[0:01] [SIDE CONVERSATION]

[0:14] Good morning.

[0:16] Welcome to the County Board Meeting for Dakota County

[0:19] on September 1, 2026.

[0:21] I'm going to call us to order.

[0:23] And--

[0:24] Your microphone.

[0:28] He has it on.

[0:28] It's on.

[0:29] Oh.

[0:29] It's on.

[0:30] Can't hear you.

[0:31] You can't hear me?

[0:32] No.

[0:34] Not well.

[0:37] They need to turn it up.

[0:42] Well, it's on, I can hear--

[0:45] OK.

[0:48] I'm calling us to order.

[0:49] We will note that a quorum is present,

[0:51] and the clerk will note who on the board is present.

[0:55] With that, I invite you to rise as you're able

[0:57] and join us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

[0:59] [AUDIO OUT]

[1:11] --indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

[1:19] Next on our agenda is audience participation.

[1:24] If you are here to address the board,

[1:27] we have asked folks to sign up.

[1:30] And so I will take speakers in the order

[1:34] that they have been signed up.

[1:37] And we have basic guidelines.

[1:41] You may address the board on any item that's not on the agenda

[1:44] or that is on the consent agenda.

[1:46] And comments, we did get some written comments

[1:50] as well that were passed out to the board.

[1:53] And your verbal comments will be limited to five minutes.

[1:57] I'll keep time.

[1:58] And with that, we can go to the audience.

[2:01] The first person on the list is Karen Miller.

[2:04] One thing I will ask is that if you can keep your comments

[2:09] original.

[2:10] So if other people are addressing

[2:12] what you're addressing, whatever new information

[2:16] you can bring, the better, because we have

[2:19] quite a long list of folks.

[2:22] So Karen Miller, where are you?

[2:23] Here she is right in the front.

[2:25] Welcome to the board.

[2:26] Thank you so much.

[2:27] Good morning, Dakota County commissioners.

[2:29] My name is Karen Miller.

[2:30] Thank you so much for this opportunity

[2:32] to speak to you today about our election processes.

[2:36] Let me start by saying that there's nothing

[2:38] more beautiful as a well harmonized precinct election

[2:42] judge team of regular Americans working side by side to verify

[2:47] that every citizen's voice is heard

[2:49] and every citizen's vote is counted.

[2:51] This is America at its finest, and it should give us all hope.

[2:55] However, what happens when the ballot

[2:58] leaves the voters hands and is inserted

[3:01] into the black box of the tabulator, which

[3:03] has been programmed with inherent complexity

[3:08] to read and tally ballots and even to transmit results which

[3:12] are opaque technological processes which

[3:15] go far beyond any citizen's ability to see,

[3:18] to audit, or to verify?

[3:22] This was never the intent of our founding fathers,

[3:24] and it's an intolerable situation

[3:27] for a free and sovereign people.

[3:29] Transparency, verifiability and accountability

[3:32] are the public's main concern.

[3:35] In a recent Alpha News article-- interview,

[3:38] Anoka County Commissioner Jeff Reinert

[3:40] expressed concern over his discovery

[3:43] that their election system has not been federally tested

[3:47] and certified as configured.

[3:50] This is because the modems do not

[3:52] conform with the minimum federal standards

[3:55] for voting systems established by the US Election Assistance

[3:59] Commission, or EAC.

[4:00] They also are not state certified

[4:02] by the Secretary of State.

[4:04] Just two years ago, I raised these very same concerns

[4:07] about the modem as a head election judge in Dakota County.

[4:11] Instead of being listened to, I was fired.

[4:14] Now, the concerns that I brought forward in 2024

[4:17] are just as valid and relevant now in 2026.

[4:22] Not only are modems not certified

[4:24] by the Secretary of State nor by the Federal EAC,

[4:28] but Minnesota statute 206.845 explicitly

[4:33] bans the use of modems in connection to the tabulator.

[4:38] Subdivision one reads, and I quote "prohibited connections.

[4:43] Ballot recording and tabulating systems must not be connected to

[4:48] or operated on, directly or indirectly,

[4:51] any electronic network, including a local area

[4:54] network, a wide area network, the internet, or the world

[4:58] wide web.

[4:59] Wireless communications may not be

[5:02] used in any way in a vote recording or vote tabulating

[5:07] system.

[5:08] Wireless device to device capability is not permitted.

[5:12] No connection by modem is permitted."

[5:16] Yet in Dakota County, we are using

[5:19] tabulators that have modems actually embedded within them.

[5:23] This contradiction between what state statute prohibits

[5:27] and what Dakota County practices is profoundly concerning.

[5:31] Because of this clear conflict, plus the clear vulnerabilities

[5:35] that modems introduce in our election systems,

[5:37] I urge Dakota County to review and modify our election

[5:41] equipment and processes to fully comply

[5:44] with all state statute regarding the use of modems.

[5:48] I also encourage you to publish a detailed modem usage

[5:51] report for the citizens of Dakota County.

[5:54] Public confidence is strengthened

[5:56] when election procedures and equipment

[5:58] can be examined through accurate, verifiable public

[6:02] records.

[6:03] This request is intended to determine

[6:05] what equipment was used, whether modem capabilities were present

[6:10] or activated, and what the available logs show.

[6:14] It is a fact finding effort, not a conclusion

[6:17] that improper activity occurred.

[6:19] If we do not take these steps to verify and secure our elections,

[6:23] not only may we lose the sovereignty of our nation,

[6:28] but also the voice of our people.

[6:30] So thank you very much for listening to my concerns

[6:33] and considering my request.

[6:34] Thank you.

[6:35] Thank you.

[6:41] Next up we will invite Tom Lopach.

[6:47] Introduce yourself and proceed.

[6:49] Good morning.

[6:51] The question I have, that I'm presenting to the board

[6:54] is, was our equipment, voting equipment, properly tested?

[7:01] And I've been doing some research,

[7:03] and I've sent you an email probably a couple weeks ago

[7:07] regarding that.

[7:08] And I haven't really found much information from the Secretary

[7:12] of State, but what I have found, I'm presenting here,

[7:16] and I'm concerned because of the fact that I am running

[7:18] for Minnesota House of Representatives for 52B.

[7:22] I want to make sure that the equipment has been

[7:24] tested properly and certified.

[7:27] But I point out that the Dakota County newsletter dated 7, 10,

[7:33] 2026, indicated that Dakota county's electronic voting

[7:39] system is certified at the Federal and State level.

[7:43] And well as the Minnesota Secretary of State's office

[7:48] identifies that the equipment is certified.

[7:52] Being certified in use for Minnesota, and because it

[7:58] was associated and certified by the US Election Assistance

[8:03] Commission, the EAC.

[8:06] But yet, in fact, it wasn't.

[8:10] You start looking closely at the certification that has been

[8:14] released by the Secretary of State,

[8:16] and they're not identifying our present system, the ESMS,

[8:20] EVS 6.5.1.1, they're actually talking about the previous

[8:27] generation, 6.5.0.0, which was certified.

[8:33] But in order to bring it up to the standard that we presently

[8:38] have, what we actually bought for Dakota County,

[8:42] the ES 6.5.1.1, it has to have some engineering changes add

[8:51] to it.

[8:52] In research, I found that there's

[8:54] approximately 16 different engineering changes, ECOs,

[8:59] that have been incorporated but not all in our equipment.

[9:04] Each state has the ability to pick and choose whatever

[9:09] ECO they want of these 16.

[9:11] There could be 1, could be 2, could be all of them.

[9:14] But yet, it has to be documented in the certification.

[9:19] Now, if you look at our certification

[9:21] from the Secretary of State, and there

[9:23] is no identification of what ECO numbers have been incorporated,

[9:28] looking at a couple of the ECOs, there are major changes.

[9:33] The Secretary of State, with the help of Pro V & V,

[9:37] identified all these ECOs to be minor changes, but in my mind,

[9:41] they're not.

[9:42] One of which is change in the site of the manufacturing

[9:46] of the equipment.

[9:48] I, at one time, worked for UNIVAC.

[9:51] I was in charge of the receiving inspection.

[9:54] I was the manager, quality manager and test manager

[9:58] of all microcircuits, all electronics,

[10:01] all microprocessors.

[10:04] And anytime a supplier made a change in their source,

[10:09] we had to recertify the product.

[10:12] Anytime they moved their assembly,

[10:14] we had to recertify the product, as well as recertifying

[10:18] the product it went into.

[10:20] That has not been done here in this case.

[10:23] So we don't know what has transpired.

[10:27] We don't know what's in our actual equipment.

[10:30] And along with that, the modem was not in the original ES&S EVS

[10:44] 6.5.0.0.

[10:47] That has been added since.

[10:49] So in fact, the certification that the Secretary of State

[10:54] is relying on has been nullified because of that modem that

[10:58] was installed.

[11:00] And I just put a little diagram, block diagram, in there

[11:04] to identify the architecture of a simple computer.

[11:09] If you start adding items to the unit,

[11:13] it starts loading down the bus lines.

[11:16] You have a bus line for data, addressing, and control.

[11:22] Now, once you start getting too many devices on those buses,

[11:27] you start loading it down and you

[11:29] could compromise the functionality of the other units

[11:32] that are on that bus as well.

[11:35] So that has not been performed, that certification.

[11:41] So in conclusion, I'd like to mention that we're not real

[11:49] sure what is in our DS300s.

[11:54] The purchasing agreement did not identify ECOs.

[12:00] What it did identify was the functionality.

[12:03] And that functionality should have been all along.

[12:07] But any change to that hardware or software

[12:10] should be investigated.

[12:11] Thank you, Mr. Lopach, your time has expired.

[12:14] And it sounded like you were wrapping up, so.

[12:17] But we also bought in our DS300 the ability to have an audit.

[12:24] Your time is expired.

[12:25] So thank you.

[12:26] And that has not been validated or verified.

[12:30] Can we allow that other speakers to speak.

[12:32] OK.

[12:33] Thank you very much.

[12:34] All right.

[12:35] Thank you.

[12:36] Next up is Carol Mulvihill from Mendota Heights.

[12:43] Good morning, council members.

[12:45] My name is Carol Mulvihill and I'm a resident of Dakota County.

[12:49] I'm here as a concerned citizens about the vulnerabilities

[12:52] of our modems that were built into our newly

[12:55] purchased election machines.

[12:58] I want to share a little background so that you

[13:01] know where I'm coming from.

[13:03] I recently retired from public service.

[13:07] I used to work at a community center as a manager,

[13:11] and our concern was the community

[13:13] and serving our community.

[13:15] Before that, I worked at a bank and also a brokerage firm.

[13:19] Our focus was serving our customers

[13:23] and also making sure that we complied

[13:25] with local and national laws.

[13:28] With that in my background, I continued

[13:30] to want to serve my community, so I got involved

[13:33] in the election process.

[13:35] Since 2022, I served as an election judge.

[13:39] I worked on the absentee ballot board.

[13:42] I've attended public accuracy tests, post-election reviews,

[13:46] and the canvassing board meetings.

[13:49] When I have a question about the process,

[13:51] I would ask my city clerk, election manager,

[13:54] or even the Secretary of State to get answers.

[13:57] I appreciate the article in the Dakota County newsletter

[14:01] highlighting the measures that have been taken so that we

[14:04] have safe and secure elections.

[14:06] The concerns over the modem have been in the media

[14:09] recently, and recent hacks on our water treatment

[14:13] facilities in our state.

[14:15] So I asked the council, as you can see,

[14:18] it's a very detailed and complex situation with modems.

[14:24] And our ask is that we could come back at a later time

[14:27] to give a detailed presentation.

[14:30] So with that being said, I will leave my contact information,

[14:34] and I look forward to hearing back from the commissioners.

[14:38] Thank you.

[14:39] Thank you.

[14:42] Next up-- sorry, technology is getting to me.

[14:50] Tracy Killian.

[14:55] Hello, commissioners.

[14:56] Thank you for your time.

[14:58] My name is Tracy Killian, and I'm a resident of Dakota County.

[15:00] I'm here to request your attention to the new ES&S voting

[15:04] machines the County has purchased,

[15:06] and to ask the commissioners obtain and review

[15:09] two audit reports our group has requested

[15:12] through a data request.

[15:13] All new voting systems warrant public notice

[15:17] and careful review.

[15:18] And recent cybersecurity concerns

[15:21] involving water treatment facilities and reports

[15:23] about foreign manufactured components in election equipment

[15:28] make transparency especially important.

[15:31] This information should be available to voters

[15:34] and should not be withheld without a clear legal basis.

[15:38] The requested logs include successful and unsuccessful

[15:42] connection attempts while election data or results were

[15:46] transmitted, and relevant carrier provider vendor modem

[15:50] activation and technical support records.

[15:54] I thank you for your time and attention in this matter.

[15:58] Thank you.

[16:02] Next up, Lynn Rinkinen.

[16:13] Welcome.

[16:14] Good morning.

[16:15] My name is Lynn Rinkinen and I live in Eagan.

[16:18] I and a group of around 20 Dakota County residents

[16:22] addressed this board two weeks ago

[16:24] to ensure that you see we want our votes protected

[16:28] and that we will stand with if you face any outside pressure

[16:32] to restrict votes, not count votes,

[16:35] or not seat duly elected officials.

[16:38] We also asked all of you to sign our public pledge

[16:41] that we're calling The Freedom to Vote Protection Pledge, which

[16:45] states that you would commit to the following.

[16:48] Abide by the US Constitution and state election laws.

[16:53] Number 2, refuse to comply with any unlawful executive orders

[16:57] or data requests that seek to restrict voting.

[17:01] And faithfully play your role to certify and seat the rightfully

[17:05] elected winners this November, regardless of party.

[17:09] This is truly a low bar to commit

[17:12] to of just following applicable laws

[17:14] and then honoring the election results.

[17:17] As of today, with only two weeks or so before early

[17:20] voting starts in the general election, only

[17:23] commissioners Atkins and Hammond Rowland have signed this pledge.

[17:29] We are all disappointed and, frankly, angry at this response.

[17:33] It's a slap in the face to your constituents who

[17:36] are counting on you to ensure their vote is counted,

[17:39] and to all the election judges who volunteer their time

[17:42] and will face the threats and violence of people

[17:45] who believe our elections are rigged because of your silence.

[17:49] I'm at a loss to understand why the five remaining of you

[17:52] chose not to sign this pledge.

[17:55] Do you think that because Minnesota

[17:57] has strong voter protections compared to some other states

[18:00] that were covered?

[18:02] Do you think it's unnecessary because you've already

[18:04] been trained on what to do?

[18:07] Do you feel you'd be taking some kind of risk if you sign it

[18:10] or is it something else?

[18:13] Well, let me tell you, there is a rage out there

[18:16] in the electorate.

[18:18] Every day Minnesotans are taking risks and doing things

[18:21] outside their comfort zone.

[18:23] And when I was young, I would not

[18:25] have thought that I'd come to care about the rule of law

[18:28] the way I have as I've seen it violated

[18:31] and corrupted by this administration and the Supreme

[18:34] Court.

[18:35] I never thought I'd see my own federal government ignoring

[18:38] my constitutional rights, and have to come here

[18:41] to persuade my county commissioners to do it instead,

[18:46] but here we are.

[18:47] We need to do everything in our power

[18:49] to protect free and fair elections.

[18:52] And we need to know that you are with us by signing this pledge.

[18:56] We have your backs.

[18:58] Do you have ours?

[19:00] And just as an aside, I have full confidence

[19:05] in all of our voting equipment.

[19:08] Thank you.

[19:10] Next up, Asif Raman, Welcome.

[19:20] Good morning, County commissioners.

[19:22] My name is Asif Rahman.

[19:24] Sorry, I mispronounced you name.

[19:26] No, that's fine.

[19:27] I'm a resident of Eagan, Minnesota.

[19:29] It's nice to see some familiar faces today.

[19:31] I come here because I'm concerned about our election

[19:34] process.

[19:35] I'm concerned that there's an erosion

[19:37] in the confidence of our election process

[19:40] by undermining the process itself.

[19:42] I'm concerned about intimidation.

[19:45] I'm concerned that if I go to the voting center

[19:49] and I see ICE there, will I be picked up as a person of color?

[19:52] I'm concerned that people who look like me

[19:54] are going to be intimidated to vote.

[19:56] So I'm here to ask you, I recently received a mailing

[20:00] from the Dakota County information, I appreciate that,

[20:04] and it was interested to read that you have 105 mandates

[20:06] and some of them are funded or unfunded, unfortunately.

[20:10] And one of them was the mandate to conduct

[20:12] free and open election, fair elections.

[20:14] So I'm asking you to uphold your mandate.

[20:17] I'm asking you to uphold our values of freedom and justice.

[20:21] I'm asking you to sign the freedom

[20:23] to vote protection pledge.

[20:24] Thank you for your time.

[20:26] Thank you very much.

[20:28] Next up is Lee Nelson.

[20:38] Thank you and good morning.

[20:40] My name is Lee Nelson.

[20:41] I live in Apple Valley.

[20:44] I had the privilege of speaking two weeks ago.

[20:46] I never thought I'd find myself here.

[20:48] I'm just a regular guy from South Minneapolis who

[20:51] was fortunate to move to Lakeville,

[20:53] now fortunate to live in Apple Valley,

[20:57] and we asked you a couple weeks ago to sign our petition.

[21:02] Two of you have signed, Mary and Joe, and we're grateful,

[21:06] and we appreciate that.

[21:09] But also, it's only been two.

[21:11] And it is a low bar, and so we're

[21:16] hoping-- not to lecture you, but we're

[21:18] hoping you'll do the right thing and sign the petition.

[21:23] I'll have the privilege of being an election judge,

[21:26] and quite frankly, I'm scared.

[21:31] I'm scared for my fellow poll workers,

[21:35] and I'm scared for the voters that

[21:37] are going to vote in the general election.

[21:41] Michelle Blue has done an excellent job,

[21:45] and she assures us that the doors are locked.

[21:50] But I'm worried that "they" are going to find ways to bust

[21:55] the doors down.

[21:59] Please do all you can to ensure that we do

[22:04] have a free and fair election.

[22:07] Thank you very much for your time.

[22:10] Thank you.

[22:15] Next up, Kelly McGowan.

[22:19] And if I said that wrong, tell me.

[22:20] [CHUCKLES] OK, great.

[22:28] Welcome.

[22:29] Good morning.

[22:29] My name is Kelly McCowan.

[22:31] I live in Eagan, and I've been a citizen

[22:34] of Dakota County for 50 years.

[22:37] I couldn't believe it when I added that up.

[22:40] So, I was only two.

[22:42] [LAUGHTER]

[22:45] So anyway, I want to thank you for your service.

[22:48] I really know that you, from my experiences with all of you,

[22:53] that you are really dedicated and hard working

[22:55] and I really appreciate it.

[22:58] And I didn't think I would be here either,

[23:02] but I recently became a grandmother,

[23:06] and I cannot think of what might happen to our elections and have

[23:16] to tell my grandchildren that I didn't do everything that I

[23:19] could to protect them.

[23:21] And I hope that you will, too, by signing the pledge

[23:26] to protect our vote.

[23:27] Thank you.

[23:29] Thank you.

[23:34] And next up, Jen Dawson.

[23:42] Good morning.

[23:43] Good morning.

[23:44] My name is Jen Dawson and I live in Burnsville.

[23:46] First of all, I do want to thank each of you

[23:48] for your dedication and your service

[23:50] to Dakota County and our residents.

[23:52] It's truly and greatly appreciated.

[23:54] Like many of my fellow Dakota County residents,

[23:57] I'm here to express my concerns about the upcoming midterm

[24:00] elections.

[24:01] And I just want to encourage each of you

[24:03] to do your part to making sure that it

[24:05] is a free and fair election for our citizens.

[24:09] And I do want to just thank you in advance

[24:11] that that is going to happen.

[24:12] And truly, that is my only message today.

[24:15] So thank you for your service.

[24:17] Thank you.

[24:23] Next up, Duane Skar.

[24:35] Morning, commissioners.

[24:36] I'm Duane Skar.

[24:37] I live in Mendota Heights.

[24:40] Actually, I'm here because I actually went to the voting

[24:45] recently with my granddaughter.

[24:47] First voting time she has had.

[24:49] And basically with her two sisters also.

[24:53] So basically, they all observed her voting in this election.

[24:59] I just want to, again, say that I would like this vote

[25:04] to be expected and expected of us all

[25:08] to participate in this and not to sit

[25:11] on the sidelines for this.

[25:13] And I would like, if possible, for you

[25:15] to look at your own personal selves

[25:19] and sign the pledge to hold elections appropriately and fair

[25:25] for all of us.

[25:26] Thank you.

[25:27] Thank you.

[25:33] Next up, we'll hear from Brian Lowe.

[25:38] And if I got it wrong, Brian, let me know.

[25:43] Good morning.

[25:45] I was here two weeks ago urging you to sign the Freedom

[25:49] to Vote Protection Pledge.

[25:51] And I'll have to say that I was really

[25:53] impressed by your attentiveness and your politeness.

[25:57] And I'm really thrilled, I guess, gratified

[26:01] to know that our elected officials are

[26:05] receptive to our comments.

[26:11] I want to thank those of you who've already

[26:13] signed the pledge, and I want to urge the rest of you

[26:15] to sign it as well.

[26:18] I think that we're hearing this constant drumbeat

[26:21] in the news of stories about possible interference

[26:26] in the elections from the federal government.

[26:28] I don't understand why the US Postal

[26:30] system would get involved with elections

[26:32] at all, other than to deliver--

[26:35] excuse me, to deliver ballots.

[26:38] I think that probably the best way

[26:40] to make sure that the elections are conducted fairly and freely

[26:44] is not only to do the right thing,

[26:45] but to say that you're going to do the right thing beforehand

[26:48] so that it's very clear to everyone who's planning to vote,

[26:52] who wants to vote, who wants their vote to be counted,

[26:55] to know that elections are going to be

[26:59] conducted fairly and freely.

[27:02] That there will be no deviations from the law

[27:04] or from the Constitution.

[27:06] And so I urge you to sign the Pledge.

[27:08] Thank you.

[27:09] Thank you.

[27:14] And Dan Quillen.

[27:24] Good morning.

[27:25] My name is Dan Quillen.

[27:27] I live in West St. Paul.

[27:30] I'm 76 years old, and over the last six months,

[27:35] I've had an increasing concern about the upcoming election,

[27:41] and many of us that are here today share that.

[27:45] Why is that?

[27:47] It's because we've seen unprecedented political

[27:53] gerrymandering.

[27:55] We've seen proposed restrictions in mail in voting.

[27:59] We've seen a federal government obsessed

[28:02] with getting voting rolls.

[28:05] We've seen new proposed rules on proving your citizenship.

[28:10] So now, I feel compelled to be here this morning

[28:16] to share my concern, and also ask and remind

[28:21] you of the sacred responsibility that you

[28:24] have in ensuring our democracy.

[28:27] I am not alone.

[28:29] Maybe I could ask those of us who are here for the same reason

[28:33] to just briefly stand up.

[28:41] Thank you.

[28:42] Thank you.

[28:50] OK, I'm not going to be able to say this correctly,

[28:53] so let me know.

[28:53] Dr. Heidi Weatherly.

[28:57] Weatherall.

[28:58] I told you I was going to get it wrong.

[29:00] My apologies I couldn't read it.

[29:02] Good morning, and thank you for hearing what I have to say.

[29:07] My name is Heidi Weatherall.

[29:10] I was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.

[29:13] So I'm a transplant.

[29:14] I've been in Eagan for over 30 years.

[29:18] I'm a retired biology professor, and I've

[29:23] had students from literally all over the world.

[29:26] From China, Mongolia, just all over,

[29:30] and I've been so inspired by them.

[29:33] And I've witnessed their incredible potential.

[29:39] I know that any changes in our political climate

[29:42] must come from the grassroots, and that's

[29:44] why I'm here to ask you to please protect our voting

[29:49] rights.

[29:50] And frankly, I'm appalled that this is even an issue.

[29:55] Thank you so much.

[29:58] Thank you.

[30:02] Next up, Dottie Quam.

[30:06] And tell me if I did that right, Dottie.

[30:13] Good morning, I'm Dottie Quam, and I use she/her pronouns.

[30:20] And I'm in District 5 with Liz Workman in Burnsville.

[30:25] I have a concern about the free and fair elections.

[30:29] I'm worried.

[30:32] I'm worried about worsening party polarization and corroding

[30:39] public trust in the legitimacy of the outcome of the elections.

[30:46] I'm also worried about Trump's proposed interventions

[30:51] in the voting process.

[30:54] I'm worried about the election, the overhaul bill, the Save

[30:58] America Act.

[31:01] I'm worried if federal involvement in the elections,

[31:05] like troops at the polls, come to pass.

[31:10] I'm worried about the Department of Justice

[31:15] from obtaining state voter rolls.

[31:19] I'm worried people will take for granted their voting,

[31:23] that they're going to take for granted their right to vote.

[31:28] Let me make this clear.

[31:30] I think we all know this.

[31:31] This is not a nonpartisan issue.

[31:35] If we fail here, there will be further corrosiveness

[31:40] of the two parties, the two-party system as we know it.

[31:45] Thank you.

[31:46] Thank you.

[31:51] Next up, Melissa Lowe.

[31:59] Good morning.

[32:00] My name is Melissa Lowe, and I live in Apple Valley.

[32:03] Thank you for listening to our concerns.

[32:07] I'm a retired university professor.

[32:09] I retired three years ago.

[32:11] And one of the great things about retirement

[32:13] is I can say yes to all the things I just

[32:16] didn't have time for or energy for while I was working.

[32:20] So I volunteer at my church, and I

[32:23] volunteered for food distribution delivery

[32:26] during operation Metro Surge.

[32:28] I spent a day a week in the school year

[32:30] volunteering at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis

[32:33] in a math recovery program.

[32:35] I volunteered at Apple Valley High School

[32:37] in their math department.

[32:39] I became an election judge.

[32:41] I've never been politically involved.

[32:43] I always equated politics with political gamesmanship.

[32:48] Politics is taking care of the people you are elected to serve.

[32:53] So I thank you for doing that.

[32:56] I caucused for the first time ever.

[32:58] I've spoken with my state representative and senator

[33:02] all in the last couple of years.

[33:05] And I urged candidates, when I participated as a delegate,

[33:11] I urged candidates to take care of people,

[33:13] take care of their constituents, and I have

[33:17] spoken at the board meetings.

[33:20] Thank you.

[33:20] I am also concerned about the voting

[33:22] rights and the security of our elections, especially this fall.

[33:28] Joe Atkins and Mary Hamann-Roland

[33:30] thank you for signing the pledge.

[33:33] And I'm here to urge those of you who have not yet

[33:36] signed to recommit in this public way to doing your work.

[33:40] Thank you.

[33:42] Thank you.

[33:48] Samia let's see.

[33:50] I can't read it.

[33:51] Hanafi?

[33:52] Oh not.

[33:52] I don't know what that last-- oh, tell me

[33:54] if I got it right or not.

[33:55] I can't quite read it.

[33:59] Should I do it?

[33:59] Hello, my name is Samia and I'm from Apple Valley.

[34:03] I care about our democracy.

[34:05] I care about all our neighbors.

[34:07] And I urge the board to sign the freedom

[34:10] to vote protection pledge.

[34:11] Thank you.

[34:12] Thank you.

[34:17] Let's see.

[34:18] Rukia Abdi.

[34:27] Welcome.

[34:30] Thank you.

[34:30] Good morning, Dakota County commissioners.

[34:34] And I am so--

[34:35] I'm grateful to be here.

[34:36] And I would like to thank you for allowing us

[34:41] this opportunity.

[34:41] My name is Rukia Abdi and I'm from Apple Valley.

[34:45] I'm an author, parent, educator, and a librarian.

[34:49] I do understand it's very important to remind people,

[34:53] that's what we do at the library, one thing

[34:57] that I would like and to say is thank you for your hard work.

[35:01] I know the work that's happening it's a very challenging.

[35:07] But mentioning, sometimes saying what you're doing, standing up

[35:14] is what matters.

[35:16] And especially in these days.

[35:18] We see a lot of people asking that we

[35:21] want you to sign the pledge because we want you to protect

[35:27] our voting and rights.

[35:29] To be honest with you, I did not expect

[35:32] living in the United States of America.

[35:35] I would be talking about let's protect our vote

[35:39] because I wanted to get that as a default, right.

[35:44] As I said, and as a parent educator and a librarian,

[35:48] we tell parents, for example, and my background

[35:52] is in child development.

[35:53] And before that, I would like to thank those who already signed

[35:57] it, but then here it's not only signing,

[36:00] but it's really standing up.

[36:02] And there is a period, let's call it a sensitive period,

[36:07] and I'm invested in early childhood and reading

[36:09] to our children.

[36:10] The reason I'm telling you is at certain times,

[36:14] if you do not read to your child,

[36:18] it's going to be too late to catch up.

[36:20] That's why we have so many children falling behind.

[36:24] So there is a language acquisition,

[36:27] for example, window that becomes open in certain time.

[36:32] And if you pass that, it's going to take a longer time again,

[36:35] but still it will be happening, right?

[36:37] So right now we are asking you to stand up and protect

[36:42] our rights as you're already doing.

[36:44] And I'm aware of behind the scenes,

[36:46] there is a lot happening, but the fear in the community

[36:49] is also more and they are watching you,

[36:53] they are expecting you, they are counting

[36:55] on you doing the right thing at the right time.

[37:00] It's called wisdom, we are looking forward

[37:03] to get this wisdom and see from you.

[37:06] Thank you so much.

[37:07] Thank you.

[37:10] Ahmed Ahmed.

[37:19] Welcome

[37:22] My name is Ahmed Ahmed, part of the Lakeville community.

[37:26] I'm here to tell you today-- ask you today to come

[37:29] please sign the pledge and protect the voting rights.

[37:31] Thank you.

[37:32] Thank you.

[37:38] Cheryl Mayors.

[37:43] Sorry if I got your name wrong.

[37:44] You can correct me.

[37:47] Cheryl Myers.

[37:47] Thank you very much.

[37:49] And I appreciate your time and your request

[37:53] that we have something new to say.

[37:55] I would like to acknowledge all the neighbors that

[38:00] have already express themselves and our concern

[38:05] that this process be respected and viewed as having integrity.

[38:15] We need all of us to stand up for that and support it.

[38:19] Thank you very much.

[38:21] Thank you.

[38:26] Ernesto-- let's see, is it Bernard?

[38:33] Ernesto.

[38:37] Not seeing.

[38:41] How about Hassan Muhammad?

[38:52] Good morning commissioners.

[38:53] My name is Hassan Muhammad.

[38:56] I live in Rosemont in the Apple Valley area about 13 years now.

[39:02] I'm the Imam of the Rosemont mosque.

[39:05] I came with a group that was asking for the freedom

[39:11] to vote and pledge protection pledge.

[39:16] So the community is kind of scared and they want to be free

[39:24] for voting when it comes to voting, because there

[39:28] is a lot of talk these days, a lot of citizenship questions,

[39:34] especially immigrants who became naturalized citizens.

[39:38] As we know, America is a welcoming country.

[39:42] If the person stays here and law abiding person

[39:46] and stays five years and more than that, they become citizens

[39:53] and they participate everything, including the voting.

[39:57] So we are asking commissioners to sign this pledge with a very

[40:03] simple three questions.

[40:06] Number one is abide by the US Constitution and state election

[40:10] laws.

[40:11] 2, refuse to comply with any unlawful executive orders

[40:15] or data requests from the Department of Justice that

[40:19] seek to restrict voting.

[40:22] 3, pledge to faithfully play a role to certify and/or cede

[40:28] the rightfully elected winners of the elections

[40:31] this November, regardless of their party elections.

[40:36] So this is a very simple ask.

[40:39] We want all of you to sign this pledge.

[40:43] Thank you very much.

[40:44] Thank you.

[40:51] Let's see.

[40:54] Ashlyn or Ashrun Domesky or--

[40:59] I got that so bad.

[41:02] I cannot wait to hear what I'm supposed to be saying.

[41:07] So welcome.

[41:09] Thank you.

[41:11] Good morning, Chairperson Halverson and commissioners, I

[41:15] appreciate being able to talk to you openly today.

[41:18] Thank you for listening, and thank you for the work

[41:22] that you do for the county.

[41:24] My name is Ash Irons Domsky.

[41:26] Ash Irons Domsky.

[41:29] Thank you.

[41:30] I work as a public health nurse at Dakota County--

[41:33] or in the Dakota County Public Health Department.

[41:37] I'm here today as a steward and member of the Minnesota Nurses

[41:41] Association.

[41:44] I would like to take a few minutes to talk about some

[41:47] of the work we do in public health

[41:50] and how it impacts Dakota County families.

[41:53] My hope is that it helps us better connect the budget

[41:56] discussion to the work happening every day.

[42:01] As public health nurses in the family home visiting program,

[42:05] we step into families homes to provide health assessments,

[42:10] education and support.

[42:13] We serve families during pregnancy and up

[42:15] to the child's second birthday.

[42:19] A typical home visit might include taking measurements

[42:23] like weighing a baby or monitoring blood pressure.

[42:28] We may then talk about nutrition and healthy choices

[42:31] with the family.

[42:33] We might even provide referrals to additional resources

[42:36] like primary and specialty care providers or food pantries,

[42:40] for example.

[42:43] Oftentimes, we assist families in navigating services

[42:47] like medical assistance or disability services,

[42:51] and in some cases, we may help a family avoid crises

[42:55] like homelessness, intimate partner violence,

[42:58] or other safety concerns.

[43:02] More broadly, during visits we strive

[43:05] to model what it means to be caring, reliable, and present so

[43:09] that parents may do the same for their children.

[43:13] We do all of this because it is effective.

[43:17] Family home visiting programs have

[43:19] proved to increase family self-sufficiency

[43:22] and decrease healthcare costs.

[43:26] Pregnant parents who participate in home visiting

[43:30] are more likely to access prenatal care

[43:33] and carry their babies to term, and they

[43:36] are less likely to have babies with low birth weight.

[43:39] There are higher rates and duration

[43:41] of breastfeeding among parents who

[43:43] participate in home visiting.

[43:46] Participants are less likely to need emergency medical care.

[43:52] Home visiting increases parent participation

[43:55] in implementing safety practices like safe sleep.

[44:00] It reduces child maltreatment and it improves

[44:04] school readiness for children.

[44:08] Family home visiting is a proven, accessible, and

[44:11] impactful way to support parents, protect children,

[44:15] and strengthen families.

[44:18] As budget discussions continue, we

[44:21] ask that decisions be viewed not only through numbers

[44:24] on a spreadsheet, but through the impact these decisions have

[44:28] on residents and on the county's ability

[44:30] to provide proper services.

[44:33] The people I work alongside are skilled,

[44:37] dedicated public servants who care deeply

[44:40] about this community.

[44:42] When positions are lost, the impact is real.

[44:46] Longer wait times reduce services, delayed responses,

[44:50] and fewer opportunities to meet the growing needs of residents.

[44:54] In family home visiting, we have a mantra

[44:56] that helps motivate our work.

[44:58] The developing child cannot wait.

[45:02] We know these decisions are difficult,

[45:04] but we also know that investing in county staff and services

[45:08] is an investment in children and our community.

[45:12] Thank you for your time, your leadership and consideration.

[45:16] Thank you.

[45:22] I really appreciate all of the comments and everything

[45:26] that we've been hearing today.

[45:28] I will ask that we refrain from reactions

[45:35] outside of who's at the podium just so that we maintain

[45:39] decorum.

[45:40] But I appreciate the participation.

[45:46] Katrina Devon, or DeVore.

[45:49] Please remind me what your last name is.

[45:53] Good morning, Madam Chair and commissioners.

[45:55] Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

[45:57] My name is Katrina DeVore.

[45:59] I work in the Public Health Department,

[46:01] and I'm the chair of the MN Bargaining Unit

[46:03] here in Dakota County.

[46:06] I am reading the following statement on behalf of one

[46:08] of my coworkers, Kristen Ness who is a public health

[46:11] nurse who planned to speak this morning

[46:13] but was unable to attend.

[46:15] The following are Kristen's words.

[46:18] I have been a public health nurse here in Dakota County

[46:20] for over 27 years, and a 30-year resident of Dakota County.

[46:25] So needless to say, I am invested in our county.

[46:29] As a member of the Minnesota Nurses Association.

[46:31] I ask that you strongly consider the importance and value

[46:34] that public health brings to the residents of Dakota County.

[46:39] We have many critical, essential programs in public health

[46:41] to keep our residents and communities safe and healthy.

[46:45] As a nurse who's worked here for a long time,

[46:47] I have had the unique opportunity

[46:49] to see firsthand how our programs have

[46:51] made a positive impact.

[46:53] Recently, I walked into work at the Western Service Center.

[46:57] When I heard someone say my name, I turned around

[46:59] and it was one of my very first clients

[47:01] that I worked with 27 years ago.

[47:04] I made nurse home visits during her high risk pregnancy,

[47:08] and then postpartum and parenting

[47:09] of both of her children.

[47:11] She shared that her now adult children are doing well

[47:14] and thanked me for helping her all those years ago.

[47:17] I couldn't believe she remembered me.

[47:21] Another family I worked with more recently

[47:24] has a child with asthma.

[47:26] Upon my first visit with them, they

[47:28] had questions about their daughter's medical insurance,

[47:31] asthma symptoms and told me she was

[47:33] unable to run without coughing and struggling

[47:35] with shortness of breath.

[47:37] The child had missed a lot of school due to breathing issues.

[47:40] She was not sleeping well at night and on the days

[47:42] she was in school, she was exhausted.

[47:45] We spent time discussing the child's insurance,

[47:49] helping set up a pediatrician appointment,

[47:50] and talked about environmental triggers that

[47:52] may have been causing some of her breathing problems.

[47:56] We discussed when to go to the clinic versus the emergency

[47:59] room, and how to follow an asthma action plan.

[48:03] I did a follow up home visit a few weeks later,

[48:05] and the child was so excited to show me her new inhalers.

[48:09] She also told me that she could run without coughing

[48:11] and loved recess.

[48:13] Her mom reported that her daughter was not missing school

[48:16] and that she was sleeping much better without coughing.

[48:19] These are just a couple of the thousands

[48:21] of stories we have from working with families.

[48:24] We make a difference.

[48:26] Currently, we are already short staffed.

[48:29] We carry higher caseloads and some programs

[48:32] are starting to implement a waitlist.

[48:35] We have lost nurses to other counties

[48:37] and turnover is expensive and stressful.

[48:40] We want to serve our residents efficiently and effectively.

[48:44] We know the upcoming levy decisions are difficult,

[48:46] but when we have a strong public health department,

[48:49] our community and workforce are stronger and healthier.

[48:52] Thank you for your time, leadership and consideration.

[48:55] Thank you.

[48:58] Next up, we've got Pastor Tim McKee.

[49:03] Maybe.

[49:05] Maybe.

[49:07] I thought it might be Maybe.

[49:09] Yeah. they're like, it can't be maybe, can it?

[49:12] Yeah, it is.

[49:13] Yeah.

[49:14] OK.

[49:14] Yes.

[49:15] Pastor Maybe.

[49:16] Thank you so much.

[49:17] And thank you to the whole board of commissioners

[49:20] here for the work that you do in serving this community.

[49:22] It's a community that I love very much.

[49:24] And so, thank you.

[49:26] I serve as the lead pastor at Amazing Grace Lutheran

[49:30] Church in Inver Grove Heights, right off of Robert Trail,

[49:33] and have been doing so for about five years now.

[49:36] As I see it, disenfranchisement of our neighbors

[49:38] is a moral failure for which we are all responsible.

[49:42] This is because self-determination

[49:44] is the bedrock of liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

[49:47] Two things that we seem to think are very important.

[49:51] The message is coming from the federal government,

[49:53] built largely on falsehoods regarding

[49:55] our neighbors and massive voting fraud,

[49:57] bear false witness against all of us.

[50:01] We, as citizens in your jurisdiction,

[50:04] need to know that any attempts to undermine

[50:06] the vote of our neighbors will be opposed.

[50:09] In my mind, this includes opposing any efforts

[50:11] to access voting records for political purposes,

[50:15] taking over voting counts, refusing to seat elected

[50:18] officials, and sending troops to intimidate and police voters.

[50:23] I urge you, along with many others,

[50:25] to sign the pledge that has been sent to you to protect

[50:27] our elections.

[50:29] Finally, I know what it means to be called to serve a community,

[50:33] and I hope that you take that calling very seriously.

[50:36] Your work is sacred, and holding these elections sacred as well

[50:41] is something we're all responsible for.

[50:43] Thank you.

[50:45] Thank you.

[50:50] Regina Gavin.

[50:56] Welcome

[50:56] Yeah, thank you.

[50:57] Good morning, Madam Chair and commissioners.

[51:00] Thank you for the opportunity to speak today.

[51:02] My name is Regina, and I work in the Public Health Department

[51:05] at Dakota County.

[51:06] I'm also a proud Dakota County resident.

[51:08] It's an honor and a privilege to live and serve

[51:10] the community here.

[51:12] I wanted to take a few minutes to connect the budget

[51:14] discussion to the work happening every day

[51:16] across our organization.

[51:18] The work we do matters deeply to residents, and often in moments

[51:21] when they need the help the most.

[51:23] In my role, I'm an epidemiologist,

[51:26] I lead investigations for vaccine preventable diseases

[51:29] such as Whooping Cough and measles,

[51:31] and also tuberculosis contact investigation for Dakota County.

[51:35] I've been in my role for about five years.

[51:37] I'm the only infectious disease epidemiologist in the County

[51:41] and one of two epidemiologists in the entire County.

[51:45] It takes a lot of training and expertise to get to my level.

[51:50] During measles investigations, I interview cases

[51:52] and identify places the cases spend time while infectious,

[51:56] and also identify unvaccinated people

[51:58] who are exposed to the measles case during the cases

[52:00] infectious period.

[52:02] In order to keep our community healthy and safe,

[52:05] and to stop measles from spreading,

[52:07] my team and I also actively monitor and exclude

[52:09] from the public settings unvaccinated

[52:11] individuals who are exposed to measles cases.

[52:15] When we get notified about measles cases

[52:17] due to how quickly measles can spread, we respond immediately.

[52:21] I interview cases and work late into the evening, taking

[52:24] precious time away from my family in order

[52:26] to protect our community.

[52:27] I even spent the evening of my child's first birthday

[52:30] working late on a measles investigation

[52:32] because measles doesn't wait, it doesn't

[52:34] care if it's your birthday or your child's birthday.

[52:37] These interviews aren't just about ascertaining information,

[52:40] it's being with a community member

[52:42] during a really challenging time.

[52:44] Usually, I'm talking with a parent

[52:46] while their child is very, very sick and ill in the hospital.

[52:49] Typically, a lot of tears are shed.

[52:52] It's a lot emotionally, and we try

[52:54] to relate as parents as well.

[52:56] The work I do keeps diseases from spreading

[52:59] into the community and protects our most vulnerable residents,

[53:02] such as infants that are way too young to get vaccinated, older

[53:05] adults and also immunocompromised

[53:07] individuals such as those receiving

[53:09] chemotherapy treatment.

[53:11] With measles case counts at the highest levels in 35 years, yes,

[53:14] 35 years, and vaccination rates dropping in Minnesota

[53:18] and across the nation, we are very

[53:19] susceptible to more infectious disease outbreaks, including

[53:22] more measles outbreaks.

[53:24] There's measles outbreaks going across the nation,

[53:27] including in our neighboring states.

[53:30] My teams and my workload is and will be

[53:32] increasing in the coming years.

[53:33] It's a lot to handle right now.

[53:34] I can't even imagine what it's going

[53:36] to be like in the coming years.

[53:38] To keep our community safe and healthy,

[53:39] we need to increase our staffing to meet the rising

[53:42] demands of our growing county, not cut staffing and public

[53:45] services such as public health.

[53:48] As budget discussions continue, we

[53:50] ask that staffing decisions be viewed not only through numbers

[53:53] on a spreadsheet, but also through the impact

[53:55] those decisions have on residents and the county's

[53:57] ability to provide reliable, timely, and effective services

[54:00] such as responding to disease outbreaks.

[54:03] Our staff are really skilled, compassionate,

[54:06] really care deeply about our community

[54:09] and just do the work because we really care.

[54:13] I don't really know what more to say about that.

[54:15] When positions are lost, the impact is very real.

[54:17] We'll feel it at the County.

[54:19] Longer wait times, reduced services,

[54:21] delayed responses, and fewer opportunities

[54:24] to meet the growing needs of residents.

[54:26] We know you guys are making really difficult decisions right

[54:28] now with the budget discussions, and we also

[54:31] know that investing in County staff

[54:33] is an investment in the people who rely on County services

[54:36] every single day, including our most vulnerable.

[54:40] Thank you for your time, leadership

[54:42] and your consideration.

[54:44] Thank you.

[54:45] And next up, we've got Natalie Stone.

[54:50] And you can tell me if I got that wrong, Natalie.

[54:55] Nope, you're right.

[54:56] Thank you.

[54:56] [CHUCKLING]

[54:57] Good morning, Madam Chair and commissioners.

[55:00] As I said, my name is Natalie.

[55:02] I'm a public health nurse at the Dakota County Public Health

[55:05] Office.

[55:07] A lot of my fellow folks in red from the public health office

[55:12] have mentioned a lot of the things I was going to say,

[55:15] so I'll try to keep it short.

[55:18] Once again, thank you for the opportunity to speak.

[55:21] And I too wanted to connect the county budget with the work we

[55:27] do at the Public Health Office.

[55:30] And I specifically am the only public health nurse

[55:34] in Dakota County that works with children with elevated blood

[55:38] lead levels.

[55:40] Identifying those children, connecting with the families,

[55:47] doing education, trying to help them find the source of lead

[55:52] is very important as sometimes children that have lead exposure

[56:01] can end up with lifelong intellectual and physical

[56:05] detriments because of it.

[56:08] So it's really important work.

[56:11] And I also do a lot of public events

[56:15] to help connect people with resources in the community.

[56:23] We get a lot of phone calls from people

[56:25] that are desperate for help, and we do our best to help them.

[56:28] Because it's not just me, all of us at the Public Health Office

[56:32] do it because we're so passionate about it.

[56:36] You all know how it feels to be passionate about helping

[56:43] the citizens of Dakota County.

[56:46] Which I also have lived here pretty much my whole life.

[56:50] So not only do I work for Dakota County,

[56:52] but I've lived here for 46 of my 47 years.

[56:56] And it's already been mentioned, I

[57:01] know it's a tough balance when trying to figure out the budget.

[57:07] I just ask you to please consider all the work

[57:10] that we do at the Public Health Office

[57:13] when trying to make that decision.

[57:16] Those of us that work at the Dakota County Public Health

[57:19] Office are very skilled in what we

[57:23] do, very passionate about what we do and would

[57:26] like to continue doing it.

[57:28] Thank you so much.

[57:31] Thank you.

[57:32] We have gone through the list of folks who have signed up.

[57:36] However, if there are others who did not get to sign up

[57:39] and still wish to speak, this is your time.

[57:47] I think we've got--

[57:49] OK, go ahead.

[57:50] Were you coming forward?

[57:51] OK.

[57:52] Right.

[57:53] Welcome.

[57:54] Good morning, everyone.

[57:55] Once again, you've got five minutes.

[57:57] Good morning, everyone.

[57:58] My name is Greg Buck and I'd like

[58:00] to speak in support of the first speakers here.

[58:06] One thing I'd like to point out, based

[58:09] on Mr. Lopach's presentation, which was quite detailed.

[58:17] I'd like to have everyone, I guess, think

[58:21] back to when they first started voting.

[58:25] And I think that you will find that voting systems have

[58:32] become incredibly complex compared

[58:36] to where we all started out.

[58:40] And along with that, our election statutes

[58:45] have also been deepened and broadened

[58:48] and become also complex.

[58:51] And I think that there is an existing problem

[58:55] between the level of technical complexity and statutes

[59:02] that I would like to have the board just

[59:05] consider as it has to do with conforming the equipment that's

[59:14] being used with the statutes.

[59:17] Thank you very much.

[59:18] Thank you very much.

[59:21] Welcome.

[59:22] I see someone else is coming forward.

[59:26] I'm Catherine Good Bierzyn.

[59:28] Though I don't live in Dakota County,

[59:30] I do work for Dakota County and I do pay Lakeville levy schools.

[59:34] So lucky me.

[59:36] [CHUCKLES] Just quickly, I'm here

[59:40] for AFSCME and Social Services.

[59:44] And we also, at AFSCME, support ENEA.

[59:48] So we consider the following.

[59:50] When you're voting for levy and discussing your budget,

[59:54] many of us are the sole members of carrying health insurance

[59:57] for our families.

[1:00:00] My husband works for a very, very small company.

[1:00:02] They don't have health insurance, so it's me

[1:00:06] or we don't have any.

[1:00:09] Also, some of us have had babies recently

[1:00:13] and we have incurred costs now.

[1:00:16] And people need their jobs to survive

[1:00:20] and don't have additional income to fall on

[1:00:22] while they search for a new job in a market that

[1:00:26] is as discouraging at best.

[1:00:29] Cutting jobs leads to shifting the tasks to others

[1:00:32] and increasing the rate of burnout.

[1:00:36] Cutting costs leads to many services

[1:00:38] the county provides, limiting hours and directly impacting

[1:00:42] the residents of Dakota County.

[1:00:45] And cutting costs leads to longer wait times, caseloads

[1:00:52] getting bigger, and for more and more stress on a very stressed

[1:00:58] system as is.

[1:01:00] Thank you.

[1:01:03] Looks like I've got one more.

[1:01:04] Welcome.

[1:01:05] Please introduce yourself for the record, please.

[1:01:08] OK.

[1:01:09] Mary Johnson [? Christianson, ?] and I was here two weeks ago,

[1:01:12] and I had told everybody that I was at the Dakota County fair,

[1:01:16] talked to Dakota County sheriffs,

[1:01:17] and they had not had any conversations about the midterm

[1:01:20] elections.

[1:01:21] I have signed up to be an election judge.

[1:01:24] I'm afraid also.

[1:01:26] I'm afraid what might happen at the polls.

[1:01:28] I'm afraid what'd happen when the votes come back

[1:01:32] to Dakota County.

[1:01:34] Have you talked to the Dakota County sheriffs

[1:01:37] in the last two weeks?

[1:01:39] Are you being a group about how to prepare

[1:01:43] to make the election safe for all of us

[1:01:46] so that people aren't afraid?

[1:01:48] So there aren't people outside, ICE people

[1:01:52] or whatever with guns that make people afraid,

[1:01:55] who are people of color to even come to the polls?

[1:01:58] I mean, I think it's important that we anticipate

[1:02:01] all the things that might happen,

[1:02:02] the things that we know about right now that might happen

[1:02:06] and that we've had the discussions

[1:02:07] so we can make the elections as fair and as safe as possible.

[1:02:11] Thank you.

[1:02:12] Thank you.

[1:02:17] Welcome.

[1:02:18] My name is Anne Schram.

[1:02:20] I live in Inver Grove Heights.

[1:02:22] I also believe that we should follow the Constitution,

[1:02:26] and I believe that we should have fair elections.

[1:02:29] And I also believe that legal citizens should be voting.

[1:02:33] And I don't think there needs to be fear at the election

[1:02:37] or during the election or outside the polls

[1:02:40] if that's what's happening.

[1:02:43] And I also believe that our elections will be fair and safe

[1:02:47] if we address the modem issue.

[1:02:50] We need to know that our votes are being counted properly

[1:02:55] and that they're not being changed.

[1:02:57] Thank you.

[1:02:58] Thank you.

[1:03:06] Excellent.

[1:03:07] I just want to be sure.

[1:03:08] Sometimes it takes me a minute to get out of my chair.

[1:03:11] So I wanted to be sure that everybody had a chance.

[1:03:14] Thank you to everybody who came forward.

[1:03:17] This is an important time in terms

[1:03:21] of making sure that people can have their voices heard.

[1:03:25] I really appreciate the decorum.

[1:03:27] I appreciate the thoughtfulness that everyone

[1:03:30] brought to their statements.

[1:03:33] And you are always available to reach out

[1:03:37] to the Dakota County Board.

[1:03:38] If you can't be here at 9:00 o'clock on a board meeting day,

[1:03:41] you can email, you can write to your county commissioners,

[1:03:46] and encourage you to do all of those things.

[1:03:50] I will say, you notice that this isn't a back and forth,

[1:03:55] and it's really your testimony and it's your time.

[1:03:58] That said, we will, during the county manager's report,

[1:04:04] hear from Ms. Blue regarding elections.

[1:04:07] And so the county manager does make time available

[1:04:10] for us to get reports.

[1:04:12] And this is a timely item.

[1:04:15] And we will hear from Ms. Blue after we finish

[1:04:18] the rest of our regular agenda.

[1:04:20] You also heard, and what really struck me

[1:04:23] with all these comments is the weight and the breadth

[1:04:29] that we deal with at the county.

[1:04:30] And we don't just deal with it as a board,

[1:04:32] we deal with it with staff and we deal with it with the public.

[1:04:35] I've always said policy making is a team sport.

[1:04:39] So that said, we appreciate you being here

[1:04:43] and being part of that process.

[1:04:44] So with that, we can move on to all the super exciting stuff

[1:04:51] like approving our agenda.

[1:04:54] So move, Madam Chair.

[1:04:55] So we have a motion.

[1:04:57] Is there a second?

[1:04:59] Excellent.

[1:05:00] Thank you very much.

[1:05:00] We have a motion and a second.

[1:05:02] Any discussion to the motion?

[1:05:04] Hearing none.

[1:05:04] All those in favor, please say aye.

[1:05:06] Aye.

[1:05:07] Any opposed?

[1:05:07] No?

[1:05:08] That motion prevails.

[1:05:09] Next up we have our consent agenda.

[1:05:13] Are there changes or is there a motion to approve?

[1:05:18] Second.

[1:05:19] We have a motion to approve and we have a second.

[1:05:22] Thank you very much.

[1:05:24] We will roll call this item.

[1:05:25] Jenny, would you please take the roll?

[1:05:27] Commissioner Workman.

[1:05:28] Yes.

[1:05:29] Commissioner Atkins.

[1:05:30] Yes.

[1:05:30] Commissioner Holberg.

[1:05:31] Yes.

[1:05:32] Commissioner Halverson.

[1:05:33] Yes.

[1:05:33] Commissioner.

[1:05:34] Droste.

[1:05:34] Yes.

[1:05:35] Commissioner Hamann-Roland.

[1:05:36] Yes.

[1:05:36] Commissioner Slavik.

[1:05:37] Yes.

[1:05:38] Thank you.

[1:05:40] Next up, we move to our regular agenda.

[1:05:43] We have a presentation on environmental resources

[1:05:46] for the certificate of Dakota County portion

[1:05:49] of the 2027 Vermilion River Watershed management tax

[1:05:53] district Proposed Tax Levy.

[1:05:56] Welcome.

[1:06:00] Good morning, Madam Chair and commissioners.

[1:06:02] I'm Travis Thiel, administrator for the Vermilion River

[1:06:05] Watershed Joint Powers organization,

[1:06:07] also a supervisor in the Environmental Resources

[1:06:09] Department.

[1:06:11] Today, I will provide you with a high-level overview

[1:06:16] of the Vermilion River Watersheds proposed 2027 budget.

[1:06:20] A breakdown of the budget by program area

[1:06:23] and a breakdown of the proposed levy.

[1:06:26] I'll display the historical levies and tax rates

[1:06:28] for the Vermilion River Watershed,

[1:06:31] and I'll provide a comparison of levies and tax

[1:06:33] rates of other local watershed organizations in comparison

[1:06:36] to the Vermilion River watersheds.

[1:06:39] Lastly, will be today's requested action.

[1:06:47] The high-level overview of the preliminary '27 budget includes

[1:06:51] revenue and expenses of $1,991,363,

[1:06:56] and that will allow for us to implement the recently adopted

[1:07:00] 2026 to 2035 Watershed Management plan.

[1:07:04] We have a restricted fund balance

[1:07:06] that allows the Vermilion River Watershed to use wetland bank

[1:07:09] credit sales, which is a whole other story

[1:07:11] that I won't get into today.

[1:07:14] And we've invested in that wetland bank,

[1:07:17] but it allows us to use that towards

[1:07:19] other wetland restoration opportunities in the Vermilion

[1:07:22] River Watershed.

[1:07:24] And lastly, we have an unassigned fund balance

[1:07:26] of $873,293, which is at 44% of our overall expenses,

[1:07:34] and within Dakota County finance's recommended fund

[1:07:36] balance range of 35% to 50%.

[1:07:44] This pie chart represents the various program areas

[1:07:46] that make up the preliminary 2027 budget, with our SIP

[1:07:51] and grants making up the largest piece of that pie at 35%,

[1:07:55] and other program areas making up the remaining at about 65%.

[1:08:03] Because the Vermilion River Watershed or Joint Powers

[1:08:06] Organization is a Joint Powers of Dakota and Scott Counties,

[1:08:10] the levy is also provided by both counties,

[1:08:13] and it's based on the tax capacity

[1:08:14] within those portions in each county.

[1:08:17] The estimated net tax capacity for 2027

[1:08:20] is made up of just over 96% in Dakota County,

[1:08:23] and just under 4% in Scott County.

[1:08:26] And as a result, if you apply those percentages

[1:08:28] to the proposed levy of $1,132,136,

[1:08:33] it results in a $1,090,798 levy that would come from Dakota

[1:08:39] County, and a $41,338 levy from Scott County.

[1:08:48] This graph provides the historical tax rates and levies

[1:08:51] from 2009 to 2027.

[1:08:54] Tax rate has been decreasing or flat for many years

[1:08:57] as a result of increases in tax capacity,

[1:09:00] and the levy was generally flat from 2020

[1:09:02] to 2024, with the levy for the last couple of years

[1:09:06] tracking similar to inflation.

[1:09:13] Other watershed organizations are currently in the midst

[1:09:15] of developing their preliminary 2027 budgets as well,

[1:09:19] and aren't able to provide 2027 information

[1:09:22] until their boards approve those preliminary budgets and levies.

[1:09:25] So I've compared the Vermilion River Watershed's proposed 2027

[1:09:29] Dakota County levy to other organization's 2026 levies.

[1:09:34] I would highlight that the tax rate in the Vermilion River

[1:09:36] Watershed is significantly lower than other watershed

[1:09:39] organizations tax rates, and the levy is also

[1:09:43] one of the lowest overall.

[1:09:48] In closing, the requested action today is to certify the Dakota

[1:09:51] County portion of the Vermilion River Watershed management tax

[1:09:55] district proposed levy of $1,098,000--

[1:09:59] sorry, $1,090,798 for taxes payable in 2027.

[1:10:05] With that, I would stand for questions.

[1:10:07] Thank you very much.

[1:10:09] Members, discussion questions?

[1:10:13] Hearing none or commissioner--

[1:10:16] So usually, we get the chart-- oh, sorry.

[1:10:18] Usually, we get the chart on the tax impact on the median home.

[1:10:24] It should be in your packet [INAUDIBLE].

[1:10:26] It's in the packet not on the--

[1:10:27] Not in the PowerPoint?

[1:10:28] Right.

[1:10:29] OK, I missed it then.

[1:10:31] Perfect.

[1:10:32] So can you tell people what it is?

[1:10:34] Sure.

[1:10:36] I actually have it on my phone.

[1:10:38] If I can pull it up.

[1:10:39] I can probably get it to you.

[1:10:41] Oh.

[1:10:42] Did you get it?

[1:10:44] I did the same problem.

[1:10:44] Mine's going slow.

[1:10:45] Tax impact on the median value home in Dakota County,

[1:10:50] which for 2027 is $392,100, would be $10.39.

[1:10:57] That would be an increase from the 2026 amount of $10.05,

[1:11:00] or a $0.34 cent change.

[1:11:02] All right, thank you.

[1:11:03] Thank you.

[1:11:05] Other questions or comments.

[1:11:08] Commissioner Slavic.

[1:11:09] Thank you, Madam Chair, and I'll talk

[1:11:11] a little more in the Vermilion update

[1:11:12] at the end of the meeting.

[1:11:13] But for sake of this purposes, I can move the resolution.

[1:11:17] And I will second it, Madam Chair.

[1:11:18] We have a motion and a second.

[1:11:20] Any discussion to the motion?

[1:11:23] Hearing none, we will take the role.

[1:11:24] Jenny.

[1:11:25] Commissioner.

[1:11:25] Atkins.

[1:11:26] Yes.

[1:11:26] Commissioner Holberg.

[1:11:30] Yes.

[1:11:31] Commissioner Halverson.

[1:11:32] Yes.

[1:11:32] Commissioner.

[1:11:33] Droste.

[1:11:33] Yes.

[1:11:33] Commissioner Hamann-Roland.

[1:11:34] Yes.

[1:11:35] Commissioner Slavik.

[1:11:36] Yes.

[1:11:36] Commissioner.

[1:11:37] Workman.

[1:11:37] Yes.

[1:11:38] Excellent.

[1:11:39] We--

[1:11:40] Thank you.

[1:11:40] Thank you very much for your presentation.

[1:11:45] Next up, we have our interagency reports,

[1:11:48] and we can go to Commissioner Hamann-Roland

[1:11:52] to start the Association of Minnesota Counties.

[1:11:55] Thank you, Madam Chair.

[1:11:56] The Association of Minnesota Counties met for our strategic

[1:12:00] planning on August the 20th and 21st.

[1:12:03] Commissioner Slavik and myself were

[1:12:06] engaged in that strategic planning,

[1:12:10] we agreed that we will meet with gubernatorial candidates

[1:12:14] to share our issues.

[1:12:16] The board felt that last year's focus on modernization

[1:12:19] was impactful, and that we can't let up

[1:12:22] on the throttle for the best results.

[1:12:26] We have to protect our Minnesota Safety Net, the Supplemental

[1:12:32] Nutrition Assistance program, and Long-term Services Support.

[1:12:36] And as a result of a variety of different situations,

[1:12:41] including the shifts in HR-1, the snap fed assistance

[1:12:47] to the state, and in turn, costing the counties a projected

[1:12:53] between $76.5 million to $177,800,000 in 2028.

[1:13:00] That's substantial.

[1:13:01] The Long-term Services Support was today at $60 million

[1:13:07] and projected to rise to $75 million

[1:13:10] before the end of the decade.

[1:13:11] We need to ensure that the residents needs

[1:13:17] are better served by transformational change,

[1:13:20] and that's, counties have a seat at the table,

[1:13:23] that we have formal participation.

[1:13:27] Eliminate disproportionate cost shifts,

[1:13:30] add inflationary adjustments, and state administrative share

[1:13:37] paid to counties.

[1:13:39] And so that was a quick piece of information on that.

[1:13:44] And then, did you have anything you wanted to add?

[1:13:46] Mr. Slovak.

[1:13:47] Thank you, Madam Chair.

[1:13:48] Just a couple things related to the strategic plan

[1:13:50] that I think it fits in some of our conversations

[1:13:53] over the last hour, as well as I think,

[1:13:56] issues that we as county commissioners

[1:13:58] struggle with very regularly.

[1:14:00] And it started a conversation.

[1:14:02] The Association of Minnesota Counties and County

[1:14:04] commissioners are non-partisan.

[1:14:07] We do not have a letter, when you go and vote on election day

[1:14:10] or before, we do not have a letter by our name.

[1:14:12] And the reality is that we are still partisan human beings.

[1:14:17] We've either been elected in a partisan role before.

[1:14:20] We have our own personal values and beliefs.

[1:14:22] And the fact of the matter is, how does that

[1:14:24] go in and correlate when we're all up here

[1:14:26] and when we're up at the Capitol trying to go and advocate

[1:14:28] on behalf of all counties and all of our residents

[1:14:31] and businesses?

[1:14:32] So we had a very good conversation.

[1:14:34] I mean, to the point where some people were saying,

[1:14:36] maybe we just need to say we're not a nonpartisan

[1:14:38] organization anymore.

[1:14:39] We are a bipartisan organization,

[1:14:41] because the reality is, if we're going to get the best results,

[1:14:44] we need to have the best ideas of each party.

[1:14:47] And so there was a great dialogue and great discussion

[1:14:50] that came out of that part in there,

[1:14:52] but I think it's going to help shape

[1:14:53] the organization in the years to come, as at the end of the day,

[1:14:56] we did still affirm that we are a nonpartisan organization.

[1:15:00] County commissioners are nonpartisan,

[1:15:02] but there are issues in one party

[1:15:07] or the other party that is frankly,

[1:15:10] the best pathway for counties.

[1:15:13] And we should be going to continue to advocate.

[1:15:15] If the best idea in the room is a Republican idea,

[1:15:18] we should be going and saying, that's

[1:15:20] the idea we as counties are going to work for.

[1:15:22] If the best idea is a DFL or a Democrat idea,

[1:15:24] that's what we should be working for.

[1:15:26] And because at the end of the day,

[1:15:27] we're working on behalf of the residents

[1:15:29] and businesses of the counties.

[1:15:30] And so I think that that is a great conversation in the years

[1:15:33] I've been on this organization, to be able to get to this point,

[1:15:37] to a firm where we were going, but I think actually,

[1:15:39] make it a little more clear.

[1:15:40] So it's very positive for where I

[1:15:43] think we'll be going in the future with the Association

[1:15:45] of Minnesota Counties.

[1:15:47] Thank you.

[1:15:48] Interesting

[1:15:49] Yeah.

[1:15:49] Any other conversation about that?

[1:15:51] No?

[1:15:52] I just would add that I think that the success that we

[1:15:57] had around modernization, our nonpartisan standards

[1:16:04] and values really, I think, helped

[1:16:06] make that successful as well.

[1:16:09] And so we have, I think, some good--

[1:16:15] what do I want to say?

[1:16:17] A study, if you will.

[1:16:19] [CHUCKLES]

[1:16:20] Step in the right direction, right?

[1:16:22] Exactly.

[1:16:23] Exactly.

[1:16:23] Keep your foot on the throttle.

[1:16:24] Very interesting.

[1:16:25] You guys did hard work at that.

[1:16:28] And so the Metropolitan Emergency Services Board.

[1:16:31] The next meeting is September 9.

[1:16:33] Bill was there in an executive meeting as well last month.

[1:16:37] Excellent.

[1:16:39] Oh, Bill?

[1:16:40] No.

[1:16:40] OK.

[1:16:41] September 9.

[1:16:42] Yep.

[1:16:42] September 9.

[1:16:43] Excellent.

[1:16:44] We have MICAH, the Minnesota Intercounty Association.

[1:16:47] We have, our next board meeting is on the 9 as well.

[1:16:52] There's a trend.

[1:16:53] And we have all been kind of assigned some small policy

[1:17:00] development groups that make--

[1:17:03] board members are going to be working on.

[1:17:06] I get to work on transportation.

[1:17:08] I don't know how I got so lucky.

[1:17:09] And Commissioner Droste got assigned to property tax reform.

[1:17:13] So we'll be having some good conversations around policy

[1:17:17] there.

[1:17:18] Anything else?

[1:17:20] OK.

[1:17:21] Metropolitan Mosquito Control Commission.

[1:17:25] Thank you, Madam Chair.

[1:17:27] We had a full board meeting the other day.

[1:17:31] Lots happened, but I have to tell you about the bat boxes.

[1:17:38] I guess it does have something to do with mosquitoes,

[1:17:40] because bats eat mosquitoes.

[1:17:42] So there was a two girl scouts troops-- or one troop,

[1:17:51] two girls who wanted to provide homes for the little Brown bat

[1:17:58] and that population of bat has decreased

[1:18:01] like 90% over the last 15 years.

[1:18:05] And some of it is because of a disease

[1:18:08] called the white-nose fungus and loss of habitat.

[1:18:13] So these girls decided they wanted

[1:18:15] to help promote colonization.

[1:18:20] So they built three bat boxes, and they went up

[1:18:24] at the Mosquito Control District's Jordan office.

[1:18:28] And too soon to report if there's

[1:18:32] any colonization going on, but they did

[1:18:35] say that they wanted to continue doing this.

[1:18:39] And so I invited them to come to Dakota County.

[1:18:42] [CHUCKLES] The next time.

[1:18:45] Because it's in certain areas where they

[1:18:47] can catch a bat population.

[1:18:49] And apparently, Southern Dakota County is riped for that.

[1:18:53] So I said, when you're ready, we'll help you.

[1:18:57] Thank you.

[1:18:58] So that was fun.

[1:19:00] You get to do fun things once in a while.

[1:19:02] [CHUCKLES]

[1:19:04] So thank you.

[1:19:06] Thank you very much.

[1:19:07] And thanks for making that connection.

[1:19:09] If I may add, I got to visit with the Mosquito Control

[1:19:14] District staff at the Dakota County Fair

[1:19:16] and see their larva swimming around in the water,

[1:19:19] and they were there providing some really good information

[1:19:22] about the work they do and risks that we have for vector borne

[1:19:27] illness in our communities, and the way that the mosquito

[1:19:32] control board works to eliminate those.

[1:19:36] And they're at the State Fair right now.

[1:19:39] So go find them.

[1:19:40] I believe they're in the education building,

[1:19:42] [INAUDIBLE]

[1:19:43] Vectoria, our mascot, our mosquito mascot.

[1:19:49] And next up, The National Association of Counties.

[1:19:53] Anything?

[1:19:55] Nope?

[1:19:55] Not today.

[1:19:56] All right, we'll take a pass.

[1:19:58] Transportation advisory board.

[1:20:00] Commissioner Holberg.

[1:20:01] Thank you, Madam Chair.

[1:20:02] So the applications for the regional solicitation

[1:20:06] and active transportation grants were due the end of June.

[1:20:12] There were a total of 172 applications.

[1:20:16] 82 for active transportation.

[1:20:20] 90 for the federal dollars.

[1:20:24] And the amount requested for federal dollars is $541 million,

[1:20:30] with a projected availability of $215 million.

[1:20:35] And the requests for the active transportation

[1:20:39] totaled over $140 million with $50 million being available.

[1:20:47] So in both instances, two to three times the request

[1:20:51] above what is available.

[1:20:55] Council seemed to be pretty proud of the fact

[1:20:57] that there were over 100 volunteers.

[1:21:00] They use the term volunteers, but in many instances,

[1:21:05] they're being paid by taxpayer dollars.

[1:21:07] But over 100 individuals being used to score

[1:21:11] these applications that were--

[1:21:14] supposedly the goal was to make them easier.

[1:21:18] And in my opinion, we've just failed miserably

[1:21:22] in this whole process.

[1:21:26] And so looking at least as presented

[1:21:30] in last week's meeting, awards not occurring until January,

[1:21:35] which could provide some challenge to our SIP process,

[1:21:40] and we won't know when we have to do a final budget,

[1:21:44] whether or not we will receive any of these dollars

[1:21:48] for any of the projects that we applied for.

[1:21:52] And since that time, there has been some response

[1:21:57] to the letters that Scott and Dakota

[1:22:00] County sent to Secretary Duffy regarding

[1:22:07] the process and the scoring.

[1:22:11] The Federal of Highway Association

[1:22:15] has weighed in with concerns on the community considerations

[1:22:20] portion of the application.

[1:22:22] So I don't have any update on whether or not--

[1:22:27] how my council is going to respond to that

[1:22:29] and how that would change scoring criteria, et cetera.

[1:22:33] But that's one stick in the spokes that occurred on Friday.

[1:22:38] And then the other issue that-- when I raised this before,

[1:22:42] but now it's kind of coming to a head, this whole greenhouse gas

[1:22:46] mitigation issue, they have now put in writing

[1:22:51] and we're not sure how it came to be.

[1:22:53] If it's just a council thing or if it

[1:22:56] was in consultation with MnDOT.

[1:22:59] But they're proposing that projects

[1:23:02] funded by federal transportation dollars,

[1:23:07] that the credits accrue to the region

[1:23:11] and proportionately to the investment in a project that

[1:23:16] would net credit.

[1:23:18] So think transit.

[1:23:20] Things that get people out of their cars.

[1:23:23] So there's going to be a meeting on Thursday with the County

[1:23:30] commissioners that are on tab to try and start figuring this out.

[1:23:34] But it's kind of an outgrowth, some of us worked

[1:23:38] last year on the whole greenhouse gas mitigation

[1:23:42] issue at AMC.

[1:23:44] This is just not going away.

[1:23:45] But it's, again, something that could

[1:23:50] have some really dire impacts.

[1:23:53] And right now in the regional solicitation

[1:23:57] there was an interchange category,

[1:24:00] and there was only one application in that category

[1:24:03] with of a pot of money of $20 million.

[1:24:07] And Washington County had the one project.

[1:24:12] So at least initially, you could envision where all the credits

[1:24:17] would accrue to that project in that region

[1:24:21] rather than spreading credits across.

[1:24:24] So stay tuned.

[1:24:26] But it's going to get more and more interesting,

[1:24:29] I think, here in the near term.

[1:24:32] Happy to answer any questions.

[1:24:35] Thank you.

[1:24:37] Vermilion River Watershed Joint Powers Board.

[1:24:39] Thank you, Madam Chair.

[1:24:40] So the Vermilion River Watershed Joint Powers Board

[1:24:43] did meet on August 27.

[1:24:45] Obviously, the action that we took as a full board

[1:24:48] was the recommended vote from the watershed.

[1:24:53] Second thing that we did is, as you know,

[1:24:55] much of what the watershed budget has been doing has been

[1:24:58] best practice management as part of the 10-year Watershed plan.

[1:25:01] And then as some of those projects have--

[1:25:04] how do we make sure that we can extend

[1:25:06] the life of some of those?

[1:25:07] So part of the budget now is putting some money

[1:25:10] in to go and do some operational maintenance

[1:25:13] and planned and process expenditures related

[1:25:16] to maintenance and repair so that we can have the best

[1:25:19] bang for the buck on projects.

[1:25:20] Some of them are public, some of them are private infrastructure.

[1:25:23] So there was a small part that was put into the plan.

[1:25:25] We did receive an update on some of that work

[1:25:27] to be able to extend the life of those best management practices.

[1:25:30] And then lastly, a pretty exciting thing for those who may

[1:25:33] remember, a number of years ago, as part of the South branch

[1:25:37] Greenway, we had started, I think,

[1:25:39] our very first Dakota County conservation area,

[1:25:42] and it was a section of the Vermilion River South branch,

[1:25:46] which back in the '50s, basically,

[1:25:49] the meandered Vermilion River became one straight waterway

[1:25:52] so that you could farm more of the land.

[1:25:54] And Trout Unlimited has been working

[1:25:56] with some outside resources, almost $1 million project,

[1:25:59] to go in and re-meander so that you

[1:26:02] can have the habitat, since it will be able

[1:26:04] to-- it will, actually, be a better

[1:26:05] asset for the future Greenway.

[1:26:07] But additionally, it's the habitat water quality.

[1:26:10] So the very straight river will actually

[1:26:12] be able to hold sediment and habitat and wildlife.

[1:26:17] So we're working on that project.

[1:26:18] That is part of the levy that we approved earlier

[1:26:21] in this meeting.

[1:26:22] [INAUDIBLE]

[1:26:22] Thank you very much.

[1:26:25] Workforce Development Board.

[1:26:26] Thank you, Madam Chair.

[1:26:28] As you all are aware, our fearless leader, Mark Jacobs,

[1:26:33] who's the executive director of the Workforce, is retiring.

[1:26:39] And we will be gathering at Las Tortillas on Monday,

[1:26:44] September the 14 from 4:00 to 7:00.

[1:26:47] So if you're able to do it, make sure you give Darla an email

[1:26:53] and let her know that you'll be present.

[1:26:59] Thank you.

[1:26:59] And that's it.

[1:27:00] Thanks so much.

[1:27:01] It's a big,

[1:27:02] It's an end of an era, as they say.

[1:27:04] Are there other updates from board members?

[1:27:07] Yes, Madam Chair.

[1:27:08] Commissioner Hamann-Roland.

[1:27:09] I would like to let everyone know that the Juvenile Services

[1:27:14] Center has masterfully been engaged with the master

[1:27:21] gardeners and created a beautiful garden.

[1:27:25] So, Hannah, you know all about this.

[1:27:28] 500 pounds of fresh produce were harvested and then delivered

[1:27:35] to food shelves.

[1:27:37] And I just think it's a wonderful collaboration.

[1:27:43] Very successful and has an impact on our people

[1:27:47] who are food insecure.

[1:27:50] And it's a great thing for the juvenile population

[1:27:55] to know that through their care and effort and attention

[1:28:01] to growth, that they can make a difference in the world.

[1:28:08] So yeah, that's it.

[1:28:10] Thank you.

[1:28:11] Thank you.

[1:28:11] Other updates?

[1:28:13] I just have one reminder that our next budget open house is

[1:28:19] going to be held on September 10,

[1:28:23] which is coming up very fast, from 5:00 to 6:30 at the Apple

[1:28:29] Valley Western Service Center.

[1:28:31] So another chance to engage with the board.

[1:28:34] That's all I have.

[1:28:35] We can go to our County manager's report.

[1:28:40] I'll turn it over to Heidi.

[1:28:42] Madam Chair, commissioners, thank you.

[1:28:45] The open house was on the top of my list also.

[1:28:47] I would say from 5:00 to 6:30 at Western Services Center.

[1:28:52] We have received a lot of comments

[1:28:54] and we continue to receive a lot of comments.

[1:28:56] I know commissioners have appreciated

[1:28:58] hearing from as many constituents as possible,

[1:29:01] and we really invite everyone to attend

[1:29:03] that who has questions or comments about our budget

[1:29:06] process.

[1:29:08] The other item on my list is to invite our elections director,

[1:29:13] Michelle Blue up, just to give you a quick update on elections.

[1:29:17] The purpose of her speaking is not

[1:29:18] to engage back and forth with the comments that

[1:29:22] were received earlier, but is to give the board a quick update.

[1:29:27] Thank you.

[1:29:27] Very good.

[1:29:28] Welcome.

[1:29:28] Thank you, Heidi welcome.

[1:29:29] Thank you.

[1:29:31] Thank you and good morning, Madam Chair and commissioners.

[1:29:34] My name is Michelle Blue, I'm Dakota County's elections

[1:29:37] director, and I appreciate the opportunity to follow up

[1:29:40] on some of the comments and concerns that

[1:29:42] were discussed today.

[1:29:46] The equipment that we purchased was certified and tested

[1:29:50] by the Secretary of State's office.

[1:29:51] Their certification is dated February 24, 2026.

[1:29:56] This is a months long process that started last year.

[1:30:02] It is extremely intensive and open

[1:30:04] to the public for anyone who wants to observe that process.

[1:30:08] The state certification is a document that I have.

[1:30:14] It's a public document.

[1:30:15] I've shared that with each of you in the past,

[1:30:17] and I'm more than happy to share that again,

[1:30:19] if that would be helpful.

[1:30:20] That document specifically certifies the software that we

[1:30:24] use, which is 6.5.1.1, as well as the hardware that we

[1:30:29] currently use.

[1:30:32] Our state law requires that an electronic voting system

[1:30:36] be certified by the Secretary of State

[1:30:39] and tested by an independent accredited testing

[1:30:44] laboratory or a federal government,

[1:30:46] like the Election Assistance Commission, the EAC.

[1:30:50] Counties do not have a role in the certification process.

[1:30:55] That all happens at the state level.

[1:30:58] As far as modem usage, the EAC guidelines

[1:31:01] do not require certification for any ancillary hardware.

[1:31:06] That is, equipment that doesn't perform any ballot reading

[1:31:09] or processing or counting, recording.

[1:31:13] Modem function is always tested prior to each election

[1:31:17] to make sure that it is operating appropriately,

[1:31:22] and the use of a modem is specifically

[1:31:24] authorized by Minnesota, specifically authorized

[1:31:29] as a means to transmit unofficial vote totals,

[1:31:33] and only after voting has ended.

[1:31:36] This is a secure means of transmitting vote totals

[1:31:39] from the precincts around Dakota County.

[1:31:43] Simply that we can post those unofficial voting results

[1:31:47] quickly for public review.

[1:31:49] Our elections are certified from the paper ballots

[1:31:53] and the documents that were prepared

[1:31:55] by election judges in every single precinct.

[1:31:59] They're prepared and signed by all of the judges that

[1:32:02] worked in those precincts.

[1:32:04] And the unofficial modem results are not

[1:32:06] part of that certification process.

[1:32:09] Again, our tabulation equipment is never

[1:32:12] connected to the internet or any wireless network during voting.

[1:32:18] Our process of paper ballots and public reviews

[1:32:22] involves safeguards and transparency

[1:32:24] at every single step.

[1:32:26] So that's certification at the Secretary

[1:32:28] of State's office and that the federal government,

[1:32:31] our public accuracy testing, that

[1:32:33] involves that pre-marked and pre-audited test deck.

[1:32:37] We have unique totals for every single office

[1:32:39] candidate in question, so we know exactly

[1:32:42] before we scan those ballots what the vote totals should be,

[1:32:47] and then we can prove that the tabulator is

[1:32:49] operating correctly.

[1:32:51] That is also a process that is open to the public.

[1:32:55] We have a post-election review, which

[1:32:57] is a hand-count of all voted ballots for the precincts that

[1:33:02] were selected by lot at each county's Canvassing Board

[1:33:06] meeting.

[1:33:07] And then we conduct recounts and audits

[1:33:09] as allowed and required by law.

[1:33:11] Again, all of those are open to the public,

[1:33:14] and we very much appreciate having members of the public

[1:33:17] come see for themselves how secure that process is.

[1:33:21] We continue to conduct elections that are fair, secure,

[1:33:25] and accessible.

[1:33:27] Our 144 polling places remain welcoming and safe

[1:33:32] for our voters and for our election judges.

[1:33:35] Our elections are successful because it's a team effort.

[1:33:39] I am deeply grateful to Dakota county's 3,000 election judges

[1:33:44] and volunteers.

[1:33:45] Our city and township partners, as well as our state

[1:33:49] and local law enforcement partners like the Dakota County

[1:33:52] Sheriff and every city's police department,

[1:33:55] which I have personally spoken with,

[1:33:58] they have all prioritized election safety and security

[1:34:01] this year.

[1:34:03] And thank you for all of your continued leadership

[1:34:06] and support.

[1:34:09] Thank you, Michelle.

[1:34:10] Questions at all?

[1:34:13] Nope, not hearing any.

[1:34:14] Very good.

[1:34:14] Heidi?

[1:34:16] And that's all.

[1:34:17] OK, excellent.

[1:34:18] With that, we can entertain a motion to adjourn.

[1:34:21] Second, Madam Chair.

[1:34:22] So moved and seconded.

[1:34:23] All those in favor, please say aye.

[1:34:25] Aye.

[1:34:26] Aye.

[1:34:26] Any opposed?

[1:34:27] No.

[1:34:28] We are adjourned.

[1:34:29] Thank you.

Board of Commissioners on 2026-09-01 9:00 AM

Agenda

Transcript