Survey open! Share your thoughts for how to set CWF priorities

Minnesota Clean Water Council sent this bulletin at 06/24/2026 12:00 PM CDT

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Minnesota Clean Water Council

Public input continues - share your thoughts on how to prioritize investments

Council members and public participants work together to identify themes from observations in small groups

On Monday, June 15, nearly 30 people joined the Clean Water Council in a day-long workshop as Council members prepare to draft initial funding priorities for the FY28-29 biennium. Together, they worked to identify themes or key points from public input, articulate lessons the Council could learn from input received, and draft next steps to put those lessons into practice.

Included as a part of those next steps, workshop participants were asked to draft considerations the Council should keep in mind when setting its budget priorities for the FY28-29 biennium. Essentially, with more funding requested than is available, council members will need to determine which proposed programs to add, which to fund at higher levels, which to protect from funding reductions, and which to reduce. 

Now, we ask for your help in prioritizing those considerations. 

This survey will invite you to review a summarized list of draft considerations which emerged from the discussions.

The survey is short, but the nature of the primary question is challenging. Everything identified is important to keep in mind. The question the Council is asking right now is whether some of these considerations should carry more weight than others. There are inherent tensions between some of the considerations, and your choices could sway how the Council moves forward.

The survey is open from now until 11:59pm on July 7.

Survey results will be shared with the Budget and Outcomes Committee at their July 10 meeting to include in the development of their initial program priorities. 

A note of gratitude

This workshop was a new component added to the budget review process this year. In addition to an incredible number of public comments submitted (see below), nearly 30 people representing cities, watersheds, soil and water conservation districts, farmers, and environmental organizations dedicated their day to rolling up their sleeves and wading into challenging discussions regarding what is needed most at this time. Public participants and Council members alike left the meeting noting new relationships, new understandings, and a renewed appreciation for the value of the Clean Water Fund. Thank you to everyone who has contributed their insights and expertise to this process so far, as well as your openness for engaging with the Council in trying something new. 

Regarding public comments

THANK YOU to everyone who provided comments over the last month. We received more than 200 comments--a record for the Clean Water Council budget process--from a wide variety of constituent groups represented by the Council, including:

  • Businesses
  • Cities
  • Counties
  • Environmental organizations
  • Farmers
  • Fishing and hunting organizations
  • Lakes and streams nonprofits
  • Soil and water conservation districts
  • Townships 
  • Watershed districts

Comments provided both overarching and program-specific input, and were well-received by Council members. 

More comments continue to come in. If you have something you would like to share with the Clean Water Council as they develop their recommendations for the FY28-29 biennium, please send an email to Jen Kader and she will be sure it gets sent along. 

Upcoming Meetings & Program Updates

Legacy Amendment Logo with stub saying Your Clean Water Funds at Work

Upcoming meetings 

Full Council:

  • The packet and recording from the June 15 meeting (topics: public input, draft considerations for setting budget priorities) is posted on our web site. 
  • The next meeting is Monday, July 20 (draft topics: direction to program proposers).
  • Draft topics for future 2026 meetings:
    • August: First review of preliminary budget recommendations, updated chloride deicers policy statement
    • September: Approval of preliminary budget recommendations
    • October and November: Discussion of scenarios for adjusting budget recommendations, content of biennial recommendations report
    • December: Approval of Clean Water Council Budget Recommendations

Policy Committee:

  • The Policy Committee met on Friday, May 29th (draft topics: chloride deicers policy statement update). The meeting recording and packet have been posted to our website.
  • The Policy Committee meeting for June has been cancelled. 
  • The next meeting is Friday, July 24th (draft topics: legislative session recap, responding to public comment).

Budget & Outcomes Committee:

  • The Friday, June 5th meeting (topics: review of proposals from May Council meeting, budget target for FY28-29) recording and packet have been posted to our website.
  • The next meeting is Friday, July 10th (draft topics: survey results, responding to public comments, draft priorities for direction to program proposers).