Election integrity is a major topic in our country right now and it's very important to me as an election judge. I have confidence in Minnesota's election system. I also believe just as strongly that every eligible voter must be able to cast ballot freely and without intimidation or fear.

I am asking the board to adopt and maintain a clear written election day plan in case federal agent enforcement appears at or near polling places in a way that could intimidate, disrupt, or exceed lawful authority.

The pledge asked for three basic commitments. Number one, to uphold and abide by the US Constitution, the Minnesota Constitution, and applicable state election laws. Second, to refuse to comply with any unlawful executive order, directive, or data request that seeks to restrict lawful voting or improper interference interfere with election administration. And the third to faithfully carry out lawful responsibilities regarding election results and respect the seating the duly elected winners regardless of party.

The right to change how elections are run by the states is constitutionally delegated exclusively to the US Congress. Nevertheless, the current administration is considering the declaration of a national emergency that would give the president complete authority over our elections.

We need to use party balance judges. The law requires it. Statute 203B 121 says that the board, the established board must consist of a sufficient number of election judges uh as provided in sections 204B19 through 22. It continues to say you can use deputy county auditors and deputy city clerks, but the word consist means it must be made entirely up of election judges. Period.

Integration of these systems that it can be seamless across boundaries, political boundaries, when really when we recognize in the end those park users, they don't care who's managing the park, whether it's us, whether it's Carver County, whether it's the DNR, they just want to recreate and we want to create those opportunities to break down barriers to allow them to get out and recreate.

We want to make sure we have good representation not only by I think you use the term boots in the ground. I like that which is critical but all the way up through the management level and making sure that we have that connection not only not only to our management but to the park commission and to the board.

You guys are like high division one and so the cost delta is that experience and so that's what I look at but I think if people were to vote with their wallet in a referendum or vote with their wallet on their taxes they would say yes we want more parks we want you to invest in there.

The best way we can affect additional money being invested back into Carver County is to increase visitation 100%. And number one, that's going to be what we're going to focus our attention on is how do we get more people using your park system?

Our key connection and I like the word partner better than client, but I do too. Uh our connection is contractual through a joint powers agreement. Right. That that to me is always the key way to think about this. Therefore, that maintains your control through that joint powers agreement which really relates then to the finances right of of the the relationship with three rivers.

The total county levy needed for this proposal is 1.46 million. And um that compares last year I think our overall levy for parks was 1.47 as 26 25 we're about 1.42 so we're very similar at 24 we had like 1.3 a million in levy but to make this work you know so we need the one point out of the 1.46 46 1.35 comes from the parks budget. Um just the way the numbers work, we need additional funding from other areas... So that that's the proposal. Um as I mentioned with the increased revenue and the fact that we're using some of the grant funding for salaries again in lie of capital um expenditures and on the ground staffing uh for for a lot of our regular maintenance projects that saves that's a net county levy savings overall of about 98,027.