Item Description:
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Approve minor plan amendment to the Elm Creek Watershed Mgmt Plan; set Elm Creek Watershed Mgmt Commission 2025 max levy at $583,275 for projects to improve water quality
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Resolution:
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BE IT RESOLVED, that the plan amendment submitted by the Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission, including a revised capital improvement program, be approved; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the 2025 maximum levy for the Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission be set at $583,275, and that the levy be certified to the county auditor and be placed on all taxable property under the jurisdiction of the commission, be approved.
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Background:
The Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission has proposed a minor plan amendment to its Watershed Management Plan. The minor plan amendment adds two water quality projects to the commission’s Capital Improvement Plan.
Staff reviewed the proposed minor plan amendment and found it to be consistent Minnesota Statutes, section 103B.251, subd. 9; with the Surface Water Management section of the Hennepin County 2040 Comprehensive Plan; and the Hennepin County Natural Resources Strategic Plan. As a result, staff recommend approval of the proposed minor plan amendment to the commission’s Watershed Management Plan. Additional information about the minor plan amendment is provided in a supplemental staff recommendation report (attachment A).
The Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission has proposed a maximum 2025 special projects levy of $583,275 to fund the commission’s portion of the project costs to complete three water quality projects that are a priority in the commission’s capital improvement plan. The projects will achieve the commission’s goals to improve water quality and habitat value of Rush Creek and downstream resources including Elm Creek, and the Mississippi River.
Descriptions of the projects to be implemented in part by the levy funds are:
• Rush Creek Hollow Stream Restoration - Orchid Lane to Fernbrook Lane (Maple Grove) - This project will restore 4,000 feet of Rush Creek. The project will improve floodplain connectivity, repair areas that eroded in the past, and improve vegetated buffers adjacent to the creek. The project will also improve access to the creek for recreational purposes and includes educational elements. The total cost of the project is $1.6 million and the commission requests a 2025 levy of $424,200. The remainder of the project costs will be paid by the City of Maple Grove.
The levy also includes one project for publicly owned areas and another for privately-owned areas to provide cost share for projects that provide additional infiltration and water quality treatment by retrofitting existing or incorporating new best management practices throughout the Elm Creek Watershed. The commission’s Technical Advisory Committee developed policies and procedures to administer these funds and makes recommendations to the commission on projects to fund. The commission requests a 2025 levy for the following amounts for these projects:
• City Cost Share Best Management Practices Project - $106,050
• Partnership (Private) Cost Share Best Management Practices Project - $53,025
Levies authorized pursuant to Minnesota Statutes, section 103B.251 are exempt from any statutory limitation on taxes. A county levying a tax under Minnesota Statutes, section 103B.251 shall not include that tax in the county’s general levy but shall separately certify that amount to the county auditor. The county auditor shall extend that levy as a special taxing district. The commission must certify its final levies to the county auditor prior to October 1, 2024.
Current Request:
This request seeks approval of the plan amendment submitted by the Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission, which includes a revised capital improvement program.
This request is also to set the Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission 2025 maximum levy at $583,275 for projects that will improve water quality, and that the levy be certified to the county auditor and be placed on all taxable property under the jurisdiction of the commission.
Impact/Outcomes:
Projects in this request will improve water quality and habitat in Rush Creek, Elm Creek, and the Mississippi River which flows downstream through areas identified by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency as areas of environmental justice concern.
This action supports the county’s disparity reduction efforts by enhancing stormwater management systems and mitigating flooding risks that climate change poses to residents, infrastructure, and natural areas most vulnerable to climate change.
Approval of this request will allow certification of the maximum levy to the county auditor for inclusion in Truth in Taxation statement.
recommendation
Recommendation from County Administrator: Recommend Approval