2019.09.16 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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Agenda Item: I.1 CITY OF HUGO MEMORANDUM TO: Bryan Bear, City Administrator FROM: Emily Weber, Community Development Assistant SUBJECT: Approval to submit the Metropolitan Council Water Efficiency Grant Application DATE: September 12, 2019 for the City Council meeting of September 16, 2019. 1. OVERVIEW: The Metropolitan Council will implement a water efficiency grant program effective September 30, 2019 to June 30, 2022. Grants will be awarded on a competitive basis to municipalities that manage municipal water systems. The Council will provide 75% of the program cost; the municipality must provide the remaining 25%. Municipalities will use the combined Metropolitan Council funds to run their own grant or rebate programs. Grants will be made available in amounts ranging from $2,000 to $50,000. Grantees will be required to provide estimated water savings achieved through this program for Clean Water, Land & Legacy Amendment reporting purposes. The Water Efficiency Grant Program will be administered by Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) and will be funded with $750,000 appropriated by the 2019 Minnesota Legislature. The goal of the water efficiency grant program is to support technical and behavioral changes that improve municipal water use efficiency. Grants are only for water efficiency programs offering rebates or grants to property owners who are customers of the municipal water supply system and who replace specified water using devices with approved devices that use substantially less water. For example, replacing an old toilet or irrigation controller with a newer, water efficient device. 2. BACKGROUND: The Metropolitan Council administered a water efficiency grant program from 2015 to 2017 using $500,000 from the Clean Water Fund. The City of Hugo was one of 19 municipalities to participate in the previous program. With the money funded, Hugo provided a program that offered rebates to residents who purchased WaterSense labeled toilets, irrigation controllers, or clothes washing machines and replaced old, inefficient products.