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Accepting and allocating a McKnight Foundation Climate and Energy Program Grant of $150,000.
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WHEREAS, the City of Saint Paul has a Climate Action and Resilience Plan that includes the goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieving net zero emissions in Saint Paul by 2050; and
WHEREAS, the McKnight Foundation’s Midwest Climate and Energy Program aims to foster and support climate and energy leadership in the Midwest, making the region a model for the world by reducing energy-related greenhouse gas emissions; and
WHEREAS, the McKnight Foundation has awarded the City of Saint Paul $150,000 to advance the goals and actions in the City’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan; and
WHEREAS, the grant funds will support the City of Saint Paul’s work to create a Saint Paul Climate Action Dashboard that will provide our community with the ability to track progress toward the City’s climate action goals; and
WHEREAS, the grant funds will support work to update the City’s Sustainable Building Ordinance to improve upon that existing strong policy to encourage the decarbonization of new buildings in Saint Paul; and
WHEREAS, the grant funds will also support the City’s work to analyze options for making City facilities more energy efficient and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are caused by the heating and other needs in those facilities, consistent with goals and priorities laid out in the City’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan; and
WHEREAS, the grant funds will also support the City’s work to identify opportunities to take advantage of new federal programs under the American Rescue Plan Act, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act to help meet the City’s climate action goals; and
WHEREAS, the Saint Paul City Council finds that these funds have a public purpose;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Saint Paul City Council hereby accepts the $150,000 in grant funds from the McKnight Foundation for the purpose of furthering the City’s work to address climate change; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, by the City Council, as follows:
1. The Office of Financial Services will allocate the grant funds to the budgets of the Departments that are leading the funded projects.
2. The 2022 budget, as heretofore adopted by Council, is hereby amended as outlined in the attached financial analysis.