Second, the city response to Open Forum comment notes that an Environmental Assessment Worksheet or EAW “is a document designed to provide analysis of potential environmental impacts for a specific project,” but is not meant to approve or deny a project. Acting as a guide, rather, the EAW determines whether an EIS (Environmental Impact Statement) is needed and while the Responsible Government Unit (RGU) for such assessments is often the city, it could also be a state agency, such as the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). Following EAW preparation, the comment period on the EAW once complete is 30 calendar days, whereat the decision is made regarding an EIS based on Minnesota Rules 4410.1700, subparts 6 AND 7. “Rules” as such are based in the state statutes and offer further clarification of these. Should an EIS be necessary, permits/approvals cannot be issued until an EIS is completed.

Third, the Comprehensive Plan “is an official document adopted by the County Board as a policy guide to decisions about the physical development of the county.” Setting broad guidelines, the same principle of guiding policy decisions underlies the City’s Comprehensive Plan, as it does that of the County.

Fourth, the former golf course lies in different stages of the Utility staging area as determined according to the Metropolitan Urban Service Area, or MUSA. The northeast corner of the property is in Staging Area One for MUSA, while the rest of the Mississippi Dunes property is in Staging Area 4. Should development move forward, “the utility staging areas will have to be adjusted to reflect the change in development,” the city relates.

Fifth, the city response notes that “a tree inventory is a record of location and characteristics of individual trees, and sometimes characteristics within a defined geographic area. The tree tag helps identify the attributes of a tree, such as its size, species, age, and trees, as well as assist in electronic mapping of the trees for a tree inventory. The tree inventory assists City staff in determining the necessary tree replacement to ensure that all trees are healthy and excludes buckthorn and those species that have led to Dutch Elm Disease,” the response states.

Sixth, the zoning and guiding of the Property “gives the property owner the absolute right to develop the Property into single-family homes,” while “the Property itself is zoned R1-Residential and guided in the City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan (“Comp Plan”) is ‘Transitional,’” with single family residential a permitted use under a zoning designation of R1.

The above is a general summary of the City’s response to Grey Cloud Trail owners, at least at present. So what about the cash disbursements approved at the September 15 meeting? That’s where the good stuff is at. What are the major expenditures by the City over the last two weeks, taken as a top five index? Here’s a fund summary of where your city tax dollars went for the city billing period spanning September 3 to September 9.

5) Payroll Fund $126,628.63 3) General Fund $58,636.200 2) Street Lights – $ 35,188.03 2) Fleet Maintenance $30,876.99 1) Water Connect/Area $24,997.17 Most city functions, it turns out, are actually quite boring—which if nothing else is all the more reason to pay close attention to things like those ‘boring’ consent agendas and the like, passed through an otherwise routine and unanimous voice vote. The city bills, after all, are taken on a roll call basis.