We could roll the tape. [Music] [Music] [Music] Good afternoon. I'll call to order this meeting of the Henipin County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, October 14th at 1:32 p.m. I'm Irene Fernando, chair of the board and District 2 Commissioner. I'm joined by District 1 Commissioner Jeff Lundy, District 4 Commissioner Angela Connley, Vice Chair and District 5 Commissioner Debbie Gotel, District 6 Commissioner Heather Eden, and District 7 Commissioner Kevin Anderson. Henipin County acknowledges that the magnificent land and vibrant waterways from where our institutions benefit are located upon the cultural, spiritual, and indigenous homeland of the Dakota Oate. Henipin County calls attention to the Dakota people's ongoing connection to this special place. Onto the agenda, the first item is the pledge of allegiance. Please join me. I pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Next is to approve the agenda. May I have a motion, please? Second. >> Thank you, Commissioners Eden and Lundy. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. Opposed. Agenda is approved. Three is Henipin highlights for which we have none. Four is the minutes from the previous meeting of September 25th, 2025. May I have a motion, please? >> So moved. >> Thank you. Commissioners Kotel and Anderson. Any notes or corrections? Hearing and seeing none. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed. Minutes are approved. Five is referral of correspondence and department communications. 5 A to C are correspondence and 5D to 5 AE are department communications. May I have a motion to accept and refer as recommended? >> Second. >> Thank you, Commissioners Eden and Connley. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed? Motion carries. Six is commendations for which we have none. Seven is commissioner communications and updates and we have two. We will begin with the League of Women Voters Election Administration report offered by Commissioner Gautel. Go ahead. >> Thank you. Commissioner Green was would like to have been here but was unable. And I see today um we have representatives from the League of Women Voters to share results of the 2024 post-election review. So, I'm inviting Judy Zonbecker to the podium to present this. Don't forget to introduce your lovely guests too so we know who they are. Thank you for the hard work that you did on this. Thank you so much and thank you so much for the introduction this morning and madam chair um I first I'll introduce my my co colleagues are here um we have um Colleen Foggy from the League of Women Voters of Adina and Monica Murphy who is from the League of Women Voters of Minneapolis. Um I'm also with the League of Women Voters of Minneapolis in addition to um having uh led part of the post-election review for the league. I'm also the co-chair of voter services with the Minneapolis League and I'd like to thank you today for allowing the League of Women Voters to report on the Henipin County 20 that a Henipin County elections are verifiable and accurate through a transparent election certification process and it is run by dedicated election officials of Henipin County. Uh go to the next slide please. The key takeaways are that um we had throughout the state the League of Women Voters 160 volunteers, nonpartisan volunteers who observed a post-election review in 43 counties um of the 87 counties in Minnesota. Of course, all counties ran a post-election review. We observed 43 of those processes. >> Uh and within Henipin County, we had 12 volunteers observe the process over the two-day period at which it was done. and it was done in this building actually down on I think the second floor. Um, our observers confirm that Minnesota and Henipin County's elections are verifiable and accurate through this transparent election certification process. the pro the um elections uh post-election review process is a key part of the election certification process in Minnesota as it is described in the state statutes and then more details from the secretary of state office on how things are done. The purpose of this post-election review is solely to verify the mar machine accuracy and that is the machine I'm talking about is the ballot counter that is used once we mark our ballots we slip it into the machine and it tabulates our votes. The whole purpose of this post-election review is to verify its accuracy. This is conducted after every statewide election. That is every election that is held in an even number year. Uh so there will not be one this year on a statewide basis because there's no statewide election. There will be one again next year. In Henipin County, deputy election officials handc count the ballots. Uh and then the handc counted results are compared to what the machine tabulated. And this is done for selected races. In 2024, the races were selected were the president/ vice presidential race, the US Senate race, and the US House of Representatives races. Any differences that are identified between the hand count and the machine count are investigated. Uh, and then once those have been investigated and reported on, um, they, uh, then they're given to the secretary or, excuse me, to the state board of canvases. Also, it's important to note that both the election day ballots, so the ones that were cast on November 5th of 2024, and all of the absentee and mail-in ballots for the chosen precincts are counted in this one central location. So, it's all the ballots that have been um submitted and um that by voters for that election. So, this is how it fits into the overall post uh election audit and certification. It is the third step. The um first step is that the county canvasing board um certification occurs. And what the county uh canvasing board does is first of all they look for any discrepancies or there if there are discrepancies they investigate them before they certify the results. Once they have certified the results, they choose randomly 12 precincts to do an audit on. Um I'm not exactly sure what the process is, but uh I know some places they put numbers in a hat and have people in the audience draw out a number, but they are chosen completely randomly. Um and then the post election review occurs and that again is where the ballots are handcounted and those results are compared to the machine tabulation for those three races that I mentioned uh and the precincts that were chosen randomly. Once that is completed and the results are reported to the secretary of state, excuse me, to the the state uh board canvasers, a board of canvasers, they then review those to make sure that all the precincts are within the guidelines and then certify the election from that. You can look at the actual results of every single county and every single precinct and race that was counted last year through this process on a huge spreadsheet that is on the Secretary of State office if you so wish. There is a track record since this process has been put in place in 2006 of uh uh that we have a record of reliability and continual improvement on our elections in Minnesota and in Henipin County. Since 2006, nearly all counties have uh met the statutory standards for accuracy. In 2024, there were two counties, Scott and Sherburn, where there were some discrepancies found. And then that led to recounts, court reviews, and then some legislative changes that occurred so that we could improve the process in terms of confidence in the certification of the election results. Post-election reviews, and the laws governing the election certification process are there to help prevent and correct errors. Got to remember we're all humans. It's a complex process and there are a lot of steps along the way and procedures such as the post-election review that are put in place to ensure that we do this accuracy, identify areas where there could be some errors and improve upon that and also to identify errors and make sure that they are corrected in the appropriate ways that build confidence in our elections. They also provide information as I mentioned on how to update laws to ensure every vote is properly counted. So what happened in Henipin County in 2024? There were 12 precincts selected throughout the state. They range from Rogers to for Minneapolis, Minnitanka Beach, um Menitanka itself, uh Maple Grove, um let's see, I believe there was a Richfield in there, but there were 12 randomly chosen precincts uh that were audited. There were 23,391 ballots handcounted and versus 23,398 machine counted ballots for each of the three races that I mentioned. That is a 0.03% difference and that met the um that so there's only seven ballot difference and that met the uh guidelines and therefore all presents were deemed accessible acceptable by the uh by by the statute and the regulations that we have for post-election reviews. So in conclusion what we saw in Henipin County was that it was conducted fairly clearly and above board. Henipin County election officials demonstrated professionalism and how they carried out the job all the way from handling the ballots because they come up in sealed cases to how they distributed and how that two hand counters who sit by side of doing their job independently independently of even knowing what the end result is supposed to be. How they resolve discrepancies when they counted through things because you have two people counting lots of ballots. You know, think about when you count things with like a deck of cards with somebody else. You know, many times there's differences that get resolved. They were open to answering any questions we had. We could clearly hear what they had to say. We could observe every step of the process. Um, and uh, so it was it was done very well, very open and with a great deal of professionalism. There were no outside disruptions observed or reported by us. And as an observer, we observer, we felt very welcomed. Um, we felt that the election officials sought to help us understand and educate us on the process and we all walked away with a much better understanding of the post-election review process and certification process. And through this, this builds trust certainly for myself and how we conduct elections, but also with our friends, with our leagues, and then through presenting to you the the trust uh that we should have in elections and how we conduct them here at Henipin County. Thank you, >> Madam Chair, if I may. I just want to I want to thank you again. This is such great work and it's really nice to hear good news like this. I did want have one quick question. I don't know if you can answer this. Is this done throughout our state and any other counties or is it done nationally anywhere through the legal women voters? >> Um this is done um the legal women voters in Minnesota took over this process in 2000 well actually 2024 um from the citizens for elections integrity Minnesota. They've disbanded the group. So we picked it up. We picked up the observation managing that and the reporting of this. Um all election laws are set by state. So I cannot speak to what other states do. Uh this is um the state law that this is conducted throughout Minnesota and all counties. And we were able to cover about 43 of the counties. So a little bit less than half the counties. you know, we're going to continually find ways that we can recruit more volunteers so that we can get broader coverage on this and observe. >> Well, thank you for that work. We really appreciate it. Thank you, Madam Chair. >> Absolutely. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Yes. Uh, Commissioner Lindy, just uh also want to thank you and just point out that um uh catching those errors are important. Seven seems like a small number. The uh mayor of Brooklyn Park got elected by two votes uh a few years back. So, I always think about one or two votes. May not mean much in the broader sense, but the more local the races you get, you'd be surprised how many people get elected by single digits on these races just for council races and council members become mayors and become other positions later on. So, those things can matter and those can carry forward. >> Yes. >> Yeah. That's why we tell people every vote counts and encourage people to vote. >> Yeah. Thank you for your very important work always, but especially in a time like now. Uh, increasing trust in the integrity and the access of our democratic system. Elections being a key feature is a big part of ensuring that we live up to the promises we've made to our communities. And so, thank you so much for the collective effort. And of course, thanks to all of the election workers and um election volunteers, we are privileged to get to participate in a democracy and this board has really invested uh quite a bit in the last handful of years to continue to bolster that. So, thank you so much to you and the entire uh team over at the league. >> You're welcome and thank you for your time today. >> Thank you. Bye. >> Our second commissioner communication is offered by myself around Indigenous People's Day. Yesterday was Indigenous People's Day. Indigenous People's Day is an opportunity to reflect on the role native peoples have played in our history as a state and county and recognize their resilience and contributions to our community. Not only not just on Indigenous People's Day, but at the start of every board meeting, at many major events, we at Henipin do acknowledge that our institutions are located on the homelands of the Dakota people. And this commemoration supports our efforts to build stronger relationships with our native communities and promote education, representation, and reconciliation. And we know that there is much, much more to do to live up to this ideal. This coming Friday, Henipin County's Indigenous ERG will host their annual Indigenous People's Day event. This year's event is called Being Indigenous in Government, focusing on the experiences of native professionals working in and alongside government systems and will feature a live performance by indigenous drummers and dancers, followed by a panel discussion with county employees and external leaders. Employees can learn more and register for this event on SharePoint. Moving forward in the agenda, we have our claims registers, which is 8 A for the period ending September 26, 2025, 8B for the period ending October 3, and 8 C for the claims register period ending October 10, 2025. May I have a motion for all three, please? >> Second. >> Thank you, Commissioners Lundy and Anderson. All those in favor, please say I. >> I. opposed. Motion carries. Next on the agenda is nine, which is our uh which are consent items. These are items that would have passed unanimously out of committee. The full block is 9A to 9Q. May I have a motion for the full block, please? >> So moved. >> Second. >> Thank you. Commissioners Gotell and Anderson. Colleagues, any items that you'd like to highlight before Commissioner Lind. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Just want to highlight 9, which is approval of the birth justice community advisory board. I just want to highlight uh the work that has been done that continues to be done and the continued need uh for birth justice. Uh you know we we can read data we can see that the system is not equal. Uh people um don't have the same outcomes including some people don't leave the hospital um alive because of the complications of birth. And so we know the more we can do that um this advisory board I believe is always having people with lived experience at the table helping us guide our policies is the best way uh to have a more just system. Thank you. >> Absolutely. Thank you, Commissioner. Any others? Commissioner Anderson. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. I just wanted to highlight uh 9D, a relatively obscure uh small piece, but uh this item is um extending a contract with the city of Maple Grove to prolong affordable housing uh for six properties there uh for the next uh 30 years. So, it's uh it's great to see these kinds of programs and partnerships with our local municipalities to preserve and protect affordable housing. and I'm here for it uh in every community. Thank you. >> Thank you. Colleagues, anything else on the consent agenda before we proceed to vote with 9A to queue before us? All those in favor, please say I. >> I opposed. Motion carries. 10 on our agenda are non-consent items which would have passed out of committee but not unanimously for which we have none. 11 are progress items, items that would have progressed from committee to board without a vote for which we have none. And 12 is old business, which are items that would have been seen by this board previously and laid over to today for which we have none. 13 is immediate approvals, and we have several. 13A is an amendment to an agreement with with Minnesota DHS to provide services to refugee families, extending the end date to December 31, 2025, increasing the receivable by just under $90,000 for a total a to a new total receivable amount of 1.245 million. Um, I'll move this. May I have a second, please? >> Thank you, Commissioner Eden. Miss Wland, >> Chair Fernando, commissioners, the agreement before you is with the Minnesota Department of Human Services to provide focused services to assist refugee families participating in the Minnesota Family Investment Program to obtain the resources and life skills needed to become self-sufficient and achieve sustained social and economic well-being. This is being brought as an immediate approval due to timing constraints from the Department of Human Services. Luella Coffer, human services senior department administrator is available for any questions you may have. >> Thank you. Any questions or comments on this item, colleagues? Hearing and seeing none. All those in favor, please say I. I. Opposed. >> Motion carries. 13B is to approve the appointment of David Greenman to the unclassified position of financial administration director for human services and public health effective November 20 November 17, 2025. May I have a motion please? >> To move second. >> Lots of Commissioner Goel and Commissioner Connley. Uh Miss Wland. >> Chair Fernando. Commissioners consistent with Minnesota statute and the county policy on open and unclassified service appointments. County Administration is offering this board action request seeking the appointment of David Grieman to the unclassified position of financial administration director for human services and public health effective November 17, 2025. Mr. Grieman has over 16 years of experience in public sector finance. Currently, he is the chief financial officer for the Minnesota Department of Human Services, where he is responsible for the planning, development, and implementation of a 24 billion dollar annual budget that includes state, federal, and special revenue funds. At DHS, he leads and supports a team of 200 staff that work across financial functions of accounting, financial analysis, revenue management, grants, and contracts, and forecasting. Mr. agreement also has extensive experience leading and managing critical financial functions, including experience with other financial roles and leading teams of staff who perform accounting, financial analysis, revenue management, grants, contracts, forecasting. Mr. Grieman holds a master's degree in public policy from the University of Minnesota Humphrey School and a bachelor's of science degree from the University of Minnesota in economics. Hiring for this position involved an extensive recruitment and interview process that involved input from staff and leaders throughout health and human services lines of business. I'm pleased to present this appointment and request your support. Thank you. >> Thank you. Discussion on this. colleagues, we are very eager to have an additional person, but I know that's in part because there may be a retirement coming up and so I'm just, you know, tempering my uh energy here. But we'll proceed to vote um here in a second. And u Mr. Agreement, if if you wish, you're welcome to address the board after that. All those in favor of this appointment, please say I. I. >> Opposed? Motion carries. And congratulations to Mr. Grieman. [Applause] Chair Fernando and members of the board, thank you again for this appointment. Um, and I also want to thank uh Kareem and and Jod for their support as well. I I did Jod mentioned the um or Miss Wentland mentioned the interview process. It was it was a very robust process and I really appreciated it. I I counted 16 people that I met with and through from throughout the health and human services area in different roles and capacities. And one thing that taught me was a lot about um had a lot of really good conversations and I learned a lot about the um the importance of this role and the um the priorities of the county in ter in all of those conversations. I did also want to just acknowledge that I'm grateful to be able to work with Betsy David for several more months um before she retires and uh gain some of her wisdom hopefully and um and continue her uh the strong financial stewardship she's she started um as we work for going forward serving the residents of Henipin County and facing the opportunities and the challenges ahead of us. Um it'll take me a couple weeks to wrap things up at my current job at the Department of Human Services, but looking forward to um joining you in mid November and and getting started. >> Well, thank you very much and we look forward we'll we'll put a countdown on for the next 30 days or so. Uh congratulations and thank you. [Applause] Next is 13C, declaring October 2025 to be domestic violence awareness month in Henipin County offered by Commissioner Connley and myself. Would you like to move it? >> I'll move it. >> I will second it. Um, we are bringing forward this proclamation to officially recognize October as domestic violence awareness month in Henipin County as a way to continue to raise awareness and show our support for domestic violence prevention efforts. I'll have the clerk read the commendation and I'll have some additional remarks after. Whereas National Domestic Violence Awareness Month was first declared in 1989 to acknowledge the more than 12 million adults annually who experienced domestic and intimate partner violence in United States. And whereas domestic violence encomp encompasses various forms of abuse within the home, workplace, places of worship, and broader community, including physical, sexual, emotional, economic, psychological, technological, and/or religious actions or threats of action aimed at gaining or maintaining control or power over someone. Intimate partner violence is a form of domestic violence that occurs within an intimate partner relationship. And whereas domestic abuse is an act or crime defined by the relationship or living arrangements between victim and abuser that includes individuals in intimate partner relationships, family members or roommates. Domestic abuse per Minnesota law includes violent acts of physical harm or injury as well as an infliction of fear of imminent physical harm, bodily injury or assault. And whereas according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 41% of women, 26% of men, and 40 54% of transgender and non-binary people have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetime. And up to 10 million children are exposed to domestic violence each year. And whereas Henipin County is committed to combating domestic violence in creating a system and community in which victims and survivors are empowered to seek justice and are supported in their healing journey. And whereas according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, there were more than 19,000 domestic violence incidents in the state in 2024, about one-third of them occurred in Henipin County, representing nearly 7,200 victims and six homicides. And whereas it is important to support domestic violence prevention efforts and transformative services to achieve a community where all people are healthy, valued, and thrive. Doing that effectively requires leveraging all county and community resources and partnerships and creating opportunities for new collaborations. And whereas the tragic impact of domestic violence is reflected in the lives lost, reminding us of the urgency to prevent such devastating outcomes. Be it resolved that the Henipin County Board of Commissioners hereby declares October 2025 as domestic violence awareness month, recognizing that the comp complexity of the systems that victims and survivors navigate compromise their safety and healing and reaffirming the board of commissioners commitment to honoring the lives of victims and the recovery, healing, and well-being of survivors. >> Thank you. As we all heard in the proclamation, domestic violence and intimate partner violence is an issue that affects so many individuals in our community and across our country. It is estimated that about one in four women and one in nine men are victims of domestic violence in their lifetime. And we know that that is an under reportported stat which is why our efforts to honor victims, support survivors, and prevent this violence in the future are so important. In addition to this to the work that we do as a board and county, the Lowry Avenue Bridge will be lit purple in honor of domestic violence awareness month on Monday, October 20th. I'd like to hand it over to Health Chair Connley uh to share a little bit more. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. And so advancing our efforts to address domestic violence in our communities is absolutely critical. I would also um just like to highlight the work that Henipin County currently does and has been doing for several several years now to address domestic violence. You just heard the stat, one in four, which is an under reportported number. That is way way too many. So for more than 30 years, Henipin County has been providing direct services to individuals impacted by domestic abuse. These services include the Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation's Intimate Partner Violence Unit, No Wrong Door, and the Victim Navigation Services Pilot, which is overseen by the Safe Communities Department. the county's safe spaces initiative, housing stability, the daily efforts of responding law enforcement officers and resources provided by community servants service agencies and the domestic abuse service center which is operated by Henipin County's attorney's office and marked 31 years of operation recently on October 11th, 2025. I want to personally thank every one of our staff who work to support the victims and survivors of domestic violence and I look forward to how we can continue to support and advance this work together. Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh any discussion on this proclamation, colleagues, before we bring it to vote hearing and seeing none, all those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed? Motion carries and October 2025 is declared uh domestic violence awareness month in Henipin County. 13C is a related item which obviously we'll explain in a moment. Uh excuse me. 13D requesting a report on current efforts to prevent, reduce, and mitigate the effects of domestic violence in Henipin County. Also offered by Commissioner Connley and myself. Would you like to move it? >> I will move it. >> I'll second it. And so colleagues um I attempted to have a second resolving clause but for a proclamation it's appropriate to have a pro proclamation and and then one that has some aspect of action. So what you'll see here uh is the same whereas clauses with the resolving clause um to provide a report by the end of February uh with respect to this work. So, just I'll read it out loud that the county administrator is directed to provide a report to the county board by February 27, 2026 regarding current county efforts to address domestic violence in our community. The report should include a summary of current data sharing challenges and opportunities, an overview of existing partnerships with government and community service providers, relevant statistics and recommendations and long-term strategies for preventing, reducing, or mitigating the impact of domestic violence. This is brought forward um for a few reasons, but one of them is because one month ago today, a woman called 911 and just hours later ended up being killed um in a scenario that should have been prevented by the systems that are meant to serve her and her family. And so, um, on the one month, uh, one month after her passing, it just seems fitting to name Miss Mariah Samuels and her family and, um, to really make sure that we are when people call us for help, help should be able to be provided in a manner that is timely and that prevents this type of devastating ating harm for her, her community, her kids. So that being said, uh that's what the action is before us right now. Uh colleagues, any anybody want to speak? Go ahead, Commissioner. >> Thank you, Madam Chair, for this and thank you for saying Mariah Sam's name. Um it is imperative that we have the data that we need to prevent preventable deaths and that's across the board. But in this this instance in in particular given one in four given the prevailence of intimate partner violence of domestic abuse given how devastating it is in our society. Um, we want to see that there, um, is a mechanism in place to find out what opportunities we might have to do more. Um, I know Miss Wentland, you and I have talked for seven years now about what our, um, shelter system looks like for abuse survivors, for people who are fleeing. Um, knowing that it takes um, it takes people several times um, you know, to try to leave before they actually do. And that is when it is the most dangerous. And any advocate will tell you that, right? And um a lot of times those spaces, those those shelters are full. And so part of the resolving clause talks about, you know, partnerships with government and community service providers. So who's providing the services to people who are fleeing domestic abuse for their lives and um and and what that looks like, what that capacity looks like to me is of particular importance. um because we know that people often stay because there is no place else to go and often when they stay they don't survive and as um as chair of of the health committee and with uh the chair of the board here I think that it's imperative that these types of actions um these this type of review uh is something that we look into. So, thank you, >> Commissioner Eden. >> I just want to thank you, um, Commissioner Fernando and Commissioner Connley for bringing this. Um, as somebody I I grew up where my mom was in the exact same situation, and unlike Mariah, she she was able to survive. But as a as a young woman, as an 11-year-old, trying to figure out how to help when your mom is being abused, it's really challenging. And so many people stay in these relationships for a many of reasons. Um, many of which a lot of people just can't understand unless you're actually there. And a lot of it is financial. Um, and so I just would say I when I first when I was 18, one of my ways to give back was to help do art for kids at Tubman. And um, I would love I love all of this. All of this is so good because people should not be in this situation. If we can increase or do more, I'm very supportive. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Commissioner Lindy. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to thank both yourself and Commissioner Connley for bringing this forward as well. Uh, you know, just wanted to highlight that, you know, sometimes the system feels like it's doing all its can and sometimes it's not. Um, and sometimes an afteraction or review kind of will highlight where there are gaps. Um, and sometimes people become comfortable in a system that says, "Oh, here's what we do for here. Here's what we do for there." and those outcomes of what we do for there can sometimes end up uh where a person loses their life when there are opportunities to do more. I I will only share the story in Brooklyn Park, we had a city prosecutor that was pleading out cases too often and so we swapped out the prosecutor um and brought in resources and the so that people as victims came forward that they knew that there was places for them to go. That evidentiary information was also collected. So the help of the justice system have a stronger case and then to do followup with that because as many others uh said before me that if there are barriers um it becomes easier to just go back because the unknown when a person is fleeing is they have to imagine just walking out your door tomorrow with whatever you got on your back, whatever money you have in your pocket and you're supposed to find your way to safety when if you just stuck around and maybe things will get better and it doesn't. And so the system I think sometimes perpetuates this um idea that well we don't have enough information to prosecute and I can just tell you uh city broken parks swapping out really went after prosecuting and really went after saying we can't plead out every little thing and we can't just make excuses. We actually have to push harder uh to provide the distance that's needed for victims. And it's also the fact is that behind many victims there are children and this is often a learned behavior when they see that and they see that uh a son may see their dad hitting uh their mom and believe that it's acceptable behavior. It's learned behavior and has to be interrupted and uh I just want to thank you for bringing this forward because understanding what we're doing and then bringing forth change have to occur in that order. Thank you. Yeah, thank you, Commissioner. And I appreciate you bringing up prosecution. I think part of um what was so motivating about this particular language is there's always going to be the criminal legal investigation and the prosecutotorial decision-m, but what about from a services community kind of constituency perspective? What can be uncovered? Because if there's a gap, we got to figure we have to first learn about the gap before we could close it. So, I I appreciate you um raising how kind of complex this particular subject is. Commissioner Anderson. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. You know, I I also want to highlight I think an important part of this um the action which I really really appreciate is the prevention. We here at Henipin County have done so much work to work upstream to identify the root causes of situations of society's most challenging situations and I really want us to lean into into that. Um, I know in Maple Grove, uh, Maria Pew, uh, was killed, I think, uh, 5 years ago now. Um, and out of that, Maria's voice has been advocating for a public health lens to domestic violence, identifying and recognizing the signs, working with law enforcement to better identify when somebody is at risk to proactively provide help as opposed to reacting after the after a call is made. Um, and then educating the public about the different ways that we can all take part in addressing domestic violence from the learn behaviors to the neighbors, all of us playing a part in it. And I hope that this report can dive into ways that we can also strengthen our public health response and find ways of finding that prevention so that we can hopefully prevent the call from even needing to make it to 911. So thank you, Madam Chair. >> Commissioner Gotella, >> I'm gonna carry on some of the conversation that's already been up here at the deis. just want to say that, you know, at the county level, uh, working with our immigrants who face, you know, violent situations in a domestic relationship, if the city will not step up with a U visa, the county will. And for those people who need that so that they will testify so they're not going to be removed from the country, they they do have an out. And I just want to say that's one of the great things that the county is doing. I also just wanted to thank one of our partners who I meet with regularly, Cornerstone. Um and they are in our schools. They are doing the prevention work. They are talking about dating and how young people should be treating each other and what constitute it's abuse and what are red flags and those kinds of things. And this is a great organization. I've known them for over 25 years and they have done great um and our tika is from the Henipin County staff from before. So she's a great leader. I really appreciate what she does for our communities. Um, also when I first came to the county, we did not provide legal resources to those disadvantaged. We did not have representation and especially for those who needed orders of protection, who didn't have financial means because they were literally the bank uh banking accounts were cleaned out. And so that was started when I was here. Um, that was one of the first actions I brought when we were changing things up. And um I I was kind of surprised that it actually met with some discourse on that very area, but I'm glad that we have it still today. It's much needed. And if you've ever sat into those courts and through some of this these domestic violence cases through that and seen, you know, the the one partner who has a very highowered lawyer and the other one, you know, who has representation at least. It's it it does level the playing field, but it's it's kind of hard to see when somebody can afford a very top lawyer and try to um poke holes in somebody's case when they're looking at domestic violent violence and orders of protection. So, I just think, you know, there's a lot of work we can continue to do, but we're doing a lot of great work and I just wanted to point that out. Thank you, colleagues. I believe we've reached the conclusion of our discussion here. So with 13D before us, all those in favor, please say I. >> I. >> Opposed? Motion carries. 13E is declaring October 2025 to be breast cancer awareness month in Henipin County, offered by Commissioner Eden. Would you like to move it? >> Uh, yes, I'd like to move it. >> I'll second it. Go ahead, Commissioner. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. breast cancer awareness um is it's breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer among women in the United States with over 316,000 new cases expected this year 4,300 alone will be in Minnesota um thanks to early detection treatment advances and community education survival rates have greatly improved over the past several decades nearly 99% of women diagnosed now uh survive past 5 years yet we still lose about 42,000 women a year in the United States reminding us that awareness and equitable access to care remain vital. As a breast cancer survivor myself, I was 34 years old, diagnosed with stage 2 cancer. Um, this gives me firsthand knowledge about just how scary it could be. Detection numbers also have changed. If you uh say my mom had breast cancer at 55, you're supposed to go 10 years before that, but even if I would have waited, I would have had stage four cancer. So, the more and more we think about um how important it is to have these conversations, especially with the Medicaid changes that we will be seeing, there's programs like SAGE um funded through the Department of Health. Um I also pulled up uh Hope Chess Breast Cancer Foundation. Um I'm truly worried that with the changes that we will have less people getting screened and less people getting care. And so, as we look to the Medicaid changes, real people will be impacted. And so with that, um, Madam Chair, I'd like to have the clerk read the proclamation. >> Whereas breast cancer impacts thousands of families each year and remains one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers. And whereas early detection through regular mammograms and screening saves lives and timely access to quality care improves outcomes. And whereas survivors, patients in treatment, caregivers, clinicians, and researchers across Henipin County demonstrate extraordinary strength, compassion, and innovation. And whereas community partners, health systems, nonprofits, and local governments work together to expand screening, remove barriers to care, promote culturally responsive education, and support those navigating diagnosis and recovery. And whereas honoring those we have lost strengthens our resolve to advance prevention, improve treatments, and pursue a future without breast cancer. And whereas Henipin County is committed to public health, equitable access to care, and community well-being. Be it result that the Henipin County Board of Commissioners hereby proclaims October as breast cancer awareness month in Henipin County and encourages all residents to learn their personal risk and speak with a healthcare provider about screening. support friends, family, and neighbors impacted by breast cancer and champion local organizations that advance prevention, treatment, and survivorship. >> And thank you. With that, Madam Chair, I just would say um as we look to the Medicaid changes that are coming in 2027, ways for us to make sure that our community residents in Henman County know about the resources would be really greatly appreciated. >> Thank you, colleagues. Any other discussion? Commissioner Goodell. First of all, thank you for sharing your personal story. You know, that means a lot. Angela, you've you've shared some of your personal battles, too. I think that really highlights what's going on. But I think some of the other things that are also disturbing besides the the Medicare cuts and those kinds of things is the dollars that are not going to NIH anymore and some of the very close breakthroughs that we have to breast cancer. And yet, those are not funded anymore. And in fact, those projects are all going to be shut down. you can't just start those back up and keep going on those. And we're we have been a leader and now we will not be the leader in the world on some of this cancer research. And that really saddens me because I think we could I think we were on the cusp of some really great work. At least that's what I saw. >> Thank you, Commissioner Connley. >> Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you for bringing this forward. It's really, really important that we prioritize public health and equity and encourage folks. So, um, for anyone watching at home, if you, uh, remember Saturday morning cartoons, if you owned a pair of guest jeans with a triangle on the back, if you owned a pair of a stonew wash jean jacket, it's time to schedule your mammogram. >> Um, >> myself included. So, >> thank you, Madam Chair. >> Wow, that really that really cut to it, didn't it, Commissioner? I was about to say, yeah, I have all those items. Commissioner Eden, thank you for bringing this forward. It was actually, was it last year? Um, you uh Amy Clolobashar because we had like a North Point screening and I got my I I got my early detection while I can still be in my 30s for like another month and I had ended up needing like follow-ups to get so I feel much more confident in the the detailed assessment that I now have over multiple appointments. So, thank thank you and thanks to others for uh this type of awareness with with no further discussion before us. Uh all in favor of 13E, please say I. I >> opposed. Motion carries and October 25 is also declared to be breast cancer awareness month in Henipin County. Uh that reaches the end of our agenda. U motion adjourn, please. >> Second. >> Thank you, Commissioners Anderson and Eden. All those in favor, please say I. >> I opposed. We are adjourned, but don't go too far. I'll be handing it over to Vice Chair Lundy for the rail authority meeting momentarily. >> You really came to us in >> I know >> what >> it's like watching. Yeah, it's time to schedule quite a few things. >> You're right. There's probably a couple things I should schedule. >> It's tough getting old. I can tell you about it. Get to my age. >> You look great. >> You guys are getting old like here. I am staying young. >> Yeah, >> sure. >> I just don't remember. >> That's right. >> So, all of the things about like, do you remember this? I'm safe. >> You don't have teenagers, do you? >> Well, see, that's why you lose your memory of sanity, too. I'd like to call today's meeting the Henipin County Regional Rail Authority, Railroad Authority to order. Uh this will not be an attempt at a record breaking. Uh we do have a couple items on the agenda and so but first of all then number one is the approval of the agenda. If I get a motion and second >> second >> we have a motion to approve the agenda as presented and seconded. All those in favor say I. >> I opposed. Motion carries. Uh number two is approval of the minutes from September 25th, 2025. I get a motion and second. >> Second. >> We have a motion and a second. Any changes, corrections, additions? Seeing none, all those in favor say I. >> I. opposed. Motion carries. Uh 3A is the claims register for ending October 3rd. Can I get a motion and a second? >> Second. >> We have a motion and a second to approve the claims uh register um ending October 3rd. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> Opposed? Motion carries. Uh we move on to new business. We have 4 A, which is a If I get a motion, a second, put on the record. >> So moved. >> We have a motion and second. 4 A reads as consent to an assignment of lease granting JNL Development LLC permission to assign lease agreement A2211471 to RLP3 LC for rental of Hickor property in Shwood and Tonka Bay 12122 to 11:3027. Um Miss Ernie >> Chair Lundy Jessica Galat is with us today to provide a little bit of background on this lease. Thank you, chair, board. Good afternoon. I'm Jessica Glatz with Transportation Project Delivery. As stated, this request is to approve the assignment of a lease for Rail Authority property in Shorewood and Tonka Bay. The lease is for storage and access purposes. The current tenants JNL Development LLC have leased the property from the Rail Authority since 1987. They plan to sell their property to RLP3 LLC later this year and have requested to assign this lease. The lease area will continue to be used for storage and access. If the tenants property is redeveloped and the lease area is no longer needed, the lease will be terminated. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you. >> Thank you for the background. Any questions? Seeing none, all those in favor of 4 A say I. >> I. opposed. Motion carries. Now we'll move on to 4B. If I get a motion, a second put on the table. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Uh 4B. Thank you. We have a motion, a second. 4B is negotiating corporate agreement with the city of Minneapolis for cost participation in building deconstruction at West Broadway 12125 to 73126. Estimated receivable of 250,000. Uh get background please. Miss Cernney. >> Chair Lundy. Diane Solar is with us today to share both uh an update as it relates to progressing work on the blue line as well as how this work aligns with the climate action plan. >> Thanks Lisa Chair Lundy. Um, county board members, today's item is to authorize the execution of an agreement with the city of Minneapolis for participation in a demolition project that Regional Rail would like to undertake for some properties along West Broadway. So about one year ago, this board authorized regional rail to direct purchase and or participate in an auction to purchase um four tax forfeit parcels along the north side of West Broadway between Gerard and Irving. Um we did uh the rail authority did purchase three of those properties directly and then um bought a fourth property by auction along that segment of West Broadway. Those properties are now owned by the rail authority. Several of them have abandoned buildings on them and so the rail authority is going to undertake a contract to demo those buildings. But right to the north of those four properties, the city of Minneapolis owns a property on the northeast corner of Irving and West Broadway. Um, formerly Choice Auto Body. That property is also vacant. And so we have asked Minneapolis if they would be interested in participating in that demolition contract to take that building down as well. They would. And so we will enter into an agreement with them where they will we the Henipin County Regional Rail Authority will hold and implement a contract and then Minneapolis will reimburse us for their cost of um demoing that building. All five properties then along West Broadway will be fenced and will be available for the potential use um for construction staging or what have you um during construction of the blue line extension in this area. light rail. The light rail line is on 21st to the north of these properties, but we will be reconstructing West Broadway along the front of these properties as well with the hope that eventually after reconstruction of West Broadway and the light rail line, these properties could then be um available for redevelopment um um after released somehow by both Henipin County Regional Rail and the city of Minneapolis. Um, with that I'll ask if there are any questions. >> Are there any questions? >> Uh, Commissioner Connley. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, Mr. Solar, for that um summary. I was uh interested in what might be the future of those properties um given that they would sit vacant um unless uh until redevelopment. So, talk me through um for the five parcels, they would be under county and city joint ownership. So, let's say we have built out the blue line extension and these five areas are still vacant. Um, what happens to them? Did like I'm thinking like we business development, small business development, but like is there a plan for that or right now it's limited to the scope of the blue line? >> Chair Lundy, Commissioner Connley, I'm going to start Dan and and you can add to this. So I want to be so four of the parcels are owned by the Henipin County Regional Railroad Authority and one by the city. So no one parcel has joint ownership. So just to be really clear about who owns it. And then uh Dan, I'll let you speak to the the future intent. >> Sure. Thank you, Lisa. I was going to Thanks for that. I was going to clarify that as well. So the rail authority does own um those parcels. So if the if there's not a right now they were acquired by the rail authority because they could have a potential at least interim use um during construction. I think the idea commissioner would be to maybe then move the parcels from rail authority to HRA and then through some kind of partnership with housing and economic development um work on how to move those into some kind of a commercial residential development along West Broadway. That is certainly not my expertise, but uh you know, as we've talked with um the folks from Housing and Economic Development, that could be a potential that's that's a similar situation to what is um about which is the situation with some parcels along Green Line Extension where um they're currently owned by the rail authority. there's they're being used in some interim measure during construction, but um between the uh development uh at CPAD or the city and then with our HA, we would look to make those available for redevelopment in the future. >> So, thank you. Go ahead. And Chair, Commissioner Connley, I would just want to add that this uh location is also very closely aligned with the county's and the project offices and the community's initiative on anti-displacement. And so this land can also become a part of that future conversation in this in this geography as well. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. And and that's the piece I was getting at. Right. I love that. And we'll look to the future for that. Um, I have one other question and that's just I will preface this by saying I am not a big fan of fences. They are everywhere in my district and they are typically used to keep people out of public spaces. Um, with the six-foot chain link fence, I get that if we're owning it, we got to protect it. Um, who's paying for the fence? How much does it cost? And will it be there until the blue line is finished? Chair, Commissioner Connley, I will again start. Um, the chainlink fence is being funded through both the Henipin County Regional Rail Authority and the city. And I think in the interim, that is the intent. And uh, as the project progresses, this space is intended to be used for staging for the construction of the Blue Line. And so, it's got it's got an uh, a concept for an interim use before we can get to that longer term use. >> Mr. Chair, thank you. Um, Miss Cerny, I'm going to make one final plug, and that's just that along Lake Street, um, there's several vacant lots, uh, that are still kind of left over from, um, 2020. And, uh, one idea has been, um, uh, to activate those spaces. And so, there's this, uh, program called the Lake Street Lift where they do art installations on vacant parcels throughout Lake Street. I've seen heads nodding. Folks have come to Lake Street. They're It's great. Brilliant. There's mural tour tours and all sorts of there was like an ice skating rink in the middle of the summer. It was great. Um but some ideas for activation to kind of um in my opinion fencing is um hostile uh environmentally hostile but I understand uh the the use in this particular case. I would just say that let's think of activation because these extension projects take a very long time and so what could uh maybe JTA could help with how to activate those spaces and I'll end there. Thank you Mr. Chair. >> Thank you Commissioner. Any other questions, comments? I'm just going to mention and I think with Commissioner Connley I think covered it much better than I would have is just the idea opportunity to exist. And so one thing I just want to highlight is the opportunity for land banking where we have a nonprofit partner that could acquire the the land and then that makes affordability higher or easier uh above it. And so I think those kind of opportunities are things that as we kind of lean into anti-displacement is making sure that we are not just displacing things but we're actually creating opportunities for people to invest that allows them to stay. And so, uh, I think these opportunities, there'll be others that we'll in purchasing for construction or I think are one of those ideal places, uh, to do that. And, um, just want to always think if we make it our, I don't want to say policy, but maybe I do, that this intent is to take that land and put it back. And so, um, my only one question is the relationship between the construction that Met Council will use it, it still our ownership remains throughout this whole process. Is that correct? that even though they may be managing the construction project um that we by us owning this land, it still remains with us. >> Yeah, that is correct. Yes. >> Okay. >> Right. Commissioner Fernando. >> Yes. Just one comment. Thank you. This might be a good example for us to kind of case study a little bit. Um based off of the years, some of these properties would have been in tax forfeite for many years prior to today. And of course there are different um expectations and laws now with respect to tax forfeite. So this might be a good kind of case study to really demonstrate kind of the length that a property will take. Not a case study but a way to communicate to the public this these parcels will have many um many lives between now and when the blue line is open for for revenue service. It will first need things needs to get cleaned up. I mean, there's a bunch of it I think that needs remediation. So, that's an aspect that I know the public from an anti-displacement perspective will say, "Well, we should have housing here. We should have XYZ here." This is where we really need to push um land use and station area planning. Uh because if you are remediating for a housing development versus a different use, of course, you have to dig lower to to clean that soil up. So just there there's pro probably a lot of uh educational opportunities with these particular parcels because we are going to be in this for a number of years and these property luckily actually we get to use it for many uses. It'll probably be staging it'll be and agree that uh aspects of of kind of returning to community it must be centered in that. So uh thanks chair. >> Any other questions comments? See none. All those in favor of 4 B say I. I I >> opposed. Motion carries. And with that, the agenda of the Henipin County Regional Rail Road Authority is complete. I'll declare the meeting