A few questions are still open, including the recourse for requesters that have without government ID, and the fact that we don't currently track the cost or revenue tied to data requests. A policy governing the public's access to their own government deserves a few minutes of open discussion, not a consent vote where questions feel out of place.

Is there a second? Seeing no second, the motion fails due- Madam Chair, maybe- A lack of a second ... I would just, often the case, we move forward with things because of timing. I was just curious from staff, is there any harm in delaying this matter? Madam Chair, Commissioner, I do believe there's an August 1st deadline for reviewing this policy every year.

A legal kiosk is a workstation which includes a computer, software, scanner, and printer. They're built with the sole purpose of helping self-represented litigants. I often refer to it as a self-represented litigant's one-stop shop. One can access forms from the Minnesota Judicial Branch, apply for legal aid services, scan and upload exhibits to the Judicial Branch's digital exhibit system, and access remote court hearings.

I would just be curious, in six months or a year, if there's data that you can come back and share with us about how many people maybe are utilizing this. I can't imagine that that 4,000 number is going to go down. I'm sure there will still be that many people coming into the library, but I'm wondering if their service then will be faster, right?

To honor the dedication of election judges, election workers, and volunteers whose service strengthens democracy and protects the rights of Washington County voters, the Property Records and Taxpayer Services Department recommends that the county board declare August 11th, 2026, National Poll Worker Recruitment Day in Washington County.

I think it's really important to be a poll worker. I think to be a part of the democratic process and to see it live and how it's done is really something everyone should do.

Based on existing conditions, anticipated traffic growth, operational benefits, and pedestrian needs, Public Works recommends adopting a resolution authorizing the installation of necessary signs and pavement markings to establish an all-way stop at CSAD 20 and Ravine Parkway in the city of Cottage Grove. This action will allow us to proactively manage safety and operations as the area continues to grow.

It's just not written on the staff report. Normally, when we have any type of project, I can pull some from the past. We have the budget listed on there. How much is it going to cost? What plan is it from? But right now, you're speaking in more general terms than I'm used to. And so based on the information that you're providing me today, it doesn't give me a clear understanding of why this is happening before other projects.

This is what we call the Pine Needles Conservation Easement Project. It's a potential Land and Water Legacy program conservation easement property that's owned by the Science Museum of Minnesota. And it's called Pine Needles because it's home to the historic James Taylor Dunn Pine Needles Cabin. This is a cabin that was built in 1912 and occupied by James Taylor Dunn, who was chief librarian of the Minnesota Historical Society and publisher of the first major history of the St. Croix River.

Washington County is home to us. We started in 1991 as the Washington County Land Trust. And so, in 1993, we decided to, as an organization, go statewide. But to date, we have more conservation easements, about 90 of them, here in Washington County than in any other county in the state of Minnesota.

My hope is that we start to look at the entire county on how we can be equitable with the types of money we're putting in. Because the bigger cities that I talk about and I represent are the ones that are the most populated and giving the money to the county. So, my job as a representative is to make sure that that money is also going back to my local communities, and this does not.

We also have a very active portion of this program where we work directly with cities to identify projects within their boundaries for protection, and oftentimes it's a partnership on the more passive park type of opportunities that are available. So we have done, over the last 20 years, projects in a number of the communities that Commissioner Clausen mentioned, the City of Woodbury, the City of Oakdale, the City of Stillwater. Those projects have come forward under that local match portion of our Land and Water Legacy program, and the intention is that that will continue if the referendum passes in 2026.

Both the financial system and HCM system, again, those are the two core components of our ERP, those systems are both outdated, and no longer considered adequate to support the scale and complexity of our county operations. And therefore, a real need has arisen here to modernize these systems and to improve efficiency, data integrity, and county service delivery into the future.

I think my issue is the cost. The cost is a lot, and I know that the cost of the system's going to be a lot. But I already actually feel that we know the information, because we, the county, county staff, and other counties and other city staff, we all work on the same types of systems. And so it's just really expensive, and I know that we commonly have done this in the past, but with the budget limitations, these are the types of contracts that I don't feel comfortable approving, because I believe we could do it internally and make the selection and use this 300,000 for what it's going to cost.

Certainly with a project of this size, it is typical to go through the steps that Joe outlined with this assessment happening first, and allowing that assessment to identify the county's needs long term, what we currently have, where there are gaps, and also make sure that we have the information needed to prepare that RFP so that when the request is made to companies who provide these things, they know what we want, what we need, and they can provide us a proposal that fits that or shows where they have gaps. And so, certainly that is not something that we have internally for expertise and frankly, and/or time.

The majority of the donations this quarter are the typical donations that we see that are going to the parks division, our libraries, and our sheriff's office. I would just note that we have less than $6,000 in monetary donations and just more than 1,700 in in-kind donations.

These kinds of donations, it's because people believe in Washington County. They believe in how we function and operate here. They have trust in the work that we're doing, and oftentimes, and in this particular case, an individual that wanted to support the K9 unit within our police department.