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July 28th, 2026 St. Anthony Council Work Session - 3 <br />Councilmember Randle reminded the Council that he is not in favor of providing any City dollars <br />for sustainability. <br />Mayor Webster expressed a desire to see the impact of these programs on the levy. She <br />proposed lowering the amount given towards sustainability from the amount on the brief, but <br />launching smaller incentives as a pilot program. She provided an example of lowering the <br />amount to 10,000 dollars and utilizing this solely to match grants. <br />Councilmember Doolan reaffirmed her strong support for providing supportive funding for <br />sustainability programs. She overviewed examples of sustainability programming from Roseville <br />and St. Peter. She encouraged the Council to speak about sustainability and energy efficiency in <br />terms of how much it saves in energy costs, rather than speaking about how it raises the levy. <br />Councilmember Randle stated that he felt that it should be the residents’ choice. He expressed <br />that if they are using taxpayer dollars to encourage residents’ decisions about their homes, they <br />should consult the community. He noted that if there is strong community support for these <br />programs, then he would be supportive. <br />Councilmember Jenson reminded the Council that the prior discussion was related more to <br />improving the energy efficiency of City buildings, and that he is not supportive of raising the levy <br />for residential incentives. He expressed his dislike of the word “incentives.” <br />Assistant City Manager Morello concurred with Councilmember Jenson and reminded the <br />Council that this funding would be used for sustainability initiatives, not incentives. She provided <br />examples of what these funds could be used for, such as clothing swaps, fix-it days, curbside <br />pickup programs, and other community-based items. <br />Councilmember Doolan stated that she would like to see this funding used to help residents <br />weatherize their homes. She provided an example of residents currently struggling in the heat if <br />they do not have air conditioning. She stated that her goal is not to pay people to make their <br />homes more energy efficient and sustainable, but to help them learn why doing so would be <br />beneficial. Councilmember Doolan affirmed her desire to help connect residents with resources <br />and grants. <br />Councilmember Randle commented that he is supportive of education, but does not want the <br />City to tell people what to do with their homes or offer them money to do certain things with their <br />homes. Councilmember Jenson agreed. <br />Mayor Webster informed the Council that last year, she had a home energy audit done on her <br />home. She noted that the company informed her of what rebates she could acquire when she <br />insulated her roof. She highlighted how helpful this was in understanding how she could reduce <br />her own energy usage and what the true cost of doing so would be. Mayor Webster asked the <br />Council if there would be appetite for helping residents pay for home energy audits, as they are <br />educational. <br />Councilmember Doolan and Councilmember Jenson stated that they felt the proposal to assist <br />with home energy audits would be beneficial. <br />Councilmember Doolan noted that some people are affluent enough to make improvements on <br />their own, but that this program would be targeted at those on fixed incomes who are not able to <br />make many improvements, so they would like to see where the most important areas to target <br />are. <br />5