2016.08.25 CC Minutes - Water Summit

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i I I Minutes for the NE Water Summit on August 25,2016 Page 4 of 6 I i i Rice Creek Watershed District Update Phil Belfiori provided an update on the actions and proposed actions of the Board. He spoke about the Waters Edge reuse project saying they were fortunate to get the grant,and they will be considering additional financial obligations at the next Board meeting. He talked about changes in the storwater rules and regulations. Some changes were the ability to take full credit for implementing their rules,receive stormwater credits immediately and bonuses, changes to the infiltration sequencing, and modifications to road construction standards. Belfiori spoke about the stormwater reuse irrigation assessment tool-use that will be used to determine the"best bank for your buck"in reuse projects. Changes were also made to remove the requirement for infiltration to be able to get funding. Commissioner Miron asked if they were looking for any resolutions or letters of support for the Legacy grant application. Phil explained that the application went in last month and will be reviewed in January. He will check with the Board of Soil and Water to see if they can still be submitted. City Administrator Bryan Bear talked about the importance of the rule changes. The Board is hosting collaborative meetings with engineers to talk about what is working and what is not. Board Manager John Waller encouraged the cities to bring their suggestions for rule changes and funding requests to the Board. Discussion on Joint Powers Agreement The group had been provided a draft if a Joint Powers Agreement for consideration. Bryan Bear explained that the document was not intended to do a whole lot,no spending authority or meaningful action. The primary reason for it was to provide a collective voice. Lino Lakes Mayor Jeff Reinhart said is seemed unnecessary. Each City could discuss items among themselves and perhaps provide resolutions. With the JPA, every city would have to agree with what the Water Summit group does. Centerville Council Member Bill Krebs said it seemed like a lot of fluff. We are targets for the White Bear Lake water level. The City of Columbus will be out of this group once that is over. Columbus is dealing with other issues with the DNR, BWSR, and the Army Corps of Engineers. Senator Roger Chamberlain said the cities will get run over individually, and with an agreement, the group can easily and formally as possible have the ability to push back as a coalition to stand up and oppose. There are strength in numbers by leveraging the collective assets of the cities.