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ITEM 5.2.
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<br />2009 City of Excellence Award Winners
<br />Four Minnesota communities receive honors from League of Minnesota Cities
<br />Cities of Chatfield, Elk River, Roseville, and St. Anthony are selected as City of Excellence Award
<br />winners for 2009
<br />(June 25, 2009-St. Paul, Minn.) City-administered initiatives involving government collaborations, energy efficiency,
<br />information technology, and stormwater processes were recognized today when the League of Minnesota Cities announced City
<br />of Excellence Award winners for 2009. Nominations submitted by the cities of Chatfield, Elk River, Roseville, and St. Anthony
<br />were selected as winners from among two dozen entries in this year's competition.
<br />To compete for consideration as a City of Excellence, cities nominated a project, program, or initiative that was administered to
<br />achieve one or more of the following: improvement of the quality of a city service, development of an effective or innovative
<br />way to solve an old or common problem, modification of a program from another community or organization to fit city needs,
<br />discovery of a way to save the city money without compromising service results, and/or creative involvement of city staff or
<br />citizens in making a decision.
<br />Winning entries were chosen in three population categories and in a special topical category. A description of each winning
<br />nomination follows.
<br />Population under 5,000
<br />City of Chatfield-"Hilltop Estates Improvement Project"
<br />In response to the Chatfield School District's need for a new elementary school, the City of Chatfield's Planning Commission
<br />identified a location that would fit the needs of the district as well as the general needs of the overall community.
<br />Once the District's building referendum was approved in late 2007, a water system, sanitary sewer facilities and streets needed
<br />to be installed by August of 2009. Due to the elevation difference between the development site and town proper along with
<br />other challenging natural features, improvements would be more expensive than any one of the participating collaborators-
<br />devetopers, city, county, and school district-could individually afford.
<br />The City stepped-up to the plate to partner with those stakeholders and find workable funding solutions that included a
<br />combination of developer-funded improvements and general obligation bonds.
<br />Population 5,000 to 19,999
<br />City of St. Anthony-"Water Reuse Facility Project"
<br />In an effort to promote sustainability, the City of St. Anthony conducted a water reuse feasibility study that identified the
<br />potential capture of stormwater and runoff from the city campus and local streets.
<br />The project was able to provide several benefits that protect the environment and improve the quality of the region's surface
<br />waters. In addition to significantly reducing pollutants and the volume of stormwater and waste products from the city, and
<br />providing a reduction on ground water demand, the city was able to realize aone-time savings of more than $250,000 along
<br />with annual savings of at least $25,000.
<br />Additionally, the facility has already provided great educational opportunities as nearly a dozen tours of the facility have been
<br />conducted for Watershed District, city, and county officials.
<br />Population of 20,000 or more
<br />City of Roseville-"Metro I-Net Group"
<br />The City of Roseville led the way in bringing-together 20 entities involved in joint powers agreements to provide information
<br />technology (IT) services. The goal was to share information and coordinate long-term planning efforts.
<br />The consortium now meets quarterly to outline individual member needs and objectives as well as make decisions on goals and
<br />outcomes to be pursued by the group as a whole. Each member of the consortium owns it own assets, but assigns day-to-day
<br />management to a dedicated Metro I-Net manager.
<br />The establishment of I-Net has fundamentally changed how Roseville and the other partnering entities carry-out their IT
<br />support functions. The partnership has led to greater economies of scale and higher functionality.
<br />Topical Category: sustainability and Smart Energy Use
<br />City of Elk River-"Project Conserve"
<br />Widely known as "Energy City," the City of Elk River has consistently been committed to demonstrating renewable energy,
<br />using energy efficient technologies and services, and providing educational opportunities for residents.
<br />Recently, the City partnered wikh Elk River Municipal Utilities and CenterPoint to launch Project Conserve-an initiative designed
<br />to reduce utility Costs and consumption, and to preserve natural resources by encouraging some minor changes in resident
<br />lifestyles.
<br />The pilot program includes 35 households, and engages residents to reduce their consumption of electricity, natural gas water
<br />and gasoline, and the amount of solid waste produced by each household.
<br />About the judges
<br />Judges for the 2009 City of Excellence Awards were Jay Kiedrowski, Senior Fellow at the Public and Nonprofit Leadership Center
<br />at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs-University of Minnesota; Marcia Marcoux, former Rochester city council member;
<br />and Diana McKeown, metro coordinator for Clean Energy Resource Teams at the Green Institute.
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