Good morning, and welcome, everybody. I'm going to go ahead and call the Aug- or whoa, almost said August there. September 1st, 2026, Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting today. The clerk will take the roll. Commissioner Miron? Here. Commissioner Karwoski? Here. Commissioner Cox? Here. Commissioner Bigham? Here. Commissioner Clausen? Here. Roll call taken, all present. All right. Please join us for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. All right. We are on to the comments from the public, and I have quite a few speaker cards today. So just first, thank you, everybody, for being here. And we are the closest level of government to the people, and we are happy to have you here this morning to speak about what's on your mind. And so what I do have in order here, and we will just go through the cards, and then we will open it up if there's anybody else that would like to speak. But we would ask if you are planning to speak and haven't yet had the opportunity to fill out a card, if you could please do that and bring it to either Deputy Administrator Wagenius or Deputy Administrator Lucke, and they'll get it to me so that I can put it in the pile here. Just a reminder that we do not respond to comments during public comment. If there is need for follow-up, either staff or a commissioner may follow up with you. We ask that you keep your comments to three to five minutes and try not to repeat what other people have said. With that, let's get at it with Ms. Martha Winslow from St. Mary's Point. If you could please come to the speaker rostrum and state your name and community, please. Good morning. Thank you for the opportunity to speak, Chair Bigham and commissioners, and I really appreciate your welcome. I think we are very much on the same page. My name is Martha Winslow, and I live in St. Mary's Point. I stand before you today as the leader of St. Croix Valley Indivisible. Joining me today are other constituents from across Washington County, including activists from St. Croix Valley Indivisible, Woodbury Indivisible, Forest Lake and surrounding area Indivisible, plus some representatives of We Choose Us and the Washington County Democracy team. Welcome you to stand and show that you're here in support of this action. We are all here in support of free and fair elections. I'm the orchestra conductor. I have great admiration for the safeguards built into our election laws in Minnesota and how elections are administered in Washington County. However, this is a different year. I've heard Secretary of State Steve Simon acknowledge this. This year, there are threats from the federal government that may disrupt or simply throw confusion into the general election. I first became an election judge for the 2024 primary and general elections. For those elections, I participated in the public accuracy tests at my local precinct and for the machines tested here at the county. I attended the canvassing board meetings, and I watched the post-election review after the general. I've become a bit of an election nerd, but actually really more of an evangelist about the safety and security of our elections. I have met the election staff, and they are extremely professional. My admiration for this county's work around elections is so strong that after the 2024 elections, I made a public comment here praising your work in that election. Yet, and still, I'm concerned about this general election. What decision is the Supreme Court going to make about the current mail-in ballot case? There were federal election observers here in Minnesota for our primary. Secretary of State Simon explicitly asked them to obey our laws about how far they needed to be away from polling places, and I've heard him say that they all behaved themselves. That's a quote. But what about the general election? There are other threats that have been made by President Trump, and we should believe him, even if it sounds preposterous. These are not ordinary times. In these extraordinary times, it may take extraordinary backbone to stand up for free and fair elections. Today, we are asking all five of you commissioners, plus the sheriff and the county attorney, to sign a straightforward freedom to vote pledge. By signing the pledge, you will say to residents of Washington County that you have the backbone to uphold your oath of office, specifically to abide by the US Constitution and state election laws, to refuse to comply with any unlawful executive orders that restrict voting, and pledge to faithfully play your role to certify the rightfully elected winners of the elections this November, regardless of their party affiliation. We will have copies of the pledge that we will provide to you this morning. Thank you. Thank you, Ms. Winslow. Okay. Probably don't want to do that for every speaker, though, I would ask. The next person up is Mr. Paul Tuvesson. If you could state your name and community, sir. Morning. My name is Paul Tuvesson, and I live in Woodbury. I've had a chance to be an election judge for several elections in Woodbury. It has been a good experience where everyone worked together for a smooth process throughout the day. The numbers have always come out the way they should be. The credit for the smooth process goes to the Washington County officials and anyone who worked with this group. Without their strong leadership, the results would not be what they are time and time again. In addition, I'm trusting that all of us election judges will have the support of you folks should we get a hostile voter. I've never witnessed this, but I'm reading about it where people are getting more creative to disrupt the system I would love to see stricter penalties for those who are clearly in the wrong create a disturbance, all the while their only mission is to find fault with our election process when there aren't any. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Paul. Next individual is Ms. Dawn Tuveson. If you could state your name and community when you get to the speaker's rostrum. Good morning. Thank you for this opportunity. My name is Dawn Tuveson, and I'm a constituent living in Woodbury, Minnesota, Washington County. I've been co-leading, and working with a group of amazing concerned neighbors in Washington County to protect the integrity of the 2026 elections. Until the recent passing of Vivian Latimer Tannehill, I was co-leading the Washington County democracy team with her, and I'm speaking here today on behalf of myself, but also because I know Vivian would be speaking if she were here today. Her childhood roots were in Alabama, and she lived and experienced Jim Crow laws. She took her right to vote seriously. She was proud to vote, and she was a fierce advocate for every citizen to vote. I know she valued the relationships with all of you and all of the Washington County officials, and we all do. But let's face it, we are in unprecedented times. With disinformation flowing, increased threats to our elections by our own federal government almost daily, this is really scary. And we trust that you intend to follow the law. You've told us that. We appreciate that. But we can't help but wonder, do you have a plan if there is interference by the federal government? And I know you don't answer questions, but we think, what is that plan? Can you share that with us? We want to continue to work with all of you, but we want to understand what your plan is and what this will look like, and what your plans are for the different scenarios that may pop up. Other than helping to spread the truth and drown out the information or disinformation, how can we help you? So, please let us know. Democracy only works if it works for all of us. Thank you very much for allowing me to express my concerns. Thank you, Dawn. You're welcome. The next speaker is Mr. John Buettner from Stillwater. You can state your name and community. Good morning. My name is John Buettner. I'm a citizen of Stillwater. Been here for 23 years. I'm a retired Marine. Been involved in the Marine Corps for 23 years. I'm a Vietnam-era veteran, as well as a Desert Storm veteran. In 2024, I was also an election judge. But I didn't come here to talk about me. I'm a US citizen who dislikes dictatorships. I've lived in a dictatorship country several times. I especially don't like dictatorships in the United States. We have a president at this time who does not believe in the Constitution of the United States and does not follow it. He's also pro-Putin. He is also a felon, impeached twice, and here's the big thing. He will do anything, absolutely anything, legal or otherwise, to have his supporters win the next election. That's why I'm here today. I'm asking for your support and your leadership. We need to make sure that everybody who is legally entitled to vote gets to vote. We need to make sure that everybody who votes gets his vote counted, and when the election is up and the counts are in, we need your support and leadership to make sure that every person who was voted in is duly allowed to take that position. I strongly ask for both your support and your leadership to make this happen. Thank you very much. Thank you, sir, and thank you for your service. The next person is Ms. Maureen Hughes. If you would state your name and community for the record. Good morning. My name is Maureen Hughes. I'm a resident of Woodbury as well as Washington County, and I'm here today as a younger constituent hoping to share a perspective you might not often hear in these meetings. In an effort to go beyond my own opinion, I want to reference the 52nd Harvard Youth Poll that was conducted in April of this year, which surveyed American youth from ages 18 to 29 about their views on our political system and the upcoming elections. The results were concerning. Only 33% said they trust that the 2026 elections will be conducted fairly. 43% said they do not, and another 21% said they were unsure. That means nearly two-thirds of young Americans have some level of doubt about whether our elections will be fair. I'm here today because I do believe in our electoral process, and I want my peers to believe in it too. I want them to see that their vote matters, and that our elections here in Minnesota, in Washington County, and across the country will accurately reflect the will of the people. I intend to do my part. I will vote and encourage others to do the same, and I'm asking you, the people entrusted with administering our local elections, to do yours. Protect the integrity of the process, uphold Minnesota's laws, and help ensure that every voter can have confidence that their vote will be counted fairly. If we want young people to believe in our democracy and participate in it, we have to give them a reason to trust it. In closing, thank you for spending your time and energy being involved in our local government and doing the work you do every day to make our community a great place to live. Thank you. Thank you. The next individual is Mr. Douglas Luehr from Forest Lake. If you would please approach the speaker rostrum and state your name and community for the record. I'm Douglas Luehr, currently live in Forest Lake. Class of '68, Stillwater High School here. Minnesota has a strong and robust voting system, and we live under pressure right now, unprecedented influence from the federal government. And all we really want is your support with the people that you're connected with to make sure that the elections run smoothly as they had in the past and reflect the will of the people of the country without interference. That's where we're asking you to step in and ensure that the Constitution is followed vis-à-vis those laws. Thank you. Thank you, sir. The next speaker is Ms. Theresa Hughes from Woodbury. Could you approach and state your name and community for the record, please? Good morning. My name is Theresa Hughes. I live in Woodbury, Minnesota. I am here as well this morning to lend my voice in support of this group's request that our commissioners, our sheriff, and our county attorney all sign the free election pledge that we present today. Thomas Jefferson said, "We do not have a government by the majority. We have a government by the majority who participate." Casting one's vote is the most significant way we as Americans participate in our democracy. Therefore, the ability to exercise that right is critical. We are here today because, like all of you, we want all qualified Washington County residents to be able to cast their vote. And that includes their vote by mail, through the early voting process, and in person at their designated precinct polling place on November 3rd. And we want them to be able to exercise that right without undue influence or intimidation by any outside forces. I fully anticipate that all of the Washington County elected officials and employees will uphold the Constitution of the United States, the Minnesota State Constitution, and all related election laws. Yet, in these challenging times, we can't be hopeful. We can't rely that the best thing, the right thing, will happen, and that's why we needed to show up today too, because that's part of our obligation to our democracy. I'm here today to speak primarily to our county attorney and to all of the attorneys and staff in the county attorney's office about their collective duty and crucial role in local election enforcement. As this board knows, and certainly our county attorney is well aware, Minnesota law gives the county attorney's office the jurisdiction to investigate any election violations. In addition to investigating suspected violations, they may also prosecute any cases related to election laws to ensure that any infractions are addressed legally, and where warranted, may seek monetary damages for the harm done. Finally, our county attorney could be called upon, as we know, to provide legal advice to our election officials in their work to understand and implement the election laws effectively. As residents of Washington County, we expect you to do all of the above if called upon. Finally, I want to just show my support again for the work that you all do. You come here frequently. You make our county run in a wonderful manner. So, thank you. And we need to say that, because since I've been coming to these meetings, I've really been aware of This is where the sausage is made, all those analogies. So thank you, and we ask you to step up and anticipate you will in these unprecedented times. Thank you. The last card I do have is from Ms. Stephanie Iverson, Forest Lake. If you could please step up to the speaker rostrum and state your name for community and community- I distributed some materials to the board. You go ahead. Thank you. My name is Stephanie Iverson. I was born, raised, and have lived most of my adult life in Washington County. I currently live in Forest Lake, so Commissioner Miron, I'd like to address my comments to you in particular, but I am hoping that each of the commissioners will listen carefully. As you are undoubtedly aware, we live in unprecedented times. Our federal administration has governed in an extraordinarily egregious manner, severely compromising the rights guaranteed in our US Constitution. For example, in March, the president issued an executive order barring the US Postal Service from delivering ballots to people not on a federal list of eligible voters. Our Secretary of State, Steve Simon, has indicated Trump's order targeting mail-in ballots doesn't actually currently impact Minnesota voting because our regulations and our processes are so strong, but it injects some unnecessary confusion in the entire process. Adding to public confusion is that in April this year, the president was quoted in The New York Times as saying, "I won't cancel the election." And a week later, he mused, "When you think of it, we shouldn't even have an election." The Constitution places responsibility for conducting elections with state legislatures, not the president. Furthermore, President Trump has had ICE agents rounding up anyone that appears to be a non-citizen. Those detained by ICE have most often been placed in detention centers with horrendous conditions, and many of these detainees have already achieved or were in the process of pursuing citizenship through a number of legal avenues, including the Birthright Amendment, otherwise known as the Fourteenth Amendment. It is because of his trampling, or at least confusing the people's election and voting rights, that we are even here today. As our county-elected leaders, you have a particular duty to ensure that every eligible voter in Washington County can exercise their freedom to vote and to have that vote counted. Because of you, the county auditor, the county attorney, the county sheriff, and the thousands of election judges who carry out the duty, Minnesota has a long history of safe and secure elections with robust, often record-breaking turnout. Thank you. Thank you. But as I said at the start, these are unprecedented times. So I'm here today with all my friends and neighbors to ask that you continue to uphold our election laws and to let you know that we are ready to support you in doing so. Commissioner Miron, as a resident of Forest Lake and one of your constituents, I'm asking you to sign our pledge to follow the US Constitution in carrying out your responsibilities as a way of reassuring the residents of Forest Lake that we still live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. I would also like to thank the entire board for hearing us out today. We hope you will each sign the pledge as a way of reassuring the residents of Washington County that all lives matter, and our elections are conducted in a fair and impartial manner. We have prepared the pledge for you, and you should have a copy of the pledge in your documentation. We will follow up with you, but we would like the pledge returned. Thank you so much. We would like the pledges returned by September 9th. Thank you again. Thank you so much. Thank you. Are there any other speakers that would like to address the county board at this time? Okay, well, that's all that I have for speaker cards. So again, thank you for taking the time to come this morning and speak what's on your mind. So really appreciate that. The next item on the agenda is approval of the agenda. Is there a motion to approve today's agenda? Motion to approve as listed. All right. Moved by Commissioner Karwoski, seconded by Commissioner Miran. Discussion. Seeing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed say nay. Motion carries. The next item is the consent calendar. Are there any items that any individual commissioners would like to pull? Seeing none, is there a motion to approve today's consent calendar? Madam Chair, I would approve consent calendars A through L as printed. Second. Moved by Commissioner Cox, seconded by Commissioner Miron. The clerk will take the roll. Commissioner Miron? Aye. Commissioner Karwoski? Aye. Commissioner Cox? Aye. Commissioner Clausen? Aye. Commissioner Bigham? Aye. Consent calendar passes five zero. All right. Thank you. The next item on the agenda is from the library about resolution proclaiming September 2026 as Library Card Sign-up Month. And to present this morning is our library director, Jackie Kramer. Good morning, Madam Chair and commissioners. Thank you so much for having me here today. I'm here to present a resolution declaring September 2026 as Library Card Sign-up Month in Washington County, and to introduce the winners in the library's first community library card design contest. Library Card Sign-up Month is an annual campaign to celebrate the valuable resources available to anyone with a library card. It's held in September to mark the beginning of the school year and the benefits of a library card for students. But we all know how important learning is to people of all ages. Reminding community members of the benefits of a library card and encouraging them to sign up for one helps us achieve our strategic plan goals to broaden access and improve visibility of library services. With a library card, community members can access books and audiobooks, attend free arts and cultural events, access online tutoring, learn a foreign language, prepare for tests and exams, improve their job search, and so much more. Library staff throughout Washington County are passionate about helping people, and that passion shows in the care they bring to their work. They ensure community members feel welcome when they visit the library and have the tools they need to fully access the resources we provide. I am continuously proud of their excellent work and am honored to lead our library team. And with your approval, Madam Chair, I will read the resolution. Absolutely. Thank you. Library Card Sign-up Month 2026 proclamation. Whereas Washington County Library has proudly served communities across Washington County for 60 years. And whereas libraries are foundational to education, imagination, and opportunity, offering everything from early literacy programs to digital tools that support lifelong learning and personal growth. And whereas libraries welcome all people, serving as inclusive and accessible community hubs that connect individuals across cultures, generations, and experiences. And whereas libraries help people of all ages navigate the complexities of life, providing access to research, information, and services that allow everyone to lead more productive and fulfilling lives. And whereas a library card provides access to a diverse collection of books, databases, and other resources to empower community members to explore new passions, interests, and ideas through lifelong learning. And whereas libraries are constantly transforming and expanding services to meet the evolving needs of their communities. And whereas libraries uphold democracy by promoting civic engagement and the free exchange of information and ideas for all. And whereas in times of both crisis and calm, libraries and their staff remain steadfast in supporting and strengthening their communities. Now therefore, be it resolved that the Washington County Board of Commissioners hereby proclaims September 2026 as Library Card Sign-up Month, and encourages everyone to sign up for a library card today. Thank you. Thank you. Any discussion from the board or motion for the resolution? Commissioner Cox. I'd be happy to make a motion to adopt the resolution proclaiming September 2026 as Library Card Sign-up Month and recognize the winners of the community library card design contest. Although we haven't done that yet. I'll second that. All right. Moved and seconded. Discussion, Commissioner Cox. I'll just say thank you. I think libraries are such an incredible place. I heard a quote recently, and I don't know if it's real or not from someone famous, but they said that libraries were like the living rooms of our community. And I just think that that's such a true statement. I think if you have any question in the world, a place you can always go is a librarian. And they will research and help, and they'll do everything they can to help get you an answer in. And so, I'm just grateful for all of the libraries that we have in our community. And I was able to sneak peek one of the library winners of the card design yesterday. And so I'm excited to see the additional designs and celebrate the designers today. Commissioner Karwoski. Thank you, Madam Chair. Director Kramer, thanks for presenting. I concur with Commissioner Cox's comments, but I'm going to add, libraries are great for those that are young and old. It kind of dawned on me more just in thinking about today. It's probably one of the services that we provide that truly does the whole spectrum of age, and that's what's great about the library. Equally popular and welcoming to anyone of any age. And what I like about the libraries is they're the equal... Makes the playing field equal. Some of us are fortunate in Washington County. We can have computer tools And buy a book or have resources. And the public library is really someplace somebody that maybe doesn't have the best laptop computer can use computer resources, get all the training they can. And that's, I think, a great thing about libraries. I'm excited to see the library card winners. I'm sure there were a lot of good ones to choose from. So congratulations, who perhaps we're going to see three, and congratulations to the three card designs. Thank you. Any other comments? Thank you, Director Kramer, for bringing forward this proclamation that we do every year because it really does highlight a lot of things. One, I like to think of it coinciding with school going back. And just a partnership that the schools and the libraries and just the collaboration is important. But specific to the card sign-up, the increase in the amount of cards is incredible. And that's really because of your department's efforts in lifting up what the library has to offer as far as programming, but also our circulation and the technology. And so I just want to thank you and your team for the incredible work that you guys do and the foresight that you have for what is needed. So appreciate that. Seeing no further discussion, let's take the roll on the resolution. Commissioner Miron? Aye. Commissioner Karwoski? Aye. Commissioner Cox? Aye. Commissioner Clausen? Aye. Commissioner Bigham? Aye. Resolution passes five zero. All right, and then Director Kramer, do you want to talk about the winners of the design? Right. Madam Chair, I apologize. I probably did that a little backwards. It's all good. So I'm going to introduce Kim Ukra, who's our senior communications specialist at the library, and she was the leader of this whole initiative, coordinated everything, did a fantastic job of the library card design contest, and she's going to introduce our winners. Good morning, Madam Chair and commissioners. Good morning. As Jackie said, my name is Kim Ukra, and I'm a senior communications specialist with Washington County Library. I'm here today to introduce the winners in the library's first-ever community library card design contest. As we discussed how we wanted to recognize 60 years of library service, it was important that the community be part of our celebration. Our informal theme has been Your Stories are Our Stories, because we know that community is what truly makes Washington County Library special. We launched the library card design contest in May and received more than 200 submissions from branches across the county. A small team selected a slate of semifinalists who were voted on by library staff. Our 16 finalists were then presented to the public who helped choose our winners. During public voting in June, more than 1,550 votes were cast. The winning designs have been made into new limited edition library cards that will be available in all library branches beginning tomorrow, September 2nd. Before we get to the winners, I'd like to thank librarians Kirsten Redding, Leah Eggersdorf, and Kate Buechler, library board member Sarah Janßen, and the county senior graphic designer Jacqueline Johnson for their help organizing the contest and choosing our semifinalists. Jacqueline also did an amazing job at translating our winning designs into printable library cards. Our winner in the kids division, Layla Rick, is a patron at Valley Library in Lakeland. She could not be here today because she's in school. Yeah. But Commissioner Cox and Director Kramer met with her yesterday for a photo and to say congratulations. Her winning design is this fun and colorful Libraries Rock card. Nice. Wow. All right. Thank you. Our winner in the teens division is Caitlin Pattenberg, who is a patron at R.H. Stafford Library in Woodbury. Her winning design is this cool library card checkup slip-inspired design. Step forward and show us. Okay, awesome. And finally, our winner in the adults division is Darcy Via, a patron at Park Grove Library in Cottage Grove. Her winning design is this delightful reading record. Oh, so cute. Thanks, Darcy. We are so excited to launch these limited edition cards to celebrate Library Card Sign-Up Month and Washington County Library's 60th anniversary. I'm happy to answer any questions and then invite the board down for photos with the winners. Absolutely. Well, those are incredible designs and creativity. And thank you, Jacqueline, for your assistance on that too. Any comments? All right. Well, let's do a picture then. Okay. I think maybe I'll go one group. Okay. Or do you want to? Okay. Security. You had the ear thing. Thank you so much for participating in that contest, too. The next item on our agenda is from Public Works, and it is to consider approving contract number 18557 with Alliant Engineering Incorporated. And to present on this is our engineer, Mike Klein. Welcome. Morning, Madam Chair and commissioners. As mentioned, my name is Mike Klein, and I am a project manager in the Public Works department. Today, Public Works will be recommending approval of a design contract for the County Highway 96 improvement project. During my presentation, I will provide an overview of the project, discuss the project schedule, run through services the consultant will provide under this contract, discuss the selection process, and how this contract will be funded, and close with the recommended board action. This project encompasses County State Aid Highway 96 from Trunk Highway 244 to Trunk Highway 95, as shown on the map on your slide. The corridor is a nine-mile, two-lane, east-west roadway located within the city of Stillwater, the city of Grant, city of Dellwood, and also Stillwater Township. This roadway was turned back to Washington County from MnDOT in 2023. Following the transfer, the county initiated a corridor study to evaluate existing conditions, identify operational and safety needs, and determine recommended improvements. This project marks the first Washington County highway located within the city of Dellwood. Dellwood and other cities and townships along the corridor participated actively throughout the corridor study, which included three public open houses, pop-up engagement activities, and updates to local councils. As we move forward into final design and eventual construction in 2028, Washington County will continue to provide updates to all cities and townships along County Highway 96. In the study, recommended improvements are categorized as short, mid, and long-term improvements. This project will address the short-term improvements identified in the study, including pavement resurfacing, guardrail replacement, drainage improvements, turn lanes at key intersections, and also intersection lighting. Through this project, we also have the opportunity to address multiple countywide objectives found in our strategic plan, including helping reduce the risk of serious injury crashes in this area with evaluating turn lanes at key intersections, maintaining a strong partnership with the city of Stillwater, Grant, Dellwood, and Stillwater Township, pavement rehabilitation, which supports the county's objective to raise our pavement condition index, and improving water quality of natural water bodies in the area with the evaluation of stormwater BMPs as part of this project. With board approval of this contract, preliminary design and public outreach would begin this year. In 2027, public outreach would continue as we move into the final design phase and begin the right-of-way acquisition process of this project. By the end of 2027, final design and any necessary right-of-way acquisition would be completed. In early 2028, the project bid package will be advertised for bidding. Construction is programmed for the summer of 2028. Consultant contract services for this design contract will include project coordination, comprehensive public engagement and outreach, wetland delineation, utility coordination, corridor safety analysis, intersection analysis and design, drainage analysis and design, development of a project layout, cost estimating, and final construction plans. A request for proposals was posted on the county's website in May of this year. This RFP was open to any firm to propose on and did not require any pre-qualifications. Four firms submitted proposals, and these proposals were reviewed on how well firms understood the project objectives, the consultant's work plan and project approach, qualifications of the project team, and the project team's experience delivering similar projects. Alliant Engineering was selected as a best-fit team to provide design services for this project. I would like to note that Alliant was the firm that completed the corridor study for this project. The contract was negotiated in the amount of $599,395 for these services. On this slide, you will see a contract funding overview. Funding for this design contract comes from planned use of fund balance, which came from funds that were acquired from MnDOT as part of the turnback agreement With approval of this contract today, there will be $11,860,000 remaining in the County Highway 96 turnback fund balance. Remaining funds will be utilized on future project phases along the County Highway 96 corridor. So to close, Public Work is recommending board approval of contract number 18557 with Alliant Engineering Incorporated in the amount of $599,395 to provide design services for the County Highway 96 improvement project. Madam Chair, commissioners, this concludes my prepared remarks, and I'm happy to stand for any questions. Thank you, Mr. Klein. Commissioner Miron. Thank you, Madam Chair. I will move to approve contract number 18557 with Alliant Engineering Incorporated in the amount of $599,395 to provide final design services for the CSAH 96 Dellwood Road from Trunk Highway 244 to Trunk Highway 95 improvement project. Second. Moved by Commissioner Miron, seconded by Commissioner Cox. Commissioner Miron. Yeah. Thank you, Madam Chair, and Michael, thanks for all the work that Public Works has put into this so far, the number of open houses, the reporting on findings to the various communities here. Obviously, this has an impact to a number of communities in my district and also Commissioner Cox's. But more importantly, I think just this east west connection for Washington County as a whole. And a lot of this would not be possible had not been for the turnback that occurred and the planning that went into the dollar amount there that you identified. And certainly, we've got well over $11 million left to ultimately provide improvements to this road, which likely would not have occurred under state jurisdiction. So we're going to be able to, hopefully, through the design process, identify some of the safety measures and improvements that are needed here and then, with that, get more accurate costs and ultimately go to bid and construction on this project. But this certainly is an important connector for Washington County and for the communities involved and just appreciate all the work that's gone into it. Commissioner Cox. Thank you, Madam Chair. Mr. Klein, thanks for the presentation. I won't echo what Commissioner Miron said. I agree with all of that. I will also share that this is a real challenge. There's some great tree cover. There's some real narrow shoulders. It gives you the feeling that you're on a country road when you're driving it, which feels great, but sometimes is really dangerous considering the amount of traffic that now is on this road and that turns off and, I actually really appreciate, again, a lot of this happened before I was here, but the turnback allowing this local control, allowing these local communities to really say what they need and they want to see on a road like this. So again, I echo and appreciate all of the effort already, and I'm excited that we're at this point. Commissioner Karwoski, then Commissioner Clausen. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thanks for presenting, Mike. These projects are part of our capital improvement plan. I'm fully supportive. In fact, this is a road that I love driving intentionally to get across the county. Nine miles, and I think for $600,000 for this step is a lot of geographical length for the money. So I really like the bid price, and they get four bidders on it. But I do think it's going to add a lot of public safety, not only in the trails and the biking. It'd be a great way to get across the county if you're not in a car. But car traffic will be more separated from biking. Really appreciate the work that Commissioner Cox and Commissioner Miron have put in on this. I represent, along with Commissioner Miron, Mahtomedi, but I also represent Birchwood, Willernie, Pine Springs. They're immediately close to this, so they're going to use it regularly. But I do think it's a road that draws from all over our county to use it. Just very supportive. Glad we're moving forward. Thank you. Commissioner Clausen. Thank you. I disagree with some of the comments made by my commissioners today. I don't feel like this project makes sense. I've often wondered why we're doing turnbacks. I continue to ask the question why, and I'm still not seeing the actual plan for the reasons for turnbacks to happen. The OM cost of these is unknown. So yes, it seems like it's a cost-effective way, but I don't believe that it is. And so I do disagree with that comment on the cost of this. I also don't see the future reason for it. So it's not just why, but why now? And this isn't the first turnback that has occurred. And the turnback that I have had the biggest issue with is Manning Avenue, where there are multiple accidents, head-on collisions, and people are scared of Manning Avenue. That is something that should be considered for a turnback, but it's not being considered for a turnback because the process eliminates the community's involvement because the decision's already been made by the board. And by the time that the city see it, the decision's been made. So, I have voted against the capital improvement plan every year that I've been in office. This is another example of why. It's because I'm not getting the answers to why we're putting on such an amount of expenses. When I was a part of the Gold Line project, we very much made sure that we were going to get the amount of money from Metro Council every year for the OM. So when we took on the plowing and the maintenance for the roads for Gold Line, we made sure that we got that money back. But that process isn't even happening here. And so that's why I keep asking: What are the costs going to be long term? Is this an equitable selection for a turn back? It's clear that there are two commissioners that very much desire that for their community, but there is also commissioners that very much deserve an opportunity for their projects to be selected as well. And so what we come in here is an actual, it's inequitable when you look at the total cost of the turn backs that are occurring based on where the population growth is. And until I understand that, of why, and why now, I'm not going to be able to approve this. Thank you. All right. If there are no further comments, thank you, Mr. Klein, for bringing this before us today, and the improvements that will come with this project are very much needed. And I would echo the comment of Commissioner Karwoski about the pedestrian especially, bike ped improvements that will occur because of this. Seeing no further discussion, all in favor of approving contract number 18557 with Align Engineering Incorporated, say I. I. Opposed, say nay. Nay. Motion carries four to one. Thank you. Thank you. The next item on the agenda is our sheriff's office, and for consideration of adopting a resolution recognizing the month of September 2026 as National Preparedness Month in Washington County. And to present is Senior Planner Lee Dean? Dine. Okay. Thank you. Good morning, Madam Chair and commissioners. My name is Lee Dine. I'm an emergency management senior planner with the sheriff's office. Thank you for your time and the opportunity to speak this morning. Each September, National Preparedness Month is observed across the United States to promote awareness and encourage proactive planning for emergencies and disasters. Established by FEMA in 2004, this annual observance provides an opportunity to assess preparedness measures and strengthen individual and community readiness. The theme for this year is American Stand Ready, which highlights the nation's resourcefulness and emphasizes the importance of working together to enhance readiness. Taking a proactive approach to plan and understand what to do before an emergency or disaster occurs can reduce stress and help ensure the safety of you and your family. Each week during September, we'll be sending out preparedness information through our website and social media platforms to support this theme. So in recognition of National Preparedness Month, we've prepared a resolution which I can read you now for the record. Go ahead. Thank you. Whereas the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, has declared September as National Preparedness Month, and whereas National Preparedness Month creates an important opportunity for every resident of Washington County to prepare their homes, businesses, and communities for any type of emergency. And whereas investing in the disaster preparedness for ourselves, our families, businesses, and communities can help save lives and reduce economic devastation in our communities. And whereas FEMA's Ready Campaign and other federal, state, local, private, and volunteer agencies are working to educate individuals on how to take action. And whereas emergency preparedness is the responsibility of every resident of Washington County and all residents are urged to make preparedness a priority and work together as a team to ensure that individuals, families, communities, and communities are prepared for disasters and emergencies of any type. And whereas by participating in National Preparedness Month in September 2026, Washington County has the opportunity to join and support our state and nation in strengthening community and regional resiliency. And whereas all residents of Washington County are encouraged to participate in preparedness activities and visit the website of the Ready Campaign at www.ready.gov and the sheriff's office social media pages, which include information aligned with preparedness principles. Now therefore be it resolved that the Washington County Board of Commissioners hereby proclaim September 2026 as National Preparedness Month and encourages all residents and businesses to develop their own emergency preparedness plans, build a preparedness kit, check their insurance coverage, and work together towards creating a resilient community. Thank you. Commissioner Karwoski. Thank you, Madam Chair. To get this before us, I will make the motion to adopt resolution recognizing the month of September 2026 as National Preparedness Month in Washington County. Second. Moved by Commissioner Karwoski, seconded by Commissioner Miron. Commissioner Karwoski. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'll- Mr. Dine, thanks for presenting. I think the picture says a thousand words. I do really like the message here that our county sheriff, and we have our sheriff and chief deputy here, and I hope I'm not missing anybody else from the sheriff's department that's out there. Really, citizens can really help our sheriff's office tremendously, because the more citizens engage yourself, whether it's a business or a resident, in preparing their home, their property. And also our partner cities, I think our sheriff's department has proven it coordinates with the cities. It's a real shared responsibility, and I think that's the important reminder here. But I'm glad to recognize this month for being prepared. Thank you. Commissioner Miron. Yeah, and Doug Berglund is here as well. He leads up our emergency management team. We just so much appreciate the work that all of you do in emergency management and preparedness. I think the resolution is a good guide as to things we need to be thinking about and doing. I so much appreciate the training that's been provided to community leaders and ourselves on this county board in the past. Unfortunately, we've had to use that training too often. But the emergency management plan for the county is one of those plans that, as I said, unfortunately, gets used regularly. It's not gathering dust. But we need to be prepared, and we've recognized the value in that in the past. Good planning helps leadership provide the direction that's necessary to get through some of these situations and circumstances that occur, whether it's tornadoes or flooding, other issues that keep our community safe. The plan is very broad-based and covers so many different threats that might occur within Washington County, and it's just good that we've got the team we have that causes us to reflect on these and make sure that we have good planning in place. So thank you. Commissioner Cox. Thank you, Madam Chair. Lee, thanks for the presentation, and we'll get your whole crew eventually because I'm going to call out Ms. Allison Stroll, who is also in the audience, I believe. So, we have a strong emergency management team who shows up, who really leads our community, not just here in the county, but I think probably in the state as well. I think I'm safe to say that. I just appreciate all the training, all the planning, and being included in that just allows me to just really see what you do firsthand. And I'm really grateful for all of that work, so thank you, Lee. Any other discussion? No, I'm time to try and rush through this. I do appreciate it, but we're trying to stay on time. Thank you. So, I really appreciate you being here today and using this as a really good reminder for the public and the community. And Director Berglund and your team under the sheriff's leadership, just thank you so much. Unfortunately, there's been a couple of times you had to call me, whether it's been tornadoes or floods, and I think I always answer the phone, "This is what we train for, dude." And you're like, "Yes, it is, Commissioner." So, I just appreciate the opportunity to highlight this for the public because it is really public awareness to make sure we're prepared in light of any sort of issue that would happen. So, certainly appreciate that. If there's no further discussion, the clerk will take the roll. Commissioner Miron? Aye. Commissioner Karwoski? Aye. Commissioner Cox? Aye. Commissioner Clausen? Aye. Commissioner Bigham? Aye. Resolution passes five zero. Thank you. The next item is general administration, and we have two items today, which is a resolution to approve a state grant agreement with the DNR for outdoor heritage funding for the Land and Water Legacy Program, and Ms. Serena Rath will be presenting. Thank you, Madam Chair and Commissioners. My name is Serena Rath. I'm a planner in Washington County's Office of Administration. And the purpose of my presentation today is to review and approve a grant agreement with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for phase two of Washington County's Habitat Protection Enhancement Partnership, as awarded by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. For some quick background, Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council, or LSOHC, it was established by the Minnesota legislature, and they have the responsibility of providing funding recommendations to the legislature for use of Outdoor Heritage Funds, or OHF funds. And the Outdoor Heritage Fund was one of the four funds created by the Clean Water Land and Legacy Amendment that was approved by voters in 2008. As this board knows, in 2022, the county was awarded Outdoor Heritage Fund dollars by the LSOHC. That was a total of $4.288 million for a partnership grant between the Minnesota Land Trust and the county. That initial grant is what we call phase one of our grant program now, and it covered three general areas of conservation and stewardship work. One was conservation easement acquisition and partnership with the Minnesota Land Trust. So you'll recall that this grant funded conservation easement projects like the Heriot project in 2024 or the Arnold project in 2025. So for both of those projects, MLT utilized the funds that was awarded to them through phase one to acquire conservation easements in partnership with the county. Also a part of this phase one grant was a full-time county position added specifically to work on the Land and Water Legacy Program, which was my position here at the county administration. Then lastly, it also covered habitat restoration enhancement work that the county facilitated on some of its protected properties. So the main bulk of funding award to the county through phase one went to habitat stewardship at Land and Water Legacy Program protected properties in Woodbury, and that included Prairie Ridge, Law Lake, and Valley Creek Park. But we also invested some stewardship funding in the Land and Water Legacy Program protected Carpenter Nature Center and county properties like the Long Lake County Conservation Area or Lake Elmo Park Reserve. And after around four years of doing this work since July 2022, our phase one grant has come to a close on July 30th of this year. So we're returning to you today to discuss continuing this work. But before I get into the exciting work we've planned for phase two, I do want to take the opportunity to highlight some of the projects that we've completed through phase one. As I mentioned, one of these is the Heriot Conservation Easement project. This is a 39-acre conservation easement in the city of Afton that closed in 2024. This project leveraged a really great list of partners, including the Minnesota Land Trust, the City of Afton, and the Minnesota DNR. The property contains grasslands, dry mesic oak forests, and sweeping views of the St. Croix River Valley that are now all permanently protected. And the property is now owned by the city of Afton, and it's set to be open to the public as a city park soon, likely around the end of this year. On the stewardship side, we also wanted to highlight some of the habitat enhancement work that was done on Land and Water Legacy Program protected properties in the city of Woodbury. So one of these projects, the largest of these projects, was Prairie Ridge Park. This is a 65-acre city park that's also protected by a Land and Water Legacy conservation easement. This easement was acquired back in 2010 and utilized a Land and Water Legacy Program bond approved in 2006. In total, 62 acres of habitat restoration enhancement work was completed here. So just to clarify, when we say habitat restoration, that's the complete restructuring of damaged or degraded habitats to return it to its natural state or what we call pre-European development state or pre-European settlement. In total, there was 20.5 acres of woodland restoration at this property. The project also included enhancement. So enhancement is not necessarily restructuring the property's habitat, but more enhancing the quality that's already there. So in total, 41.5 acres of woodland, prairie, and wetlands were enhanced through this project. Overall, this project involved around three years of work with our consultant to remove invasives, conduct a prescribed burn, thin undesirable tree species, and reestablish native species throughout the property. On the right of this slide, you can see a little bit of a before and after or more so a during and after of some of the enhancement work completed on this site in one of our woodland units. So in the before, you can see that there's a more dense cover of trees. A lot of those were non-natives like boxelder. But you can also see some invasive species in the understory, specifically very dense, mature buckthorn. So our consultant thinned those undesirable tree species and those invasives to open up the area and then followed up with native seeding to encourage a healthier and more diverse understory, which created the more open woodland you can see in the after photo. Another project is Law Lake. Again, this is a Land and Water Legacy Program conservation easement over a Woodbury City Park. It's a 29-acre property that was completed in 2014. It also used 2006 Land and Water Legacy Program bond dollars. In total, 11 acres of enhancement work was completed here. This work focused on woodland, prairie, and shoreline enhancements, specifically along Law Lake. So our consultant led work, including shrub removal, invasive shrub removal, shoreline erosion control, a prescribed burn, and native plantings. The photo you can see here was taken right after our consultant removed some dead and dangerous trees in the area and also a very significant amount of buckthorn. It's a bit too small to see in this photo, but they also planted some native species of seedlings all along this stretch. That work wrapped up just this summer, so I unfortunately don't have an after, but I'm happy to return with following summer when some of those great natives establish there. But before I move on to the phase two grant, I do want to highlight that none of this work could have been done without our consultant. Also our very own natural resource coordinator, Dan McSwain, who was extremely useful throughout this project, and the fantastic Woodbury staff, natural resource staff, who were great partners throughout this entire process. So now that we know what phase one looked like, we can now move on to phase two. So the call for the fiscal year '27 LSOHE funding proposals came out in early 2025. So we worked with our partners, including the Minnesota Land Trust and the City of Woodbury, to create a proposal for phase two of our grant program to continue that work. Our grant proposal, which is officially titled the Washington County Habitat Protection and Enhancement Partnership, included three buckets of work, just like phase one. So again, we requested funding to continue our habitat stewardship in the city of Woodbury, again on Prairie Ridge, Valley Creek, and Law Lake Parks. We also requested funding to continue easement acquisition in collaboration with the Minnesota Land Trust. But the major change this round was funding for personnel. So as I mentioned in phase one, funding was awarded for my position, which is now funded internally. So instead, we requested funding for two full-time natural resource land stewards at a 90% rate for land stewardship in our Washington County parks. In terms of timeline for this grant, the LSOHE does structure the conservation easement side and the stewardship side a little differently. The conservation easement work with MLT is on a four-year timeline ending in June of 2026, and the Woodbury stewardship, as well as those county staff positions, are on a five-year timeline for June of 2031. And our total initial application request was $6,917,000. LRPSAMS doesn't require match for proposals, but proposals that do have match rank higher in their process. So match through our proposal included a projected $420,000 in easement landowner donations that MLT estimated for conservation easement work. Woodbury, as a partner on our stewardship work, committed $47,000 in in-kind project enhancement costs. And then lastly, the county committed through our proposal, $225,000 in in-kind personnel costs for the park staff positions through the other 10% of those positions, as well as related staff costs. Through our initial proposal, we purported that this funding, we could reach a total of 970 acres of enhancement through the combined stewardship work in Woodbury and through those parks positions. And on the easement side, we proposed a total of 385 acres of conservation easements that could be completed in partnership with the Minnesota Land Trust. And ultimately, this initial scope was reviewed and approved by the board on May 20th of 2025 for us to submit the proposal to the LSOHCD. And after the LSOHCD and legislature went through the review process, it was ultimately approved. So out of our initial $6.8 million ask, we received roughly 40% of our initial proposal. So that's a confirmed $2,812,000 in funding. So while the county is the main grant manager, out of that around $2.8 million, $2,052,000 or around 73% went to the Minnesota Land Trust, and then $760,000 or 27% goes to the county. Something that I do want to note is that 40% award might sound minimal, but receiving a proportional award for this kind of grant is very standard and pretty much expected. So Fiscal Year '27 was actually a record year in the amount of funding that LSOHCD received. So in total, they received around $513 million in requests for only around $150 million available. So our proposal ended up in the mid-high range in terms of their rankings and the proportion of ask that we received. It also reflects our phase one proposal. But with the proportional award, we have adjusted the scope of phase one to reflect that updated budget. To dive deeper into exactly what changed and the numbers that we're asking the board to commit to today, phase two will still focus on those three buckets of work, so habitat stewardship in Woodbury, conservation easements in partnership with the Minnesota Land Trust, and park staff. But the major change is that with the reduced funding, this award will only cover 90% of one full-time natural resource land steward, rather than our initial proposed two. The grant period also stays the same, but as mentioned, our award goes down to $2.8 million. I do want to mention that there are some errors in the match section here. I apologize for that. The numbers on this screen are the same as our proposal, but with the reduced award, they of course go down as well. So rather than the $420,000 in easement landowner donation match, MLT now only expects $131,000 because of our reduced scope. The $47,000 in match that Woodbury's committed actually does stay the same. But the initial $225,000 in in-kind personnel match from the county has been halved because now it's only for one employee. So that's actually $112,700. And like the match, the deliverables were also adjusted to reflect this updated scope. So the county, through this award, is committing to 522 acres of enhancement through Woodbury stewardship work and the park staff work, and 119 acres of protection through conservation easements in partnership with the Minnesota Land Trust. In terms of how we expect this grant to play out, this is a very high-level timeline of several years of work. But generally, if the board's willing to approve our grant contract today, we expect to get started on the Woodbury stewardship work as soon as possible. So we estimate that the first couple of months, around October to November of 2026, we dedicate to working with Woodbury and our consultant to update our stewardship action plans. That was something that was drafted through phase one and will guide our work for implementation. Around the same time, in October and December of 2026, we expect to hire that full-time natural resource land steward, and they'll begin their activities stewarding our parklands. Some of the things that we expect that staff person to work on are things like habitat planning, invasive species removal, native planting, and controlled burns on properties like Long Lake CCA, Lake Elmo Park Reserve, and Cottage Grove Ravine. On the conservation easement side, we don't expect to move forward any of our conservation easements until after November, when voters will make a decision on when the Land and Water Legacy Program referendum is approved. But assuming that referendum is approved, then we can move forward with our conservation easement partnership and completing conservation easements under the direction of the county board up until the end of the grant period of July of 2030. At the same time, we'll be leading implementation of stewardship work in collaboration with the City of Woodbury. So again, expecting the actual field work to start around November all the way up until the end of the grant period around June of 2031. Then tentatively around April of 2030, when the LSOHCD releases their Fiscal Year 2031 call for funding, we'll start to assess our needs for future phases of work and work with the board to assess if phase three is needed and what might actually be included within that proposal. Then we'll close out all of our work in July of 2031, finalizing all of our activities and moving more into tracking the progress of stewardship activities and monitoring all of our work long-term. But with that, we do have the grant contract before you in your packet. So staff are requesting the county board to adopt a resolution to approve the Washington County Habitat Protection and Enhancement Partnership Grant contract with the Minnesota DNR as awarded by the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council. And I'm happy to stand for any comments or questions. Commissioner Karwoski. Okay. Well, we get this before us. I do represent a part of Woodbury and a lot of emphasis around improving Woodbury, partnering with them. So I'll make the motion to adopt a resolution to approve the state grant agreement with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for Outdoor Heritage funding for the Land and Water Legacy Program. I can second that. Commissioner Karwoski. Yes. Serena, great presentation. You do a great job presenting these Great improvements to our county. Everybody likes the presentation of protecting land and water. I wanted to point out, though, that phase one actually helped purchase 104 acres of conservation easements in two parks in Woodbury. That's important. And this phase two, there's other aspects to the grant of $2.8 million, but we're partnering with Woodbury to make conservation improvements, enhancements, partnering with the City of Woodbury on Prairie Ridge Park, Valley Creek Park, and Law Lake Park. So that's very impressive. So it's nice to see the money for Land and Water Legacy spread around the county. Thank you. Any particular additional... Commissioner Cox. Ms. Rest, thank you for the presentation. I'll just say, this is incredibly competitive. The opportunity for the county to receive 40% of the ask, I think is incredible that we can add a staff member in our parks department, keep you where you are. These are all just really great things for the environment and, not just here in Washington County, but in the larger community. So thank you for bringing this forward, and I'm happy to support it. Commissioner Clausen. Thank you. A lot of these projects have already been completed. So I guess, I do know we can't speak about certain things in regards to the Land and Water, but I felt like this was just a recap of things that we've already done. And if there is more that is different than what I have seen today, then please tell me, but this is all stuff that we've already worked on and moved forward with. But I appreciate the presentation, and I did get the email about the Andes Park conservation. But parks are conserved, because the city owns the park and the land, so I don't understand the difference between the conservation and the land because it's already protected. But again, I appreciate the presentation. Madam Chair, Commissioner Clausen, just to answer a little bit of your question. So for phase two, specifically on the Woodbury conservation easements, we did work with our consultant that we worked on through phase one to make an implementation plan for what still needs to be done at things like Prairie Ridge, Valley Creek, Law Lake, continued restoration enhancement. There's still the presence of invasive species or certain areas that we weren't able to get to just because of the amount of funding that we had for phase one. I'm more than happy to share that with you. It's a long Excel sheet of all of the things that they plan to do. And then for the conservation easement side, so these properties have already been protected several years ago. So now we're, as a partner on this, we have a conservation easement and a vested stake in this, helping the City of Woodbury to steward these lands, to make sure that they stay high quality. They're already protected, but we want to make sure that the City of Woodbury residents who are utilizing these parks can get the best experience, and the habitat is staying protected. And I agree. But they can also do that themselves without the Land and Water Program being a part of it. And so I think that's a really important piece to this, is that we separate the two, because they're not the same program. They're different programs, and the city themselves can do it as well. So, thank you. I appreciate it. Commissioner Miron. Yeah. Thank you. What we're looking to adopt here, this resolution and the grant agreement, allows us to move forward with phase two, correct? I just want to be really clear with that. And continued investment within the City of Woodbury on property that we have easements on. And obviously, significant investment, as Commissioner Karwoski pointed out, the number of acres in Woodbury, a very developed city, that we've been able to secure property there and provide conservation easements within that community in the past, and now an opportunity to really enhance some of that work. And as I saw, almost 1,000 acres of enhancement within the City of Woodbury and 385 acres that'll be permanently protected there. So, this is really, really great news. I'll just remind people, and I know your timeline went to 2031- Mm-hmm ... but the Legacy Amendment actually runs through 2034, and then the potential to renew that amendment. And I just want to remind people of the opportunities and the work that's been done here to protect land and improve our quality of life here by maintaining these conservation easements in very developed areas of Washington County. So I'm excited to support the resolution. I think it's an example of our commitment and our collaboration with the City of Woodbury and land protection, and I think that's a good thing. Yeah. I have one more thing. Commissioner Clausen. Actually, we would like to have a regional park in our district. So I know you said this is an amazing thing, but actually, we're the only district that doesn't have a regional park. And so if this were to be something that we would do through Land and Water Program, that would change everything So if that's something that you are open to, as you talked about, the development is really increasing, this is the time for us to preserve land. And I think this is what we need to do. So what I'm hearing is positive remarks from the commissioners, noting that we have a lot less land than we've ever had before, and that the population growth is substantial. And so, I believe that we should be doing something about that, and preserving park land that is not park land currently would be absolutely something that the city of Woodbury and residents really want. And I live in Woodbury, and so I can speak for them as a representative that that is what we would like. But I appreciate your comments, Commissioner Miron. Commissioner Miron. Yeah, I just want to point out, we don't have regional parks in many of our communities within Washington County. We don't have- Every district has one ... a regional park. We don't have a regional park in Hugo. We don't have a regional park in- District Don't interrupt, please. We don't have a regional park in Dellwood. We don't have a regional park in Mahtomedi. We don't have a regional park in Marine on St. Croix. We don't have a regional park in May Township. We don't have a regional park in Forest Lake. We're over time. But our parks are regional in nature, and they provide opportunities for recreation and visits from residents all over Washington County. And I think, as I've looked at responses from citizenry regarding our parks, we get a lot of positive remarks from people within Woodbury, and appreciation for the regional parks that we do have and that are provided as opportunities for them. So I'm excited again, as I said, to support this resolution. We're going to move on. Actually, I would like to respond. Commissioner Clausen, you do not have the floor. Section- So a couple things I would say is I appreciate the con- Point of order. State your point of order. Responding back to Commissioner Miron and his request that we approve this today. I don't understand. That's not a point of order. Yes. I'm actually responding back. He would like to approve this resolution, and I'm asking to be able to respond to his comments. Commissioner Clausen, we're moving on. Orders have been taken. Point of order. And I'm excited that we are continuing the investment in Woodbury and in Afton, and developing a broader system of conservation. And I think that's exactly the intent of the Lessard-Sams. And I really appreciate that. And I think there is obviously a big difference between grant money being used for this and levy money being used for this, whether it's the county or the city. And so, I appreciate that as well. I do have one question, and that is, you mentioned tracking. How are you tracking this, as far as is it in an Excel sheet, or how does that work? Madam Chair, thank you for the question. So for the stewardship work, we monitor conservation easements annually. So part of what we're doing as phase one is monitoring that work and the establishment of that restoration enhancement, especially long-term, to make sure that it's getting maintained. That's now going to be tacked onto that annual monitoring visit. We also work with the City of Woodbury to make sure that their goals are continuing to be met. And then in the future, now that we're adding this more parks component, we're going to be working with the parks system to identify some of our performance metrics. Part of our stewardship action plans that we make have performance metrics of specifically maintaining X amount of percentage of native cover, for example. And then also annually, the Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council does require that they do an annual report to make sure that their investments continue to be maintained. And I think that's good for the residents and people in community to hear about that, so thank you for all of that. Seeing nothing further, the clerk will take the roll. Commissioner Miron? Aye. Commissioner Karwoski? Aye. Commissioner Cox? Aye. Commissioner Clausen? Nay. Commissioner Bigham? Aye. Resolution passes four-one. Thank you, Ms. Wren. Thank you. The next item on the agenda is to consider approving contract number 18549 with WSB LLC. And to present on this issue is Macklin Hutchinson. Welcome. Good morning, Madam Chair and commissioners. My name is Macklin Hutchinson. I'm a planner two in the Office of Administration, and project manager for the Washington County 2050 comprehensive plan. Today, I will be seeking board approval of a consultant contract for the comprehensive plan. I will start by discussing some background on, and the purpose of, the comprehensive plan. Then I will introduce the project scope and expected timeline, and summarize the RFP, proposal evaluation, and consultant selection process. Then we will review the requested board action and have time for any comments or questions. First and foremost, a comprehensive plan sets a policy direction for how Washington County will accommodate growth in population, households, and employment over the next 20 years. It also ties together previous planning efforts across a wide range of topics into a cohesive vision, promoting alignment between departments and continuity over time. The comprehensive plan functions as a guide for long-term policy and investment. In addition, state law gives the Metropolitan Council the authority to require local governments to complete a comprehensive plan every 10 years. This is a mandated cyclical regional process. The county board approved the 2040 comprehensive plan in October 2019. This is our current comprehensive plan, and it will remain the county's guide for long-term planning investments until the 2050 comprehensive plan is adopted. While Washington County is just preparing to begin our 2050 comprehensive plan, this regional cycle has been ongoing for a few years. All local comprehensive plans are guided by Met Council's Imagine 2050 Regional Development Guide. The county reviewed and provided comment on each individual policy plan within Imagine 2050, as well as the complete Regional Development Guide back in 2024. Washington County, along with all local governments in the region, is required to complete our 2050 plan by the end of 2028, and our plan must address topics including land use, transportation, housing, water resources, parks and trails, and climate. The project will begin with foundational assessments to understand current county efforts and community priorities. We will identify a cohesive community vision for the next 20 years by conducting new community engagement activities and by synthesizing findings from recent engagement efforts from relevant county planning processes. We will also complete an assessment of existing county initiatives, reviewing goals and strategies from recent plans, and identifying those that should be incorporated into the comprehensive plan or updated for a long-range timeline. Then we will collaborate with Met Council to refine a traffic model for Washington County, which will be used by the county and its municipalities for transportation planning over the coming decade. Data and technical analysis, including mapping necessary to meet Met Council requirements, will be completed. Then the comprehensive plan narrative will be developed, drawing upon that analysis, community engagement, and existing county initiatives. Once Washington County's plan is complete, we are required to engage jurisdictions within and adjacent to the county to provide feedback on our comprehensive plan, as well as receive input from Met Council on alignment with regional requirements. We will revise the plan in response to feedback from other jurisdictions before bringing the plan to the board for adoption. About the first year and a half of the project, we'll be developing the plan itself. Through the end of 2026, we'll focus on foundational work, including the assessment of existing county plans, traffic modeling, and technical analysis. These efforts, along with community engagement, are expected to wrap up in the first half of 2027, and the second half of 2027 will focus on synthesizing that information into a focused plan narrative. In 2028, we will pivot to the required review and revision process. Adjacent and affected jurisdictions and Met Council must have six months to review our plan, and staff will be reviewing other jurisdictions' plans in turn. We will also provide the opportunity for public comment, integrate the feedback that we received, and ultimately bring the plan for county board approval in time to submit to Met Council before the deadline of December 31st, 2028. County staff released a request for proposals for consultant support with the 2050 comprehensive plan. We worked internally from February to April to develop a project scope and identify the internal project management team. We released the RFP on April 27th, and proposals were due on June 5th. We reviewed those proposals throughout June, conducted interviews in early July, and then worked with the selected consultant to refine the project scope and contract throughout July and August before bringing the contract to the board for approval today. Washington County received four proposals in response to our RFP, with costs ranging from 295 to $325,000. Proposals were evaluated by a committee of seven county staff from the Office of Administration, Public Works, and Public Health and Environment. We invited two firms to an interview involving a short presentation in response to specific questions and a question and answer, followed by a reference check. Following this process, WSB emerged as the most qualified firm and was selected as the county's preferred consultant. The WSB project team has extensive experience with comprehensive planning in the Twin Cities region and is therefore very familiar with Metropolitan Council's requirements and process. Many of the WSB staff who will be working on this project have completed three or more comprehensive plan cycles. The firm also brings specialized technical knowledge necessary to complete the foundational analyses for the comprehensive plan in the areas of land use, transportation, water resources, housing, parks and trails, and climate. Additionally, in their proposal and interview, WSB expressed a strong understanding of the county's project needs and the collaborative approach between the consultant team and county staff. WSB has successfully completed several projects for Washington County in the past Our recommended board action today is to approve contract number 18549 with WSB LLC, in the amount of $296,460.11, to provide consulting services to develop the 2050 comprehensive plan. Chair and commissioners, I will stand for any questions or comments. Thank you so much for your presentation. Commissioner Miron. Yep. Thank you, Madam Chair. I will move to approve contract number 18549 with WSB LLC, in the amount of $296,460.11, to provide consulting services to develop the 2050 comprehensive plan. Second. Moved and seconded. Commissioner Miron. Yeah, thank you. Obviously, I'm pleased with the bids that came in on this. The 2050 comprehensive plan is a very, very important document, not only to Washington County, but to the communities that are within Washington County. WSB, as a firm, I know represents a number of the municipalities within the county. I know there's particularly an interest on housing growth expectations in some of the communities that differ from what the comprehensive plan is, and I think WSB is going to be a firm that will work through some of those issues to come together with a plan that the Met Council will be able to ultimately approve. So, just appreciate the fact that they bid on this project and that we're moving forward with this document. Commissioner Cox, Clausen, Karwoski. Thank you, Madam Chair. Ms. Hutchison, thanks for the presentation. This is a really big thing to manage and I appreciate that we're going and getting some outside help to help guide us through this, and that you're leading it. You said cohesive vision, and I think when I think of these plans, that's really where we go. How is development moving forward in our community? How are all of these things playing together? And so, I just appreciate your leadership and then the connection with this consulting firm. Thank you. Commissioner Clausen. Yeah. Thank you. This wasn't selected based on the cost of the bid proposed, is that correct? Chair and Commissioner Clausen, that is correct. We selected WSB based on their qualifications, not solely based on the cost. Correct. WSB is always been selected, and I would like us to try and get out from using the same vendor. And this is about small businesses having more of monopoly than others. As much as I appreciate the professionalism of WSB, it is very clear that they have partners within. And at times, I have found that because of those relationships, that some of the results are not always in the best interest of everyone involved. And so, I am not supportive of this selection. I do believe we should have a process that takes away from some of the same partners that we're using constantly, especially for comp plans, because a comp plan is such a big deal. I, as a staff person working 40 hours a week, working in local government, I know the impacts of a comp plan. And so, what I'm saying is an actual change that's requested by me, that we don't always use the same partners. It will help not only grow us outside of what we see today, but it also helps us look at what other communities are doing. And I don't believe if we still use the same WSB, the same engineers for both city and county, that that's a good thing. We don't have a variety of perspectives when we only use one business. And I've seen this business grow dramatically since I was a city clerk at the city of Hugo. Or was I an intern then? Yeah, I think I was an intern. But, I know the amount of challenge that this comes with when it comes to water resources, when it comes to housing. And because Woodbury is so impacted in a way with PFAS, the way I've been seeing the comp plan occur, it feels like the cities get to be asked later, and we move forward with what we, as a county, have decided. And so, using the same people, using the same processes, not changing things up, and it's almost $300,000. And it's not because we're selecting them because they're affordable. Those are all reasons of why I can't approve it today. Thank you. I appreciate the presentation, though. Thank you. Administrator Corbid. Madam Chair, I would just add that the last comp plan we did, our consultant that we hired was SRF. It was not WSB. Also, I would note that the WSB group that works on their planning side is the same company but separate people than we usually will see on a road project. So, just want to add those two items. May I respond to that? Clausen. Thank you so much for that. But we do use WSB in majority of our studies and our projects, correct? Administrator Corbid. And so, my point was that we just often use the same vendors. And so, my point was that we try and select the most affordable, cost-efficient vendor first as a priority. And then second, that we get out of using the same vendors so that we can have a different look at things, and I think that is my point. But I appreciate your remarks. Thank you. And Madam Chair and Commissioner Clausen, I don't know if that is correct, that we use WSB for the majority of our studies or our contracts, so we will get that information to you. Thank you. Commissioner Karwoski? I'm sorry. Also, the City of Woodbury also uses WSB, and other cities as well. So, thank you. Appreciate it. Commissioner Karwoski. Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm very supportive of the selection of WSB and the need for a comp plan. In my 16 years elected in Oakdale, 14 on the council and two as mayor, the comp plans were very important, and they invested a lot. I have one key question because it wasn't elaborated a lot on, is I would think it's going to be very important that we coordinate our comp plan with the comp plans of our cities throughout the county. Is that a key element? Chair and Commissioner Karwoski, that is correct. In addition to the adjacent and affected jurisdiction review, which we will complete after we've finished drafting our plan and after cities have finished drafting theirs, we will also be engaging with cities throughout the process to make sure that we're in alignment and working together. So, I've already been in touch with some of the cities within Washington County, and we plan to continue being in communication with them throughout this process. I know at the city level, because they do zoning, the comp plan has more authority than zoning does. And I know that we haven't typically, and we're approaching 10 years without doing a comp plan, but that's by design. By a mandate, we have to do a comp plan every 10 years, and we're approaching that, so the timing is good. But I think to coordinate with the cities is one of the more important elements, because as we plan major roads, we want to make sure we're coordinating, and other investments, we want to make sure we're coordinating that with our cities, that it matches their development and the timing as such. And so these documents really create a lot of good vision. Again, a lot has changed in 10 years. I don't think we want to do them every five years, but I think 10 years seems like a good pace. But you really have to get them right, and I'm fully supportive. Thank you. Sounds good. Macklin, would you be able to go back to, I think it's slide six of the presentation? Right. No, one more. No, the other way, sorry. Sorry. Yeah, there. So, I just want to point out, we did do an RFP. They just weren't selected based on the lowest bid. Chair Bigham, that is correct. Of the firms that met the qualifications for this project, I will say WSB did have the lowest price among those, but they were selected holistically based upon their qualifications to complete this project. Thank you. The other question I have is how are you tracking the progress of the comp plan? Is that Excel? How are you tracking all the things that have to get checked off? Chair and Commissioners, part of Met Council's requirements that we will be completing is an implementation chapter within our comprehensive plan, and that will include measures for tracking implementation throughout the life of the comprehensive plan. So once we get to that point, we'll be developing those performance metrics throughout the plan's entire life to be able to report to the public on our progress. Sounds good. Thank you so much, and thank you for a wonderful presentation today. All right. Seeing no further discussion, Commissioner Miron renews his motion to approve contract number 18549 with WSB LLC. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Opposed, say nay. Nay. Motion carries four to one. Thank you so much. We'll now move on to commissioner reports and commissioner comments. Commissioner... Oh, I'm sorry. Madam Chair, I just have one very quick item, and it's a scheduling item for you to consider this morning. When the board adopted its meeting schedule for calendar year 2026, there were some question raised regarding the meeting on December 22nd. We stated that staff would look into the schedule as we got closer to the end of the year to see if there was a way that we could make all the things work and not have to meet that week. As you know, there are a number of tasks we perform at the end of the year, including adopting a budget, the CIP, we adopt salaries, a fee schedule, and others. The staff has looked through the schedule and added all those items to all the meetings between now and the end of the year. We can accomplish all that we need to do without that meeting on the 22nd, if you'd choose to remove it. I would just note that you adopt your budget on December 15th. The date that we are due to adopt the budget is December 28th. So, if for some reason, if the budget was not approved on the 15th meeting, we would have to schedule another meeting between then and the 28th to adopt a final budget. That has not happened in my time at the county, so I don't expect that to occur this year. So, I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have, but if the board is interested in not meeting that day, a motion would be necessary to remove that, and it would allow us to complete our planning through the end of the year. Is there a motion from the board? Commissioner Miron Yeah, I think based on what was shared by our administrator, I think it's safe to approve canceling the meeting on the 22nd of December. Second. Moved and seconded. Further discussion? All right. Seeing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed say nay. Please note that that passed four, zero. The next item on the agenda is commissioner reports and comments. We'll start with Commissioner Miron. Thank you, Madam Chair. I was able to attend the Career Launch Summit up in Forest Lake that is hosted by our Economic Development Authority through the CDA, which they were recognized for that. But a good program there and a lot of work going forward there in helping develop our workforce. Had a Metropolitan Mosquito Control District meeting. We had some discussion about our metric and dashboard. We recognized some Girl Scouts on some bat boxes that were created. Obviously, bats have an impact on mosquitoes, and so that natural control mechanism and encouraging bats habitat is important. And we recognized actually some of our staff that have been working on continuing education, which is provided in our employment contract, so proud of that work that's being done. Recycling and Energy Board met. Excited to report that we completed and approved an agreement with Xcel Energy for our feedstock. Well, we've had a lot of discussion about that and the expiration of that contract in 2027, and now with that agreement, we have a 10-year contract moving forward, so excited about that. And we also reviewed a feasibility report on some property that may be available within the area, and good discussion on that. But the Port Authority will be leading any action going forward there. And then we did a performance review for the executive director. Had a meeting with Browns Creek Watershed District to discuss their budget, and then participated in interviews for couple positions that are open on the Browns Creek Watershed District. Sounds good. Commissioner Cox. Thank you, Madam Chair. I want to start off by just thanking all the residents, I think there were nine that spoke this morning in public comment. Just appreciate them coming here and sharing their voice with us. Also attended the Mosquito Control meeting, and then I actually connected with Dr. Gail Sederberg of Met Council, so very timely that Macklin just gave us a presentation. She is just a great leader, and I'm really honored to be able to visit with her and talk about some of the concerns that I'm noticing in my district, and she already is aware of them and carries them to meetings. So she's an incredible leader for us. Commissioner Miron mentioned Browns Creek, so attended their budget meeting as well, and then interviewing the three managers that submitted applications. Four managers, I should say. And then yesterday, I was able to head to the Valley Library to meet Ms. Layla, who was the winner for the children's age group. She is a sixth grader at Mahtomedi, and so she is at school today, and so we did a separate meeting so we could get some great pictures for her and her family. But congratulations to all of the library card contest winners. Thank you. Commissioner Karwoski. Thank you, Madam Chair. For me, the past week, some of the highlights were that we had a Rush Line task force meeting. I know, Commissioner Miron, that's dear to his heart. We hadn't been meeting very often, though, to be truthful, ever since the Rush Line, which was partly there because of what was going to be the Purple Line might have gone to Century College, and it was many years from ever being considered to go up to Chisago County. But in lieu of so much changing, now there's a Bronze Line with no immediate impact to go to Washington County. With all that said, the Rush Line task force, they're going to legally put it to rest. Must be a legal term, putting it to rest. So it really won't be an active group. It's going to take the course of the rest of 2026 to do that. We'll have a couple meetings. There's a legal process. So just wanted to make sure Commissioner Miron was updated on the Rush Line. I did have a MICA, Minnesota Inter-County Association executive committee meeting as president a few years ago. I'm past president, so I'm part of that MICA executive committee meeting. I serve on the MICA with Commissioner Miron. But that was really just to plan the next session, maybe talk about guest speakers. One of the things that I think in recent years has been effective, we've had regular legislators come to the MICA meetings- Mm-hmm ... and maybe key ones, and those kind of strategies. Good information meetings. And then I did have a meeting, just a catch-up meeting, informal meeting with the Oakdale mayor. And then we, all four of us, participated in the watershed interviews for Browns Creek yesterday ... are good candidates. It's amazing the good candidates we get for watersheds. And then I also did want to thank the public this morning at the beginning of our meeting for coming and viewing their viewpoints. I think that this county board takes voting very seriously. I did want to point out though, we did have a workshop, effective chair here. We did have a workshop about a month ago with an election update, and it did center around election security in our processes. I asked a particular question at that workshop if the sheriff's department would be prepared for people at our election booth to be disruptive. And I know the sheriff's acting on a plan, and I wouldn't mind if it would be a workshop just to, between now and November, just at a board meeting, just for the election team to present how the elections are run. I think just to reassure people we're going to do everything possible to run fair elections that are very welcoming to everyone that is able to vote. But the groups there were largely this morning were the invisible groups. They go under that heading. There's different invisible groups throughout the county, and it was kind of that freedom to vote was their topic. And I think we all thank them for their courteous presentations. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you. Commissioner Clausen. Yeah, thank you. What a wonderful weekend. Woodbury Days went really well. The parade was fantastic. We are so lucky to have our amazing businesses and our volunteers that care so much about Woodbury and really put in the effort to make Woodbury Days great. We had so many people there, so many businesses. It's hard to keep track of everyone, and I actually don't want to because I don't want people to think I favorite them. But it's always nice to see all the people who are dedicated to our community. We have so many people who are wanting to be elected who are there as well, and so it was great to see so many people that are a part of it. We continue to have conversations with constituents about their concerns of roads, road safety, and pedestrian safety. It is a top concern. I'm hearing that from a lot of people who are running and talking to constituents. They come back to me and tell me what they're hearing at the doors, and I think as a representative, it's very important for me to relay to people the feeling that Woodbury has about how our roads and how the traffic is currently flowing. We know that's a responsibility of not just the city, but also the county, and making sure that the transportation system works. And so I think that will be an upcoming issue that is discussed a lot in the next couple of probably next four years with the comp plan and all of those discussions. I do see this being a lot more of a community participation year because we do believe that we are growing tremendously in Woodbury and not sure if we have the equitable services that are in our mission and vision statement. "Equitable, we are committed to fostering an inclusive community and delivering accessible services to achievable, equitable outcomes." And today, the turn back was just another reminder of how that's not coming through in the budget. And so I do have concerns with the budget. I've spoken about my concerns about the budget, and I do think that we could decrease the amount of the levy if we looked with the fine comb tooth. Fine comb tooth. What? Fine-tooth comb. Is that what it was? I think so, right? Yeah. I do think we could definitely decrease the overall cost of the levy. But thank you, I appreciate the opportunity in my commissioner's report to talk about that, but also wanted to say that I did sign the Freedom to Vote pledge today, when we did have Martha Winslow and Don, and Paul Thorspon, and some other speakers ask us to abide by the Constitution and to make sure that the results are certified regardless of what President Trump says. And so I did sign that, and that was on camera right away. As somebody who worked in city government for 12 years, 40 hours a week, and was the city clerk, administered elections, I take this responsibility serious, and I hope that my board does as well. I hope that they sign what we were put in front of us today, the Freedom of Vote pledge. And it is really just about making sure that people feel safe in voting. I think that we can all agree that that is something that we all care about. And so I hope that those words and those people that came through today have moved the board in order to put that forward, and I look forward to hearing whether those were signed on September 9th. Thank you. I also want to thank everybody for coming this morning. I think it is just such a powerful ... voice when we have people that come and speak what's on their mind. And I know that one of the speakers, I believe it was Ms. Hughes, said, "We can't be hopeful." And I'm going to push back on that, because what happened this morning made me hopeful. And so I think we ought to keep that in context, too, and it's how we're framing the concerns that voters have. And I'm going to lift up the amount of confidence and gratitude that I have for our election staff, our election judges, and appreciate all the efforts that they put in on top of it. And also gratitude to Secretary of State Simon's office for their advice and leadership. It was great to be at Woodbury Days. Met up with Commissioner Karwoski there to see some of the booths. That was fantastic. I participated in the Watershed interviews. Again, just continued to have a lot of wonderful applicants. And the R&E board meeting and Haller lunch, appreciated the opportunity to participate in that as well. Commissioner Miron did a great recap of the R&E board meeting, and we're just continuing to move along. And then I did also have a meeting with Tennis Sanitation, a business in my district. And just again, appreciate all the effort of staff when we have some one-off questions and constituent concerns with that. Seeing no further commissioner reports, we'll move on to board correspondence. There is none, and so we are onto the next item on the agenda, which is item 11, and it is listed as an executive closed session in order to conduct the annual performance review of County Administrator Kevin Corbid. Pursuant to Minnesota Statute Section 13.43, performance evaluation feedback is private data on the employee, and the meeting may be closed to the public pursuant to Minnesota Statute Section 13D.05, subdivision 3A. At this time, I would entertain a motion to move into closed session to discuss agenda item 11. So moved. Moved by Commissioner Karwoski, seconded by Commissioner Cox. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed say nay. We are going to move into closed session. All right. We are going to go ahead and get started with the recommended 2027 budget for the attorney's office. If Attorney Magnuson could come up and get us started. Whenever you're ready. Madam Chair, commissioners. Coincidentally, I noticed that today is National Forgiveness Day. So happy National Forgiveness Day to everyone, and I'm invoking that in advance of this presentation. For any time I put my foot in my mouth or in someone else's mouth or whatever, please keep that in mind. Tread lightly, please. So at the heart of our work protecting and serving the residents of Washington County is an exceptional group of dedicated attorneys and legal support professionals. We are focused not only on recruiting and retaining top talent, but also on building an office of people of character, people who are committed to the work, to one another, and to serving this community well. Our people remain our most important resource, and this proposed budget primarily invests in them. The world in which we do this work is changing rapidly. As I have repeatedly said, top-level workforce alone is no longer enough to keep pace with the volume of digital evidence and increasingly complex cases that make up a significant part of our caseload. We are committed to providing our staff with the technological tools they need to work effectively and successfully. The future is bright for our office, and we intend to continue the upward trajectory that we have established. That means maintaining our emphasis on character and culture, professional development, and focused training, and the thoughtful use of technology. While doing that within the resources that we're outlining here today in this proposed budget. But those three considerations, our people, our technology, and our future, provide the context for the budget numbers that follow. On the revenue side, the county levy obviously remains the principal source of funding for the office. The largest portion of the non-levy revenue is fees for services, including revenue associated with our 4D cooperative agreement, that's our child support, and our other reimbursement arrangements. For example, with the Department of Corrections, we have two reimbursements for 4D... I'm sorry, MIND, mentally ill and dangerous civil commitments and offenses that occur in those institutions. But we also receive some intergovernmental revenue through grants and law clerk work-study reimbursement, and a relatively small amount of statutorily directed fine and assessment revenue. It's important to know these are not fines that we set, but that are required by statute, so they're not things that we have any influence over. So with our department expenditures, the increase that you see reflects the baseline cost to continue expenses, primarily to personnel. County established internal charges and inflationary adjustments. The important point is that the expenditure growth that you see here is essentially just the increased cost of continuing our operations. So the primary baseline cost drivers are, so your personnel costs, employee reclassification, and annual general adjustments, salary range progression, and increased county staff Oh, did I forget to do that? Thank you, sir. I need to give somebody else the clicker, but there's no clicker. That's my problem. One of my problems. So, we got the personal costs and the county-established internal charges, which is principally increases in the IT allocation and internal rent. And then inflationary adjustments, which are primary anticipated increase of the existing costs of goods and services. Looking at the chart, the personnel services, that basically covers all our staff. Services and charges include internal rent, consulting fees for our leader mentor program, the peer support component of our wellness program, law clerk funding, and specialized training to targeted, identified needs, and specific skill development. And finally, material and supplies includes the county IT allocation and Westlaw, Axon, and Lens licenses. The county IT technology allocation has increased, and I have to say that we get a pretty good bang for our buck. We had a problem with downloading huge amounts of data, and we weren't able to do it. And so I called Adam Larson. Sorry, that was embarrassing because he's so memorable. But I called him with this problem, and sure enough, he fixed it. So shout out to Adam in the IT department. So, the significant budget changes aren't really that significant in the grand scheme of things, but they're significant to us. So for our fees for service revenue, that's associated with our IV-D child support cooperative agreement increase, and that's based on the updated 2026, 2027 agreement. And that increase is $75,000. And I'll touch on this in a little bit, but that's important because it allows us to put forward our request for a new FTE, but not seek levy dollars, and be able to cover that with non-levy money. And the expenditures are simply the salary and benefit increases to our personal costs. Oh. I'm proud that we submitted a balanced budget for the upcoming fiscal year centered on cost-effective initiatives that support the long-term success of the attorney's office. The budget includes that one new non-levy funded position to retain a special project position. It's a legal assistant FTE, which will expire this year. So, I want to close by highlighting a few of the priorities we were able to accomplish with this budget. As you know, the portion of our budget that is truly discretionary is minimal. Roughly estimated, non-scientifically, I wouldn't vet an account with an auditor or anything, but I'd say it's roughly, what? Where's John? Trisha, what did we say? 30? What? Yeah, about 300,000. I'm sorry. I was missing a zero, and it was throwing me off here. And that money is accounted for typically in that services and charges and material supply, those bottom two, the 586,000 and the 488,000. So within those categories, there are some lines that account for that discretionary income. So, the three initiatives that we have been implementing over the last few years are our wellness program, our leader mentor program, and our push for technological innovation. So the first is employee wellness. Incredibly important. The work our attorneys and support professionals do can be extraordinarily demanding. The core of our wellness program is our peer to peer support and access to counseling, specifically addressing secondary trauma when needed. Second is our leader mentor program. And as far as I can tell, it's one of a kind. I think it's been done previously, something like it in Hennepin, but I don't believe it's been replicated since. And our leader mentor program is focused on trial support, assessment, and advice, primarily to individual attorneys, but also to training and assistance to the entire staff. We will continue to bring in an experienced retired judge to work directly with our attorneys on trial strategy, case assessment, and professional development, often by observing our attorneys at trial in the courtroom from start to finish, which is something that's very difficult for any of us to do who are carrying caseloads. And so it's been very advantageous to have a person who can actually sit through, assist, and evaluate a trial from start to finish. And several attorneys have availed themselves of this professional development tool, which I kind of consider It was conceived as a benefit to attorneys as opposed to an employee evaluation tool. But the attorneys that have availed themselves of Judge Hoffman, either before trial, during trial, after trial, have been effusive in their praise. Judge Hoffman is a long-timer judge. Most of the older attorneys know him. But he's got a great reputation, and he's been a huge asset to the professional development of the folks in the office. I should also say that the other attorneys and staff are constantly doing internal training through the office, so that's another part of our professional development that we do. So thirdly, our emphasis on technology and innovation. We are continuing to upgrade and enhance LENS, which is our case management system, upgrade our evidence discovery capabilities with Axon Justice, and integrate Axon Investigate, which is our forensic video analysis and courtroom preparation application. Now, you all recently saw demonstrations of both of those applications, and I think it's pretty impressive, the tools that that gives us. And we're talking pretty relative mainstream technology. This is not rocket ship, cutting-edge stuff, but it's good, solid, reasonable, speeding rapidly into the current age kind of technology. And it has been a tremendous boon to the staff. Just the kind of time cutting down on these just mindless downloads for a day, that sort of thing, has been great, along with the other tools. And we've also been really trying to be judicious and focused on specialized training for employees, attorneys and staff alike, but it's mostly attorneys, to be able to use these tools. And I think when one of our staff, who's affectionately called Joey Evidence in the office, Joe Martin, he spent two weeks, I think, on specialized training to use Axon Investigate. And I think you saw the power of that tool. So, that specialized training is important. So, when you look back at the three things I started with, our people, our technology, which I just talked about, and our future. I think it brings us back to those core principles that we outlined in the beginning in our effort to provide the best service to the county, the highest level of pursuit of justice, and a work environment that attorneys and staff want to be a part of. So with that, I'd like to thank you all, Madam Chair, commissioners, administration, for the support that you've given the office. And I think Washington County is a really well-run county. Financially, yes, we tighten our belts a little bit here and there, but nobody's been panicking or running around trying to figure out how to get this project funded or that project funded. Everything kind of works pretty well, and I say that I think our office is really effective, in part because of the environment that we're in. So, any questions? Happy to take them. Thank you, Attorney Magnuson. Commissioner Bigham. Thank you, County Attorney Magnuson, not only for your leadership here at the office, but in the community. And I don't necessarily have any questions about the budget, but I just wanted to make a few comments. I'm happy to see the additional legal assistant, because as your attorneys' caseloads go up, that means that your paralegal legal assistants' cases go up, and the victim witness caseloads continue to go up. And so, I appreciate you adding the legislative assistant and continue to want to have the discussion, which I appreciate our discussion too, about how that support can be delivered in the future as well. That moves me into technology, which has really been a benefit to the office, to staff, but most importantly, to the victims in the community. And your office's days to charge a case, both adult and juvenile, the outcomes are incredible, and appreciate that benchmark, because that means that victims are getting justice sooner. Mm-hmm. And I said this with Director Thomas' presentation and Director Castillo's presentation, that the age of delinquency and MAPA, the act, all have consequences on your office. Whether it's with child welfare, child protection decisions, and now kind of where you can't charge a child between 10 and 13, even with violent crime. That actually takes a load off of your office, but The other side, community services, social services, they don't know how to deal with that. They're not trained with that. So there's that struggle there and that dynamic of being able to work with each other. And so, I just think those are important things to highlight as I was reading through your budget. But really appreciate your work, you personally, but also a lot of your department heads are here and leadership is here, and just an incredible crew. So thank you. Thank you very much, Madam Chair. Commissioner Miron. Thank you, Madam Chair, Vice Chair. Attorney Magnuson, appreciate the progressiveness you provide to the department there, the innovation of your people you work with, the collaboration, as Commissioner Bigham was talking about with various departments, and certainly your constraint in recognizing maybe opportunities of investment, but then the limitations we have as well. And, you obviously have broad community support for the work that you're doing and just so much appreciate all of the work, the county attorney's office, but in particularly the support that we have with John Ristad here, for the county board, and also that representation at the Recycling and Energy Board as well. I think that also demonstrates the quality of staff we have here and the recognition of their ability to manage the legal issues that face us. So, thank you. If I could, Madam Chair, Commissioner Miron, also the work that Pat Collins is doing with the Gold Line. We've been a part of that project from the beginning, and I think along with the consultant that we brought in, Mary Richardson, I think it's added quite a bit of value to that. Well, and I'll also mention the legal work you do for public works and having that attorney embedded there as well to review that. That's a change that came about in recent years, but I think it's a demonstration of the progressiveness of your department and yet working within the resources we have. Thank you very much, Commissioner. Commissioner Karwoski. Thank you, Madam Vice Chair. Attorney Magnuson, thanks for presenting. For me, a highlight when I'm out in the community and they're talking about factors in the community, they're always saying, "I know we got the sheriff's department next." I appreciate the way you work hand-in-hand with the sheriff's department. But we get asked about crime, and I'm often very prideful to say, and I really like the attorneys with your leadership and a lot of your department here. You're going to make people do a consequence. No one's getting off easy, and you have that reputation where if you come and do crime in Washington County, there's going to be some consequence, and it's usually prompt. I agree with the commissioners before me that have commented. I agree with those comments, but that to me is I can always support a budget where I feel you're enforcing, and criminals are doing the appropriate time, and appreciate that. But at the same token, when we're not having formal presentations, you really care a lot about your employees. I know you put a lot of this work in the wellness program, and one of the slides shows some leadership and mentoring where we talk about that. And the innovation, you were here with some camera work. Axon, I think, was the- Yep ... investment. And we, I think as a county board, we like to make those investments in your department where they're going to pay dividends, and I think that's true. So appreciate your leadership, with your caring about your whole office. I know we have First Assistant Wartner here. He's done a great job over the years, and as mentioned by other commissioners, we really appreciate Assistant Attorney Ristad. And on the Gold Line, we get that support, and it's very much appreciated. A lot of budgets to consider, but appreciate the presentation and the work your entire staff does in the attorney's office. Thank you. Thank you. They're phenomenal. They really are. Thank you very much. Any other comments? Thank you for the presentation. I appreciate you bringing forward a very responsible budget. I know it's not easy. You would love more help and more staff, but I appreciate you understanding the times that we're in. So thank you for that. Attorney, anything else to share? No, I think you've heard from me probably enough. The main event is always the law enforcement because they get the uniforms and the toys and stuff. And the budget's a lot bigger, so I'll let you get to the main attraction here. Hopefully, I warmed things up for you. All right. We will welcome forward then Sheriff Starry to present the 2027 proposed sheriff's budget. Oh. I didn't say his last one. Good afternoon, Madam Vice Chair and commissioners. I am Dan Starry, Washington County Sheriff, and it's my distinct honor to present the proposed 2027 budget for the sheriff's office. Although I do so this year with a sense of reflection, as this will be my final budget presentation as Washington County Sheriff. As you are aware, my retirement is fast approaching, and with that comes the realization that this is the last time I will have the privilege of presenting the sheriff's office budget to you. Before I begin, I want to take a moment to sincerely thank each one of you for your support. Not only of me personally, but of the men and women who make up the Washington County Sheriff's Office. Since 2017, I have had the privilege of serving the citizens of Washington County as their sheriff. It has truly been one of the greatest honors of my life, and I am deeply grateful for both the trust they placed in me, but for the opportunity to serve this county as its 30th sheriff. I am equally grateful for the partnerships and friendships I have had the opportunity to develop over the past 33 years with Washington County and the last 10 years as sheriff. Those relationships have meant a great deal to me, both personally and professionally, and I'll always be thankful for them. The success of the sheriff's office is a direct reflection of the great people who make up this organization and the amazing things that they do each day. Their dedication, professionalism, and commitment to serving the citizens of Washington County are what make this office one of the best at what we do and as successful as we are. That success is also made possible by the support we receive from this board. Your willingness to invest in our people, our resources, and our mission has allowed the sheriff's office to continue providing the level of service that our citizens deserve. For that, I am truly grateful. The mission of the Washington County Sheriff's Office is to work in partnership with the community to provide quality public safety services in a reasonable manner through innovation, leadership, and the cooperation of dedicated people. This mission was developed in the mid 1990s, and it remains as true today as it did then. Minnesota State Chapter 387 provides the legal foundation for the office of the county sheriff and outlines many of the responsibilities, but not all, that are entrusted to the sheriff, including preserving the peace, enforcing the law, pursuing and apprehending all criminals, executing court orders and legal processes, and overseeing the county jail. Its roots date back more than a century, reflecting the longstanding role of the elected sheriff in Minnesota communities. While the duties have evolved with the needs of our communities, the fundamental responsibility remains the same: to protect the public, support the courts, and serve the citizens of the county. Chapter 387 is important because it establishes not only what the sheriff's office is responsible for, but also the public trust placed in the sheriff and the men and women who carry out those responsibilities every day. Some key factors that are impacting the sheriff's office budget include the continued high volume of persons in crisis calls, as well as substance use calls. These calls tend to be time-intensive, requiring a large number of resources in collaboration with different partner agencies, such as public health and community services. I'd like to give a shout-out to Director Castillo and her teams for the coordinated response unit. They are simply fantastic. Technology continues, as you just heard from County Attorney Magnuson, to evolve rapidly, and as we expand our ability to use it to protect our community, we're also up against those who are constantly finding new ways to use that same technology to commit crimes. Staying ahead requires the latest tools, training, and technology, and while those resources are necessary to effectively do our job, they also come with significant costs. Providing quality public safety services would not be possible without the dedicated professionals of the sheriff's office. Unlike many services that can be delivered through technology or automated systems, the work we do depends heavily on the people who serve this community every day. As a result, wages and benefits are a key factor impacting our budget, with personnel costs accounting for approximately 76% of the sheriff's office total budget. Investing in our employees is essential to maintaining the staffing, experience, and level of service our community expects and deserves. The sheriff's office primarily is funded through levy dollars, with over $40 million in levy funding proposed for 2027, representing 6.17 increase over 2026. Non-levy revenue is also projected to increase by 11.04% in 2027 to 16,108,000. With an overall budget of just under $57 million, just over 43 million is dedicated to personnel services. You will also notice a significant increase in our capital outlay, which is approximately 1.2 million. As I'm sure you are aware, this portion of the budget can fluctuate from year to year, depending on major projects and equipment needs. The increase in 2027 is primarily driven by two projects: the CAD, computer aid dispatch, and the records management system cloud project, at approximately $952,000, with much of that cost offset by fees. And the body-worn camera and squad camera replacement project at approximately 352,000, which will be funded through congressional district-directed spending. Our full-time employee count stands at 291 employees, which include four part-time community service officer positions. As we presented during the workshop, the CSO program has been a success story for the sheriff's office, and I am happy to report that in 2027, we are able to continue to fund the program still with the public safety aid money. We continue to have two dedicated staff who work with the public safety radio system, whose budget I will discuss later. A few numbers help put the scope of our work into perspective. Nearly 180,000 calls were answered by our telecommunicators, nearly 500 calls every day into the ECRC. Nearly 300,000 computer-aided dispatch calls were created in 2025. 676 cases were opened by the coordinated response team, helping individuals and families navigate difficult times. More than 76,000 calls for service were responded to by our deputies, including over 1,200 vehicle crashes that were investigated. More than 40,000 records were processed by the records unit, capturing the work of our deputies and many other services provided throughout the year. Behind every number is a person, a call for help, and our team working to make a difference. I wanted to highlight that our water parks and trails unit took delivery of three new patrol boats and two new airboats this year. These vessels represent a significant improvement over our previous fleet and will greatly enhance our deputies' ability to provide high-quality public safety services throughout the waterways of Washington County. The acquisition of these boats is also a great example of the importance of working closely with our federal delegation to secure the funding necessary to invest in state-of-the-art equipment. These new vessels will strengthen our ability to respond effectively on the water, and most importantly, help us better serve the citizens of Washington County and many people who visit our waterways to recreate. The Community Impact Unit is a unit I created to address some of the highest-ranked concerns identified in the previous community survey. This unit is comprised of a sergeant and three deputies. This unit is able to focus its time in problem areas, and I think you will agree from the statistics highlighted on the slide, they are doing a tremendous job of our goal of making Washington County roads, regardless of community, safer for all of us. The community survey ranked three top areas of concern. They were distracted driving, driving while under the influence, and using our roadways on bicycles or walking. I want you to note that these statistics that you see on the screen are only from January 1st of this year to July 20th. To go through a few of these, 54 DUI arrests, 207 other violations and warrant arrests, 302 violations for the use of wireless communications device, 938 citations for speeding, one as high as 105 miles per hour, 257 unlicensed drivers citation, and 454 uninsured motorist citations. Again, from January 1st of this year to July 20th. Washington County Drug Task Force continues to be one of the smallest drug task forces in the region, but it is also one of the most productive. The work they do is nothing short of impressive. They are relentless in identifying those who are dealing drugs in Washington County, building strong cases, working with the county attorney, and ultimately holding offenders accountable This slide is just one example of the result of the outstanding police work. This started with a traffic stop and ended with a recovery and arrest in Woodbury, resulting in a seizure of 10 kilograms of methamphetamine, two handguns, and 11,000 in drug proceeds. At the same time, it serves as a reminder of the real drug threat we continue to face in our communities. The results of our team demonstrate both effectiveness of our drug task force, but also the scope of the challenge they are working on every day to address this. Because of the continued support of this county board and our strong partnership with the county attorney's office, we can continue doing the important work of identifying, investigating, and arresting those who would prey on others if given the opportunity. This slide highlights just a few of the recent cases our unit has worked on, and unfortunately, I could have included many more. I'm especially proud that Washington County continues to prioritize these local cases and remains committed to seeing them through, helping ensure that no victim, no case, no offender falls through the cracks. As a matter of fact, Sergeant Erickson and Assistant County Attorney Haldeman, along with Commander S***k, are at the International Association of Human Trafficking Investigators as I speak. They are presenting on a case so that other investigators, prosecutors, criminal analysts, and victim service providers can learn and equip these professionals with the strategies and skills to combat human trafficking. As I mentioned earlier, our community service officer program has given us the opportunity to bring in college students who are pursuing careers in law enforcement. As members of our agency, they gain valuable hands-on experience while learning about the sheriff's office, our mission, and the many ways we serve our community. Our community service officers are also able to assist citizens with lower-level calls for service, allowing our deputies to remain available for more complex and higher-priority calls. This not only makes better use of our resources, but also increases the level of service we are able to provide for our community. I cannot overstate the value of this program. It is an investment in both the future of law enforcement and the service we provide today, and I am very grateful that the program is funded through 2027. Lastly, I want to highlight the important work of our training unit. This unit is comprised of our sergeant and a deputy who are responsible for the ongoing training and professionalism of all 130 deputies. Their responsibility goes well beyond simply meeting POST requirements. They ensure our deputies receive knowledge, skills, and hands-on training necessary to be prepared for the challenges they face every day. This year alone, they have contributed to over 2,100 training hours so far. Again, that is a sergeant and a deputy. Ultimately, their goal is simple, to ensure every deputy is prepared to perform their duties safely, professionally, and at the highest level possible. I will now turn to the public safety radio system budget. This is a countywide system managed by the sheriff's office and provides critical communication for the agencies and public safety partners that rely on it, all within Washington County. We have the second-largest radio tower infrastructure in the state due to our topography. We have 14 tower sites. As a comparison, Hennepin has 11. The system is funded through a $400 annual user fee per radio. That fee was established when the system was originally implemented in 2008, and I am pleased to report that we have been able to maintain that fee without an increase. You will notice a 40% increase in personnel services. This increase is a result of moving what was previously a part-time position to a full-time status. We now have two full-time staff members managing the second-largest public safety radio system in the state, supporting nearly 1,800 radios. You will also notice a 97% decrease in materials and supplies from 2026 to '27. This significant reduction is primarily due to eliminating a previously support program that is no longer needed with the addition of the second full-time employee. Overall, these changes reflect a shift in how we are staffing and supporting the system, investing in the personnel needed to effectively manage this critical infrastructure while reducing in other areas. In closing, I want to thank the county board, county administration for your support and partnership. I want to thank our accounting supervisor, Jamie Peterson, and my command staff for all the hard work that went into creating this budget. This budget process was challenging, balancing the realities of the budget constraints against the needs we have, but I believe we were successful in this budget. As shown on slides five and six, our personnel services went up 6.37% for 2027. However, working with our team, with our needs, the budget increase in levy is less than that, at 6.17%. I would like to give a shout-out to my Jail Commander, Roger Heinen, who recently just reached his 35th anniversary with the sheriff's office, and to my Chief Deputy, Doug Anschutz, who hit his 30th anniversary with the sheriff's office, and he will be retiring alongside me. Both are simply the best. Thank you, Roger and Doug, for all you have done for those we serve. With that, thank you again, Madam Vice Chair and commissioners, and I stand in front of you for any questions. Thank you, Sheriff Starry, for the presentation. She's not crying, she's coughing, so we'll give her a minute on that one. Commissioner Karwoski will start us off. Thank you, Vice Chair Cox. I was observing Board Chair Bigham, because I could see her crying during the presentation. Anyhow, I think we all care about the job, the career you had here at Washington County. I congratulate you to start out with some comments as I, Sheriff Starry, congratulate you on your outstanding service and leadership, not only to the county, but all the cities you represent. Your reputation's impeccable. And the way you carry yourself, you can see it in the commanders and deputies we have in the audience. It's been an honor to serve on this board, going on my 10th year during your reign as sheriff. It's been my honor. It is a large budget, but as you pointed out, it's below our levy that's at least been in the press at 7.9, so you're at 6.17. Good job there. Policing is not a cheap task. I do believe that, as the elected official, our number one priority is public safety, so these investments are great. Like I compliment to the attorney's office, I know the reputation out there is if you're going to do crime in Washington County, you're not going to probably have success at it. You're probably going to get caught and do some time or whatever correction. And part of that is you mentioned working with your social service area, our attorney's office. I know there's a lot of caring in getting people that did do crime on the right path, and that's much appreciated because we don't want to have that cycle of repetitive crime. So, much appreciated then. I know the county board in the years past and currently, you mentioned capital investments, which is the equipment and the tools, but the county board, I think, has been proud to also support in people investment with your employees. The statistics represent that you're really effective in all areas of crime. It's a big budget, but I plan to support that portion of the budget because, as I said, public safety is the number one priority. And, again, it'll be sad to see you go, but I'm optimistic about the next sheriff, and continue on a great tradition. Thank you, Sheriff Starry. Commissioner Miron. Thank you. Sheriff, having been involved in your appointment initially, you have not disappointed me at all in the work that you've done. It's been really, really nice to see the support you've had from your wife and your family over the years. Obviously, you couldn't do the job that you've done without that support. So, you have always advocated for your personnel, and I think the reason we have such a good contingent of people working for us within the police department, it's because your advocacy for them and the reputation you have and their desire to serve under you. So, congratulations there. There's no question in my mind that you care deeply about the sheriff's department, and that this budget provides the resources necessary for the next sheriff to really conduct the business of the department over the course of the next year. Modest increases in my mind. I couldn't help but think when I saw the 90 mile per hour on the one slide that maybe that was at the county fair and the pitching- ... event that was there, and I hope that that young person went on to play some professional ball. Commissioner Bigham? Okay. I'll just go because she's... I can go. Commissioner Clasen. I'm not verklempt. Thank you so much for the presentation. I appreciate all your dedication to the sheriff's office for, I don't know how many years. I think you said it And, of course, you're just 30 years old, so I don't know why you're retiring. But I think that it takes a certain type of person to do this job for as long as you have, especially to put up with commissioners, with all of our questions. But it has been a really interesting experience for me as a commissioner, working with the sheriff. I've worked in local government for over 16 years, and I've always worked for cities. And so of course, I have a lot of questions on what you do differently in comparison to the cities. I did hear from a commissioner that it's very important for public safety. I don't think it's the most important thing. You know that I don't think that. I think that health and wellness is really important to a community. And so with that, I do appreciate the more visibility I've seen with sheriff deputy vehicles in Woodbury. Even if you're just going past to Newport. At least I can see that there are sheriffs that are around in Woodbury. I do still have lingering questions about the property that was purchased on Hudson Road and what's going to be done there. I think that's still very open, and look forward to whoever the new person is elected to make that decision. Technology-wise, I feel like the sheriff department and you as a leader have really kept everybody afloat to where you need to be. The capital assets and public safety are at 75 or 82 million. And so you have quite a level of equipment and tools. I'm interested to see how that changes with AI and what that means for the equipment. And how you then get rid of things that no longer are useful as our AI imaging changes how we are getting information. So, you leaving during the most in technology wave, I think it's probably a good time to go because there is going to be so many changes that I think it's going to be a lot for personnel to deal with, with all of the things that are going on. But I just wanted to say thank you for all of your dedication. All these years, you've had some situations that have come up. And even you have sheriffs that pass away with horrible issues that happen, and I've seen a lot. So it's not an easy role, and you picked it for your whole career. And so thank you. You didn't have to. This was a dedication that you made. And it's a big deal to have put this much dedication and these years into this place. You can come back if you feel like your car just happens to come back every once in a while. You're like, "I don't know what I'm doing here." Don't get embarrassed, just come on in. I'm sure it's just a part of your every day now. And there's going to be a sense of loss when you leave here because it's like you're so busy, and then all of a sudden, you're not going to be. So, take care of those wonderful children and those grandbabies that you have. You're very lucky to have a wonderful family and your wife. So, congrats. Appreciate it. Thank you. Yeah. Commissioner Bigham. Good budget. No, I'll save mine for December but you've always had an innovative budget. Modern with technology and thinking of your staff. And how you've collaborated with our mental health unit and public health to very appropriately operate the Starry Slammer. Roger and his commitment to that and his crew there have done a great job of keeping up and staying ahead of what they see coming actually, which is rare in your line of work. And it's just not an easy time to be law enforcement. And it's the respect that's owed to you all for putting your lives on the line to keep us safe. I do wholeheartedly believe that public safety is the top priority because you don't have businesses, you don't have schools, you don't have any of that stuff if you don't have a safe community and people that are able to provide those services. So, I think the struggles coming up for your successor are going to be overtime, retention, recruitment. I think the CSO program that we have does help with that. And again, just the increased cost of technology and equipment. Whether that's taking too long to get it or the increased cost of it is impacting the budget. And I just think that you have done such a tremendous job of staying ahead of where everybody else is at. So thank you. Sheriff Starry, I'll wrap us up. Thank you. There were some things that you didn't mention that were in this giant binder that we all haul around now. There's increases in jail nutrition, there's increases in jail medical. Some of these things, personnel, again, I'm echoing my colleagues. You've taken incredible care of the deputies that work for the sheriff's office. So there's a lot happening, and as a public, we demand that we're safe. And so I appreciate you making the shifts and the adjustments to bring forward this budget. Also in the back, there's a bunch of data that you've dumped for us as well, and I'm trying to find the number, and I can find the one for the corrections officers. But the amount of officers hired versus resigned and retired is in balance. And so I'm not going to say it's a perfect system because I'll probably get smacked for that one afterwards, gently. But this is a balance that you've figured out in a little bit of a way as the story is being told here in my binder. And again, that has to do with your leadership. So we are incredibly grateful for your 33 years, your 10 years as sheriff, and best of luck to who has to fill these giant shoes that you're leaving behind. So thank you for bringing your budget forward today. With no other comments, you're off the hook. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. We will now bring forward Deputy County Administrator Lucke for the, I know it has a proper name, general operations budget. Good morning, Madam Vice Chair, commissioners. As mentioned, Jan Lucke, deputy administrator. That is a tough act to follow. I cannot promise that the county operations, general operations, and commissioners budget will have the same emotional appeal, but I'm going to do my very best here with this final budget workshop. The revenues and expenses included in county operations and general operations are generally those that are not directly aligned with an individual program, function, or department. And while the commissioners have a separate business unit, the revenue used to pay for those expenses in this unit are included in the general operations budget. I will walk through the major items and identify any substantive changes that are occurring in the 2027 budget with these three areas. We'll start with the county operations business unit or COP. This unit has two main functions or purposes. The first is to fund certain countywide employee-related costs. To pay for these costs, the county uses what is called an employee liability charge in each department. This charge is based on the amount of payroll. The amount is increased or decreased each year to pay the associated expenses. We match the revenue with the expense. Part of the reason we do this departmental charge back is to allow us to recover some of these costs in programs that receive federal and state reimbursement. For 2027, the rate we charged did not change, but it raises about 6% more in revenue because the increase in overall payroll in the departments. Those funds raised by this charge back pay for our workers' compensation premium and professional liability insurance premium charged by the Minnesota County's Intergovernmental Trust, or MCIT. It also pays for costs for severance and paid time off cash outs that are provided for in county rules and regulations and the union bargaining agreements. You will note on this slide that workers' compensation is projected to decrease, as is the amount for severance. Professional liability insurance is projected to increase just under 9%. These insurance premiums have been rising the past couple of years as costs of claims have increased. This budget also includes the county's tuition reimbursement program that is managed by the Department of Human Resources. While this program has been popular with staff, the usage is coming in slightly less than currently budgeted, so we've reduced the expenditure of that line item. However, if interest increases and it looks like we're going to exceed our budget, we would certainly ask for additional funding before denying any individual employee access to the tuition reimbursement program. The other item in this budget is the retiree healthcare costs, or otherwise referred to as other post-employment benefits or OPEB. Employees who were hired prior to 2002 are eligible for the county payment of health insurance, which is similar to what we do for active employees. They're eligible for this when they retire from the county if they meet certain criteria, specifically if they've worked here for 10 years and leave employment after the age of 55. To pay for these costs, the county created a revocable trust that is managed by the State Board of Investment. That trust fund has grown in size, and the market value of that fund currently exceeds the liabilities related to retiree health insurance. The trust now pays for the full cost of the retiree health care program. To pay the annual cost of roughly 5.3 million, we first use the interest that is earned during the calendar year on the trust and then withdraw the remaining needed funds from the trust in two installments. We would note that having a trust that fully funds these program costs is not the norm, and this board and those who came before it made a great decision, a great choice to fund these costs through the trust. Having the trust reduces the county's need to levy by over $5 million a year. The general operations unit, or GOP, also contains a variety of countywide revenue sources and expenses. These items do not fit nicely into a departmental budget and therefore have been gathered into this operational unit. I'll describe the major revenue sources in this unit. First, the state provides counties and cities funding for housing purposes from a regional sales tax called the Local Affordable Housing Aid, or LAHA. It began in 2024 The board previously provided direction that a substantial amount of those funds be used to increase the supply of affordable housing in the county. As Director Castillo noted in her budget, about 1.5 million in LAHA funds is being used for housing supports here in the community services department. The remaining amount, estimated at six million, will be transferred to the Washington County Community Development Agency to increase supply. So you'll see this pass through as both a revenue and an expense in this budget. We also see here the 2.3 million in levy being held for anticipated federal and state cost shifts in the human services area in 2027 and 2028. We also include the property tax levy that is required to pay the county costs for district court operations. The vast majority of this 3.3 million, which is rising modestly, goes to pay for building costs, which the counties are mandated to provide to state courts, and for certain mandated court costs like attorney fees and guardianship, conservatorship, and children in need of protective services. We also include in this budget the payment in lieu of taxes. These are payments mostly from the state government for state-owned lands within the county that are exempt from property taxes. This amount increases modestly each year unless the state acts to increase the payment amount per acre. We also include here our revenue for interest earned on our county investments. By policy, this amount is the lowest amount earned in any of the previous five years. This practice ensures that the county does not become overly reliant on interest earnings that can go up and down significantly depending on current economic conditions. Under the expenditures on this chart, we show the major items and the change from '26 to '27. Let me note just a couple that have not been talked about previously. The cost for county contribution to the health savings accounts is funded in this budget. The county's contribution is competitive with other employers and is not recommended to be increased in 2027. The increase you see here on this slide is from more employees choosing the high-deductible plan that is paired with the county health savings account contribution. Dues and memberships are dropping, and consulting costs are stable. This business unit would also fund the historical society request if approved by this board. And we'll also note that the Minnesota Extension costs that are included in this budget, along with the commissioner's business unit. The change related to Extension is the removal of levy from the public health and environment budget. So now this GOP budget is paying the full cost of the Extension program. There is not a 28% increase in the Extension budget. Finally, each budget year includes a contingency line item of 1.2 million. This is a small contingency item for a $330 million operating budget, but it provides some protection, mostly for potential increases in out-of-home placement costs in the community services and community corrections budgets. And then lastly, the commissioner's budget. The commissioner's budget does not have levy revenues. The commissioner budget total expenditures amount is transferred to the GOP budget that was just presented. The commissioner's budget has a year-over-year increase of $29,700 when compared to the adopted 2026 budget. The largest increased expense in 2027 is in personnel costs, an increase of 19,900 from last year or a 3.5% increase. Under services and charges, expenses associated with commissioner conferences and meetings were reduced significantly in the 2026 budget. The 2027 budget anticipates slightly higher travel costs. It is not a reflection or change in the amount of travel, rather the increasing costs for flights and hotels. The other increases are related to rent that is charged back to all departments. Commissioners are no exception. And the main cost centers under materials and supplies is the technology allocation charge back to all departments, similar to rent. The increase here is largely for the DocuSign expense, which had previously been paid for by ARPA and is now being charged back to all departments. So with that, Madam Vice Chair, I would like to thank Chuong Le, Jen Ouchockski, and Sai Thao, who prepared these budgets and managed them throughout the year. We are happy to answer any questions. Otherwise, I will turn it over to Administrator Corrid, who is going to highlight a handout that's been distributed at the dais that shows the latest impact of the proposed 2020 levy and also highlight what to expect for the remainder of September. Commissioner Clausen. Yeah. Thank you so much. Regarding the traveling of commissioners, recently, I've had several residents come up to me and state that they don't approve of local government elected leaders going to DC. I was told that because we have our representatives in our district, that we should be meeting with them locally. I do agree somewhat of what the residents, plural, have been saying, because it's not just happening here at the county, but it's happening at the cities in which electeds are going to DC. So, I would like to see a policy that shows that we are ... being conservative with the funds going forward, and to make sure we have commissioners that haven't attended or that we don't all have to attend to continue to keep this cost down, because it is something that actual residents are talking to me about. So I would like to have the board consider that, and if they don't want to consider that, the persons that are telling me this would like to know why they believe they should be going to DC as much as they are. And so if the board's not open to having those discussions, I think the best way... Sorry, we're over time. I think the best way is to at least put in a policy of maybe it's two commissioners at a time. I do agree that we still need to be there because we do have voting that we do. But people are asking questions, and they are reviewing this, and so I do ask that we, like I said, have a policy on this so that we can be more cost-effective in our traveling. And of course, I can send those people to you. But I said we would be talking about this, and I would bring it forward. Commissioner Karwoski. Mine's just a wrap-up comment. Thank you, Jen, for the presentation on the administrative budget. I just want to thank. We've gone through several weeks of budget presentations by our department heads, and I know we have Sai and Trung here that earlier crunching the numbers and putting in a format we can understand and really laying out the facts of the budget. And all the hard work and those details, really appreciate it. Appreciate our directors and actually the staff. Every employee has an impact on the budgets, and we went through several weeks of detail, an overview. We have a much thicker booklet, and there'll be weeks of looking at it. Just want to thank everybody for their efforts, and I think it's really good public transparency to put it out there for all the residents can see. And we'll work from here to do the best we can to approve a budget that I think will provide the necessary things that our residents need and not necessarily want. Can't do all the wants, but we'll certainly have a disciplined budget that'll meet the needs of our residents and our community, and we've got weeks and a few months to continue to work on that. Thank you. If it's okay, let's go to Administrator Corbid so that we can walk through this additional sheet. Madam Chair and Commissioners, at your dais is a sheet titled Estimated Impact of Proposed 2027 Levy. You might recall that we received the first one of these back in early July, prior to the recommended budget coming out. As we move through the calendar year, our tax department gets additional information related to valuation as well as the Fiscal Disparities Program, and that always leads to some change in the estimates. And so we've now received the second version of this that just was from yesterday. I would point out that under option three, which lists the 7.9% increase in levy that's recommended by the administrator's budget, the tax impact, which was at $67 under the first estimate, is now at $60. And so the tax rate has dropped a little bit as the taxable tax capacity in the county has increased and the fiscal disparities portion of the levy has decreased. So those are the two changes and factors that are leading to a smaller tax impact from the 7.9% increase since the last estimate in July. And then we also provided you on this sheet two other options that modestly reduce that levy increase that recommended by the county board. I share this because each week we put out a press release on the county budget discussions that are happening. We would like to update that tax impact that's included in that press release. We didn't want to do that until we shared it with you today so you aren't caught off guard about that number changing. Thank you. Any other comments or thoughts? Commissioner Miron. Well, thank you. It's nice to see the OPEB. I know what that was like back in 2012 early on, and obviously some strategic planning for those costs was done, and we're in a healthy position now. That's good to see. With respect to travel, and I'm not a big one for travel as you well know, and I think I share a perspective to some extent that we don't all need to be there if we have representation, and maybe we could do better planning there. But I think more importantly, what I would be interested in, and if we're looking at a policy change on how we might recover costs associated with travel that's planned and not utilized. And, I think we could certainly look at a policy with respect to that, and maybe recover some costs that the counties incurred that weren't utilized. Thank you. Commissioner Bigham? Yeah. Thank you. I concur with that. I think if we look at a policy... And again, I'm actually with you. I think that to be more strategic, I had floated out that maybe going out a different week for NACO/LEGE, to get us more one-on-one time, and looking at a different, same theory behind the visits, and same scope, but not having to stay for the whole conference and doing more of a fly-in. But I think it's important that if we have travel, especially by the commissioners scheduled, and there's credits, that those credits should be paid back. And I think a policy regarding that would be something to also look at. The other question that I have is, comment question, is about the historical society. It's my understanding that there are two separate requests. One for a curator and then more of a capital investment appropriation. And I was just wondering, is that an all or nothing? They can't do one without the other, or is it divisible? Madam Chair and commissioners, it's not an all or nothing. Okay. Of the $48,000 that was in the administrator's recommended budget, I believe about $40,000 is to pay for a one-year salary of a curator. The other 8,000 was split into two different buckets. One for an upgrade related to software, and then one for an upgrade related to hardware, so like computer equipment. So, the 8,000 is probably divisible from the 40, if that's what you want to do. Divisible by three. Okay. That was my question then. I'll just wrap up by saying so much gratitude to administration, to Chung and Tsay. Just thank you so much for all the detailed work that goes into these packets and binders and the questions and everything. And then just to our department heads, thank you so much for your patience and grace. And just really thank each and every employee as we try to navigate these uncertain times based on financing. And to the residents, we appreciate your feedback, we appreciate your input and ask for it, and do appreciate the conversations that I do have with them. And our local partners and how we can be more efficient together on those types of collaborative efforts. So thank you to everyone. All right. I will also share my thanks. I appreciate this general operations budget, walking us through this. There are definitely parts of the county's work that impact every department, and so I appreciate the patience in walking through this with me specifically, but then also with all of us here today. I think it's just really, again, prudent, right, is the word that I keep coming back to when I think of everyone's budget that they brought forward. And then this update as well, Administrator Corbid, is just great news. So to put that in the press release and to maybe get something positive coming our way would be fabulous. That then wraps up... Oh, Commissioner Bigham's not done yet. Sorry. I forgot- That's okay. Go ahead ... to ask Administrator Corbid one question. Yeah. We had had a discussion about the insert and the contents of the insert, and that Scott County had demonstrated the unfunded mandates and the impact on the levy. Is there an update on maybe what that would look like for the insert? I know you mentioned the updated info for the tax rate, but about the unfunded mandate stuff. Madam Chair and commissioners. Jennifer, Jen, and I will be meeting with Tsay and Trung this week, and we're going to be going over that insert. We absolutely believe a key theme of that insert is going to be the cost shifts of federal and state money. We do have the Scott County insert. Thank you for getting that to us. So we will certainly be trying to mimic or mirror what they've done. We might have a little different formatting than what they did, but that clearly is going to be a key message as part of the insert. I think it's a fair message, because it's having a significant impact on our levy increase, right? 2.4 or 5% of our total 7.9 being recommended now is directly from that cost shift. And so, we'll highlight that. We'll also highlight some of the other pressures, with the inflationary pressures on goods and services, along with the key... It kind of restates the key messages in our budget through that insert, and that's certainly one of them. Commissioner Miron. Yeah. Commissioner Cox and I were in a meeting the other day, and it was shared with us that people in general don't understand these cost shifts and what's going on. And so, there was a suggestion during that meeting that we make sure we communicate that. So I'm glad that Commissioner Bigham raised that issue. I think the cost shifts are a big thing I would probably spend less focus on inflationary costs because inflationary costs affect all of us, right? And we know what our cost of living increases are and those types of things, and certainly government isn't exempt from those. But I think these shifts are the big issue that we're dealing with, and certainly we need to communicate that. Commissioner Karwoski. Yeah, I'm glad we're going to clarify the cost shifts to the residents, but I think it's equally as important to put down some understanding of what those benefits are on those programs. For the most part, they're mandated, but I think for the most part, we believe in them, food subsidies and things. So I think to mention the cost shift, they're mandated programs, but they're serving these kind of benefits to the people. I think that gets lost in the message that they're valid programs. All right. Well, we have next week off due to Labor Day, so we will have another budget conversation, but in a workshop across the hallway on the 15th. So thank you to everyone who is involved in all of this, and we'll see you on the 15th. Thank you.