Vice President Nephew read items that included Resolution 852, authorizing acceptance of a $1,000,000 Brownfield revolving loan cleanup fund grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Resolution 853, authorizing an agreement with MSA Professional Services Inc. for oversight of brownfield cleanup projects for an amount not to exceed $106,500.

Councilor Auel asked about the status of prior brownfield grants (2012, 2019, 2022) and whether past dollars had been used up and how the new funds will be allocated or accessed by prospective purchasers or businesses.

Director Van Tassel responded: “The funds that we've received in the past are, either completely spent or substantially completed. The EPA make sure you're making progress on those past grants before they grant you additional dollars. So those ones are mostly spent, if not fully spent out.” He added that the funds are “for projects out in the community. So, businesses or, organizations looking to, build, expand, do work on a site that was previously, developed that has some contamination or even just contamination is expected, they can, utilize these funds to help take care of some of that work, either the investigation of or the actual cleanup of it.”

Van Tassel described outreach and application pathways: the city advertises the funds “through different means, whether it's on the website or through press releases,” and staff direct businesses to the resources; partner organizations also refer interested parties. He said the city uses funds until they are exhausted and then seeks additional EPA funding when possible. No formal vote or grant-acceptance action was recorded in this meeting.