Austin may soon be going green.

City Council members are set to discuss the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program Tuesday night at a work session following their regular meeting.

Minnesota GreenStep Cities is a program devoted to bringing sustainable living to communities throughout the state. The city’s involvement in the program would be a step toward fulfilling one of City Council’s 2011 priorities: to begin making Austin a more sustainable city.

According to an informational document from the League of Minnesota Cities, “GreenStep Cities is a voluntary challenge, assistance and recognition program to assist all Minnesota cities in implementing 28 sustainable development best practices.”

Some of the best practices include reusing existing buildings before building new, construct new buildings that meet a green building standard, improve the efficiency of lighting and signals and encourage higher housing density.

Council members have spoken in favor of green initiatives in past meetings and work sessions.

Council members Steve King and Roger Boughton, Mayor Tom Stiehm and City Administrator Jim Hurm were unavailable for comment.

Other items council members will discuss Tuesday night include potentially expanding the Waste Water Treatment Plant in the near future and budgeting to fulfill new state regulations regarding traffic signs and signals.