Washington County Board Meeting

Good morning. Uh, I will call the January 13th, 2026 Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting to order. Clerk, will you please take the role? Commissioner Miron. Here. Commissioner Karwoski. Here. Commissioner Cox? Here. Commissioner Bigham. Here. Commissioner Clasen. Here. Roll call. Taken all present. Thank you. Uh, please join us for the Pledge of Allegiance. Pledge of Allegiance. Allegiance To the flag, the United States of America, and to the Republic approaches, Sam by one nation under God, individual liberty to the injustice for us.

All right. So, um, before we start, uh, I wanna thank you all who've joined us today. Uh, and I do expect that some many, most, uh, are here, uh, to speak during the public comment section. Uh, so if you haven't already filled out a comment card, please do. These will be included in the official minutes that will come with this meeting so that it will be reflected. Your, your voice will be reflected in our official minutes. Um, so if you do have a card, uh, we have two of our deputy administrators and our communication staff up front whose hands are raised. If you, and we also have other staff that are in the overflow room that are collecting cards. Uh, since there's potentially a large number of people that wanna speak, um, we would, we would ask that, um, you keep it to about three minutes, please. And if, uh, maybe try not to repeat the exact same thing that somebody else says.

The practice of the county board is to listen to your comments and consider those concerns. We do not engage with discussion or speakers. Commissioners up here may choose to respond during the Commissioner comment portion of the meeting. Um, the, before we call up the first speaker, um, I just wanna say that, uh, we obviously are aware, um, of the rumor idea of having a detention center in ICE detention center in Woodbury, um, and, uh, also the presence of ICE in our communities. And we are in communication with our local government. And, um, you know, while we may not have authority, we do have one thing for you guys that we can do. And that is to make sure that your voice is heard, that your opinions are heard. And, um, that we're not at, we don't meet as frequently as legislators. We're not as accessible as, uh, Congress, right? But we are able to give you that voice here in local government.

Um, the other thing I will say is there is no one on this board that supports an ice detention center. We can't afford it financially. We can't afford it from a public health perspective. We can't afford it from a safety perspective. We cannot afford it from a constitutional perspective. We cannot afford it from a due process perspective. And we darn well cannot afford it from a humanitarian perspective.

What was that podium? And then make sure. So, so with that, um, if you would like to speak, please come to the podium and say your name and community you are, are with. Um, otherwise I can start going through every page here to see if somebody wants to come up and speak. Please approach, please approach and say your name and community. Good morning, I'm Janet Carlson. Thank you. I apologize, I'm not sick. I'm trying to avoid getting sick. I live in Lake Elmo. I wanna thank you all for taking what I hope is a first step in ensuring that the detention center doesn't happen. I am the daughter and a granddaughter and a family that was forcibly removed by the Army in Seattle, Washington in April of 1942 and incarcerated in hunt Idaho in a place called Minidoka. That was the concentration camp, that's the FDR term for what they did. Today's ice actions bring all kinds of memories for me, even though I was not alive at the time, family and community lore, these people were incarcerated without due process for two years.

So this seems very similar. There were 120,000 Japanese Americans, 80,000 of whom had birthright citizenship, and some were not released until 1946. This was at a time when immigrants from Japan were not eligible to be naturalized citizens. I'd like to, um, thank you for working with other communities. I think that's important. Um, there are some places across the country that are working on the same issue. I'm here to oppose the creation of the ISIS Center, and I have two major concerns, both of which you mentioned. Um, I wanna elaborate on the safety one. For me, it has to do with the proximity of the public schools in that area. The new Lake Elmo school is, um, about two miles away. Brookview Elementary is about two miles away, and Oakland is also, and you saw how ice people didn't seem to mind, um, invading the Roosevelt High School unless this week. So I think our students are at risk and it's an increasingly diverse population.

You know, I've lived in Lake Elmo at a time when I might have been the only deaf person of Japanese descent. May still be, but, um, I door knock and I'm politically active. I've met neighbors that are Hmong and Latino for the first time in the last decade or so. And that seems to be growing. 'cause I used to register new voters too. So I would encourage you to take that into the back of your head as you have discussions that the schools are gonna be at risk. The other thing that, um, I think is important is economic. You know, um, Woodbury for a long time was the fastest growing city in the country. And now Lake Elmo and Oakdale are on the list for the fastest growing in, um, Washington County. That means we need construction workers. And you've seen raids on construction sites where people who seem to be Latino, you know, you can't always tell about citizenship.

People of color are heavily represented in the construction industry. And if we wanna continue growing our community, we have to make sure that those people feel welcome and safe to work in Woodbury. But I think it probably extends, you know, past that. 'cause ICE is, you know, mainly centered over by Fort Snelling. I I don't wanna spend my last couple minutes talking about, um, why we've come to them this moment. In my view, I think it goes back to 1964, at which point immigration policy changed before it was by country of origin, and almost everybody came from Europe. And so we have the dominance still of people of European ex extract and, um, responsible positions. But in 1964, the priority changed to job skill. And so, um, and the jobs were people skilled for the jobs were coming from Asia. So there's a lot more Asian Americans now. When I was growing up, I never saw any, I was it, I was the only Asian American student in my elementary school in my junior high and my high school in Roseville, which is right close to St.

Paul. So, um, and then they get to bring their families. That's the second priority. And so we're seeing lots more people of color, and I think we need to take into account, as you said, safety of everybody in the community. So, um, I think we need to amend the immigration law, but you guys can't do that, so I won't ask you to. So, Minnesota is not exactly teaming with immigrants. So we're, we ranked 21st in the country for the number of immigrants that live here. So we need to make sure you know, that we don't become the Texas, Florida, and in Georgia where there actually is no ice, that we are friendly to immigrants. So they stay here and do the work that, um, people that have been here for generations are no longer willing to do. We do not need chaos and violence coming from ice. We need economic growth and stability. We don't need an ice detention center here. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. Um, Martha, before you come up, um, I did receive a note and I'm sorry about this. The, uh, first person Finn Reso who had to leave, uh, early. Oh, okay. You're all good. Okay. Okay, Martha, then you're up. Please state your name and community. Thank you. Have I got this mic in the right place? You do. Good morning. Good morning. My name is Martha Winslow and I live in St. Mary's Point, and I am the leader of the leaders of St. Croix Valley Indivisible. And thank you for taking my comments. Chair, Bigham and commissioners. Excuse Me. I'm just trying to make it More comfortable here. Thank you. You're welcome. That's a, I didn't know that you wouldn't. Thank you. All right. My comments today are in opposition to the ICE Detention Center that the Department of Homeland Security is reportedly planning to put in Woodbury as commissioners in Washington County. I'm asking you that you as a body and individually speak out against any such facility in Woodbury.

I ask you to look for ways to push back about against this. This feels very real to me. I drive by the location that has been rumored to be the selected site several times a week as a part of my normal routine. I can just imagine what it would be like if you saw the images last Thursday that were on TV when there was a protest out at the Whipple building in Minneapolis right after the killing of Renee Goode. And you could see those border patrol agents with their guns up against a line of peaceful protestors. I do not wanna bring that to my community. An ICE detention center will be a threat to the sense of safety and wellbeing of all members of our community with ICE here, this will be a very different place. Perhaps more importantly, ICE has a terrible re reputation in terms of how they treat immigrants. They house in detention centers across the country.

ICE detention centers have substan substantial reported abuses of instances of physical and sexual abuse and inhumane treatment. There's cruelty in ICE detention centers. Those sent to ICE detention centers in Minnesota are increasingly charged and sentenced in courts where the public is not allowed. There is secrecy in these centers. ICE claims that is only detaining criminals and the worst of the worst. However, only about 5% of detainees have been convicted of violent crimes. And there are lies, honestly, to call these facilities. Detention Center is a euphemism. They are more accurately called concentration camps. By allowing a nice detention center to be located here, Washington County will be complicit in these abuses and will be sanctioning the ongoing violations of civil and humanitarian rights, which will occur in our community. I ask you to get out ahead on this thing. Call and write letters to anyone that you can think of that may have the power to stop this.

Determine what powers you have to stop this before specific proposal comes in front of you. Take action now. The Trump administration is out of control. They want us all to believe that we have no power to stop them in whatever rights they want to take from us. Next, we must use the power We have to say no. As elected officials, you have some power. Use it as a citizen. I have my voice and my agency, and I intend to use them. In closing, I wanna tell you something about a favorite, um, chant of mine when I go to protest. Honestly, it's a chant that makes me tear up. Honestly. It does. It's a call and response. The call is show me what democracy looks like. My response is this, this is what democracy looks like. Thank you. Thank you. Martha, please state your name and community. Thank you. Will do. My name is Van Reso and I'm from Afton.

And rather than repeat what's either been said or the chairwoman, I'd like to jump to two things pretty quickly. My first request is that you, our county commissioners, please mandate that the federal government and its agencies must approach the commission before signing any leases or agreements. That is an ordinance you can make. The resolution should also include a mandate that any agency and or landlord must come to the commission before signing contracts with federal government agencies. Again, that's within your domain. I know the approach and process ICE is taking is against Washington County's ethics and morals and conflicts with many regulations. I'm also aware of the frustrations that are in front of you about how much control you have or your ability to impact the construction and such facility. Should the federal government be set on a location here in the county? I respect that and I fear that. So I have a more specific request that I hope the commissioners will strongly consider.

I would like the county to develop a resolution and ordinance to prevents any immigration and border patrol officers or government employees from not revealing their identity when approaching citizens by wearing face mask, goggles, gas masks, and or other clothing that restricts, restricts identification. In addition, all immigration and border patrol enforcement personnel must show identification when approaching. While I know it may seem that much of this is in our ordinances, I believe it has been directed towards law enforcement and or first responders. Immigration border patrol is neither in an official capacity and therefore does not feel that those regulations are applied to them. Washington County supports human dignity and respecting human rights, cultural qualities that I feel have been significantly eroded in our state and even in our community. And I ask you to help restore those. Thank you for taking the time. Thank you.

Hi, my name is Patty Isaacs. I live in May Township. Uh, there are several reasons why Washington County must not approve construction of an ICE facility. Um, the current operation is being conducted by personnel who are hastily hired and inadequately trained. They've shown that they're ignorant of the law or contemptuous of it. Uh, many are unaware of the basic principles of good policing. Uh, I think the Department of Homeland Security has demonstrated that they can't run a well-disciplined operation. They would be a terrible landlord. And, um, I, as far as our obligation, I'm the, my father was raised in an Orthodox Jewish home. There's an entire branch of my family that didn't survive World War ii. It was drummed into my head since childhood that we must never forget. Well, I've never forgotten. And we can't forget if we allow ice to build a facility here that is essentially a concentration camp, we are complicit.

There are two famous quotes that sum up why Washington County should not approve any construction of an ice holding facility, if at all possible. One is if you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. That's from Desmond Tutu and the other one, the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men should do nothing. So thank you for taking action.

Please State your name and community. Um, thank you commissioners. My name is Philip Williams. I'm a manai resident. And, uh, I agree with the other speakers have said I've, they've done a great job of outlining the, the whole issue. And I also applaud the commissioners on the position they have taken. As stated, uh, at the beginning of this meeting, uh, the, uh, the issue of the the Woodbury Detention Center is simply another method that ICE is using to create fear in the immigrant community. And I think that one thing that the, that the commission can do, in addition to what has been talked about, is that the commission can go public in terms of what it is doing to reduce that fear in the community. For example, I am aware that the Sheriff Washington County Sheriff, uh, does not enforce immigration policy. I think everybody in Washington County should know that there are a number of cities that have made statements saying that they will not support, they will not, uh, enforce immigration policy by the, the police in those cities.

And I think Washington County should go on record as saying that, uh, the, um, Washington County should make a public statement acknowledging that there is fear in the, in the immigrant immigrant community. And that its policies should ease that fear and, and describe what it is doing overall to make everyone safe in this county. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Please state your name and community. Alright. I'm Kathy Kuchar. I'm from Cottage Grove, Minnesota. And thanks for having me today. Um, I just am agreeing with everyone here today to ask not to build a detention facility in our county. Doing so would create long-term consequences for public safety and trust between residents and local government. Our local law enforcement works very hard to create a good community relationship. I've recently spoken with our police chief in Cottage Grove, and that is a big part of their job is to create a good com, um, relationship with the community. A detention center undermines this trust between residents and the local law enforcement. Detention centers can discourage other development projects and harm the county's reputation. It's not a step towards sustainable growth. We've worked so hard to keep guns out of our schools, hospitals, churches, and local businesses. This brings an arsenal of weapons and thugs into the community.

Detention centers have been linked with separating families and they bring in protests, creating community unrest along with traffic hazards. This can divide a community that we've worked so hard to create a friendly environment. And again, thank you very much for your time. Thank you.

Please state your name and community. Good morning. My name is Ruth Jones. I'm here from Cottage Grove and I'm a member of an immigrant task force at All Saints Lutheran Church, which started in 2016. And we've been doing lots of work to help support immigrants that whole time. And now it's just gotten to this point where it's appalling. Um, I would like to begin by thanking the county commissioners. The work you do is so important. I've only been living in this area since 2020. I was a Wisconsin person. This is a lovely place to live. I feel so fortunate that we landed here and I want it to continue to be so. And I know that your service is a big part of that. So salute to you and thank you for your service. I'm here in opposition to the location of an ice detention facility in our county. I know they're saying Woodbury, but anywhere in Washington County, um, many of the detainees that are in there are held illegally.

Less than 30% of them have criminal records. And as you've heard already, there's signs of abuse that happen. People are denied medical care. This is not what we want. And allowing it will make us complicit. I feel silence would make me complicit, which is why I'm here today to say that you need to oppose this and let us know what we have to do to help you keep this from happening. Um, all of these things have been documented by Amnesty International and the Guardian and Prism. It's not just some kind of social media nonsense. It's real and it's happening. So if there's anything that we as citizens can do to assist you to make this not happen, we wanna be here for it. We wanna be part of it. We don't want to be complicit. Okay. Silence is complicity. So I want to use all available means, denial of permits, whatever it is to keep this out of Washington County.

Thank you very much. Thank You.

Please state your name and community. Good morning. Um, my name is Nick Gorski. I'm from Stillwater. Um, the previous speakers have really captured the details quite well, so I can be a little shorter. No concentration camps in Washington County. I'm glad for your words that you said at the beginning. And uh, I just hope though you also pay attention to what was said about you making this, making some statements and you making some things public and also about what the community can do to support you. Um, the other thing too is this is a great example of one of the more insidious political actors around that is the for-profit prison system. And once they get their foot in the door, you know, um, you could get ugly 'cause they'll start approaching people all over the place. And these facilities are horrible. Um, I'm just gonna conclude by saying it's a bit personal for me. My father was a World War II veteran, saw action behind the lines in northern Italy with the 10th Mountain Brigade.

And he sure told me a lot, and I'm glad he is not alive to see what's going on right now. The people he fought against are calling the shots and it's up to us to stand up. Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Gorski, Please state your name and community. Hello, my name is Patty Blair and I am a citizen of Woodbury. Um, I'm here to say no to the ICE facility being built in Woodbury. I only live a couple miles from the proposed spot. I live half a half a mile from where ICE is staying in, you know, the Marriott Residence Inn Courtyard Mar Marriott, not too far from the Sheraton Hotel. They're all staying in Woodbury. A number of them are. Um, I'm here to speak on behalf of my family neighbors and to stand up for those who live in fear and cannot be here to voice their concerns. I also have many concerns regarding the human rights violations that would happen in a detention center, and I won't go through all of them.

Martha, so eloquently talked about that. Um, I would also like to, um, hear and see Washington County's, um, share of stance on protection of our citizens, regardless of immigration status. Um, I implore the help of Washington County Board and county sheriff departments in protecting the human rights of our community and from ice agents who have flooded our cities. Thank you.

Please state your name and community. My Name's Jim Wolf Wood. I live in Stillwater. Um, thank you for your comments opening the meeting about the board's position, and, um, I'm sure I've applauded everybody who's spoken because of the agreement I have. So I will limit my comments to two things. One, um, the ownership of the property in question is very complicated. If you pull it up on the Washington County website, their owners, their addresses in Chicago, Boston, Edina, other places. When you pull up the Secretary of State's website, you see that the owner is listed as a foreign LLC, which is not incriminating in any particular way other than to underline the fact that the interests of Washington County residents are gonna be protected by Washington County residents and the board. And that's something to keep in mind, uh, as anything potentially rolls out. The two points I would make is that proactive communication with the, with the county of any kind of actions or communications with ICE or ICE's agents or ices representatives, will be important in making sure that residents feel like we have some power and control over the situation.

And also to be sure as happens in data centers and other things that the county not enter in any, any kind of non-disclosure agreements with I psoriasis agents, psoriasis representatives. I'm sure there are many more things that we could add to the things that alerts, but, but those are the two things left from my comments. Thank you. For everybody else. Thank you.

Please state your name and community. My name is Christine Olson and I live in Stillwater. I just wanna thank you for taking this, um, issue seriously. And I do understand that you are working with our federal legislators on this issue. I wanna thank Commissioner Cox for her communication via email about what you guys are already doing on that front. And just wanna encourage you to continue to explore all legislative, legal and regulatory strategies to prevent such a facility from entering our neighborhood. I know that the county does have public processes established for determining and granting site use. My concern is that these processes won't be followed. We know the federal agency has not, uh, appeared to follow processes as they're supposed to be. So I would implore you to please ensure these processes are safeguarded from any workaround by a federal agency. Want to, wanting to establish a detention facility here. Um, we've seen no believable evidence that these facilities operate with respect to people's constitutional rights, their legal rights, and even worse, basic human decency. So thank you.

Thank you.

I am Nancy Millard from Lakeland, Minnesota. And when I'm here, I have to change the subject just briefly and say, you've got a beautiful system of bike trails in Stillwater and a great one in Woodbury. And Lakeland has nothing. We have four miles that go nowhere, so if you could ever connect us, that'd be great. But more importantly, I'm here today because I recently retired. I had a career in, um, physical therapy doing home healthcare. Um, but I met many people in their homes and it was so touching to me. I have worked with Mung who, um, fought with US soldiers in Vietnam. I've worked with many Somalis who were interpreters for US Army. Um, and there are some very touching stories, but let me assure you that the amount of immigrants in Ramsey County and Hennepin County is much greater than here, I think. And also the fear factor is much greater there. We're somewhat isolated out here in Stillwater, but they are our neighbors and I'd encourage you to do anything you can.

Um, I can't tell you how to do it legally, but anything you can do, um, to stop ice from building out here would be much appreciated. Thank you. Please state your name and community. Hi, Ryan Brandt from Woodbury. Um, I'm here as a unpaid protestor, um, seeking to draw attention to the atrocities that are currently happening right now. This conversation's about a permanent ice facility. We currently have ice, as Patty mentioned, staying at all of our hotels and harassing our neighbors. They are shutting down businesses. They are going into businesses and attacking people. And then the businesses are saying, we can't do this. We're short hours. They're, they're affecting us every day. Uh, when I leave my house with my wife and child, we have a vice president, president rule. Only one of us leaves. It's like, uh, the current video game Arc Raiders. You go topside and you hope to extract with everything because it's so dangerous out there.

I've been personally followed as I've been documenting license plates of outstate ice agents at hotels. Um, we're out here, folks, neighbors, if you're seeking to do some work and help, we're around. Um, and as a, as a final part of this, I was asked, um, during the, during the roll up here, as people were sign up for, um, public comment, um, indivisible, uh, St. Croix Valley, indivisible, Afton, indivisible, and all the others have, uh, passed out blue cards and asked participants in the room currently here today to write messages to our, um, board members to give to them later. But I ask if I could present these to a member today currently. Thank you. Thank you.

Please state your name and community. Thank you. My name is Theresa Hughes and I live in Woodbury. Um, first I do wanna thank the board. I have reached out to all of you and, and to our county administrator, uh, by email and gotten very, uh, heartfelt and rich responses. So thank you for taking this seriously. Um, I do, I think most has been said, so I'm not gonna waste your time by reiterating it. I just wanna say in, basically, please be creative, our city, city and county attorneys. Please be creative. Please be preemptive and please work together. I know I'm not an expert, but I understand some of your limitations because of the city being Woodbury, being incorporated and certain, uh, duties and, and rights primarily going to the city versus the county. But I think we can come together at this time and be creative and, and stop this thing. The the other thing I wanted to share is just I've never felt in my heart the feeling I felt today when we did the Pledge of Allegiance and we said liberty and justice for all.

I've never felt that way before. And I wanna just share with you, in closing, in 2024, I spent nine months working with people who had come into the United States illegally from Africa. They came in illegally because the phone app that had to be used at that time with the Stay in Mexico policy, the phone app, that was the only way legally to get into this country, did not register black and brown faces. So you could have stood on that other side of that fence for eternity because you weren't getting into this country. And the women that I worked with had been victims of female genital mutilation, young women, girls, 14 years of age into forced marriage. I won't list the atrocities, but I'm just saying that what these people have gone through and then come to our country and this is what's happening to them. I worked with a woman who last may, she had an asylum petition pending before an immigration judge out at Fort Snelling.

She showed up for her master calendar hearing, the docket was canceled. She was arrested by ice agents and sent to a facility in Iowa and held for four and a half months. She lost 70 pounds and has three teeth left in her mouth. When people talk about the concentration camps, this is it. And we urge you to work with the city and to send that letter to our federal officials, even though I know they're already opposed to it. But we can't be silent. Thank you. Thank you.

Please, please state your name and community. I'm Chris Killian and I'm from Lake Elmo. And I just wanted to say this because I didn't hear anybody else say it yet. But, um, we spent half of our, uh, time in Arizona. And I'm just back here because we're doing a remodel. But I will tell you that the eyes of the nation are on Minnesota right now, and we are stepping up. They perceive us to be brave somehow because we can stay in this cold weather. I don't understand that. But at any rate, um, I don't think it's hyperbole to say that the eyes of the world are honest right now. I'm on a lot of different forums and things, and we are in a point in our nation where ICE has become a domestic terror organization. I think everybody knows this. Uh, we have a responsibility to act as mature adults when our federal government is not.

And, um, I guess I'm just, I'm just proud to be from Minnesota. I'm proud for about all the brave and kind people that live here. And, uh, I guess that's all I wanna say. Thank You.

Is there anyone else that would like to speak at Public forum? Okay, so I'm just gonna say this for the record. Oh.

Please state your name and community. My name is Catherine Noble and I'm living in Oak Park Heights and I'm a member of First Presbyterian Church Stillwater, which is just across the street. And we are the ones that host the pit stop twice a year that you are, some of you are involved in. And I just wanted to say in, in addition to everything else that's been said here, I wanted to say that, um, we've noticed over the past year a marked decrease in the number of his Hispanic people that come to the pit stop for services. And we can only figure that that's out of fear of ICE and they're not get, people are not getting the services that we're trying to provide them. So that's one effect they're having. And another effect is that the daughter of a friend of mine is an adopted legal citizen of, but she's looks Hispanic. 'cause she is, but she is in fear every day of ice.

She doesn't like to go out in the community. A US citizen should not be subjected to this kind of fear. We have this wonderful new H Housing project next door and I'm really proud of that. A detention facility for ICE is the last thing we need. Thank you. Thank you.

Please state your name and community. Hi, Nicole Sauer from Woodbury, Minnesota. Um, I just wanted to get up and say I've been a resident of Woodbury for 10 years. I have kids in public school system here and we love Woodbury. I'm originally from Tennessee, Minnesota is our home. Um, and I just, two years ago I had my kids out at, um, Madison's playground. And um, I remember the Woodbury police coming up and I just, the level of trust they've built with our city, I don't want that to be ruined. Um, I also don't want my feel kids to feel unsafe at school. And they are nervous. They have been so nervous this past week, um, for their friends, for the community. I haven't felt like I can take them out shopping, grocery shopping with me 'cause we're nervous. So just, I appreciate all your work you're doing and I echo everyone else's sentiments who have been up here, so thank you.

Thank you.

Please state your name and community. Hi, I'm Jennifer Scully. I live in Woodbury. Um, I just wanna comment on something I haven't heard. Um, as a young woman, you're always taught if there is a unmarked police car that is following you, uh, to call 9 1 1 dispatch and have them confirm it is a legal law officer, not someone impersonating. Um, and what we're seeing now is unmarked vehicles, men in spirit, Halloween oo costumes, pretending to be, you know, law enforcement, police officers, um, exerting force on residents, um, and citizens regardless of their status. And I guess my question is, if I or any other person is, are followed by someone in an unmarked vehicle, masked on and refusing to provide identification, will 9 1 1 and dispatch help us identify if it's truly a representative, ICE law enforcement, et cetera? Or is there any way to confirm that? Will you guys respond to those calls and assist?

So I think that's a concern A lot of us have seen these videos where ICE is coming up saying, haven't you learned your lesson masks on refusing to identify themselves and, and just putting fear in residence. And I, I, I urge the police force everyone in law enforcement to be able to respond to these calls and, and help us if we are unsure, afraid, scared, cannot confirm that these are ice immigrant or ICE agents coming for people or not. So thank you. Thank you.

Please state your name and community. Hey there, Lynn Renee currently Stillwater previously Grant and May Township. I've been in here before for other reasons. Three things come to mind. First of all is livability. Washington County is great for Liv Livability. And I don't see how the, the thought of more ice presence is gonna make it livable. Another one is the kids. How the heck do we teach kids to obey the rule of law when we've got imposing law people that Im impostor law officials that are breaking things left and right. And the third one is tourism. Living on the St. Croix River is just a mecca for those tourists. And even now with the snow sculpture down in Stillwater, I think how is this projecting a welcoming committee that's looking for people with different backgrounds? Thank you. And thanks for all the work you guys do. Thank you.

All right, Eileen, would you, did you wanna come up? I have your card if you could state your name and community. I, Good morning. My name is Eileen Weber. I've lived in Washington County for over 40 years in Cottage Grove Woodbury and now Denmark Township. I'm a retired nurse attorney. I wanna echo what has been said already and add a couple things. Um, first of all, the statement that you gave Commissioner Bigham on behalf of the board this morning was spot on and perfect. And I hope if there's any media here that they capture that and get it out there. Um, secondly, I've, um, we have a hero center in Cottage Grove that is run by Woodbury and Cottage Grove, and they currently have a contract with ice. It's been, I think a few years now, but a lot of questions have been raised about the training that ICE goes through. And that is being done at the Hero Center in Cottage Grove.

But I don't think there's very much observation or accountability for that. Recently, an ice trainee shot himself in the leg while being trained there. I don't own a firearm, but I have taken the handgun class at the Hero center. It is excellent. You will learn a lot, and there is no way any of our instructors would've allowed something like that to happen. So I, I would like some, uh, oversight and questions asked about what's going on at the hero center. And then we all know from yesterday's news that the state of Minnesota is now suing the federal government, the Department of Homeland Security. And I think it would be great. This county has a great county attorney and county attorney's office, and I think it would be really super if something like an amicus brief or some other show of support was given to Attorney General, um, Ellison and the cities that are suing the federal government for their, um, unconstitutional behavior.

And then, um, finally, if there's a way that know your rights notices or cards could be included in communication from the county. I know we're all paying our property taxes coming up and, um, there's just ongoing communication with the county, um, with taxpayers and citizens and residents. And I think it would be really super if we could add, know your rights to those communications. We get the newsletter that you send out. It's always really informative and that would be helpful. Um, but thank you for your, your statement of support for the people who live in this county. Thank you. Thank you.

Please state your name and community. Uh, my name is Bruce Weeks. Uh, I'm a resident of Stillwater Township for the last 10 years and for the previous 50 years before that Lake Elmo. Um, I'm 85 years old and I didn't think I'd be spending my senior years in this, uh, manner. But, uh, we have a system of laws in the United States, and I believe no one, including the president, is, uh, above the law. Uh, presently, uh, I'm against the way ICE is behaving. From what I see and hear, I'm concerned about what would happen, what their long-term plan is if they put a facility into Woodbury. Uh, I, uh, I think they haven't earned our trust the way they've been acting the last year. It's more, um, apparently politics than law. So I, uh, uh, am for enforcing the immigration laws. I'm against masked hoodlums acting like brown shirts and taking over our country. Thank you.

Thank you. Bruce.

You could please state your name and community.

Hi, I'm William Thais Woodbury, Minnesota. Um, I have a whole speech here, but I'm just gonna distill it down to the, uh, main points We must take. Immediate action to stop ice operations in our state. Citizens are being snatched off the streets, beaten and whisked away as stated by our federal officials, or sorry, our state officials. This is a federal invasion of Minnesota by Donald Trump, JD Vance and Christie Nome is this unacceptable and must stop. We must pursue every possibility no matter how small to push back. If there is any mechanism of non-compliance and resistance that can be employed against Trump and ice, it must be explored, activated, and used. They snatch people of color from victim from vehicles and homes. They wait around at ethnic restaurants. For victims, it is well past a boiling point and we demand action. It is only a matter of time before Trump's Ice Army targets the rest of us.

We must take a stand against this enemy administration. We are being made an example of for the nation. What's happening here is a prototype for federal invasions elsewhere. Let's set an example for other states to follow and hit back in ways that send Trump vs. Gnome and the rest of the bullies scurrying back into the swamps and suspects from which they came.

Thank you. Please state your name and community. Good morning. My name is Carol Iwata. I live in beautiful Afton. Thank you Commissioner Bigham and the other commissioners for what you have done to stand up for justice. I'm a third generation Japanese American. My mother's family, like Janet Carlson's, were put into an American concentration camp in World War ii. My mother and, um, her mother were interpreters, but this didn't matter. They just stuck everybody in camp, but not that they wanted special treatment. Um, oh, my mother and her siblings were citizens as were many of the people who were incarcerated. My grandma had been a teacher, um, and they pulled her out of the camp to teach Japanese to some military, and they offered her the opportunity to leave the camp. And she said she would not do that without her family, so she returned. So my family have experienced race based unlawful detentions before. Um, although we have seen from the awful tragedy of Renee Goode, that race doesn't protect you from ice, ice acts illegally and cruelly and inhumanely.

And we do not want to support the, an institution like that with a detention center. Um, I was struck, uh, seeing the, um, press conference by Keith Ellison that our new mayor, Cali Hur of St. Paul is carrying her passport. And so for the first time when I'm not traveling, I am carrying a photograph of my passport also. Thank you for everything that you are doing. Please do everything possible to not only prevent a detention center, but to not allow ice to operate in our state. Thank you. Thank you.

Please state your name and community. Good morning. My name's Valerie Stair and I live in Afton. I wanna thank all of you for providing this forum and for taking this issue so seriously, I wanna thank so many of our neighbors who are out here today as well. You know, in my family, um, one of my family stories is that in 1853 in Finland, things weren't going so well. When my ancestor was born, there was the Crimean War. So ships in the harbor were being attacked, and eventually famine was to come. Her mother died in childbirth when she was three years old, this little girl. And eventually, by the time she was 17, the famine was so bad that, um, there was a family fight about whether to share what meager food that they had. The, her stepmom didn't wanna share the food. The daughter wanted to share it. And the family's story is that that's, she left, she skied for 400 miles.

Um, she went north to the Arctic Ocean because, um, skiing 400 miles to the Arctic Ocean, people knew that at least there would be fish up there to eat. And the stories are that the famine was so bad that, um, frozen bodies just littered the frozen streams where people skied up to the Arctic. Um, other people in my family who were also fleeing, relieving without papers, it was called, you know, they weren't getting permission from the authorities that they were supposed to get to leave. They were so desperate to flee. Um, you know, and Minnesota eventually became a place of safety and refuge for my family. It is a place of, uh, uh, it's a place of safety and refuge for a lot of our neighbors. And I'm, I'm choking up right now because I know people in our community, right, right now, who are terrified and whose immigration stories are, you know, today's mirror of what was happening in my family.

I know people in our community who are fleeing other terrible, difficult circumstances. And this place, our county, is a place of refuge for them. And the last thing we need is an ice detention center. The last thing we need to spend our money on is an ice detention center. Uh, I'm aghast at the abuses that we're seeing by ICE and we can't have it in our community. So, to close, I, I wanna say I'm really intrigued by the suggestions that were made by an earlier speaker from Afton who was thinking, you know, perhaps the commissioners could figure out some way that, that your authority would be required before the county could, um, maybe before Woodbury could sign leases that had to do with the federal government, maybe before, um, property was bought. You know, is there something, something that could be done along those lines that would help our voices be heard structurally in trying to prevent these things?

I was also intrigued by that man's suggestion that perhaps something could be done to require ice during the remaining days of the operate in our community before they leave. Um, to have to show Id, um, and to not be able to be masked when they operate in our community. Thank you very much. Thank you. Val.

Please state your name and community. My name is Jennifer Vitali and I live in Woodbury. Um, I've lived in Washington County almost my entire life. Born and raised in STO Water. My husband and I chose to raise our family in Woodbury. And, um, I've always been so proud to be from Minnesota and to be from Washington, Washington County my entire life. And, um, I wanted to give the parents' perspective of what's going on. So we raised our children in, in Woodbury and now have my daughter and her husband and our grandchild all live in Woodbury now. And we've had the conversation in our house that if they go out to the store with their child, if they see ice agents to turn around and come home, and that's happened. And so parents are now thinking about, um, where they can go when they can go there. They're on the lookout for what's around them. If there are ice around, they turn around and go home.

Uh, we're not the only family that's saying be careful when you're out there. And this has always been such a safe feeling and safe, uh, environment to have our children in. But even going to the park with our grandchild or going out for a walk, it's, um, become, um, almost a dangerous prospect. So the families in Woodbury, we're changing how we live in our community, and I think you guys should know that. And I appreciate the statement that you made at the beginning. Thank You. Thank you.

All right. Uh, is there anybody else that would like to speak? All right. I'm going to just, uh, call off the names so that for the record, um, the names are, uh, recorded. And, uh, if you by chance hear your name and you wanna speak, by all means, come in. Um, Ryan Brand, Tara Christian Hollow, Tela, Jacqueline Tafari, Sally Ryan, Jack Everett, Jean Kaufman, Mary McNeils, Laura Nichols, and then Steve Vitali. So, uh, I'm gonna ask one more time, is there any other further public comment? Okay. Uh, I greatly appreciate and so does the board, the, um, statements and information. The next item on the agenda is approval of the agenda. Commissioner Cox, Madam Chair, I approve the agenda with the change to move. Commissioner comments to number four if we could. There's a motion by Commissioner Cox. Is there a second? Second. Second. By Commissioner Miron. Commissioner. Oh, uh, all in favor? Aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed? Same sign. All right.

Motion carries. So we will move to Commissioner Reports and, um, Commissioner Cox, do you wanna start? Sure. Um, I just want to echo the thanks. Um, that Commissioner Bigham shared to everyone who came today. Um, I think we've all received hundreds of emails and phone calls, and I've responded to as many of them as I possibly can. So thank you. Um, we hear you. We are sharing your voice. Um, And to the mom who Just came up and shared that she's changing the way she moves around her community, I am too. I'm sorry. It's all good. The trauma that this is causing in our communities is the part that I'm struggling with the most federal law, federal law, and it needs to be followed, but there can be a way that it can be done that doesn't hurt us as a community. And I think that's my strongest stance as a Commissioner sitting here today, is the trauma and the hurt just has to stop.

Um, I listened to a great podcast yesterday. Uh, the New York Times puts out a podcast called The Daily, and they interviewed, um, chief Brian O'Hara of Minneapolis. And it was an incredible, um, communication and the challenge to our local law enforcement who have incredibly high standards, Hertz too. Um, that was shared here this morning as well. And so, um, I hear you. Um, I have friends carrying passports around in their, in their wallets and in their back pockets as well. Um, I don't think this is avoiding anyone that's sitting up here, so I apologize for the emotions. Um, but this is a really tough time for, um, you and the audience and for us and myself especially sitting up here. So thank you. Thank you. Um, and just for the board's edification, we'll take a a recess after Commissioner comments, but it's just important I think, to, um, respond right after public comment in the format.

Commissioner Miron? Yeah. Thank you, Madam Chair. First of all, thank you all for taking time to come here today. Um, you know, we've experienced, um, uh, public comment periods like this before, um, in front of the board, uh, during my time on, on the, the county board. Um, I really do appreciate, um, the, um, listening skills of my colleagues here. Um, I think there have been some really, really good comments made today and some good, uh, immigration stories that have been shared. Um, and, um, you know, uh, as, as a county board representative, I could share some stories as well, but I'm not going to here today. But, um, certainly, um, we've got a strong history, um, as families in Minnesota, uh, with respect to those, those stories and, and, um, that history that, uh, that we have. Um, there's really value in the comments that have been made today. Um, questions that have been asked, um, suggestions that have been given to the county board.

Uh, we are guided, um, here in Washington County by our mission and vision and our strategic plan. And I think, um, some of the work that's been suggested today here for us, it certainly fits, uh, within that, um, mission and vision and strategic plan. So, um, I think, um, you know, some of the questions as we look at, um, I, and I just jotted down, um, some of them, and I'll mention a couple, but I think certainly the guidance with respect to the 9 1 1 response, uh, there was a question raised with respect to the Hero Center. I think that, um, was a, was a really good question that was raised. And, and then the, uh, the know your rights, uh, communication and what we can do as a county. I can tell you that our county staff has been working tirelessly on this issue since it was first broached here at the county.

Um, uh, they've, uh, developed some internal communication with our own, uh, employees. Um, uh, they provided some guides, um, uh, with respect to, um, you know, uh, the, the work that we're doing within the county. And I'm really impressed with, um, the, um, the staff response on this under our leadership of our, uh, county administrator, Kevin Corbid and the directors of our various departments within the county. So, um, we are going to, uh, have continued discussion about this today in a workshop setting, um, later on. Um, and, um, certainly your, um, comments and suggestions will help guide us, um, as as we move forward. So thank you. Thank You. Commissioner Clasen. Yeah. Um, I wanted to thank everyone for coming and, and talking today. Um, it's a not an easy topic. This has been really difficult as the Commissioner in Woodbury, um, in this location for me. Um, and for everyone around as according, I know that I've been getting a lot of calls and emails and texts, and I've had some really good conversations with the mayor of Woodbury.

And, um, you know, right now it's really about coming up with creative solutions and being able to act fast. And I know we've come up with some ideas on things that we could do. I know I heard, um, from somebody today that they think an ordinance or resolution would be a good regulation. Um, I also think special district, um, making it a special district, um, making it, um, a area that we could potentially buy as the county, as as the city, um, to make it so it's not, uh, an open use for, um, and not open for purchase. There's been a lot of, um, interesting creative topics that have been discussed that continue to be explored. Um, I do think that it's really important that we look at the Washington Post communities that were also, uh, looked at and discussed. I think that, uh, what residents could do is to talk to those residents in those communities because we're not alone here.

There are, um, several communities throughout the United States that were on that list. And you, they're also working with their local government to have these open forums, less listening sessions, as well as online forums that I read in the Washington Post article. So what you could do is work with those communities so that we all know when those planning documents are filed, if they're filed, maybe this is just a rumor, maybe this is the opportunity for us to do an emergency training and, and that we are doing everything we can at this point to, um, push. 'cause we don't wanna be complacent, complicit. I wanna be collaborative. I wanna work with constituents. The board wants to work with constituents so that we do whatever is possible to tell ICE that you're not welcomed and our community, you're not welcomed in our I, uh, to have an ice detention center. Um, we're, we want people who follow the laws and abide by the laws.

And, um, that's not what I'm hearing from people. I haven't witnessed anything myself, but I'm hearing from neighbors, business owners, um, people who never thought that they would see evidence of what's happening. People literally abducted, you know, why can ICE talk to kids? Why can ice talk to kids under the age of 18? Why is that something that we're allowing? I know it's, these are a lot of great questions, um, that people are asking, and I think that we're gonna have a really great conversation coming up here to discuss whether or not, um, we decide to do a letter to the federal legislative delegates regarding the detention center and whether we decide to use the language of, um, opposition and ask them to follow public process. Um, that's what we'll be discussing at 10 20 today if you guys wanted to stay, um, and witness that conversation. Um, but otherwise, I'm so glad that you guys spent time with us today to express, um, your opinions and concerns.

Um, these are actually from all different people. I looked at the handwriting and I read the concerns on here, and, um, I think this is impactful. Um, it's better than a petition in my opinion, um, because everyone got to be creative and they, there's some coloring that is all involved as well. So, um, we might have to look at them for graphic artists in the future. Um, but I just, again, thank you so much for, for coming and great points on the hero center. 'cause if the Hero Center is open, and let me just say this, if they're doing training there, then why can't we talk and get ahold of anybody in regards to the ICE Detention Center when we know we're paying the, their invoices? We definitely are. There's exchange of money that's being done and invoices would reflect somebody from ICE having con connection and we should be able to connect with those people.

So, um, I'm not complicit, I'm not complacent. I'm definitely one person who's gonna ask a lot, a lot of questions, but thank you so much. Thank you. Commissioner Karwoski. Thank you Madam Chair. Um, thank you all for coming. We definitely hear you. Uh, we've been fielding a lot of emails and phone calls and we've been handling those on whoever's district that is. We're getting back to each resident, uh, via phone calls or emails. Um, I think every block, every household has the same concern. Um, I think we're at a point where, uh, democracy just can't be taken for granted. We aren't gonna, we're gonna be proactive. Uh, we'll be monitoring it daily between staff and commissioners. Uh, we'll be proactive. We're likely to do, uh, finalize a letter to, uh, let's specifically our intent with our federal legislation. Um, for me, it's a lot personal. I almost every day I'm very proud. I was named after my uncle Stan was killed on a prisoner of warship fighting for freedoms.

And I don't take that lightly. So, so many people in our armed services that fought for freedom, and this is what this comes down to, is, um, we definitely don't want a detention center. It's, as many of you mentioned, for so many good reasons. Uh, we don't want one, uh, we don't want to make sure, if it doesn't happen in Washington County, we don't want to make sure it happens in our neighboring counties or in the state of Minnesota. Uh, we can only control our county. Um, uh, again, it's, uh, we're at a, we're at a critical point here in society and, um, I, I appreciate your advocacy, uh, to not be silent and, uh, hope you continue that on, uh, after this meeting in any way possible to protect our freedoms. We all have to do that. So thank you for coming. Thank, thank you. I just wanna, um, show gratitude and appreciation for every speaker for sharing your stories, for sharing your ideas.

Um, I concur with the comments of my colleagues here that we will be discussing and deliberating them and, and our best approach. But what I can guarantee you is we, we will not be quiet. We will not be complacent. Um, this is about, as Commissioner Karwoski said, this is about protecting our freedoms and having, um, ice in our communities. Um, violating constitution and due process, uh, does not make our communities anymore safe. And I will reiterate that this also becomes a, not only a safety issue for our local law. Enfor enforcement who are amazing in the leadership of our sheriff and our police chiefs is incredible. But it's also a public health concern. It is also a workforce development, uh, concern. It's an economic development concern. And this county is over 50% agriculture and the immigrant community is vital in agriculture and in small business, and they are our neighbors. So I'm gonna end on this saying, uh, we hear you and we will continue to be your voice 'cause we are the most accessible, but be kind, show love, show respect.

With that, um, we are gonna take a 10 minute, uh, approximately recess, uh, to the call of the chair. Thank you.

I will go ahead and reconvene the January 13th, uh, Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting. We are at the portion of the agenda for consent calendar. Does anybody want to pull any items from consent? Madam Chair, I will move the consent calendar. All items A through E. There's a motion. Second that there's a second. Madam Uh, clerk, please take the roll. Commissioner Marron. Aye. Commissioner Karwoski. Aye. Commissioner Cox? Aye. Commissioner Clasen. Aye. Commissioner Bigham Aye. Consent calendar passes. Five zero. Thank you very much. Um, next on the agenda is general administration and, um, administrator Corbid, do you have anything to add before we have Deputy administrator? Uh, lucky present, Uh, Madam Chair. I would suggest taking Deputy Administrator Lucky's item first, and I've got a short, uh, comment after that, so. Excellent. Thank you. Deputy Administrator. Lucky. Go ahead. Good morning, Madam Chair Commissioners as mentioned, my name's Jan Lucke, deputy County Administrator. We are pleased, uh, to present to you today the proposed, uh, 2026 state legislative platform.

Each year, the Washington County Board of Commissioners adopts position statements on state funding requests and legislative issues specific to Washington County. A draft of Washington County legislative priorities was presented at a county board workshop on December 16th. The positions and funding amounts requested have not changed since the workshop, with the exception that at that time you address it. You directed us to, uh, prepare an additional platform item, um, that request a sales tax exemption for regional public facility investments. We also made minor revisions to the narrative on the one page summary of each platform item. Those summaries are included in the board packet, and we've also placed a copy for you at the dais for reference during this presentation. Please keep in mind that the summaries are a living document that we update with new information as we move through the legislative session. Washington County's focus on legislative items unique to Washington County, does not diminish or take away from the county's support for the legislative platforms of the Association of Minnesota Counties, which represents all 87 counties and the Minnesota Inner County Association representing 17 counties and 44% of the state's population.

On a final note before we dive into the platform is that we have added a hold to your calendars for legislative reception on the evening of Thursday, February 19th. Margaret Vessels and Brandon Strickland with Larkin Hoffman helped us identify that date based on legislative and caucus calendars and your availability. I will briefly run through each legislative request focusing on the information on your screen. Uh, to begin, the first item is Washington County request 4 million in state funds and policy support to enable the effective implementation of mandated wood waste management strategies. The next item is Washington County request 1.1 million appropriation to the Minnesota Department of Health to conduct an updated PFAS monitoring in East Metro for East Metro residents. Washington County requests 2 million in state funds to design and construct improvements at the intersection of County Highway 10, county Highway 17 and County Road 17 B Washington County requests 500,000 in state funds for intersection improvements at County State Aid Highway 18 or Bailey Road and County State Aid Highway 19, Woodbury Drive Washington County and the city of Cottage Grove requests 22.5 million in state funds to construct County Road 19 A and the hundredth Street Realignment Project.

Washington County requests 3 million in state funds to construct a trailhead and trail connections from County State Aid Highway five to the Brown Creek Trail State Trail. And Washington County urges the Minnesota legislator to protect the current formula for distributing transportation advancement, account funds and regional transportation sales and use tax. Washington County requests special legislating legislation granting a sales tax exemption under Minnesota statute 2 9 7 a 0.75 for construction materials, supplies, and equipment for two major regional public facility projects scheduled for construction in 2027. RH Stafford Library and the Public Works South Shop Washington County requests 3 million in state funds for trail lighting. In Cottage Grove Marine Regional Park, Washington County requests 20 million in state funds for capital projects within the Metropolitan Regional Park system.

So with that Madam Chair, the requested action today is to adopt the Washington County 2026 legislative platform. Following adoption, these legislative priorities will be posted on Washington County's website and our goal will be to finalize authors and bill language for the legislative reception on, uh, February 19th, um, with the support from, uh, Larkin Hoffman. And we would be happy to answer questions or take any feedback. Thank you for the presentation, deputy Administrator Lucky discussion. Motion from the board. Commissioner Muran, Madam Chair. I'll make the motion to approve the legislative agenda. Get it before us, and then I have some comments. Absolutely. Is there a second? Second. All right. The motion by Commissioner Muran. Second by Commissioner Cox. Discussion. Commissioner Miron? Yes, thank you, Madam Chair. Um, you know, this is a culmination of work that's been going on for some time. Uh, we had a workshop, uh, to discuss these issues. Um, but I was at a, um, uh, partnership on Waste Energy meeting last week, um, and director of Brummel from Public Health and Environment did an equally good presentation, um, administrative assistant lucky on, uh, uh, or deputy administrator Lucky on, um, presenting our platform.

Um, I was also able to view the platforms of Hennepin County and Ramsey County at that particular meeting, and I'm really pleased with ours. Um, I think ours is, is more direct and specific asks. Um, and so I think it, uh, really in, in my opinion, helps our, our, uh, legislative representatives, um, to know where we're at and, and specifically what we're asking for. And, um, obviously funding is a theme throughout this, um, you know, as a county, and, uh, I know it's true with other counties as well. We've, um, uh, struggled through our, our, our levy and our budget this past year, uh, because of cost shifts and added responsibilities that have come onto the county. And so I think this is our way of, um, of, of recognizing some of that and, and, uh, attempting to, um, secure funding to help relieve some of the concerns that we have as we get into the 27 and, uh, 28 budgets.

So all of these are, are really good projects, um, that serve, uh, the entirety of Washington County. And, um, I, I really, um, uh, appreciate and, and hope that the, um, the county board will find, um, uh, their ability to fully support this. Thank you Commissioner Cox. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um, you know, I was doing public math and I hate doing that, so I apologize. But $55 million worth of asks are in this packet. Um, and I just really think it shows the diversity and the growth that's happening within our county. I mean, we've got water quality things here, park things here, road projects. I mean, I think there's just about everything in this, and it shows how much our county is growing and how much support we need, um, for our residents right here at home. So I'm, I'm happy to support this and do everything we can to, to get these past the finish line.

Thank you. Thank you. Commissioner Karwoski. Thank you, Madam Chair. I, uh, agree totally with my colleagues here on the board. What, what I want to point out about the platform here is that, you know, we go to, we all pay on as a, as one example income tax to the state. And it's about getting our fair share back that we don't have to pass these projects on to the taxpayer of Washington County. And these platforms, this one's not exclusive, but the platform has, as Commissioner Miron points out most of these items of benefit the whole county, but they're actually a good fit for the state because they actually benefit the whole state. Um, uh, they're kind of regional at the very least. So that's where the cost participation really is a good fit by the state. You know, when you talk, I'll just mention one, when you talk about either wood waste or some of our initiatives on recycling and energy, those are like state mandated programs that we're migrating towards.

It's the right thing to do to keep a clean county, but keep a clean region. There are mandates, there's state mandates, and we're, we really need financial assistance. So that's just one example. Thank you. Thank you. Any further comment? Um, I just, uh, wanna lift up that, uh, the sales tax exemption for 2027 Washington County regional public facility investments. Um, I think this is a smart policy and so I know that during the workshop in December, we talked about maybe bringing some sort of policy forward to the finance committee, and I hope we do that, um, because, you know, we, we missed the opportunity with Park Grove Library. Um, but these two are substantial projects that are mentioned here are substantial, uh, investments, uh, and improve the quality of life for the region and, um, residents of, uh, Washington County. So, um, you know, I hope that, uh, sometime this year the finance committee will, uh, see a PO proposed policy for deliberation to bring forward before the board.

There's no further discussion then Commissioner Miron, uh, renews his motion to adopt the Washington County's 2026 legislative platform. All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. Opposed say no. Motion carries. Administrator Corbit. Thank you Madam Chair. Um, just a couple quick updates, um, at your desk today. I have placed a copy of an email that was sent to all county employees yesterday afternoon related to the recent ice activity in the county and the shooting in Minneapolis. With input from all the departments, we have updated our guidance that we have provided a county staff on how to handle any immigration activity that may occur at county buildings or within county facilities. A copy of this guidance is also at your desk with assistance from PRTS communication staff and our staff communication staff administration. A card was prepared, um, uh, that re that reflects the guidance that's been summarized in this card. This is a internal document that will be used for county staff.

Uh, departments are also working on additional guidance that will be helpful for those employees who work in the field. There's some uniqueness to that activity and I know that the departments that have more field workers and others are working on some additional guidance in that area. And also, just a reminder that there'll be a court hearing tomorrow and the state's request for a temporary restraining order related to the SNAP certification pilot project and assistant county attorney will be attending that hearing and providing us an update as soon as available. If you have any questions related to the SNAP certification process issue today, director Castillo is in the audience and can handle any of those today for the board. Other than that, I do not have any other updates. Okay. Any questions for Administrator Corbid? Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Um, so we've already, uh, completed Commissioner, uh, comment. The next item is board correspondence. There is a letter from the legal women voters, which there is a copy, uh, for, uh, at the clerks, uh, area at the deas here.

Um, and also available for any board member to read. And I believe we were emailed, uh, last evening on it too. Uh, with that before, uh, we adjourn, I just wanna say we are going to flip, um, the workshops to have the discussion as requested. Letter to the federal legislative delegation regarding, um, the federal detention center. And then we will do the transit study and we will do the workshop in the chamber here instead of our workshop room. So with that, see no further items on the agenda. The meeting is adjourned and per practice, our vice chair, uh, does the workshops for the crowd.