have to know where it's from. That's for sure. >> A really sophisticated fishing. >> All right. >> Okay. Good morning, Carver County Board of Commissioners. August 19th, 2025. Please stand and say the pledge with me. >> I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Again, good morning. And this would be a good time for public comments of anybody who would like to department heads, sheriff's deputies, anybody. Nobody wants anything to say. Finance department. Okay. Agenda review and adoption. And I know that uh Commissioner Anderson wants to speak briefly about 2.1 before we approve that. and Commissioner Uderman, we are going to amend that uh consent item 2.11 be moved to our regular session item 3.2. With that, >> with those changes, I move approval, sir. >> Okay, I got a motion by Lynch and a second by Uterman to approve the agenda. Any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor say I. >> I. >> I. >> Those opposed. Motion passes. Approval of the August 5th, 2025 minutes. >> So moved. >> Second. >> A motion by Anderson and a second by Feahhee to approve the August 5th, 2025 minutes. Any discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. I. >> Those opposed. Motion passes. Community announcements. Commissioner Udman. >> Well, Mr. Chair, I didn't have a chance to say it the last time, but Night to Unite, I had a chance to ride with Sheriff Camarude. And one of the pictures that I was sear in my head is there was some little kids that were playing with chalk, and he got down at their level and played tic-tac-toe. Um, he did not win. Um, nor did the kids. It was a cat. So, it was kind of fun to see him out and about. And then we spent most of our time in Victoria. And he said, "Well, where do you want to go?" Because I think there was, I don't know, 80 90 within the district that I represent, um, 19, which is a good number. and I said, 'Go wherever there's there's orange cones. And so we had a lot of uh good conversations with people in the neighborhoods about, you know, the questions associated with a lot of the construction that's happening in these districts. Uh unique experience on Saturday, I had a chance to go to the Renaissance Festival just outside of district. Um the reason I share that is because Penn and Teller were there. If you haven't heard about them, um they um 50 years uh of a career. It started in a small little town called Jonathan, Minnesota, which was annexed through Chaska, of course, the Jonathan neighborhood. And so they were there to do two special shows and it's kind of cool. Uh most people that I talk to don't realize that Pen and Teller started their career right here in Chaska and Carver County. And so I wanted to elevate that. Of course um uh the Renaissance Festival is now in Shakipi. Uh Commissioner Ander and Anderson and myself had a chance to be in Duth uh the last back half of last week with a number of our staff members. Heather's in the audience. She was there as well. And I look forward to that not only for the meat of the stuff that they talk to. And I'll be honest, some of it's boring and and not relevant. Um but but most of it was relevant in in the relationships and the interactions with peers that we don't always see on a regular basis. Commissioner Schulty from ANOA was the uh uh the MC if you will. Um DED was very well represented there and dozens and dozens of conversations. They brought in a handful of people from Colorado to share their thoughts and I'm sure um Lisa will be able to share some too. But I one of one of the things I found most fascinating was a gal came in from Vanderbilt University to talk about AI and what AI means in government. Um, and so, uh, those things are things that may not have immediate, uh, impact today, but they inform some of the things that we do. And I think from a government standpoint, we'll be we'll be grappling with that for the next decade plus. Um, also met a guy named Walter because they do uh, s'mores out on the on the deck. And I just had to share this. Walter um, uh, uh, was sitting by the um, fireplace. We had a good conversation. He said, "Where are you from, young man?" And turns out Walter is about 80 years old. And I said, "From Chesa." And he said, "Do you happen to know Kate?" And I was like, "Do I happen to know Kate?" He's like, "Yeah, I used to work with Kate in Ramsey County." And sure enough, it was Kate Probert and had a good conversation about that. Amazing who you learn. And when I before I left, I said, "Walt, do you have any advice for me?" Because I told him what I what I do and whatnot. And he says, "You got to stop and listen to the people." >> That was his advice. So, I thought that was good. Um, he says, "You didn't tell me much about yourself." And I was like, "Well, I get a little bit long-winded." So, it's good that we talked about you, Walter. Uh, next one up is Masa. I had a chance to be invited to go to a fourth year of soccer camp with Minnesota United. I'm not a big soccer guy, but they brought out four of their pro guys. Some of them make a lot of money. And uh some of them don't even speak English, but they came out to our community. Uh fourth year in a row, and it's the second, unofficially the second largest crowd that they do when they do these things underwritten by um a local insurance company. And uh Mary and her team um helped pave the way for that. It's really cool that's going on. Of course, having school age kids, I'm a little bit more plugged into some of that stuff. Um but she also shared with me, Mary shared with me and other not forprofits have shared not for-profit giving is down 20 to 30% across the state. The need is up uh and the demand is up and the services need for the services are up. So there's a gap that's there. So as we're talking about budget, um when we look at our not for-p profofit partners, I think we do a really good job of partnering with them. Um they are struggling. Um next one, county fair. I saw Commissioner Fehee and others out there. Um it's great to get out there. It's great. 65,000 people a year go out there. Um and and community was built and my kids loved it and Motorcazi was great and of course you can't beat the dollar all you can drink milk. So um great asset for our community leadership. I know Commissioner Anderson myself uh have been really uh interested in leadership. That was a part of the conversation too with the AMC staff. I joined the um commissioner plus um administrator leadership program that starts in October to learn more. Had a chance to talk to a guy named Jeff in Washington County. They've launched something internal to their county. Of course, they're about double our size, but learnings to be had there. And then um some of the people in Duth were also talking about leadership twin cities and other leaderships attached to the chamber. So, I'm hoping that we can maybe look into that and bring some of the knowledge that I have back from that AMC um course to the group. Um back to school resource fair happened last week. A partnership mostly led by the district, but county was present and thank you for staff that were there. Sometimes it can be a heavy lift, but it was the first time and people were invited out. They had 500 backpacks, but other things available to kids. And when my kids on the softball field or basketball field, I see the kids that are on the field, but I also see the kids that aren't on the field. And so I think this was an event that was able to close or uh some of the barriers. Um when I was in Duth, I also got a chance to sit in on the quarterly tourism update for Duth. And so, you know, it's been a passion of mine here and we do it whether we overtly do it here or not. Um but they are struggling up there a little bit. 13% down on tourism largely from um people from Canada not coming through and then some of the smoke. But to be in in touch with some electeds that were in there and business owners and seeing what that does for the community was impressive. Um and then two more things. Uh Brooklyn and Tenley, their birthdays are this week, 6 and 10. So call out to them. And why does that matter? Um I think I've also said, you know, the things in that they're part of it helps open my eyes. And so recently we were in Elk River and Andover. And if you haven't been up that way and take Highway 610, um there is a massive amount of development that's happening up there. And when I say development, I don't mean households. I mean industrial and commercial development. And as I talk to local folks, in fact, I'm talking to the mayor of um Blaine today, later today to find out what is their magic mix and how are they going about it. Um massive amounts of tax base to alleviate some of the pressures on households. And so I'm plugged in on that. And if anybody wants to learn, sorry, one last thing. Tomorrow's a mental health panel. Dr. Scott's going to take my place on that panel. Um Senator Coleman's going to be speaking. Two corporate CEOs will be there. A couple technology folks. We're having that up at Hazeline. And then I know my understanding is is that uh mental health um form that we had a year or two ago, we're going to resurrect that and have that on a semi-regular basis at Ridge View. So focus and keeping our eye on the ball. Mental health is something we don't talk about a whole heck of a lot, but it's on everybody's minds and it's part of our budgets, too. So, thank you, Commissioner Anderson. >> All right. Thank you. Um, as Commissioner Udman stated, I was at the workforce conference and um, first time there obviously and so it was kind of good to hear kind of what's going on um, from a state budget um, and workforce funding. um workforce development and helping people get into the workforce is truly an upstream um item and and so it was it was good to be there and um workforce development is economic development. So um I look forward to kind of diving in a little bit more with our workforce people here in Carver County and how we can connect with businesses in our cities in developing that workforce. Um, I also had a chance to go on the CDA tour. Um, what a fantastic tour that was. I had an opportunity to see a variety of different housing options, um, future building opportunities and um, some that are going to open up um, very soon here. I was just really impressed with the workmanship and um, I will never use that word again, Commissioner Workman. Um, >> you didn't say fees. I did not. But but how we really um put so much effort into that. I mean the the difference between what CDA does and what some affordable housing units that may be run um by private industry is um these are done with really dignity and and um respect for the individuals that are going to live there. I got inspired a bit when I think about how many people that CDA houses. And so I asked Allison and and she's kind of throwing some um trying to trying to get a number together, but it's it's well over a thousand people just in the affordable and subsidized housing. And um if you think about that, that's about 1% of Carver Countyy's population. and we have 4% of the population living under the in poverty. So that's really um looking at serving about between 20 and 25% of that population which is extraordinary. And um so one of um one of Allison who is the executive director of the CDA is working on is what are those metrics and and how do we measure our progress? But I was I was truly impressed with that. And then I also did get a chance to take in the Carver County Fair. I saw um our county attorney Mark Mets there and our sheriff there and I know the libraries was there and so it was it was really nice to see Carver County represented there. So appreciate that. And that's all I have. >> Very good, >> Mr. Chair. Commissioner Fehee, >> thank you. It was a another great Carver County Fair. I had the opportunity to volunteer every day at the fair and just really enjoy it and just wanted to say thank you to the fair board and all the volunteers that continue to make the Carver County Fair a huge success that it is. Uh this week I'm heading to an AMC leadership and strategic planning conference um part of um being on that AMC executive board. So looking forward to that. And then probably the most important thing is Stiffton's Fest is this weekend. 164th annual celebration out in NYA. It is more than a German celebration. It's entertainment for all ages with continuous music all weekend long. Food, beer, free parking, softball, friends, family, sheep head, cribage, kickball, craft fair, fun run, car show, and more. So definitely venture out to NYA this weekend for a little German fun. That's all I have, Mr. Chair. >> Oldest continuous community celebration in Minnesota. >> Correct. I can taste a burger right now. All right, Commissioner Lynch, how about you? >> It was a fun time at the fair. It was a lot of fun. I bought some very expensive uh chickens. uh very expensive but uh other than that it was uh the weather was a little warm so I think attendance was down just a tad but all in all it was a wonderful time and when you mentioned stiffenfest burgers I just uh they are unbelievable but you know you don't never know how long it's going to last too it's only lasted for 164 years they could be gone next year so we better go this year maybe I just didn't eat a good enough breakfast this Um, I was at the Renaissance Festival in Jonathan and I was selling soda pop. >> Really? >> My father was the president of the Chaza Chamber and they had a tent selling soda pop. I remember the Wasps uh attracted by the soda pop and uh working hard because it was a very very busy thing. But it was a a really an anomaly. Uh well, for a young guy in the what what year did it start? 70s. >> Yeah. >> Um so I'd have been a young teenager, but uh it it was a really different kind of thing and uh I was probably too young to even understand at that time. But uh good fun. Um, I think that's about all I have or worth mentioning. All right. Consent agenda. I have a consent agenda that has been amended. Moving item 2.11 to item 3.2. >> And and I would just wanted to make a comment on two point or we're going to move that or can I just make a comment? Commissioner Anderson moves and Commissioner Lynch seconds the consent agenda as amended. >> Got it. >> Commissioner Anderson. >> All right. Thank you. Um I just wanted um to comment on the the library um short short-term what how what is stock eye um budget adjustment. So uh I I appreciate you putting this on there. Um, for many who don't know, uh, we have a we're we have a hiring freeze at the moment. So, our library is about five headcount short. So, they've had to make and and they've really taken one for the team and um working through um the shortage and covering for each other and covering hours and reducing the amount of public events that they can attend. So, um, I appreciate this item being put on and kind of giving them the funding they need to to get through this year. So, that's all I wanted to say for that. Thank you. >> Thank you very much. All right. I have a motion and a second for the consent agenda as amended. Seeing no other discussion, all those in favor say I. >> I. Those opposed. Motion passes. All right. And our regular agenda has one item, two items now on it. Strategic plan item 3.1. County Administrator Hemsy. >> Yes, sir. Mr. Chair, good morning board members. Uh Colin, could you slide the screen down for me? We've all been working hard, of course, on updating our strategic plan. Uh I would label it as a pretty major overhaul from plans of the past. uh initiated. Boy, that was back in uh probably February, March as we look for some assistance in that. Hired uh Dave Unmock, former Scott County administrator who did a real nice job with it, uh helping us and guiding guiding the various discussions, of which there were many. Uh you you likely recall uh he started with some board one-on-one interviews and moved into a a board work session and then a board and division director meeting. That was April and May. Uh then we shaped the document up. Had a discussion in late June in the board room here. And one of the requests that came out of that discussion was a request for additional staff input and feedback which uh thank you to the division directors and others that have been working hard on that. In the meantime, uh, between June and now, and I'll summarize that in a minute, if I can move the screen, there we go. Okay. But first, let me let me put up the uh vision and mission statements. Uh, we did not uh discuss updating this. So, it it is asis. Uh, the doc the wording that's in front of you. I do think, you know, as you look at the plan and how it was laid out, I think it certainly was maybe a little bit too detailed, which was one of the efforts was to raise this up to a higher level and have the board give give some good direction as the board's owning this plan and document. But we'll just take a moment to recognize, you know, these documents don't necessarily change change the world here. uh they're important strategic documents looking ahead and I think sometimes we forget all the good work that's going on in the meantime and in the past and you know if you think about things like uh Carver Link or the the projects all you need to do is drive around right and notice what's going on with all the road projects those don't happen by chance and in part they are guided by this document and these efforts and the the board's focus and priorities so thank thank you to the board for that but numerous numerous other examples I I won't mention today, but let's just recognize all that good work has been gone going on. It continues to today and then this this document then helps helps guide that to make sure we're on track that the work goes on tomorrow and beyond that. So the priorities the board had had arrived at there were three of them intentionally trying to keep this high level and relatively simple uh memorable uh the the three listed on the board taxpayer value and customer service our physical assets and people are are strength. So those are the three really high sort of umbrella priorities that that the board had talked about to guide all the initiatives that that go on and and there's so many of them sometimes it's hard to capture them all but to guide overall all the initiatives in our organization at a higher level and be below that beneath those umbrellas there were related strategies and then of course the goals where the where in in effect the work is done right at the at the goal level and and you can definitely make the connections to all these goals and what is going on and what will go on organizationally uh all the way back up from the from the uh entire organization into the boardroom. One of the things I'll I'll be recommending here is updating our board packet to reflect the new priorities. So everything that comes through here, all the action that you do will attach back to the plan. I won't go through all of the goals here, but uh I would note that as you as you talked about this over the past several months and on June 24th, the uh the latest effort and this is not necessarily new organizationally. We're doing this all the time talking about employee goals that blends into the performance evaluation system and we intentionally try to attach that back to the strategic planning efforts. Make sure that's in line in in alignment with the board. But uh but that has been the discussion with the you know between June and now how do we attach these priorities that are board driven uh and and so this board guidance how do we attach those back to employees jobs right so uh I would say that you know the feedback I I've got pages and pages by the way of feedback from division directors that said you know here's the kind of discussions that we have had to connect uh down to the goal uh the the various elements of this plan. Oh, by the way, let me back up a minute here because one, this is a relatively important item. I wanted to point out one area I I did hear some feedback on, well, why are why are people our strength number three? That's not that should be a higher priority. Well, I added the note, an important one on the bottom that says the priorities listed above are not in order of importance. Uh I remember recollect the discussions with the board that that was intentional not to try and pick one over the other but to focus on three things and and list them. So so just a note on that that was added and that was added in the document too which by the way is in your packet >> and and um administrator he on that note you know everything that is on here can happen unless you know they happen all through our people. So thank you for adding that note as well. >> I would agree uh Mr. Commissioner Workman and uh Commissioner Anderson. You know, again, this I see this as, you know, it's a great guiding document, but it's not worth much unless the work is done right. That's why I think it is extremely important to connect this back to the folks getting the job done, but but yet to make sure it's in alignment with where the the board wants to go. And I won't go through the the various goals. Uh we talked about the priorities, etc., but but you know, the these again aren't necessarily earthshattering. It's kind of like, well, yeah, of course we're doing that. Uh, some of this is a bit new. If you think about exactly how, for example, if you look at, uh, let's go back to number one here. If you look at goal number one under taxpayer value, how are we going to address those state mandates? Well, that's always been out there. We've had that as a legislative priority ever since I got here decades ago. But you know this is a sort of evolving new element that's coming into play with the s you know the significant additional cost shift. So so there are efforts below every one of these goals. And I think that's a great example that are a little bit different this time in terms of strategies that we'll need to come up with to help you meet that goal all the way up to adding to that taxpayer value. So stay tuned. Literally that next Tuesday we'll be talking about the budget. This Thursday the packet will be distributed. So great example there I think of yeah this document is kind of like you you say well that's makes sense. Uh those have always been in play but they're they're always evolving and and changing which takes some additional intentional strategies that you you see coming through the boardroom uh every Tuesday. So there's these three priorities and the related goals and then uh put together just a highle slide and okay what what did we do based upon that request? We did take that staff input looking for a written and verbal feedback from employees and then asking pretty basic questions. You know, how do those goals in particular relate to the department goals or their specific jobs and that feedback was gathered? Uh much of that is integrated into employees performance plans and and their everyday effort. And as I mentioned, that's an ongoing process that just doesn't we just don't do that once a year. that that intentionally should be done ongoing throughout the year. I could give you some examples uh you know there are numerous but just to put put that in perspective as as I heard back from division directors for example in uh uh public services at Nick's area uh he he commented on uh there there's one of the goals related to technology so utilizing artificial intelligence for example how do we utilize and leverage that technology to improve our customer service that would be the priority priority area that is under how would we utilize AI to improve employee and organizational efficiency and customer service. Again, a great example where boy that that is evolving. Talk about something that is jumped in front of us and now seems seemingly changes every day. That is a powerful thing that we can uh harness to some degree, but we need to do it intentionally. So again, that's how that's how we're putting this together. So Nick, uh, Pete Henshel, the IT director, others are working together to try and figure out how do we do that and then incorporate that back up the organizational chain all the way into the boardroom. You'll see various efforts in in the budget, for example, there will be a request for licensing for co-pilot, which is the tool that we will use for artificial intelligence. So in some cases, you may need to make a little investment to get that return, right? So, so just to piece this together, there seem to be a a question about how do we make sure this is actually working and ultimately uh so sort of a you know making sense in in terms of being pragmatic and useful, right? We don't want to put a document together that that that uh isn't useful of course. So that's one example. Uh another one would be Lynen's area. Uh you've heard about his asset management program. Well, that's another another great tool, but you you know, you can shift and shape that depending on the goals of the board, but you know, making sure that's utilized to ensure safe and suitable infrastructure as we talk about that strategic priority, the physical asset piece. So, I I think I think Lynon and his crew probably have every physical asset piece down to the manhole covers, right? That's pretty amazing stuff. But then, how do you use that? How do you shape it? You know, manhole covers are one thing. what about the road projects and the and the the condition of the roads or vehicles all that sort of thing integrated talked about that's what the employees are working on right his staff and then integrating that ultimately into the document itself just a couple examples and I have numerous other ones if you want to chat about it later we can certainly do that so next step real important piece of this is how are we communicating this how are we talking about it uh in the boardroom beyond that to our employees to our citizens raising that knowledge, what are the efforts and it's not just this planning document, right? We have these other big processes going on. The budget will be a real critical one and you know making sure we're we're communicating that effectively. How does that integrate into the plan back to taxpayer value etc. and making sure that folks understand that and then operationalizing them all the way down to the staff level and tracking that progress in the end uh through various performance measurements and once in a while we like to celebrate we're not real good at that but uh every year I have uh during December I bring the man all the managers together we talked a little bit about boy what did we accomplish pretty amazing when you start talking about the various things that have gone on and the accomplishments so every once in a while again it's good to say, you know, this this is something that's working and let's recognize that as then we look into the future. So the recommendation, Mr. Chair, board members, is to adopt the plan and I would take questions. Okay, anybody got a question or have I should say sorry sister Cecilia? Anybody have a suggestion? I see no no discussion. >> I would move approval. Mr. Chair, >> I have a motion by Commissioner Lynch. >> I do actually have a comment. >> Can I get a second from somebody? >> I'll second. >> I got Commissioner Fehey got the second. So, I got a motion and a second. Let's discuss. >> All right. Thank you. Um, thank you Administrator Hemsy for for um the time and effort you put into that and to our division directors who have um put a lot of time and effort into this. Um, and thank you for kind of taking the time to to reach out to staff. I I I was hoping for something more um direct and intentional staff. I know that you you went through the division directors and um but you know it it all it all works out and and I also did get the feedback on uh you know people is is our third um which isn't actually. So so I appreciate um that thought. I and I also appreciate that this is going to be continually updated. One of the things that I'd like to see as a next step to this is trying to identify metrics and how are we doing in some of these areas. And I know that that's a challenge. Um and and it's a challenge in the government. It's a challenge in every area and and what are we really trying to accomplish and what are some of those key performance metrics that let us know how we're doing. So um I see that very much um as a next step as as we evolve this. Um this is a step in the right direction. It um and I caution it's easy to kind of go down that level of detail and um so I want to make sure that these are the unique things that we're doing not our daily operations. So, um it's not always what you do because what we do is not changing here, it's how we do it. And that's how this strategic plan in in my brain um will lay itself, you know, plays itself out. So, um I think this plan is reflects the priorities of yourself and the majority of the board and um look forward to further discussions on how we continue to um refine it and um create those metrics so we know how we're doing. >> No other discussion, >> Mr. Chair. >> Mr. Herman, >> so I' I've shared these comments from the start. I I think this is the most important thing that we do as a board. We cast vision. Um so our organization knows where we're going and equally where we're not going and I think that 26 is going to be a tough year. I think 27 28 29 is going to be even bigger year. And when we make those decisions, budget decisions, um I think we need to have a true north to say this is very clear to say that we're going to do this and pursue it and we're not things that we're not going to do. I want to affirm the three things that are here and I argue to say let's let's just go ahead and make people our strength number one. That could be the people within our organization. and that can be people within our community. So, why not just move it to number one? And I know that there's been a little bit of push back on that. But, um, of course, people are our strength. 85% of our budget goes towards people, um, and and their benefits. Physical assets, I think we've made huge strides. Um, when I came in, we didn't have a budget plan for the 600 building, and now we do. Um, when I came in, we I think there's seven, maybe eight um, buildings that have roofs that are over 25 years old. You're addressing it. We had 20 years deferred maintenance on our parks. We're doing that, right? And so I think it's a shift, a significant shift from the last 20 years to the last five years of physical assets and the taxpayer value and and customer service. Of course, that's what we do. But I think if we handed this to staff uh at the current place where we're at right now, would we say that our actions match our words, our people are strength? I don't know if we asked them that they would say that. Um would they say that physical assets is our strategic plan priority? I I think based on our holdings right now, we would say no. Are we heading that direction? Maybe. Um, and so like where I'm at right now, we as a as a board, the pace of leaders, the pace of the team, we're setting vision that our staff is going to make decisions on to say, am I going to do this in my daily life or am I not? We're setting up our managers or we're not setting them up to say, I can say yes to this because it's in the strategic plan or I can say no if it's not in the strategic plan. It's not lost. I mean, most of the people that are listening to this are probably staff, right? And it may cascade, but we collectively as a board said that we wanted to work cohesively as a board. And I think what comes with that is also accountability. And we said that we would have three to five objective realities coming out of this that at the end of a year or two years or three years, we could say Dave Hemsy, way to go. You delivered it because you're our leader. Or we didn't. And quite frankly, we didn't get there. And so I'm not going to be supporting this today. I do support the principles that are here. I do support movement in a different direction. And I'd invite other people to do the same thing. There's not been a single strategic priorities prop um pathway that I've been through that didn't reaffirm values as the foundation. We didn't reaffirm our values. There's not been a single um strategic priorities uh um pathway that I've gone through that we haven't authentically reached out to our frontline staff and listened to them. And of course, the buck stops with us. We cast the vision. But but if we want 750 employees to contribute to what this is going to mean, they should be part of the process. And I think they were largely left out. And so I'd encourage and invite my board members to join me in saying this is this is not delivered to what we said we were going to set out to do. And then one last thing when I sat down with Dave on mockt I said hey I really think we need to have some uh um definitive subject objective u metric to say what is the health of our organization and he was befuddled and and surprised to say of all the enterprises that he's worked with he says we don't have that in Carver County and I said we don't we don't and I've offered suggestions as to what might that might look like. doesn't need to be Matt's idea, but if our staff don't know objectively, if we don't know objectively how our staff is feeling about these things, then I think we miss the mark. And so I fully support these priorities. People are strength, our our our physical assets, taxpayer value, and service. I just think the plan falls short of giving clarity to our staff and our team and holding ourselves accountable. So I won't be supporting it today. Thanks, >> Mr. Pe. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. When I read the vision statement and where the future builds on the past and keeping Carver County a great place to live, work and play for the lifetime for all our residents. I really believe in that vision and with all the priorities and all the strategies as we look at this being a board document. This is our plan. It's our guidance. We're striving and driving us obviously to a higher level and I believe and supporting all of that and we are in the growth mode in Carver County without a doubt being progrowth being pro business pro community all that is driven by having quality county policies the infrastructure and the services which is all done by our quality staff and we continue to deliver that day in and day out So, I will be supporting this motion, sir. >> Commissioner Lynch, any comments? >> Um, no one, not at this time. Thank you. >> Okay. Um, I think the plan is maybe a start. I don't know that we're going to bring Mr. Unmach back in here. I think he did a good job um working with uh at least five county commissioners who are all pretty strong and independent about what we want to do and where we want to go. I don't think I don't think this has to be the end. I don't know that you close this up and throw it in a safe. And um I don't know that that any county commissioner on here wouldn't tell you they they value every single one of our employees uh for their input. But I think those goals for priority that is in the third spot but not by ranking. um develop methods to engage employees and build to strengthen culture of the organization and there's three others. I think I I think we do cover that. I have always heard the 85% rule about uh the price of government and and employees. Uh, I think with the money that Lyndon has brought in for our highways that might we might actually be a little lower than the 85%. But I I know this 100% of every dollar we spend comes from my taxpayers. So I I can make this a employeeheavy uh thing. They're here every day and they're the ones that are going to be able to give me and this board the input way more often than my taxpayers do who are busy paying their taxes and working. So, um uh we're we're not arranging the priority, but I I would I would never want to underestimate the power of the people who pay for everything that we do. And so, uh, we are their conduit to our staff to do what it is we can hopefully do the best and efficiently and cheaply and creatively. So, I think this is a great start to a a a plan that doesn't have to I I would hope that I would be this is going to stay in my binder. Um, I' I'd hope that I would revisit it and if we have ideas about what should be changed. I I know that I think we kind of got off on this being maybe a a big piece of the county administrator's review and I think we're going to have that discussion in at the end of the year or is that in January? County administrator. That's January. >> No, it should be. >> It starts the end of the year and then it goes into January. Uh and so so how I think at that point how we connect this to our county administrator uh and and into his review u probably is very appropriate. So um a great start. I think I'm going to support it. Um uh but I'm not going to I'm not going to put it away. So >> and Commissioner Chair Workman, one one more comment. Um and I will connect the dots. So um I used to work a lot in universities and there's two different strategies in universities of connecting the sidewalks and the pathways from building to building. One of them is the landscape architect comes in and you know builds those firm paths and the other is um to see where the beaten path is to see where the kids walk to see where the administrator walks and then and then put in those pathways. Um, I kind of like the second, um, pathway and I see that that's how we're going to refine this process. Um, uh, I would agree. I I would have liked to seen, um, uh, more engagement, more direct engagement from people. Um, but I also realize that sometimes we just have to sit in it and we just sort of have to see. Every time I've talked to employees of this organization, they have given me an earful of ideas and suggestions and they're just full of passion for the work they do for our community. And so I just really hope we can continue to lean in to our people and figure out what those path pathways are and to continue to refine this by identifying those measures and those metrics that will show how how much work and how much value we add to those taxpayers. Well, in Commissioner Anderson, I like to look at the traffic at health clubs, people who've just worked out for an hour and a half and run three miles. And if you look at the sidewalks, they they all want to save about three or four steps >> and not stay on the sidewalk. So, we we want to take shortcuts in life. And uh that's the end of my philosophy uh for the day. >> It is true. I do complain when I have to park too far away from my health club. >> That's right. That's right. So, uh, but anyway, I appreciate all the all the comments and, uh, uh, County Administrator Hemsy, thank you very much for your leadership and hard work on this. And, uh, we'll see you at your review at the end of the year. So, >> look forward to it. Thank you. I know. I do have a motion and a second, right? Lynch and Fehee I think. >> So any other discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor say I. I. >> Those opposed. >> Motion passes 4 to one. >> Thank you. >> Okay. We moved item 2.11 to this point joint powers agreement with Southwest Transit for transit and mobility study. And I have uh Mr. Rob Jent here. And we have Mr. Hansen here from Southwest Transit to uh address some concerns. Perhaps Mr. Udman has. >> Good morning, Mr. Chair. Commissioners, Lyndon, Rob Jent, Carva County Public Works Director. Pleasure to be here. We talked about the growth in the county and it is uh we are the highest growth county in the state. Ex exciting times with that. You know, transportation is more and more important and so is transit. So, uh we do have an opportunity here with with opportunity comes responsibility. We have new funding as you guys know with the transportation advancement account the legislature um created in the 2023 session. So, the county is getting funding um to uh uh improve our transit system. So with that um you you also know that we there is a transit working group in the county that meet that's been meeting over the last few years. Um but now we have some funding. I think that's taken that to the next level. Uh we talked about a couple ideas with the board at a couple work sessions. U lowhanging fruit was expanding our transit link or smart link system to weekend ridership and doing a shopping loop. and I those are ongoing um and working working well. Um the other one was to really take a step back look at our whole county and what our future transit needs are and that's where we are today. So uh we have gone through a process of figuring out a scope of what a transit mobility study would look like. Um, we're gonna have uh Southwest Transit. Um, who are the experts in transit? Certainly not me. Um, so we have Eric here to kind of say a few words about the study and uh what we expect to get out of it. There's some information in your pack as well. So I'd like to introduce Eric Hansen from Southwest Transit. We also have Kate Probert on online. I know she's on vacation, but she's kind of heading up the transit working group and is a key participant. And then our project manager from Stantech who will be doing the study, Ella Ras, is also online if you have questions. Eric coming up. You >> bet. Thanks, Lon. >> Chair Workman and members of the board. Thank you for having me today. I really appreciate it. Um, just a few words. Um I I I do want uh Ella to to say a few comments about what the project entails exactly because there's kind of six tasks to it. Um but I do want to set it up a little bit in terms of you know why we're doing this. Um one of the biggest reasons is next year we have uh the regional solicitation through the tab. Um through a process that happens kind of every 10 years they actually change the scoring criteria with a whole bunch of different categories. So the 2026 regional solicitation is going to look a lot different than in previous years. There is a specific category for transit in that regional solicitation and transit expansion. And so it's kind of one of those opportunities that only comes around every couple of years. Um some of the things that are included in that, you know, solicitation for transit specifically is they're going to be looking at, you know, things like demonstrated need. Is it part of a regional plan and things like that? And so it makes a lot of sense for us to go and do a study like this because it demonstrates some of that need, demonstrates kind of that it's part of of a plan. You just did your strategic plan as an example. Um and and this kind of, you know, flows from that. Um also transit is called out in your your county's comprehensive plan as well. Um and so it makes sense in terms of being able to demonstrate that need. Um in addition to that, part of the task of this is to have Stantech put together the application for that uh as well. And so the idea is they would take it all the way through that entire process. Um, and I think there's kind of a secondary benefit actually. The staff and Stantech, uh, your staff and our staff and Tan Stantech had kind of a an initial meeting, um, at the end of July. And one of the things that was raised is, of course, earlier this year, the legislature tried to take this funding away from you, or I should say there, the legislature didn't try, some other folks tried to take that funding away from you. Um, and uh, one of the criticisms was, well, you know, you're not you're not spending that money. Well, we know that's not true, first of all, because some of that money's already been spent in the county on on programs with Transit Link and Allen Herm's operation. Um, but I think that this is the kind of thing that that shows that, hey, you know, we're really actually doing some things uh with the money that you're getting for that 3/4 cent sales tax. Um, so I think those are really a couple of big reason uh reasons that make sense. Um, and in the long run really it's about mobility. you know, this is the fastest growing uh county uh in in the state, I believe, at this point. Uh certainly in the metro area. And so, um as the county continues to urbanize and, you know, places like Chaza and Victoria continue to grow, um you're going to have an increased need for transit and certainly our wrership is is going up and it's serving people throughout the county as well as other areas. And we think that that is going to be an increasing need, particularly microransit. Um this is very popular in you know in Chanassen Chaza Victoria and the city of Carver. Um and so we think that that this study will also demonstrate some need particularly as the county continues to grow. Um, and so with that, I would like to have Ella Rasp, uh, from Tant Stantech, who's online, and I don't know how this works exactly, if she can just start talking or if there's something that needs to be done with that, uh, talk a little bit kind of the elements of the study, and then we'd be happy to answer any questions that you might have. >> Okay, Ella. Rasp. Rasp with a rasp. A r. Yes, >> even better. Hi, Ella. Hold on. >> Hold on. >> No sound yet. Ella, just a second. Try now. Ella. No. Try the speaker. Yellow truck if you could >> m >> Mr. Chair, commissioners, thank you for having me. >> Okay, we can hear you. >> That was a yes. >> Thumbs up. Thumbs up. >> Okay. You thought you were on time. >> Uh yes. Uh Mr. Chair, commissioners, thank you for having me. Um we're really pleased to be partnering with Southwest Transit in Carver County to deliver this transit and mobility study. Um we've put together a framework for how we would propose to to get this work done and produce really robust and actionable results for Carver County to implement. Um, our scope is structured around six tasks. As Eric mentioned, we're going to start off with a base foundation of project management to produce a robust and accountable process that integrates staff from both agencies. We'll also be uh producing a first step of mobility and transit needs assessment. Um this is where we will take a a data strategy that brings together population metrics, jobs metrics, um transit operational data and origin and destination trip data about how people are traveling today in Carver County. bring all those pieces together to get a clear picture of how people are moving in the county today and how transit can help meet those needs throughout the county and in specific areas where we can tailor services to meet those needs. The third task we'll be implementing is a stakeholder engagement approach. Um we've proposed three rounds of engagement. The first being an initial listening round where we're listening about the existing transit service needs, potential barriers to using transit, and suggestions for future uh services that would meet people's needs. We'll have a second round that's about getting feedback on a couple different proposals for transit service ideas based on the data analysis. And then finally a round three where we're reporting back out to the community and being transparent and accountable um about the outcomes of this study. The fourth piece of our approach will then to be um will be producing a transit and microtransit operations alternatives. Um, so this will be where we take all of the data and the engagement results and create transit solutions and things that could be implemented um with the existing funding that Carver County has access to as well as the funding through the regional solicitation. Um, and we'll produce some analysis about how those transit service options could serve the needs that have been documented and ultimately arrive at at a proposal for what can be implemented. All of this work then would be prepared into a final report such that the the public and all of the stakeholders can really see the results of what this planning process has produced and then our team will um come up through uh and help follow through on producing that funding application. Um we're bringing in not only um local staff like myself who bring you know kind of that local expertise about how these regional funding uh programs operate but also national expertise from our North American funding program who bring um grant experience from across the country to produce a really robust application to pursue those funds. So, we're really pleased to be partnering with you and um would love to answer any questions that you have on our approach. >> Thank you. Thank you, Ella. And um ultimately the action before you is actually a joint powers agreement between Southwest Transit and the and Carver County. Um my board um has the same action on their agenda on Thursday night, you know, which is our monthly board meeting. Um and essentially what that does is um in collaboration with the county, you know, delegates kind of, you know, managing the task and making sure that this happens to to Southwest Transit um with funds from Carver County to make that happen on a reimbursement basis. Um we see this as a partnership ultimately, you know, between us and the car and Carver County and also with involvement, you know, with Transit Link as well and others. and there'll be a kind of a steering group, I guess you could say, that's kind of put together to help guide it. Um, ultimately, um, but but that's essentially what what the action is. Um, and with that, um, I'd be happy to answer any or and Ella, of course, would be happy to answer any questions about the content of this of the study or or anything else you would like to know. >> Commissioner Anderson, >> um, what is microtransit? >> Oh, that's a good question. Um, usually we talk about things in in transit in in kind of three categories. You have, you know, fixed route bus, which is regular stops, and then you have um fixed rail, um, which we have a little bit of that in the Twin Cities, but none here in Carver County. And the last one is a general category called demand response. In other words, you set up a ride where they come to your home and take you to a specific location. Uh microtransit is kind of a enhanced version of demand response. It's like shared ride Uber service um if that makes sense. And so our Southwest Prime uh program um is essentially that you know where you can either call us or use an app on your phone um and you would get a ride. Um we've been this year averages about 22 23 minutes you know to wait you know in order to get that ride in our service area. Um and then they take you to your destination which is on us is another 20 or 25 minutes. So I mean it's a lot of demand responses you kind of have to schedule it ahead of time. What makes microtrans different is is that you don't have to schedule it. It's on demand you know usually through an app on your phone. that that's helpful. Um I I think one of the things that I have um definitely heard and of course I was I was just at the workforce conference. So um but but I've also seen this um as as a volunteer, the cost of an automobile is extremely expensive and has gotten more and more expensive and um some people just simply can't afford that. So having that transportation to and from um I gave a ride home to a to a woman who um simply couldn't have a a better paying job because she didn't have a means to get there. So I guess um and and people struggle to get through the grocery stores or to the doctors or or or whatever if they don't have that reliable transportation. Um, so I don't know if that's going to be addressed in this study. I don't know. And I'm I'm seeing a nod. Um, >> I'm gonna I'm gonna Yeah, I'm gonna That's a really good question, Commissioner. And and it's something that sometimes people forget about. I mean, I know Ella could comment on that, but just a little bit about Southwest Transit and what we see from the survey data that we we talk to our customers about. Um, of the people that use our bus service, 75% of those people are taking it to work. And of the people that use our microtransit service, the Southwest Prime, a little over half of those people are going to work. And 60% of the people that use that service use it because they don't have a car or they don't drive. Um, so in reality, transit in a lot of ways is an economic development issue, right? because we need to get people to the locations where they work. >> Um, and you know, I know the current administration is really refocusing kind of a lot of its grants on, you know, job related and economic development issues and particularly suburban areas, getting people to jobs in more core urban areas. Um, and you know, in reality, that's a lot of what we do. You know, it's a core economic development issue. And I don't know if you want to add to that that, Ella. Yeah, I couldn't have said it better myself. Um, a lot of our approach is going to be focused on gathering data not only on job destinations, but also where people are living today in relation to those jobs, right? And making sure that we're designing services that make the connections where they are needed most. And then we'll look at other types of trips too like you were mentioning Commissioner, grocery stores, doctor's appointments, those essential trips that um make participation in the community possible. So we'll be gathering data and asking people qualitatively as well about their experience with that. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Commissioner Herman. >> You had me in economic development. Thanks for saying that. Um that lost me what Commissioner Workman said earlier about all these dollars are taxpayer dollars and so when I saw $152,000 >> um that's a lot of money and sometimes I think in the path of expense and other times I look at it in the form of investment and I think you've answered a lot of those questions. This is an investment to set us up for a whole bunch of other stuff. When we first had this conversation or when we last had the conversation, I think our entire focus was on the the top area that we identified informally as is our opportunity was in >> Waconia. >> Um and and then when it got bigger than that, I was like, wait a minute, why don't we take that 152,000 and invest in a physical bus to go test it so we can actually have physical results? I'm not a huge fan of spending a lot of money on studies and surveys and seeing nothing as a result. Um but it feels like this has the building blocks that are bigger than that. Um, originally I would have been like, let's spend the 152 on a couple bus routes and let's get it up and running and have actual data. Um, but it looks like it's an investment uh at a perfect time um to get more match. I also think that staff should know that we're looking at these things because we got it's soft freeze and it's like wait a minute you're spending 152,000 on a study why can't we spend it over here? And so I I've heard my answers. I guess the last question I have and and you know I'm a big fan of autonomous and I want it to be in Carver County as soon as you're done doing your thing in Eden Prairie and maybe you can share pieces of that but is there a way that we can cost share it looks like uh Carver County controlled money is paying for the entirety of this is there a way that we can bring in our partners if Wakonia is the focus area could city of Wakonia help us be partner and pay 20%. Could Southwest transit pay 20%. Could you know Cologne or anywhere else pay 20% or is this intended for Carver County to carry the whole freight? I think you get a lot more buyin when you have other partners contributing. So curious about if we could share costs on this to defay the >> That's a good question. Um I I I can't speak for the other communities, you know. Um so so you'd have to ask them the answer to that question. Um but um ultimately I can talk about it from Southwest Transit's perspectives. Um and and let me say this actually this is an important point because I do understand the whole taxpayers piece. you know, I mean, well, why can't you spend this money on, you know, hiring somebody at the library? You know, talking about that earlier, you know, that's a really good, >> you know, and the short answer is is you can't because this is a specific bucket of money that is targeted for transit and a few other uses. So, even if you wanted to take this money and spend it on library, you legally can't do it. So, in in reality, and then that's one of the in some ways kind of frustrating things, you know, in local government is you might have certain buckets of money you can only spend on certain things. you can't take certain human services money you might be getting from the state and spending that on roads for example you know it's it's it's all over your budget and so that's that's I think you know a difficult spot as commissioners that you get put in but ultimately this is a specific bucket of money that can be spent on these kinds of things and there's been a little bit of that I can't speak for how much money you have in total but I'm confident that it's more than $152,000 um and and so you know that's one thing I think is important to know, you know, from Southwest Transit's perspective, I I will tell you my board has given me direction that on a couple of things, but one is that ultimately we are spending resources. Um, and I'll give you a couple of examples, not just our staff time in terms of doing it. Um, but one of the things that Ella didn't mention is is that we have a survey that we do every two years, a community survey. Normally we surveyed just our service areas like Carver and Chesca and Victoria and Chanhassen, but but in this case we actually expanded it to include other parts of Carver County uh so that we can ask questions about how they feel about transit. Do they use transit? Is this something that they're interested in doing and things like that. Ella provided some feedback on some of the questions that we're doing. And so that's some additional cost. So you could I I think I could make the argument and I think it's true that we're actually contributing a lot of the soft costs because one of the things that Lyndon told us was that they weren't sure that and uh and Paul I think said the same thing that they weren't sure how much staff time that they could contribute to it. So when in reality we're kind of contributing that soft you know that staff time. Um and and that would be kind of our perspective on that. So I I do think it is a partnership. It's just not necessarily in that number specifically. Thank you. I'd move approval so we can move it to more discussion. >> Okay, I got a motion. >> A second. >> And I got a second. Uh just to throw in uh uh mobility is well for me it's been a very important part of my political career. um you know having run uh successfully in 1988, what is the start year of Southwest Transit? 88 or 86? >> 86. >> 86. um and having watched it evolve and and do all these things, but your uh when your inability to have mobility hits you like it did to me back in June because I had surgery on an Achilles on my gas pedal foot of all things. >> Yeah, >> there's a correlation there. over years. >> Uh I I first drove my vehicle yesterday for the first time. So, thank you uh for uh >> putting up with uh all all of this. But the the in the >> the having to ask Mrs. Workman to give me a ride to any and all meetings, not to mention breweries and other things. Um um really brings into focus. I did buy a little motor scooter step through that I didn't have to gas pedal and that was kind of the bonus of the whole thing. But um you know and likewise my father who who got Parkinson's disease and who helped start a little coffee club in 1968 at the Chaz Bakery and suddenly found himself without a car. Um, the best thing I could do for him was get him to coffee up at the lodge or at the Chesa Bakery. It sort of brings into focus, I think, where this thing is going to try and >> pinpoint and get to the bottom, but there's got to be a thousand different reasons why people don't have mobility, um, and why they need it or where they need it, jobs, etc. So, um, I'm I'm looking forward to it. It's a topic very, uh, much of interest to me. So, that's all I got. And Eric, thank you for all you do over there. Are you three years in now here? >> I'm in my third year. Yes. Two years and two months. Yeah. >> Sounds like it's time to celebrate a tequila butcher with you. >> Love that. >> Commissioner Hutterman, >> while we have you, because it's rare that you're in the boardroom, can you talk a little bit about where we're at with autonomous? >> Oh, I'm sorry. you asked that question and I I neglected to answer. Um so we launched the autonomous vehicle service in August or excuse me April 15th um where it's August now April 15th um in in in and around Southwest Station in Eden and Prairie. Um that was also on a part of a regional solicitation grant incidentally that's paying for 80% of that. Um so far it's about 18% of our total wrership on Prime actually. So um and we've done some we we we have kind of a regular survey that when people use the app they give either a thumbs up or a thumbs down in terms of whether they like it and the last time I looked at the number it was 96 97% thumbs up was one of the things we were concerned about is how people are going to react to that. So, um, so at this point I would say, you know, so far so good, there's a couple of, well, one key thing in particular is because it's not fully autonomous yet at this point. It takes a little while to ramp up to that. So, there's still an operator in the vehicle. So, some percentage of the time that it's autonomous, some percentage is not. We really want to get to the point where it's, you know, 100% autonomous. And then I would feel more comfortable about the economics of rolling it out to other places because it's a little more expensive currently, you know, because of that. But if you take the the operator labor cost out of it, it gets to be a little bit a lot more cost effective. So I think when we when we get those things uh going, it's a three-year program. Um in the next two years, we'll have a better idea of how we might be able to roll it out in other places. The biggest wrership areas for Prime outside of that Eden Prairie is uh kind of downtown Chesca and then as you go up 41 to the to the Cub and Target and Home Depot, that whole area. I forget what the name of that shopping center is. I go there all the time and I now I can't remember what it is. >> Yeah. >> Um and so that's probably the me next most logical spot for it. Um, but I think we need to get We're still the jury is still out a little bit on on the uh on the project. >> If I may, just at one more minute. Um, my daughter's five and topic came up about autonomous and and she's like, I was I was there >> and somebody's like, no, you've never done an autonomous thing. And she's like, no, dad and I were in an autonomous. It drove itself, right? True. You never know what what's going to get stuck in their head. So, it's a marketing piece. Yeah. >> The other one is is um uh the basketball coach on my kids team, we're talking about autonomous and he's like, "Wouldn't that be great if you just dial it in so that you can, you know, you're 30 minutes to the office, you could get more work done or, you know, when you're you're driving out to South Dakota, take a nap or whatever it is." And I said, "Wouldn't it be cool if we could just deploy those for the kids that aren't on the sophomore or the basketball court, right? The kids that that ride um barrier, we could just push click a button and go get, you know, the girl or the guy that's that's their barrier because mom and dad can't take them or whatever." And so it plays into building community. I'm looking at Dr. Scott because one of our biggest gaps on being the healthiest county in the state that sometimes those social connections aren't there and transportation some keeps sometimes keeps us from there and the example that I gave about if we can get more kids on the field. We're going to create more community relationships and we're going to address I mean mental health and it's not that far of a stretch. And so that's why that's that's a practical reason why I'm invested in autonomous is for those reason. >> It's a really good point. You know, I mean, I will tell you that a surprisingly large number of rides that we provide are to Chesca and Chanhassen High School and Eden Prairie High School. I mean students and you know faculty and administrator types and you know it's it really is a fairly large number and we've we've met not met with Eastern Carver County schools but I did meet with the superintendent in Eden Prairie and kind of went over some of those things and you know it is a pretty good alternative for kids who might need a ride home from practice you know or they might need to you know have some other activity that they you know are doing after school and Maybe the bus isn't available after that period of time. You know, parents, I mean, I my kids are in their 20s now, but it wasn't that long ago, you know, that I was running them around activities and it's a hard thing to do, you know, as you know. I know your kids are that age. So, >> Yep. >> that I would just say, uh, Eastern Carver County Schools does provide an activities bus, so they do get 90%. >> Thank you. I wasn't aware of that. >> Um, for that, but but you know, there's always outliers um to to that as well. So, and um and there's a limit to to how many people can be on those. >> Good. >> Well, thank you. >> I will blend mobility with workforce development board and tell everybody there remains a serious bus driver shortage here on the precipice of another school year. Call up your local uh bus company and ask them how you can help. >> Okay, I have a motion. Thank you very much, Lyndon. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Um, I have a motion and a second on this. >> If I could have one, it's kind of a uh you've been involved in transportation for quite some time. You former chair of the House uh transportation committee and it's kind of ironic that you had to have surgery and so you couldn't drive. Um, I noticed that you haven't driven for a while because I noticed where you parked this morning. You parked crooked, but anyway, that's irrelevant. And we should actually have uh may maybe schedule talk to our administrator, maybe schedule a ride in the autonomous vehicle so we can actually criticize this driving. >> We can arrange that. >> Uh my son and future daughter-in-law live in the autonomous zone. I don't know if they call it that. Um >> and so I'm I'm encouraging them. They have a favorite uh restaurant over there by the transit station. And so I'm hoping to give that a shot. Uh I didn't make the uh demonstration when you had it. So um and uh so maybe I can have a beer over there and have somebody drive me around town. So only one more thing. Thanks for your service on the tab and Lyndon's service on the tab too. And uh to understand all these um Eric mentioned that everything has changed. So then the scoring has changed and you have to stay on top of this otherwise we wouldn't uh be expanding our road system as much as we possibly could. Thanks to thanks to you, thanks to Lindon, thanks to JP who actually served on it for a while. Um, and we just updated our strategic plan and our employees are a strength. You can tell that by Kate Provert who actually fil came and uh was uh available for any questions that we might have. Um, >> honor vacation >> on her vacation, which is absolutely wonderful. And we always we do very sexy stuff as you mentioned. It's like uh uh what was it? The uh septic mound replacement for Lake Minashta. Very sexy. Anyway, sorry. Um and and you know, beginning of this discussion, we talked about these different pots of money and how they can't migrate to other places, things we might have prioritized and other things. And you can thank people like a congressman Jim Overberstar up there in the big eighth uh arrowhead part of the state. God rest his soul, who put his bicycle toe heavy on uh bike path funding and a and a huge. So, you know, we all have constituents who you there's way too many of these bike trails and well, it's a fund that is maybe always flush or it's pretty flush because of a guy like Jim Overstar who bicycled everywhere all over the world and and so that's how you get that. So sometimes these funds look like they're out of whack. Uh but there's not a whole lot we can do. So okay, a good discussion. Uh seeing no more discussion, all those in favor say I. >> Those opposed. >> Motion passes. >> County administrator report. >> Uh yes sir, Mr. Chair, a few calendar notes. So, uh, next Wednesday, the 27th, you should have received an invite for the Dakota Prairie composting tour. Uh, so make sure you're responding to that. You can go through Christa if you have any questions or Brad Hansel's I think organizing that. And then, uh, this should be a fun one. 6:30 that evening, 4110. A lot of discussion about that uh, neighborhood meeting. Yep. >> So, I'm sure >> where is that meeting? We >> got uh, Park Ridge Drive. Is that the high school >> outdoors? >> The community center. >> Community center. >> Community center is part. >> Yep. Yep. Uh 6:30. So, make sure you we're'll get these these posted with this. >> Is that on on a list uh as a meeting if three of us show up? >> Uh it will be posted on Thursday with this draft. >> Okay. >> And and she posted on the website. >> Yep. Got it. >> Is that it? >> Uh no. Then uh back to Tuesday. So the 26th uh you'll see in the packet uh the the budget information. So big meeting to talk about uh the the recommendations. What I would note uh the recommendations not only include what will be in the packet but there will be a presentation. So the so the packet of course comes out Thursday. Uh presentation will come out Monday and then of course we'll present on Tuesday. And it's not just the the numbers, it's the strategies in the in the presentation. And it's also the bigger picture that will be included in the presentation looking not only year to date but then the future long long-term financial planning. So So I I recognize, you know, bit peace meal. So if you could be patient and wait for it all come to come together. Uh and uh we'll open that up for discussion on the the 26th. And obviously remember it's preliminary levy. That's a work session. So then then we move into uh September with that with that uh formal uh request to adopt the preliminary levy and then there's a few more months here until the end of December. So a long ways to go but just want to remind you of that process and what's coming to you. >> And whose budget is that right now? >> Yeah, that's that's the county administrators technically. Yes, sir. >> Is that it? How many times do will I get reminded of that? >> Okay, he's all done. Commissioner Lynch, do you have a motion? >> I'd like to um motion to adjourn and wish Christa a happy birthday. She won't tell me how old she is, so I believe it's her 21st. >> Young. She's young. >> Yeah. >> I'd like to remind you that Christa agreed to do this job if she could be back um behind the radar, under the radar. So um but happy birthday, Christa. >> Good luck. Second, >> what would we do without you? >> Fridays are >> I got a motion by Lynch and a second by Fehee to adjourn this wonderful meeting. Uh any discussion? Seeing none, all those in favor say I. I. Those opposed. Motion passes.