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AYES: <br />Mr. Price, Ms. Carr, Mr. Kraft, Mr. Crow, Mr. Glickert, Mr. Sharpe and Mayor <br />Welsch. <br />NAYS: <br /> none <br /> <br />Bill 9217 carried unanimously and became Ordinance 6951. <br /> <br />N. NEW BUSINESS <br />RESOLUTIONS <br />Introduced by Ms. Carr <br />1. Resolution 2013 - 19 <br /> resolution to support the Bring Conservation Home <br /> <br />Ms. Carr moved to approve Resolution 2013-19, was seconded by Mr. Glickert. <br /> <br />CITIZEN COMMENTS: <br />Mitch Leachman, 2728 Lake Port <br />Mr. Leachman stated that he is the Executive Director of the St. Louis Audubon <br />Society. He stated that although he lives in Maryland Heights, the Audubon Society <br />is a regional organization with members and programming across the entire region. <br />He stated that Resolution 2013-19, which comes to Council through the Green <br />Practices Commission, is a key program for his organization. Mr. Leachman noted <br />that Bring Conservation Home is a voluntary program where for a small fee <br />landowners who apply for this program through the Society receive a personal on- <br />site visit by trained habitat advisors. These advisors will survey the landowner’s <br />property, discuss their anticipated goals and provide them with written <br />recommendations on how they can improve their landscape for habitat value and <br />attractiveness for the benefit of birds, butterflies and everything that goes with <br />naturescaping. Mr. Leachman stated that these benefits can also include water <br />quality improvement, as storm water flow off of the property is typically reduced, and <br />the reduction of utility bills from the planting of trees, so it is an opportunity to help <br />landowners improve their property and at the same time do good for the community. <br /> <br />He stated that the Society’s main reason for working with the Green Practices <br />Commission is essentially to help with marketing. The Society is always looking for <br />ways to implement their programs more efficiently, and programs like this, that can <br />be run without any financial expense for marketing or advertising is a huge plus to <br />the Society. Mr. Leachman stated that cities who partner with the Society agree to <br />market this program through their website and newsletters. In exchange every <br />resident of that city gets the opportunity to receive the program at a reduced rate. <br />So there is a financial benefit to residents and at the same time there is no outlay of <br />financial expenditures that have to be made by the City. Mr. Leachman stated that <br />he hopes that his explanation has helped everyone gain a better understanding of <br />this resolution, however he would be happy to answer any questions. <br /> <br />Mr. Glickert stated that he was the liaison for this Commission and wanted to <br />mention that the fee, which is only $25.00, also provides the landowner with the <br />opportunity to receive a follow-up visit. <br /> <br />Mr. Leachman stated that that was correct. The fee includes two visits and the <br />intent of the follow-up visit is to provide the property owner with an opportunity to be <br />recognized for his or her accomplishments. <br /> <br />7 <br /> <br />