Washington County Board Meeting

All right.

Good morning. I will call the April 14th, 2026, Washington County Board of Directors meeting to order. Clerk will take the roll. Commissioner Miron? Here. Commissioner Karwoski? Here. Commissioner Cox? Here. Commissioner Bigham? Here. Commissioner Clasen? Here. Roll call taken. All present. Thank you. 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. The next item is comments from the public. I have received no speaker cards. And so is there anyone in the audience that would like to address the board in the public comment portion of the meeting? All right. Seeing no one, we will move on to approval of the agenda. Is there a motion? Madam Chair, I would move approval of the agenda as printed. There's been a motion. Is there a second? Second.

All right. Any discussion? Seeing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed say nay. Motion carries. We now have the agenda, and the next item is the consent calendar. Would anybody like to pull any items? Madam Chair, I will move the consent calendar, all items A through H. There's a motion. Is there a second? I'll second that. All right. 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. Thank you. Next item on the agenda is the employee recognition awards, a day that we all look so forward to, to show appreciation to each and every one of you and all of our employees that do such hard and dedicated work every day. And to get the party started, it is Keegan Miller.

Good morning, chair and commissioners. I'm Keegan Miller, an office specialist in the Office of Administration. Today, we are excited to present the winners of the employee recognition awards. This year marks the 12th year of this peer recognition awards program, which honors exemplary performance in customer service, diversity, equity, and inclusion, employee engagement, innovation, teamwork, and excellence in county government. Before we get into the award presentations, I want to take a moment to thank the employee review committee for their work in reviewing, rating, and ranking this year's 55 nominations. The task of selecting just one nomination per category was very difficult. The employees on this year's committee were Theresa Hoffer from Administration, Rachel Westmoreland from Community Services, Rob Parker from Information Technology, Samantha Parker from the library, Richard Gearhart from Property Records and Taxpayer Services, and Douglas Berglund from the Sheriff's office. I also want to give a big shout-out to Jacqueline Johnson and Ainsley Francis, who helped with countless last-minute graphic design and communications requests, and Brian Kaufenberg, who is taking all the photos today.

Speaking of photos, all award recipients please stick around until all the awards are presented for photos with the commissioners. And on that note, Rachel Westmoreland is going to kick off the awards ceremony with the Customer Service category. Thank you.

Chair and commissioners, I'm Rachel Westmoreland, an administrative assistant in the Community Services department. I'm honored to present the award for customer service. The recipient of this year's customer service award is Alex Calero. Community health worker Alex Calero is on the community engagement team that works with both community services and public health and environment. He has played a key role in establishing community trust. Alex uses his bilingual and multicultural skills to work with diverse and underserved communities, especially the Spanish-speaking population in the city of Landfall, Cimarron, and 833 South Washington School District. Alex has used his advocacy and influence to provide free park passes to low-income families, create a culturally responsive communication best practices guide, bring English classes closer to Spanish-speaking communities, and organize the back-to-school event at Landfall, bringing valuable resources to the community, including blood pressure, dental, and vision screenings. Alex is committed to meeting people where they are at. Earlier this year, Alex received a message on a Friday afternoon about a family in urgent need of food. The next day, Alex had delivered food to them from the food shelf.

Alex followed up the following week, offering to help the family access other resources and services. Alex serves his community with passion, dedication, and commitment. He's helped advance equity at Washington County and goes above and beyond in his level of service. Alex, please step forward to receive your award.

Chair and commissioners, I'm Theresa Hoffer, the records manager in Office of Administration. I'm here to present the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award. The recipients this year of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Award are the following members from the Women's Empowerment ERG. Social worker two, Kelly Duong, senior community health specialist, Leah Berg, planning manager, Emily Jorgensen, social worker two, Gina Solomon, office specialist, Allison Raveling, planner two, Madigan Peterson, case aide, Ga Le, engineer two, Aaron Blalock, and library services supervisor, Melissa Jungwirth, social worker two, Ashley Hinge, library service assistant one, Favour Adetona, records manager, Theresa Hoffer, social worker, Whitney Tice, social services supervisor, Nissa Knutson, and senior social worker, Amy Wolf. The Women's Empowerment ERG resource group goes beyond serving employees. This group has led projects that positively impact Washington County community members, which is not a typical goal of employee resource groups. Women's Empowerment has four priority areas: women's health, outreach and events, family support, and policy and practice.

Through the family support initiative, Women's Empowerment partnered with building services to install designated parking stalls at the government center for visitors who are pregnant or have small children. This project emerged from the Women's Empowerment members' lived experiences. The parking stall signs are labeled with clear language and icons, so visitors with limited English proficiency can understandUnder the women's health priority, Women's Empowerment organized a feminine hygiene product donation drive. Employees provided products that were then donated to Brittney's Place, an organization supporting female supervisors of sex trafficking. Women's Empowerment extended the county's culture of care beyond its walls to a broader community. Women's Empowerment initiatives promote equitable access, foster inclusive workplace engagement, and strengthen community partnerships. They are committed to building an inclusive culture where employees feel seen, valued, and inspired. Members of the Women's Empowerment ERG, please step forward to receive your award.

Good morning, Chair and Commissioners. I am Rob Parker, Microsoft Power BI Administrator and Developer in the Information Technology Department, and I am honored to present the award for Employee Engagement. The recipient for this year's Employee Engagement Award is Jeff Hudson. As a Learning and Organizational Development Coordinator, Jeff Hudson consistently creates a climate of cooperation, trust, and mutual respect across Washington County. He approaches learning and organizational development with positivity, inclusivity, and a genuine belief in people's potential. Jeff's facilitation style encourages open dialogue, diverse perspectives, and shared problem-solving, which strengthens relationships. Supervisors consistently report that Jeff's coaching has helped them support and engage with their teams. Jeff coordinates the monthly all-supervisor meetings and brings in highly skilled presenters and timely discussion topics. Jeff has also been pivotal to the success of the Emerging Leaders' Academy. He created a strong business case to request funding for the program, which was launched in 2024 with over 100 applicants. Jeff brought current supervisors into each session to provide practical, real-world perspectives. Participants received hands-on experience through mock interviews and a dedicated job coaching session.

Jeff is committed to continuous improvement and ensuring employee voices matter. He frequently requests and implements feedback to further improve programs. Jeff's expertise, dedication, and passion have transformed leadership in Washington County. Through his cooperative spirit, commitment to continuous improvement, and ability to connect employees to meaningful work growth opportunities, Jeff has made a lasting impact on workplace culture. Jeff, please step forward and receive your award.

Good morning, Chair and Commissioners. I am Samantha Parker, Library Technology Manager for the Library Department. And I am Doug Berglund, Emergency Services Manager in the Sheriff's Office. We are excited to present the Innovation Award. The selection committee decided on two co-winners of the Innovation Award this year. The co-recipients of this year's Innovation Award are Gerald Klebsch and Tracy Thompson, both from Community Services. Family Resource Connections Coordinator Jerry Klebsch has actively built partnerships and strengthened community connections to advance the Family Resource Center's development. He plays a key role in outreach events, raising public awareness, and initiating services. Jerry approaches his role with care and compassion, striving to ensure equitable access to resources for families who may face barriers. He holds a clear vision for what the Family Resource Center can become and how it can adapt to evolving community needs and budget changes. To establish the priorities of the Family Resource Center, Jerry created and recruited a family advisory board to empower community member voices. Despite a limited budget for the Family Resource Center, Jerry leveraged strategic partnerships and braided funding streams to extend the grant's impact beyond its original scope.

When new challenges arise, Jerry actively seeks information, assesses situations, and develops thoughtful plans to provide support. His humility allows others to shine while he quietly drives meaningful progress. Jerry's efforts create a strong foundation for a sustainable, community-driven Family Resource Center that will have a long-lasting impact on Washington County. Our second co-winner of the Innovation Award is Clinical Social Services Supervisor Tracy Thompson. Tracy played a critical role in building and managing three mental health programs in Washington County, the Critical Response Unit, the Jail Social Work team, and the Call Response team. The Crisis Response Unit is a team of social workers who are available 24/7 to respond to mental health crisis situations by phone or in person. This team has maximized efficiency and reduced government spending by having social workers, who are trained mental health professionals, respond to crisis situations. The Jail Social Work team was developed to support the mental health of people in Washington County Jail custody. The team offers essential life preservation support, safety plans, intense therapeutic interventions, and other individual and group work.

People in custody build their mental health coping skills and receive resources that can help them be successful after they leave Washington County Jail. The Call Response Team partners with law enforcement to assist with mental health calls. Social workers work closely with individuals, allowing law enforcement to focus on community safety. The Call Response social workers help individuals navigate legal and mental health systems through case management, referrals, and support. Tracy was instrumental in researching, connecting with stakeholders, and applying for funding for these programs. Each of these initiatives removes stress from teams across Washington County and provides higher quality services to the community. Jerry and Tracy, please step forward to receive your awards.

Chair and commissioners, I'm Richard Gearhart, residential appraiser in the Property Records and Taxpayer Services department, and I'm excited to present the Teamwork Award. The IT and PRTS teams that worked on the Amentum platform tax system upgrade and the OnBase homestead application project. This team includes Senior IT Application Systems Analyst Developer Vicky Kittilsen, IT Systems Administrator Mark Mandt, Assessment Principal Specialist Jessica Arneson, Assessment Specialist Lori Hendrickson, PRTS Deputy Director Joanne Elm, IT Director Adam Larson, Assessment Specialist Susan Stemple, IT Application Systems Analyst Developer Vinnie Vang, Assessment Coordinator Michelle Berg, IT Deputy Director Eric Abraham, IT Project Manager Emily Jones, Taxpayer Services Technician Kirsten Furie, Senior Taxpayer Services Technician Jenna Takemoto, Senior Taxpayer Services Technician Joanna Siebenaler, Senior Taxpayer Services Technician Donald Sill, Assessment Support Division Manager Leslie Villarreal, Property Records Division Manager Tom Hauer, Property Records Specialist Julie Wetzels, Property Records Principal Specialist Thomas Sheeran, Taxpayer Services Division Manager Christine Piskura, Taxpayer Services Principal Specialist Joy Russell, Senior Taxpayer Services Technician Grace Amble, Taxpayer Services Technician Jodi Abbott, Taxation Coordinator Christy Hahn, Taxation Analyst Heather Bryant, Taxation Principal Specialist Ashley Merk, and finally, Taxation Division Manager Jodi Moran.

The IT department and Property Records Taxpayer Services, PRTS department, collaborated to create a new online homestead application. The Assessment Support Division of PRTS processes an average of 7,200 homestead applications each year. In 2023, the electronic SharePoint application began experiencing challenges. In response, PRTS and IT collaborated for nearly two years to design and successfully launch a new homestead application system using OnBase. The IT and PRTS teams worked closely to navigate changing requirements and unexpected challenges from the vendor, including increased costs and extended timelines. Assessment support staff played a critical role with hands-on testing by providing feedback that led to refinement. The new online homestead application improves user experience by making it easier and faster to apply online. IT reduced the initial cost by taking on more development and testing work internally. Now, records are easier to organize, retain, and retrieve, particularly for audits. Another team receiving this award is a PRTS team that worked tirelessly to implement a major upgrade to the county's property tax system.

Each member contributed their expertise to ensure the new system would meet operational needs, comply with statutory requirements, and support accurate and timely delivery service to community members. The upgrade required numerous rounds of testing and refinement. Through the repeated testing, the team produced a final product that simplified processes, enhanced documentation, and cross-trained staff. Team members stepped outside their usual responsibilities to assist one another, demonstrating their willingness to collaborate, share knowledge, and adapt to evolving challenges. While the launch was not without issues, the project led to an improved system and reflects the county's commitment to accessible and responsive service. Please step forward to receive your awards.

That'd be funny.

Madam Chair and commissioners, I'm Kevin Corbid, the county administrator, and it's my pleasure to introduce the winners of the Excellence in County Government Award for 2026. The Excellence in County Government Award is given to employees who have made outstanding contributions to the county and support the county's mission, vision, and values. An employee can be nominated by a peer, or identified by their department head or leadership, or identified by myself and the deputy county administrators. The deputy administrators and I review the potential candidates, discuss each with their department leadership, and ultimately select recipients that exemplify the skills and abilities that we desire in every county employee. The two individuals selected for 2026 are David Willert, senior accountant in the accounting and finance department, and Emily Robb, senior program manager of public health nursing in the public health and environment department. I would ask both of them to come forward now so they can be standing here while I talk about them.

Sorry I didn't tell you that earlier, but that's part of the deal. I have to do a speech? Yeah. Not behind me, Dave. So let me start with Mr. Willert. Dave has consistently demonstrated exceptional dedication and reliability since he joined the county in 2011. He leads the county's biweekly payroll process with precision, timeliness, and accountability. Dave and those individuals he works with in our payroll group take the responsibility to ensure every employee is paid accurately and on time. Dave has earned his Certified Payroll Professional designation through the American Payroll Association. He has served as key individual on the last human resource information system project, and is involved in our current effort as well. In his role, Dave must stay informed on regulatory and legislative changes related to compensation and payroll. Recently, he worked collaboratively with the human resources and IT departments to implement changes included in H. R.1, passed by Congress, and the Minnesota Paid Leave program, passed by the Minnesota Legislature.

Dave is a positive influence on those he works with. I would say that if there was a vote of the most important county employee by his peers-... I would guess Dave would win in a landslide, and I don't have any problem with that, Dave, so. His reliability, professionalism, and dedication to serving all of us is why he is being recognized today with the Excellence in County Government Award. Congratulations, Dave.

Emily Robb. Emily has dedicated 25 years of service to the public health profession in our public health and environment department. In her current role as senior program manager of public health nursing, she leads a team of supervisors and employees to deliver exceptional services to many county residents and clients. Emily was originally nominated by an employee for the Employee Engagement Award. As we reviewed that award nomination and considered her experience and accomplishments, we quickly realized she was an excellent candidate for the Excellence in County Government Award. Emily places a strong emphasis on employee engagement, thus the nomination, finding the right balance of providing direction and allowing supervisors to independently lead their units. She was described as having a unique way to address challenging situations, always ensuring all voices are heard and considered as decisions are made. I personally have found Emily to be an important member of the county's leadership team. Sometimes there are those individuals who others look up to, listen to, and follow, and they play an important role in setting an example for others. Emily is one of those leaders.

Emily is described by those she leads as practical, reliable, and fair. She excels at building trust and respectful, positive relationships within her department and throughout the organization. Emily absolutely embodies what we want our leaders in the counties to be, and for that reason, she is being recognized today with the Excellence in County Government Award. Congratulations, Emily. Thank you. I should note that Emily and Dave both got an award today, but their names will also go on the plaque that can be found between the HR department and Conference Room 5599, where we will memorialize forever, I hope-... the winners of these awards. So, congratulations to all the people that were being recognized today. Congratulations those in the audience who were nominated. I know that this group behind me who participated in the selection had a very tough task this year. We had a lot of nominations and very good quality nominations to choose from. So at this time, if the commissioners would come down from the dais, we will take a picture with our first award winner, Alex. So if Alex would come forward, and then after Alex, we will do the women's ERG group

Jeff Hudson.

And then after Jeff will be Gerald and Tracy.

We

Have to get chairs for this one. You better go in the front. One, two, three.

One

More. One, two, three. Let's

See. We'll do it once again, then we'll do it separately.

One, two,

Three.

All right. Anybody from the board have any comments? Yeah. Go ahead. Commissioner Miron. Well, I'm glad you described this as a party, Commissioner Bigham, because it really is a party. And, I think what I found most interesting is the discussion about the programs and projects that the county supports. And obviously they wouldn't amount to much if it weren't for the people that implement that work. Just how much collaboration and teamwork is going on amongst our employees within the county. The dedication and just the recognition of the noble work that our employees are doing in the area of service to our residents here in the county. And it just, really, really fun to see how engaged people are with one another and the care and dedication they have toward not only what they're doing, but the people that they're working with. And it really is, not so much a job, but in many cases, a vocation for all of our employees, in serving others. Just appreciate seeing that this morning.

Absolutely. Commissioner Karwoski? Yeah. Thank you, Chair Bigham. I would concur with Commissioner Miron's comments, but the awards, the bigger awards, the diversity, equity, inclusion, just two examples, the Teamwork Award, the title is proportionate where it takes a great deal of employees working together. Couldn't stress that enough, how well our employees work together, and that pays off, and our customers, our residents and citizens that use those services. They're all creating programs that are on the front line and really give our impression that our county's a great place to live, work, and play. And they're so dedicated. They all left immediately after the award, too. But no, there were so many other names of... You couldn't give out an award to everyone, so there were so many people that qualified, our employees, so I think as a county board, I know we're all quite proud of our county employees and the work they do every day. And some of these programs were innovative that we knew were really improving our county. The diversity, equity, inclusion, the woman's ERG, those have really been great things to really nurture our employees that want to not only do good work for the entire county, but stay in the county and grow and prosper as county employees.

Thank you. Commissioner Cox. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you to everyone who nominated someone. I know it takes a lot of time. And then for the whole committee to read through everything and to bring the people up front here with us today. I think when I'm out in community, it's really amazing when I mention the almost 1,500 employees. People first, their eyes get really big, like, "Oh my gosh, there's that many." And then almost everyone in the room has something positive to share about an interaction they had with one of these employees. And it makes me just really proud to be able to stand there and to hear that. And even just today driving, to my rotary meeting, so before 7:00 a.m., I know this is going to be really silly, but I'm driving up Myrtle Street, County Road, I'm learning what these are. And right by Lenz, now Grundhofer's, I think I said that right, is right there on the corner and, there was the waste management truck was backing out of the Lenz parking lot there.

And of course it's Myrtle, so there's traffic before 7:00 a.m. And this white truck stops to allow this trash truck to back up and I'm driving towards town, so towards the river. And as I go, I realize it's a Washington County pickup truck. So it's just one of those really little things. It's like pushing someone's cart back at the grocery store. It just made me smile and made me really proud that that's who our employees are, that they're going to wait for the trash truck to back out and make space for someone else. So thank you, everyone. Commissioner Clausen. Yeah. Thank you to staff for allowing us to recognize employees. I know we've really worked on the awards program, and it really shows that you're really considering all the areas that staff does to really make a difference in constituents' lives. Especially now when so much is going on with our federal government, and there are so many unknowns.

To be able to still be admired and hold integrity to your colleagues, that says a lot about who you are. It means that you're somebody that even when nobody's looking, nobody's watching, you're doing something that matters, and you're always staying in line with your character and your integrity. And I think that says everything. I think when nobody's watching, that's when we really get tested the most. And you got selected because you make a difference here. And I'm glad that we give this opportunity today to help see and show people who are watching what you mean to us and what you mean to them, more importantly. Because there are so many people that really do care here at Washington County, and I'm really proud to be a commissioner here. Thank you. Thank you. I'm really not going to repeat what the other members have said, but I just really appreciate everything that all the employees do, and it is very important to highlight a lot of the things that their peers see being completed on behalf of the county.

And I'm just really proud of every one of the nominees and also the recipients because it shows our dedication to innovation and modernization, and then also things that the residents really highlight, such as the community mental health response team, and just really showing whether it's the DEI groups that really dedicate themselves to making Washington County a really good place to work and thrive, and then that translates into the services that are provided to our residents. And so it's good to be able to take a day here to honor the wonderful work that all the residents do. And so appreciate that opportunity and appreciate everything they do, and congratulations again to all the winners. Administrator Corbid. Madam Chair and commissioners, just to complete this, I want to thank Keegan Miller for leading this effort from the office administration. Keegan is in the back. Thank you very much for the work that you did. I also must apologize to you and Keegan. I made a mistake.

We wanted to have the pictures after the county board comments so that the individuals would have been here and heard what you said, and I got ahead of myself and had the pictures taken because I was so excited. So I apologize. We'll do better on that next year. What we will do, though, is we'll ask our communication staff to clip this portion of the meeting where you guys just made your comments and include it on the WashNet article so that employees can see the kind words that all of you had for the county employees. So I apologize for that mistake. It would have been better if they'd have been here to hear your comments. So thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Administrator Corbid. All right, the next item on the agenda is the county attorney's office, where we are going to be recognizing National Crime Victim Rights Week, April 19th through the 25th, with Tom Wedes.

Welcome. Good morning. My name's Tom Wedes. I'm the assistant criminal division head of the Washington County Attorney's Office. Good morning, commissioners, Chair. The first thing I'm asking the commissioners to do is to adopt a resolution that has been proposed, and I will read it. Whereas crime in America has a devastating impact on victims and survivors and tears at the social fabric of our society as a whole. And whereas no victim or survivor should have to endure the trauma of victimization and its impact, physical, financial, emotional, spiritual, and social alone. And whereas the community of crime victims and survivors, those who serve them, and countless allies who work together to ensure that victims' needs are identified and met with quality, collaborative, and comprehensive services. And whereas there are more than 12,000 system and community-based victim services programs across the nation that help crime victim survivors and promote community safety, and over 32,000 laws that define and protect victim rights.

And whereas 2026 is the 45th anniversary of National Crime Victim Rights Week, first proclaimed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981. And whereas this time-honored tradition unites all who care about crime victimization and survivors to be acknowledged and honored survivors, their challenges, and their strengths. Now, therefore, be it resolved by the County Board of Washington, Minnesota, do hereby proclaim the week of April 19th to the 25th, 2026, as National Crime Victim Rights Week, affirming this county's commitment to our efforts to promote and strengthen the extensive community that supports and serves victims and survivors of crime. In this proclamation, we're amplifying our commitment to ensure that crime victim rights and services are not only recognized annually, but provided daily. Thank you, Mr. Wedes. Is there a motion to get the resolution before us? So moved. Second. Moved by Commissioner Karwoski, second by Commissioner Cox. Commissioner Karwoski. Thank you, Tom, for presenting, and I know we've got the attorney's department led by Attorney Kevin Magnuson.

It's one of the rewarding things serving on the county board is to see the attorney's office have such a long-standing tradition of valuing the victim and treating them with respect because many of these crimes, I think the victim can feel very uncomfortable. I really appreciate that outreach. There's been a long commitment to that, and I know many of the staff that's here that plays a key role in that, and it's very worthy. So it's really good to recognize that today and really each and every day throughout the year. Thank you. Thank you, Commissioner Karwoski. And I think I got ahead of myself, a little of the Administrator Corbid taking a cue from him. You have a PowerPoint. I do, yeah. Yeah. So why don't-Why don't we go through that, and then we'll come back with Commissioner Cox Well, just tailoring on what you said, Commissioner. So the victim witness coordinators in our office, Christine von der Lindy, Shauna Kish.

If you guys could stand up just so people see you. Yeah. Jesse Dandell, Emma House, and Kelly Doolin. She's not here right now. She is actually in trial. But they are our victim witness coordinators, and they are integral part to our office. What they do and the services that they provide to the Washington County and the victims is immeasurable. They are the link between the cases that come into our office and the victim and witnesses. Some cases have hundreds of victims. Just one case. What do they do? They keep victims and witnesses informed of the proceedings. They set up trial preparation. They coordinate travel for victims and witnesses. They assist the assigned prosecutor with trial organization, but they do so much more. Our office must comply with the Minnesota Statute Chapter 611A, which is the Victim Rights Act. Last year, just so you know, they provided over 17,015 services to our victim witnesses. They keep in communication.

When something happens with a case, victims have to be notified, and they are the voice. They provide assistance, impact statements, restitution, Crime Victim Reimbursement Board, just to name a few. They inform victims of offers. I want to talk to you a little bit about a case and just kind of have an understanding of what they have to deal with. There was a 16-month-old child that was brutally assaulted by her mother's significant other and was killed. The defendant, at that time, committed a similar crime in Wisconsin, initially charged with first-degree assault and changed to second-degree murder after the child died three weeks later. How do you even begin to communicate with someone that has endured that, a mother of the deceased child? How do you start? You're calling them up. You don't know them. You have not built any type of relationship with them, but you're calling them in their worst possible time. I cannot imagine anything worse.

They do it with compassion and understanding. They helped the mother understand the criminal court process while that person was grieving. They explained the proceedings, which could take up to a year or more. They have listened to the mother's frustration, anger about the process, that victims, that this child is not getting justice. Why is it taking so long? They have to endure and explain the ups and downs of continuances, what the potential pleas are, understanding that they must be empathetic to the mother's struggles. In this case, it took over a year for the mother to hear the defendant was being sentenced to prison for 25 years. Not only the mother, but the other family members gave victim impact statements, which our victim witness coordinator had to organize. After the case was concluded, the victim witness coordinator received a picture of the victim with a note from the mother thanking them for helping them find justice for their child and holding the defendant accountable.

That doesn't happen in many cases. I can tell you the attorneys in our office value the work that they do and everything that they do for our victims. The emotional toll of murder cases, crimes, sex, conduct of adults and children, other violent assaults, sex, child exploitation, and exploitation of vulnerable are some of the cases they have to deal with day after day. These victim witness coordinators do it with professionalism, compassion, patience, and courage.

I will tell you, funding by the Crime Victim Services grant provide funding for two and a quarter of the full-time employment positions in our office. I will also tell you, based on our conversations with the grant manager, funding is in jeopardy next year because of the federal cuts. The Office of Justice Programs, which our grant goes through, anticipates 20% less funding available for Crime Victim Services for 2027, and it looks even bleaker after that. I just wanted to take a few minutes just to recognize them and thank them for all the work that they do. We really, really appreciate them, and they're not heard of, but they are a backbone of our office. Thank you.

So now we'll go to Commissioner Cox, and then, eventually we will take a vote on the resolution. Thank you, Madam Chair. Mr. Wietus, thank you for the presentation, for reading the resolution, and to the staff in the audience that are our crime victim witness coordinators, thank you for this important work that you do. Five of you providing more than 17,000 individual services. You were clearly hired for your attention to detail, and thank you for that. I'm sure, right, when you're talking to someone, they wantThey want to know that you've got the right case in mind, right? And that you're giving them the right information. And thank you for all that you do to bridge that gap and to help walk them through probably one of the worst parts of their life. So I'm really glad that you're here. I'm really glad that Attorney Magnuson is prioritizing these staff members in his office, and really sees the importance there, so thank you so much.

Any other comments? Commissioner Clausen. Yeah. I was just reading the Recognizing Crime Victims Rights Week, and it says it's a proclamation, but it says we're adopting a resolution. So is this a resolution or is this a proclamation? I believe it's a resolution proclaiming it. Proclaiming? Yeah. So there is a resolution number attached to these when we- Yes. Yep... and when we adopt them? Yes. It's on the top right of the packet. I'm just looking for a nod. Correct? I assign it after the meeting. Got you. Thank you. I wanted to make sure it was as strong as we wanted to do because we seem to do a lot of these every year, and so it seems more of like an annual thing, but there's a lot more that goes on in these resolutions. And it's an opportunity for us to first of all talk about the topic, and second of all, for us to really hear what you're saying, which is two and a half FTEs is what we cover currently for our grant.

But I know that we have more people here today that represent more than two and a half FTEs. So because we don't get many times to have this opportunity to talk to you, what does that mean exactly in the way that are you asking us to consider supporting additional monies towards the attorney's office, and earmark it towards additional victim coordinators in the future? Or are we just talking today about the amazing things that they do? Because I absolutely think what they do is amazing, but I don't know. Also, I want to make sure we're hearing the people that are here today spending time listening to us and probably begging someone to ask us like what does that mean then for them next year? Well, that's the big question. Okay. I don't know. I don't know what the future holds. I'm going to help. We're extremely grateful that the board is committed to this function and the essential service that they provide in every single case to all these victims.

And the board has been generous and has funded these positions to the amount that we've asked, and we will look and see what the future brings, but that is kind of what's coming up in the horizon. But at this point, we just really are here to say thank you to the victim witness coordinators. I appreciate you telling us the potential funding gaps regarding the federal funds that we get for the county attorney's office. I do also remember that we just had our sex trafficking unit here who also stated the same in which they need additional funds for lapse of federal funding. So I just wanted to take that in and just understand what you're saying in these presentations because I think it's important for us to hear as a board. And it also gives an opportunity for these board members to ask any questions too because as you know, we're creating our budget together and this is really the opportunity for us to have those discussions.

So if anyone else has any questions I would love to have a further discussion on these matters. Thanks. Thank you. And speaking of getting the information out, it's actually the Crime Victims Services grant provides for two and a quarter FTE victim coordinator positions. I really lift this position up a lot because everything you stated in the resolution is 100% accurate and needs to be lifted up but the other two items that I think need to be mentioned is they're really responsible for making sure that the victim whose testimony is absolutely vital in these cases is connected and shows up because they also have to deal the second part with attorneys that are pretty stressed out and they have to deal with them as well. And so this is just such an important position, and I really appreciate being able to highlight the work they do and the exorbitant caseload that they do have. And so to me I think honestly in the criminal division without these guys there'd be a lot of cases you'd have to dismiss. There'd be a lot of cases that you'd have to plea down because if a victim doesn't show up very hard to proceed with a trial. So I just want that lifted up for the work you do on top of everything else that has been mentioned. So thank you very-- Oh.

I just wanted- Sweetness... they also provide services to the juvenile and civil division as well. So it's not just specifically criminalThey cover all the divisions. Yep. But primarily the criminal, just because of the nature. Absolutely. All right. Commissioner Clausen? Yeah. Actually, can we expand a little bit on that? So what other areas of civil would they be working on? I'm just curious. So, the one that comes to mind, if we have a commitment proceeding, where there's a victim that may have been involved in a criminal case where the defendant was found incompetent to proceed, and then there's a hearing later, which the civil division would take over that hearing. There still needs to be coordination between a victim that might've been on the criminal division or in the criminal case that has now kind of leaked over to a civil commitment case. So they would still be assigned to that case to coordinate that.

And that could be a case from 15 years ago. It just depends. So they do help on the civil side of that. Thank you for that clarification. No further discussion, Commissioner Karwoski renews his motion to adopt a resolution recognizing National Crime Victims Week. 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. Have a nice day. Now we move on to the public works portion of the meeting, and starting with another very important resolution, especially during the busy construction season that is going to be coming up, and that's adopting a resolution recognizing April 20th through the 24th of 2026 as Work Zone Awareness Week with Mr. Parkos.

Morning, Madam Chair, commissioners. And there we go. Thank you. So next week, 20th through the 24th, our annual basis, National Work Zone Awareness Week, which we just kind of talked about. And the idea here is to make people a little more cognizant of what's going on out there. So we can address any questions here in a little bit. This won't take long. Roadway safety professionals across the country are encouraged to wear orange to proudly show their support for work zone safety. That's next Wednesday, April 22nd. So you all get your orange suits on, and we'll be good to go on next Wednesday. Orange Day is a national Work Zone Awareness Week is an important time to show your support of the roadway safety industry, especially to the families of the workers that have lost their lives in work zone accidents. National Work Zone Awareness Week is an annual event observed nationwide that brings together the American Traffic Safety Services Association, ATSSA, public agencies, national roadway safety organizations, companies, and individuals to promote the importance of work zone safety.

Here's some stats for you. This is '23. I don't have anything more current than that. So pedestrians fatalities in work zones were 176. Commercial motor vehicle-involved crash fatalities '23 were 307. 899 total work zone fatalities. 39,000 estimated work zone injuries. 101,000 estimated total work zone crashes. So it's out there. You see it, 94. Yesterday was an example down here, by the bridge where things got real congested and there was some problems, but it's happening everywhere. We got a lot of projects this year, especially in that Woodbury area. So we appreciate everybody taking note of that. A few more facts and figures here of pedestrian fatalities in work zones. So it's not just the vehicles. 3,794, it's split by other pedestrians at work, guys walking around working in the work zones. 131, 94, that was in 2019, up to 2023 with 40 and 136. And then the graph with the same thing. So in summary, and to be short with this, Washington County leads by example by providing both workers and the driving public the safest possible work zones.

Safe work zones are the responsibility of both the workers within them and thousands of drivers that traverse these areas daily. Education and public outreach are integral to the work zone safety of both road workers and the driving public. And the resolution. Yep. We'll go ahead and have the clerk read the resolution before we adopt it. Whereas in 1999, the Federal Highway Administration partnered with the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials to create the National Work Zone Awareness Week campaign held annually in April prior to the construction season in much of the nation. And whereas National Work Zone Awareness Week is an event that takes place across the United States with partnerships between state departments of transportation, national road safety organizations, government agencies, private companies, and individuals. And whereas a safe roadway environment for our employees, residents, and visitors is a critical component of Washington County's goal of promoting the health, safety, and quality of life of citizens.

And whereas everyone deserves to get home safely, but excessive speed, driver distraction, fatigue, and impairment on roadways jeopardize the safety of road workers and road users alike. And whereas the Federal Highway Administration has designated April 20th through April 24th, 2026, as National Work Zone Awareness Week. And whereas the theme for National Work Zone Awareness Week in 2026 is Safe Actions Save Lives. Now therefore, be it resolved that the Washington County Board of Commissioners hereby designates April 20th through the 24th, 2026, as Work Zone Awareness Week in Washington County. Thank you. Thank you. All right. So with that, the next step would be to adopt a resolution. Is there a motion? Madam Chair, I would move the resolution. Is there a second? I will second that. All right, Commissioner Miron. Yeah. Thank you, Tim, for presenting. You've presented this annually to us, and just appreciate the attention this gets. And I think the statistics are really awakening when you look at the accidents, the fatalities within these working situations.

So often it would be a whole lot safer if we closed the roads down and allowed construction to occur, and oftentimes that doesn't happen because people just need to get to where they need to be, and there's impacts to businesses and the work that's going on. And so just drawing attention to this, asking people to be more aware of their surroundings, be cautious of these workers that, quite frankly, are focused on their work they're doing but are within inches, in many cases, of the traffic that's going by at 50, 60 miles an hour. So, hopefully this recognition will bring attention to that, and people will be more respectful of the workers through the construction season here of 2026. Thank you, Tim. Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Karwoski? Yeah. Thank you, Madam Chair. I would concur with Commissioner Miron's comments, but then to add, actually, I was noticing on slide four, in the work zones, whether there's pedestrians in those areas, fatalities are increasing. The last data is '23, but that was only a couple of years ago.

And then even if you look at the work zone fatal crashes over the last several years, it's higher than a decade ago. So it's unfortunate, even though I'm glad our county invest in the projects to make sure we... One, standards, I believe, have improved. Yet our county's committed to investing in the work project to make sure we properly mark and create an obvious safe area. What we are relying on is to get residents where they respect the work site on the road. I was coming here, and I was going through Lake Elmo, and it was a foggy morning, and the workers were out early. It was a private contractor with some cone work. You really have to pay attention. Mm-hmm. And because whether it's raining or foggy, it's not often we're going to have that clear day where you can easily identify the area. So we really appreciate all our public works and the work you do, and I'm happy you can stay safe, and same with our subcontractors, that everyone can stay safe.

But I'd encourage residents to just drive a little slower and be a little more attentive to what's going on. Thank you. Commissioner Cox. Thank you. Madam Chair, Mr. Parkos, thanks for the presentation. It's a good reminder. I think in the wintertime, we take extra time because of the snowy roads. We also need to remember to take some extra time in the summer when the crews are out and construction is happening. So thank you for coming here again this year. Thank you. Any other comments? Yeah, thank you, Tim, for bringing this every year. It's just a really good reminder. There's just so many projects out there that are starting this week, next week already, and just the safety of our employees is the top concern. And additionally, I know that Public Works Director Sandberg really reiterates this every time he's in front of the departments. And so, and really it focuses on the culture of the county that we have to make sure that everybody goes home safe to their loved ones every night after work. So, appreciate that.

No further discussion. Clerk will take the roll. Commissioner Miron? Aye. Commissioner Karwoski? Aye. Commissioner Cox? Aye. Commissioner Clausen? Aye. Commissioner Bigham? Aye. Resolution passes five zero. Excellent. Thank you. Thank you. All right. The next item is to approve a contract related to CSA 32, and that is Kevin Peterson. Mr. Peterson. Good morning, Madam Chair, commissioners. As stated, my name is Kevin Peterson. I serve as the county's design engineer. I'm here this morning on behalf of Public Works to recommend board approval of a consultant contract for final engineering services for the county state aid Highway 32, also known as 11th AvenuePedestrian and Safety Improvement Project. Ryan Haefs has been leading this project as the public works project manager. Normally, he would be here in this spot, but he had an appointment today, and we at public works wanted to keep this moving. So appreciate you bearing with me today. This project is located in the northwest corner of Washington County in the city of Forest Lake. The corridor runs east to west along the north side of Clear Lake and includes a mix of single-family residential, multi-family complexes, and commercial uses.

The Hardwood Creek Regional Trail, which is Washington County's most used regional trail, crosses over the corridor on the east end. The west end of the project is an existing bridge crossing over Interstate 35. County Highway 32 Pedestrian and Safety Improvement project is identified in the county's capital improvement plan as Project RB2609. Following a public engagement and preliminary engineering phase, city-supported proposed project improvements include full pavement replacement, the installation of a multi-use trail throughout the entire project length, stormwater enhancements, a center left-turn lane, and new right-turn lanes where appropriate, a new signal at 12th Street, a roundabout at 4th Street, as shown in the image here, and a realignment of Forest Road to connect the new roundabout. This will improve safety, consolidate access, and provide a controlled intersection suitable for the long term. We recently learned some exciting news. This project received $5 million through Representative Stauber's office via the Congressionally Directed Spending initiative. This project is consistent with several key goals in the county's strategic plan, bike and ped plan, and long-range transportation plan as well, including enhancing and maintaining the built environment and providing accessible services, as well as our commitment to public engagement and transparency.

The contract before you today will cover the work necessary to move the project through design and development of construction contracts for contractor bids and construction, including detailed staging to ensure that county staff and contractors can work safely during construction. This includes final design, permitting, utility coordination, right-of-way support, and preparation of the necessary environmental documentation. Public works issued an open request for proposals in February for the final design services on this project. SRF Consulting Group successfully completed the preliminary design and public engagement. Therefore, public works is recommending we accept their proposal and continue to work with them for final design services. Their extensive project history and knowledge of the area will allow the project a seamless transition. The scope and fee was negotiated in the amount of $857,728.

The slide shows project costs and revenues to date. After this contract, the project's total expenses are just over $1.9 million, which will leave $1.2 million in remaining revenue to acquire right of way, cover mitigation expenses, and other miscellaneous soft costs. Looking ahead, the current capital improvement plan has identified $11.4 million for construction of this corridor in 2027, utilizing a mix of funding sources. The $5 million in congressionally directed spending funds I mentioned earlier will be utilized for that 2027 construction phase. With contract approval, we'll begin final design and the required federal environmental documentation. That work continues through the summer of 2027, when we expect to bid the project. The timing allows for tree clearing and wetland surcharging and geotechnical work ahead of the bulk of road construction scheduled for 2028. With that, Madam Chair and Commissioners, on behalf of public works, I recommend county board approval of contract number 18164 with SRF Consulting for final design and environmental services on the county State Highway 32 Pedestrian and Safety Improvement project.

Thank you. I will stand for any questions. Thank you. Commissioner Miron. Thank you, Madam Chair. To get it before us, I will move approval of contract number 18164 with SRF Consulting Incorporated in the amount of $857,728 for the final design environmental services on County Road 32. Second. Moved and seconded. Commissioner Miron. Well, a critical project. Thank you for bringing it before us to keep this project moving. Ryan has been doing an excellent job in leading this. There's been a lot of communication over the years, with the city of Forest Lake and with the public involved in this. I think there's been three or four changes in administration within the city of Forest Lake since we started this, and changes in leadership as far as mayor and the council there. But this project is still recognized as a critical infrastructure project for the city. And, we appreciate certainly the federal funding, which is going to help reduce our overall costs and hopefully allow us to bring this project to fruition.

Kevin, can you talk a little bit... And I understand SRF has been working in this area and certainly understands the situation, but it seems odd that we would only have one submittal for a project of this size and nature. Yeah. Madam Chair, Commissioner Miron, it's hard for us to know what the private market is going to do with our request for proposals. Generally, I think the market knows that SRF has been working on this project for so long that they might be hard to usurp. And from our perspective, too, like I mentioned, their background and experience and even attending open houses, meeting with residents alongside Ryan, that's a big benefit to us, too. So we're excited to continue with them. And then, I just want to add, the county board and the city worked extensively together on County Road 33. Did significant improvements there. I drive that area regularly. It really brings you from Highway 61 to much of the retail and service area within Forest Lake.

And, this is going to add to that with a final design. Hopefully, connections for not only the roadway, but the trail system within that area as well, connecting up to our regional trail, the Hardwood Creek Trail, and provide that potential for a loop experience and for walkability within that retail and service area of the city. So, I appreciate county board's support on this contract. Thank you. Commissioner Kowalski, or Commissioner Cox, sorry. It's okay. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Peterson, for the presentation. I had to look at... The cover sheet had a lot of CIPs that this was included in. So my son was just born that year, and now he's 10. So, I just appreciate the public works team sticking with this. I think, Commissioner Miron, you mentioned it too, with the leadership in Forest Lake. Sometimes these projects just take time. And so I just appreciate that stick-to-it-iveness. And, Commissioner Miron, you also mentioned it, that connection from Hardwood to the businesses on the other end, this is just going to be really important.

So I know there'll be hiccups for construction and the way traffic flows. That's what I mean by hiccups. But the community, I think, hopefully sees the value of this and the trail that's being added. So, thank you. Commissioner Karwoski. Thank you, Madam Chair. Kevin, thanks for the presentation. Yeah, this has been a long time in the works. Appreciate Commissioner Miron's leadership in this area. And I think about the change of locally there in Forest Lake, the change of staff and elected, just goes to prove when you have a worthy project, it withstands time. Doesn't matter who's in office, the priorities stay the same, the need stays the same, and I think this is a good reflection of that. I think it's worth pointing out that we really do need bipartisan, not support and funding on our projects, not only at the state level, but at the federal. So with our Congressman Stauber contributing 5 million into this project was really instrumental in dovetailing that city portion of the project.

I think without the federal money, the project would've been scaled back from what I understand. So it's really a good project. And I remember there was that water treatment part of that that was important to Stauber and the safety. So, good project. I'm fully supportive. Thank you. Commissioner Clausen. Yeah. Thank you. I spoke to Representative Stauber about this project when we went to DC, and we had asked over and over and over again, and he just wouldn't really respond to our asks. And Stauber was a vote to take away SNAP funding and other really crucial funding for the county. So he came through today on a trail, but he took away millions of dollars from the county. So I can't sit here and pretend that this is a good thing, Commissioner Kowalski, because Stauber went on to MPR right after coming to one of our environment openings and talked about how government spends too much money.

So this $5 million, thank you. Thank you for doing your job, Stauber. But you've done a lot of damage to the counties, and it needs to be said. I want to thank Commissioner Miron for his leadership in this. It is not easy to navigate different mayors and staff with a project of this caliber, and I think the partnerships that we have with our cities are just instrumental, and our ability to work collaboratively with them and to help them when we can is important, and I just want to thank you for your leadership on that. Ryan and Kevin have done a tremendous job keeping this running, and yeah, I remember this project coming on my first time on the board. And these projects just take a lot of time, especially in the sensitive area with the trail. So, I'm happy to support this, and I know that it's very important to the community of Forest Lake as well and the residents.

With no further discussion, all in favor of approving contract number 18164, say aye. Aye. Opposed, same sign. Motion carries. Thank you, Commissioners. Thank you. The next project is for CSOD05, and this is Andrew Giesen. Mr. Giesen. All right. Good morning, Madam Chair and commissioners. My name is Andrew Giesen. I'm project manager in Public Works, and today Public Works will be recommending approval of a construction contract, two agreements, and one budget amendment related to the County Highway 5 Improvement Project. So during my presentation, I will provide an overview of the project location and scope, discuss bids received, and provide an overview of the financials for the project. I will review the project agreements and close by recommending approval of four board actions. So this project is located within the city of Stillwater and will take place along County State Aid Highway 5, also known as Olive Street, and will extend from Pine Tree Trail to Owen Street. And this project is included in the county's capital improvement plan as RB2695.

So the scope of this project includes improving the ride of Highway 5, which is currently in our red zone, and that will be done with full pavement replacement. We will also replace the aging storm sewer and curb system, both from the 1960s. We're excited that this project also includes a new sidewalk on the north side of the roadway, which was identified as a recommended improvement through a past corridor study, as well as the county's and city's bike and ped plans. And we also want to note that competitive federal funding was secured to help pay for the addition of this new sidewalk. As part of this project, the city also is including repairs of segments of their utilities. And finally, the project will include replacing the signs and pavement markings along the roadway. Construction bids were opened on March 17th. Six bids were received, with the favorable bid coming from A-1 Excavating in the amount of roughly $2.6 million.

A breakdown of costs to cover this construction contract are shown on this slide, which includes our typical 7% construction contingency. And funding to cover construction costs come from a combination of highway state aid funds, a federal grant, TAA funds, local contributions from the city of Stillwater, and our road and bridge fund balance. So breaking down the financials for all elements of this project, total costs are roughly $3.5 million. Revenues for this project come from many sources, but a couple things to highlight are the city revenues and the requested use of the road and bridge fund balance. So the city of Stillwater's anticipated costs on this project are $246,000. This is well under the city's estimated cost shown in our CIP, and this is due to the help of the federal grant to draw down both the county's and the city's cost share on the project, as well as an outcome of project scoping in the final design phase, which reduced the anticipated work on the city-owned water main and sanitary sewer system along this corridor.

And so this results in the requested approval of an $81,300 budget amendment to use our road and bridge fund balance on this project. So moving on to project agreements. We have two agreements between the county and Stillwater. The first is a maintenance agreement, which defines long-term maintenance responsibilities of infrastructure along the corridor, and the second is a cost agreement that defines design and construction responsibilities between the agencies, as well as cost following the county's cost participation policy. And these agreements have been reviewed and approved by our partners at the city of Stillwater. And before I close with recommendations, I wanted to highlight how this project directly addresses a number of objectives within our strategic plan. And this includes increasing the use of multimodal transportation by adding a new sidewalk that is separated from the highway, maintaining a strong partnership with the city, and this project will help increase our system-wide pavement condition index. So with that, Public Works has four board actions that we are recommending approval on today. This includes the construction contract with A-1 Excavating, two agreements, and one budget amendment.

And it is likely best to review and take action of these board actions one at a time. So I will turn it over to our board chair. I will stand for any questions. Thank you, Mr. Gesen. Commissioner Cox. Thank you, Madam Chair. I will move to approve contract number 18149 in the amount of $2,643,705 with A-1 Excavating, LLC. Second. Moved and seconded. Commissioner Cox. Thank you, Madam Chair. Again, Mr. Gesen, thanks for the presentation. I know this is the last, can I say that finally, the last part of this road. So I believe phase four. And I know the community has had excitement and not excitement about this, and lots of discussions. But I've walked this section, and those cars are moving when they come around that corner. And so the ability to have a sidewalk for people to move safely through this part of the community. And I just want to thank the team, too.

I know, Mr. Gesen especially, you've helped me understand that it's going to look like something is happening, and then there's going to be this pause where it looks like nothing is happening. And so I'm able to share that with the community, and they appreciate hearing that, and so they know what's coming, and I think that that's been really helpful. So just thank you. Glad it's here, and glad we can wrap this up this summer. Commissioner Miron. Yeah, happy to support the project. As Commissioner Cox pointed out, there's been a lot of investment made in this corridor, a lot of really worthy and needed improvements that have occurred here, and appreciate her continued support to her community. But these county roads serve a broader area as well, and recognizing that this is an important roadway for all of Washington County, quite frankly. But happy to support it and just appreciate the staff time, as Commissioner Cox pointed out.

These are complicated projects that take a lot of time, and hopefully the community's support, and I know you've been working on that and appreciate that effort. Any other comment? Commissioner Karwoski. Thank you, Madam Chair. Appreciate Commissioner Cox's leadership in her district on these road projects. Fully supportive. These projects are in capital improve plan, and we put them in order of priority. And the work needs to get done, so I'm fully supportive. Thank you. Yeah, I appreciate Commissioner Cox's leadership and also that of the City of Stillwater. These projects take a lot of finessing sometimes to do, and just appreciate staff and the cooperation of our local partners. With no other discussion, Commissioner Cox renews her motion to approve contract number 18149. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed say nay. Passes four, zero. Next item is approve cooperative maintenance agreement number 17885. Commissioner Cox. Thank you, Madam Chair. I move we approve cooperative maintenance agreement number 17885 between the City of Stillwater and Washington County.

All right. I'll second that. Moved and seconded. Discussion? Seeing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed say nay. Motion carries. And the next item is approve cooperative cost agreement number 17886. Commissioner Cox. Thank you, Madam Chair. I would move to approve cooperative cost agreement number 17886 between the City of Stillwater and Washington County. Second. Moved and seconded. Any discussion? Seeing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed say nay. Motion approves. It is approved. The next one is approve the use of road and bridge fund balance. Commissioner Cox. Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that we approve the use of road and bridge fund balance in the amount of $81,300. I'll second that for you. Thank you. Moved and seconded. Any discussion? Seeing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed say nay. Motion carries. Thank you. All right. Thank you, Mr. Gesen. Now on to general administration, with Administrator Corbett. Madam Chair and commissioners, during the third week of July, four county commissioners will be participating in the National Association of Counties annual conference.

As part of that conference, each county is asked to delegate one official voting delegate to participate in the election of NACo leadership and the adoption of national policy resolutions. So we would ask the board to select a delegate for the NACo annual conference. Commissioner Cox. Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that we designate Chair Bingham to be the county commissioner that is the voting delegate to represent Washington County at the National Association of Counties annual conference occurring July 17th to 20th in New Orleans, Louisiana. I'll second that. Moved and seconded. Discussion? Commissioner Clausen. Yes. My confusion on this topic, I thought whoever we appointed to the AMC board goes to this, and is delegated, and I didn't think we had to do a formal approval. This is new. So I'm just wondering, why isn't this already just decided amongst ourselves, and why are we putting it in front of an agenda? We have voted on this every year, and I am the AMC delegate, so the motion meets both of those.

So it's just formality? Okay. Yeah. Great. All right. Seeing no further discussion, all in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed say nay. Motion carries. Legislative update. Deputy Administrator Lucke.

Good morning, Madam Chair, commissioners. As mentioned, I'm Jan Lucke, deputy administrator, and I'm here to provide a brief state legislative update. I'll be referring to our bill tracker, a copy of which is at the dais. And just a friendly reminder, this bill tracker is prepared by Larkin Hoffman, and it tracks the authors, co-authors, and bill status for each of our nine state funding requests. There are two updates since you last saw this tracker. On Tuesday, April 7th, Commissioner Clausen testified before the House Capital Investment Committee on the need for funding for the intersection improvement project at County State Aid Highway 18, or Bailey Road, and County State Aid Highway 19, Woodbury Drive, and the importance of that project to the surrounding community. Two days later on February... Or I'm sorry, April 9th, not February, Commissioner Cox also testified before the House Capital Investment Committee on the County Highway 10, 17, and 17B intersection improvement project, the need for state funding, and the importance of that project to the surrounding community.

So thank you both for taking time out of your day to be at the capital last week. And also, just a preview, we've invited Margaret Vessel from Larkin Hoffman to join you at the board meeting on Tuesday, April 21st. So two weeks from today. By that time, we will have passed all committee deadlines, and she will give you a more detailed update, as well as the lay of the land as we head into the last few weeks of session in May. And with that, Madam Chair, I'm happy to answer-Any questions? Any questions on state leg-- Commissioner Clausen. So out of the list of the legislative tracker, which ones saw a hearing? So a lot of the bills that were introduced in 2025 session had hearings last session, and they typically don't hear them again. So of our new requests, the two that you testified on, you and Commissioner Cox testified on last week, are our most recent hearings. I can look back to Larkin Hoffman to see if we want to capture the 2025 hearing dates, though those aren't listed.

Can I ask a question about... Yep. So for the state bonding for the Metro Council, we always do have a meeting on that, and we discuss that. Is there any updates that we can get regarding how that meeting went? Commissioner Kowalski, you would've attended or maybe not, but I would like to hear what was being discussed. Yep. Madam Chair, Commissioner Clausen, you might be referring to the parks implementing agencies hold a gathering of sorts with the Senate and the House in the lower level of the Capitol, where they present the state bonding request for parks. And I believe, Commissioner Kowalski, you did attend both the House and the Senate gathering? Yeah, I attended them both. They were a couple of weeks ago, each a week apart, and presented on behalf of Washington County. And we kind of present on our own county needs, but we also collaborate with an overall seven-county message. And both were well-attended with senators and House members and the leadership.

So Madam Chair, Commissioner Clausen, it's a little bit different in that we don't really refer to it as a hearing. It's similar to our legislative reception, really focused on the parks implementing agency and their request for bonding. Usually we know about a number that they're going to give out to parks during that discussion. Was there any? 20 million is the ask. 20 million is the ask, and what did they say back? They're always optimistic-... at the Senate and House in those informal situations, or even if you were giving testimony, tell you the truth. They leave you very confident you would get your full funding. Those think, though, and Deputy Administrator Lucke may correct me, I think it's been more down around eight million than 20 in recent years. My understanding, Madam Chair, Commissioner Kowalski, the amount requested by the implementing agencies has never been fully funded. It's always less than the ask. It is looking promising for a bonding bill, but how that factors in and how many local requests will be included in that is unknown.

And they also haven't released a bonding bill yet. Yes. Last year, we got a little bit more money than we thought we were going to get, so we were able to get more projects accomplished, and it helps to understand what that is when we're working on the budget. So I was just wondering if you had more information, but I'll wait to hear from staff. Sounds good. All right. Anything else for Deputy Administrator Lucke? Commissioner Karwoski. Thank you, Madam Chair. It's like my comment I made on a road project. If you look at these bills, and we do have both House and Senate, but we have both parties representing Washington County, and they're sponsoring the bills, so Republicans and Democrats. But as in the park need for 20 million that Commissioner Clausen brought up, we really need that bipartisan support, from the entire state to get these things passed. So all of these projects we're asking for, which really would be a modest portion. I always like to tell taxpayers, we pay on state income tax, we're trying to get as much fair tax back along with other taxes like a state sales tax.

This is not a greedy ask by any means. These are projects that really the state should participate in. And whatever ones we get approved, the key is to getting both parties to work together and get their work done for the betterment of the funding of Washington County. All right. Okay. Anything, do you have any update on the federal... Oh, they've been on break, I think, a little bit. Yes. And I think, Madam Chair, I mentioned this last time, but all of our congressionally directed spending requests were submitted. They're all in. We're waiting for the outcome of everyone's decisions. Sounds good. Thank you. Madam- Administrator Corbid. Madam Chair and Commissioners, just one other comment on the legislative tracker. The bills related to the sales tax exemption requests we have in, I know that at the Mica meeting with the county administrators on Friday, I believe, what day that was. Nathan Jessen let us know that it's sometimes possible that hearings won't be held on each of those individual requests because there's quite a few of them. The tax committee does not have a deadline like the other policy committees do. And so he said that even if you don't get a hearing, it doesn't mean your proposal is not in play or possible to be included in a tax bill, if passed.

So if you're noting there that we've introduced those two bills and there hasn't been hearings, he let everybody know that had those requests, that may or may not get a hearing, and even if it doesn't, it could be considered. The final thing I have in just in the administrative update, commissioners, is just to say thank you for coming in this morning and spending an hour with county staff here that are located at the Government Center and the Law Enforcement Center, to thank them as part of National County Government Month, which we're in the middle of. And then also to let the public know that the commissioners will be fanning out this afternoon to a number of buildings and facilities away from Stillwater here to greet and thank staff for the work that they do. So that'll happen this afternoon. So thank you for your time and energy for doing that. Thank you. I have one thing for Administrator Corbid that I just want to mention to maybe start some discussion. I've been at different community events, and people want to help, especially with everything going on with Operation Metro Surge and the residual impact, and also just with the cut in shift, I should say, of SNAP benefits.

And we have so many organizations. I think of United Way. I think of Basic Needs, which is kind of what made me think for a second, and other nonprofit groups. I've actually been with Commissioner Cox when people have offered to provide service through their organization and whatnot. And I also think because of the 30% increase at our food banks, that we had to deal with the appropriation in the fall. And then we move into the beginning of the year with the operation-- End of last year and beginning of this year with Operation Metro Surge, and we just don't know what is next, to be honest. And I'm just wondering if it's possible to, at some point, discuss... I think the word I would like to use for a visual is a navigator with some of our nonprofits or people that philan-- Oh, no, I can't say that word. Philop- Philanthropy? Yeah, that one. Thank you.

People that want to help, and how that person can maybe coordinate with the different groups and, I don't know. And maybe I'm not being as articulate as I want to be, but I just noticed this is a repeat ask of organizations to help, and people. So. Oh. Commissioner Clasen. I just want to add on to that, because I've had conversations with County Administrator Corbid about working in a volunteer program that would allow people to volunteer and to also donate to certain areas. And it could start in Workforce because they already have it set up for volunteers. But that's really what we, as a community, need is we have these amazing people, very talented, who want to help, and they really have expertise in certain subjects. We could have a volunteer program. And we could help and connect nonprofits with the people who are seeking to be of service. And I've had conversations with staff about this numerous times, because it's not just residents talking to us, it's Basic Needs, it's Open Coverit, it's Solid Ground. It's people who literally need volunteers to be sent their way, or we need volunteers.

And there are people who are willing to donate to these types of programs and services. And so I bring that back because that's still the same idea. It's connecting nonprofits who need us to the constituents who come to us first, and it's just a filtering system. I've talked about it with Valley Outreach, and I've spoken about it with the person who handles transportation, because we couldn't get transportation over to this side of Woodbury, but it did come over. And that's really about the same thing. It's volunteering, and us being the hub for that. And I know of other cities who have done it. Inver Grove Heights, Apple Valley, and Rosemont have a volunteer coordinator that takes in people who want to work. And also, we need to do this because of SNAP and the work requirements. They're going to be having additional work requirements, and we could help them get that through this program. I know it sounds convoluted, but in my head, it absolutely makes sense, and I've tried to talk about it with staff, and as Kev is nodding, yes.

And it's something that I've seen done at the local level, and I think we could bring it here. That's my two cents on the topic. Thank you, and I appreciate that. The one thing before I get to Commissioner Karwoski. There was the, essentially like an emergency response team that was set up in the fall about that, and I'm also, as this is playing out in my head too, I think that can't probably be a flip on, flip off type thing. And so, somebody's probably got to be in charge of, depending on what the issue is, how that works. And I don't know if that could be part of it too, but it does sound like, before I get to Commissioner Karwoski, there are some ideas out here from the board. Commissioner Karwoski. Well, thank you, Madam Chair. I was going to feed off this subject that Chair Bigham and Commissioner Clasen brought up about garnering or capturing volunteers, directing them to the right resource.

One, I too, and I think we've all been approached, we always get approached by a certain amount of residents, "How can I help?" But with the ICE situation over the last year, an extra bump of people, "How can I help my neighbors, my community?" I like the idea that Chair Bigham brought up of the navigator, maybe because we're in the process of finalizing upgrade in our websiteAnd we had that great workshop. But maybe, because I like a navigator, like how somebody could just simply say, "I'd really like the help with the food shelf." And that navigator would push them- We have navigators... food shelf, and maybe I'm not as familiar, they might want to help with whatever. They could put in a keyword, and it would give them options that they could go to. I know me as a commissioner, I'm not always equipped to tell them what all the resources are, so we have to rely on staff. So it'd be kind of nice to have that navigator just to, as a commissioner or citizen, just to see what opportunities would it open up.

And maybe in addition to that, they say, "I'd like to help out in Mahtomedi," it could be specific to those. So I'm not trying to create extra work. I'm just hoping that maybe it dovetails in with what our website's going to be. Yeah. And I think also, if United Way has an appropriation, I'm going to use them, for housing or whatever, how they can maybe work with this person, could maybe work with the CDA, could work with transportation, as Commissioner Clausen mentioned, to help connect the people, the county and the nonprofit. So any... Commissioner Clausen. But we do have navigators in community services. And so they're the ones that are stationed at the library, and they help any kind of issues that might come up. So we do have those positions, but we don't necessarily have them, I think, in what you're referring to. So it's just a more expansive look at what's happening at the county. And we're hearing this, Kevin, from every constituent, asking us to help them find a way to give more to the community. And so, I can't stress that enough that we hear it repeatedly. So whatever staff can do, that would be great.

Any other comments? Administrator Corbid. Madam Chair and commissioners, I think the comments that all three commissioners make kind of dovetail with a couple things. One is what we heard from Mr. Wiedes today when he presented around the victim witness coordinators and the possibility of that grant funding either being eliminated or cut. We also are aware that the sex trafficking grant we had been relying on for Sergeant Erickson's position, we were not successful in getting that grant to continue, so we will have to make some decisions around that. And so I just point those out, and a lot of the comments you made about looking back at the implications of Metro Surge, the SNAP H. R.1 changes, then looking ahead more broadly on what may happen with general county funding for human services. Director Castillo from our community services department has brought forward some ideas on how we get some additional help in these areas to connect the types of groups you've talked about with the county, with other nonprofits, and how we react to that. The hard thing is always that it's hard to find a person where we can just add that responsibility to, and they have enough time and energy to do that along with the other things they do.

So I've been talking with Jennifer Castillo and others about how do we find somebody who'd be available to have those broader conversations to position us to better respond to not only what's happened, but probably even more importantly, what may happen in the next couple of years related to general human services funding. So, we'll continue those conversations and certainly include the board on those. Yeah. And Administrator Corbid, I just also think because this is nonprofit money coming in, or just the non-levy dollars coming in and how we utilize that, and the grants that you mentioned, we'll figure that out. But I guess in my head it was more of a how do we leverage the nonprofits that want to come in and help lift people up in need? So, all right. Anything else for Administrator Corbid? No, Madam Chair. Seeing none, then we will move into commissioner reports and comments. Commissioner Karwoski? Sure. Thank you. Over the past two weeks when we haven't met as a county board, my highlights are, attended a good morning monthly Woodbury get-together, the Woodbury Chamber members.

They always pick a key business out that wants to financially sponsor their location. It was at Interior Impressions. Anybody needs home remodeling done, decor, really highly respected. It was a very nice visit there. Woodbury Chamber always gets 40, 50 people at these morning... They start at 8:00 in the morning, these social good morning Woodbury events. Attended Oakdale Chamber luncheon. Always give an update there. Regarding NACO, I had a transportation policy and steering committee meeting, and then also a membership committee meeting. Micah had an executive committee meeting, and followed up the next day with a board meeting. As mentioned earlier, I think we're all mingling with our employees that were recognized for their achievements today at the board meeting. But at 8:00 a.m. we had the... donuts with the commission event, and it was really nice to mingle with employees when we get a chance. Many staff meetings and constituent follow-ups over the last few weeks, and that concludes my report.

That was good. Commissioner Cox. Thank you, Madam Chair. I was able to present to the Government Affairs Committee of the St. Paul Area Association of Realtors. So that was an interesting conversation. They were very curious about the new hospital building and what that will mean for growth in our community. So it was good to be there and listen to them. I connected with a Browns Creek Watershed manager, just as that organization is still looking for a new member. So if anyone is watching and would love to apply to become a Browns Creek Watershed manager, we would love that. And then some other presentations I met with, just a Stillwater neighborhood. There was a group of about 20 people, and we met on just someone's three-season porch and had a really great conversation. It's just a nice way to hear what the community is thinking and then also share the importance of the county's work. And then yesterday, presented to the American Association of University Women.

That was a new organization to me, and so was able to meet more than a dozen lovely ladies just after lunch. And thank you to Brian on the administration team for some really great photos. It's nice when you put a presentation together and the photos aren't grainy, and they actually look like what you want them to do. So I appreciate his help with that. And then the only other thing is, I know that Mr. Berglund was here today, but between him and Sheriff Starry, they invited me to the CIRUS training that happened at Anderson Windows just on Highway 36 there in Oak Park Heights over the weekend. And that was an incredible eye-opening experience. And I went home, and we had quite the conversation as a family about what happens when someone intentionally hurts people in community and what that means, and that there are these amazing officers that it was crazy to see how engaged they were in the training.

But these women were the first people on the scene, so they were the first car there. And they threw their doors open. I don't know if their cars were in park. They honestly didn't move, so they must've been. And they ran in towards where someone was playing the shooter. And I am just blown away that, first of all, we train for that every year, grateful for that, but then also that there are people built to do that. Mm-hmm. I am built to run the other way and take as many people with me as I can. And so, it's incredible what our law enforcement does in Washington County, so grateful for that opportunity. Thank you. Commissioner Miron. Thank you. A lot of interest in the watershed positions opening up with Carnelian-Marine Watershed. I think there's 10 applicants for three positions there. And I've been meeting with people that have an interest in that, and also groups, lake owner associations that have interest in that as well.

Attended a Water Consortium meeting, had a Clean Water Council meeting, attended the May Township board meeting on a couple of conservation projects that our staff was making them aware of, along with they had discussions about a letter of support for our Glacial Hills Trail project, which they did approve. Attended a Metropolitan Emergency Services Board executive committee meeting. We had discussions about our upcoming '27 budget and staffing recommendations from the executive director.

I attended a meeting at the Conservation District office. I want to thank Commissioner Karwoski for attending the MICA meeting. He attended there and allowed me to attend this meeting at the Conservation District. Attended an open house on the Hardwood Creek Regional Trail, the segment, and surprisingly, a lot of interest there. People attending for that one-mile gap that we've been working on funding and putting together. I continue to get some communication on that. And then dealt with a resident in May Township that had a classification issue. Obviously, there are Board of Review and Appeal meetings going on. And just remind people that if they have concerns to meet with our staff here, try to get those resolved, but certainly, they want to protect their rights by attending the local Board of Appeals so they maintain a standing with the county, which I believe ours is June 13th or something like that. So at any rate, those are the issues and meetings that I was dealing with here.

Thank you. Commissioner Clausen. Yes. As was stated, just recently testified for CASA 18 and 19, which is Bailey and Woodbury Drive improvements to the roundabout. As we know, Woodbury is the seventh-largest city in the state, and we have outgrown a lot of our capacity on our intersections and roundabout, and this one is one of them. Was notified after attending this Capital Investment Committee opportunity that I was told by a resident that there was a car accident that occurred at 18 and 19, and it was her children that were in the car, and it was an inexperienced driver. And she was so thankful to see that there may be some improvements that could be happening to our intersections. As we have major road construction this summer in Woodbury, we are already hearing the stress and really the headache that people are experiencing in driving on Bailey Avenue and having it be so restricted. I don't think that 10 years is enough time.

I think that we really need the improvements to be made now. There was several millions of dollars approved in street projects today even, and we are really hurting for improvements in Woodbury. And so, hopefully we can get some of these projects going. Right now we just have studies, and that's not enough. That's not enough. And so I will continue to talk about how we need more road improvement measures too, and we need to see local funds coming back into our local community. That's what we deserve as constituents. We deserve to see them come back, and I'm not seeing that from this board and from staff. And so, it's been a real struggle to be on the board and watch other commissioners get projects and us seeing motor vehicle accidents occur. Even today, when I was on Lake trying to turn onto Manning Avenue, I saw a vehicle similar to mine who was getting honked at because the person was going so fast that they didn't want them to merge and to turn on Lake and Manning.

So we have some major issues on safety. I was really happy to go to the employee recognition day today and be able to hear from staff on how important it is to them that the employees are treated equally and respectfully. I was able to share a couple moments during this morning, talking about to staff, and I just really was humbled by the person I was talking to, their effort into making sure that staff is treated fairly. And so I got to see that person be also admired and given an award today, and I just really was happy about that conversation because it really helped me realign myself with understanding the amount of stress that our staff goes through. And so I just thank you to leadership for letting us have that opportunity to talk to staff and to reengage with them, to tell them how much they do mean to us up here at the board, and how we truly do want to consider them in a lot of these decisions that we make every day.

And then about the library, R. H. Stafford Library is getting renovated, and there's lots of opportunities for Woodbury residents to get involved, and I'm hearing that more and more people want to be a part of that community and that outreach. So, Commissioner Bigham, as the representative on the library, I hope that you are reaching out to the seniors in the area. I'm hearing a lot from senior citizens from Woodbury that they want more opportunities for community involvement with the library expansion. I attended the finance committee with the county, and we approved the penny policy, and if nobody has heard about the penny policy, we are now averaging up or down, and not taking into consideration pennies. So, I wanted to just say official goodbye to pennies today. And I really will miss some of the terms we say about pennies. Penny saved is a penny earned. There are some sayings that I hope we never stop saying. And then we did have a CASA 16 Settlers Ridge intersection improvement public hearing opportunity. I mean, it was a open house.

And I'm glad that we had some people who were able to stop by. I wish more people were able to stop by for that improvement project as we continue to gain engagement and learn more about the issues people are having with the intersections in Woodbury that are county roads. So, and I think that is all I have. Thank you. Thank you. I just want to echo my excitement for the employee visits this afternoon, but also the conversations this morning. It is always just a pleasure to be able to speak with the employees, especially during this month, to show gratitude and appreciation. Yesterday-- I'm going to combine a couple of the road projects, but yesterday, in Newport, we had an open house for 38 and 74, which is 65th Street and Hastings Avenue. And that starts on Monday. And so 65th Street will be pretty much closed. And then, in conjunction with that, we have 80th Street that's going to be closed because of the city's project.

So there's really only two major thoroughfares that go east to west right now, and so people just really got to bear with us and be patient and slow down for the workers. The 80th Street one will be going through November. The 38th and 74, I'm hoping August, but weather's got to cooperate in all of these. So just, it is our favorite season, construction season. I also attended the Cottage Grove Police Department reception where retiring Chief Pete Koerner is retiring after 34 years. So we thank him so much for his work and dedication to public service. And the interim police chief will be Brad Peterson, who's currently a captain, and he will be the interim chief. I also attended the Cottage Grove Volunteer Banquet, and appreciate recognizing all the volunteers and their efforts in the community. We also had an R&E finance and facility meeting, and finances are strong. And we passed policies, and they'll be coming to the full R&E board here in the next month. I attended Extension.

We did performance measurements in preparation for the budget. I've had a few meetings for the Minnesota African American Family Preservation Act, a statewide group I'm on. I also had the NACO Public Safety and Justice meeting. I attended a CAST forum, Citizens Against Sex Trafficking, at Oltman Middle School. And the information and just the advocacy for victims that that organization does is just amazing. And Commissioner Clausen mentioned the finance meeting about the penny. Penny-wise, pound-foolish, in for a penny, in for a pound. You can go on with all those sayings. Yeah. Right? Yeah. And then I really also want to lift up Doug Berglund for his organizing of the active shooter training. There were 17, or 19, sorry, 19 groups that from Wisconsin and all over Minnesota and the Twin Cities that participated in this. And just watching the hour that I was there just made my blood pressure go through the roof. And that job is not for everybody, and we pray to God that they never have to use that training.

But we are so incredibly grateful for the collaborative training and the investment that not only the county makes, but that the departments make, our local departments. So thanks to Doug and his whole team. So if there's nothing else, before we go to the Regional Rail Authority with then Chair Karwoski, we do have board correspondence, which is a green card that was received from Margaret Thomas in Stillwater. And then we also, after the meeting, and after the Regional Rail Authority, we have two workshops with Public Works about the historic courthouse wedding rental plan, and then also the transit needs study, and we have Personnel Committee. And then as it's been said, we have visits to various county sites by the board. And before I adjourn, we're going to go to Administrator Corbett. Madam Chair and commissioners, if I can just add my two cents on the penny issue. You may hear that there is now a state bill to create the state policy around rounding.

Just so you know that that bill right now just applies to state agencies. There's an effort to include local governments in that. Right now, their suggested policy is the same that we just adopted this morning. If somehow the state would adopt a policy that we're required to follow that's different than what we just adopted, we'll have to come back to you. So I just wanted to know if you hear about that happening. Right now, we seem to be in sync, but if something passes that's different, we may have to come back and revisit our penny policy. So thank you. Sounds good. All right. Seeing no further actions before the board, the county board is now adjourned.

30.

No. Now we're back on, so we can... My bad. Okay. I will call the Washington County Regional Rail Authority board meeting to order for April 14th. The time is 11:09. Clerk Kammerud, roll call, please. Commissioner Miron? Here. Commissioner Karwoski? Here. Commissioner Cox? Here. Commissioner Bigham? Here. Commissioner Clausen? Here. Roll call taken, all present. Item B then, the next item is the approval of the March 31st, 2026 Regional Rail Authority minutes. We'll look for a motion to approve or comments on changes. Move to approve the minutes of March 31st as published. Second. Okay. I think I heard Commissioner Miron made the motion to approve minutes from March 31st. Commissioner Bigham- Mm-hmm... was that the second? Any further comments? With none, all in favor of approving those minutes signify by aye. Aye. Opposed, same sign. Motion carries. Minutes for March 31st are approved. Then we go to item C, which is potentially adopting a resolution for adoption of the Washington County Regional Rail Authority Property Management Ordinance number 222. And our planning director, Alyssa Leitner, will do a presentation.

Welcome. Thanks, Chair, Commissioners. Apparently, this is not exciting because all the department heads got up and left. Very offended. This is in fact the third time they would have seen this, that you all have seen this. Of course, I was in front of you to set the public hearing, earlier in March. We held the public hearing on March 31st, and then this is the action to consider adoption of this ordinance. So I will keep it brief, but of course, for the record, for members of the public that might be interested in this, wanted to make sure we at least ran through the background on this item. So we'll give the background, talk about what's been updated in this draft ordinance, talk about the public hearing and the proposed action. I do want to say that Emma Verkailen was a large piece of this, getting this done. She's just approaching her one year with the county.

I, as I noted in the first presentation, attempted to update this 15 years ago, and she did in one year what it took me 15 years to achieve. So, that will go on her performance review. So with that, the background here is that the property management plan was originally adopted in 2002 and has not been touched since. It addresses the current future use of this property, access, condition, and disposal. This plan does not guide the future vision for transit in the county. It merely looks at how to manage the physical property the regional rail already owns. In looking at the plan when we were going to update it, we had discussions with the county attorney's office, administration, folks within public works. Because when we use this property management plan to issue permits and guide how we use this property, we do it in the exact same manner that we use County Ordinance 188, which is for county highway.

And so because a plan is a guiding document that just guides how something could be used, it's not an enforcement tool, we felt that the best approach was to follow exactly what we do for county highway right of way with Regional Rail Authority right of way and turn this plan into an ordinance because that is clearly defining a process and talks about exactly what it means for non-compliance and enforcement. So with that, when we looked at the plan in making it into the draft ordinance, this slide shows the things that were changed, primarily things added for clarity, and to update information to basically reflect our current world order here in 2026. The public hearing process followed Minnesota State Statute 398.34, and the public hearing took place on March 31st. We did not receive any public comments. There is a track changed version in your packet because there was two items that were caught for clarity. One for consistency to remove, somehow, the square footage was mentioned, so the two buildings we own are consistent in how they're written.

And then the other piece, of course, is to update the footer to make sure that it reflects the date that we're in front of you right now. And with that, the proposed action is for the Washington County Board of Commissioners hereby adopts the Washington County Regional Rail Authority Property Management Ordinance Number 222 and its proposed policies, rules, and official controls governing the county's properties duties, and hereby repeals the Washington County Property Management Plan effective April 14th, 2026.

Thank you, Planning Director Leitner, for the update. And we did have a public hearing, forget the exact date, roughly a couple weeks ago. Would look for either comments, questions, or get that before a motion. Commissioner Bigham. Thank you. I will move to adopt Washington County Regional Rail Authority Property Management Ordinance Number 222 and its proposed policies, rules, and official controls governing the county's property duties, and hereby repeals the Washington County Property Management Plan effective April 14th, 2026. Second. Okay. Motion to approve the resolution by Commissioner Bigham, second by Commissioner Miron. Commissioner Bigham, any comments? Just thank you and gratitude to Ms. Leitner and Emma and the whole team that put this together, and it's a good move. It's more difficult to change an ordinance. There's a more thorough process, and I think it's a good recommendation, so happy to support it. And I know we had the public hearing and discussion before too, so just thank you.

Commissioner Miron, anything? I agree with Commissioner Bigham's comments. I think the ordinance creates more transparency, encourages broader public input as the county board looks at any future changes, that type of thing. I just appreciate the staff time that went into the preparation of the ordinance and appreciate the flexibility within it as well. Thank you. Any other comments? Well, before we move to a vote then, I'll just thank you, Planning Director Leitner, and thanks for your staff being here, and I apologize. Correct me. Who's the one-year anniversary? Emma Verkailen. I've met her. A lot of names. Anyhow, in particularYou got done what Planning Director Leitner couldn't get done with. We get it.

A motion was made by Commissioner Bigham, second by Commissioner Miron, to adopt resolution for the Washington County Regional Rail Authority Property Management Ordinance Number 222. Clerk Kammerud, roll call, please. Commissioner Miron. Aye. Commissioner Cox. Aye. Commissioner Bigham. Aye. Commissioner Clausen. Nay. Commissioner Karwoski. Aye. Resolution passes four one. Thank you. And there's no further business on the agenda, so I will call this meeting adjourned for the Washington County Regional Rail Authority.