Mendota Heights panel drafts stricter water protection rules
The Mendota Heights Natural Resources Commission discussed a draft ordinance Wednesday that would impose stricter environmental standards for properties near lakes and streams, while also reviewing next year's budget and considering going paperless to reduce waste.
The commission, meeting at City Hall, continued work on a Shoreland Management Ordinance designed to protect the city's water bodies. The draft rules would require larger vegetation buffers around lakes and streams, allow removal of invasive plants if property owners submit native restoration plans, and explore flexibility on impervious surfaces like driveways and patios. The commission decided against including lot size restrictions, choosing instead to focus on environmental standards. Valley Creek will be addressed in a separate tributary buffer ordinance in the future.
In a separate discussion, the commission reviewed the 2026 natural resources budget and began preliminary work on 2027 recommendations for the City Council. The review will consider funding for restoration projects at several city parks, including Valley Park, Rogers Lake, Copperfield Ponds, Friendly Marsh, and Oheyawahe/Pilot Knob.
The commission also heard from Courtney Selstad, the city's Recycling and Sustainability Coordinator, about Mendota Heights' participation in the Minnesota GreenStep Cities & Tribal Nations program, a voluntary initiative helping communities achieve sustainability goals. The city currently ranks at Step 3 of the five-level program.
Looking inward, the commission discussed reducing its own environmental footprint by transitioning to paperless meetings. Currently, the commission uses 100 to 200 sheets of paper per meeting—roughly 1,800 sheets annually. Members weighed making printed packets optional for individual commissioners against a complete shift to electronic devices and on-screen displays. No decision was made on any of these items; all discussions were informational only.
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Other Topics from This Document
Preliminary 2027 Budget Recommendations
Shoreland Management Ordinance Draft
Paperless Meetings Discussion
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