Advocates to Rochester: Spend more on sustainability

ROCHESTER - More money, more staff, more climate action.

That's what residents and advocates who packed the Rochester City Council meeting pushed for Monday night.

A coalition of environmentalists, local groups and a city committee wants Rochester to add about $200,000 to its sustainability budget, including another staff member to apply for environmental grants. The city now has one staff person devoted to sustainability with a $20,000 budget.

"Rochester is well-known as a medical destination," said Lynn Reuvers, one of about 20 speakers who addressed the council extending its public comments session to about an hour. "Wouldn't it be awesome if we were known as a sustainability leader?"

The city's Sustainability & Resiliency Commission in a letter asked city officials to spend part of its proposed $575 million budget next year on more staff to take advantage of incoming Inflation Reduction Act grants that could be used to make homes more energy efficient.

The letter is co-signed by various groups, including chapters of Sierra Club, Izaak Walton League, League of Women Voters and several local groups dedicated to environmental cases.

The federal incentives could help reduce the city's carbon footprint and greenhouse gas emissions; residents fear the city will miss out on future funding if it doesn't have enough staff to apply for state and federal opportunities.

Rochester has set ambitious climate goals in recent years as part of its communitywide sustainability measures. Aside from a climate plan, the city has focused on sustainable building practices for residential and commercial properties.

City leaders are also working on a $34 million downtown geothermal energy grid to power public buildings and the Mayo Civic Center, and future projects could include climate shelters and Zumbro River water-quality improvements as part of a downtown waterfront district plan.

Rochester's one staff person working on sustainability — Lauren Jensen, the city's sustainability coordinator — started in February 2020. The city also worked with Kevin Bright, a housing and energy specialist with Destination Medical Center, but Bright left that job in August and hasn't been replaced.

Aaron Ress, the commission's vice chair, pointed out other cities with smaller populations have hired more environmental staff in recent years.

Duluth has about two-thirds the population of Rochester, but the city has three full-time employees and two interns dedicated to environmental issues. St. Louis Park, which has about 50,000 residents, has four employees.

Those cities also work with larger sustainability budgets. Rochester dedicates about $20,000 annually while its counterparts can spend hundreds of thousands of dollars. Advocates want to add $100,000 to Rochester's budget in response.

The council appears open to adding more staff, though Council Member Patrick Keane said he was wary of being lobbied by outside groups.

"That is a poor way to do policy," Keane said.

Deputy Administrator Cindy Steinhauser said staff could use contingency funds or other means to increase the city's sustainability budget, but a proposal wouldn't come before the council until after the Nov. 7 election and a voter decision on a $205 million local sales tax referendum.

Erik Noonan, a Sustainability Commission member, said after the meeting he was pleased the city is considering the request. Noonan warned the council during public comments about his experience living in Texas during the power crisis in 2021, when winter storms knocked out utilities throughout the state leading to more than 200 deaths.

Noonan believes Rochester can avoid similar climate disasters by proactively working on sustainability now.

"It needs to be happening and there's clearly a strong community support," he said.