in the best way. >> Good morning. I will call the county board of commissioners meeting for today, November 18th, 2025. We'll start with a roll call first, please. >> Commissioner Workerman, >> here. >> Commissioner Drasty >> here. >> Commissioner Hullberg here. >> Commissioner Slow >> here. >> Commissioner Halerson >> here. >> Commissioner Hayman Roland >> here. Commissioner Atkins >> here. Thank you. We do have a quorum now. If you uh will please rise if you are able and join us in the pledge of allegiance. >> I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Well, good morning and welcome. We uh start off our meeting going out into the audience. If there's anyone in the audience wishing to address the board on an item not on the agenda um or on the consent agenda, they may come forward at this time with comments limited to five minutes. Is there anyone in the audience wishing to address the board? Uh secondly, is there anyone who either did written comments or is online to give? >> No online comments. >> No online or written comments. With that, we will move on to the approval of the agenda. What are the wishes of the board? >> Move approval. Mr. >> Moved by Commissioner Haymon Roland. Is there a second? Second. >> Second by Commissioner Hverson. With that, please call the role. >> Commissioner Drasty, >> yes. >> Commissioner Hullberg, >> yes. >> Commissioner Slavic, >> yes. >> Commissioner Halverson, >> yes. >> Commissioner Hayman Roland, >> yes. >> Commissioner Atkins, >> yes. >> Commissioner Workman, >> yes. >> Thank you. Now, we will move on to um approval of the consent items, which are the minutes uh from the November 4th, 2025 meeting 5.1 as well as items 6.1 to 11.2. And what are the wishes of the board? approval. It's >> been moved by uh Commissioner Hersonson. Is there a second? >> I'll second. >> Second by Commissioner DSi. Any further discussion? Seeing none, please call the role. >> Commissioner Hullberg, >> yes. >> Commissioner Slavic, >> yes. >> Commissioner Halbertson, >> yes. >> Commissioner Hayman Rowan, >> yes. >> Commissioner Atkins, >> yes. >> Commissioner Workman, >> yes. >> Commissioner Dsti, >> yes. >> Thank you. On to the regular agenda item 12.1, an action item under facilities management. Authorize authorization to execute contracts with uh Predomos Cleaning LLC, Triangle Services Incorporated, and Kimble Services Corporation for housekeeping services at county buildings. We have Mike Lexold, facility management director. Welcome to the meeting. >> Morning, Mr. Chair. >> Good morning. [laughter] >> Yeah. >> [laughter] >> Done and done, right? Good morning, >> Mike Lexel, facilities management director. Um, here to discuss the awarding of the housekeeping contracts for 2026 and if everything goes well, the first year 27 and 2028. We'll go through the background, the solicitation process, our selections, approvals, and questions. So, by way of background, the county cleans about 970,000 square feet of space. So >> this building alone is about 110 total. So by comparison, we've got a lot of clean space that gets done. That doesn't include anything that's typically got a concrete floor. So we've got 1.7 million square feet of space. We've cleaned just over half of that. Um the contract for these services, we send out an RFP. Um typically is evening work in most locations, 5 days a week. We do have some exceptions for buildings that are open on weekends. Obviously, the law enforcement center, Dakota 911, libraries are open seven days a week, and historically we've only had four contracts. Last cycle, so 2023, we split that into eight to try to get um more more competitive pricing or more competitive hours solicited. Um historically, we've only got the big national firms to come in. By breaking it into eight different regions, eight different contracts, we're able to get smaller vendors there, smaller contracts, and then more manageable pieces of work. I mean, it does create extra work for the my team. We've got eight contracts to manage instead of four, but it totals about 68,000 hours of work each year for about $1.85 million. If we did that internally, it'd be 46 FTEs and about $5 million. So we do analyze this every year and we you know it makes the most financial sense especially in a current position to outsource these services. The solicitation process we set the cost. So this one's done a little differently than most things you see out of facilities. We set the dollar amount and then we tell the vendors we're going to pay you x amount of dollars for this contract. Here's the days the buildings are open. Here's how many square feet they are. and they come back and tell us how often they're going to clean it, how many staff they're going to have, and then they have references and different criteria that we score them on. Um, primarily our scoring is weighted on staffing levels and frequencies. The products, experience, and references are factored in, but to a lesser extent. And I have six staff that score these. So, I actually am not part of the scoring process. I double check the spreadsheet, make sure the math works. But I've got the four building supervisors and somebody over in environmental resources comparing the cleaning products to make sure what we specify is what they're providing. Our selections this year, Pomos is getting six of the eight contracts. They're a new firm to us last cycle. They have been doing law enforcement center and juvenile service center for the last two years and getting compliments from the sheriff's office staff which in a jail and detention environment is something to be said. They're also a local firm. They're all based out of Farmington. So they're based out of Farmington. Kimble Services has Lebanon Hills in the North Library region based out of Maple Grove and Triangle Services who's been with us for a number of years based out of Woodbury. and they'll have the Northern Service Center and the Crisis and Recovery Center. So, my requested action today is the approval of contracts for eight different contracts regions to three separate contractors and I will stand for questions. >> Thank you very much, Mike. There any questions from the board? If not, uh, we do have an action before us and I just want to go and, uh, acknowledge [clears throat] and commend the fact that the data analysis that you do to be able to figure out what is the best way to, uh, make sure we get the job done as well as, uh, looking out for the dollars that our taxpayers pay with it. So, I do appreciate that you do that on an annual basis just to make sure it still makes sense to go in this path as opposed to others. So, thank you for that. Um, with that, entertain a motion. >> Mr. Mr. Chair, I will move approval. And yes, I would like to thank you too. That was a um a great piece of information to uh share with our public too uh your effective efficiency and uh taking care of our facilities. So, thank you. >> Thank you. And is there a second to that? >> Second. >> Second by Commissioner Workman. Any further discussion? Seeing and hearing none, please call the role. >> Commissioner Slavic, >> yes. >> Commissioner Hersonson, >> yes. >> Commissioner Hayman Roland, >> yes. Commissioner Atkins, >> yes. >> Commissioner Workman, >> yes. >> Commissioner Dsti, >> yes. >> Commissioner Hullberg, >> yes. >> Thank you. Thank you, Mike. >> Thank you, Mike. >> So, item 13.1 will be under human resources, a closed executive session, a county manager year- on performance review just to kind of walk through what we'll do for this morning. We're going to start we'll we'll pass this action item and then we will move on to inter agency reports, commissioner updates, county manager report, um, and my day of the year uh update. And then lastly, we'll actually recess, go to general government. Uh once general government is done, then we will go to the budget workshop. Um and then once the budget workshop is done, we will go back and um uh reopen the meeting and close session 13.1. So with that, could I enter could someone give me a motion on um the closed executive session, county manager year end performance review? >> So moved. >> It's been moved by Commissioner Hmon Roland. Is there a second? >> I'll second. >> Second by Commissioner Drossi. With that, please call the role. >> Commissioner Halverson, >> yes. >> Commissioner Hayman Roland, >> yes. >> Commissioner Atkins, >> yes. >> Commissioner Workman, >> yes. >> Commissioner Drasty, >> yes. >> Commissioner Hullberg, >> yes. >> Commissioner Slavic, >> uh, yes. Thank you. Now, we're going to move on to inter agency reports and commissioner updates starting with the Association of Minnesota Counties. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, and I will leave the discussion of the upcoming annual meeting to you and in your role as the head of the organization. U just pulled up the date for district 10. Uh there's three of us that are serving on the transportation part of the discussion. Commissioner Hullberg, Commissioner Hverson, and myself. That next date is December 18th. Um we'll get a presentation from John Soulberg uh Mindot. We recently heard um from uh from others on Met Council side or or transit side talking about different lines. uh may have Commissioner Hullberg or Elverson add more, but uh that's as we've talked about that in the past, it's kind of an on ongoing discussion uh in anticipation of the upcoming legislative session. >> Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner Atkins. And I heard very good things about that um transportation district 10 meeting. So, uh that was great. Uh just a reminder that the uh um annual conference is the December 8th through the 10th. It will be my last action as president of the Association of Minnesota Counties um to where we will go and vote and approve our uh platform for 2026 legislative year. Uh with that, so I know many of you are coming. It will be my last uh harrah and speech and I know that I think we have great attendance at our policy committees. Even if you're not at the conference, we're being the fact that it's in the metro. many of us or I think are actually all of us at least attend the policy to be able to shape uh legislative actions for next year. Uh with that we're going to move on to the Metropolitan Emergency Services Board. >> Yes. Uh we had a meeting last week. Standard items. >> Okay. Minnesota Intercount Association. Micah. >> Um thank you. We met uh last Wednesday and um continue to prepare for the next legislative session. Um lots going on underneath the surface. Um, in addition to that, um, our executive director, Nathan Jess, and I, um, addressed a group of legislative leaders, um, last week who were doing kind of a tax boot camp to get ready for session and, uh, talked about the impacts of, uh, the tax bills on counties um, and the good, the bad, and the ugly. And I have to say it was wellreceived. It was good that um we brought a lot of new information to the table and so I hope that uh it opens the door for some good discussion uh in the coming legislative session and good decision making more importantly. Commissioner Drasty, anything to add from our meeting? >> No, I'd say uh just one comment. The followup data that was sent out from Micah looking at all counties was tremendously valuable. will puts in perspective the pressure from state and federal shifts, what it's doing to counties. >> That's big. And then um just I'll ask everybody to keep um their eyes peeled for our annual meeting at the end of January. You'll be getting an invitation and um we'd love to have as many board members attend as possible. It's uh gets to be a better meeting every year. So please join us. >> Thank you. Now we'll move on to the uh Medf Felton Mosquito Control District. Patricia, >> thank you, Mr. Chair. We have an executive board meeting this Thursday because next week is too close to Thanksgiving. [laughter] >> All right, thank you. And National Association of Counties, Niko, any updates? >> Uh, well, Commissioner Grai um alluded to the federal pressures. Um, I think we talked here in Dakota County about shifts of uh upwards of 20 plus million dollars over the next couple years that the feds are laying off on the onto counties like ours. Uh, the annual NAO legislative uh meeting is February 21st through the 24th and everybody should have been notified if they if they are interested in attending. >> And I'm just going to also add on to that in the fact that uh there about every other week, NATO is kind of giving a federal update which has been very helpful because things are always changing, evolving. Uh now that the government is uh back uh working again um that's a relative comment of course, but uh um uh but with that there is uh still proposals out there that will have impacts one way or the other. So um but I I do feel like that's a great resource to know what's going on federally um because things are always evolving and changing. With that, we'll move on to transportation advisory board tap >> meeting tomorrow. Can't wait. >> All right. Vermillion river wershed joint powers board. >> We do not have a meeting this month. Next meeting will be in December. >> All right. Workforce development board. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um the the uh awards banquet is coming up. It will be December the 10th and I have information about who's the winners. >> Would you like to hear? Sure. Okay. Considering I will be giving my um closing speech at that exact time. >> Excellent. Oh yes. With AMC different classes. Yes. >> The Mark McAfee uh friend of workforce u award which is a an award that actually I got it's really um something that you know I cherish is Katie Bachmann mayor city of Lakeville. to know her commissioner. The business champion award is friendship manor from Shakipi. The Bob Killian award is MNG I enduscopy of uh Lakeville and the Willis Bring Excellence in Youth for Dakota County is Hopefield House and for Scott County it's Greystone Construction. the Bob class uh senior entrepreneur award, Esme Miranda from Squeaky Services. And then um I'm really proud of this one. The employer of the year for people with disability award. I'm a I'm um proud of all of the award winners, but especially this one, Constellation Coffee in Apple Valley, which is run by disabled individuals, which is really a a beautiful place. And then um just some interesting stats about our uh hiring events that are going on from 24 to 25. There were um in 24 there were an average of 18.69 employers and 38.52 job seekers. Now in 25 there were 16.8 employers and 46.36 job seekers. So there is a change that's beginning to happen. And then on uh November the 19th, there's going to be a a skills-based hiring workshop and it's for employers and it helps employers to see um I'm just going to give you some examples of this. Job postings updated to emphasize necessary skills, not just degree requirements. Job seeker candidates are assessed and interviewed based on knowledge and skills. Training programs are created to improve onboarding and retention and managers and employees are provided the information about possible career pathways as well as uh paths uh that require u and resources to develop those skills. So, um I think it's going to be uh something important for employers to be able to participate in on November 19th. >> Thank you so much, Commissioner Hman Roland. And with that, we'll move to any other um updates, commissioner updates or inter agency reports from the board. I >> just want to report out, Mr. Chair, on our MVTA. Um I really put stressed and I um our county engineer library um all also knows this. We pushed for a change in connection with the Western Services Center and uh Galaxy Avenue for bus service which they were they have removed and um in 2026 and sometime in March they will be uh reestablishing that in route 442. Well, >> great. Thank you. >> So for people who are listening that's a really important resource for them. >> Thank you. others from the board. I am not finding any. With that, we'll move on to the county manager report. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. Just a couple of quick notes. I think today was a good day after um hearing from our facilities director about the custodial awards that come every year. Just to quickly remind our public and thank all of the contracted employees that we have. We often talk about our own employees, but our work is extended through contracts sometimes with uh for-profit organizations, but very often with notfor-profit organizations who do very much of our uh case management work um and so forth in in uh community services. Just thought I'd take a moment to thank the many contractors that we also use in our work. And second, if you look outside, there's been a little white stuff. Our plows are on and ready to roll. >> That's it. >> That That is it. Okay. Thank you. >> That was >> I will before we we go into recess, just let you know that uh today is day uh there are we've already finished uh 320 days this year. We only have 46 days left of the year and uh today and two more board meetings uh which will be marathon meetings for us. Uh, also November 18th is entrepreneurs day. And I think that as we've talked in the partnerships that Dakota County does with our workforce board and the fact of the matter is that um, as I uh, as AI is changing what we do in the workforce, the fact of the matter is that um, it's our small businesses and our entrepreneurs who are really going to change um, how we do what we do each and every day. And we're very fortunate to have a strong thriving business community both at the entrepreneurial, the small business, and at the large businesses in this county. So um we are very appreciative of that and today on November 18th we acknowledge that today is entrepreneurial day. >> That's great. >> Right. And with that uh I am going to go and put us into recess uh until we meet back in close session for uh the performance evaluation of the county uh manager. So we are in recess.