Then we will begin our meetings. Thank you. Thank you everyone for coming. [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] Good afternoon everyone and welcome to the administration operations and budget committee of Tuesday July 22nd. We'll begin the agenda with the minutes from the previous meeting of June 24, 2025. Do I have a motion? >> I'll move the minutes. Madam Chair second >> been moved and second. Any discussion or changes, corrections? All those in favor signify by I. I >> oppos. Motion carries. We have several new business items. They're routine, a couple of them. Um item 2A is to establish a 2026 premium rates for self-insured dental care program applicable to employees, eligible dependents, and retirees. We see this often. Does anyone want further explanation? I'll ask for a motion then. >> I'll move it. >> And moved and second. Any other discussion? >> All those in favor signify by I. I >> I opposed. Motion carries. Item 2B is to negotiate amendment two to reciprocal use agreement with North Point Health and Wellness, Inc. for space within the North Point Health and Wellness Center at 1313 Penn Avenue, North Minneapolis. >> So move, madam chair. >> I have a second. >> Second. >> Anyone want any discussion on this one? All those in favor signify by I. >> I. >> Motion carries. Item 2 C is a discussion item. Um, approve a minor plan amendment to the Elm Creek WHED Management Plan. Set Elm Creek Wershed Management Commission 2026 max levy at $630,000 for projects to improve the water quality. I'll move this. Do I have a second? >> I'll second. >> Does anybody want a information on this item or do we want further exp? >> I'll just make a comment, >> please. >> Uh, just want to thank all of the wersheds. I see a number of them coming forward here. Um for those watching at home, this body has the privilege of approving these items. However, it is a separate body typically for each watershed that is uh working directly with the their impacted area and usually developing pretty robust multi-year water management plans. Um so for those watching at home these are uh us approving um what has come recommended through the statutory process and want to extend our gratitude to the watershed board members. This is writ large for all of the items. Thank you madam chair. >> Yes they do great work. >> All those in favor signify by I >> I oppos. And so the next two items are also watershed by uh item 2D. It set Basset Creek wershed uh commission 2026 max and levy at 2,500 and uh some odd dollars to uh projects to improve water quality and reduce flooding. Do I have a motion? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Moved and seconded. Anyone want any background on this one? All those in favor signify by I. >> I. Motion carries. Set Shingle Creek Wershed Management Commission 2026 max levy at $848,400 and West Mississippi Watershed Management Commission 2026 levy at $106,50 for projects to improve water quality. I'll move this. Do I have a second? >> Second. >> Anybody want to explanations? All those in favor signify by I. >> I. I. >> Motion carries. We have several addendums to modify agreements with HUD for 2025 home um starting uh 71 of 25 through 630 of 30 increasing the receivable to over 1 a.5 million negotiate uh award modification starting 71 of 25 going to 63070 um not to exceed just over 385,000 to negotiate an agree an amendment to an agreement with St. Louis Park HR starting 71 of 24 through 630 of 69 and not to exceed of $495,000. Do I have a motion for this? >> Second. >> It's been moved and seconded. Can we have a brief explanation on just some of the improve the changes? >> Chair Commissioners Julia uh Wellier is here to present the these welcome. >> Thank you chair Gotautell. Uh, Commissioners Julia Weller from Housing and Economic Development. This request uh acknowledges the final grant amount for our program year 2025 home grant. Uh, as outlined in our action plan, the additional grant funds are directed to our stable home program. This stable home program provides ongoing tenant-based rental assistance to 45 families referred from the housing stability department of Henipin County in partnership with other health and human services departments. uh amending the program year 2024 home award for stable home will fund the essential administration costs for this program that we couldn't cover with last year's grant. So these modifications will ensure continuity of the ten tenant based rental assistance for these 45 low-income families. Thank you. >> Great work. That's so so wonderful to hear. All those in favor signify by I. >> I. Motion carries. Item 2G is to negotiate amendment to an agreement with Tasks Unlimited Lodges, add three properties, amend the the real estate related documents, extend the term to 1219 of 30, and increase the not to exceed to just over $538,000. I'll move this. Do I have a second? >> Second, >> please. I'll ask You want me to ask for a brief explanation first and then ask your questions? >> Ask my question. >> Go ahead, Commissioner. put your mic on. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, and I guess with uh Miss um Willis erys if she could just I know um in the news supportive housing some of the vendors are getting a lot of um there's a lot of investigations going on and I just think in terms of I know the county has a lot of practices that we we do to make sure that we are protecting taxpayer funding. um if you could just to explain uh like do we do on-site visits um things like that just to make sure that these services actually are being delivered when we're we're contracting with someone like Tasks Unlimited. >> Miss Williams, will you give a quick synopsis first? Thank you. Chair Gotautal commissioners. Um the quick synopsis is um in the 1990s the county provided these four home loans totaling uh 538,000 to tasks unlimited to acquire and rehabilitate the four properties in Richfield and Bloomington. Um per the loans tasks use these properties to support employment, housing, and recovery services for people diagnosed with severe or persistent mental illness or struggling with addiction. Um, as noted in the request, some of the original residents from the late 1900s uh still live there today with their found family. Um, so this action is consolidating the four loans and then extending the term to 2030. Um, Commissioner Eden, per your question, does these funding uh this funding is specifically towards the capital portion of the project, acquisition and rehab, and then the income requirements. the services um funding I'd have to refer to our partners in human services regarding what the services funding in is is and the oversight our compliance from uh housing and economic development is limited to um reporting on the income and the quality of the the physical plant. Okay, >> thank you. >> Thanks. Um item all those in favor signify Oh, you had one. Please go ahead. >> I do. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um the late 1900s threw me for a minute. But uh just going to accept that that is the reality that we are in. Um I just I uh this is one of the the the one of many programs that I very much appreciate and love and we've been doing this for a very long time. We are taking homes and rehabbing them for people to live in um who otherwise may not have access to places and I am just a places to live and call home that are dignified. I am a big fan of of rehabbing homes uh of the work that Tasks Unlimited uh does in this arena around acquisition and um rehabilitation making them suitable and dignified I think is the word that I'm going to stick with um for living for people for people who need it. So, I uh shout about this a lot and think that uh more counties need to in like invest in this type of work where we are partnered with a trusted organization um to take dilapidated homes, dilapidated um buildings and structures and turn them into suitable dignified housing. So, I'm just uh appreciative of this. Thank you. >> I am too. One of these homes actually is in my neighborhood. So, and the people there are wonderful. All those in favor signify by I. >> I. I. Motion carries. Item 2 is to negotiate agreement with region 8 education service center the interlocal purchasing agreement tips purchasing cooperative to allow henipin county membership in the national purchasing cooperative at no cost to the county. I'll move this. >> I'll second. >> I like no cost. This is wonderful. Does anybody have any questions about this? This is just a great thing to do. All those in favor signify by I. I. >> I. Oppos. Motion carries. Item 2I, the last item is to negotiate agreement with public promise procurement to allow Henipin County membership and the national purchasing cooperative at no cost to the county. >> I'll move this second. >> Been moved and seconded. All those in favor signify by I. I >> I. Motion carries. And that is the totality of our agenda. Call is adjourned. Good afternoon everyone. I'll call to order the health committee on this Tuesday, July 22nd, 2025. The first item of business for us today is to approve the minutes from June 3rd, 2025. Is there a motion to approve the minutes? So moved. >> Second. >> Minutes have been moved and seconded. Any corrections or comments on the minutes? >> Seeing and hearing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? >> The minutes have passed. We have one item of business before us today. This is a routine item. 2A is an amendment to an agreement with the National Health Care for the Homeless Council for the Health Care for the Homeless program. Uh we're just extending the end date to December 23r to December 31st of 2025. There is no change to the NTE. Is there a motion to approve? >> So move second. >> Item has been moved and seconded. Uh would anyone like uh refresher on what this item does? Seeing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying I. I. Any opposed? That item passes. >> That concludes our agenda and I'll declare us adjourned. Thank you. I'll call to order the Human Services Committee. It's Tuesday, July 22nd. It is 2:15 and I am Chair Heather Eden. Our first order of business is to approve the minutes from July 24th. May I have a motion, please? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Thank you. It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor, please say I. I. June 24. >> Did I What did I say? >> July. Just for >> Oh, I did. I know. I apologize. Yes. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So, let me amend that. So, um June 24th. Um friend >> the amendment. >> Yes. Thank you. That would be helpful. June 20 July 24th hasn't happened yet. Um okay. So, we will move the minutes um with a it's been moved and seconded then. Yes. >> Yes. >> Okay. All right. For June 24th, all those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed? >> The motion carries. We have four routine items before us today. If I could have a motion to move items 2A through 2D. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Thank you. It's been moved and seconded. I will now read the items into the record. Item 2A is a human services and public health resolution including contracts and amendments to contracts with a provider. More information is outlined in the human services and public health contract report 2510. Item 2B is an amendment to the joint powers agreement with the city of Bloomington to modify existing services for the Henipin County embedded social worker program. This amendment would update an agreement to language to reduce one FTE and associated cost. One FTE will continue to be available through the updated JPA. Item 2 C is a joint powers agreement with the state of Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs to provide direct services to address income needs of homeless veterans during the period of July 1st, 2025 through June 30th, 2026 with receivable amount of $100,000. Item 2D is a joint powers agreement with the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs for mutual cooperation accepting funding from the state in order to serve veterans experiencing homelessness during the period of July 1, 2025 through June 30th, 2026 in the receivable amount of 300,000. Are there any questions or comments? Um, yes, Commissioner Gatel. >> Madam Chair, I just wanted to say first of all, I hear from the city of Bloomington. and I meet with them regularly and they always sing the praises of this great program from Henipin County and I can't thank you enough because this I know we're doing it, you know, through all our cities, but I hear especially from them a lot and so just thank you for that. And then I'm just really excited to see us with a one full-time equivalent in the dollars that we're spending to keep um our veterans housed and so that we keep that designation of um zero homelessness for our vet. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Commissioner Gell. Uh Commissioner Anderson, did you >> um Thank you, Madam Chair. just echoing the the excitement to see that the continued partnership with uh the VA uh is continuing and making sure that we're uh taking care of and finding the resources needed in order to care for our veterans experiencing homelessness. Thank you. >> Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Connley. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. I was going to say the same things and that's that you know one of the things that I appreciate is that when we talk about how Henipin County has effectively ended veterans homelessness we also include the fact that the work does not stop there that we still have um veterans who uh may be on the verge uh or precariously housed. And so continuing this work with the partnership with the VA, another staff person, um receiving dollars to do this, uh just means that we can continue on taking care of our veterans and that's very um uh it's a very very special work. Uh we do it very well and I I want to continue to do it. So, thank you. >> Thank you. Any other comments or questions? All right. Well, yeah, you guys have done a great job long before I got here on on investing in our veterans. So well done. Uh there being no no further questions or comments, we will move to a vote. All those in favor of approving items 2A through 2D say I. >> Opposed. The motion carries. That concludes the human services committee. We are adjourned. like to call today's meeting of the law, safety, and justice committee to uh call in order. Uh we have just a couple items on the agenda. Uh first up is a approval of the minutes from June 24th. If I could get a motion and a second. >> Move approval. >> We have a motion, a second. Any changes, addictions, corrections? Seeing none, all those in favor say I. >> I. >> I. >> Opposed? Motion carries. Uh move. We have one item, new business, uh 2A. Um, if I can get a motion and a second, I'll read it into record. >> So moved. >> We have a motion and a second. 2A is an amendment to agreement with Miller and Chevier Chartered for Legal Services extending the end date to 63026 increasing the not to exceed by 150,000. Um, I will turn to Miss Guzman for background, please. >> Good afternoon, chair, commissioners. I'd like to invite Sarah Davis from the county attorney's office to provide background on this item. Okay. Uh, good afternoon, chair, commissioners. Sarah Davis with the Henipin County Attorney's Office. Um, this is as we I've had a chance to connect with each of you about this matter, and this is about adding $150,000 to the not to exceed amount of a contract that already exists for um with Miller and Chevier. I I'm happy to answer any questions that you have. >> Thank you. Any questions? >> Um I the only question I had is maybe expand I think about what the services are providing and what I think brought them the need for them. Please. >> Yes. Uh, chair, this is a contract that's about providing legal services outside counsel to the office in the context of the U. United States Department of Justice investigation. >> Any questions? Commissioner Anderson. >> Um, thank you, Mr. Chair. Uh I first want to uh thank you for taking the time to kind of help lay the groundwork and inform us um of the the scope of the work and why it's necessary. Um, as was outlined, uh, in kind of in the description, um, the kind of the standard practice of making sure that we have outside counsel when navigating these kind of often complex or unique situations that um, we find ourselves in. Um, you know, I don't think anybody wants to be here, but uh I appreciate you finding a firm that was under uh a number of the other proposals that was cost effective, responsible with our our taxpayer dollars. Um, and hopefully we'll uh we'll get the job done for us. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Commissioner. >> Any other questions, comments? Um I I want to thank you as well for uh conversation this morning answering questions. I I will not be supporting this motion. I I've um I understand the why part. I'm just uncomfortable with the tenor of how not just here but everywhere it seems like we are more interested and I say we so not second out the county attorney's office but everywhere it seems like interested in the fight whether they agree with the federal government they don't agree and we go back and forth and I feel like um I just want to focus on the people that I represent I feel like we're just continuing those fights and so I'm not going to be supporting this >> commissioner. Thank you Mr. Mr. Chair, um, and with this I am supporting this and and the reason is why is what they're requesting of us. I think we have to have council protect to protect the county. And I think that's really important. Um, politics should not be at play when we're talking about a prosecutor's office. And unfortunately, um, some of this is is we just can't help having to protect our county. And so I think this is about something much more um is just making sure that we the prosecutor's office is going to be solvent and that it can do the work that it's actually here to do. So thank you. >> Thank you. >> Any further comments, questions? All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Opposed that would be nay. Uh the motion does pass. And with that the agenda of the law, safety and justice committee is complete. Declare the meeting. I will call to order our public works committee for today. Uh our first item on the agenda is to approve our minutes from our June 24th meeting. May I have a motion and a second? >> Second. >> You have a motion and a second. Any additions or corrections to the minutes? Hearing none. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> I. Any opposed? The minutes are approved. Uh we have a number of routine items in our new business. Um item 2A through 2F. If I could have a motion for the block. I'll have a few comments on a number of them. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Thank you. I'll read them into the record. Uh item 2A is an authorization to request a variance for the Lake Harriet Parkway paving project uh with state aid uh project with no county cost uh in the city of Minneapolis. Item 2B is an agreement with the Henipin Recycling Group for an organics dropoff grant uh period of 8125 to8127 with a not to exceed of $15,000. Uh, item 2 C is to execute a contract with Millerben Manufacturing Co. to purchase traffic signal poles for maintenance replacements, an estimated county cost of $2 million from fund 10. Um, item 2D is an agreement with MINDOT to accept a local bridge re I'm gonna get that wrong, but LPRP grant funds for bridge number 91131 replacement along Casat 10 over Twin Lake in Crystal and Brooklyn Center. Uh, adjusting our budget to for the county to receive 82 just over $82,000. Um item 2E is to negotiate negotiate an amendment with Three Rivers Park District for CAS 66 multimodal safety improvements. Um increase the county not to exceed to 1 million48,000 uh and um 138,000 in transportation operations. Uh and item 2F is the an agreement with mindot to accept federal force uh account funds for county supplied signal equipment for CAS 66 multimmoal safety improvements uh with the on the same project. Um I'm sorry it's a it's a different project but a sub project that is the same uh county receiving uh just under $2 million. Um, do my colleagues have some some comments? Uh, Commissioner Connley. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. I do. Um, item 2B I want to talk about um just a little bit and maybe get um just ask ask a question around the dollar amount. So 2B is really important. This speaks to organics in our trash, right? We have talked uh for a few years now about the sheer amount of organics that are in our trash stream and how it is important to take those out uh and and provide resources to in this instance and have been recycling group uh to organizations, schools and other folks. The background talks about grants that we have available for multifamily buildings to provide providing organics dropoff sites. this is a way that we reduce the amount of trash that's in our trash stream in the county. Um, so I think that when I see um uh these items on our agendas, it it's proof in the pudding that our zero waste plan is solid and it's strong and our goal around 90% of uh diversion uh is is very clear and we're providing the resources to 45 cities in Hanniban to do that. Uh my question for this particular grant is it's 15,000 and with the dollar amounts that we deal with up here that seems really really little. So I'm assuming that this is part of a larger pool of grant dollars that are available to the counties or to cities to schools to multi whoever applies. So, if you could speak a little bit to um the bucket that this comes out of and are there RFPs that go out like just the process of if someone is watching at home, I want to recycle my organics too. How do I go to the county to do that? >> Chair Connley, let me just share the reason why this one is before you is Henipin Recycling Group has previous expenditures. That's why we're bringing that one here. And maybe I would ask uh Ben Kudson to speak to the broader program and the breadth of the work that we do. >> Thank you, Mr. Kudson. >> Sure. Thank you, Chair Anderson. Ben Kudson with Environment and Energy and Commissioner Conley. I I share your excitement about this particular grant because it is for the city of Brooklyn center which is part of the Henipin Recycling Group and if if you look around up there they're not currently an organics drop off site available and so we're excited to get that opportunity in place and it's available for people who don't have access to the city program. So, a lot of people living in apartment buildings and the location is at will be at Brooklyn Center City Hall. It's next to Centennial Park, the city's most popular park. And it's also next to the Crest Apartments, which have more than 100 affordable housing units. So, we're excited to uh get that site available because one of our zerowaste priorities is making sure that every individual has equitable access to zero waste tools. And like you said earlier, this is just one of many actions uh so that the board has taken to accelerate progress towards zero waste. And I encourage everyone if you're interested, you can find more information about our implementation efforts in our recycling progress report which is available online. And that's, you know, kind of deviating from just organics drop off sites here. But you can find our our work on food rescue grants, multifamily mattress recycling, community zero waste grants, and much much more. So with that, I'm happy to answer any questions. >> Thank you, uh, Commissioner Lundy. Thank you, Mr. Chair. um less of uh questions and more comments. I obviously you know happy that this grant is going out. Um, I just think back uh to, you know, our efforts to have a redirect our money from the organics uh to the sorting facility in Broken Park and I think some misguided actions by people to uh sabotage that um really has led us to this spot where we need the ability to sort trash and this is just kind of like a I call it a band-aid to have this kind of facility. It's a good band-aid, but really getting to the spot where people might be able to have a single container or as close to it as we can, which is only possible when you have sorting facilities. Um, and I think, you know, we talk about we will need more than one. We'll probably need two or three. Um, but I do think it's important. And so, you know, people want to get to zero waste. They want to get to where the hurricane is shut down. This is just a step, but what we need is the sorting facility. And I think in a lot of communities, I know, especially the Brooklyn's in my area, a lot of the apartments are older. They were not built with anything other than one trash receptacle. And so to retrofit uh recycling was a push. But now, if we're talking about organics and other things, it's it's very difficult in an old older apartment uh to add that in there. And so I think that is something for us to think about is if we continue to get push back on the sorting facilities, we're going to have to look at ways to put more grants out there so that people own these apartment buildings and they tend to be smaller family-owned buildings can retrofit. Uh so, you know, we talked a lot about trash earlier. We listened to a lot. Uh this is one step and frankly we won't need the herk if we can get our trash to the right places and cut down on the amount of waste that uh is going out to landfills. So thank you. >> Thank you. Um any other comments? Yes, Commissioner Fernando. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. I believe two E and F are both related to the Basset Creek Regional Trail. So I just wanted to express immense excitement over those two items. Um this will connect French Regional Park in Plymouth to Theo Worth in Golden Valley. So from a multimodal perspective and just from usability, these are two huge regional assets um that happen to be in districts 2 and seven, but are uh really enjoyed by people all all around. So would love a little bit of timeline if possible and again mostly gratitude for both of those items um coming before us. Thanks, Mr. Chair. >> Thank you, Miss Ernie. Chair Anderson, I would invite Jason Piper to uh share some information on timeline related to the delivery of the project. >> Thank you, Mr. Piper. >> Uh thank you, Mr. Chair and commissioners. I'm Jason Piper in transportation project delivery. Uh both items are related to the Basset Creek Regional Trail Project that is planning to begin later this year. And unfortunately, I don't have specific details on the start date, but we'd be more than happy to follow up um on the construction timeline. Thank you. Any other questions or further? >> It's nice that it's starting this year and uh yeah, I wasn't sure. Um and of course updates on uh the construction timeline is welcome when it's appropriate. Thank you, Mr. Chair. >> Thank you. And maybe a ribbon cutting when it's done, you know, just saying. Um thank you. I you know, I um if there are no other comments, I would just want to circle back. um really appreciate the the comments on the organics drop off. I know one of the things that we need to focus on is those multif family uh units because that is probably the hardest place to get organics um processing as uh a part of it. even new buildings. Um, building a new building that has the capacity for um, regular garbage, recycling, and organics is really challenging. I've had a number of conversations with builders who just say their designs don't accommodate for it. Um and so um any thing that we can do to make sure that we are getting the capacity for organics uh for the most number of people is a step in absolutely the right direction and I appreciate us uh taking these steps to add drop sites um and uh all of the other pieces that was mentioned uh by Mr. Kudson. I also um one that was kind of flying under the radar here uh to see the the contract uh to purchase traffic signal poles. This is kind of a um like under the radar, but I think uh we experienced this in in 2001 uh sorry 2021 uh during the pandemic where supply chains were disrupted and we needed to make sure that we had uh the materials in place in order to um to do the work needed to maintain our infrastructure. uh and with the uncertainty that is currently facing a lot of uh the components uh piece of the work that we do um having contracts like this to make sure that we have the the resources we need to to do it um is incredibly responsible and I appreciate the proactive uh nature of of doing that. So, um, and then all the other work that we that we do around, uh, our partners with Three Rivers and, uh, Minneapolis to make sure that our our road projects and trail projects are are getting done, um, is always much appreciated. So, thank you. Um, with that, all those in favor of the block say I. I. >> Any opposed? Those items are approved. Uh, we have two, um, other items for discussion and action. Item 2G is to negotiate various grant agreements for the Good Stewart grant natural resource projects total not uh combined not to exceed of uh just over $61,000. May I have a motion and a second? >> So moved. >> We have a motion and a second. Um I know we we see these fairly often. If I could have just a brief summary of this. Chair Anderson, I would ask Karen Gallas to present a brief summary of the excellent opportunities that we will have with those uh pursuing this the grant funding. >> Perfect. Thank you, Miss Gallas. >> Good afternoon, Chair Anderson and commissioners. I'm Karen Gallas with Environment and Energy. Uh the resolution before you requests authorization to award natural resources good steward grants. Good steward grants provide financial assistance to residents, neighborhood associations, businesses, and local governments to implement projects that either preserve and restore the county's natural resources or improve water qual quality. Since 2016, um we've awarded about $2.5 million in these types of grants and leveraged $14 million from additional partners in their contributions. Uh this round we got 35 good steward grant applications uh requesting nearly $500,000 in funding. We are recommending 13 of those projects at just over 230,000 or nearly $230,000 in funding, excuse me. This board action asks you to authorize awards to the cities of Bloomington, Eden Prairie, and the Somali Community Resettlement Service. The total of these grants is 61,442. And in addition, we'll be using administrative processes to award 10 more to bring us up to that $230,000 figure. I'd be happy to answer any questions that commissioners have at this time. >> Thank you so much. Do my colleagues have any questions? Always good to see uh not only us getting the money into the community to do this great work, but leveraging our money to uh to do even more work. So um with that all those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed. Uh those are approved. The next item and our final item is to negotiate 12 healthy tree canopy grant uh agreements with a period of 8125 to 73126 uh with a grand total not to exceed of uh $332,000731. Uh may I have move it? >> We have a motion and a second. Um, Miss Ernie, >> Chair Anderson, I would invite Dustin Ellis to present on the healthy tree canopy grants. >> Perfect. Mr. Ellis, >> good afternoon, Mr. Chair Anderson and commissioners. The resolution before you request authorization to award healthy tree canopy grants. The goals of the program are to combat threats to trees from invasive insects and diseases by funding tree planting activities, educate the public on tree care and the importance of trees, and increase the diversity and resiliency of the tree canopy. This board action asks you to authorize $332,731 in awards to the cities of Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Champlain, Crystal, Eden Prairie, Golden Valley, Plymouth, the affordable housing provider AON, and the nonprofits Tree Trust, and YMCA, as well as the Minneapolis Special School District 1. In addition, we'll be using administrative process to award another $167,269 in grants to the city of Excelsier um and New Hope, the nonprofits Frasier, North Loop Neighborhood Association, Riverwalk Estates, Spark Y, and the Church of St. Edward and the Trust for Public Land, Vibrant and Safe Downtown, Zincala Luta, and the school districts, um, AIA, AIO Area Schools, and the Parnasses Preparatory School. At this time, I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about any of these projects at this time. >> Thank you, uh, Commissioner Connley. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you for the presentation. Um, I uh really appreciate this tree canopy work. And in taking a look at the map, I wonder um I'm noticing that a lot of the heavy red areas have are around uh our interstate system. And I wondered if there's any um work being done if we know from um Mandat or the state at all around supporting this initiative. And two, what goals do we have associated with our tree canopy planting? Is it plant a thousand trees by 2020 2030? I mean, I don't know, but is there what are do we have goals set? Thank you. >> Thank you for your question, Commissioner Conley. Um so we've we've previously have been working with Mandot and we have a memorandum of understanding with Mindot to plant trees along the um rightsway rightways along the interstates. And uh last year we completed our first plantings and we have continued this year to um plant those areas as well. and we plan to do so into the future until we have planted all of the areas that we can in these rightways behind the sound walls or any open areas that are suitable for trees. And as far as our goals, we have the ambitious goal of planting 1 million trees by 2030, which we have planted or will at the end of the year be right around 576,000 trees. >> Excellent. >> That that is incredible. I just follow up real quick. >> Yes, of course. That is incredible. Um, I want a t-shirt that says 1 million trees by 2030. You all know why. >> Oh, we should all have. >> So, thank you for that. I just in regard to theou, does that um does mind fund any of it or is it just anou to plant on their land? >> This is just anou to plant on their land. >> Thank you for the clarification. >> Thank you, >> Chair Anderson. Commissioner Connley, I will share that when MDOT does complete projects, part of the conversation and when I say projects like transportation related projects, we definitely have a different conversation around landscaping and tree planting. Just wanted to add that for clarification and they would fund that. Yes. >> Thank you, Commissioner Fernando. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. And I know we have a climate briefing on Thursday, so I don't want to get too ahead of myself, but you know, I'll save some minutes there by speaking here. Two comments. Um it would be interest this is I love this work. We already know that part. Um it'd be interesting to intersect flood mitigation directly with where we've planted trees. So one of the most important aspects from my perspective for a mature tree is the storm water infrastructure. Um particularly with the climate patterns that we're seeing nationally and just in general a need for greater climate resiliency. Uh would be interested in that. The second aspect uh that I appreciate about trees is of course air purification and um temperature I guess uh either keeping the warm in or keeping the cool in. I've been seeing some interesting technology with respect to moss and so I'm intrigued um just again for the team. Um there it seems as though um there are newer rounds of uh research that are discussing kind of the air and temperature regulation that moss can provide. Obviously not the same from a storm water perspective. Um but the progress that I'm seeing here is you know it's very somber when you look at the actual climate impacts that we're seeing in our communities. our temperatures are going way up and um we're honestly just not moving fast enough even though we're moving at our fastest. So I want to toss moss in there as another consideration. Thank you, Mr. Chair. >> Thank you, >> Commissioner Catel. I just, you know, one of the things that I find so exciting is just the variety of organizations and places that are getting all these trees, but also that one of the cool things that I don't know if we've shared here before is that they're looking at some of the trees that are kind of further south because our zone has changed. So, there's peon trees. I want a peacon tree on my property. there are some really cool varieties of trees that we're planting that could be moved into our area. So, um I I'm that's really ingenious. That's exploring. That's also the resilience we build in there. But then finally, I just want to note that my colleague here, Kevin Anderson, always gets other really great grants to give away. I want to know how come that happens. >> It's because I go out and plant with them. No, no, I thank you. Um, and it is really amazing what our forestry department is is doing and thank you for for highlighting that. >> Um, seeing no other comments, all those in favor say I. >> I. >> Any opposed? Uh, those grants are approved. And with that, that concludes our agenda for today. >> That's it.