing City-wide emissions by 80% by 2040. She suggested a dedicated <br />15 person be hired to implement the Climate Action Plan. Electric vehicles could be purchased by <br />16 the City when replacing their fleet. She read a lengthy prepared statement. <br />17 <br />18 Mr. Dan Kunitz, 3305 Skycroft Circle, they have lived in St. Anthony Village for 11 years. They <br />19 have reduced their emissions by upgrading their homes. He hears concerns from residents about <br />20 fear of climate change. Adding community commitments are a good way to address climate <br />21 change. A City Climate Action Plan would be an efficient way for the City and residents to scale <br />22 their efforts to address the climate goals. He asked St. Anthony to establish dedicated 2020 <br />23 funding for Climate Action Planning. <br />24 <br />25 Mr. Steve Botz, 2913 Townview, resident for 19 years, noted previous speakers have spoken <br />26 about values and how they have made their own choices to reduce emissions. He is an <br />27 environmental scientist and he works on climate change for Best Buy. Many cities and <br />28 companies hire people like him because they are concerned about Climate Change. Action needs <br />29 to be taken today. He supports all the previous speakers. They need the City Council to jump in <br />30 with two feet to support an action plan to reduce emissions. He cited reports on climate change <br />31 models. <br />32 <br />33 Mr. Mark Grimes, 3201 Townview Avenue, has lived in St. Anthony since 1998. He thinks a <br />34 Climate Action Plan would benefit the City. He is a member of Faith United Methodist Church. <br />35 Solar panels have been put on the roof and it has saved money since being installed. LED <br />36 lighting has also been installed. <br />37 <br />38 Mr. Paul White, 3201 32nd Avenue, lived in St. Anthony for 10 years. He stated the urgency of <br />39 the issues of Climate Change is serious. He encouraged the City Council to follow the lead of <br />40 other cities to minimize the City’s impact. How do we want our children to face the issues. <br />41 <br />42 Mayor Stille thanked everyone that spoke tonight. Council has embraced environment <br />43 stewardship and sustainability. One third of the plants in the City are powered by solar. A couple <br />44 of electric trucks have been ordered. The suggestions made tonight have been heard and it will <br />45 be discussed. <br />46