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Council agrees staff should draft letter urging trustees to prioritize clean drinking water in 3M settlement funds
Summary
Councilmembers asked staff to draft a letter similar to one Hastings sent to trustees asking that the $20 million currently classified for non‑drinking-water projects be redirected to priority-1 clean drinking water uses; council supported drafting a letter and continuing to seek reimbursement for city O&M costs tied to treatment.
A letter Hastings sent to the 3M settlement trustees urging reallocation of priority‑2 funds to priority‑1 clean‑drinking‑water projects prompted a discussion at the March 11 Lake Elmo workshop about whether Lake Elmo should send a similar letter.
Council Member Holtz (paraphrasing settlement language) noted the settlement directs MPCA and DNR to focus first on achieving the goal in paragraph 14a—clean drinking water—and then on other restoration activities. Holtz and other councilmembers said trustees have not yet satisfied that threshold and that the $20,000,000 identified for aquatic restoration and other projects could be better used to reimburse anticipated O&M costs for treatment.
Council discussion and request to staff: several councilmembers said a letter that cites the settlement language and asks trustees to prioritize known and expected O&M costs for affected communities would be appropriate. They specifically discussed asking trustees whether some front‑loading of reimbursements or a standing mechanism for expected O&M costs (rather than solely reimbursement after-the-fact) could be applied.
Staff and council also acknowledged current trustee grants are reimbursement-based and that changing administration would require trustee action; nevertheless councilmembers favored a letter pushing the trustees to prioritize clean drinking water and to consider O&M needs tied to planned treatment.
Ending/other business: Following the funding discussion, staff provided a brief update on Old Village Gardens and downtown landscaping. Staff said the county raised tree-clearance concerns but city staff are working with the county and the church that owns two north gardens to identify locations for additional trees and a community engagement plan. Staff will meet with Lake Elmo Connect to shape outreach in April and will present any budget implications separately.
