Ready to Celebrate Earth Day? So Are Minnesota Cities!

Ready to celebrate Earth Day? So are Minnesota cities!

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, as well as the 10th anniversary of the GreenStep Cities program.

Earth Day recognizes the movement that brought environmental stewardship into the realm of modern day public policy, and the victories for our health and future that we've accomplished along the way.

GreenStep is our own homegrown challenge and recognition program for cities and tribal bodies who want to walk the walk, and move the needle on greener, cleaner, more efficient, and vibrant communities.

The foundation of what was to become GreenStep Cities was presented to legislators in a report in February of 2009, outlining key building blocks of the program that sound a lot like what over 130 cities are participating in today. Planners hit the ceremonial "green means go" button the following year at the LMC Annual Conference!

Do you have to be a GreenStep City to do great work in sustainability? Heck no. But survey data shows time and again that the program's structure and technical expertise sure do help.

Here's just a few of the achievements that Green Step Cities have notched recently:

• Rogers is saving $15,000 a year on an energy efficiency and wastewater system project, and is on track for a five-year payback.
• Milan launched a free community bikes program using donated used bikes. They installed bike racks at the library and a city park, which also has a bike repair station. 
• South Saint Paul converted lights in the city’s arena to LEDs and is now saving $36,000 a year in energy costs and $6,000 a year in maintenance. Return on investment was just 18 months!
• Bemidji took advantage of the state’s Guaranteed Energy Savings Program and an Energy Savings Performance Contract to complete $2.45 million in upgrades to eight city buildings, its wastewater treatment plant, and the city’s streetlights. The city's upfront costs were only $273,000 in previously approved capital improvement plan dollars.
• Jordan cut use of 170 tons of road salt (half!) by switching to a brine mixture.The city saved $6,000 in 2017 alone.
• Pierz partnered with a local business to offer community garden space. The gardens are used by residents and the school district's FFA class to grow fresh, local produce.

These are just a sampling of the thousands of ways that cities are embracing the spirit and power of Earth Day year round. Curious? Check out the GreenStep Cities website to see what your city and your neighbor cities have been doing to keep it green for 10 years and counting!

When A Pandemic Changes the Rules: Sharing the COVID-19 Burden on Workers' Compensation

By Dan Greensweig
League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust Administrator 

Recently signed legislation mandates that public safety and healthcare workers who contract COVID-19 are presumed to have gotten it on the job and are therefore eligible for workers’ compensation. It’s critical we support those on the frontlines in this crisis. A volunteer firefighter exposed to COVID-19 on a call shouldn’t have to worry about their financial well-being if they need time off to recover. The League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust (LMCIT) supports the intent of the legislation – it was a step in the right direction.

Adding these claims to the workers’ compensation system, though, also puts a financial burden on self-insurance pools like LMCIT. We’re owned and managed by our member cities. Cities, and their property taxes, are where we get the money to pay claims.

That works well in normal times. Our members strive to keep their staff healthy and safe. When someone does get hurt, the workers’ compensation system steps in and we take care of that person until they’re back on their feet.

Using a self-insurance pool to pay for this helps spread risk around. Some years, one city will have more claims. Another year, a different city will. Belonging to a pool smooths out the annual variations in costs and makes budgeting easier.

No Way To Spread the Risk
A pandemic changes the rules. When everyone is suffering the same kind of losses at the same time, there’s no way to spread the risk. While local governments maintain reserves, we’re also conscious of our obligation to not hold onto more money than we reasonably expect to need – after all, those are tax dollars.

That’s why we’ve approached the state with a plan to share the COVID burden. Just like the state has sought help from the federal government for costs it couldn’t budget for, we’re doing the same. We’re proposing to pay the first full percentage of COVID-related workers’ compensation claim costs that fall within the range of unexpected losses that we budget for. After that, the state would use its resources to help mitigate the impact on property taxes. This will guarantee the protection that first responders deserve while ensuring our local economies aren’t placed under further strain.

We’re encouraged by how clearly our colleagues at the state level recognize the financial consequences this issue could have for us. As we continue our discussion with them, you can follow along at: www.lmc.org/covid19.