for graduation to the table. >> Well, good afternoon. It is afternoon everyone. That clock is fast. It is just now 12:01. So, um, could staff please roll the tape. [Music] Good afternoon everyone and welcome to the administration's operations and budget committee of Wednesday October 22nd. Um we usually open these with the recorded comments from the capital budget uh fees and everything. I am informed we have no calls. So we will move on to the next item. The next item of business is to approve the minutes from the previous meeting of October 20th budget hearing on the capital budget and fees. >> Move approval. >> Second. Move to second. Any changes, corrections? All those in favor signify by I. I. >> Motion carries. >> The county administrator submitted her budget to the county board on September 16th. The proposed budget totals $3.09 billion and based on a property levy increase of 7.79%. The board adopted the property tax levy increase of 7.79 on September 25th. Today, we'll hold hearings on the proposed 2026 budget with presentations from resident services and the operations line of business. These hearings are intended to allow board members to understand what is included within the proposed budget. Additionally, these hearings provide a forum to gather public input into the proposed budget. The line of business budget proposals and the complete 2026 proposed budget and the schedule of these hearings is available on our internet page which is www.henipen. us/budgets. At the end of today's budget hearing, I will be uh providing information for a call-in number that you with specifics to members of the public if you wish to call in and leave a comment in the budget hearing. Um, and now I would like to start with introductions before I hand it over to administrator wetland. Debbie Gotel, Henipin County Commissioner, District 5. Irene Fernando, District 2. >> Angela Conley, District 4. District 6. >> Kevin Anderson, District 7. >> Marian Green, District 3. >> Joe Matthews, chief financial officer. Jody Wetland, County Administrator. >> Dan Rogan, deputy county administrator. >> And now I'd like to hand this over to Miss Wetland, and I know we'll be introducing people as they come up. So, thank you. Thank you, Chair Gotel. Commissioners, thank you for joining us today for this budget hearing on operations and resident services. Today, you will hear about how the proposed budget supports our continued commitment to eliminating disparities in the operations and the resident services lines of businesses. Our approach to the budget hearings this year is to provide a budget overview, review priorities, and allow time for questions and discussions. Chair Gotel, commissioners, we recommend that we start with the resident services business presentation today and then hold discussion on the topic. By 1:30, we'll then transition to the operations presentation with discussion to follow. With that, I'd like to turn it over to Dan. I would like to say that we probably will do a a a brief um but you want to hold questions to the whole end or would you like to get resident services? >> Resident services first. >> I'll get resident services questions. We have a lot in the operation so I'll just ask people to keep the things on resident services very small and we'll take a quick break um as as needed when there's a good break time. Please Mr. Roa. >> Uh thank you madam chair and good afternoon commissioners and thank you for the opportunity to present the 2026 proposed budget for resident services line of business. As you all know, resident services is where residents most often encounter their county government. We're the front door to essential services um that enable civic participation at every stage of life, marriage ceremonies and birth certificates, driver's licenses and title transfers, voter registration and election judges, property transactions and homestead applications, audiobooks for your commute and safe spaces to connect in your community. Together, our public facing departments delivered well over 13 million individual transactions with residents last year. The agenda for our presentation is familiar. I'll h I'll highlight how we're delivering services efficiently and equitably, how we're advancing disparity elimination, and our preparation for 2026. With me today are the resident services leaders right over my right shoulder here. I want to acknowledge the effort that went into building their budget proposals that you have before you. Each department was asked to find savings, consider tradeoffs, and hold open hold positions open, all while protecting the uh services that residents rely on. These directors and their staff centered Henipin County's values as they made difficult decisions and advocated for resources to provide excellent services to residents. As you will see, these leaders focused on preserving and in some cases enhancing core services all through a lens of disparity elimination. Resident services reaches nearly every household in Henipin County. Let's take a look at the scale of that work. Our 41 libraries continue to see strong utilization across all areas of service. Circulation grew by 5% last year with 12.3 million checkouts. That's roughly one checkout every 2.5 seconds. Libraries welcomed 4.8 million visits last year, up 28% from 2023. Unlike many library systems across the country, we are back at our prepandemic level of visitors. To visualize this visit count, imagine filling US Bank Stadium 72 times. If you prefer baseball, that's almost 122 soldout games at Target Field. Service centers completed nearly 315,000 transactions between January and August this year across our six locations. Although total transactions are on par with last year's count, the workload is more complex. Real ID transactions increased 66%. Each requiring a high level of customer service. As you all know, this has led to some long wait times at our service centers over the past year. We're seeing some relief over the past few months, but we remain very busy. As you may recall, service centers added marriage services based on a change in Minnesota law. Anna and her team thought there might be a need for this inexpensive option at service centers. This innovation has been a huge success. Marriage services have quickly become popular. More than 1,400 ceremonies have been performed so far in 2025. Service centers staff have officiated more than 2,100 IDs since launching the service in April of last year. That's >> wonderful. This slide highlights the core county services that ensure Henipin County's property system is accurate, reliable, and efficient. From surveying parcels, assessing the value of properties, recording documentation related to changes in ownership, resolving title issues, calculating and collecting property taxes. Staff in these departments touch each of the more than 400,000 parcels in Henipin County multiple times every year. The assessor's office completed more than 44,000 virtual and in-person parcel visits, keeping pace with prior years. The assessor also received more than 17,000 homestead uh applications. We provide this service for all residential prop uh properties in the county regardless of who provides local assessing services. The Recorder and Register of Titles indexed uh recorded and indexed more than 144,000 documents last year, adding to a publicly accessible catalog of more than 20 million land title records. The property tax division of land information and tax services processed 825,000 payments distributing more than $4 billion into cities, school districts, and local governments. Finally, this slide also highlights our critical work in supporting our electoral process. elections trained hundreds of local staff and processed thousands of voter registrations and data requests, all while implementing more than 400 legislative changes enacted in 23 and 24. During the last presidential election, nearly half of registered voters in Henipin County cast absentee ballots reflecting a long-term shift in voter behavior. This is down from nearly 70% uh during COVID emergency of TW that that happened in 2020, but still much higher than the previous presidential election in 2016 when uh roughly 30% of Henipin County voters cast an absentee uh ballot. All of these numbers aren't just impressive, they really reflect the trust that residents place in us to deliver accurate, efficient, and people first services at every stage of life. So now I'll talk a little bit about the budget. Our [Applause] combined uh operating budget proposal totals $162 million, which is an increase of 6.2 or 6.5% from 2025. Personnel services make up 75% of resident services expenditures. The main cost drivers for 2026, not surprisingly, are personnel costs and then some planned cycle driven hiring uh for elections and expanded assessment functions where we are now going to be providing local assessment services for the city's Badina and Maple Grove. The increase in operating expenses are also reflected in increased property tax requirements uh for both uh elections and the assessor's office. overall uh an increase of 7.1% or $ 8.5 million. However, when we removed the assessor's office and the elections uh department which had planned growth, the property tax requirement for the uh other four departments increased just $2.4 million or 2.4%. Outside of elections in the assessor's office, we're proposing proposing to hold uh our FTE count steady. What's not reflected in this slide is that departments will be increasing their vacancy factor to help manage personnel costs. We'll be holding more than a dozen additional positions open in 2026. Vacancy management is always a balancing act. It requires departments to adjust schedules, cross trainin staff, and use data uh to deploy resources efficiently, but it allows us to protect services without permanent reductions. Uh as you saw in the previous slide, the 2026 budget includes uh the assessor's office performing local assessing services for the cities of Adina and Maple Grove. I want to spend a minute just to talk about that change for 2026. To do this work, Henipin County has needed to hire 13 additional assessors, which we have done. We were able we were able to hire all remaining appraisal staff from Adina and Maple Grove. The transition will take place in July of 2026. Residents in these communities will experience no disruption in service. The additional annual cost using 2026 numbers to the county is approximately two $2 million. The annual savings that Adina and Maple Grove uh will see is approximately $2.8 million. In other words, when fully implemented, we're we are going to be able to provide local assessing services in these two cities for approximately $800,000 less than it had been costing these cities. A taxpayer savings overall of 30%. I also want to spend a minute talking about the elections budget. As the board knows, elections budget expands and contracts depending on whether there's a general election. The uh elections uh budget has grown over time uh for three reasons. First, a dramatic increase in absentee voting. As as I talked about earlier, as you saw, almost half of the ballots are absentee. We process all suburban mailed absentee ballots, send them out, open the returns, and run them through ballot tabulators. It is uh likely that the percentage will shrink some as the state moves to early voting, and this budget reflects this change that will happen in 2026. In addition, since 2020, we have sign significantly expanded our voter outreach efforts. This division works extremely hard to expand the franchise to those who have not voted or do not do so regularly. This budget continues this important work. Third, since 2022, nearly every elections department position has been reclassified to respect to reflect the expanded complexity, scope, and the volume of work. The elections department has also added personnel in every program area over the last four years as well to support voter registration, voter outreach, voter technology, absentee voting, customer service and clerk training and strategic planning. Next, I'll talk about achieving the uh countywide priorities. Resident services contributes directly to every one of the county's disparity elimination domains and connectivity. We're modernizing core systems and expanding digital access across the county. The countyy's surveyor work continues to support broadband expansion while libraries remain a vital access point for residents without reliable internet at home. In 2024, Wi-Fi was used more than 9.3 million times in our libraries, a 22% increase from the prior year. and public computers logged 900,000 sessions, up 70,000 from 2023. These numbers underscore the essential role libraries play in bridging the digital divide in ensuring all residents can access online resources and digital services. Our education domain work is anchored in library services, helping students achieve grade level benchmarks. Service centers also play a role in making sure students and families can quickly obtain the identification and records they need for school benefits and transportation. Our workforce pathways, internships, and teen specialist positions create employment opportunities across the community. Intentional outreach programs that promote property tax benefits like homestead and veterans exclusion help families retain more of their incomes. Resident services support housing stability through a new initiative, the tangled titles initiative, which is an equity focused red, also an equity focused redesign of the tax forfeite process. tax forfeite navigators focused on helping residents avoid tax forfeite and on-site social workers at priority library locations. Elections outreach and education efforts help to ensure equal access to the ballot box, including efforts to reach residents who were recently re-enfranchised. Libraries also host community forums and the Maryanne Key Book Club to promote dialogue about past and present injustices. on sustainability. Uh our work our sustainability work is built into daily operations. Expanding e-otices for property notices and digitizing records saves money and reduces emissions while new green library buildings like West Tonka and South Dale showcase Henipin County's commitment to climate action. On the next few slides, I'll highlight uh the priorities we're advancing in 2026 to continue this work. While uh 81% of Henipin Countyy's registered voters participated in the 2024 election, only 69.8% voted in the 2022 midterms. These rates are comparatively high and there is still room to grow. We're working to increase midterm participations rates in 2026, continuing the county's long tradition of high civic engagement. To meet that goal, we've built a budget that reflects both scale and stewardship. We're hiring uh we're adding limited duration staff to support absentee early and election day operations. We're maintaining partnerships with community organizations that help reach residents who have historically face barriers to participation. This work is key to improving turnout and to strengthening public confidence in the process. Most of our polling place ballot scanners will be 13 years old in 2026. To stay within budget, we're deferring replacement until 2027, but using this year to plan for a phase roll out. New technology, new laws, and high public scrutiny add to the complexity of our elections, but our commitment remains simple to administer secure, accurate, and accessible elections for every eligible voter in the county. Residents continue to express deep satisfaction with the Henipin County Library System. In our 2024 patron survey, 99% accomplished what they came to do when they came to a library. 97% felt positive about their visit, and 90% were satisfied with the resources or services they used. >> Oh my god. >> We've made it a priority to maintain uh all library locations and preserve the same schedule of open hours in 2026, ensuring reliable access to information, technology, and welcoming spaces. Our educational programs also continued to deliver measurable impact. The homework help program hosted 8,400 drop-in tutoring sessions across 18 locations, serving a student population that is 97% students of color and 89% multilingual. 90% of the participants report that they are doing better in school because of this program. Let's read. Let's read. served 141 students through 1,747 one-on-one tutoring sessions with 78% improving their literacy skills. After expanding from seven pilot sites to 11 sites in 2025, our 2026 goal is stability, sustaining what works and supporting the volunteers and staff who make it possible. We're looking forward to building on this early success in the years ahead. We're also planning to continue a broad slate of programming for residents of all ages to pursue the library's overachieving mission of to inspire, facilitate, and uh celebrate lifelong learning. The assessor's office continues to modernize its essential systems. Last year, in response to rising software costs, we made a strategic decision to build our own computer aided mass appraisal system. This app approach will replace our outdated commercial software with the system designed to meet Henman Countyy's unique needs. It's also, we believe, going to save taxpayers more than a million dollars while reducing our reliance on external vendors. Beyond efficiency, this work directly supports statistical and racial equity in our assessments. We're hoping that our uh this uh system will be online by the end of 2026. As I mentioned earlier, we're also onboarding assessment services for Adina and Maple Grove. And that transition adds about 2 million to the county budget, but reduces the uh budgets of those cities by roughly 2.8 million, resulting in a net savings for taxpayers. Across resident services, we're placing a priority on customer experience and operational efficiency. We're using data to make smarter staffing decisions and deliver better service. The service center team has developed tools that use real-time transaction data to schedule staff and uh breaks based on actual demand. That approach, part of the year of the customer initiative, ensures residents are served promptly while staff have the flexibility and support they need to do their best work. It's an example of how we live our county value of putting people first, designing systems that work for both employees and residents. In property tax services, the e-notice program continues to grow with more than uh 1,500 uh enrolled properties already. Each property enrolled in the e-notices program saves the county $2 to3 annually in printing and postage. and every 1% increase in enrollment res uh represents more than $10,000 in savings. We're hopeful that this program will continue to expand where 1500 may not seem like a lot, but we just uh you know began it this year and we're really hoping that it it takes off. We're also piloting a coordinated customer ticketing system connecting service centers, the assessor's office and uh the land information and tax services department through a shared platform. This creates a single view of the customer experience across all departments improving accountability, efficiency, and satisfaction. Now, I'll talk a little bit about our challenges and and opportunities. Uh, our department departments continue to deliver foundational services in an increasing complex environment. At the library, for example, we're holding open vacant positions to manage personnel costs and prioritizing core services. At the same time, the cost of digital materials continues to rise, which means we're purchasing fewer titles, even as demand for ebooks and audiobooks continues to grow. These challenges would have been far more significant without the partnership of the friends of the Henipin County Library, who have generously committed an additional $1.5 million in 2026, raising their anticipated 2026 donation to $4 million. These dollars help us maintain our library collections and offer educational programming such as let's read. We are >> 1.8 or 1.5 >> 1.5 an increase of 1.5 >> two for a total of uh four. So they had been at 2.5. Um we're lucky to have such a strong friends group and their support in 2026 is really uh truly remarkable. In our service centers, more routine transactions are moving online, uh, reducing potential revenue. Um, at the same time, Real ID processing remains detailed and time inensive. Combined with a reduction of 3.5 FTEEs, we expect that walk-in customers may experience longer wait times during busy hours in the year ahead as they have this past year. Uh, land information and tax services continues to navigate complex legislation. We're adapting our tax forfeite land program to align with updates to state statutes, ensuring properties are returned to productive use with efficiency and equity. We're also implementing measures to comply with the strengthening of uh strengthened privacy laws, including the safe at home program, Daniel's law, and the judicial privacy bill, enhancing protections for sensitive information while maintaining transparency in our property records. Elections face uh a major operational challenges as true early vot voting supplements in person absentee voting in 2026. It will require more staff, space, and materials during the early voting period. Not just for Henipin County, but it will also be the same for our cities. But true early voting also brings administrative efficiencies over time, reducing the per ballot processing cost and giving us more flexibility to plan staffing and space needs in advance. We're also maintaining partnerships with community groups to help residents understand the new process and maintain high levels of voter confidence. As I mentioned, the obsessor's office will onboard assessing services for Maple Grove and Adina in 2026. That transition involves hiring, training, technology integration, and coordination with city partners, but it also creates long-term savings for our residents. So, Madam Chair and Commissioners, the resident services line of business continues to adapt, not by doing more with less, but by doing what matters most, with care and intention. Across every department, we're finding ways to meet growing complexity with creativity. Our staff are balancing fiscal responsibility with our commitment to equity and service. On behalf of the resident services team, we thank you for your support and I'm we welcome your questions. >> Thank you. And I just want to thank all the staff who were able to make it here today. It's nice to see you in the audience there. And um I'm going to start with questions here. Uh Commissioner Eden, I don't believe you've gone first yet, so I'm going to let you have the floor. >> I don't have much. Good job. Thank you. >> Okay, Commissioner Green. >> Um thank you. Um great presentation. Thank you. Um exciting work. I had a couple questions. Um the assessor's office and the inclusion of those two additional cities and you highlighted that that saved uh taxpayers 30% of the sort of original cost of those services. Do we have any idea if cities are that'll be manifest to taxpayers by a reduced city tax bill? And >> it depends on what the city does. >> Yeah. I mean this the cities have the as you know they get to set their levy and they will have a reduced um cost um on their personnel side and how they decide to set their levy and and spend the money is up to them. But it it will be manifest to the city councils and uh and the administrators that they are saving money 2026 >> and every year going forward. >> Yeah. Okay. Um, I'm really interested in the new database that's being developed and it sounds like it's going to be online in 2027, I think you said. >> Yeah, we're hoping for to launch it in 2026. Yes. >> Okay. I'd love to just get like a half hour meeting and hear more. >> Certainly, we can do that. >> Get on the roster for that. And then I just wanted to sort of say into the ether, thank you to the friends of Henipin County Library. Wow. um really fantastic support and and kudos to the team for seeing that there's that passion in the community for the library system. So, thank you for great work. >> Thank you. >> Okay, Commissioner Fernando. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. uh echo the great work. This resident services as a line of business is it has a is just a really good example of the tension that public servants and especially public facing public servants um are engaging with in a time where cortisol is in the atmosphere and people are in immense need. And so this welcoming effective front door from a resident perspective and then on the back end systemic regional and generational impact. And so I just want to um acknowledge and recognize that uh intersection and at times maybe attention but really I I I I observe that in your remarks um in the data right 1% increase in um an online program $10,000 of s. So I mean just really that intersection I think that is a bit of a sweet spot for this uh line of business and um particularly your closing remarks I think reflects that. So uh a few uh comments from me. I think the systemic regional generational elections assessments and libraries are just great examples of this. I mean elections are a civic service around democracy that we are entrusted to provide. Um libraries were not always centralized to Henipin and um of course neither was assessments. That's that's efforts of of recent years. And so I might be pulling on maybe not a formal thread that uh Commissioner Green had had pointed to but we've been talking a lot about what is the full math of Henipin's contribution to state function and we've been talking a bit about city as well. Uh this is not to shame anyone. This is just to provide math. I we just need a lot more math in this regard or at least to put it all in one spot. For example, looking at the revenues for libraries. So it's zero from local which is fine. And that's what kind of what we're doing for assessment services too. But let's how are we speaking about that? How are we speaking in the future about an 80 plus million dollar um property tax contribution from us is kind of like the city bill city tax uh levy versus the county tax levy. But it's not a versus, right? It's not a versus from a resident perspective. But how are we um yeah, how how are we kind of speaking about that and partnering with our respective jurisdictions? um to determine are there other areas where we should be either consolidating, partnering, maybe that's better for the city to deliver. We we are we are in year one of many years where budgets will be um heavily scrutinized. And so I'm I'm interested in in how uh this line of business continues either in the narrative or in you know the mechanical partnership with jurisdictions. Um, for example, we are very grateful for the $1.5 million from the friends. I don't know how they generated that, but let's pretend that all of the cities collectively could contribute a million, right? Like if if that like just how how would that look like? Again, I'm not suggesting that, but just we are at a time where we need to be really mindful of resources and um the full math of our our relationship with the state and the cities um and resident services is a good example of that. I'm I'm I'm interested in more data moving forward. The second kind of area that I'll um or concept I guess that I'll speak about is a little bit weird maybe. You know we are in a total crisis of democracy in my opinion specifically as it relates to information misinformation and disinformation. I don't know what we do about that. I don't know how what our role is with that but when we are in a period where even other governments are espousing words that are unconstitutional not factual andor very very harmful to residents what's our role in that I mean I know that it's libraries I know that it's civic and I know that it's voting etc but how so just saying that I guess for us too um some weird ideas maybe I'm not sure if we're you know, you mentioned the midterms and more staffing. Like, I don't know what partnerships look like where maybe we can be college credits for someone and they're an election worker. Um, I uh I have a bit of a program that I do for Girl Scout badges, the democracy badge. They come in here, you might have seen them in here. So, I mean, how do we operationalize um civic engagement in a way that maybe is also a workforce development program while also seeking to further promote democracy like lowercase D democracy, the democratic ideals and the republic for which this government is meant to reside within. Yeah. Yeah, I mean I'm not the greatest student of history, but this is a scary time by way of free information, like accurate information. And I'm curious as we go into next year, what are what are ways um that to bolster um confidence in um in our public institutions? Maybe I'm maybe I'm Yeah. Okay, I'm going to stop there. I'm going to stop there. So I uh and then the last thing I'll say is and um Commissioner Anderson might mention this because I know you mentioned this yesterday at the on the deis. These are really incredible numbers. I mean the literacy numbers that you had described. >> I know Commissioner Lundy's not here so I'll just invoke his literacy kind of policy area. >> Um if we are putting up numbers that significant again back to this partnering with other juris I mean how are we those are the numbers we won't produce right? Those are the outcomes that we are seeking broadly. Um I know there is a little bit of navigation around we are not education and we are not cities and we are you know I I I get we're not replacement but when there are numbers that are working in manners that are relatively cost-effective and are increasing um social connection right that program has kind of like a volunteer aspect if memory serves from previous social connection is an important um human need and it is necessary in this time where there seems to be a pretty significant divide. So social connection contributes to health outcomes. Um so when we have programs like that, I'm just I really am just curious like how how what does it look like not just for us to do more but how are we um engaging with others who are to be able to achieve those? So again, no question and answer. These are really really wonderful results. I am already interested in how we espouse further the values you've outlined in these areas. And then just huge shout out to um the service centers with the marriages and getting the north side service center a bit more fully robust. I know that took legislative approval and I thank the staff for identifying that as a as a um as a disperate experience. Happened to be where I lived but I I just didn't know. Um and marriages in addition to being joyful, you know, we don't get a lot of a lot of that. Uh marriages are required for people to visit family members in hospitals. Marriages are sometimes required in order to access fundamental rights. And um I just I can't speak enough about having the right paperwork. like I'm I'm just too often um supporting my family members where people don't believe in the paperwork that we have or people are not you know anyway I I appreciate um Henipin's you know joyful uh way too but like it's not just it's not just for the joy there are mechanical barriers and familial barriers that are removed every single time um you know rights to a child rights to with your loved one in a hospital. Um, rights for the, >> you know, Yeah. burial ill. I mean, >> so I it is such a joyful example and it is one that in your hardest of moments you don't realize you need that thing but like or that it would be helpful. >> Um, so thank you. >> Thanks, Madam Chair. >> Madam Chair, can I can I respond to just a couple of those comments? One, I I just wanted to highlight you brought up the $80 million um that's in the operating budget. We also have a significant capital budget that goes towards libraries. Um, and I think that that just reflects this board's long-term commitment to libraries and it's it's one of the reasons I always want to highlight all the incredible work in and and how many people we touch because it's not a mandated service. This board, you know, we could have fewer libraries with, you know, you don't have to have any libraries. There's there's no mandate for us to have that. But it's been this long-term commitment of this board to so how important libraries are to community that I I you know I always like to highlight how big of an impact it has. It's one of those places where people continue to trust and it kind of goes to your your democracy um question. Librarians are trusted. They're trusted in those communities. people go in with all kinds of questions to talk to librarians because they continue to be a place where people feel valued and trusted and they they know that they're going to get, you know, somebody who's going to provide as much help as they can. So, I just wanted to highlight that those the first two points that you brought up kind of relate to one another. I think that, you know, the misinformation and disinformation, I mean, that's what Jenny and her team deal with in elections is trying to make sure that we are a trusted place, that people do have uh faith in democracy, that they do have faith in in in what we do. And that requires us to be transparent and to to really be uh accurate in what we do. And that's, you know, we're we're very proud of that. It was nice to see the League of Women Voters here a couple weeks ago highlighting that process where you know we you know highlighting the the work that is done in state law but that that that we do here to to to administer that. So I just wanted to just respond to to those two items there. >> Thank you Madam Chair. >> Thanks Commissioner Connley. >> Certainly. Thank you Madam Chair and this is a solid budget. Thank you um for all of the work that you do um day in and day out. I uh very much am going to echo the thanks to the friends of the library. Uh and you know, just to riff off what you said, Mr. Rogan, li I I've always believe that libraries are just an essential part of a community, a foundational part of a community. It's your library, your grocery store, and you know, um and and your homes, your schools, your post offices. Like, they are foundational. So, it's not a mandate. It's it's what we value and what we do. So, I'm I'm thankful for that. There's a couple of just uh questions that I had. I remember when um I learned about our tax um for tax forfeiture navigators and I learned there was one and wanted to bring in another one, but I'm interested in like the success that we've had with keeping people in their homes and housed because aging in place is certainly another value of ours. Um I don't know if you have that data with you, but I'd love a follow-up if you don't. Yep, we can we can follow up and and I will say that you know that our work there is continuing to evolve as our forfeite laws evolved and I think that we're trying to focus on even trying to get further upstream because I think it with our change in the laws the further down you get even with navigation services it's hard to to to prevent the forfeite and so so we're we're looking at that but we'll we'll respond um with some of the success numbers kind of the overall numbers about who we're contacting and and some of that we we can provide that data to you. >> That'd be wonderful. And just last thing I had is I had noticed that in 2025 we got a grant from the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage uh fund. And uh I didn't see it in 2026, but I wondered what that was for for this year and uh whether or not we continue to pursue those types of grants. >> Is that you, Scott? Yeah. Go ahead. >> Sure. >> Introduce yourself, please. >> Thank you. Madame Chair, uh Commissioner Connley. Uh my name is Scott Dime. I'm library director for Edipin County Library. And it's a great question about the the grant. Uh that was a one-time grant for the Apendos Huntos program that we had. Uh those were services for uh new arrival individuals and families. And so we were kind of the connector uh when they were uh awaiting more more permanent housing as well too. Those services have shifted and therefore we did not apply for a new grant for the coming year. >> Wonderful. And thank you manager. One of the reasons I ask is because those are hot dollars. A lot of people do a lot of really good work with the grant dollars that come out of that fund. So, if there is an opportunity to apply for something this year or for 2026, we should certainly take advantage. Uh I've worked with a number of community organizations who look at like where funding might lie for some of the work that they're doing. And I just recently learned about the grants for arts and culture at uh the state uh within just the last few years. So, I know it's a crucial pot of dollars that a lot of people uh apply to and I'm glad that we were able to get it for that purpose last year. >> Great. >> Thank you for that. I I will say um we look for those funds with our partnership with the friends of Penipin County Library as well as many of you have expressed the the thanks of appreciation. We have so much thanks um for our friends as well too and and some of the questions that you had were around you know what has changed for them to be able to to give this amount of funding and you shared your personal stories about the connection with with the libraries in our community and you know the public has that same connection as well too when you have 4.8 8 million visitors, you're doing something right and and people people support you as well. And so there was uh a lot of news at the national level, especially around the threats to Institute of Museum and Library Services where I know the the friends of Henipin County Library had a lot of individuals and families reach out to them and say, "How can we help?" And even though Henipin County Library does not receive um direct funding from Institute of Museum and Library Services, people really wanted to help as well. So they increase their giving uh to the friends of Henipin County Library. So it's it's great when you work for an institution like a public library where everyone has a story, an individual story about how it connects with them as well too and they want to enter and give to that as well. So that that's part of the reason why you see such a large giving but also the staff of friends of Henipin County Library. Phenomenal phenomenal fundraisers as well too and true partners and as you see it was a difficult budget year for us. It would have been much more difficult if we didn't have that partnership with the friends of Hip County Library as well. >> Thank you. That's all I add. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. Yeah, echo the thanks that everybody has offered. You know, it's a in this incredibly difficult budget year to see a budget that maintains like we have is I think I think it reflects how important these services are to our communities. I I would love your speaking notes had amazing data. I would love to get a copy just because like those numbers I'm like I was trying to write down. I'm like okay I'm just gonna ask for them directly. >> Um >> we'll provide them. >> Thank you. Um there was one uh I have a a number of things as as long as we're kind of talking about libraries. Um I I love what we're doing with libraries. I really appreciate the the master plan uh the comprehensive plan that has been provided and and released recently. Um, you know, what was one thing that was mentioned, uh, Commissioner Fernando, you mentioned like this is a a county service, not a city service. And, um, and I appreciated the in the master plan a recognition that not all communities are actually provided for. like there's there's kind of a big gap in Western Henipin where there's no library services and the libraries that exist out there are really small and don't necessarily they don't have the meeting space. They don't have the uh the capacity um especially for some of those growing communities. So, I appreciate us looking at what that future might look like for those communities. um knowing even in this really difficult time like the time horizon for it might be a little bit further out than communities may want. Uh but I appreciate us keeping that on the forefront. Um and and looking at that I also have always been a huge advocate for how we can partner. Um, you know, I know that we've put in human services kiosks in libraries. Um, you mentioned our tutoring services. I, my daughter has asked on a number of occasions. She's like, you know, my school library doesn't have the books that I want, so I need to go to the Henipin County Library. Awesome. Love us being the like the source of the great materials. Is there uh an opportunity for us to build deeper partnerships with our school districts uh for our collection? Um and you know what what might that look like from an operational standpoint? Um because if there are opportunities to connect with them on collection, might there also be opportunities to connect with them on our tutoring services and get our what we are providing to residents closer to where residents like initially are and students are initially in schools. And if we're able to connect with like our people into the schools where they are, all the better. Um, and so I would love us to explore what that looks like. Um, and you know, I think that shows how our governments can work. I mean, this is reflective in the great work we're doing with the assessor services. And um I think it's just really exciting the what our capacity is for like implementing good government. So uh would love to see more of that. Um you also mentioned ticketing software on a number of the um resident services. I would love to learn more about that and how deeply that can integrate with other lines of business because I know like we've been experimenting and testing out uh constituent tracking uh ticketing uh for us but a lot of our requests are human services and how do we make like how can we expand that to be organizationwide so that we can really be more connected and able to connect our uh constituents with the services that they're looking for. Um the last thing I just want to mention was around voting um and the how essential it is that we are providing that trusted service and trying to make sure that we are connecting that as closely to residents as possible. Um, and one thing that had been mentioned to me by some residents, uh, that we're going through a special election, um, in western Henipin County that the opportunities for in-person absentee voting was at the government center, which is not close to them. And so I would be really interested to know if there are opportunities, especially in oneoff or maybe even in uh like in the midterm election to have uh that voting opportunity to be placed in some of our service centers that are like a little bit further out in addition to the government center and what that might look like. If it's not in the budget, I totally understand. We're in budget crunch, but um I would love us to explore what that might look like. consider it for the future. >> Exactly. >> So, um that's my those are my comments >> response. >> Uh just I'll just respond to a couple. Um >> uh first of all, thank you for mentioning the facility master plan. Uh I have a memo on my desk. I was going to bring it up to make sure that all of you uh had another copy of that because we sent one up this summer, but it um it was brought up at the capital budget and and now you brought it up again and it is um you know, it's it kind of is a 20-year horizon, but it really has like what what do we need to do for libraries and perhaps some of our locations that don't have libraries over the next 10 years. Um which is a lot of, >> you know, fixing the current buildings, but also replacements of some. Um and so, so I you you could we can all expect to get that in the next day or so. just another copy of it. Um and then secondly, you know, with the libraries and kind of the uh connection with with schools, we'll we'll respond with more detail, but the libraries do um really work hard to make those connections. And it goes both ways where the librarians are uh going to classrooms and where they're they're inviting classrooms to come to the library and really trying to integrate how we can best partner with with those schools. um especially ones that are are close to to some of the uh the the schools and that goes for our homework help and for our let's read is really trying to make sure of like what are the gaps that we can help fill here. We are not the education uh area but but we have a role to play and how do we how can we work with our partners and really partner best with them and hear from them about about what they're going to need. And that that also goes towards um you know kind of supporting families too like when we do homework help or uh let's read it's really you know who who are the other family members who show up and how can we help you know connect them whether it's through needs for adult literacy or just being uh you know using the library. So so we are we we will have that but I think we can have a response for what we're doing and see if there are additional ways to to expand that. Um and then I uh uh the voting uh with special elections um that Jenny and I have already talked about that and we'll we'll be looking at that. I mean we did have some you know people down here that were you know administering the election because that's what's required by law but it was you know it's in western Henipin County. No one is coming down to the government center to vote in that special election. Um uh so how do how do we look at that? So we'll be we'll be um looking at that and and have a response back to you on that as well. >> Thank you. Okay, >> I still have >> I just have a teeny followup actually for Kevin. I'm sorry, Commissioner Anderson. >> It's fine. >> Um you you mentioned that you're piloting software that's about tracking constituent inquiries. >> Is that um on your own of your own valition or is that from the clerk's office? >> It has been in partnership with the clerk's office and we are trying to get it out to everybody too. >> Mary Graham said something too. >> Y about that. he's one of the wants to do it too. So, um I just want to first of all, you had mentioned something else, but I just want to emphasize something that I think is so important, too, and that's around your outreach in the elections and partnering with DOCCR to support newly infranchised voters >> and and following the restore the the vote legislation. All of us here elected go out and go doornocking when it's our season to go doornocking. And I invariably hit somebody who says, "I can't vote because I was incarcerated." And then I tell them that they actually can. And so we just can't do enough of this kinds of things. You know, people are still very disenfranchised with this and don't know that this happened. So just thank kudos. Thanks for the great work on that. Um I really love conductivity libraries providing 9 million Wi-Fi sessions and dozens of dig digital literacy. The program my concern is that is is any of our funding state or federal and will it be cut or anything like this or we're we're all doing it inhouse? Um, I believe we have some federal funding that comes through >> funding rate funding, but that that hasn't been targeted at all. >> That's good to hear because I can just say that that has really opened up a lot of people's world and I can even tell you seniors who who get that kind of of um instruction. It's it's been invaluable for them to connect with their families or just be a part of the world if they can't get out in the winter or if they're they're not able to get out as much as I'd like. So, I just want to say how grateful I am for that. Um, on the education, um, I I did the back of the envelope math about the 12.3 million books out of the Kent Pen County Library. And with our population, that's just oh, just around nine books per resident. >> Incredible. >> Per resident that that's babies and everybody checked out. So, there's a lot of readers around here. I know I'm probably one of them. I check out a lot of books. So, I just want to say how grateful I am for that. Um, but I there are some there's some challenges here too that I'm sure you know about but didn't get to. And one of them is is the whole industry's effort to expire our ebooks and make us rebuild. That's that's a national issue and we fought it a couple of times. It's something I'll bring up to IGR because they are trying to get those books back and they're already the costs are going up and this is I'm really not okay with this. Yeah, you're really renting that book if you bought an ebook. So, I usually don't buy the ebooks. I go on a couple of websites where you can get a rate discounted and that's where I buy the hard copy cuz I'm so pissed at that. That is really taken advantage of people. So that ebook you bought, it's not really yours. I'm just going to say that. So yes, be outraged because if you can buy a hard copy, you have it forever and you can give it off to somebody else. Um uh and then I just wanted to say that there was a county commissioner not in this county who who said that libraries are a luxury >> and I totally disagree. they are a part of our democracy and they need to stay. >> So I just want you to know that that rhetoric is going around in our metro area. I can't say who. Um >> but we'll call you. >> Yeah, >> but a name will gently appear. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. >> So I wanted to say you know this whole thing around service centers and then stuff going online. So when things go online and we're not doing at the service center, is it free online or is somebody else getting the charge? that the state has has pulled some of those things online and then that um you can do a state renewal for example of your tabs and then they mail them to you and that's a relatively straightforward process for us to do that goes online for the state which is good for residents u but it makes it harder for us to do some of the in-person stuff because it reduces our revenue takes a transaction that we actually >> made some money on or didn't lose as much money on um away. >> Yeah. Well, and again, I just wanted to go back now and touch on the housing piece of this. And this is um I really like the idea as part of the strategic planning and residential services, developing a process to notify renters and properties with delinquent taxes. An effort to reduce a displacement because that's one of our biggest things we have and we meet people at the courts and you know, people losing their housing and stuff like this because of property issues is a really big deal and a lot of that's a naturally occurring affordable housing and stuff like this. So, just kudos for working on that kinds of things. And again, just thank you to the forfeite land auctions returning 62 parcels to the tax roles. Um that that just a lot of those again are in neighborhoods where they're more affordable and that really matters to us. So, just wanted to say that I really appreciate that. And then um yeah, this aging systems, deferred upgrades to those things. So is everything's gonna work here in the next system right when you talk about it. But it's just like >> Jenny has promised me everything's gonna be fine. >> Okay. You got the duct wire. >> You got electric works well for us. >> But I will say that it's going to be part of the budget next year is to come in with a need for replacement for free warning there. It's a nice plant. Okay. No, no, >> about every 10 years and it's going to be every 13 years for this one. Then we have to upgrade our our systems and so we'll be bringing that forward. But we, you know, they've done some additional testing. They believe that we're going to be just fine and then we have enough extra machines if if some of them start to fail. So, >> okay. >> No concerns. >> Well, that's really good to hear. Any last questions? >> I do. >> Yes, please go ahead. >> Thank you. Um I was just thinking about since you had mentioned um you know sought to emphasize the capital portion and the infrastructure you know which is really a different aspect of of infrastructure and then commissioner Anderson's uh comment around just making sure we're identifying kind of geographic gaps which makes sense right government center our government center is not in the center it's like not even kind of in the center you know it's >> pretty on one side yes what is >> Madina >> seriously Madina We're That's about the center of the county. >> Is it really? >> Don't tell. This is the geographic center. >> The geographic center. >> Not the population center. >> The population. >> Correct. But this is Okay. Wow. I was trying to make a point. Okay. I'm about to make a point. It seems like I'm not going to make a point, but I'm still going to complete sentences, I think. Okay. Just This is not a suggestion. I don't even know what I was about to say, but everybody, let's Yes. Clearly. clearly population center, but my point is the word center is for this building and is not geographically in the middle. Okay, we're just looking around. The reason I raised this is um and I don't know how like the 20 gosh is it going to be the 2050 plan now? I don't know how that occurs the 20 the comprehensive plans. Um, but a positive example with Golden Valley has been around libraries and the re- imagagining of of their city hall. And so what I thought I was attempting to raise is uh if we were to look at especially going into next year the CIPs of all of the various jurisdictions to see where there might be intersection for um different upgrades like if there is a building somewhere that is largely being paid for by tax dollars somewhere any center or middle or population or geography if there is a potential intersection um we need to deliver services equitably, we need to be a source of accurate information and we also know that even lowgrade health services are not being funded into future years at the same level. So just looking into future again I don't know how this works with comp plans so please but um just seeing who might be attempting to build something or not cuz we're also reviewing what we're building or not right and so that's where I was >> it's like putting service centers with libraries which we have done and like we even have health and human services down at the VEP offices so there are >> and my example is like Golden Valley has reimagined literally it's city hall it's police it's fire it's even seeking to be quite to oriented over there. Walkable, there's going to be bus stops. So, >> so um just as we think of uh public services or services for the public, who else is kind of engaging with that? I don't think that I'm yet kind of thinking about the not for-profit uh or provider community, but I'm also thinking about providers over time. Um the providers that are coming to that are meeting with me, they just like our households have rent or or right facilities to pay and that is causing layoffs or they have facilities to pay and that is causing a reduction in services and so maybe there is a way at the conclusion of the of of of processes to look at other CIPs, see if there's opportunities that I loved the activity though that was uh but that was the concept that I wanted to introduce. Thank you, Madam Chair. >> Yes. Who? >> Oh, I >> if it's all right. I I just wanted to I would be uh I would be missing an opportunity if I didn't mention that Maple Plane is looking at the same type of uh collaborative approach to libraries and city center type. Uh >> very lovely development. So >> I think that's we found that that has worked well when we have done it. We I don't know why we don't put more service centers on >> our facility master plan does recognize Maple Plane as another area for study because it's an older building and it um uh it's a smaller building and there has been reach out what the way it normally happens is we get reach out from the cities to say hey we're thinking of this you know would you guys be interested in doing something that's how it happened with Golden Valley we've had some uh reach out from from Maple Plane but it's it's a good point to look more at like strategically at their CIPs or their comp plan to see >> especially where there might be deferring or where where there might be putting zero I mean right we we are as the title of this resident services we're really seeing it from a resident perspective >> what if what if everyone is deferring in the same location >> you know and so so that might be a way to kind of identify disparity too and opportunity >> well and I just think there's also opportunity just to put in a few social services and some hoteling desks because a lot of ours are roaming roving social workers and that would help the outline districts. >> Oh, go ahead. Just quickly, uh, I'd be remiss if I didn't say this because I say it every single year. And since we're kind of on that topic, uh, subject area anyway, um, I know that there's a lot of state law that goes around to where service goes around like where service centers are. And the Midtown Service Center is probably one of the busiest, if not the busiest in Henipin County. And a couple of years ago, I was really trying to dig into whether or not we could do a satellite at Sabbath and we couldn't because there was state law that and Jody maybe you can you remember. So, I wonder like uh where there might be some advocacy there. Uh cuz Midtown serves a lot of people, but if we had that additional Southside satellite location for maybe renewals for maybe you know anything, it would be I think helpful. >> Um because the next closest one I think is in Richfield. >> Yes. Yeah, it is. >> Y just a plug. >> Thank you. >> Okay. So, I'm going to give you an option. We can either take a break now or we can go to the presentation on the next. You think I take a break then? >> 11. >> You want to take a break? >> I don't know. >> Okay, you get a 10m minute break and that I have that's that would be 112. Back here at 112. Thank you everyone. Thank you staff. Really appreciate it. >> Thank you to do a little Okay, everyone. I think we're going to get started again. I'm sure everybody join us. Um, we're going to we're going to continue on to the presentation on the operations side of the budget since we have some new people at the table. I'll let you introduce yourself. >> Good afternoon. Jody WMA, assistant county administrator for operations. Okay. Thank you. Uh, Miss Wetland, I will turn this back over to you. >> Thank you, Chair Gotel. Commissioners, we are now proceeding to the operations line of business presentation. I'm going to ask Jod WMA, assistant county administrator, present, and then we will have time for questions and discussions. I want to express my appreciation to Jody and the operations leadership team for the phenomenal work that they always do and for work they've done this year on our budget. >> Thank you, Jody. >> Yep. Thank you, Administrator Wetland. Good afternoon, Chair Gutell, Commissioners. The operations line of business provides critical foundational and innovative foundational services and innovative programming that enables and supports the work of all county departments. We partner across lines of business to make the organization efficient and effective in delivering services to residents. The operation budget includes 17 departments and multiple funds such as general county purposes, ballpark sales tax revenue, local affordable housing aid contingency, and the county's debt retirement funds. The agenda, similar to the other one, I will not read through this, but we're excited to be here to share our service highlights, budget overview, and the line of business priorities supporting disparity elimination and climate action. I'm pleased to be here with this great leadership team that works across the organization to find strategic partnerships and enhance our programs and services. Many of them are here today and will be available for questions you may have following the presentation. This is the how many leaders can we fit on one slide? Actually 12. I did say operations has 17 departments. uh the work of operations would not be possible without their leadership and collaboration and I want to thank every one of them and their teams for the work that they do every day serving residents and I want to take just a second to call make a special call out to OBF um Lindsay Ni Jeff Britt from audit Jenny and Dana all did an amazing amount of work thank you guys you're rock stars and a call out to communications Kayla Tyler and Maddie who helped me put this presentation together. This is they do so much work and I really appreciate them. So, thank you. Okay. Operations provides both internal services to department and direct services to residents. I will highlight a few metrics that show how we are serving our communities. Grants management coordinates and tracks grant funding across the county. In 2024, the county was awarded 75 million in discretionary grants. These funds help us make progress on our dispar disparity elimination commitments. The majority of the 2024 funding supports our efforts in the disparity domains of health with 21.7 million awarded, connectivity with 24.3 million awarded and justice with 9.5 million awarded. on housing. We recognize the challenges and uncertain nature of ongoing funding, but we remain committed to providing a robust continuum of affordable housing throughout the county. With the support of our capital programs, 942 units of affordable housing have opened, reopened, or have been made with improvements. With respect to procurement, departments continue to make opportunities available to small and emerging businesses. For example, last year, facility services awarded 38 contracts totaling more than 33.5 million to small, emerging women and black, indigenous, and people of color owned businesses. Now, I'll provide an overview of the operating budget. Because of the number of the departments in operations, this slide shows a compressed detail of the operating budget, highlighting the largest department budgets within the line of business. The bottom number, the title or the bottom line titled all other operations includes our smaller departments and the funds that I just mentioned. The full detail of the departments and the funds are in the operations executive summary. The proposed operating budget for 2026 is $398 million, which is an increase of 8.3 million or 2.1% compared to the 2025 adjusted budget. major increases that are driven by 20.9 million in debt retirement in fund 70, $6.3 million in use of contingency fund, 1.7 million in general county purposes, and this is primarily to expand on our youth activities grants funded through the ballpark sales tax. And finally, 3.7 million across all of our departments, which is driven by personnel costs, including general salary adjustments, merit increases, and health insurance costs. These increases are offset by two major reductions. 15.3 million in program shifts in economic and hous economic housing and economic development and 8.9 million reduction in ballpark debt retirement. As a reminder, general county purposes, ballpark tail, ballpark sales tax revenue, debt, and debt retirement are our programs that do not have any staff. General County purposes includes funding for public programming such as the Henipin History Museum, U ofM Extension, Henipin University Partnerships, partial funding for the Municipal Building Commission, countywide tuition, and dues and contributions to organizations that benefit the county like NAO and the Association of Minnesota Counties. A full listing of all the programs in general county purposes is available in your executive summary on page 91. The largest change impacting the budget within general county purposes is the 6.3 million increase in use of contingency, which brings the total use of contingency funding for operations to $10 million for the 2026 proposed budget. The 2026 property tax request reflects a 10.7% increase over the 2025 adjusted budget. Property tax for operations rep represents about 70 77% of the revenue. All other operations reflects a 17% increase. This is 28 million compared to the 2025 adjusted budget. Factors impacting the operating budget are the same factors that impact the property tax budget. And the biggest ones again are the 21 million increase in debt retirement and the 6.3 million increase in contingency. The remaining 1 million reflects minor increases across about 13 departments. As part of the overall commitment to reducing costs for the 2026 operating budget, the line of budget the line of business eliminated 12.1 vacant FTEEs. That's a 1.4% reduction from 2025. Our departments worked hard to develop budgets that met the targets while ens ensuring service continuity. Additionally, and similar to what Mr. Rogan mentioned, we have increased vacancy factors in a number of areas to manage personnel costs in 2026. Now, I would like to highlight some of the work in operations that shows how we are leading in support of countywide priorities. Ensuring county services are reliable, accessible, and responsive to resident needs is our bread and butter. We are focused on advancing the county's priorities on climate action and disparity elimination as we deliver sustainable services and innovative solutions that put people first. As a line of business, we work together to remove obstacles to accessing our services. Collaboration is critical to providing a consistently positive, quality, and equitable experience for the people we serve. So, how are we doing this? We leverage data to inform our strategies and our services. Data is at the heart of our work and vital to informing our approach and our service models. Our enterprise integrated data system brings together information from more than 20 systems across the county, helping us better understand disparities and opportunities to close gaps. data allows us to measure progress, adjust and adapt our strategies, and be intentional in aligning our resources to where they are needed most. Insights from our integrated data system show that county staff serve or connect with roughly 420,000 individuals each month across our major program areas. And approximately half of those involved with county services are involved with more than one service area. 70% of those involved in county services are via a form of public health insurance. Financial assistance is the next largest program area serving. Roughly 25 to 30% of those involved in county services on any given month. These insights help us understand what programs residents are using and their connections across those systems and they inform our approach to a coordinated service delivery. Strategic planning and initiatives and integrated data analytics collaborate with our departments to build datainformed strategic plans and for resident facing departments to analyze equitable service outcomes. Current partnerships include housing and economic development, public health and adult representation services. All of our planning efforts with resident facing departments leverage an equity analysis to ensure alignment with our disparity elimination commitments. We prioritize making physical spaces accessible and inclusive across more than our 100 buildings. Facilities is improving signage, lighting, ensuring doors and entrances are easy to navigate, expanding inclusive restrooms, and enhancing parking accessibility. By embedding inclusive design practices into every project and facilities partnership, we're creating future ready spaces that can meet the day the needs of our residents and our workforce today and tomorrow. We are focused on digital accessibility and connection to county systems. Our work in this area includes a robust fiber optic network to connect critical digital infrastructure and enable access across essential resources. Since 2012, more than 375 miles of fiber optic cable have been installed across the county. And for context, that's more than more miles than it is from Minneapolis to the to Canada. Um, >> we love our comparison. >> We love our comparisons. Yes. Over 80 county buildings and 480 traffic signals are connected to county fiber. The community connectivity program continues to prioritize collaborations with our public agency partners for fiber sharing agreements and mutually beneficial and cost-effective projects. Engaging with our residents that use digital services is critical to ensuring our platforms are customer customer focused and accessible through user interviews, usability testing, and resident experience cohort sessions. Digital Experience is committed to community engagement for feedback on our digital platforms and our applications. And with our new footprint on the Southside Street level, you may not all know of that yet, we can regularly bring in more residents to our spaces to test our products and our services. [Applause] All right, stats here. One measure of our connection to residents is the reach of our digital platforms. This chart shows monthly website views on our main page which is henipin. us from September 2022 to September of 2025. And as you can see there's an overall kind of a steady increase from that time. There were 12.1 million visitors across the county's all of the county's web pages. We have 22 from September of 2024 to September of 2025. So not this chart just a one-year glance. Those visitors accounted for 80.8 8 million visits or hits for that same period. The top websites visited during that time include the libraries website, our main platform, henipin. us, and the sheriff's website, henipinsheriff.org. The top three pages visited from our main site henipin. us in that period were property s property information, search, service center information, and pay property taxes. 65% of our users access henipin us via a desktop with 34% on a mobile device. That number surprised me a little. I thought mobile would be quite a bit higher. Next slide. Okay. We are investing in vibrant communities by expanding access to affordable housing. This means investing in people, the families, neighbors, and entrepreneurs who make Henipin County strong, vibrant, and inclusive. The housing and economic development budget underscores our commitment to ensuring every resident has access to safe, stable, and affordable housing. Through data informed strategies, we're creating and preserving affordable homes across our housing continuum, focusing on people with the lowest incomes because that's how we will eliminate disparities in severe housing cost burden households. We are providing pathways to safe, stable housing. Housing and Economic Development creates and dedicates housing for people exiting homelessness as a part in as a partnership with housing stability. Through this partnership, 1,800 affordable housing units were available only to people exiting homelessness in Henipin County in 2024. And we're on track to add nearly more than 200 units dedicated to people exiting homelessness in 2025. This lifealtering work represents a family or an an individual moving from crisis to stability. Each unit of housing we add is more than just a roof overhead. It is a pathway to dignity, security, and a brighter future. We are empowering local entrepreneurs to grow and to thrive. We know housing is just one part of a building a vibrant community. Access to economic opportunities plays an important role in enhancing quality of life and fostering community growth. That's why the county's Elevate Henipin has become a powerful engine for inclusive economic growth, providing hands-on support and resources to help our local businesses start, scale, and succeed. To date, this unique model has served over 4,000 entrepreneurs, launched 263 new businesses with 68% of those led by entrepreneurs of color. Elevate's impact extends well beyond business ownership. Businesses participating in Elevate Henipin have created more than 900 jobs and notably 82% of those jobs are in black, indigenous, and people of colorowned businesses, underscoring the program's role in both in building both economic resilience and equity. As an employer, our commitment to economic growth is reflected in how the county invests in its own workforce. As a service provider and one of the region's largest employers, the county understands that when our employees thrive, our communities thrive. We invest in total rewards, competitive pay, comprehensive insurance, training, tuition support, and mentorship opportunities. At the same time, we connect our residents, including those from underrepresented communities with pathways to livable wages, which strengthens the fabric of our workforce and our communities. Information technology is opening doors to tech careers throughout the county's path through the CA county's pathway programs and internship opportunities, helping to inspire and attract diverse candidates while building the next generation of county technologists. Facility services does the same in construction, building operations, engineering, and security. Building engineers need specialized skills to manage aging facilities and emerging climate action and building automation technologies, making these versatile professionals highly sought after in today's workforce. Operations supports the county's climate action plan in several ways. Helping departments align their work through planning and use of data to focusing on sustainability reuse and recycling programs and technology and building optim optimization. We are collaborating to minimize climate impact in partnership with climate and resil the climate and resiliency department strategic planning and initiatives designed and launched the climate action impact tool. This resource helps departments align their work to climate action priorities and foundational strategies and provides a green lens through which to view a department's work for leveraging climate data to op optimize climate response. Emergency management, strategic planning, and integrated data analytics are helping the county better leverage the county's mezzanet and other environmental data sets such as those related to flood, fire, and extreme heat. And this is to support datainformed action to natural hazards and climate action. Integrating and reporting climate data to a more standardized format and creating a dependable local archive will help inform regional, national, and potentially international conversations around climate change. And just a comment uh Commissioner Fernando on what you mentioned earlier on data. It is we believe it's really critically important to leverage our own very robust data systems and build that as significantly as we can with understanding that we may not have uh data at state or federal levels to rely upon. So, I just want to finish up this section with this work supports our county's learning agenda in its aim to identify ways to improve how the county assesses and responds to risks in communities that are disproportionately impacted by environmental threats. Information technology monitors sustainability priorities using data visualization dashboards that provide real time data about product resale and recycling programs and power usage effectiveness in the county's data center. We are managing county buildings with a focus on climate action. Facility services has implemented proven programs to optimize building operation and energy efficiency across more than 100 county buildings. It continues to reduce energy by 3% each year, moving towards the county's goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 45% from the 2010 levels by the year 2030. The public safety services headquarters that opened earlier this year features geothermal and voltic energy systems to meet B3 standards. Facility Services is advancing the county's transition to renewable energy by executing a multi-year solar installation plan to generate more than 4.8 million kilowatts per year of solar en solar electricity targeting 9% of our anticipated 2020 2030 electric use. It is also operating and expanding geothermal systems and aerosource heat pump systems countywide. Transitioning to renewable energy provides us with long-term energy savings and co as the costs of traditional energy continue to increase at a much higher rate. The chart that you're seeing in front of you is an estimate of our solar projects year-to-year and how close to the 10% on-site production goal we are. With the addition of the solar array planned at Brookdale in 2029 that is not pictured on this chart, we will be at 10.2% 2% of total energy consumption, which achieves our goal a year earlier than anticipated. Now, on to challenges and opportunities. Like others, we face several challenges from anticipated reductions in state and federal funding, the reliability of those resources, and cost shifts. Our staff and leaders are finding opportunities to address funding changes and the instability of state and federal resources. We are leaning into our partnerships by leveraging existing partners and identifying new partners to advance our priorities. Strategic planning and initiatives is working with the Henipin University partnership to establish long-term to establish priority long-term research needs through our learning agenda. This will help the county fill evidence gaps and better inform its programs and services. They are approaching this with a specific focus on where partnerships can utilize collaborative or other external funding opportunities to address shared areas of desired impact. We are leveraging our data assets to inform and drive programming. As I previously mentioned, the enterprise integrated data system enables strategic summary insights that can guide data informed strategies and programming. We use this data to inform service integration, better tell our story, and help identify and eliminate disparities. Examples include ongoing analyses for health for Henipin Health and Human Services and opioid response to understand program overlaps and improve coordinated care models. Another good example is an analysis in uh prepared in partnership with DOCCCR and child protection on population overlap to support the child-friendly visiting project. This data helped inform strategies for DOCCCR and child protection to coordinate rather than duplicate services for this population with the aim of improving parents' chances of succeeding in both systems. We focus on preserving existing funding streams. We have a centralized team to support departments and provide guidance around changes in federal funding terms and the requirements. The coordinated group is a partnership between OBF compliance grants management and the county attorney's office. And this team has positioned us to respond quickly and with assurance as we navigate a challenging and uncertain funding environment. Digital Experience is leading our efforts to prepare for the Department of Justice's implementation of title two of the ADA rule on web accessibility, which goes into effect in April of 2026. Digital Experience provides resources, training, and guidance and support to departments across all lines of business. Not just to ensure that our websites and applications are in compliance with the law, but to empower all the people we serve when they engage with the county. Our work over the last two years in preparation for the launch of henipinount.gov has prioritized standardization and accessibility across all of our pages. In housing, economic uncertainty and increasing costs will require a planful approach to minimize impacts on residents short and in the long term. Our long-term strategies and partnerships will help with opportunities in housing, including preventing and mitigating costs in the homeless response system through our continuum approach to affordable housing production and preservation. Capitalizing on the stabilizing impacts of the repair and grow investment to continue creating and preserving affordable housing that maintains resident flow through our homeless response system and supportive housing projects and continued flexibility in our community investment programs so we can be nimble advancing land use plans, public realm improvements, and communitydriven development projects as opportunities arise. Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to answering questions that you may have and I will turn it back over to County Administrator Wetland to lead us in this discussion. >> Go tell Commissioners. As you can see, it's a large line of a lot of information. It's a big book to go through last night over dinner. >> Yeah, such a great reading. >> So, with that, we conclude our presentation. I'll hand it back to you, Chair. Thank you very much, Commissioner Connley. I'm going to let you go first. >> Thank you. Thank you. Um so thank you for this is a very large book in a very large line of business very large area but I really appreciate um the details that you highlighted. I again want to just say that the structure of these briefings is really helpful to kind of uh get our questions asked and answered and for you to highlight um some of the some of the opportunities and challenges that are coming up. I'm going to start I just have a few things honestly. I'm going to start on um page 36 of the budget booklet which talks about housing and economic development. So I was really interested in the decrease in that and a little bit worried about it. >> I have that circled. >> Oh, you have it circled. Okay. Yeah. And so I understand that there is the we're moving around some money to help uh repair and grow kind of finish out some contracts. Um, but it looks like it's a reduction of a little over $600,000. So, I'm going to move to my question then, which is on page 39. And I just wanted to know, um, it sounds like this is just an end to not only repair and grow, but the healthy homes grant and lead mitigation. Um it reads uh housing and economic development budgeted the same amount of federal funding for 2026 as it did for 2025 with the exception of lead hazard control and healthy homes grant. And so this I just want information on like repair and grow are going to finish out funding what we had through Q1 2026. But is our lead mitigation work ending? Is that what healthy homes is? Chair Gatell, Commissioner uh Connelly, I think I would ask Kevin Dockery if he is here. >> Yes, >> Kevin. Happy to see you. The whole crew is here. >> We see the back. >> Thought I was safe. >> I know. >> We see where you all sat back there. Okay. >> Hiding. >> Uh thank you, Chair Gatau, and thank you, Commissioner Connley, for that question. It's a great question. Um Repair and Grow was a one-time um initiative. So the reduction you're seeing uh as that program winds down that was that represents about 14 million of that. So um with the county board support we were able to deploy 17 million. Uh we are uh about 90% spent on that and that will wrap up this year on the lead. Uh we are not stopping our lead uh program. That represents actually an action the board took in January where we got a new healthy homes grant. Yeah. and it was overlapping our existing work and so it was a surge of work for this year the 600 we don't need to budget for the two overlapping grants in 2026 so no reduction in effort >> I can breathe thank you Mr. Dockery, I appreciate that. Um, okay. So, the other question that I had then, let's see. I don't know if I know just in case. You never know with me. >> But, um, uh, no, actually, you mentioned this. Um, and it was just, we've talked about this before and it's page 92. It's what we spend on our dues. We have talked about this as a board before, but I had some questions on it and just that there's um a a bit of an increase with first of all, we spend a lot for AMC and I know that we've talked about that before and the only question I had was is it based on like county size? Is that why >> population? >> It's population. I'm seeing head nods. >> I can really talk. >> But Kevin being on the board could probably just give me the heads up. Um but um just a a question on the Cedar Riverside partnership. There was no budgeted funds for that in 2025, but that is an active um group that I'm a part of and I do see it budgeted for 2026. So I just wondered why it was zero for last year and then the other one I had was just the increase in the youth coordinating board. I know that I've been a part of that group before. They do good work. But >> go ahead, Mr. Matthews. You want to put the mic on? Thanks. Thank you, Madam Chair. Uh, Commissioner Connley. Um, this is partly just catching up with the cycle of activities. So, as we were engaging with Cedar Riverside, it wasn't part of the previous budget. The county did um support that organization, but it wasn't part of the dues and contributions. >> I believe it flowed through county administration. And so, this is just getting them into the regular flow with the other organization. So, you'll see it appear here as long as the county board chooses to continue um in that work. So, you'll see it here. >> I hope we do. I'm glad it's in the right spot. It sounds like >> I'm sorry. And then the on the youth coordinating board uh was that the other one you're asking about or the >> went up a little bit. >> Yeah. The um all the dues typically what we try to budget here is either what we anticipate for an increase based on what we know. So for Nico and AMC sometimes we get dues notices far enough in advance we can budget the actual amount. Otherwise um sometimes we'll just apply an inflator in line with what our budget targets are so that we have some room for an increase. what we spend is always based on what their actual dues are. So we try to make sure that we don't short the budget and then get an invoice for the dues and then we find out we don't have anything. Um and so some of these for example um for the youth coordinating board or for uh NO or AMC typically those we're working with whatever our best information is that we have or we make an assumption. >> That makes sense. Thank you so much. Um last thing Madam Chair uh and that is on page 100. I just um I know that we just had our capital budget um uh presentation and I questioned the dollars going to the herk and it it's got here that in 2026 2026 there's a $4.4 million energy center and henipin energy recovery center capital project debt. So I wondered which project it is because I don't recall seeing that in the capital improvement. It's it was just that 6 million every year for the herk. So what what capital project debt do we still owe on the her for $4 million? >> Yeah, Madam Chair, Commissioner Connley. So this is um this is part of kind of the annual capital maintenance. So if you think about what we put into any of our facilities in a given year, we can follow up with a an itemized list of all the work that goes into the herk. And so what you're seeing here is the debt service for that year. So if we have to replace boilers or we have to do other like large upgrades. So, some of these are going to be projects that were probably imp implemented several years ago, but we can give you a list of exactly what's in there and we can work with uh Dave McNary from E&E, so you have a full picture of what what supports that 4.4 million. Well, well, that would be really helpful because um the question that I had during that was what happens to the remainder of the six million if we don't spend it all and my understanding was it goes to the enterprise fund, but it looks like it's coming out of um this debt retirement. >> Yeah. So, to your um to your question, so the herk is part of an enterprise fund, the solid waste enterprise fund. All of the revenues and expenses flow through there. And so what you're seeing here in particular, the reason why the ballpark debt uh and the transportation and the herk are broken out separately is those are not paid through the debt levy. Those are paid through revenues from those respective funds. So for the ballpark debt, you would have the ballpark sales tax is paying that debt service. For transportation, that's coming through either our transit or our metro area sales tax. And then you've got um for for the herk any capital projects that would go through our CIP, those are going to come out of revenues from that enterprise fund. So it is not relying on property taxpayers to support those projects. >> Okay. So you've got a memo coming already. If you could just include that as a refresher, that would be helpful. Thank you. And Madam Chair, I think that's all I have. >> Okay. Commissioner Anderson, maybe do you want to lighten us about >> Hey, wait. Oh, I'm so sorry. I just have one more. >> Okay, quick one. >> Okay, it I'll be quick. Um, on page 103, I just noticed that internal service funds are completely funded through fees and ser fees for services. There's no property tax there at all. But and it's a huge amount. So, in my brain, I'm thinking, where else can we just use? So, before I go there though, what fees pay for this? >> Yep. U Madam Chair, Commissioner County, great question. These are fees that are paid by our departments. So if you think of um internal service funds, so I'll use an example. Um central IT is is an internal service fund fund 62 departments pay a fee to that department for our laptops for our network connectivity and that's the revenue that that department uses. So even though the it says it's all fees, if that fee is charged to for example the office of budget and finance and we're financed through property tax. Wow. So, it's not it. This is how we account for it because of the nature of the work. I know. I didn't mean to get your hopes up. Didn't mean to get your hopes up, but um it is a really great question and I appreciate you asking that. Thank you. >> Thank you for Thank you, Madam Chair. >> Commissioner Anderson. >> Thank you, Madam Chair. I so I'm happy to talk about AMC a little bit because I uh not only sit on the board but I also am on the finance committee where there was a robust conversation about fees and county fees and how they're determined and there was actually a change in how it was determined this year. Um so it largely follows um a state funding formula on um uh CPA county program aid. So, um, we actually pay a lower percent by population than a number of other counties do, um, because we get less aid back from the state, uh, by their by there. Um there there was a um >> an increase in the total uh fee structure uh that the uh AMC board passed to make sure that they could retain staff and and all that. But um that was so Henipin County is actually getting a slightly better deal than >> uh than a number of other counties. Um in large part because they recognize that uh we have our own lobbying arm uh that we do. Uh and so there's there's a bigger benefit to some of the smaller counties that that don't have that kind of advocacy. >> So um so yeah, that was >> thank you for that. It it was helpful to to hear that kind of support kind of for us >> too at AMC. So >> yeah, thanks. >> Um for my questions, I had similar questions on the housing economic development. So thank you for asking that. Um it is always fascinating going through all of the different things that we do that are so kind of behind the scenes uh that allow us to operate and and run efficiently. I am just deeply appreciative of the work that is going on behind the scenes. Um and keep it up. I know that it's uh with these incredibly challenging times like I recognize that a lot of this was uh managing through vacancy factor and um and that puts a strain on our departments. Uh and so you know a lot of gratitude to all of our workers, all the people that are putting in time, effort, picking up uh pieces that they maybe didn't have to pick up before. Um and so I just wanted to express gratitude to the staff that are uh this goes for every department across the organization of course but um like I think you see it kind of pronounced here. So thank you. >> Thanks uh Commissioner Eden. >> Thank you. Um so for the grants management I love the grants program that we have. That's one of my favorite things I think for our communities to really feel engaged too if they don't feel like they're getting, you know, if they don't use services. So, one of the things though with the state level and it's so prominent right now is all the there's fraud and some of the things that have been abused and now they're taking away programs that people actually really are using. And I would love to know what we're doing just I mean I know that we have work that we're doing to make sure that we're checking on grants but the stability of the grants and the trust in governments and that we can manage grants is really important. And so I would love to hear from how that's going. >> Sorry, >> sorry. Chair Gatell, Commissioner Eden, I would uh encourage either Beth Stack or Jennifer Yang to share some information about how the grants department is navigating that. Thank you, Beth. >> Yes. Thank you, Madam Chair, Commissioner Allison. Um I suppose my arrival at the table is one indication of it. I think this board supported creation of the chief compliance officer role and the efforts were um that are underway to uh we have good compliance work going on. I want you to know that and it it predates me. It did not start when I started in this role, but to try and make sure we have that framework in place and coordination across all of the departments that play a role in oversight and monitoring. And so I'll just highlight a couple from my area. Jennifer Yang's team um has a lot of work underway in grants management to support departments in their efforts to do monitoring of subreients and risk assessments on the front end. Uh we of course work closely with Joe's team and OBF and um Colleen Livermore's team in our audit department which does a lot of good work both uh internally on insure assurance and working with our uh vendors to go out and do site visits and auditing and compliance work. So always interested to hear if you are hearing particular issues of focus, but we do have um quite a few efforts underway. >> Well, for my community and there's nothing for us, but I think that we government gets conflated with the state just in general and I want to make sure that we're doing all we can because those grants are really important whether they're at the state level or at the county level and so just to get rid of grants is not the answer. Um so I'm glad to hear that you're you're doing that work. So, thank you. Um, >> if I may, I'll just add I should I should have acknowledged the good work in the health line of business as well. I know Henipin Health and Human Services have a lot of efforts, too. So, thanks. >> Good. Good. Thank you. Thank you so much. Um, and then a few other things. So, I see um on page 47 that we're doing body cameras for um security officers and those are coming in phases. Um, and I just I'm curious uh if we could just speak a little bit more about what happens now. Um, what who is gonna I mean is it every security officer is going to be wearing body cameras? If we could just speak about that would be good to have an understanding of. >> Sure. I think we can have Luda come up. I the right now we have no security officers have them. Um uh the the security officers at the hospital have them. other uh agencies have them and I think our pilot is to to start with them and I'll let Luda speak a little bit about >> introduce yourself >> uh Luda Trendilova security director uh um so that's correct uh we will start with a pilot uh we want to first to see what works for us what not we have been working on the policy as we already know uh body cameras have been used in kind county. So, it uh we were able to look at all the policies in the county and outside of the county and find uh best practices for us, but we want to start with pilot because we are different from other departments who currently use body cameras. So, we want to see what works and what doesn't and once we find the right place where we at it, we will expand. And I think commissioner, just one more thing. Over time, the county has expanded the use of body cameras. It first started with the sheriff's office and patrol and then we ultimately uh we went uh to the jail. Now all jail deputies um where body camera and then this is kind of the next natural place for it. And in those other places we have found you know in the beginning there was a lot of trepidation about about body camera but we found that it it really helps with transparency and it really helps us um understand when there is an incident that happens. um uh you know what what what actually transpired and and we're very hopeful that the same thing will happen with security. We still have sometimes where where there are, you know, people are are saying something happened and and and our our staff are saying something didn't happen. And that will provide us that transparency so that we can make sure that we're providing the service that we want to that that we need to, but also that we're able to to see if there are any issues that that arise and have something that can really help us um you know, be one more check on making sure that we're uh we're uh doing what what we need to do. Right now, Luda's team spends a lot of time looking at our cameras um that are stationary to to kind of look at what happened, but you don't have any audio and it may not capture everything that's there. And so, this is one more way that's going to help us, you know, hopefully provide uh safe and secure areas and and really, we think support our security officers and in the great work that they do. >> Well, and just that um so I know there was an incident not long ago, I think it was last year at a library. And so in that instance when we're contracting with security are there where I mean I think that there's levels I'm glad that you're looking at pilots because I I could see where it makes a lot of sense absolutely for law enforcement for the sheriffs and for security it makes a lot of sense for certain areas to have it prioritized and in that instance where we have contracts are we having those contractors >> right now they do not um have uh body camera and we haven't required that as part of our contract but depending on how our pilot goes and whether we do that that might be something that we look at in the future. This is going to uh the the security pilot is going to piggyback off of our existing contracts that we have for the sheriff's office for the body cameras that we use and the storage that we use um for that. So that we're you know it's that we're going to have one kind of handup in place for for this, but we haven't really looked at um uh expanding that yet to uh contract security. >> Well, I I would encourage us to do that. I think if or or figure out ways that we could because I think in that instance of of the person and also the security officer, it would have been nice to have a full picture of what happened there for the safety of both resident and also the security officer. So, um thank you for that. That's all I have on that. Um and then there's one more thing I had. Um in terms of actually I had two more things. So when you look at the website monthly views, it looks like March of last year, March of this uh this year. It it looks like March for some reason has higher numbers. And you said I mean property taxes are doing May and October, right? I'm just curious why are we seeing that traffic? And then when you say the main platform um so they're not are they not looking at human services? Is that not one of the top I guess I guess I'm I'm a little perplexed by that. Chair Gatell, Commissioner Eden, we can get you a specific kind of ongoing listing of where those hits are, and I would think um especially we could take a look at that peak, but I imagine you're right that people start looking at uh certain areas at certain times of year. So peaks are going up there. Joe may know the answer to that one. >> I have a hunch, but we can wait for the data. But Madam Chair, the spring is when the property tax statements go out. They're the the valuation notices. >> So that does kick off kind of the public engagement in the property tax process. That's when you get a notice of what the value of your home is. And then shortly, right around that same time, you're getting your first property tax statement for your payment due in May. And so I'm not totally shocked to see the spike in March. Some people will go ahead and pay that right away. And then again, you see a spike in October right as the second payment is due. So, um, not totally surprised by that, but if you know, we probably can get some more insights from Digital Experience on more details on that. >> Okay. We'll follow up with uh maybe top 20 hits. And are you specific? Are you interested in a specific >> specific? You're going to pretty much always hear this from me as human services and how people access the services that we have. >> We will follow up with that. >> Yeah, economic services are pretty much always when you look at me know that I'm always trying to dig for that because how people access economic services for for the county. I feel like we need to make that as friendly as possible. And I'm I'm curious if that's one of the top things. And then just that my last thing is 61 on page 61 we had talked it says um that the data compliance in the second paragraph under significant items that the data compliance division has been reorganized from human resources to oh you know what hold on nope I just read it wrong. >> Okay, >> never mind. I'll pass. Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you, Commissioner Commissioner Green. >> Um thank you Madam Chair. Um thank you for the presentation. Uh what an insane breadth of work. I had to like pull out the org chart. Yes, it's all here. And I think I went through that annual process of like is this really where housing and economic development belong? And then you think about the rest of the organization and actually right next to OBF. I think that's a good spot. So I did have one more question. Um I think all of us caught on um the housing investment and I was I I took my notes on um on on the slide. So the um healthy homes grant that ended Kevin did you say that that was basically there had been a surge and so the surge is ending but the funding is still ongoing. the the language in the book made it sound like federal funding was ending and so I wanted to just make sure I understood that correctly. >> Uh Madam Chair, Commissioner Green, no we actually had a new grant start and the these are three-year grants and so they overlap. So when the new one started, we we had existing grants in place and so we did a supplemental appropriation just to balance out that but but our you know basically what you're seeing in um 2026 is our normal book of business. So that's kind of driven by uh okay resource and capacity. So, it was a uh an additional grant on top of the other ones and as one falls off the table at the end of this year, that new grant now continues on. So, um >> Okay. So, there's not a federal grant program that ended. >> No, not at all. Not at all. >> Yeah. Um and then I was going to ask always really interested and excited by the um work uh that we do sort of supporting and helping small businesses sort of amplify their own success essentially. And I wanted to ask I appreciate that uh my sense of this work and certainly what was shared is that it really is focusing on addressing disparities. Now, we do know that a lot of small business growth happens in communities of color and immigrant communities. Like that's sort of the natural way of that's how things were 10 years ago. And I so I'm wondering like do we have a way of addressing of of measuring how we're addressing disparities in that space such that we can really take some credit for any incrementalism? >> Sure. Madam Ch uh Chair Gatel, uh Commissioner Green, I think Patricia Fitzgerald is here, and I'd invite her to join us. Please introduce yourself. >> Thank you. Patricia Fitzgerald, Housing and Economic Development, Director of Economic Development Strategy. Um thank you, Chair and Commissioner Green. Um we do have a lot of data on who we serve and the results of our work. So we can say how many um businesses owned by black, indigenous and people of color elevate Henipin has has helped launch. Um how many businesses have access financing, added jobs and that sort of thing. So we have those direct results from our work. Um the data on small businesses in general is a little wonky. Um so I won't go down a rabbit hole. Um and surprisingly some of the latest data on demographics is actually from 2022. So when 2017 to 2022, five year span and that showed a significant increase in Henipin County in blackowned businesses in particular and um American Indianowned businesses in particular and Latino owned businesses. >> I'm so glad I asked. So, so the trend is great and we saw that of course those are, you know, strange years and so we're looking at other data that we can access to look at um what else is going on. >> Yeah. Oh, well, thank you. Great to hear. Um, and then the last question I had and and um, Administrator Wentland and I discussed this sort of very briefly yesterday, but I really am interested in knowing uh, about sort of getting a concrete list of federal grants that are ending for the whole for our whole organization. Um, and I know on slide 18, this was sort of alluded to um, page eight of our handouts, but I just want to just register that I'd like to get a list of that. You know, a lot of my constituents are asking what's going on and I try to convey Henipin County is here for the long haul. You know, convey a sense of stability. I think that's um, our role um, as elected leaders. On the flip side, I do want to inject some realism about what's going on and the the significant cuts. And I I feel like people many people don't have the ability to sort of conceive of the size of the cuts and the breadth of the cuts. Um, and I know when we talked about WICK coming to an end, I'm like, Wick, like I remember knowing about WICK when I was like a teenager and just like that was always, you know, such an important program. That's that was sort of how America does business. Haha. Um, so I just really want to understand that with great specificity so I can convey that to residents. Thank you, >> Chair Gunnel. Commissioner Green, we can follow up with that information. >> Yeah. And that's sort of that's not just >> this I' I've mentioned it today but it's not just on your group Jody >> Commissioner Fernando. >> Thank you Madam Chair. So this is as mentioned it's obviously very large large book but I think over the years that I've been here this um you know even just these together right resident services always wasn't its own line of business. there were just I think four ACAs and no deputies when um when uh Commissioner Connley and I uh had the privilege of joining the county. So just from an overall org chart perspective, this is the in my opinion we are continuing to put stuff in the right kind of spot and make sure that um it is getting the kind of like focus and foundational support that it needs. So I I wanted to highlight a few of those like additional positions over the years. One of course is I I pulled out the two sheets of leaders obviously Eric Ericson. Um we were the first like county I think in the country to have such a dedicated kind of data um focus with um you know and then that was it was kind of weird times. Um and then a few years ago a few years ago of co ago, excuse me, of course, Jennifer Yang with grants management and then just last year with um compliance and breath. And so I know that there are many others, but those three I think really demonstrate um my my like affirming feedback for this particular line of business and the way that the organization has sought to do work in the last handful of years and in the in the coming years. It is through data. It is through leveraging resources and it is ensuring that we're doing so in a way that's compliant. And just extending what Commissioner Eden said and I think maybe putting a finer point to what Miss Sack was sharing, some of the fraud that we're uh discovering is coming because of county workers reporting and engaging in the accountability. And so from a resident perspective, governments are totally conflated. Yes. and our own Henipin workers are um contributing to the accountability and the question asking uh to ensure that our systems are working um working well now and working um well into the future to ensure that it's reliable, accessible and and equitable as um as Miss Porma shared in the beginning. Uh so I yeah so org you know f like focus area if you will foundational the types of positions and the efforts that are um taking place and then I'll use um Jennifer's department as a example I don't know if you all like examples where your names are named but here we are $2.4 million is for the 2026 budget. We know that $75 million in grant funding came in and that's that's not quite the levy increase, but it's not not the levy increase. >> So, I just the full levy increase we're discussing 7 and a half plusish percent. I'm just saying 7 and a half to to kind of kind of mirror to the 75 million. So this is this is really instrumental leadership that is that this organization and colleagues we have uh together uh sought to embody by way of where we're investing what we are measuring and the types of results and outcomes that we are able to then um you know realize on behalf of residents. So, uh, that's one big thread I wanted to, uh, just shout out by way of kind of example and, um, and of course looking forward to to future, um, iterations of those same principles. I had two areas I wanted to flag. One was I wanted to echo um, Commissioner Green's question around business data, and I've mentioned this to uh, that entire team many times. Just as whatever number of years ago we really dug in on housing data like I am interested on the business side. Um I mentioned this a few hearings ago we see of businesses closing we see of restaurants closing. We see like what are the patterns not just of businesses or organizations being formed. Um but like if they are leaving our community why is that if you know so we I'm I'm concerned about what data we can rely upon by others. So we we've done this before. It was, you know, first housing. We've done a bit with home ownership and income. And so what does it look like from a from a business perspective? Second, and there might be response on this one or at least clar clarifying this is on the slide 15, the one about solar energy production. Um I'm very interested in and and this could for sure be a followup. So just renewable energy as we think about in the next 10 20 years many different laws we heard it we heard from AMC around a big effort for nuclear for example we've heard I'm just communicating like information at this point right um I've of course and we've started with with um aspects of of geothermal or geo exchange so I'm I'm interested in just renewable energy kind of over time and um and then maybe yeah this is all better for a follow-up. And then a little bit of clarity on because I I noticed the word onsite here. Um the solar energy production goal of 10% of total energy consumption produced on site. I I um I'm just I don't know where the laws sit on this at this portion. My understanding is that at least when I joined um um being a formal official, you know, uh my my memory is that any renewable energy still had to kind of go back to the grid. So that that's why I'm kind of noticing the on-site portion. Oo, do you have a >> Well, Madam Chair, I think what we're trying to get at is it's not that we're buying energy from XL and they're buying from solar gardens that are somewhere else. That what the the goal for the 10% is 10% on site of our own buildings. And you're right that that some of that to the extent that we don't use the the uh solar energy or we have a you know a very sunny day and we have a light use we do sell it back to to uh Excel. But the goal for that for the 10% is so that we are not relying upon others to build solar gardens and purchasing our electricity through that and designating that. But our goal is that our buildings themselves will have that 10%. >> Agreed. But that's just mathematically right we we still rely upon the grid. It has to go back into the grid and then it comes back to us or is that not the case? >> Uh >> any or did I stump someone? That'd be nice. >> I'm a lawyer, not an alter. >> So, I'm I'm not going to answer that. >> My condolences. No, I'm joking. >> I'm joking. Okay. I'm I'm going to slam this. Well, I appreciate the followup. What I'm getting at is at organizational or excuse me, um resiliency among our in-house systems. If we are producing the energy on site, how might that be generative either for ours or maybe even the surrounding area? I come from a geographic area with a lot of outages and I used to just kind of swallow that because my residential area has lots of outages until this year for the first time North Point had a close early. So I am >> just in I'm interested in how renewable energy overall and then increasing resiliency for our organizations and I'll leave it at that. Thank you madam chair. >> Any final comments on that? Go ahead and chair commissioner friend may I want to touch on um you indicated in regards to the foresight that this leadership the county board had in regards to where we have grown in the needs for services and support. So Jennifer Yang and grants management the 70 plus million dollars in grant um that foresight also um best stack who talked about the compliance between the development of the compliance team and our grants management team that resulted in all the changes that have occurred over this last year with federal funding. So on top of the 70 plus million it is about 300 million in >> injunctive relief. Oh yeah good point. to we have 271 million total budgeted for 2025 about the same amount of >> 26. That team made the difference in helping this large organization organize our work, really be attentive to our work and ensure that we pull down funding where it's most appropriate in the most um in a manner that reflects our county's mission and our core values. So, I just want to acknowledge that. >> Madam Chair, that's great. I love that I thought I pulled out a big number to, you know, shout out the work and of course there's a larger number. So, thank you for the clarity and um we are very very grateful for the injunctive relief and the overall continuity of revenues during a very particular time. Thanks, Chair. >> Thank you. I know you have to take off and you certainly will be excused, >> but one one final quick um feel free there's plenty of space in Fort Snelling for wind turbines. >> Think about close to the airport. >> We're adding to the renewal too close to the airport. >> Sorry. I know. you know, that's a really good idea if we could do it. But there's there's new technology coming on those, too. Um, I just I wanted to start talking about the fraud because it was brought up a couple of times and I know that when I was out at my town halls and I just finished my town halls, it was brought up and people were talking about it and I know every time I hear a fraud case, I always call Jody, Jody, what do we know? Do we have these contracts with any of these people? And by and large, no. And that is that is really that's credible because we don't we're very careful who we work with. even if it's a small um owned business, you know, people of color and stuff, we make sure that there's compliance. And I know when I first started at the county, when Jennifer Decubellis was in the health and human services too, that we stopped some contracts with transports because of the issues of fraud. And I know that at every moment that those things happened that we communicated to the state about that fraud. And so I'm I just want to say how responsive and responsible the county is and how I have such faith that we're not into this and around that housing stability. We had that conversation the same. Do we have anything around? No, we don't use those contractors. We use other sources and other people and that really matters that we above scrutiny and you know it just talks to the integrity of this organization. So kudos. But Kevin and I sit on the audit committee and there's lots of questions. >> Oh, I know. >> I know. >> Sorry. >> Upgrade >> commissioner. So anyway, >> so I I have I have several things that I'm I'm going to go and I'm I'm on page 32 and you know, we just talk about I'm talking about this laha which we got. This is great dollars. We've heard about how we're doing with those kinds of things. But I'm just in the overall picture of what's coming down the pipeline, the cuts at state, the cut at federal. I know we were hoping to take some of those dollars into more affordable housing project, but I was wondering is our stat strategy, what is our strategy now with what's going on at the federal and state level? Can somebody speak to that? >> Chair Gutell, do you want >> Mr. Dockery? Thank you. Welcome back up. you knew you were working. >> Uh thank you, Madam Chair. It's a it's a great question. I think um uh both between housing economic development, housing stability and OVF, I mean we have contingency plans and then we have contingency plans for contingency plans because of with a lot of federal federal dollars. But um you will see we will continue to I think robustly invest along our continuum. So where we see weaknesses based on other funding sources be that in shelter, supportive housing, uh affordable rental and home ownership. Um we will uh adjust our plans as we go, but um you know, you will continue to see us talk about the continuum of investment and where we need to to invest. So if uh if there are shortages in the shelter system, I think like we're seeing uh now in in in 2026, we'll lean in there. As we move hopefully beyond that, we'll continue um with the ultimate goal of continuing the production numbers because we know I mean that's our strategy, right? To to provide a product for people to move from homelessness into stable housing and then up. >> Just wonder how we'll have the dollars to do it. >> Yeah. it I mean you know we'll it'll be uh there will be some leaners I think as we adjust but you will note like today from from our perspective uh and you heard this from me last month on the HR right we haven't reduced any of our programming um in the H so we will continue that production uh we have not lost any of our federal CDBG home ESG grants yet so we continue to deploy those funds and um the sales tax will be, you know, additive to that. Um, and if I think Joe maybe >> are we hearing anything from out of Washington DC on this? >> So, madam chair and I just I'll respond to that in a second. Just to also add on to what Kevin's sharing. You know, there is a lot of work between OBF and HD um and along with the housing group and human services to make sure that we're responding to the current needs but also not losing sight of the long-term vision. And I think Kevin's team has done a really great job of reminding everybody, you know, we're in this for the long haul. I would also just remind people one of the great assets of this new sales tax for housing is it does finally provide a dedicated source of revenue in a space that that hasn't always existed in the same way. And so, um, I would agree with Kevin to your point about what's coming out of Washington. We are certainly seeing a lot of indications for massive disruptions in how HUD is being funded and where they're going to put resources in the future. >> That said, um I think it's a policy question for you all, the state and the federal uh policy makers. Is what's being proposed out of Washington currently going to be sustainable? because certainly uh if they remove you know 80% of the funding for some of these programs that have proven uh to actually add more units of housing into our communities then what's going to take its place um or what's the impact if that's just kind of pulled back and uh I would agree I think you know we've seen the pendulum swing pretty far uh one direction and then the other um I would just observe you know in 2023 there was significant increases in state and federal funding particularly in the case, I don't know that we've ever seen kind of the sudden whipssaw and retrenchment backwards. So far though, the sales tax has survived at the legislature and there has not been, as far as I'm aware, any serious discussion about revisiting that. And so we are very optimistic that that will remain. I think there's a commitment from the legislature um that that's a critical funding source and I think we've seen our responsibility as county staff to make sure that we spend it well and that we can show our residents how it's immediately impacting. And I just one last thing on page 34, if you actually want to see a line by line uh breakdown of where that revenue is going, >> it actually lists all of the programs for 24 into 25 and 26. And so you can just see where that uh commitment is is moving forward. >> Yeah. Yeah, I mean I have concerns and what's what I have heard at least. So I went to the Western Conference and so the current administration is looking at BLA land. I'm just going to tell you what a joke that is because the the the bureau has no money to really impact any of that land around there. It's it's considered like public land right now. There is no infrastructure whatsoever. And over the 20 years of this program nationally, you know how many projects it got done? one one. So, this policy that they want to bring forward is dead on arrival. And you should have heard some of the comments that I had some of my colleagues from the western region about how poorly this is done and and they just and and it was a federal person who was speaking to this and how badly, you know, they just beat up on him pretty good. I'm just saying. Um it's just not a good program right now and it didn't work out for them and to try to nobody can afford developers can't afford to put all the infrastructure into those areas to get those housing. A lot of them are in areas that are water poor and are impacted by climate at a greater rate than ours, you know, in parts of the southern uh southwest states. And so it's a really big issue there. So I'm just it's just not a fix. Uh >> so >> I just I guess I know of the one project that is it has happened and and the reasons it's happened is because it's amazing land with beautiful views and access to services and whatnot. And so I I want to relax but on the other hand it's they are going to peel off you know what is our shared >> patrimony or matrimony. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. Agreed. Agreed. Um and then on the other question, you know, I guess I pointed out on page 70, I have this asterisk, emergency management was facing potential loss of multiple federal grants at a time of request of the budget. OBF supports maintaining these essential services um proposing budget with a best case scenario outlined in transmittal. So, I mean, especially with the changes in FEMA and now too, um, this is just an area of concern that I have that we're prepared for emergencies and we had a FEMA grant that we didn't get. So, we know, >> Madam Chair, on this one, I would just recognize that Eric Wagi did an amazing job throughout this year of keeping all of the leadership team informed. Things were literally changing by the week and by the day. Um, if you talked to us four months ago, we were not particularly optimistic about how things were going. And I just also recognize that uh Beth Stack and Jennifer Yang and the county attorney's office staff were also all very helpful. So, it really is truly u a team effort across the whole organization. And so, we're feeling very good about where the these stand today and we'll see if they survive beyond 2026. But uh I it feels like uh these grants in particular kind of went the full cycle of they looked like they were gone. I think the federal government recognized what a disaster that would have been. Not no pun intended. And ultimately recognized that the the value of these investments on these grants is really tremendous. And I defer at that point to Eric Wagi to ask more answer more questions or or speak more to that or jo I can um add to that. Eric Wagi is at a conference on it, so he's not online. Um, but Chair Gatell um adding on to what Joe said um is exactly right. We we were anticipating worst case scenario. Eric and his team actually did a great job of putting together three separate budgets. Worst case scenario, like uh most likely case scenario, and best case scenario. And what we were able to submit for this budget is the best case scenario. So, we have gotten some good um responses from the feds that the money that we had is still holding. Eric is also down a number of staff. Many of his staff are half funded with property tax, half funded with grant. And so, right now, we're holding steady on leaving those vacants because we're unsure of where we're going. But he he's done a great job. And right now, as as Joe said, we're in a very good position. And so I appreciate all the work that they did um to give us options about how to how to move forward with their budget. >> Okay. Thank you. I appreciate that. I just have a few more things I just wanted to say. First of all, Elevate. I I can't tell you enough about every time I go to the cities and go talk to the city managers and the the councils and everything. Everybody loves this program. And so it's just a really a big hit. We just can't get it out fast enough, far enough, right? And I just love going and seeing the businesses. They are so fun. They are so cool, especially when they do their presentations. Um, you know, and I also wanted to talk about the the whole solar first of all, that was really great to see the work that we're doing. But, um, the facilities folks are just amazing people. They're extremely imaginative. Um, they're creative and they have got garnered a lot of the lowhanging fruit and it's getting a lot harder for them. And in fact, we've actually brought on the 625 and the 701 buildings. And so that's kind of skewed information and we've had to rightsize some of the ways we calculate that too. And we also had more heating days and more um cooling days than we have in previous times. So again, trying to balance that all out that you know with climate change, it's really really hard. But what's um so they're they're very much challenged by this. So, just just saying um we brought in the hospital systems this year. I was so excited to see the hospitals there and sharing some of their great practices with us and we we learned a lot. Um but I but what they talked to about is what's on the horizon for even bigger savings but bigger projects and and that's a realistic things. There's still a lot of room to put solar in here and also there's um water geothermal is the next thing and that's the next big big thing. The other other thing I just I talked to a couple people at my table about um the commercial and residential wind that's coming up and there's all kinds of technology over in the Scandinavian countries. We can literally put it on the side of the building or up and it's not as high as the the wind that we have now and it captures really well. Um, and so there's a lot that's going. You can put it all along a whole side of a building and capture especially down in the streets of a place like Minneapolis because of the way the wind works because of the way the weather isn't just because of the streets and everything actually funnels um wind. We all know places where wind funnels and you can take advantage of those now and that's going to be some of the new creative ways in which we we come up with some of these savings. But I have a lot of faith in our facilities people. They're going to do it for us. So, um, I just wanted to mention that. And title two about the whole accessibility. I hear a lot from my disability community. So, I thank you for taking this on. This really means a lot to me and to the community that I serve and that I respond to usually weekly. Um, one of the big things I just want to push out there is how grateful they are for the YouTube channel with the closed caption. Now, a lot of people were struggling to be able to find the closed caption and turn it on and not knowing that. and people with disabilities and cognitively challenged folks have a hard time with this. This is so much nicer for them. You'd be surprised how many people watch this of that community. Um I know they get online with me regularly. So I just think that that's wonderful. So those are those are my comments. Any reflection? Any last comments? We do have a couple minutes. >> I just have one comment. I just um I just want to flag I just received a a text from a food shelf in my district >> and I know we're on operations right now, but we're the county. >> Yeah. >> And he just met with other um food shelf executive directors >> and they're on crisis mode. >> Yeah. >> So I just want to flag for us. I know that we don't know where what we're going to do, but to say we don't know what we're going to do when food shelves are not sure how they're going to feed people. I just I I just want us to be thinking about that. So, I don't know if we can pause some of the grants we do. I don't know what we can do, but we cannot let people go hungry in this county. So, I just would like us to be digging down deep on what we can do to make sure that come November 4th and people are going to the grocery store and their card is not working, they ask you to not eat that night, right? Not everybody has family. So, I just not to, you know, sidetrack us here a little bit, but it's it's actually really important. No, I got I got text messages last night too about some of the other stuff and I forwarded it on to Jody and to Kareem about some of the other funding that's going to drop off. People are going to be in dire straits here and it's going to happen really fast. So, um, contingency planning needs to start. It's got to be now. So, we I know we've done some of the planning, so let's figure out what we can do. So, appreciate it. Any other last things? I can't believe we finished up early as big as this book was. So, so now now with um comments concluded and everything like this, we'll move on to PO, which is the old business. I'd like a motion to lay over at um this item until 12:00 p.m. noon on Thursday, October 23rd, when we will convene for the budget hearing on 2026 proposed budget to consider the human services health line of businesses. >> Second. It's been moved and seconded. All those in favor signify by I. >> I. Motion carries. Item five is the open forum. Members of the public watching this budget hearing can call in and leave a recorded comment and it'll be played at the next board meeting budget hearing. If there is not enough time to play all the comments, the recordings will be sent to the commissioners. For comments should your comments should be related to the specific budget hearing of today. Recorded messages will also need to meet the following standards. They are the same standards for the inperson comments. Callers need to state their last and first and last name. Um, callers will need to adhere to the rules of decorum outlined in the posted guidance. Comments must be kept twominut limit. Comments that were beyond the 2 minutes will not be heard. So to record comments, call 612-688 3545. The line will be open 4 hours starting at the end of this, which is 2:30. That makes it till 6:30. and the line is open. 612-688 34 um 3545. Again, if you want to send an email or a letter to your commissioner, you can do that as well. Speak to somebody in person or a board meeting, please attend the annual truth and taxation. That's December 2nd at 6 p.m. The 2026 proposed budget and information on these hearings is available at www.henipen. us/budgets. Thank you, Miss Wetland. Thank you for all the staff who show up at these wonderful meetings. We appreciate all your participation and your help. And to those who aren't here as well, um the committee is now in recess. >> Thank you.