[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.
[28:57] 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.
[1:05:06] 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.
[1:15:47] 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.
[1:34:25] 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.