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April 28, 2026 St. Anthony Council Work Session - 5 <br />Councilmember Jenson stated that he attended programs by Hennepin County where you could drop off <br />your hazardous waste, such as paint cans, for free. He asked if programs like this still existed. <br />Mayor Webster noted that Ramsey County also has an environmental center where residents can bring <br />waste for free. Councilmember Elnagdy stated that she would not personally make that trip and that <br />more people would likely properly dispose of their waste if Public Works could bring them from St. <br />Anthony. <br />Councilmember Doolan stated that she believed this was a great proposition and expressed support for <br />more cleanup days. She highlighted the success of similar programming in other cities, but noted that <br />this will cost Public Works time. She proposed asking Colombia Heights and other cities how they fund <br />their programming, and whether grants may exist to support this. She asked how much this would likely <br />cost the City. City Manager Yunker stated it is almost impossible to know, as there is no existing data for <br />St. Anthony to base this on. <br />City Manager Yunker expressed the need for Council to reach a clearer consensus on whether the 2027 <br />Budget should include a line item for Sustainability Programming and, if so, by how much. Assistant City <br />Manager Morello noted Council support for more community-based programming and sought clearer <br />parameters for what the Council would like allocated to this. <br />Councilmember Jenson stated that most hazardous waste is now paint, and most modern paints are <br />water-based or latex-based. If you let them dry, they are safe to throw out. This makes financial <br />incentives for hazardous waste disposal much less necessary. Councilmember Doolan highlighted that <br />the County would still like to receive reusable paint. <br />Councilmember Doolan proposed using City funds recovered from sustainable initiatives to fund future <br />sustainability programming. <br />Mayor Webster asked the Council whether they would like a line item of 20,000 dollars for sustainability <br />issues in the upcoming budget, to give Staff an idea of where to begin. <br />Councilmember Jenson stated that he felt the City should focus first on City building improvements <br />before funding residential projects. Mayor Webster asked him whether he would prefer that this line <br />item be designated specifically for City buildings. Councilmember Jenson confirmed he was looking to <br />focus more on preventing delays in building maintenance. <br />Councilmember Doolan stated the Council must consider criteria for using these funds, the equity <br />around the expenditure, and what they are prioritizing. She specifically proposed focusing on high ROI <br />projects. <br />Councilmember Elnagdy noted that the number was very artificial. Councilmember Jenson concurred, <br />stating he dislikes applying a dollar amount without knowing what it will be used for. <br />Mayor Webster directed City Manager Yunker to inform staff that they would like to set aside funding <br />for sustainability programming, following support from three Councilmembers. <br />City Manager Yunker clarified that this is not a commitment but rather leaves the idea open for Staff to <br />explore. <br />6