Minnetonka staff lays out 2026 sustainability targets: GHG reductions, tree planting, EV and water goals

Minnetonka's natural-resources team presented a set of 2026 action steps and performance metrics intended to advance the city's climate and conservation goals.

Leslie Etco, the city's natural-resources manager, told the council the strategic-plan metrics include a target to reduce residential and business greenhouse-gas emissions by 52% by 2028 to stay on track with a cap goal of 63% by 2030; she acknowledged some adjustments in the calculation compared with last year. Etco described planned outreach under the Resilient Minnetonka program (rain gardens, native planting), a goal to initiate 10 acres of new habitat restoration cross parks, and a one-year goal to plant 1,000 trees (3,000 trees total by 2028, recognizing losses from emerald ash borer).

Action steps also include promoting the city's water-efficiency rebate and encouraging home-electric upgrades: targets include 600 additional home energy-squad visits and 1,250 additional registered electric vehicles by 2028. Etco said these metrics will be tracked and made available to the public through the city's dashboard, which can incorporate regional data from the Met Council rather than duplicating existing regional indicators.

Councilmembers probed whether the EV and solar targets are realistic without federal incentives; staff said the stated metrics do not rely on federal funding and can be adjusted if needed. Several councilmembers supported garden tours and outreach to residential property owners to highlight site-specific flood-reduction and resilient-landscaping practices. Etco identified Christine Peterson as the engagement coordinator and the public point of contact for property-owner assistance.

What happens next: staff will post the metrics and target charts on the strategic-plan dashboard, continue community outreach for the resilient-landscaping program, and return metrics updates in the quarterly reports to council.