You were sitting over there like this. [laughter] >> Let's stand for the pledge of allegiance. I aliance 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. >> Thank you for joining us in that. And I don't have my pen, but that's all right. We are uh having a work session today, so no big votes uh to be taken. So, why don't we get right to it about our 2026 legislative priorities. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good morning, commissioners. Uh, we do each year, we'd like to talk about our legislative priorities. uh not big changes in terms of the general strategy. I'd like to me touch on some issues that are feel a little little uh extraordinary that are coming at us with cost shifts etc. But let me start by thanking board chair Workman and Commissioner Rudman for helping out in the legislative committee. A little bit of a heavier lift as I've mentioned. Uh we did add an element uh that's different than the past. Uh we're in the process of a couple more meetings with our legislators, meeting with them individually to talk about and focus in on the the state cost shifts in particular. So I would say those are going well. Now is there hope that things will change? There's always hope, right? But I think we're realistic about uh having to plan fiscally for the the impacts and we're still doing that. So we don't we don't see immediate relief, but but definitely there is hope. Uh, I think you know the conversations are good because u if nothing else the our legislators are are gaining a better understanding of what's happening at at the local level and we can follow up on that as we walk through that if you have questions about those meetings. But uh this priority list is a little broader than what we've presented uh to the legislators during the one-on-one meetings. Uh now it isn't necessarily extremely broad. Of course, there's 11 items on the list. We could put dozens more uh items on the list. AMC Micah have those kind of platforms. And of course, they represent us, too. So, we try and boil it down to a handful of items. In this case, 11 items under general government, health, human services, and trails and parks. So, some pretty similar topics here. But again, what is a little different and we've talked about this through the budgetary process and and this policy has been in place for a number of years. It definitely directly relates to the unfunded mandate issue. This is a higher umbrella statement related to uh asking uh for local decision-making authority at the county board level. Unfortunately, when that when the unfunded state and federal mandates come at you, you're you're handcuffed, right? So your decisions are much more difficult and in some cases much more pigeon holed. You don't have a choice. So those two items definitely relate to each other and we're we're recommending that you keep that policy in your platform and really start and these issues aren't in priority order but I would say this is definitely the top of the list. This is a very strong statement about what is occurring uh not only at the state but the federal level and uh we are we are seeing some unprecedented items at at both levels and and it has impacted our budgetary process and of course this year the recommendation is to add a a 2% levy increase just to address these new items that are coming out on the state and federal level. And that's not only for one year, that's for three years as you know. And we've never really done that before. We've talked about, you know, these concerns and try and how difficult it is to try and address them. But we've never really carved them out and they've never been so identifiable into the future. And in this case, three years, we see these if if nothing else changes, we see those uh unfunded mandates coming at us and and there's a requirement by law or laws to comply with those. So that's blended throughout this document in some shape or form this higher concern that we're asking to remove or revise those un unfunded mandates. And if you don't do that, give us funding. Help us out instead of just shifting shifting the burden to us. A little different one here, although there's some similarities where where uh you know, we've talked a lot about our DMVs. We have one in Chask and Chan Hassen asking for uh additional uh support in in effect asking asking for authority to share some online fees. If you go in and purchase your tabs online, which I admit I do that very convenient. Most folks probably don't realize the fees associated with that. Go to the state of Minnesota here. And here we sit at the county level actually doing the administration and sort of heavy lifting behind the the license centers. Uh and we don't get a split on that. So we're asking for a share sharing of those fees and providing a $1 local office fee. Basically what we're trying to do is get back to the break even standpoint over uh I think is it a half million dollars we've been losing roughly >> uh per year on on our license centers. It wasn't that long ago a few years ago that we were breaking even. So things have definitely shifted. So again that similar theme where we're we're not necessarily these are not mandates uh is one difference here. Uh but there in effect the state is asking for assistance. Of course they're not mandating that these are provided but there's a definite impact if we were to shut down our local license centers. But again in an effort to break even we're asking for these legislative positions. Uh this is a big one again on the same theme of cautious. This this is a new item. The under child protection the Minnesota African-American Family Preservation Act. A few different ways to cost this out. No matter how you slice and dice this, it's a big number. We're estimating roughly three and a half million dollars in costs over a multiple year period. Uh one of the uh pieces of the conversations that that stands out to me as we talk to our legislators is boy we're not sure with the current composition in effect is what the leg many of our legislators are saying we're not sure that we can even if we support this that we can actually get that done because of the composition of [clears throat] the legislature the the Democratic versus Republican house senate and the governor's seat etc. So one of the I think key strategies is is then to say okay let's regroup let's let's take a time out here and that's what we're asking for as a key element of this particular platform let's delay it let's take a look at what this really means another thing we've heard in these individual discussions is that boy when this bill came through I I actually supported it but I I I wasn't given factual information we've heard it in the house side at least that the fiscal bill said zero dollar zero cost. Well, that's not true. We're looking at three and a half million just for Carver County. So, [clears throat] again, why why wouldn't you delay it now that this these new facts are coming out? Let's take a closer look at what the actual costs are. Uh in addition, Ramsey and Henipin County are doing a pilot project on this particular bill that has come through. They did obtain funding, by the way, which seems a little >> inequitable if nothing else. >> Uh where we're just asked to pick it up. So again, this common theme of well, here comes this new uh shift in actual requirements in terms of how we handle child protection issues. Whereas in the past, it's been we can work with with the families, now you have to do certain things. That's the long and the short of the requirements of this particular act. But it's a it's a gigantic problem for us now. And again, built into that that 2% sir charge to try and fund this. And this this really we're in the service business. I was really then the efforts of staff trying to uh trying to comply with these new mandates. And feel free to jump in, Mr. Chair, as or board members as I'm going along here. Well, um we had a great discussion with our um state senator Coleman yesterday and you know to describe this would would be uh as uh Heather Goodwin would have explained that this program we we want people to we want our programs to help people of course but not to have them be on a program for a lifetime. We want to have a relationship with you, help you, get you to move up and on. This program uh is more of uh you're not going to ever have to or want to get off. And uh that isn't uh that isn't a winning uh solution to anything. So >> um >> correct, Mr. Sharon, again I it seems like there was some misrepresentation at the legislature which is very concerning and as you know as a former legislator sometimes these things come through last minute etc. Uh but why not why not take a time out and say well let let's wait a minute let's let's reassess this and look at what are the actual costs in Henipin and Ramsey and how would those be applied across the state of Minnesota. If nothing else, there should be this realization that that this particular item, this this is about 1% of the 2%. If you break it down that way, that that's the biggest cost shift that I've I can remember that's come blatantly right in front of us uh with with very little notice. And you know, according to Heather and others, this this shifted from sort of an equity sort of solution to a one-sizefits-all solution. That's where the costs raised. So, while it's difficult to talk about and we need to be careful about these diversity equity issues, it it morphed into much more than an African-American family. So, that's behind the scenes as we're looking at at this and sort of scratching our heads going, why are you mandating something like this when it came through in such a half sort of a haphazard manner? Uh it does remind me of paid family leave which we don't have on the list but similar to that where it sort of comes through and it's difficult to get you know grasp onto it. What is it until it's too late and here we sit as the local entity uh stuck with it and having to pay the tax bill right uh the property tax is is the funding source. Well here's a big one. Uh, everybody's reading about this and maybe you want to get Heather up to give an an update on this, but uh, SNAP medical did I miss one here? I I'm sorry, let's back up. This they're both big, but uh, Medicaid uh, is another cost shift. I won't say a lot more about that other than that. It's a pure and simple. Uh, the state federal federal agencies used to handle it and now they're splitting some costs and here we go again. Right. We need to pick up the bill as a mandated effort, an intentional effort I think on behalf of some legislators to shift the cost to us. Uh I was going to talk about SNAP a little bit uh more and maybe have Heather come up just because it's making headline news and it is a evolving significant concern as the federal government h in their shutdown will be cutting off has cut off re uh SNAP related revenues that's food assistance revenue according to Heather we have around I think it was 1,600 folks in Carver County. Uh what we're hearing is November 1st that technically that that those funds are shut off. So the folks that are using those debit cards uh I've heard mixed stories on whether those debit cards maybe have a balance or maybe they don't. That's the other problem with sort of forcing some of this stuff is there's uncertainty and and confusion, right? So as we look at the bottom line however uh there's perverse laws are have have been created where some countries are actually doing better are getting penalized which doesn't make sense on top of all this. So, we're asking, you know, don't penalize us, uh, if we're doing well and certainly don't require us to pay direct SNAP benefits, which is another to me over three plus decades, I I haven't seen that where where now counties have to pick up the actual benefit itself. We are more of an administrative arm of the state and federal government. We we are the implementers and now we're the funders in more ways than one. you know, the unfunded cost shifts are a little bit more sideways, right? This is direct. This is saying counties, you're going to pick up a portion of this, right? Before I talk too far out of school here, I did want Heather to come up and give her maybe description of what she sees as this evolves quickly, uh, what she sees as uh, sort of the next steps. >> Yeah, thank you, Administrator Hemsy. Appreciate it. Good morning, board. >> Will you uh, pull that microphone toward you a little bit? I think >> Can you hear me? Can you hear me now? Perfect. Love it. >> U. So, good morning. I appreciate the opportunity to speak on Snap. Um, this is uh fast evolving. I'm sure everyone's seen the media uh press around this. Um, essentially uh unless the government does reopen in the next few days, uh, which is uh possible, but not likely, uh, November SNAP and MIP food will not be issued for November. Uh, administrator Hemsy is correct. That's around 1,600 folks um households um here in Carver County that will not receive those benefits. Uh we have been meeting almost daily uh with uh Kaia who's in the room from a better society and our food shelf partners bountiful basket [clears throat] gather to grow. We have been meeting working with them um on a on planning. Uh so this will really I look at today tomorrow uh we are in a position where I the food shelves uh the governor did just announce the four million out of the general fund another uh about 12 million I think out of the some of the food grant uh pots of money there. They're advancing those pots. So I think there's about 18 million that will get spread and issued in the next few days here from the state to food shelves um to at least on the short term accommodate some of the influx of of um need and demand coming in the door. I think where we may see and we'll be watching closely is uh possible need if this government shutdown goes on another two three weeks month um into December um as some of those funds if they dry up or as we are talking with our food shelf partners if they are seeing where um they are not getting the food they need. So, for now, we're watching a close. Um, I think we it is something that we need to be aware of. Uh, we're we have signage and messaging and communications going out, not only from the county, uh, we have that on our, um, on our messaging from on our phones, and then we have posters, you know, signs around the building, um, out in the community at our F FRC site. Uh, so folks, I think, are aware of it. They have gotten text messages from the state. So, again, something we're watching closely. I think at this point we have a pretty good plan in Carver County. Lots of folks are stepping up. Um we're talking with churches. We're talking with other entities who are um collaborating with us to meet this need at least in the short term. Um long term may be another story. So we will keep you posted. >> Thank you, Heather. Yeah, if you don't have questions further, I'd also note uh we're hearing some other some counties, our colleagues are uh considering back I call it backfilling or applying their own dollars, their own resources to some of the uh SNAP benefits. So, uh neither Heather or I or I are recommending we do that quite yet. We think we should keep an eye on this. Hopefully, the federal government ends the shutdown and resolves this issue. But, uh, at this point, you know, thanks to our partners, the state, uh, now again, I I've heard mixed stories, Heather. I'm not sure if you have the answer. Are some of the, uh, benefits transferable into November? >> So, if you current if you are a person who currently has SNAP benefits on your EBT card today, you can continue to use your EBT card into November. um they would have been like October, could even have been September. You know, if you haven't used all of your food benefits yet, you can continue to use that card, but no new benefits, no new dollars will be loaded onto that card. So that so if you haven't, you know, if you have residual benefits left, um continue to use those as you have um that the the EBT cards themselves are not getting shut off. Um, so benefits that have already been loaded can be used, but just know that um, no new money will get put on there until we get word from the state or federal government that the um, shutdown is over and that they're reissuing benefits. >> Mr. Chair, go ahead. Heather, do you know how much how much is a SNAP benefit? How many dollars per day? >> Um, it depends. It's very individualized. So, um, it depends on the person and what they present as an application. could be as little as 30 $40 a month. Could be as much as three or four thousand a month. It just depends on the size of family you have. Are you an individual? Are you um family of two, three, four, five, six? Um it depends on, you know, some of the assets you might have. Uh the income you're reporting. Um so it's very individualized, but I would say anywhere from $30 to $4,000 depending on the person's situation. If I may, uh, we did some applicant math before. Kai, you've been close to this. Kate, you've been close to this. It may be $30 to $50,000 a month burn rate on cash, but if we look at it, I talked to a couple of the not for profofits this morning. They're expecting to receive about collected $10,000 from the money that Wallace freed up. So, the net is 20 to 40,000 gap that probably largely gets absorbed by the local community. So, if you're listening, make donations to these local food shelves. That's typically how we rally as a community. Uh we do have commissioner contingency money that if we get into December or whatnot, especially through the holidays, could be a possibility. Um but it's not millions of dollars, it's tens of thousands of dollars. >> So it's good to frame it in the short term what that looks like. >> Yeah. And that is a we call it a short-term issue. certainly painful for many folks, but [clears throat] the longer term game here is uh the ongoing funding and how again how we're ironically being penalized in this case. We're doing better and and required to pay a portion of that benefit that just seems fundamentally like like this change in evol evolution the wrong way of many of these items, but this one in particular is really stark. Then the last bullet point, I don't want to neglect that one. That's a big one, right? getting getting our systems up up to date. Uh if you've seen our systems, they're 80s. Those of us that grew up with computers in the 80s brings back some bad memories, right? >> This is the great >> having to memorize function keys. I remember that. Know what's the F2 do? Right? That kind of thing. and and the workarounds even worse yet that the additional staff time that's why you see these staff requests coming through many of them is the inefficiency related to our technology system or systems and the uh lack of integration with between the various systems fortunately we have representative Nash who's been instrumental in obtaining some funings funding uh for some assistance and we we have talked to him about that I don't know if he called him yet I asked Heather to connect directly ly with him to make sure that the user here isn't forgotten. It does seem like sometimes he's well we won't mention any past systems that have struggled. Uh but many times the state gets involved and they are colossal problems you know getting getting these things up and running. So we're hoping this goes better but there is some funding on the way that's under the SSIS world which is a key one. Dave, I think to echo it because we've been talking to all the lawmakers and it's it's good to be a fly on the wall in some of those, but also active in others and and most 95% of our conversations this year for legislative priorities have fallen within health and human services because there's so much cost drain there and there's no funding to be be associated with it. But when it comes to the $30 million um where was I going with this SNAP? What was the what was it? >> How did they say? >> SSIS. Yeah. So there's 30 million bucks available, but nobody's talking about what the solution is. And we as a county have floated to our lawmakers what it might look like to have a digital passport so that one person has one inputs and it's all in one place and it feeds all the other system and then potentially add a digital wallet thereafter because we're talking a lot about fraud and abuse at the state level. Those dollars if you if you have them in 17 different systems, they don't always flow to a single individual. And so we're not just talking about there's dollars available. We're also saying Carver County could play a role um in stepping up and piloting some of these things if they wanted to help fund shift those dollars to us. And I think Hel and her team are well equipped. We're sizable enough with probably at least bureaucracy of of the 11 county metro, 7 county metro. So there's solutions on the table to to get to us to an end because you're you're you're I've sat with them side by side with them when they're doing inputs and when they're navigating screens in Scott County. They say the number one reason people have left HHS is because they're spending too much time in systems and not doing their jobs. So this has downturn implication, not just the true cost upfront, but also in human capital. So thank you for working on it. We hope that they're going to entrust you to do more and we'll continue to to pitch that as an option. So thanks. >> Yeah, we'll be paying attention. Uh you know, you don't just throw technology at something like this and say it's sold. >> No. >> Right. And uh the I just had the conversation with Representative Nash. Just don't build a system on on the current processes. >> Make sure these systems are integrated. They're talking to each other. make sure you're talking to us, the end user. Uh maybe we should talk about maybe the state should be doing some of the intake and not the counties like they do in like 40 some other states in the United States. So some of these things are maybe uh maybe we need to back up a little bit before we bring in a you know issue an RFP and bring in a consultant and start burning cash. Look at menlars. Now I will mention things uh look what happened there, right? They brought in multiple consultants and part of that was yeah they're trying to match it a system that was broken so you got to change it change the system change the processes and to before you start building it right so a long ways to go but we're happy you know some some good news right some good news there's some money set aside for uh at least a pretty significant portion of our problem there >> well and to just a brief uh scan of an article this morning 30,000 employees of Amazon. They're going to pair out and of course the words AI are in there. AI will replace and do a lot of the things a lot of these people were doing. So, it's sort of coming, but I don't see the government anywhere near this uh ability to be nimble with anything and they they have to. I mean, I don't know. Um, you know, you can watch Monday Night Football and get statistics about the percentage uh pass. I mean, any statistic in any sport um instantly and and so how how the how the government cannot see what's happening around I mean, we're just being left behind. And >> I'm not I'm not talking about getting rid of employees. Uh but uh the the tedium of these systems is ridiculous. >> Yeah. Maybe uh Heather could set up a demo for those that haven't seen the systems where it takes half an hour, an hour to change an address >> and employees are taking hard copy forms, >> filling them out because the system isn't working right. >> So it it's glare. I think it got so bad and so obvious that yeah they they finally threw some money at it. Maybe that's what it takes sometimes. I think your point is well taken though administrator he is really around modernizing the system not just the technology right so it's great we got some money for the technology but if you just replicate and and modernize the technology in a silo it doesn't fix the bigger pro issue which is really is to your point is integration really looking at streamlining process really looking at ensuring that the the experience is as as you said as real time as possible you know where Many times we are doing things way after the fact because the systems are not in real time at all. >> On the employee side uh as you mentioned that Mr. Chair, we would love to take these employees in efficiencies and redirect them. Right. >> Plenty of work to do. >> Uh we have a number of new staff that are requested as part of all these cost shifts. We we have plenty of plenty of work to do. Instead of hiring somebody new, we could take these folks and redirect them. So therein lies a great solution. Right. Okay. Thank you, Heather. Feel free to correct me when I say something wrong about it. >> Oh, we [laughter] will. >> She will. Uh, so on the sort of a continued conversation about modernizing systems, here's a specific item uh related to Maxis, one of the key systems that we have prove it. You know, there there are all these intricacies behind the scenes, right? Data, how do you get at it? What's private? What's public? the training pieces, all of that we're asking to to help us out here. Some of this may be non-legislative. Uh some of it is definitely legislative. Data data privacy issues are legislative. Okay. One of my favorites since it is just jumps out at you that that can't be true, but it is. Uh that does not meet medical criteria, DNMC. Always need an acronym in Heather's world. Uh this is one individual uh that's in a facility in an NOA County that is now costing Carver County roughly is it 940,000 a year and that number just went up uh to house just an unbelievable dollar amount that is mandated again. We don't have a choice. We didn't have to do it before the legislation was changed and here it is. That's one individual. We could potentially have another one. Hope hopefully that individual goes off somewhere else, gets some help. It doesn't sound like it. Or we could have another one come on for another similar amount. But the issue is still the same. It's like why why do we have to pay for this? This is a fundamental state obligation that they should be fulfilling. >> Dave Dave, before we move on, could you repeat that? It's the cost is how much for one individual? >> Is it 940? Is it 910 or 940? >> 940. >> 940. So almost a million round it up. Yep. >> $2,500 a day. >> Yep. Yep. >> You are correct. >> And um and when I was on the mental health advisory committee um board meeting or meeting um and because he doesn't meet criteria, he will hold that with that thinking like a year, year and a half. >> It's about a year and a half. >> Yeah. So this would go all of next year into the following year. So it's it ends up being well over a million like a million five. for one person. Um >> so fundamental state obligation and then the don't miss the second bullet point. That's a big one. >> Uh the state should be funding more beds. Now there is some good news there too. Full of good news today. >> You are. >> Yeah. Uh give give them more detail on the uh the new beds. >> Yeah. So, the uh recent legislative session did allocate uh $50 million for roughly 55 beds at the Miller building, which is a building on the Anoka um state operated campus, which is where typically uh persons who are mentally ill and dangerous um that have committed a crime are at. And so, they are looking to expand those beds. Unfortunately, those beds will not be ready until 2029. Um there's demo that has to happen and some pretty significant rehab in that building that needs to happen. good news, but that's four years away if you do the math. So, um, at least good three and a half. So my my request to the legislature and my continued messaging is what this what the legislature should have also done last session would have been to extended this county relief until those beds open up and then you can further assess what capacity looks like and what's still needed and we can move some of those folks into because these are folks who are sitting in a state operated facility locked up and we're are waiting for a bed in a different state facility which they deem as kind of a different level of care but the county does not have influence over this. We don't have control over this. We are certainly not able to release this person to, you know, and folks in this status um to the community. We're not able to release folks back to the jail system. I mean, you know, persons that are in this status are sort of stuck waiting, which I don't like for them either because if they don't need that level of care and need to move on to a different level of care, um we would say that would be the best service for those folks. And so this wait time that they're in um is not good either uh for them either. And so it's it's a county cost and that's the the most glaring at $2,500 a day is the most glaring concern. But I also am concerned for the fact that that people in this status continue to sit and wait um for these for another bed uh which only in many ways doesn't uh it prolongs their own care. So, um, lots of issues with that, but yes, definitely one that I would like to see the count the county relief extended to 2029, um, until there is more bed capacity, at least, you know, in the short run. >> If I can ask just a quick question, what what what might be the difference between the Anoka facility and say something like St. Peter, which we probably all think the bad guys go to who can't stay in a normal prison. >> So, the so St. Peter is designed as a more of a long-term facility. They're the way they've designed their campus and the way they h they staff it is designed for long-term placement for persons who are mentally ill and dangerous and need to be essentially really housed for the rest of their life. An NOA was designed as an acute campus, a short-term bed where you come in, get assessed, get stabilized, get your medication possibly changed, get get assessed, and you either then are competent to go back and stand trial. um they might get restored to competency that then you're able to stand trial for your criminal charge and then and then whatever consequences there are from that. So it's really or or you aren't able to establish that and then you are deemed sort of mentally ill and dangerous and not competent. So then you get transitioned to a longer term bed. So the ANOA is really designed to be sort of that shortterm let's kind of get you stable, get you back on track and determine are you then able to stand trial for your crime or if not um you're sort of classified that way and then you go on to a longerterm facility. So ANOA wasn't built to really house as many people as they are holding at this point. Um and and the as to get into a longer story and Mark could probably um articulate this even better than I can. Uh but what also then happens is as ANOA sits full and those folks can't move on to another long-term bed, the backlog of that is we have folks with really severe mental illness sitting in our jails waiting to get into an NOA. So that back and that's a dangerous piece because then as folks with really severe mental illness that have committed a crime are sitting in our jail system, our jail staff are not necessarily equipped although they're amazing um not equipped to really sometimes handle um those mental health challenges. And that's where we have and HHS have come in and worked in partnership with our jail here locally. But there certainly are concerns across the state um that those folks with severe mental illness are sitting in the jails um because they can't get into an NOA. So it it is it's a bigger systemic issue. >> Right. >> Dave, you probably already mentioned it. I know in all of our meetings you have that 1% of levy is roughly 750,000. So this alone 6940 is about a percent and a quarter [clears throat] just as we're talking about the 3.5 million um associated with the act in 27 is the potential of about a 4% impact to our our overall levy. So Dave's led the charge. I think some of your peers have globbed on to it in the metro language that says a 6% year-over-year levy increase at the county level plus a 2% sir charge at the state level. That 2% is probably the lowest you're going to see in the next three years. Next year the shift will go much north of that. So when we're thinking about it, 750,000 equals 1% of levy. So >> that keeps it in perspective. >> Quick quick question, Heather. You mentioned that Anoka is short-term. St. Peter's long-term. What's Moose Lake? That's long-term, but it's sexual related or something. >> Um, they are classified more as a prison. And so they do have a sex offender unit, but they don't aren't not typically taking folks who are mentally ill and dangerous. So, it's again sort of how those buildings are set up and established uh the bed where they've created that bed capacity for certain populations. >> Okay. Thank you, >> Attorney Mets. >> Yes. >> So, >> if we have one individual, imagine if we have five cases because we can't predict what's going to happen next year in the future. What if we have >> five very dangerous individuals who are mentally ill >> and the impact that would have on us? And Heather's exactly right that a lot of these individuals were in our jails all over the state and that's not appropriate. So we're de dealing with a very difficult circumstance where we can't release these individuals to the community and we don't have any beds available because the state essentially took them all away. So we were we had a case where somebody murdered another individual and we were fortunate I use that in quotes to finally get a space available in an NOA and an exorbitant amount but at least this person was in the right facility and then committed as mentally ill dangerous and is St. Peter. So you know St. Peter is a good facility because it is meant for these individuals long term. But we've seen also with St. Peter that they look to release individuals too that they believe no longer need that level of care. And Richard Hap is a good example that murdered both his parents. And we fought that for a three judge panel that he wasn't ready to be released. And they did. And they released him to a halfway house. And um eventually fortunately he didn't harm anybody but he did escape from that I don't escape from custody but he left he didn't return but fortunately and and so we have cases like that too. Um so and we'll our office will continue to appeal those cases that they were in the right facility but you know I want to echo that that is this is a really significant concern across the state of Minnesota. Imagine your head in Ramsey County. How many individuals they have >> that are in these facilities and the county attorneys association has been working vigorously to lobby and to work on these um you know with our partners to get available spaces. But 55 beds I mean that's great. It's a good start. That's not even close. remember they used to have Wilmer Regional Treatment Center >> and that was a great facility because it was they they had the space and they had I don't know how many beds but they had a lot of beds and I I would go up there when I was working with Cloud County and have these hearings up there and it was a really great facility that didn't cost the counties this amount. So I'm glad this is a priority and we're doing what we can too at the county attorneys association to to make sure and put pressure on the legislature to give the proper funding. Well, and so to kind of recap for those keeping score at home, our constituents and the taxpayers, I'm presuming if >> the person's in a NOA, we're paying $2,500 a day, but if they then get transferred to St. Peter, we're paying nothing. >> No, we still pay. >> We just pay less. Right. The the DNMC means we're paying 100%. If they move to St. Peter, again, there's a little bit of nuance with that, but it bears out about 20% that the county pays cost of that bed. >> So, for those keeping score, this is your tax property tax bill is affected directly. And uh it it's almost an incentive to not arrest people if you think about it. Uh put your hands up. Are you on kidney dialysis? Yes, I am. Go on your way, sir. Uh because the the property taxpayer because now they're off Medicare or Medicaid or so >> while they're in jail. >> Bizarre uh >> bizarre stuff. [laughter] >> But for the state, they pushed this all on to balance their budget, but they didn't they didn't balance their budget. And so, uh, they're they're they're pitching water out of a sinking ship and it's landing on our doorstep. So, >> and I'll make one correction. Administrator Hemsy looked at his lovely sheet here. He's got in front of it, it looks like it's 910. I don't have a calculator in front of me, so I didn't do the math correctly. Looks like if somebody does 2500 or 910, the cost keeps going up, so wasn't sure if Yeah. >> Yes, it's 910. >> Looks like it's 910,000. Just want to correct that. 910. >> Yes. Just want to make sure make that correction for everyone. >> Maybe not quite a million. >> One other question uh for Mark. >> How is it the classification when a person is it where they commit the crime or it's where they're prosecuted or it's where they're a citizen of that county? >> If they committed the crime in Carver County um then we're going to be responsible. But it's it's often residency too. We've had some battles with our our friends to the north, south, east, and west about this because counties try to push costs about their uh their residency and Heather knows about that as well. But if it if they're committing a crime and >> and they're in our jail and then we file a commitment petition to commit them, then this process takes a long lengthy time. Now we try to expedite this of course as well but it does after all the evaluations and you're talking about people don't realize full probably fully appreciate when you have a murder case it's it's or you know serious crime it could take one to two years and have all these contested hearings so they're you know they're up in an NOA but good question. All right. Thank you, Heather. And then we have four transportation and parks related items. Starting with the big one, protecting transportation funding, which uh boy, this one still stings a little bit since this fund was under attack last session. I call it a raid, attempted raid of this fund. Uh Carver County receives $6.5 million in the transportation enhancement account and Lynon Lynon could come up and provide more information but uh but to be used for a variety of things uh corridor safety preservation uh mitigation. So, some of some of the uh items that we we struggle with all all transportation funding, but some some items where it's really helpful to get at uh mobility and trails and other other uh issues that are of concern. But yeah, last session I I heard it was a vote away from going away literally. And we're lucky that that the counties rallied in this case. Henipin and Ramsey were our friends too since they were part of the mixture on this funding. Uh this is a sales tax funding source I think right L and L can give you a little bit more detail on it. >> Yeah Mr. Chair commissioners thanks. Yeah in your packet you'll see some graphs. Uh in 2023 they created these two funding sources. One called the TAA fund and and big one was the regional transportation sales and use tax. And you can see that both of those funds, all those revenue sources get combined and they have to be spent 41 a.5% on active transportation that would be mostly trail projects. 41% on road preservation basically and 17% on transit complete streets and greenhouse gas mitigation. So out of those by far the highest percentage is from the regional sales tax. That's the 3/4% new sales tax that was initiated. Um, so 82% of of our funding comes out of that source. So the move at the end of session was to to cut that number in half that currently goes to counties. So that would have been 2.6 2.7 million less for us. So what that would be what that would require would be the board decide you know out of those buckets they wanted to give the compromise they said at the end was you could spend it anywhere you wanted in transportation you weren't you weren't required to go in these three different areas. So we would decide what our most highest priority would be and likelihood it has been is preservation right preservation of our road system. So what it would have done was would probably have set back our future priorities to re to build the critical trail connections in the county. So the active transportation and and the transit funding would have suffered if this had happened which kind of goes against the whole reason they created the fund in the first place. So it was kind of a weird action that was made at the end of the session. What we heard was it was a move to send more money to Met Transit to build out their BRT system in the metro area. So instead of getting 83% of the regional sales tax, they would get 91%. And that would allow them to accelerate the BRT implementation. Of course, um you know, every county testified at the end and it didn't happen, but we've heard >> this is not necessarily dead. it may come back. So, we just got to be on high alert on this one. >> Um, you know, part of the testimony is there's no way Met Council, Met Transit could deliver that kind of program anyway. So, and the fact is is you're, you know, you're obviously robbing the counties of from active transportation and transit priorities [clears throat and cough] of their own that you was the intent of the fund in the first place. So, it was really a kind of an odd thing and it came right at the end, not even during conference committee. It was, you mean it was kind of this special deal that was made and luckily uh the two transportation chairs got help from a mediator who came in and then the counties had an opportunity to testify which is pretty unusual at conference committee because usually there's no testimony. They just do their work, they make a deal and they move on. But this was such a big one that they allowed people to come in and stop it. So, but it's a huge problem for us to keep track of. Thank you, >> Mr. Chair. If I can insert now, um, Lyndon and Heather at the capital a lot and we don't necessarily recognize that. Um, but they're recognized as people that have impact at the capital. So, thanks for all your efforts. Um, when it comes to money, uh, Lynon just collected his 15-year anniversary certificate last week. Um, we estimate he brings in about $50 million a year for the county in the years he's been here. So, thank you. It's probably one of our best biggest financial ROIs within the county. Um, but I think sometimes we lose it, not only at DC, but in at the capital in St. Paul, what these guys do for us outside of the board meetings. So, thanks for all you guys do. >> Yep. I would agree, Commissioner. I would note beware on this one. We've heard this this may be one of the majorities top priorities. It's coming back. >> So, be on standby. >> And I have heard that as well. It's for sure. that issue talked about too. That's not necessarily the Southwest Metro bus transit. Of course, we passed a resolution on that. I think we just forwarded that to our delegation, too. So, a lot a lot of uh issues at play. This is this is a big one. >> So, I wonder, Mr. Chair, should we add a little more to our platform related to the opt out thing? >> I would. >> It's not on the list specifically. >> Do you want to prepare? >> Well, I think I think that's very important. And I the >> the regular transit user in Carver County, Chesca, Chan, Asen, Prairie are going to notice uh if the concept of more local control through our opt- out system goes away as the Met Council [cough] Met Council's wanted this for decades. Um, not sure why they feel it's ripe now, but there's some petty beefs with certain legislators in the and Scott County and Minnesota Valley Transit and uh but um uh this is going to be it's it's actually counterintuitive if you ask me for the mech council. The South Southwest Metro Transit maximizes uh rides and left unattended for only the Met Council to uh monitor. Uh we're going to go back to the 1980s when we had the revolt and did the opt out. So let's let's save our opt out. This >> Mr. Chair, we'll we'll add that and should be easy. you have a position, you've already created a resolution and uh I think our our communities would appreciate that. We've heard similar concerns from those communities being served here. So, yeah, same theme under under a bit of attack here. We need to play at least some good defense on those items. Uh into parks, this one we've talked about before, sporting phase three of Lake Wakonia Regional Park. We we have heard a bonding bill is unlikely. Correct, Mr. Chair? You never know in this game what may pop up. Uh but I think it is a good strategy to keep it on the list, keep it on top of mind so that when it comes around, our turn comes around, it's there it is. Uh so we'll keep an eye on what goes on with the bonding etc. But this is this is an ask that where we do have a uh the cost share set aside in case it happens. Uh and let's let's hope for the best. Probably not this session, but maybe the next one. A broader topic on park system bonding bill. Mr. Chair, you you're very in tune with this one in the various work that you do, but asking for that 25 million for the regional park system CIP and a match of 50 million in state state bonds with 10 million in metrop council bonds. that we receive county receives Carver County if this happened would get about 900,000. There's a formula that allocates those to all the implement implementing agencies. So that would be our share which is significant. And of course there's a longstanding battle over uh rural counties, metro counties, metro parks uh trying to maintain what we have. Uh, did I miss one there? >> Oh, sorry. I'm missing multiple millions here. Uh, yeah. Uh, issue nine. I'm sorry about that. Skipped over that one. Uh, asking for for reimbursement of money that we've spent on our park system. In this case, was I think it's mostly uh if not all Lake Won Regional Park uh where we thought we're getting going to get paid back through the Metropolitan Council. Now, we we were aware there was a chance that that may go away. Uh, and according to the Met Council, it it is gone. >> And they are saying it's an IRS problem. And we're saying, well, it's a problem for us because we're now short for 4.2 million in land acquisition costs that we've sunk into that park. So, uh, that's what we're proposing. We're asking for reimbursement. Uh, perhaps with, uh, Deb Barber in a better position to help us out. Maybe there's some some room for maneuvering either legislatively or otherwise, but pretty big dollar amount for our park system. That's that is not there right now that we have to account for. I do I don't think I missed any other ones. So, that's it. We'll add the uh this the opt out issue. Uh are there other items that the board would be interested in adding or you good with the current list? That's plenty. >> I think a couple comments when it comes to that. Um, notably, sometimes we don't talk about it, but public safety is our our top priority on the board and notably there's nothing law enforcement in here. So, we've had conversations with the sheriff. Most of those are going to be addressed through the sheriff's and the chief's associations. And so, it's uh intentional that they're not in there. Um, I think that this list, I don't know if we've always shared it with our federal delegation, but if um if out of legislative priorities that we can have some stuff um at the federal level, uh there are a number of things at the federal level that are impacting us positively and not so positively. Um last year, I think there was one mayor that attended the breakfast. So, I think we as a board should probably decide if we're going to extend that to all mayors or if we're going to cap that at what our delegation has typically been. Um last year was I think the first year on the legislative priorities we had housing and I think it's really important uh particularly as it comes to um the growth of our community and so I would uh suggest that we add that back in some capacity to continue to have it be a priority because many of those challenges are at the state level and we have to deal with those challenges. And then um again I guess the last thing for for me it was where it comes from considerations is we as a board have the ability um to to to stop absorbing some of this stuff at the state level by saying hey we're going to keep our tax rate flat or or or or lower it. Right now we're absorbing significant dollars to the tune of 2% year-over-year. Next year it will be more. And if we continue to just take what the lawmakers give us, um next year will be a dire situation where we will undoubtedly be um in the mid double digits when it comes year-over-year on levy. And so I'd again plead with my um board member, my fellow board members to consider saying we're not we're not going to absorb the 2%. And if we are, we're going to have to push it back in the form of cuts someplace or reductions or efficiencies. And so I think that's a big decision that we get to make. Um, and we're getting pressed not only by the state and the federal by them shifting to us. We're starting to get pressed by the cities. And so when cities build a house that's less than $700,000, we as the county uh significantly absorb those costs. Those are a cost shift. They're not as they're not as overt as some of the other ones, but they are a cost shift, particularly um in Heather's group. And I think we can't have this conversation in in a meaningful way without knowing that some of these cities are shifting as well. So we're getting pinched both from the city level and from the state and federal level. And again, if we have the ability as a board to say we're not going to do it and we can say we're going to stay within a flat b budget um and not not not burden our taxpayers even further. So those are some comments. And then the last thing unrelated to those is uh sometimes there's negative things but um every one of these conversations is not just included cost cuts and shifts. It's also included um we are um we are not having conversations about revenue generation at the state level. We're not talking about how do we keep millionaires and business owners and people that are generating revenue in our count our county and in our state. And so I think we have an opportunity there. And then lastly, uh Commissioner Workman said this already, but his efforts, my efforts, our collective board efforts um and others, we were uh just six months ago looking at a 20% potential increase and we were successful at the state level to get that to shift. And so that's millions and millions of dollars that we don't have to find an answer for um because we were successful at the capital past session. So those are some my comments >> and to tag on to those comments, we need to also acknowledge um the work [clears throat] of AMC M and MCIT Micah Micah um and our other county commissioners who spent our other fellow county commissioners in our >> um in in neighboring counties who who really stepped up. Um this was a team effort um in order. So, I 100% acknowledge the leadership of our chair and um Commissioner Workman or Commissioner Udman. Um and we all have to work together for this for that to happen. >> Mr. Chair, clarification then on Commissioner Rudman's comments. You want to invite mayors to the legislative breakfast? Historically, we have not done that. I don't have an opinion one way or the other, but I think if it's open for one, it should be open to all. >> Which we are we inviting one. >> Last year we had a mayor. I don't know if they were invited or not. >> No, Mr. Chair, board me. He wasn't invited. He asked if he could attend and we said he has public meeting. >> Okay. >> We didn't we haven't sent uh invites out. >> Okay. Who was that mayor? >> Uh the mayor Wakonia came which is fine. I'm fine with that. I just don't want >> public meeting. They can attend. I just don't want to create the dynamic where somebody felt like they were invited or somebody else wasn't and so on and so forth. >> No, it's already a pretty big group, I would say. Y certainly public meeting that others could attend. >> I I think a meeting with the mayors is good, but not necessarily on our legislative priorities. certainly on what it is that uh >> you know you you've got quite a list of things cities do that >> uh that obviously affect the Carver County taxpayer and so but I so I think I think a more focused attention on on that would would be good. >> I I love a good breakfast. Uh I have no difficulty finding nutrition around any corner. So um but yeah I don't I don't know for this. So >> good. All right. >> Good clarity. >> And then on housing uh yeah we did have in the past it but what what particular I forget to ask what there's all sorts of elements to housing. Is there a specific proposal you want? >> I know this is a policy year, probably not a bonding year. Um, but I also know that we're wfully deficient, especially um with people that are in our affordable housing, there's not movement up um because the median house value in Carver County is a half a million dollars. So, the move from, you know, affordable housing and a lot of the things that the CDA provides to affordability. I know that um uh Representative Nash has authored two bills that have created um a lot of conversation. I know Mayor Briggs uh and Prior Lake has had conversation. And I know our our lobbyist Albbright has talked about that there's bipartisan interest in support. Uh I don't know that we've gotten to language that actually works to to move the ball down the field, but I know that there's bipartisan support and I know it'll be a conversation at the capital. So we can either write oursel in that or kind of be reactive. In the past, we've been reactive. So we can talk about it offline. I just think the general thought of how do we as counties address this challenge, this known challenge. Are we talking about the legislation that would have the state kind of inject themselves into the planning and zoning of cities? >> Maybe not so much that, but I heard recently that um for like for like housing um in the state of Minnesota versus just across the border in Wisconsin, uh it's a 30 to $50,000 reduction on an average home build u based on fees and other things. I know Nash has talked a lot about finishes, fits and finishes. Um, I think collectively we have to be at the table having these conversations because it will impact us. Um, and no, I'm not saying that we take a role at the federal level, but when we're having conversations with our lawmakers, it will be a topic. We can either be reactive when they decide language or we can be proactive upstream. I prefer that we're proactive with offering language and how we can write ourselves. And we know that the number one thing we can do at the county board is zone for it. Zone for um for housing options uh if we're willing to do so. And we know that the kind of the sacred cow for the last 40 50 years has been the 40 to1. Um I think 212 changes a lot of that conversation. So um it will be a conversation at the capital. We don't have to include it. I'd prefer that we do and we could probably come up with some language that makes sense to bring back in November 4th. >> Mr. Chair, I can work with Mr. Rudman and offline. I'd need more direction than that. >> Yep. So that's pretty wide [snorts] broad >> and and and I guess um my um my two cents is I I look at this list um and unfortunately we're in a place of playing defense this year and um we're just really trying to ward off um the attack that has been placed on counties and um I've been I've done a lot of lobbying um in in other areas does and sometimes I think less is more and um so I would be a proponent of sticking with this list if something else comes on that that we can support from a housing standpoint this this doesn't stop us from supporting something else correct >> yeah Mr. Sure. Commissioner said, "Very good point. >> Of course, we have AMC, Micah, others, >> long, much longer lists. >> Y >> uh quite frequently, just about every session, there's issues that come back into the boardroom, I think. Uh used to be called middle missing middle housing. Some of Commissioner has touched on that >> that made its way into the boardroom, right? Uh so you can do do it that way, too. The opt out, that was a separate resolution. There's all sorts of ways to to come at these things and I I think our strategy has generally been let's try and keep this relatively short, relatively focused on the big big items >> memorable. Uh we probably recall seeing the the it's one page or both sides handout. >> I think that legislators can pick that up, take it with Senator Coleman just yesterday said I'm going to use this, talk to my caucus about it, etc. You know, so that's been the strategy. There's no right or wrong I don't think to should some others be on here maybe I don't know but it's the board's call I think it's been a pretty good approach to you know come in at it like we have especially by the way with uh very limited staff a lot of the organizations out there other counties have specific staff working on this and we you have me and Ari basically >> working on it so we're small small but mighty and I think effective that way I think what to me what really matters is to get you you involved in the conversations as electeds. Much more weight to me has put on those conversations than having respect him a lot but Tony Albright or myself or when you bring us with uh but that is really effective and I think I would guess for you it's probably helpful to try and in your own mind uh have the story straight as simple as we can get it especially with some really complex topics. That's been the a lot of background in one one commentary there, Commissioner Anderson. That's been the history. >> Yeah. And and I think that's what I like about this platform um this year is um it's it's telling a story and it's really telling a story on how um the state is planning to use um [clears throat and cough] property taxes and uh um in order to fund um their lack of ability to balance the bud budget and um and so I appreciate kind of keeping it concise at at that message. I'm certainly not opposed to partnering with the CDA on housing or any other areas kind of in the future, but I but I do like that um this is really telling a succinct story. >> If I could, Mr. Chair, I think this is a great list. Is it complete? No, it's never complete. There could be 50 on here. But on the other hand, if you have too many, it gets diluted too because if you have that because the legislators, you mentioned the one page is really good. Uh the legislators are hearing from the cities, they're hearing from the county attorneys, they're hearing from the sheriff's association. This is a really good list. Is it complete? By no means, but it's a really good list. [snorts] >> Commissioner Fehee, anything else? I also agree it's a great list. And as the legislative committee, the two commissioners that sit on that board, and they generally get more in the no >> and they're down at the capital more often, and you get inundated with more questions, more priorities, and we just continue to shift through those. and and I've served on that committee in the past. And when you're down talking to a legislator and you have 30 seconds to give them your elevator pitch, you're not going to give them all of our 12 priorities. Unfortunately, you get to talk to them about one or two items and on they go. And the session just works its way through all these issues. you mentioned Micah uh AMC and and they're pushing 10 times harder than we are at different levels. >> Okay. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, uh next week I'll bring this back as an action item and then we have confirmed that the December 16th date works for all of you and all the division directors. I asked Christa to send the note out to our delegation and and by the way we do include our federal folks uh in the mixture on all the communications. Uh we haven't confirmed with them so there's a chance if we don't get good RSVPs we might have to shift things around and we would have part of the strategy here was well let's try December maybe that just falls apart with with schedules and holidays. We could always meet in January worst case, but for right now we we're trying to pin down that December 6th date and usually that it's like a 7:30 start. We push our board meeting a little later, 10 o'clock, something like that. >> That's all I have, Mr. Chair. >> All right. Thank you very much. >> You all right? Next up, Carver County Family Resource Center update. might be why Mr. Tran is in the room. [clears throat] >> Good morning, Mr. Chair, Commissioners, Administrator, Attorney Mets Kate Proveres, Deputy Director for Health and Human Services, and I'm here with our partner, Mr. Kitan to provide um information about our softly um our Carver County Family Resource Center currently in the soft stages of opening with a grant opening set for November 18th. Nope. Okay. Got it. All right. So, I'm going to go through just couple slides to kind of regground us on what is Family Resource Center. Family resource center is a national model adopted by 47 states in United States of America including Minnesota and is an evidence-driven and evidenceinformed community welcoming hub that support services for family and really focusing on being accessible for families to connect with supports focusing on programs that tailor directly to the families. So it is not a community resource hub that collects every single program kind of collocates them for convenience of the residents access which is a whole different model but rather really focusing on preventive services for parents and children and focusing on investing dollars into early child education and shifting work from a deep end to up um to kind of in the beginning to where we can still have an impact with families. and recently has also been looked at as a potential strategy to meet um requirements of MAFPA that administrator Hamzy um described during his present legislation priority presentation. So here is the national statewide family resource model. [clears throat and cough] As you can see, we have a lot more counties that joining um F FRC um adventures and we have quite a few efforts now open. Start county continues to be what we're referring to as the gold platinum standard of family resource centers and they have been sharing their learnings quite a bit. For the first year this year, um the Minnesota held a convenient of all the F FRC's uh counties that have F FRC in development open or exploring and exchange multiple ideas and providing a lot of technical support to ensure that we have a very good and set outcome measures as we continue to move forward as um so family resource centers are really going focusing on building healthy connections, promoting well-being, meeting basic needs, and helping families thrive through together. And they ground it in five protective factors that of a string sustained family framework that is um focusing on parental resilience, social connections, knowledge of parenting and child development skills, providing very concrete support to families in the time of need and focusing on addressing social and emotional compli complexes in children. So through strengthening family what we're hoping to see is the ultimate goal in our FRC is to really measure which we can do by pulling some data from our maybe not as well modernizes um were open to us and child abuse and neglect and did we make a shift so it's going to be a couple years measurements and did we go from shift really addressing needs of the families immediately and not passing case to growing case management that we potentially doing now and how we utilize other county services to really strengthen in families. So we could be pulling data long-term from those systems. We can also partner with schools and try and look on optimal child development data to see through the families that will receive services in FRC how long they stay connected and then kind of figuring out how we could identify and work with schools and head starts data to figure out you know can we isolate some children on that. So that will require us to partner with Wilder Research Foundation that is a Minnesota selected evaluation partner to get some of that data and um I will outline it later. We are planning on having some technical free technical assistance offered to us to set those eval um data and evaluation points. So what do FRC really do? again fostering unhealthy development connect families to resources. We would like to then outline and learn how many families we engage in multiple county community uh assistance programs and did what happened long term with the families if we look on Minnesota employment data. Could we actually see if there's any correlations to that and focusing on promoting economic success again utilizing some of our access to the long-term employment data through deep so again we are thinking uh shortterm so there's of course community stories in the short term so aspiration is to learn short term did we help are people better people showing up who is showing up you know how are they feeling about it we're not neglecting any of our short-term data but we're also looking on a long-term data as well to understand the impact. We are planning on adapting measures and talking to start county who have been very generous in sharing what they have been collecting. So our benefits of FRC model is to really focus on services together really um thinking about um bundling existing referrals and resources and shifting towards a very proactive model. As you recall, we contracted to with improved group two years ago and completed a indepth community assessment that uh provided us um on-site support services and those services we prioritize right now as a service delivery model. Staff and agencies that are currently onsite and will continue to join us as FRC is going to be fully open November 18th. We have been uh looking on location and spaces. In the last year and a half, we contacted over 100 different places to put an F FRC. Community have wanted a BR and more building. And again it wasn't something we looked on buses we looked on mobile trailers we looked on all the options but community has the one at this moment you know brick and motor building where we can have services community rooms childfriendly spaces kitchenet and break rooms and um as of July 1st we have secured this space and I will go in details on that we have not worked on isolations while it is the SRO family foundation county supported initiative. A lot of our community partners um have bunded together to provide um advice some that time and of course that um a better society is also now figuring out and paying for a rent cost and our F FRC location. But here's a list of our um community steering committee partners who helped F FRC in Carver County to be open. And here we go. Location, security, and address first and try and will walk us through what services are there. >> Thanks, Kate. >> Good morning, >> commissioners. Mark, >> um I just want to start off by saying thank you. Thank you to the county. Thank you for the entire support group that we have as a community. Um, and then even more importantly, thank you to Kate and the HHS team and our other partners across the entire county. Um, this has been a decade and a half effort and while this is fairly new in terms of the last year, year and a half moving this forward, um, others in the community, Bob Rekkey and others in the community over this decade and a half have this has have had this vision of creating this resource center to bring the community together. This is not a duplication of resources. This is not an additional resource load. This is to bring the resources together to become more efficient at delivering the services to our neighbors in our community. And so, having given the opportunity to be part of this uh endeavor, uh we're we're very excited to uh to push this along. So, uh, as as Kate was saying, we have, um, been at this for a while. Um, we had created and put together this steering committee last November, December. And so we have been meeting on a monthly basis um not in a vacuum but across the entire spectrum of nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, chamber of commerces, government agencies, um school districts. Um we're we're we're really utilizing what we've been able to capitalize on the last four years out of Project Linkage. We've created those connections to our community so that when we knock on their doors, when we send them an email and say, "Hey, can you help us with this um trusting that we use their time um effectively and so getting together this large group on a monthly basis to talk about something new, something that we feel is very needed in our community has been a huge huge critical factor um in in this endeavor. So, uh, we put together a list of over a hundred potential places to house the Carver County Family Resource Center. Given that we had a budget of zero dollars, uh, we were able to cross off a lot of those potentials. Um and then given that the community had a number of musthaves for this location, for this facility, um we wanted to make sure that it was safe, it was welcoming, there was plenty of parking, there was plenty of space, um and it would be able to scale. And so we were very fortunate to find a neighbor right down the street, the Chesa Moravian Church. they've opened their doors to the community uh for decades, centuries now. And so it's been really good to be able to work with their board um in Chaza, in Wakonia, and Victoria. And over the months, many months of trying to figure this out, um we've been able to rent about 3,000 square feet, four meeting spaces that are very uh configurable. Um, and so we we put together a plan. For those of you who know me, I spent three decades in the corporate world and we that's all we do is plan, plan, plan. Um, but we diceed this up into multiple phases. Um, the large phase [snorts] was soft launch, hard launch. We put together this is the date we want to be grand opening, ribbon cutting, November 18th. And so then we backtracked. what are the phases that we need to complete in what order and what timing to get us there. And so July 1st, we signed the contract, a lot of logistics, a lot of facility um additions and changes that we needed to at least talk through. We started the pilot phase August 23rd. We had limited hours, limited days that we were open really to bring staff in from county to bring potential partners who would provide services on site. What do they need itwise? We were with the county IT department, county facilities to bring in certain equipment that they needed to have on site to do their work. And so we spent four weeks to prep the facilities to understand the logistics and during that time also to recruit other services to be on site. So then we went into phase two of the soft launch September 23rd. This is where we took the feedback from the community, from our partners, from um county staff who works directly with our clients and our neighbors um who utilize these services, what times, what days work best for them because if we don't take that into account and we open on days and times that nobody will be there, it'll be off or not. And so we settled on uh right now 3 days a week. Tuesday we're open 9 to 1. Wednesday 10 to 2. Thursday 12:30 to 4:30 to try to capture the morning uh lunch and uh late afternoon timing for the families who can only do one of those time slots. Uh this leaves us open to provide potentially other services along the other um weekdays as well and weekends. So, but right now we're open four hours for three days each day. Each week we're able to increase our services working with the county staff, working with other nonprofit agencies out there. Um the idea is to bring services together that will enhance um the people who are looking for a single service but may not know that other services are available and easy and could provide them more and better relief along their journey. So, if somebody is looking for housing, for example, and they may not have enough income to pay that rent, and they're looking for income support for housing, um, and we might not have programs that provide the full rent support for them. Maybe they could use help with food and so they could divert more money towards rent. Maybe they could um have help with daycare or other programs and service throughout the community that we have services for that could help them then divert enough money for rent. Again, many different circumstances, many different situations that we're now really trying to figure out what services we want on site to provide to make it simple and effective and equitable for our neighbors in the community. So, right now we've got housing support, basic needs, cash SNAP program support, healthcare assistance, filling out applications, workforce development with CareerFce. Uh we're working with Angela Starling on the parent support outreach program. We're working with public health to provide more food navigation. There's plenty of food out there. It's getting the food into the hands of the people at the time that they need. How do we do that? um car seat information really there's a number of services that we can provide. We're now trying to uh provide logistical support coordination around who, what, when, and how do we support it out of uh our site here in downtown Chaza. Um other ones um that we know that we need to support are our um diverse population that is continuing to grow. And so we have contracted the county has contracted with Mikasa to support our Hispanic and Latino population. CRC the community resource uh center based out of Shakupi uh provides uh Somalian East African cultural support. while they're on site, they can provide that specific culture support and support for all of our community as well. And so it is not uh only those specific cultures that they support. Um one of the things that we are striving towards is our ability to be a no wrong door. So, as anybody in the community who needs help, they may come into the county doors, they may uh walk through the food shelf door and hopefully soon the um F FRC doors. Um regardless of what help that they need, we want to be able to provide that help if we have that service available here locally. And if we don't have that connection, have that referral, have a warm handoff, not just a post-it note with a number that they call, but actually help them through this process because when you're in crisis mode, you really need that help. And so we want to make sure that we have that resource navigation um at the F FRC. Um phase three, September, October. We're still in it right now, but um this is not in the movies where if you build it, they will come. Um we could build it and if nobody knows about it, nobody will come. >> That's merely an Iowa myth. [laughter] >> That happens here in Minnesota. No. Um so >> sore from the football game, by the way. >> Um we needed to do um a building awareness campaign. And so the county contracted with Creature Works who has worked with other county um launches as well with their communications and marketing website creation. And so through this branding effort, we went live with our website carver countyfrc.org. The biggest thing that we wanted to get out into the hands of the community is when we're open, what services are available during those times. And so we have a real time calendar on our website that people can go and see, okay, if I need SNAP assistance. They're there every th every Tuesday from 9 to 1. If I need to talk to somebody about career force, yes, I can walk down to the um county. But what if I need career support and I need to talk to somebody in the peace program? I can do it at one place. One of the things that [clears throat] we realized um after analyzing the community assessment that the improved group um helped the county do two years ago is that the place that people go to get help needs to be a safe and welcoming place. And um while the the the county administration buildings houses a lot of the programs and the people and the staff here, uh it may not be as welcoming and it may not be at least perceived to be safe to a number of our neighbors in our community. And so we wanted to make sure we provided that um facility and services offsite. And so that's what we are um looking to achieve. All right, the full launch. So, as we get through all of these uh phases, we're looking to do the grand opening, do a ribbon cutting with the Southwest Metro Chamber of Commerce. Steve Curtis's team will do that uh Tuesday, November 18 at 1:30 to 3:30. Um, and as we continue to add more services, we're looking to add more services in the month of December and all the way through January and ongoing as as we uh evaluate what the community needs and wants. Um, we're looking to do quarterly workshops, training classes, budgeting classes. We're looking to bring actually we have scheduled already the University of of Minnesota Extension uh to provide financial wellness consultations one-on-one and potentially budgeting classes um for families. We've got a dental clinic uh that is happening here in October and then in December it'll be on site at the F FRC. Uh we've got the ECF, the early childhood family education classes that we're prepping to have on site, physical health care and mental health care screening uh through uh partners in our community. Um a lot of community care, a lot of cooking classes, a lot of fun events. This is not meant to just be um the services, the basic need services. And while yes, that is absolutely core to an F FRC, it's really meant to be a place where families can come and interact with the community and build relationships with the service providers, with the people who are taking care of them and their children and also create relationships with others in the community. Um, let me keep going here. Um, next steps in 2026. Um Kate mentioned uh evaluation and metrics. Uh what are our KPIs? What are our critical success factors? We need to put those down on paper. We need to make sure that as we're building this, we're building it um in the vision that not I or Kate or any one of us singularly has, but what is the vision of the community? what does it need the F FRC to support and as we implement these services how are we doing are are we meeting the needs are we meeting the expectations so that is going to be key in um the transition of the F FRC steering committee which we created a year ago will transition that we'll disband that that was help that was created to help us launch the FRC See, we will transition to an advisory group come January 2026. And this advisory group will then um help us then evaluate, put the metrics in place and do a lot of the um measuring of the impact that we'll have in the community. Um so we build it, people come, then then what? Um how do we keep this going? Um, we know that it's necessary. We know that it's critical. We know that it is needed in our community. Uh, how do we keep this going with everything else going on? Um, competing for funding, competing for top of mind, compete, competing for the critical needs of our community. How do we keep this going? Because we feel this is a critical need of our community. um funding becomes a major um challenge for us come 2026. Um as uh as one of the founders of a better society, we've been around for almost 18 years based here in Chanhassen. Uh we've done a number of projects with the county and other community groups and other nonprofits. Um and we've always sat and we've always wanted to be in the background. It was never about us. Um we changed that attitude a few years ago when we um stood up here and um asked for funding for project linkage. We believe that was the start for us to [clears throat] take help take the lead in creating these connections in creating the support and the referral platform for Carver County moving forward. So this F FRC is project linkage 2.0 where in the past we had to send an email, send a reminder, text, call people, please come to our monthly project linkage meetings. Now people just show up. We get 30, 40, 50 people crowded in our office every month talking about housing. We'll be talking about food. We'll be talking about transportation. We'll be talking about health services. We'll be talking about things that matter in our community. And so now that we have that community support, we're putting into action with the F FRC. Um, but we need funding from the community to keep it going. And so that'll be one of the the the big initiatives moving forward. Um, so sustainability plan uh is part of the business plan that we put together. Um, we are uh heads down. We'll be working on that. So to finish this one off, upcoming events in two days, we we will have our first event. This is uh the fall family fun event. Um this is targeted to the community, to families, to individuals um who will be using the service at services at the F FRC. Um of course you know Gail Daylor, ex-commissioner Gail. Um he donated who was >> a hundred >> pumpkins for us to do a nice little decoration and pumpkin carving for the kids. Uh I've got to go pick it up here in an hour. Um but uh we'll we'll have uh kids activities. We'll have a lot of tables with uh information on the services that we'll have on site. Um and this is to promote and build awareness that we're in the community. We're here to help. What else can we do? And then three weeks from now or two and a half weeks from now or whatever time that is um we invite all the commissioners and the community to to to help us launch this in a big way. So thank you very much. Um here for questions. >> Well despite what you've heard about Gail Degler, he really is a nice guy. [laughter] We saw him last week uh and celebrated his retirement finally and I never I never saw him so speechless. Uh but uh a good guy. So and the the only thing better is Commissioner Anderson. So >> I don't know about that. >> So getting better in that district one. It's a tough district. Port Wman commissioners, I just wanted to add so Carver County Board of Commissioners has approved a generous $400,000 funding for FRC which we are utilizing intentionally what we call right now the whole proven concept and that's why valuation is so um important to us to measure the outcomes to determine the impact of that service and to our community. But I do want to acknowledge that and thank our board for the investment that is um that is an investment we're hoping to stretch for the few years while we measure impact and measures. And then of course our family foundation generously provided a implementation and startup grant that again we believe we could go through until probably end of December 2026. And uh we are starting internal conversation as Kai pointed out in terms of who how and when you know county and community play an active role. So again that is a true county community partnership and government and traditionally government does while they may not be up in front in our case you know Carver County has been uh more in a co-leership role with the community you know the government's still one of the backbones of FRCS throughout the country including um state of Minnesota so but I just want to again acknowledge and thank every our board and administrator for generous contributions and support of that. Without the funding, we probably wouldn't be here and we wouldn't be able to do the impact study that we for the next couple of years. So, thank you >> and we open for questions. >> Thank you. Yes, I think you answered some of my questions. So, yeah, foundation money is never intended to be forever, right? So the the big scramble has started now to make sure in what 27 it's got sustained >> probably looking um for 27 yes maybe 27 28 to start really fitting out sustainability efforts um through our FRC Minnesota FRC gathering there's quite a few ideas in terms of uh co partnership of funding between state of Minnesota who is actively working on this model and also doing uh proven concept with some of their funding that they provided through the RFP request for proposals and grants to some of the counties. So looking at as a preventive measure kinship navigation could be utilized as a preventive measure. Harvard County of course if resulted they also going to be looking ultimate hope is to look in our own budget and you know what shifts we can not saying given many way but rather shifts of funding right do we go from deep end to preventive measures and how that would plays out so we're looking um and also of course community donations would be the key as well as so state of Minnesota county community donations and uh hopefully uh contributions from of community partners as well. So it has to be a combination of funding for that to keep moving forward. So it cannot just be and it is not in any of the model I have seen across the country cannot be just county funding backing it. It is it's not sustainable and it's impossible you know for the long-term investment but there's a multiple nationalwide models that we'll be looking at. >> So as far as funding specific to operations versus Um, the Chaz Moravian Church uh has been great [snorts] to work with for us to rent right now the almost 3,000 square ft of their facility. Um, we're able to work a um pre-launch deal. Right now, it's a month-to-month deal. We pay $500 a month. We know it will increase next year as it should to be fair to the church. Um so we will need to figure out a way to um pay that rent long. So um and then just as critical we will need to find a um resource navigator working with um Richard Scott's team the the chip the community health improvement plan that we just put in place for 2025 looking forward for five years. Um one of the big initiatives is resource navigation throughout the county and so how do we pay for a resource out of the FRC and we're hoping to figure that out in 2026. >> But I just want to be clear in commissioner, those are not mutually inclusive services. Again, there F FRC is a standalone [clears throat] evidencebased model that we're planning on utilizing and it is not it's meant to support anybody who are by referral process but it's only meant to serve families especially families that have you know based on predictable factor analysis can um potentially may be involved in the system and really invest into the families. I think that there's some parallel tracks that we're running on. Um, and of course, community navigation is one of them, but I I just want to be very clear to the community if they're listening to us. FRC is not meant to catch it all. It's not the model otherwise we won't be able to prove an impact and we're very very thoughtful of that implementation as we move forward. >> Okay, Commissioner Anderson. >> So, um, thank you both for sharing this. Um, obviously I I'm really interested in this model, but since we were talking about the impact, I mean, I kind of pulled out what will the family resource center do. I'm curious, how will we know we're successful? What does success look like? >> Um, I'll go back to uh a previous slide. >> Slide six, benefits of >> that. That's the one I pulled out. Y >> slide six, benefits of an F FRC. Um what does success look like? >> So yes, we we bring the vital services together. Um the better, more efficient delivery of services. That's what success will look like. What does that look like to the families in our community? Ultimately, if we do this right, they will be able to get on track. Going back to I think a comment we made just this morning. It was not about just helping people along and then they remain on this program forever. It's about bringing the services to individuals to families so that they can improve their life within. So shifting from a react reactive to a proactive to help them be successful from an economic standpoint. Because when you net it all away, you got you got your health and you need money for that. You need you need a roof over your head, you need money for that. You need you need food, you need money. So we can help them economic everything else comes along. We have programs to help them with food. programs help them with housing. They have programs for helping with healthare. But as as we all know, they're all fractured, right? They're underfunded. There there's too many hurdles. There there are too many things that get in a person's way to get those services delivered in a manner that's efficient. [clears throat] So what does success look like? It's delivering these services um in in a much better way to help people along to to get them from point A to point B on this journey faster. Yeah. >> And I'm And I'm assum that. Thank you. That helps. And I'm assuming once we we you know, now that you're making the transition from the steering committee to the advisory committee, you work on metrics and measurements to ensure that we're upstream, not just lagging indicators, but also leading indicators. Um, and I know that that's something that Kate Provert is um you're both working on and and expert at, but yeah, looking forward to a year from now and an update on on how how things are going. >> I was in the meeting when this was getting started and you know, you were there for 15 years, but I wasn't. Um, but applause to you and your team. My my end question is going to be a story that brings this thing home. How are we actually impacting people, not just money and names on a plate and timelines and all other stuff, but I'll ask for a story. But this is an investment. It's not an expense. And I think in government sometimes we um we fail to recognize and we just look at everything as an expense. This is an investment. Um to borrow the words of um Commissioner Anderson, upstream is the way we want to go and preventive is awful hard to measure, you know, and so there's faith and there's faith in the partners that are at the table. But I remember that conversation where felt like a death by a thousand paper cuts. It's like, well, Kai, what are you going to do about this? And Kai, what are you going to do about this? And what if this doesn't happen? And I applaud your endurance and courage to get it off the ground and iterate. And we do have good partners in Scott County to get us down the path. One idea just to throw out there because I agree with what Kate said. I agree with what Kai said. I agree with Commissioner Anderson said, if we just fund this exclusively in the county, it is not as successful if we commun we fund it without across the community. I know there's some key players at the Rotary and at the Lions Club. I floated this idea. I'll just float it publicly. Um what if they all committed 2% of their annual funds next year to help support this? Um I think that would be a great ask and I think you generate a ton of money in a in a very nominal amount at 2%. And then I think we as county could match it um up to a certain dollar amount. And so whether that's the navigator program, whether that's the $24,000 a year rent, whether that's whatever it is, itemize it and bring it back to us because I think that this is an investment worth making. If for every 50,000 we put in, I think we get a 20x return, a million dollars, and it's awful hard to measure it. Um, but it's getting people upstream um versus downstream. So with that, I'd ask the question, do you have a story that's come out of the F FRC yet, or do you have one anecdotal that is happening now that we could see a tangible benefit we could share with our constituents and as we make these decisions? So during our first phase soft launch where we were only there for two hours during a day and nobody even knew because we didn't have the branding, no logo, no signage um that we were even there church um a young adult um who came in that morning. I was not there. My husband was there with Angel program and um clearly he was clearly drinking the night before the story came out. He was just released from a halfway house uh with nothing. He slept on one of the park benches and really needed support and he was willing to accept that support but he had nowhere to go. He stumbled into the FRC. Um we had no services there for him that day but to provide that connection to okay well let's make some calls who has room in their shelter right now. So they must have called five, six, seven different shelters throughout the seven metro trying to find this young man. Um, and he didn't have any. So um, I think it was Uber and it was just okay, let's just figure out a way to pay for it and make sure that we talk to Uber to get him there. So these are the stories that would be very hard to measure. These are the stories that are hugely transformational to individuals and families in our neighbor in our communities. Um, and while we need to measure a lot of these metrics, how many people come in, how quick does it take for us to services versus how we're delivering services today? Um, we need all those. Um, but if we can have one person, one family, 10 families in our community. So there's um there's a reason that I personally I know others in the room and others at the FORC and others on the steering committee and others who will be on the advisory council um do what we do because we believe in it. We're very passionate about it. There's no >> Thank you. >> Thank you. And um by the way, we should let the Lions Clubs and the Rotary Clubs know that uh Commissioner Udman will be a future member. [laughter] >> You guys want that? Rotary memories, Alliance [laughter] members. >> Gonna spend our money. You got to get in there. >> Just a quick question, Kate. how many uh dedicated county staff will be at the facility uh during those hours that it's open. >> Thank you, board chair, commissioner. I have to count. So, we um so the way the model works right now is we're rotating through the staff. So, we actually do not have a dedicated staff, you know, um except from child and family, you know, we have one and then public health has two. So, it's three. The rest of them are rotating. At any given time, there's probably about five to six county staff um in FRC providing services. And that potentially could increase in January because we adding H homebased community care, child and other lens unit. So, probably going to go up to about eight county staff in any given time providing services at the F FRC in addition to the community. >> Thank you. and it's been a great partnership and to be uh clear they are providing the same service at the FRC that they would be doing here at the county or remotely and so uh it's been really good to provide that facility for them to work as an alternative >> better outreach. >> Yes, absolutely. >> Commissioner Lynch, anything? Um, Kate, appreciate all the good work. Kai, always a pleasure. Look forward to seeing uh the benefits of the the F FRC and uh we'll take her from there. Thank you. Thanks for coming in. >> I uh I'm often lamenting that us in the county uh county government don't do much that's very sexy and uh but maybe this is getting uh getting a little bit more sexy for us. Can I can I do that to the program? Maybe I've just ruined the >> might have. >> But uh this is the very real stuff. Kai, you're a great um ambassador uh if you will on these uh important important topics and uh I haven't seen any fishing picture pictures lately uh >> been too busy >> from you. Yep. Um but then yes, thank you Kate. And uh um we got some hard well let's watch the program do what it's supposed to do and we'll we'll readress it in the future. And uh but uh Commissioner Utterman's going to join Chanhass and Lions. That's a we got that out of this. But Commissioner Anderson, >> just one final comment. Um, uh, I've had the pleasure of of of participating in in Project Linkage and and, um, getting to know and building relationships with some of these and, um, with the great nonprofits that serve our community. And we were having a conversation about the general public doesn't really the the residents of Carver County have no idea the the needs and the poverty that exists in this in this county. And and why is that? And it's because of this. It's because of the work that our county staff does and um in serving these communities. It's because of what the CDA is doing. It's because of of what a better society is doing and all of the nonprofits who step in and fill that need and fill in the gap. And so I'm grateful to live in this community because of that. And um and I'm grateful for all the work you do. and this is just um we're just starting this ride. So, I appreciate the work and and and and I look forward to seeing and hearing all the stories on how we've made a difference and changed people's lives. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> Hearing nothing else, I don't know if the county administrator wants to give a little update on anything. He sure did a lot of talking already today. [laughter] >> Actually, a quick one. Uh 4110 has been moved. We're going to still hold it. It's raining out, but we're going to go inside the church. The old church >> one o'clock >> today. >> One o'clock. Sorry. Yes. >> Good. >> Okay. Meetings adjourned. Right.