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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025/01/12 - ADMIN - Agenda Packets - Environment & Sustainability Commission - Study Session St. Louis Park City Hall • 5005 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park, MN 55416 www.stlouispark.org • Phone: 952.924.2500 • TTY: 952.924.2518 Environment and Sustainability Commission Annual Retreat Sunday, January 12, 2025 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. Westwood Hills Nature Center interpretive center, Maple Room 9:30 a.m. Welcome and breakfast • Introductions and ice breaker! • Ground rules for the day Eric Zweber, Chair Abigail Oppegaard, Vice Chair 9:45 a.m. Unfinished business • Approval of minutes (Dec. 4, 2024) • Approval of letter to City Council re: expanding neighborhood housing options Eric Zweber, Chair Commissioner Bayer 9:50 a.m. Sustainability in St. Louis Park • Roles of staff, commission, and council • Overview of projects and programs • What’s next? Emily Ziring, Sustainability Manager 10:20 a.m. Introduction to the 2025 draft ESC work plan • Break into small groups Abigail Oppegaard, Vice Chair Everyone 11:00 a.m. Stretch and break (15 min.) Everyone 11:15 a.m. Continue work on 2025 ESC work plan • Action planning in small groups Everyone (small groups) 11:45 a.m. Report out on 2025 work plan Small group representatives 12:00 p.m. LUNCH Everyone 12:00 p.m. Revising standing agenda and by-laws • Approval Eric Zweber, Chair 1:25 p.m. Wrap up Eric Zweber, Chair All board members/commissioners will participate in this meeting at the Westwood Hills Nature Center interpretive center, Maple Room, 8300 W. Franklin Ave., St. Louis Park, MN 55426. If you need special accommodations or have questions about the meeting, please call Emily Ziring at 952.924.2191 or the administration department at 952.924.2525. Environment & sustainability commission meeting February 5, 2025 6:30 p.m. All board members/commissioners will participate in this meeting at St. Louis Park City Hall, Community Room, 5005 Minnetonka Blvd., St. Louis Park, MN 55416. Agenda 1. Call to order a. Roll call b. Introduction of guests (3 min. each) 2. Approval of minutes (Jan. 12, 2025) 3. Business (6:45 p.m.) a. New business b. Unfinished business 4. Staff updates (7:30 p.m.) a. Progress reports (quarterly) 5. Work plan update 6. Sustainability issues—group share-out 7. Upcoming/proposed events 8. Adjournment Future meeting and event dates: • Event 1 • Event 2 Items to discuss at a future date: • Item 1 • Item 2 • Item 3 ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABILITY COMMISSION St. Louis Park, Minnesota 08/07/2013 CURRENT BY-LAWS (adopted August 7, 2013) 1. PURPOSE The purpose of the Environment and Sustainability Commission: Sustainable SLP shall be to: a)Provide recommendations to advance city goals, policies, and programs. b) Provide advice and assistance to staff and council through collaboration. c)Provide leadership in engaging the community, encouraging relationships and partnerships with neighborhoods, special interest groups, religious institutions, business leaders, and other commissions. d) Serve as a conduit for environmental and sustainable information, topics, and direction to and from residents and the public. 2. DUTIES The Environment and Sustainability Commission: Sustainable SLP shall have the following powers and duties to: a)Advise the City Council with respect to environment and sustainability issues arising out of or in connection with the plans or operations of any city department or agency and recommend the adoption of such specific policies or actions as may be needed to enhance the city’s environmental stewardship. b)Elicit community feedback and direction, including direct engagement, social media, annual events and fairs, etc. c)Reach out to the full community as well as to special populations with communication and educational efforts related to the environment and sustainability. d)Establish work groups with at least one Commission member to focus on specific areas of interest, special projects, and ongoing concerns. Work group representation should be broadened to emphasize greater diversity, inclusiveness, and specific issue expertise with non-commission members from the general community. e)Submit to the City Council by April 1 of each year an annual report of the activities of the Commission during the previous year. . POWERS AND DUTIES from city code from city code By-Laws of the Environment and Sustainability Commission: Sustainable SLP f)The Commission shall have such additional powers and duties as the City Council shall from time to time determine. 3. OFFICERS a)At its first or second meeting of each calendar year, the Commission shall elect from its membership a Chair and a Vice-Chair. Nomination of officers shall be made by the members of the Commission present at the annual organizational meeting, and the elections shall follow immediately thereafter. b) The Chair and Vice Chair positions shall rotate annually. A recording secretary shall be appointed by staff and need not be a member of the Commission. c)The Chair and Vice-Chair shall take office immediately following their election and shall hold office for a term of one year and until their successors are elected and assume office. d) The Chair shall preside at all meetings, appoint committees, and perform such other duties as may be ordered by the Commission. e)The Vice-Chair shall act in the capacity of the Chair in the absence of the Chair. In the event the office of the Chair becomes vacant, the Vice-Chair shall become Chair, and the Commission shall elect a successor to the office of Vice-Chair for the unexpired term. f)A Staff Liaison to the Commission shall be designated by the City Manager and shall be subject to the administrative rules and regulations of the city. The Staff Liaison may facilitate or assist in the meetings. The Staff Liaison is responsible for keeping the City Manager informed regarding the business of the Commission and shall communicate to the City Manager any problems or issues that may arise. The Staff Liaison shall also be responsible for assisting the Commission in considering their financial needs and, if deemed necessary by the Commission, shall request appropriate funding from the City Council through the annual budget process. 4. MEETINGS a)All regular and special meetings, records, and accounts shall be open to the public and conducted in accordance with the Minnesota Open Meeting Law. b) The annual organizational meeting of the Commission shall be the first or second regular meeting of the year, at which time elections will be held and the schedule for the following year’s regular meeting schedule will be considered. c)The Commission shall hold regular meetings on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00 p.m., provided however, that when the day fixed for any regular meeting of the Commission falls upon any of the following holidays: Ash Wednesday, Chanukah, Christmas, Veterans Day, Independence Day, New Year's Day, Passover (first two nights), Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur, such meeting shall be held at the same hour on the next succeeding Wednesday not a holiday. (For Chanukah, Christmas, Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the holiday includes the evening before the holiday.) All regular meetings of the Commission shall be held in the City Hall of the City or other By-Laws of the Environment and Sustainability Commission: Sustainable SLP public building as noticed. The Commission may, by a majority vote, change the regular meeting dates for any reason, provided that proper public notice of the changed meeting is provided to the public. d) A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the members eligible to vote on matters before the Commission. Without a quorum, the meeting cannot be opened, and Commission business or voting cannot be conducted. Passage of any matter before the Commission shall require the presence of a quorum and the affirmative vote of a majority of the quorum. e) Voting on regular motions shall be by voice and will be recorded by yeas and nays unless a roll call is requested by a member of the Commission. f) In all points not covered by these rules, the Commission shall be governed on its procedure by Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure. g) All meeting minutes, records and accounts shall be in writing, kept in accordance with MN Statute and Rules regarding preservation of public records and the MN Data Privacy Act. h) No member of the Commission shall discuss or vote on any question in which the member has a direct or indirect financial interest. i) If a member wishes to transmit information regarding the business of the Commission, the member should present it to the Staff Liaison for distribution to the other members. j) Any member who is unable to attend a scheduled meeting of the Commission may submit written comments pertaining to an item on the agenda to the Staff Liaison for distribution to the Commissioners prior to the meeting or at the meeting and may request that such comments be attached as an addendum to the minutes of the meeting. 5. ORDER OF BUSINESS a) The order of business shall be as follows: Roll Call Approval of Minutes Unfinished Business New Business Communications Miscellaneous Adjournment b) Unless objection is made by motion of the Commission, the Presiding Officer may modify the foregoing order of business in order to accommodate citizens present or to expedite the business of the Commission. By-Laws of the Environment and Sustainability Commission: Sustainable SLP c) Unless a reading of the Commission meeting minutes is requested by a member of the Commission, such minutes may be approved without reading if the secretary has previously furnished each member with a copy thereof. d) Unless there is objection from a member of the Commission, Staff or anyone in attendance at the meeting, Consent Items may be acted upon without discussion. e) The case before the Commission shall be presented in summary by staff or a designated member of the Commission, and parties in interest shall have privilege of the floor thereafter. In those instances where the matter is considered non-controversial and does not warrant a summary, the Presiding Officer may entertain a motion without presentation of the summary, unless an objection is expressed by anyone present. f) The Commission may postpone any case or continue any case for further study and information until the next regular meeting unless otherwise designated. g) Any person desiring to address the Commission shall first secure the permission of the Presiding Officer to do so. 6. ATTENDANCE AND PERFORMANCE OF DUTIES a) Regular attendance at meetings is a requirement for continued membership. Commission members are expected to attend regular and special commission meetings and assigned committee meetings. Planned absences communicated to the Commission Chair or committee task force chair in advance of the meeting will be deemed excused. Any other absence will be deemed unexcused. The Commission will approve and record the approval of all excused and unexcused absences. b) Council will be informed if a member receives three unexcused absences in any calendar year; if a member attends scheduled meetings irregularly; or if a member is frequently absent from scheduled meetings. Council may remove that member. 7. BY-LAWS AND RULES a) These by-laws are subject to the City Council’s Rules and Procedures for Boards and Commissions, amended by Resolution 12-069 on May 7, 2012, and Chapter 2, Administration, the St. Louis Park City Code. b) Written notice of proposed changes to the Environment and Sustainability: Sustainable SLP Commission By-Laws shall be provided to members thirty days prior to formal action by the Commission. These rules may be amended at any regular or special meeting by an affirmative vote of a majority of the entire membership. The City Council has thirty days to take action to modify the By-Laws or amendments approved by the Commission.