12-6-2017 ECC MIN - Laserfiche WebLink

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2 5.2 Commission Meeting Calendar 2018 The Commission Calendar for 2018 was reviewed by the group with one change; the Wednesday, November 21 meeting has been changed to Wednesday, November 28, 2018. 5.3 2018 Energy Efficiency Rebates All available funds from ERMU were spent during the 2017 year and their energy efficiency rebate goals were met. ERMU will offer a similar program to residents in 2018 with the addition of options for commercial kitchens and electric forklift charging systems. The total rebate amount per project was decreased to allow more people to utilize the funding. They will no longer offer engineering studies as part of the program. The efficiency program also includes water conservation for homes. All the rebates provide great incentives for residents and businesses to become more efficient. 5.4 Electric Vehicle & Charging Equipment updates ERMU now has the DC fast charger up and running at Coborn’s in Elk River. It has been listed on the plug share website and has already been used. There will be signs up soon to advertise and educate residents about the EV option. ERMU plans to purchase a fully electric vehicle in 2018 for their fleet. Another resident has also installed a charging station in their home, bringing the total to five in Elk River. The YMCA also hosted an EV event and 28 people attended. The group also discussed larger expansion for EV infrastructure state wide, which will receive funding from the Volkswagen settlement. The hope is to install more charging points to help with range anxiety and create long range routes for EVs throughout the state and county. The City of Elk River and ERMU has been tracking 20 vehicles via a program called Fleetcarm for the past year. The final report will summarize driving habits and make determinations about what vehicles could utilize EVs and the feasibility for various vehicles options. All the data should be back in the first quarter of 2018. ERMU purchased the data trackers and is exploring the possibility of allowing residents or businesses to also use them temporarily. Drivers could use the trackers for a month or two and then receive a report about what EV or hybrid options could work for them. ERMU is considering cost sharing options for the fees for renting the tracker and generating the final report. The project would allow residents who are interested in EVs to determine if it’s a good option based on their real life driving habits. 5.5 Trash, Recycling and Organics fee changes for 2018 The City will be updating trash, recycling and organics fees to residential households in 2018. Fees have not been changed in many years and the update will itemize trash and recycling which was previously one sum. The change will also reduce the price of organics for households interested in participating. Currently the organics are collected using the Blue Bag program and separated by hand at GRE. City staff is