Title
Authorizing the City of Saint Paul to accept $398,775 in rebates from Xcel Energy's Solar Rewards program.
Body
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul City Council and Mayor Chris Coleman are committed to opportunities to make Saint Paul one of the most sustainable cities in the United States; and
WHEREAS, Congress passed and President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 which made $1.8 billion available to city and county governments in the form of direct formula energy efficiency and conservation grants, under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Program; and
WHEREAS, in 2008 the Cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis received a two year grant from the U.S. Department of Energy and were declared Solar America Cities; and
WHEREAS, the Minnesota legislature authorized and the City Council accepted (City Council Resolution 10-656) $1.5 million in grant funds to the Minnesota Department of Energy Office of Energy Security for grants to local units of government in the Solar Cities program for the installation of large and small-scale solar electric or thermal projects, including innovative energy storage technology, in a geographically-concentrated area along and near the light rail corridor; and
WHEREAS, the grant funds will leverage an additional $398,775 in rebates from Xcel Energy's Solar Rewards program; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor, pursuant to Section 10.07.1 of the Charter of the City of Saint Paul, does certify that there are available for appropriation, funds of $398,775 in excess of those estimated in the 2011 Central Corridor Solar Projects budget; now therefore be it
RESOLVED, by the City Council of the City of Saint Paul, upon the recommendation of the Mayor, that $398,775 is available for appropriation in the 2011 Central Corridor Solar Project budget, and said 2011 budget, as heretofore adopted by the Council, is here by further amended as indicated in the attached financial analysis.