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We'll call the Board of Supervisors in the session for our August 5, 2024, regularly scheduled

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meeting. Let's go welcome everybody to the meeting today. We have quite a few people in chambers

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and online. So we'll start with public comments. At this time, anyone may address the Board

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on matters of which are on the agenda. Please go to the podium, state your name and home

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address. Individuals wishing to comment on a public hearing will be given the opportunity

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during that respective hearing. Individual remarks are limited to three minutes. Do

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If anyone in chamber is wishing to address the board.

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My name is Roseanne Schroemann.

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I live on Cyple Road, 1570 Cyple.

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I've been there 48 years.

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I'm concerned about the missing $500,000.

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And watching what happened to the head of the Secret Service

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when she couldn't come up with any good answers

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because heads needed to roll. I'm wondering what's going on in Dubuque. We

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haven't heard who's responsible for it. All we've heard is somebody pushed the

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wrong button.

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I have a small business and they're all warned do not download

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anything, do not push buttons, nothing. So I'm very concerned that this isn't

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going anywhere. And some people are hoping it'll just get forgotten, but nobody's forgetting it.

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And most people won't come down here and say much, because it does take a little guts to get up, which I have plenty of.

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So I don't know if heads need to roll, but there's been no names, no nothing. It just sits.

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And if you can find some of it, like $24,000, why can't you go down that same rabbit hole and get the 500?

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That's not my expertise, but that's what we pay people for.

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Thank you.

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Anyone

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else in chambers wishing to address the part?

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Yes, ma'am.

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I think we can note that there's an update from the sheriff on today's agenda.

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If you all want to stay, listen, right?

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My name is Jane Schmidt.

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My address is 1377 Wood Street.

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Your silence in this matter is really speaking volumes.

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Thank you.

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Anyone

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else wishing to address the board?

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Ellen?

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I

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forgot my glasses so I can't see my notes very well,

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but my name is Devon Welty.

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I'm from Piazza, Iowa.

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I see that you have a work session today scheduled

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for a meeting on the missing ARPA money.

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I was hoping that this would be an open discussion today

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so that the public could be informed

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about how this has all transpired,

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what protocols are missing to allow this to happen and what has been initiated

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to prevent this from happening again. I know that the $524,000 is not a lot of

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money and the whole picture of what the county budget is but now we are looking

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at potentially a million dollars to replace it and whether it comes from a

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different line item or from insurance the taxpayers are still footing the

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bill. This is because we know that even if insurance does cover it, premiums will

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go up. The public, the taxpayer body, needs to have all the information on

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everything you have uncovered in this huge error and where the investigation

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is at every point. Is it still the investigation? Is it still active or just

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being held open? Is there exploration of the banks or the involved people's

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accounts to see any connection to anyone involved. If it is a scam, how did the

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scammer know this money was coming due to Dyersville? At such a critical point in

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time. Without facts, we can only speculate on theories, conspiracies, so it

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is imperative that transparency from the auditor's office would help us

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understand how this could happen. If this was in the private sector, somebody would be held accountable.

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But it seems that this is just being swept under the rug in hopes it goes away. The buck stops

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with the auditor's office.

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Anyone else wishing to address the board?

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John Derra, 17121

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Chickery Street in Dubuque. I won't repeat everything that's been said, just a couple of

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other things. I did review through a FOIA request the the email chain that went

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through regarding the and asking for the funds to be sent to Dyersville. There

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were there was an ACH deposit request for a bank in Georgia the name of which

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most Dubuque County residents wouldn't even recognize which showed a

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Dyersville branch, which doesn't exist.

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Just asking if there'd be an admission to the public.

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It's a simple case.

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Auditor's office failing to notice

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numerous red flags in the communication,

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and particularly failing to verify directly

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with a known source in Dyersville

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that the account directions were legitimate.

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I think the criminal investigation

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is an entirely separate issue,

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and there's no disrespect to the people conducting that,

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to the sheriff or anyone else,

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but that money is gone.

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When it's once it's gone, it's gone. Yes, there should be an investigation, but it doesn't prevent the admission and accountability to the public of what actually happened, and that should not delay the explanation.

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I'm not asking for identities of persons or who failed to make the appropriate verification,

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but I think the question of the omission is an important one.

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Auditor's office taking responsibility for that.

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That auditor position is open for election this year, so then the voters could make

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a decision as to accountability.

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Thank you.

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Do we have anyone else wishing to address the part

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saying no one in chambers. Do we have anyone online? We

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do not. Thank you.

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Move on to the approval of the minutes of the meetings of July 15, 2024 and July 29, 2024. These changes are corrections needed.

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Make a motion to approve.

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Second.

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They have a motion and a second to approve the minutes of July 15, 2024 and July 29,

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2024. All in favor signify by aye. Aye. Aye. We'll go to consent items. We have a special

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class C retail alcohol license for the Mid-Mart Incorporated recommendation from the county

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assessor regarding the 2024 credit and exemption allowances recommendation from the city assessor

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regarding the 2024 credit and exemption allowances, and a special event permit from Unidos,

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Latinx, Fiesta for September 28th, 2024, and that is at the smokestack and the parking lot

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behind the courthouse here and their certificate of liability is attached.

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Motion to approve the consent items.

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Second.

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We have a motion and a second to approve the consent items. All in favor signify by aye.

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Next, we have procurement procedures. We have the receipt of bids for the 2024 bridge deck

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overlays on Bankston Park Road and Farley Road. Kevin.

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Good morning. We have five bids this morning.

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And the first is from Jasper Construction Services out of Newton, Iowa, where

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bid bond is

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complete.

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And the first bid amount is $306,757.40. That's $306,757.40. Next

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up is PCI Roads out

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of St. Michael, Minnesota.

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And their bid bond paperwork is complete. And their bid amount

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is 307,415 dollars and 47 cents.

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That's 307,415 dollars and 47 cents.

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Older contracting out of Grundy Center, Iowa.

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Their

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bid bond paperwork is complete.

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And their bid amount is 217,062 dollars and 15 cents.

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That's 217,062 dollars and 15 cents.

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If

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we have Kramer and Associates out of Grimes, Iowa,

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their bid bond paperwork is complete.

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That bid amount is $238,091 and 0 cents.

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That's $238,091 and 0 cents.

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The final bid for the day is from Taylor Construction out of New Vienna, and their

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bid bond paperwork is complete, and

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that bid amount is $281,549.20.

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That's $281,549.20, and that does complete the bids.

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I'm

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going to receive the bids and forward them to the county engineer for advice.

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Second.

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I have a motion and a second to accept the bids and forward to the county engineer for

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recommendation, all in favor signify by aye.

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Aye.

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Aye.

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Aye.

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Next we go to the public hearings.

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We have a proof of publication of public hearing.

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That was published July 15th and also for today.

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Yes, it was published in the newspapers on the 3rd and the 15th.

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3rd and 15th, okay.

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Make a motion to approve the publications.

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I'll make it.

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I'll second the notice of proof of publication.

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I have a motion and a second to approve the proof of publication.

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All in favor signify by aye.

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Aye.

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Aye.

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Aye.

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Next, there's a notice of public hearing for amendments to the zoning ordinance, and that

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is set for August 19th at 9 a.m.

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Motion to approve.

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Second.

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A motion and a second to approve the notice of public hearing for the amendments to the

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zoning ordinance for August 19th at 9 a.m., all in favor signify by aye.

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Aye.

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Aye.

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Aye.

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Next, we have a public hearing for the vacation of Platt of Survey.

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Dylan?

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And this is a relatively new process for Dubuque County, but not for the rest of the state.

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This is, in this instance, I have our GIS and mapping expert on this in the room as

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well to answer questions if there are any, Jill Kloppenberg.

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However, this is effectively vacating a plat.

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It'll be absorbed into another plat.

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Is that fair?

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Yeah.

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Come on up.

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Come on.

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It'll basically...

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Say your name, please.

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My name's Jill Kloppenberg, GIS mapping.

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It'll basically revert back to what it was before the plat was two quarter quarters.

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And so this was published twice.

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So there were two opportunities for the public to be notified.

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Correct. And that's a code requirement.

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I understand, but it's unusual. Most times we only publish once.

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The code requires that we do twice, at least 14 days apart.

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And I saw that you did that with the auditor's help of clarification over the weekend.

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So, thank you.

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Is there a map associated with this?

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First there.

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No, it's a legal description that's basically being changed with the plat.

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I do have copies of the actual land, not for everybody, but I don't

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have any other questions.

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I do have a copy of the plat that's actually being dated to

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views of it.

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with one of the whole section, entire section, and others just zoomed into the.

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I see.

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What's the reason for the vacation?

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Citizen request?

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That was included in the packet.

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Open to public hearing regarding the vacation of Platt of Survey.

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Do we have anyone in chambers wishing to address the board?

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Me too.

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Hi.

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I'm Jennifer Clemens-Konlin.

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I'm with Clemens-Walter's-Konlin running in Hyatt LLP.

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I worked with Gary and Sharon Weber towards the vacation of the Platt, and I thought

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it might help you guys just to understand what happened.

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Again, we had two-quarter sections.

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The property owners had contemplated moving the property line and transferring some property

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over to change the size of each of their lots.

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Ultimately was concluded that wasn't going to happen.

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This was all within the last, I don't know, six months or a year.

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So all they're trying to do is unravel that plat.

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There was some disagreement between the parties as to the conditions under which it had

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gotten signed, but ultimately they both agreed to just back away from it and

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unravel it.

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And so all we're doing is putting us back to where we were at about six to six months

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ago and going back to the quarter sections.

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If you have any questions about what brought us here, I'm more than happy to explain it,

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but I thought that might help a little bit.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Thank you.

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Thank you, Jennifer.

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Anyone else wishing to address the board?

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Regarding the vacation of Platt. No one in chambers do we have anyone online? We do not.

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I will close the public hearing.

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Motion to approve the vacation of Platt survey. Second.

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I have a motion and a second to approve the resolution to vacate the Platt of Survey.

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All

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We will go to the action items, resolution to approve the hiring of deputies, assistants

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and clerks.

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There are 10 positions for Sonny Crest, one position for the county attorney's office,

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one position for the sheriff's office and one position for human resources department.

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Motion to approve the resolution.

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Second.

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Motion is second to approve the hiring of deputies, assistants and clerks.

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All in favor signify by aye.

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Hi.

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Next we have a resolution to approve the temporary delayed travel restrictions of county roads

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on August 25th for the fifth annual research for the kids UTV ride.

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That's from noon to six and I'm going to read off all the roads involved in that for

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the public here.

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Roads affected will be Old Highway Road, Gun Club Road, Bankston Park Road, Asbury

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Road, Five Points Road.

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Cedar Ridge Road, Hales Mills Road, Burton Furnace Road, Durango Road, Sherrill Road, Mudlake Road,

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Gulflake Road, Circle Ridge Road, Balltown Road, Ridge Road, Northview and Vista Road,

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Tolgate Road, and Holy Cross Road from noon to six on the 25th.

246
00:31:58,390 --> 00:31:58,870
Second.

247
00:31:59,430 --> 00:32:03,590
We have a motion and a second to approve the temporary delayed travel restrictions

248
00:32:03,590 --> 00:32:10,530
on the roads from noon to six on August 25th for the annual research for the kids

249
00:32:10,530 --> 00:32:12,970
UTV ride. All in favor signify by aye.

250
00:32:15,290 --> 00:32:17,430
Next we have a resolution to approve the

251
00:32:17,430 --> 00:32:20,730
delegate for signing necessary documents with Taylor Construction

252
00:32:20,730 --> 00:32:28,290
Incorporated for the bid replacement on Benefield Road project BROS-C031

253
00:32:28,290 --> 00:32:38,590
parentheses 119-5F-31, and that is just to allow Russell to sign paperwork that is a

254
00:32:38,590 --> 00:32:40,810
state-aided project.

255
00:32:41,670 --> 00:32:43,090
Motion to approve the resolution.

256
00:32:43,690 --> 00:32:43,990
Second.

257
00:32:44,430 --> 00:32:51,330
We have a motion and a second to approve the delegate for signing for the bridge replacement

258
00:32:51,330 --> 00:32:51,830
on benefit.

259
00:32:52,130 --> 00:32:53,250
All in favor signify?

260
00:32:53,470 --> 00:32:53,670
Aye.

261
00:32:54,270 --> 00:32:54,470
Aye.

262
00:32:54,830 --> 00:32:55,030
Aye.

263
00:32:55,030 --> 00:33:00,510
Next, we have a resolution to approve the necessary contract documents with Jim Schrader

264
00:33:00,510 --> 00:33:05,910
construction for the bridge culvert replacements on English Mill Road and Claren Road project

265
00:33:05,910 --> 00:33:19,010
L-B24, parentheses 03-73-31, and that contract is an amount of $997,901.45.

266
00:33:20,370 --> 00:33:22,110
Motion to approve the resolution.

267
00:33:22,790 --> 00:33:23,090
Second.

268
00:33:23,090 --> 00:33:28,190
I have a motion and a second to approve the necessary contract documents with Jim Schrader,

269
00:33:28,830 --> 00:33:32,930
construction for the bridge and culver replacements, all in favor signify by aye.

270
00:33:33,790 --> 00:33:34,050
Aye.

271
00:33:34,510 --> 00:33:34,650
Aye.

272
00:33:36,110 --> 00:33:36,290
Aye.

273
00:33:37,230 --> 00:33:38,170
Excuse me.

274
00:33:39,450 --> 00:33:43,850
Next, we have resolution to approve the final progress voucher for the bridge replacement

275
00:33:43,850 --> 00:33:55,970
on Fishbond Road. Project BROS-C031, parentheses 116-8J-31. I believe the final

276
00:33:55,970 --> 00:34:02,850
progress voucher is for 10,755.36 and that's to retain each correct

277
00:34:02,850 --> 00:34:03,130
one.

278
00:34:09,290 --> 00:34:13,810
Second. Motion and a second to approve the final progress voucher for

279
00:34:13,810 --> 00:34:17,230
the bridge replacement on Fishbond Road. All in favor signify but aye.

280
00:34:18,630 --> 00:34:24,230
Next, we have a resolution to approve the RCTP agreement with the City of Upworth for

281
00:34:24,230 --> 00:34:29,350
the East Main Street Curb and Gutter Project, and that is in the amount of 25,000 from

282
00:34:29,350 --> 00:34:30,610
Neural County Transportation.

283
00:34:32,640 --> 00:34:33,700
Motion to approve.

284
00:34:34,100 --> 00:34:34,440
Second.

285
00:34:34,960 --> 00:34:39,940
We have a motion and a second to approve the RCTP agreement with Upworth for the

286
00:34:39,940 --> 00:34:41,740
Main Street Curb and Gutter Project.

287
00:34:41,940 --> 00:34:43,020
All in favor signify.

288
00:34:43,260 --> 00:34:43,440
Aye.

289
00:34:44,020 --> 00:34:44,340
Aye.

290
00:34:44,740 --> 00:34:44,900
Aye.

291
00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:58,140
Next, we have a resolution to approve the necessary documents with Bolden-Steiner implement for the purchase of one new 2024 John Deere 6136130M cab tractor.

292
00:34:58,940 --> 00:35:07,580
That is for $114126 and they're trading in the 1997 tractor with $7000.

293
00:35:10,080 --> 00:35:11,760
Motion to approve the resolution.

294
00:35:12,600 --> 00:35:17,960
second with just a question that is what was the budget you know what the budget

295
00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:22,080
amount was on that by chance budget

296
00:35:24,380 --> 00:35:26,780
directors in the room no Brian another

297
00:35:26,780 --> 00:35:31,630
meeting this morning he said I'm assuming it was within budget

298
00:35:49,040 --> 00:35:50,660
motion in a

299
00:35:50,660 --> 00:35:54,180
second to approve the necessary documents with bolden-steiner for the

300
00:35:54,180 --> 00:36:00,740
track to purchase all in favor signify by I high high next we have resolution to

301
00:36:00,740 --> 00:36:04,160
approve the necessary documents with Martin equipment for the purchase of one

302
00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:15,460
2024 John Deere 772 G motor grader, trading in the 2003 with $9,179, little

303
00:36:15,460 --> 00:36:18,460
The total price is $338,620.

304
00:36:19,860 --> 00:36:20,880
To approve.

305
00:36:21,960 --> 00:36:23,380
What was the total on that? Pardon?

306
00:36:24,380 --> 00:36:24,580
Pardon.

307
00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:25,900
What was the total on that?

308
00:36:27,900 --> 00:36:29,020
$338,620.

309
00:36:43,570 --> 00:36:44,970
What's the resolution saying?

310
00:36:48,320 --> 00:36:52,300
It was $412,500, and then the trade-in,

311
00:36:52,580 --> 00:36:53,640
less the trade-in.

312
00:36:55,630 --> 00:36:57,570
Resolution is $388,000.

313
00:36:58,490 --> 00:36:58,710
Yes.

314
00:36:59,210 --> 00:37:00,870
$388,620.

315
00:37:00,870 --> 00:37:08,370
bottom line. My mistake 388,000, 338,000.

316
00:37:11,110 --> 00:37:12,910
It reflects the price, it reflects the

317
00:37:12,910 --> 00:37:16,230
trade-ins. I've made a motion to approve the results. I

318
00:37:18,470 --> 00:37:20,970
was just going to ask the

319
00:37:20,970 --> 00:37:25,090
same question whether it fell within the budgeted amount. Mary

320
00:37:30,110 --> 00:37:30,890
Ann Knapp did send

321
00:37:30,890 --> 00:37:35,150
me a chat message saying that $150,000 was budgeted for the mower

322
00:37:35,150 --> 00:37:38,410
tractor with mower. The mower price is not set yet.

323
00:37:45,010 --> 00:37:49,050
She answered the one regarding the motor grader also.

324
00:37:51,230 --> 00:37:54,550
No, but she is on Zoom as well, if she's able to unmute.

325
00:37:54,690 --> 00:37:55,890
Perhaps she could answer a question.

326
00:38:03,900 --> 00:38:07,420
The motor grader was budgeted for 410,000.

327
00:38:10,420 --> 00:38:13,720
That's 100 budget. Seconded.

328
00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:18,500
Have motion and second approved the necessary documents with Martin Equipment

329
00:38:18,500 --> 00:38:22,080
for the purchase of the John Deere 772 motor grader. All in

330
00:38:22,080 --> 00:38:23,300
favor signify by aye.

331
00:38:23,520 --> 00:38:23,760
Aye.

332
00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:24,380
Aye.

333
00:38:24,780 --> 00:38:24,960
Aye.

334
00:38:25,740 --> 00:38:30,600
Next we have resolution authorizing Dubuque County Conservation to utilize Dubuque County

335
00:38:31,340 --> 00:38:37,920
UEEI number unique entity identifier for the purpose of filing the FEMA related documents

336
00:38:37,920 --> 00:38:43,780
and that's for the reimbursement from FEMA for the flood related damage this spring.

337
00:38:44,120 --> 00:38:44,360
To

338
00:38:47,780 --> 00:38:48,040
approve.

339
00:38:48,480 --> 00:38:48,820
Second.

340
00:38:49,620 --> 00:38:55,480
A motion and a second to authorize Dubuque County Conservation to utilize the UEEI

341
00:38:55,480 --> 00:39:02,560
Number four filing the FEMA documents all in favor signify by. Hi. Hi. Hi

342
00:39:02,560 --> 00:39:08,240
Next we have a resolution for the approval of the swap contract for 25,000

343
00:39:08,240 --> 00:39:15,900
for Dubuque County EMS Association and that was for recruitment. I believe we

344
00:39:15,900 --> 00:39:24,940
had set it aside ARP funds to assist with that and that was changed over to

345
00:39:24,940 --> 00:39:39,500
They are moving forward with getting some filming done to assist in recruitment volunteers for the fire departments.

346
00:39:40,840 --> 00:39:42,400
Motion to approve the resolution.

347
00:39:42,940 --> 00:39:43,240
Second.

348
00:39:43,800 --> 00:39:50,640
Motion and a second to approve the swap contract for 25,000 with Dubuque County EMS.

349
00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:52,440
All in favor signify.

350
00:39:54,440 --> 00:39:57,280
I'd like to just take a moment to thank Kevin Schmidt.

351
00:39:58,080 --> 00:40:03,120
I've worked with him on this matter for several years, and he's been persistent in making

352
00:40:03,120 --> 00:40:06,640
sure that we do something about the recruitment for FIRE EMS.

353
00:40:07,200 --> 00:40:12,520
So in my conversation with him, he said this is exactly what his original goal was.

354
00:40:12,820 --> 00:40:14,780
So he's pleased to see this moving forward.

355
00:40:16,900 --> 00:40:17,340
Thank you.

356
00:40:18,440 --> 00:40:20,100
We'll move to communications.

357
00:40:20,100 --> 00:40:27,100
We have Iowa Agricultural Economic Contribution Study, the Compensation Board Communication,

358
00:40:28,060 --> 00:40:33,480
Opposition to Renewable Energy Facilities, and Chelsea Green HR Update.

359
00:40:34,340 --> 00:40:36,440
I had a question about the HR update.

360
00:40:37,160 --> 00:40:38,100
It's kind of minor.

361
00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:39,520
Chelsea probably can answer.

362
00:40:40,080 --> 00:40:40,720
Is she in the room?

363
00:40:43,630 --> 00:40:43,890
Okay.

364
00:40:44,750 --> 00:40:45,930
Motion to receive and file.

365
00:40:46,410 --> 00:40:46,850
No action.

366
00:40:47,570 --> 00:40:48,190
What's that?

367
00:40:48,350 --> 00:40:48,750
No action.

368
00:40:51,700 --> 00:40:53,400
We never seem to do that, do we?

369
00:40:56,670 --> 00:41:01,810
We'll move on to appointments, open vacancies for information only.

370
00:41:02,150 --> 00:41:02,370
We'll

371
00:41:12,990 --> 00:41:16,010
move on to the supervisors, boards, and commissions updates.

372
00:41:18,170 --> 00:41:19,990
Wayne, you go first.

373
00:41:20,410 --> 00:41:25,350
I attended a workforce development meeting last week as well as Greater Dubuque Development Corporation.

374
00:41:26,550 --> 00:41:36,770
One question I did have kind of an open item, I'll say, is a while back we had talked about a

375
00:41:38,230 --> 00:41:44,390
ARPA status update, and I believe that Kevin was going to provide us with that.

376
00:41:46,860 --> 00:41:50,320
ARPA updates would come from Stella Rondi. She oversees that entire program.

377
00:41:54,060 --> 00:41:57,780
Yes, that's not what I heard in the meeting, but we'll get it however we need to.

378
00:41:59,690 --> 00:42:03,370
We were talking about the fact that the funds need to be allocated.

379
00:42:03,530 --> 00:42:06,230
The remaining funds need to be allocated by the end of 2024.

380
00:42:06,750 --> 00:42:07,030
Correct.

381
00:42:07,410 --> 00:42:12,510
And the projects need to be completed by 2026.

382
00:42:13,550 --> 00:42:19,250
$10 million of it was swap money and I get that whole part but we were hoping to have

383
00:42:19,250 --> 00:42:29,030
a discussion regarding, you know, the remaining ARPA funds so we weren't crunched down to

384
00:42:29,030 --> 00:42:30,750
the last wire.

385
00:42:31,530 --> 00:42:37,150
Yeah, the ARPA portion has been always managed by the budget department, not the auditor's

386
00:42:37,150 --> 00:42:37,350
office.

387
00:42:37,610 --> 00:42:37,710
Right.

388
00:42:37,710 --> 00:42:46,430
So, a few weeks ago, in June, this is Ed Raver, I had, in working with Amy Johnson,

389
00:42:47,010 --> 00:42:53,310
we put together some historical look, because I think at least one of you, I think all of

390
00:42:53,310 --> 00:42:57,550
you were interested in seeing, in the purchase of service program, like, how has that gone

391
00:42:57,550 --> 00:43:04,190
the last few years, where has those resources gone, and Stella, it's Monday, I can hardly

392
00:43:04,190 --> 00:43:12,090
I remember her name Stella, and I also did that for the ARPA and SWAP program, didn't

393
00:43:12,090 --> 00:43:16,550
do it for the mental health fund 10 stuff, but that was all kind of during that time.

394
00:43:16,790 --> 00:43:20,670
So provided one sheet there, we can do that again.

395
00:43:21,110 --> 00:43:26,330
Somehow between the three of us, we can pull that back out, look at what's been spent

396
00:43:26,330 --> 00:43:32,410
again on the SWAP site, which is defederalized, essentially ARPA funds as well as the

397
00:43:32,410 --> 00:43:32,910
ARPA funds.

398
00:43:32,910 --> 00:43:37,330
And we've been trying to make sure that we're kind of keeping those updated as we kind of

399
00:43:37,330 --> 00:43:43,710
as time clicks along here, just about the deadlines or the milestones that you've pointed

400
00:43:43,710 --> 00:43:44,730
out there, Supervisor.

401
00:43:45,070 --> 00:43:47,530
So probably we can do that again.

402
00:43:47,710 --> 00:43:52,230
But I would refer you back if you wanted to know today, it was in your packet, I think

403
00:43:52,230 --> 00:43:54,150
the first or second meeting in June.

404
00:43:54,790 --> 00:43:57,910
There was some information that was just a tabular, it wasn't a discussion point,

405
00:43:58,050 --> 00:43:59,910
it was just some background information.

406
00:44:01,290 --> 00:44:01,730
Good.

407
00:44:01,730 --> 00:44:02,710
So,

408
00:44:13,000 --> 00:44:20,160
again, which is typical, we are out and about together frequently, and so the public

409
00:44:20,160 --> 00:44:26,480
might think we're never anywhere, but we don't report as many things because you both know

410
00:44:26,480 --> 00:44:27,600
we were at the mayor's meeting.

411
00:44:28,880 --> 00:44:34,700
Harley, you know that we were at the Disabilities Expo, you know we were at Upwork Town and

412
00:44:34,700 --> 00:44:39,820
country, Worthington, the fair, the opening of the fair.

413
00:44:40,060 --> 00:44:43,900
So, I mean, we're out and we're everywhere, and I see you both.

414
00:44:44,320 --> 00:44:45,160
Certainly, I see you hardly.

415
00:44:46,100 --> 00:44:49,360
I also attended a Juneau Detention Center meeting.

416
00:44:50,800 --> 00:44:53,660
I also attended my first training

417
00:44:53,660 --> 00:44:56,540
from the NACO national leadership.

418
00:44:57,240 --> 00:44:59,720
I attended the East Central Regional Governing Board

419
00:44:59,720 --> 00:44:59,980
meeting.

420
00:45:00,000 --> 00:45:07,560
And also, there will be a meeting this afternoon with the ECR subcommittee to be addressing our

421
00:45:08,120 --> 00:45:17,140
application to become the ASO. I saw Wayne, you had a TV blip about the new maps, and it

422
00:45:17,140 --> 00:45:24,840
was in the paper as well. Another article yesterday about the region to the south. So, but we're

423
00:45:24,840 --> 00:45:31,100
We're already on that this afternoon, working to make sure that by stepping forward as the

424
00:45:31,100 --> 00:45:37,600
essential region and applying to be the ASO, we're hoping that there'll be no loss in

425
00:45:37,600 --> 00:45:43,980
services to our citizens, that there'll be the continuity of the changing of the programming.

426
00:45:44,780 --> 00:45:49,380
We're hoping that by putting all our energy forward, we can hopefully not have anyone

427
00:45:49,380 --> 00:45:54,440
and go without services through to some kind of administrative fault.

428
00:45:56,020 --> 00:45:57,720
So I think that's all I have.

429
00:45:58,320 --> 00:46:02,420
Do we have a, I guess, DMATS this week, or the RTAs this week, Wayne?

430
00:46:03,000 --> 00:46:04,100
Are we meeting the RTA?

431
00:46:04,440 --> 00:46:04,780
Wednesday.

432
00:46:05,180 --> 00:46:05,540
Wednesday.

433
00:46:05,960 --> 00:46:06,100
Okay.

434
00:46:06,480 --> 00:46:07,600
I know you would share that board.

435
00:46:07,840 --> 00:46:09,060
So very good.

436
00:46:09,580 --> 00:46:10,260
That's what I have.

437
00:46:12,380 --> 00:46:17,720
That's several meetings with both here, obviously, the annual meeting for the Greater

438
00:46:17,720 --> 00:46:24,380
Dubuque Development Corporation. On the 18th, we had a PSAP design meeting. The conceptual

439
00:46:24,380 --> 00:46:32,560
design is pretty well completed. Things are moving forward with that. The mayor's meeting that night

440
00:46:33,320 --> 00:46:39,880
had a Dubuque Metropolitan Solid Waste Agency meeting on the 19th and on the 30th.

441
00:46:40,780 --> 00:46:46,980
Things approved for the improvements out there. The scale project is pretty much completed,

442
00:46:46,980 --> 00:46:54,620
and they're going to start the customer convenience center. Planning is ongoing. That'll be moving

443
00:46:54,620 --> 00:47:04,840
forward. The DRA meeting on the 23rd, there is grant recipients notified or 57 awards for 1.2

444
00:47:04,840 --> 00:47:09,840
million that went out to city and county surrounding states.

445
00:47:13,040 --> 00:47:15,180
A lot of good things happening there.

446
00:47:16,660 --> 00:47:18,800
construction started on a new hotel.

447
00:47:24,960 --> 00:47:30,560
Roads on the 23rd, 30th was a second landfill meeting

448
00:47:30,560 --> 00:47:38,740
and the Disabilities Council Expo out at NICC, which was a very good event. They had the

449
00:47:38,740 --> 00:47:46,600
action chairs out there for the disabled, for people that could use them to go out

450
00:47:46,600 --> 00:47:51,180
on trails in the county, which a lot of happy kids

451
00:47:51,180 --> 00:47:53,880
that were riding it that generally can't get around.

452
00:47:54,280 --> 00:48:02,340
So I had co-ed meeting on the first community organizations

453
00:48:02,340 --> 00:48:03,800
active in disaster.

454
00:48:06,040 --> 00:48:06,820
That was good.

455
00:48:07,600 --> 00:48:11,060
And that is about it, I believe.

456
00:48:11,060 --> 00:48:18,900
I had a comment. So, the action tracks were phenomenal, of course, in Caitlyn Moeller

457
00:48:18,900 --> 00:48:23,300
from Conservation does a phenomenal job. Just a wonderful job. I've seen your presentation

458
00:48:23,300 --> 00:48:27,880
on that twice now. And I know we have our disabilities coordinator in the room. So,

459
00:48:27,900 --> 00:48:32,160
great job with the expo, Samantha, and thank the committee when I was there. But

460
00:48:32,160 --> 00:48:37,860
thank you again. I just saw in the directorial commercial that the fair had bacon buddies.

461
00:48:37,860 --> 00:48:44,000
have you seen that and they they might that might be a place for the action

462
00:48:44,000 --> 00:48:48,880
tracks to go next year you know because there'd be terrain issues mobility

463
00:48:48,880 --> 00:48:54,680
issues and that's something new that's been begun by I don't remember the

464
00:48:54,680 --> 00:48:59,000
organization but it was out at the fair so that's a possible time to move

465
00:48:59,000 --> 00:49:03,680
literally move people better with mobility issues move

466
00:49:07,590 --> 00:49:08,890
on to public

467
00:49:08,890 --> 00:49:12,850
comments for non-agenda items. At this time anyone may address the board on

468
00:49:12,850 --> 00:49:17,150
matters of which are of concern to that person and not in which are not

469
00:49:17,150 --> 00:49:21,990
agenda items. Please go to the podium, state your name and home address. Please

470
00:49:21,990 --> 00:49:25,330
be aware that the board is limited in their ability to respond to such

471
00:49:25,330 --> 00:49:29,150
inquiries and I will co-tribute the board from deliberating or acting on

472
00:49:29,150 --> 00:49:32,990
items not appearing on the agenda. Individual remarks are limited to

473
00:49:32,990 --> 00:49:36,230
three minutes. Do they have anyone in chambers wishing to address the board?

474
00:49:36,230 --> 00:49:36,990
day

475
00:49:46,490 --> 00:49:52,110
polls, 20331 Hawk Rang Road. We were in here a couple months ago with 11 out

476
00:49:52,110 --> 00:49:56,150
of 13 people because some of them couldn't take off work. We're addressing

477
00:49:56,150 --> 00:50:02,270
the gravel road issue, the dust that's unhealthy, and we may even call the EPA

478
00:50:02,270 --> 00:50:07,130
and then see what they say. But we were wondering if the county even considered

479
00:50:07,130 --> 00:50:11,290
it, you know, helping, you know, just for the people on Hawk Rang Road, you

480
00:50:11,290 --> 00:50:15,010
know, nothing else. But we pay taxes all these years and it seemed like

481
00:50:15,010 --> 00:50:20,390
there's nothing done but spend money on the expensive road graders to grade out

482
00:50:20,390 --> 00:50:24,850
the washboard road and washouts when it rains so we're just wondering if it was

483
00:50:24,850 --> 00:50:31,510
anything ever discussed about it since we've been here. That's all. Thank you

484
00:50:31,510 --> 00:50:31,690
Dave.

485
00:50:34,680 --> 00:50:37,560
Anyone else in chambers wishing to address the board? Yes ma'am.

486
00:50:42,450 --> 00:50:42,830
Thank you

487
00:50:42,830 --> 00:50:46,410
for allowing me to speak. My name is Jeannie Maybanks and I'm from Cedar

488
00:50:46,410 --> 00:50:50,690
Rapids 1916 Hughes Circle Cedar Rapids Iowa. I'm the director of the

489
00:50:50,690 --> 00:50:56,710
Iowa Solar Energy Trade Association, and I just wanted to show up as a human being here

490
00:50:56,710 --> 00:51:01,390
in front of you all and offer to answer any questions you have about solar development

491
00:51:01,390 --> 00:51:02,030
in the county.

492
00:51:03,980 --> 00:51:04,280
Okay.

493
00:51:04,400 --> 00:51:04,740
Thank you.

494
00:51:05,440 --> 00:51:05,840
Thank you.

495
00:51:08,330 --> 00:51:10,390
Do you have anyone else wishing to address the board?

496
00:51:13,610 --> 00:51:15,790
Seeing no one in chambers, do we have anyone online, Kevin?

497
00:51:20,210 --> 00:51:20,970
We do not.

498
00:51:23,850 --> 00:51:25,990
Board, need a break, or do you want to go into work session?

499
00:51:26,750 --> 00:51:29,850
Oh, we can start work session as far as I'm concerned, but we can start work

500
00:51:29,850 --> 00:51:30,150
sessions.

501
00:51:30,410 --> 00:51:30,510
Yeah.

502
00:51:30,510 --> 00:51:36,470
Okay. We'll go into our work sessions. First work session is discussion on Supervisors

503
00:51:36,470 --> 00:51:41,650
Keneker's request to have the Dubuque County Facilities Department report to the Human

504
00:51:41,650 --> 00:51:43,450
Resources Director. Wayne.

505
00:51:45,740 --> 00:51:51,420
Sure. So my reason for bringing this forward was prior to our

506
00:51:51,420 --> 00:52:04,400
last HR director facilities reported directly, reported to the board of supervisors via the

507
00:52:06,640 --> 00:52:18,060
human resource director. When that human resource director resigned, many of the functions were

508
00:52:18,060 --> 00:52:29,040
were transitioned to the auditor's department about a year ago, there was a decision by

509
00:52:29,040 --> 00:52:39,440
the board to move the zoning department back to reporting to the board of supervisors.

510
00:52:39,440 --> 00:52:50,640
And I think one of the things we get caught up in sometimes is multiple layers of reporting.

511
00:52:51,660 --> 00:53:00,340
And I think we've got, you know, a facilities director, and I believe that department is

512
00:53:00,340 --> 00:53:06,400
made up of three people, and that particular position was part of the compensation study.

513
00:53:06,400 --> 00:53:16,100
It was evaluated, there was actually an appeal filed and the pay grade was bumped up one.

514
00:53:17,240 --> 00:53:26,770
But I guess my point there is we have a very capable facilities director and department

515
00:53:27,630 --> 00:53:35,570
and I don't know of a good reason that we would not return the organizational structure

516
00:53:35,570 --> 00:53:41,250
to what it was prior to our last human resource director leaving.

517
00:53:42,230 --> 00:53:50,590
I think direct communication is effective and I just don't think we need one more layer and

518
00:53:50,590 --> 00:53:58,030
obviously that's the way it has operated. I know that's perhaps that was communicated

519
00:53:58,030 --> 00:54:04,550
differently at our last meeting that that facilities director always reported to the

520
00:54:05,610 --> 00:54:11,910
custody or the custodian of the courthouse, but I don't think that's an accurate statement.

521
00:54:12,090 --> 00:54:31,530
So I would like to see that facility's department and again, you know, section, chapter 331.502

522
00:54:32,230 --> 00:54:40,630
describes the auditor's duties and it does in fact say the the have general

523
00:54:40,630 --> 00:54:47,930
custody of the courthouse but then there's a comma and it says subject to the

524
00:54:47,930 --> 00:54:57,290
direction of the board and I think we need to you know sometimes code language

525
00:54:57,290 --> 00:55:04,370
is a little bit vague I think that's pretty pretty clear and I think we

526
00:55:04,370 --> 00:55:10,850
should return to that organizational structure as far as the facilities

527
00:55:10,850 --> 00:55:16,450
department is concerned just like we did with the zoning department about a year

528
00:55:16,450 --> 00:55:16,690
ago.

529
00:55:19,620 --> 00:55:25,500
Yes I was here when previous human resources director had taken on a lot of

530
00:55:25,500 --> 00:55:32,360
things and it created problems to the point that she couldn't take it and

531
00:55:32,360 --> 00:55:38,700
quit. I think her plate was overloaded and I think when we hired our new human

532
00:55:38,700 --> 00:55:44,480
resources director we decided to take some of the stuff off of her plate that

533
00:55:44,480 --> 00:55:46,480
we didn't run into the same situation.

534
00:55:49,140 --> 00:55:51,320
My personal belief is the human

535
00:55:51,320 --> 00:55:59,980
resources department oversees all of the county not individual pieces and

536
00:56:03,820 --> 00:56:04,320
see

537
00:56:05,180 --> 00:56:07,000
why we'd want to move it back,

538
00:56:10,620 --> 00:56:13,200
plugging up that system again?

539
00:56:14,600 --> 00:56:19,300
Well, I think part of it was, and I guess that was part of what I've learned over the last of a while,

540
00:56:19,540 --> 00:56:28,340
was there was a particular reason for some of that, you know, and I'm not going to get into, you know,

541
00:56:28,380 --> 00:56:34,740
performance or whatever issues. It's to me, it's part of the story, but it's not all of the story.

542
00:56:34,740 --> 00:56:44,560
I'm not asking the – asking for the facilities director to report to the human resource director.

543
00:56:45,060 --> 00:56:51,140
I'm asking to restore it, just like the IT director reports directly to the board.

544
00:56:53,080 --> 00:56:55,040
I'm asking for that position to be the same.

545
00:56:55,200 --> 00:57:01,760
So there can be that direct communication without interference from another level that

546
00:57:01,760 --> 00:57:06,480
that when the facilities group has issues, they can come directly to us.

547
00:57:06,620 --> 00:57:10,260
They don't have to be filtered through the auditor in this case.

548
00:57:11,580 --> 00:57:13,920
Those communications can happen directly.

549
00:57:15,140 --> 00:57:17,000
Right now, I don't think that's the case.

550
00:57:17,180 --> 00:57:22,080
We've obviously bumped into that with the HVAC system, and I would like to avoid that.

551
00:57:22,160 --> 00:57:27,980
I'd like to make the best decision possible, and I believe our facilities director has

552
00:57:27,980 --> 00:57:35,560
the knowledge has the ability to work through that situation with us as the board versus

553
00:57:35,560 --> 00:57:38,820
having another layer in there to interfere with those conversations.

554
00:57:40,660 --> 00:57:45,280
I don't know that there is any interference process.

555
00:57:47,300 --> 00:57:55,260
I was on those emails, all he asked for was the paperwork to add on to the agenda.

556
00:57:58,140 --> 00:58:02,080
I would know what's going on and Supervisor McDonough would know what's going on.

557
00:58:02,580 --> 00:58:05,740
That's why I asked, there's no response from you.

558
00:58:06,020 --> 00:58:10,580
That's why I asked for it to be an agenda item so we could sit here in a public meeting and discuss this.

559
00:58:11,460 --> 00:58:20,230
I understand that, but that whole situation was, you said you didn't have the paperwork.

560
00:58:20,810 --> 00:58:25,610
Well, that'd be fine, but you didn't tell anybody you didn't have the paperwork.

561
00:58:27,110 --> 00:58:31,190
I'm not trying to take sides here, I just, I don't understand.

562
00:58:31,190 --> 00:58:37,230
And, you know, if you had the paperwork, it should have been on the agenda that we

563
00:58:37,230 --> 00:58:37,670
could see it.

564
00:58:37,670 --> 00:58:38,730
Anybody else could see it.

565
00:58:38,910 --> 00:58:41,670
And you didn't reply to the e-mail.

566
00:58:42,010 --> 00:58:43,270
So it wasn't on the agenda.

567
00:58:43,610 --> 00:58:47,830
And you're kind of blaming the auditor for not putting it on when all he wants to do

568
00:58:47,830 --> 00:58:50,390
is make sure that the procurement procedure was followed.

569
00:58:50,910 --> 00:58:55,950
Bottom line, I guess where I see this as a foundation, we have a very capable facilities

570
00:58:55,950 --> 00:58:56,590
director.

571
00:58:57,010 --> 00:58:58,050
And I don't think-

572
00:58:58,050 --> 00:59:00,750
Nobody said he was not capable.

573
00:59:00,750 --> 00:59:05,430
We don't need multiple layers here to deal with facility issues.

574
00:59:06,570 --> 00:59:12,670
That is, to me, an inefficiency that's not necessary.

575
00:59:18,720 --> 00:59:21,540
Again, I'll do it as a motion at this time.

576
00:59:22,860 --> 00:59:27,240
I would make a motion that the facility, and I'll state it again before,

577
00:59:28,280 --> 00:59:33,100
it was no different than what happened with the zoning department about a year ago.

578
00:59:33,100 --> 00:59:43,220
So I seconded a motion to take the zoning department back under the supervisors directly

579
00:59:43,820 --> 00:59:46,580
and that's what I'm asking to have done now.

580
00:59:46,780 --> 00:59:53,280
So I will make a motion to restore the facilities director reporting directly to the board

581
00:59:53,280 --> 00:59:57,420
of supervisors and leave the human resource director out of it.

582
00:59:58,200 --> 00:59:59,620
I mean, work session.

583
01:00:01,810 --> 01:00:10,110
It says they have a report to human resources director. I'm just saying what it says on the agenda.

584
01:00:10,430 --> 01:00:11,910
So am I unable to change the motion?

585
01:00:12,770 --> 01:00:15,410
That doesn't say anything about action on it.

586
01:00:16,750 --> 01:00:28,970
Well, it's another issue. It seems like when there's an issue that we want on the agenda, if someone is in disagreement with it, we start working through the process just like we did with the HVAC.

587
01:00:28,970 --> 01:00:32,310
And this is another example of what's happening here.

588
01:00:33,850 --> 01:00:39,150
We request something to be on the agenda when we get these little innuendos that keep happening

589
01:00:39,830 --> 01:00:41,930
to prevent action from being taken.

590
01:00:42,130 --> 01:00:47,210
Actually, Mr. Kinnaker, what happens is we look for consensus, and you don't have consensus

591
01:00:47,210 --> 01:00:48,010
in this issue.

592
01:00:48,250 --> 01:00:52,090
And you asked for a discussion in an email to me, and I placed it on the agenda verbatim.

593
01:00:52,570 --> 01:00:52,750
Right.

594
01:00:52,930 --> 01:00:55,110
So I don't understand what the issue with that is.

595
01:00:55,110 --> 01:00:59,870
We do sometimes reach consensus through discussion and it's a great tool and I think we usually

596
01:00:59,870 --> 01:01:04,970
use it quite well. So we could go back to the, again, referencing what happened with the zoning

597
01:01:04,970 --> 01:01:12,170
department. It was the same exact thing. I have the benefit of many more years in this and I think

598
01:01:12,170 --> 01:01:18,130
that the facilities director has never, that department has never run better, never run

599
01:01:18,130 --> 01:01:24,670
better, and I do credit that both to the director who is present, a relatively new director,

600
01:01:25,270 --> 01:01:30,450
and the work of the auditor doing the management, the supervision, and the mentoring, such as

601
01:01:30,450 --> 01:01:35,030
is necessary. This is an ancient building, and it has never been better, and we've never

602
01:01:35,030 --> 01:01:42,330
saved, saved more money by letting our own folks do the work as best they can. And Mr.

603
01:01:42,330 --> 01:01:49,510
Biker's nodding his head. So this I believe is unnecessary. I don't join in consensus to this in any way

604
01:01:49,510 --> 01:01:56,510
This is not the only building that is considered facilities. No as we said all mansplaining

605
01:02:05,240 --> 01:02:09,980
So what did you want to say nothing at this point?

606
01:02:14,590 --> 01:02:15,090
Okay?

607
01:02:16,350 --> 01:02:18,170
We have a present or we

608
01:02:18,810 --> 01:02:23,930
We have a presentation from Michelle Turner, the new Executive Director of Limestone Bluffs.

609
01:02:24,270 --> 01:02:24,630
Oh,

610
01:02:28,900 --> 01:02:29,780
my name's Michelle Turner.

611
01:02:30,040 --> 01:02:32,580
I'm the new Director of the Limestone Bluffs, R-C-N-D.

612
01:02:33,000 --> 01:02:38,920
I came on board about six months ago and my first job is to say thank you for your support

613
01:02:38,920 --> 01:02:40,400
and hopefully your future support.

614
01:02:40,740 --> 01:02:44,540
And if Ed is still in the room, hi, Ed, nice to meet you in person.

615
01:02:45,300 --> 01:02:47,440
I took this job about six months ago.

616
01:02:47,560 --> 01:02:51,800
I was working with the Soil and Water Conservation District and NRCS for the past 20 years.

617
01:02:51,800 --> 01:02:57,320
years. I worked mostly in Jackson County but also in Dubuque and Anamosa County. I worked

618
01:02:57,320 --> 01:03:02,700
as the executive director of the Farmers Creek in Tadymore Watersheds. I wrote the grants

619
01:03:02,700 --> 01:03:09,000
over almost $2 million. And both of those streams were taken off the 303D list. So

620
01:03:09,780 --> 01:03:14,740
I come to you with quite a good record as far as grants and getting water quality

621
01:03:14,740 --> 01:03:19,000
accomplished. I didn't apply for this job. I was approached for it.

622
01:03:20,180 --> 01:03:27,620
So anyway, what we're doing right now, you know, I'm starting to get my wheels turning and exploring all of our options.

623
01:03:28,180 --> 01:03:38,120
I've started working with Rural Development and they said to me, you know, we are so short staffed as is NRCS, as is the Soil-A-Water Conservation District.

624
01:03:38,120 --> 01:03:49,840
So we pick up the slack where the other agencies cannot and hopefully join with other non-profits

625
01:03:49,840 --> 01:03:56,060
and organizations that don't have their nonprofit status so we can write the grants for them.

626
01:03:56,460 --> 01:04:02,220
So if anybody knows of any organizations that need some grants written or need simply

627
01:04:02,220 --> 01:04:05,040
some support, please see our C&D.

628
01:04:05,040 --> 01:04:11,400
So, other things that we're working with, the historical societies. Jackson County has

629
01:04:11,400 --> 01:04:17,500
a civil war reenactment coming up. We've been working with them. They've been revamping

630
01:04:17,500 --> 01:04:24,240
the limestone kilns. We did some work with them. DAR, the Daughters of American Revolutions,

631
01:04:24,980 --> 01:04:32,520
they are in Jackson, Dubuque, and Clinton counties, and they're getting geared up

632
01:04:32,520 --> 01:04:37,480
for the 250th anniversary of the United States, so there's a lot of good things coming down

633
01:04:37,480 --> 01:04:43,620
the pipe with that. Clinton has the Sawmill Museum, and if you haven't been there, it's

634
01:04:43,620 --> 01:04:48,580
a very, very good museum, and so now they are looking into doing some things, hopefully

635
01:04:48,580 --> 01:04:54,300
some water quality initiative, urban practices, and, you know, we talk a lot about Dubuque,

636
01:04:54,300 --> 01:05:00,420
we talk a lot about Makoka, but there are so many smaller communities out there

637
01:05:00,420 --> 01:05:06,620
that really need water quality initiative money, but they don't have the staff to actually

638
01:05:06,620 --> 01:05:08,580
implement it where they don't have the partners.

639
01:05:09,140 --> 01:05:15,500
For example, Enslow in Anamosa or in Jones County, just put in a splash pad for kids.

640
01:05:15,780 --> 01:05:20,080
And it's like, wow, what a neat thing to do for a tiny community.

641
01:05:20,560 --> 01:05:24,900
And water quality initiative, especially the urban money, has to be visible.

642
01:05:24,900 --> 01:05:31,080
visible. So we can't piggyback with NRCS and do farmers fields because even though we're

643
01:05:31,080 --> 01:05:36,480
doing lots of cover crops and lots of buffers, you guys don't see them because you are not

644
01:05:36,480 --> 01:05:43,660
on the farms. So we need to get more visible practices in the smaller towns. So that's

645
01:05:43,660 --> 01:05:49,040
another goal. Conservation tours is another area that we'd like to ramp up. We recently

646
01:05:49,040 --> 01:05:55,520
We had the Wildlife Refuge anniversary here, and it was at the Mississippi River Museum,

647
01:05:55,980 --> 01:05:56,940
and I attended that.

648
01:05:57,120 --> 01:06:02,740
And then the next day, the directors, the national directors of Isaac Walton League asked if

649
01:06:02,740 --> 01:06:03,640
they could have a tour.

650
01:06:04,100 --> 01:06:10,960
So I gave them a tour of mainly the Tateymore area, which would be Dubuque and Jackson

651
01:06:10,960 --> 01:06:16,900
County, and pointed out all of the really wonderful conservation efforts that go on

652
01:06:16,900 --> 01:06:18,060
in these two counties.

653
01:06:19,900 --> 01:06:26,280
frail maps are something that a limestone and bluffs had about eight or nine years ago.

654
01:06:26,520 --> 01:06:32,580
Those maps work with the Economic Development Council and the tourism boards, but they are

655
01:06:32,580 --> 01:06:37,320
outdated. A lot of the things aren't there anymore, so that's another project we'd

656
01:06:37,320 --> 01:06:46,120
like to re-initiate. NRCS, both in Dubuque and Jackson County, are looking for RCPP funds,

657
01:06:46,120 --> 01:06:51,580
which is basically equip your environmental quality improvement program and they are looking to get

658
01:06:51,580 --> 01:07:01,420
something going with food, local foods grown, improving the farmers markets, getting food directly

659
01:07:01,420 --> 01:07:09,240
to the schools and mainly if there is ever another epidemic or a food chain issue we have some local

660
01:07:09,240 --> 01:07:09,820
options.

661
01:07:11,840 --> 01:07:18,100
I previously was a vocational agriculture teacher, so I could talk for hours. So I think

662
01:07:18,100 --> 01:07:24,400
I will just say thank you very much. Nice to meet you all and just keep Limestone Bluffs

663
01:07:24,400 --> 01:07:26,420
R-C-N-D in mind. Thank you.

664
01:07:27,460 --> 01:07:27,660
Thank you.

665
01:07:27,660 --> 01:07:28,360
Oh, do you have any questions?

666
01:07:28,940 --> 01:07:29,000
Thank you, Michelle.

667
01:07:29,000 --> 01:07:29,260
Any questions?

668
01:07:29,880 --> 01:07:30,040
No?

669
01:07:31,200 --> 01:07:32,000
Okay, thank you.

670
01:07:32,020 --> 01:07:32,560
Thank you, Michelle.

671
01:07:32,560 --> 01:07:33,320
Yeah,

672
01:07:36,610 --> 01:07:38,370
our next work session is with

673
01:07:40,740 --> 01:07:45,380
Sheriff Kennedy regarding the active investigations

674
01:07:45,380 --> 01:07:45,820
update.

675
01:07:50,110 --> 01:07:50,610
Good morning.

676
01:07:53,710 --> 01:08:02,050
So all the supervisors have been given a full brief on the progress of the investigation.

677
01:08:02,950 --> 01:08:07,350
It's important for people to keep in mind that no different than homicide investigation,

678
01:08:08,970 --> 01:08:20,110
The status of these updates is in general terms, and we have to protect the integrity and investigation

679
01:08:20,110 --> 01:08:21,650
just like we would any other crime.

680
01:08:23,990 --> 01:08:31,030
As of today, we are still actively sending out subpoenas to these companies.

681
01:08:31,030 --> 01:08:42,110
companies. The money has been tracked to different types of cryptocurrencies. One's Bitcoin and

682
01:08:42,110 --> 01:08:46,490
one's Ethereum.

683
01:08:49,690 --> 01:08:56,570
So we're navigating our way through that. The issues that you have when

684
01:08:56,570 --> 01:09:05,190
you're dealing with these companies is, like their name, crypto, they're encrypted entities,

685
01:09:05,630 --> 01:09:15,170
so trying to work our way into where the money is actually located inside these cryptocurrency

686
01:09:15,170 --> 01:09:21,790
wallets is difficult. I think part of the issue with cryptocurrency

687
01:09:21,790 --> 01:09:27,910
currency is that they have different regulations than your banks and things like that.

688
01:09:28,970 --> 01:09:32,850
But we have had some cooperation with the companies.

689
01:09:34,590 --> 01:09:42,950
The biggest issue as far as actually getting the money back, it's going to be almost impossible

690
01:09:42,950 --> 01:09:49,970
for us to actually get the money back because in the cryptocurrency world, we would have

691
01:09:49,970 --> 01:09:58,170
to prove that if we found money in a cryptocurrency wallet, we would have to prove that that money

692
01:09:58,170 --> 01:10:01,970
was Dubuque County's money, which would be extremely difficult to do.

693
01:10:03,510 --> 01:10:08,930
But we are still actively pursuing all leads.

694
01:10:09,910 --> 01:10:17,950
It appears at this time that the cryptocurrency wallets that we're discussing or where

695
01:10:17,950 --> 01:10:25,730
Some of the money passed through, at least, are associated with people who there was like

696
01:10:25,730 --> 01:10:29,250
two in Nigeria and one in South Africa, I believe.

697
01:10:31,030 --> 01:10:33,090
So we're talking about overseas actors.

698
01:10:34,030 --> 01:10:43,910
At this time, it does not appear that anyone local had anything to do with anything that

699
01:10:43,910 --> 01:10:44,330
happened.

700
01:10:44,330 --> 01:10:48,310
And so much like we assume from the get-go.

701
01:10:50,310 --> 01:10:56,810
But yes, we are still actively following leads in that case.

702
01:10:58,010 --> 01:10:59,130
Do you have any questions?

703
01:11:02,400 --> 01:11:02,500
OK.

704
01:11:03,740 --> 01:11:07,260
And just real quick, because I know we got the TH here,

705
01:11:07,340 --> 01:11:10,340
and I know that there's people in the public that

706
01:11:10,340 --> 01:11:13,400
have questioned how long the investigation has taken.

707
01:11:15,300 --> 01:11:33,980
You've all been briefed. Does anyone on the Board of Supervisors have any question or any thought that the Sheriff's Office is not working as diligently as possible to try to conclude this case?

708
01:11:37,050 --> 01:11:41,350
I think it's important for the public to understand that there's two pieces of the investigation that are going on.

709
01:11:41,350 --> 01:11:45,870
and the criminal investigation that you've just updated us on and have updated as prior

710
01:11:45,870 --> 01:11:55,790
to this, but also the other side of the investigation regarding the risk management group as well

711
01:11:55,790 --> 01:11:56,810
as the insurance companies.

712
01:11:57,130 --> 01:11:59,190
Yeah, that one's outside of my...

713
01:11:59,190 --> 01:11:59,550
Exactly.

714
01:11:59,910 --> 01:12:03,390
I just, again, I think that's where part of the frustration is coming in.

715
01:12:04,350 --> 01:12:11,290
I think your investigation, your part of the investigation has been handled as it

716
01:12:11,290 --> 01:12:11,870
needed to be.

717
01:12:11,870 --> 01:12:19,510
Okay. I appreciate that. I know there's been allegations of political things at play and

718
01:12:19,510 --> 01:12:24,730
I just want the public to know that there's nothing political involved in our investigation.

719
01:12:25,450 --> 01:12:30,450
These things take time. What people don't understand is this is all paperwork stuff

720
01:12:30,450 --> 01:12:39,890
type investigation. We send subpoenas out to these companies. They respond to them

721
01:12:40,790 --> 01:12:45,870
When they respond to them, we can't – none of them are based here in Iowa.

722
01:12:46,070 --> 01:12:49,890
We can't force them to respond any faster than what they do.

723
01:12:50,110 --> 01:12:54,730
So when we get information back, then we have to use that information, and we have

724
01:12:54,730 --> 01:12:58,990
to usually send out more subpoenas, and that's just the way these cases work.

725
01:12:59,330 --> 01:13:02,150
So they're time-consuming.

726
01:13:04,410 --> 01:13:05,510
So anything else?

727
01:13:06,190 --> 01:13:06,830
I have nothing.

728
01:13:07,070 --> 01:13:07,450
Thanks, Joe.

729
01:13:07,710 --> 01:13:07,910
All right.

730
01:13:07,990 --> 01:13:08,230
Thank you.

731
01:13:08,230 --> 01:13:08,850
Thank you.

732
01:13:12,870 --> 01:13:13,170
Okay.

733
01:13:13,290 --> 01:13:17,970
Our next work session and presentation discussion and possible action regarding conduit and

734
01:13:17,970 --> 01:13:20,910
DIG-1's updates by Nathan Gilmour, the IT director.

735
01:13:21,230 --> 01:13:21,390
Nathan.

736
01:13:22,230 --> 01:13:22,850
Good morning, Nathan.

737
01:13:23,230 --> 01:13:24,250
Good morning, supervisors.

738
01:13:25,450 --> 01:13:25,690
Happy Monday.

739
01:13:26,990 --> 01:13:32,470
As a pretty much total coincidence, it's been about two years almost to the day since

740
01:13:32,470 --> 01:13:39,850
we last had a conversation about DIG-1's and conduit and vision and strategic planning

741
01:13:39,850 --> 01:13:40,390
for it.

742
01:13:42,370 --> 01:13:44,710
So, Kevin, can I have the mouse, or can you move it?

743
01:13:45,010 --> 01:13:45,110
Can

744
01:13:50,780 --> 01:13:52,000
you recap briefly?

745
01:13:52,420 --> 01:13:54,740
So, I sent you a tremendous amount of documentation,

746
01:13:55,180 --> 01:14:00,240
and most of that is stuff that you have already had over the last several years.

747
01:14:01,140 --> 01:14:04,520
The first couple slides is really just what I want to talk about.

748
01:14:04,700 --> 01:14:10,880
So, from a historical standpoint, I first brought this to the board in 2017,

749
01:14:10,880 --> 01:14:18,520
and there's the irony of elections is none of you were here and this is my third

750
01:14:18,520 --> 01:14:25,400
board in the last nine ten years here so in 2017 I brought up that we need to

751
01:14:25,400 --> 01:14:31,280
start planning we need to start figuring out a conduit and fiber strategy for our

752
01:14:31,280 --> 01:14:40,620
main locations and we have had good success with that original concept from

753
01:14:41,420 --> 01:14:50,280
By the end of 2025, we'll have most of our main campuses on fiber that we can control and operate.

754
01:14:50,940 --> 01:14:54,020
So we've had a lot of success, and I'm very pleased with that.

755
01:14:56,020 --> 01:14:59,820
In 2022, ARPA, well 2021 was an ARPA was passed.

756
01:15:00,000 --> 01:15:06,580
Since 2022 is when I pitched multiple projects to the supervisors. And one of them was a dig

757
01:15:06,580 --> 01:15:16,520
once vision strategy. That make up of the board did not approve funding or any sort of policy

758
01:15:17,170 --> 01:15:25,640
generation for that. And then in July 22, I did a last proposal, which was a scale down

759
01:15:25,640 --> 01:15:28,060
version of it, and that also was not approved.

760
01:15:35,750 --> 01:15:39,510
So this was the 2017 slide from that budget.

761
01:15:40,430 --> 01:15:48,650
This is aspirational. This was an idea to give an visual of what a fiber ring would look like.

762
01:15:49,150 --> 01:15:52,530
This actually goes all the way down to Sirius Farley Nature Center,

763
01:15:53,230 --> 01:15:58,010
and there's two going up to Sunnycrest. This was the idea.

764
01:16:00,600 --> 01:16:01,980
And by the end of 2025,

765
01:16:01,980 --> 01:16:07,580
five we will have something similar to this. So I want to be clear we have had a lot of

766
01:16:07,580 --> 01:16:15,140
success and we have had good progress on achieving that. The red line is going up to Sunny Crest

767
01:16:15,140 --> 01:16:22,700
and I am actively working on getting a second fiber line up there in a dissimilar path,

768
01:16:23,740 --> 01:16:28,420
you know, and took me nine years to get that one. So I'm starting now. It might

769
01:16:28,420 --> 01:16:34,000
take me nine years to get a second one. This goes down to Key West and then back down to

770
01:16:34,000 --> 01:16:39,600
the courthouse. So it does not hit Nature Center, but this is still a massive win for the county.

771
01:16:39,800 --> 01:16:43,080
So by the end of 2025, we should have something similar to this.

772
01:16:50,720 --> 01:16:51,980
So I wanted to bring up

773
01:16:51,980 --> 01:16:57,520
a conversation about Dig Once because two, three weeks ago, maybe a little bit longer,

774
01:16:57,740 --> 01:17:03,800
there was an opportunity and we were unable to move swiftly enough to take advantage

775
01:17:03,800 --> 01:17:09,940
of that. So, in this instance, I wanted to adjust that work session to revisit DigOnce.

776
01:17:11,200 --> 01:17:17,740
So we've had two opportunities in the last few months. One was the one on Old Highway

777
01:17:17,740 --> 01:17:23,900
Road. That conduit was installed about a week after my work session with you.

778
01:17:31,600 --> 01:17:32,160
So that

779
01:17:32,160 --> 01:17:36,500
I guess advertising that out to my friends

780
01:17:36,500 --> 01:17:40,580
and fellow stakeholders and partners of those contexts

781
01:17:40,580 --> 01:17:42,620
that I have made in the last few years

782
01:17:42,620 --> 01:17:44,940
as I've worked on this, there were others

783
01:17:44,940 --> 01:17:47,220
that were able to take advantage of that dig.

784
01:17:47,480 --> 01:17:50,100
So it wasn't just that.

785
01:17:50,400 --> 01:17:52,180
We were not able to, but there were others

786
01:17:52,180 --> 01:17:54,020
that were able to, which is that's a win.

787
01:17:54,600 --> 01:17:56,480
That's a good win for right of way

788
01:17:56,480 --> 01:17:59,300
and keeping it healthy.

789
01:18:00,540 --> 01:18:05,920
There was another one that had a tremendous amount of county roads, Sundown Road, North

790
01:18:05,920 --> 01:18:10,880
Cage, Cascade, Monastery, had several good conversations with the contractor.

791
01:18:11,680 --> 01:18:20,220
But in the end, they chose not to work with the county to have us join their build.

792
01:18:21,180 --> 01:18:23,020
And that's fully their right.

793
01:18:24,060 --> 01:18:25,320
They chose not to.

794
01:18:25,320 --> 01:18:32,400
and I'm not going to ask him more. That's not my business. So Old Highway Road, this is what was

795
01:18:32,400 --> 01:18:38,200
installed approximately. There is more to it going to the east along Cyple, but this was the part

796
01:18:38,200 --> 01:18:39,400
that I was focused on.

797
01:18:44,410 --> 01:18:50,790
The other one was this. It was tremendous amounts of county roads. I was

798
01:18:50,790 --> 01:18:57,630
focused on Sundown and North Cascade, not all of it. We have to, there has to be a reason

799
01:18:57,630 --> 01:19:03,330
on what we can focus on, but they chose not to partner with us on this.

800
01:19:08,770 --> 01:19:10,190
So we

801
01:19:12,340 --> 01:19:14,980
are following the current policies and procedures.

802
01:19:15,420 --> 01:19:18,340
We don't have a dig once policy in place.

803
01:19:18,500 --> 01:19:21,340
We don't have a process in place.

804
01:19:22,420 --> 01:19:23,620
We don't have incentives.

805
01:19:24,020 --> 01:19:25,320
We don't have carrots or sticks.

806
01:19:25,760 --> 01:19:28,760
So this is how it is currently.

807
01:19:31,060 --> 01:19:36,340
And what I would like to have a conversation, since we will be starting budgets in the next

808
01:19:36,340 --> 01:19:42,700
few months, and it's been two years since we had an open conversation about dig-once

809
01:19:42,700 --> 01:19:47,600
and philosophies, and do we want to do that sort of initiative?

810
01:19:49,610 --> 01:19:54,510
I'm asking the board, do we want to develop a dig-once policy?

811
01:19:55,410 --> 01:20:04,690
Do we want to start developing that, funding it, and coming up with a version of that?

812
01:20:05,390 --> 01:20:10,370
The city of Dubuque has been a leader on this for 20 years.

813
01:20:11,250 --> 01:20:13,150
We don't need to reinvent the wheel.

814
01:20:13,570 --> 01:20:17,150
There are municipalities that do this successfully every day.

815
01:20:17,650 --> 01:20:21,310
But this is not something that, you know, you can say do this and I'll come back

816
01:20:21,310 --> 01:20:21,690
in a week.

817
01:20:21,850 --> 01:20:22,630
This will take time.

818
01:20:22,630 --> 01:20:30,190
this will take several months to figure out what makes sense from a county perspective

819
01:20:30,190 --> 01:20:37,950
with secondary roads, zoning, getting feedback from stakeholders. Is this something we want to

820
01:20:37,950 --> 01:20:45,690
develop? And if so, great. We'll add it to the project list and we'll keep you apprised and

821
01:20:45,690 --> 01:20:53,110
keep you updated and if not then that's okay that's you know I wanted to bring it

822
01:20:53,110 --> 01:20:54,850
back around since it's been about two years.

823
01:20:58,020 --> 01:21:00,720
What is the cost of doing a dig

824
01:21:00,720 --> 01:21:01,440
once policy?

825
01:21:05,170 --> 01:21:11,270
It depends I don't know to be clear when I did the ARPA proposal I

826
01:21:11,270 --> 01:21:17,050
had a really large number in that and the idea behind that was the vast

827
01:21:17,050 --> 01:21:25,090
majority of it would pre-fund conduit, and then a portion of that would be legal services

828
01:21:25,890 --> 01:21:26,870
to develop it.

829
01:21:27,770 --> 01:21:32,830
To develop it and actually implement it, I don't believe we're talking a lot of money.

830
01:21:33,070 --> 01:21:38,050
A lot of it will be GDDC assistance, it will be internal staff developing it,

831
01:21:40,390 --> 01:21:40,890
county attorney

832
01:21:40,890 --> 01:21:43,830
Nelson will need to be involved to help us with some of it.

833
01:21:43,830 --> 01:21:50,630
But I'm not looking at a big number, but it's more of a question of if I'm going to get other

834
01:21:50,630 --> 01:21:56,470
county employees involved and I'm going to get other stakeholders involved, use up their

835
01:21:56,470 --> 01:21:57,710
time, GDDC.

836
01:21:58,010 --> 01:21:58,950
It's a big initiative.

837
01:21:59,190 --> 01:22:02,890
It's a big endeavor to develop these documents and then get it in place.

838
01:22:04,270 --> 01:22:06,050
So I guess a

839
01:22:09,440 --> 01:22:14,860
lot of times you're not too big of a number, is a big number to me.

840
01:22:14,860 --> 01:22:18,020
So that's why I got to ask the question. Of course.

841
01:22:22,680 --> 01:22:23,700
I guess I have

842
01:22:24,500 --> 01:22:28,140
supervisor Kenneker had brought up that there were several

843
01:22:30,160 --> 01:22:33,720
Projects that were in the hopper that haven't been completed yet. Mm-hmm

844
01:22:34,480 --> 01:22:39,000
Right one with six hundred some thousand line a total of six hundred and thirty three thousand

845
01:22:39,800 --> 01:22:42,520
You know where I come up number I came up with

846
01:22:43,300 --> 01:22:45,220
Okay, where do they stand at?

847
01:22:45,840 --> 01:22:48,580
Well, not all of that is conduit and fiber.

848
01:22:48,860 --> 01:22:54,020
There are certain ones that I have targeted that I believe we will get over the finish

849
01:22:54,020 --> 01:22:55,420
line on the Heritage Trail.

850
01:22:56,840 --> 01:22:57,760
It's premature.

851
01:22:58,780 --> 01:23:00,280
We're at the finish line on one or two.

852
01:23:00,500 --> 01:23:04,880
I want to make certain that we get there before I got to keep my powder dry.

853
01:23:07,040 --> 01:23:10,240
My focus primarily has been Heritage Trail.

854
01:23:10,720 --> 01:23:11,240
We own it.

855
01:23:11,340 --> 01:23:12,040
We operate it.

856
01:23:12,600 --> 01:23:14,160
It's near a lot of our assets.

857
01:23:14,160 --> 01:23:22,060
it goes very close to several other radio towers. It makes a lot of sense. That is

858
01:23:22,060 --> 01:23:28,380
not necessarily a dig once initiative because we own it and we're doing things

859
01:23:28,380 --> 01:23:33,480
with others along it. Now the stage three doing 15 or highly three is where

860
01:23:33,480 --> 01:23:37,500
that project comes in between Drango and Play Hill. There are other yeah

861
01:23:37,500 --> 01:23:44,460
there's there's lots of things at play and a larger dig wants conversation and

862
01:23:44,460 --> 01:23:49,800
if it's a question of coming back in a month with a idea of what it would cost

863
01:23:49,800 --> 01:23:54,720
time and money to develop it great I will absolutely I will welcome that

864
01:23:54,720 --> 01:24:03,700
conversation what's the benefit of us owning the conduit can't we just

865
01:24:03,700 --> 01:24:06,780
at least align in the conduit?

866
01:24:08,910 --> 01:24:10,950
It would probably be a blend.

867
01:24:11,310 --> 01:24:16,830
There are certain locations where it makes sense for us to own the fiber,

868
01:24:17,070 --> 01:24:20,130
even if for me maybe not owning the conduit, owning the fiber.

869
01:24:21,350 --> 01:24:24,590
There are some locations that it probably would not make sense for.

870
01:24:25,210 --> 01:24:30,830
It needs to be done on a strategic vision target.

871
01:24:31,730 --> 01:24:34,430
So, you know, West Campus is a very obvious one.

872
01:24:34,430 --> 01:24:37,510
We want to own whatever we're connecting out there.

873
01:24:41,490 --> 01:24:44,050
Probably new wine, I mean, in a great,

874
01:24:44,950 --> 01:24:47,210
it would be awesome if we could, but realistically, no.

875
01:24:47,390 --> 01:24:49,730
We'd probably lease connectivity out to new wine

876
01:24:49,730 --> 01:24:52,150
for a very long time until something came about.

877
01:24:52,830 --> 01:24:56,670
So in my mind, it is not an all or nothing.

878
01:24:56,990 --> 01:25:00,450
It is on a case by case for the location in question.

879
01:25:01,170 --> 01:25:02,470
We have a lot of locations

880
01:25:03,990 --> 01:25:06,950
and a lot of them are near the hairs of trail.

881
01:25:06,950 --> 01:25:08,570
a lot of them are near old highway.

882
01:25:09,510 --> 01:25:14,330
There are runs that would make sense.

883
01:25:16,820 --> 01:25:19,900
I also look at it as two paths.

884
01:25:20,180 --> 01:25:27,360
One, it's safer and less maintenance on technology

885
01:25:27,360 --> 01:25:30,560
on my side if we own and operate the fiber,

886
01:25:30,900 --> 01:25:33,180
if we're not going through somebody else's network,

887
01:25:33,500 --> 01:25:35,660
if we're not leasing another connection.

888
01:25:35,660 --> 01:25:40,160
And then I look at this over 50, 60, 70 years.

889
01:25:40,840 --> 01:25:49,880
When you take stuff out 70 years, that ROI tends to be easier to swallow.

890
01:25:51,850 --> 01:25:57,390
So I think that this conversation gets to this point and then it fizzles away.

891
01:25:57,650 --> 01:26:01,790
Because we start talking about, hypothetically this money, hypothetically this money,

892
01:26:01,910 --> 01:26:04,830
big costs, big numbers, we don't know, we don't know, we don't know.

893
01:26:04,830 --> 01:26:09,230
It's like trying to explain electricity before electricity came to your house.

894
01:26:09,830 --> 01:26:14,230
It was unknown and I don't know if my great grandparents embraced it or not.

895
01:26:14,310 --> 01:26:18,970
Maybe they didn't do it until all the neighbors had it and they relaxed, which is what's

896
01:26:18,970 --> 01:26:20,830
happening to us in technology.

897
01:26:21,570 --> 01:26:25,510
Everybody's doing it, but we're not because we don't have all of our information.

898
01:26:25,990 --> 01:26:32,110
I would just really ask Nathan that we need to have this, the most simplest conversation

899
01:26:32,110 --> 01:26:40,090
about what is DigOnce and that should be a two-sentence answer and why do we need

900
01:26:40,090 --> 01:26:47,030
it? Right now people are using our right-of-way for their own corporate gain

901
01:26:47,030 --> 01:26:53,610
and not giving space to us. There's no reason they have to come and ask us. They

902
01:26:53,610 --> 01:26:58,890
use my right-of-way, our right-of-way, but we get no advantage from that and

903
01:26:58,890 --> 01:27:07,890
And that's what I understand big ones is to even that playing field when you want to go forward into View County, we are a necessary partner.

904
01:27:09,050 --> 01:27:13,710
So can you tell me what big ones is and why do I need to vote for it?

905
01:27:22,670 --> 01:27:25,190
I would second, I would second everything you said.

906
01:27:25,990 --> 01:27:28,290
And I would then also add that.

907
01:27:29,350 --> 01:27:38,410
it helps keep the right-of-way healthy. It minimizes returning to the right-of-way to

908
01:27:38,410 --> 01:27:44,890
install additional infrastructure. So let's pick on old highways since that's fresh. We

909
01:27:44,890 --> 01:27:51,630
have assets. We have a radio tower very close to where that path was. We have a Farley

910
01:27:51,630 --> 01:28:00,310
shop, not that much farther down Old Highway. There will be conduits to nowhere at the start

911
01:28:00,310 --> 01:28:08,510
of this. There's no way I can get around that. ARPA was my idea to leapfrog some of this and

912
01:28:08,510 --> 01:28:14,950
catch up from 20 years of not doing this. That didn't happen. Fine. We still have to

913
01:28:14,950 --> 01:28:21,290
start somewhere. So in the short term, we are strategic, we are targeted, we

914
01:28:21,290 --> 01:28:26,190
obviously can't do every single county road, like I get that. But there are

915
01:28:26,190 --> 01:28:33,290
certain county roads that are either of high value and high traffic because of

916
01:28:33,290 --> 01:28:40,690
what they are and what they connect and where they are near our assets, our

917
01:28:40,690 --> 01:28:50,250
county assets or anchor institutions, so county libraries, clinics, anything that is a community

918
01:28:50,250 --> 01:28:58,650
anchor institution. So the simplest explanation would dig once is someone needs to dig up or

919
01:28:58,650 --> 01:29:04,670
or trench along the county right-of-way. As part of that permitting process, the county

920
01:29:04,670 --> 01:29:08,190
installs some kind of seven-way conduit.

921
01:29:09,250 --> 01:29:15,370
And then realistically that right of way should not need to be dug up again in the near future

922
01:29:16,170 --> 01:29:25,050
because the cost for somebody else to return and do that will be significantly higher and

923
01:29:25,050 --> 01:29:33,670
significantly longer in design and engineering versus going to the county and leasing one

924
01:29:33,670 --> 01:29:38,230
of the remaining ducts. Why would that cost be different if somebody goes back and does

925
01:29:38,230 --> 01:29:45,330
it the second time? Because this is already in there. There is a duct. They can just blow

926
01:29:45,330 --> 01:29:47,590
their fiber through. Fiber is cheap.

927
01:29:48,470 --> 01:29:52,910
I thought you said if somebody had to go back and dig again. I get if you're pulling

928
01:29:52,910 --> 01:29:58,210
fiber through an existing conduit. I thought I heard you say that if someone had to

929
01:29:58,210 --> 01:29:59,870
go back and dig.

930
01:30:00,000 --> 01:30:10,860
I'm glad to be in there again. Hence the day one process. Why would the second time the contractor went back in to dig or put an additional conduit in? Would it be more, that much more expensive as you expressed?

931
01:30:11,260 --> 01:30:24,740
It would be more, it would be more expensive than them just leasing a dock. Because they're the infrastructures in place. They would not, when you're purchasing the materials, you're purchasing the engineering, you're purchasing.

932
01:30:24,740 --> 01:30:30,380
I misunderstood you. I thought you said if the contractor went in and dug one year and put conduit in it would be a little

933
01:30:30,380 --> 01:30:36,440
They came back the second year or two years later and another contractor or another entity put

934
01:30:36,440 --> 01:30:39,180
Conduit in again, it would be significantly more expensive

935
01:30:39,180 --> 01:30:43,100
It would not be significantly it would be more expensive just because of inflation

936
01:30:43,100 --> 01:30:48,340
But also because there's more stuff in it the more stuff in the right-of-way that the harder you need to

937
01:30:48,340 --> 01:30:52,920
Locates and avoid other people's things. So it would be a little more expensive down the road

938
01:30:52,920 --> 01:30:57,220
but no, I'm talking comparing them doing it versus us.

939
01:30:58,020 --> 01:30:59,540
And again, this is not a moneymaker.

940
01:30:59,820 --> 01:31:03,800
This is not intended for the county to make money.

941
01:31:03,980 --> 01:31:06,200
It is intended to preserve the right of way,

942
01:31:06,640 --> 01:31:10,440
speed up fiber deployments throughout the county.

943
01:31:11,580 --> 01:31:14,180
And yes, make a little bit about,

944
01:31:14,500 --> 01:31:16,080
put it in an enterprise fund,

945
01:31:16,420 --> 01:31:19,460
do something to where it pays

946
01:31:19,460 --> 01:31:28,440
for the maintenance itself over time. A lot of counties and cities do this and we have

947
01:31:28,440 --> 01:31:34,360
not gotten to a point where we're ready to do that yet. So we had two recent missed opportunities

948
01:31:35,060 --> 01:31:42,560
that would have had value to the county and would have had value for future people coming

949
01:31:42,560 --> 01:31:43,200
down here.

950
01:31:43,200 --> 01:31:50,400
So, might be interesting to understand the increase in operational cost if it's owned by us, okay?

951
01:31:51,520 --> 01:32:01,920
Because of the Iowa underground locator situation, is that a per mile per call?

952
01:32:02,660 --> 01:32:08,520
How does that assessed when an entity has underground facilities?

953
01:32:09,400 --> 01:32:11,340
I will find that out in follow-up.

954
01:32:11,340 --> 01:32:17,780
I don't know the answer to that from a it may be a minuscule cost or maybe it's something worth talking about. I think you'll be surprised

955
01:32:17,780 --> 01:32:19,860
Okay, yeah, I'll find that out

956
01:32:19,860 --> 01:32:24,100
Nathan for us to agree to develop a one a big ones policy

957
01:32:24,100 --> 01:32:28,280
Does that cost money for us to agree to you to do the next steps?

958
01:32:29,780 --> 01:32:31,720
For the next next steps no

959
01:32:32,560 --> 01:32:38,600
For us to actually develop something of where you could put and make it a policy

960
01:32:38,600 --> 01:32:41,980
I do think there will be some cost to that.

961
01:32:42,200 --> 01:32:44,100
I mean, we're going to need some legal advice.

962
01:32:44,300 --> 01:32:49,820
We're going to need somebody to help us check ourselves

963
01:32:49,820 --> 01:32:52,580
to make certain that we're following the code properly.

964
01:32:53,280 --> 01:32:55,160
Again, we don't need to reinvent the wheel.

965
01:32:55,580 --> 01:32:57,760
Like a lot of municipalities do this,

966
01:32:58,320 --> 01:32:59,740
but I don't want to make it sound

967
01:32:59,740 --> 01:33:01,200
like it's just employee time.

968
01:33:01,460 --> 01:33:03,120
There's going to be something here

969
01:33:03,120 --> 01:33:04,040
that's going to cost money.

970
01:33:04,080 --> 01:33:05,420
Maybe it's five grand, 10 grand.

971
01:33:05,580 --> 01:33:06,260
I don't know.

972
01:33:06,260 --> 01:33:12,340
but I can try to get a nest of it on that if there is consensus to at least take the next step.

973
01:33:12,620 --> 01:33:24,690
Your vision of dig once policy is going to allow you to move forward with opportunities without

974
01:33:24,690 --> 01:33:29,510
coming back to the board every time, because I heard you say funding. So I'm assuming you're

975
01:33:29,510 --> 01:33:36,350
looking to create this bucket, which is somewhat started because of that 633,000,

976
01:33:36,350 --> 01:33:44,110
I believe 315,000 of it is associated with fiber paths and other fiber related things.

977
01:33:44,650 --> 01:33:49,370
One thing we've skipped over and I know you and I have had individual conversations and

978
01:33:49,370 --> 01:33:52,650
I think some of those had great value.

979
01:33:53,790 --> 01:33:58,830
And again, I realize this is not the same board that this conversation started with

980
01:33:58,830 --> 01:34:01,570
and I realize we're probably not all on the same page.

981
01:34:04,310 --> 01:34:08,250
I guess I look at it as a return on investment and we talked about that and I was actually

982
01:34:08,250 --> 01:34:14,630
hoping that that might be part of today's benefit, you know. We talked about what is not a lot of

983
01:34:14,630 --> 01:34:22,710
money and what other people might think is a lot of money. It was very nice to see an adjusted

984
01:34:22,710 --> 01:34:30,130
map of what the vision was a couple of years ago that you mentioned versus is where it looks like

985
01:34:30,130 --> 01:34:39,050
it's going now, I'd like to see something that we're talking about the overall, you know,

986
01:34:40,010 --> 01:34:45,170
there has to be an end to a project, right? You know, it might be 10, it might be 15,

987
01:34:45,290 --> 01:34:50,990
it might be 20 years down the road. It might also have a number associated with it, which

988
01:34:50,990 --> 01:34:57,050
obviously is, you know, 20 years out, it's pretty soft from right now. But I'd also

989
01:34:57,050 --> 01:35:06,870
like to be able to say, what is the benefit? I know connecting facilities has some value.

990
01:35:07,090 --> 01:35:14,430
You mentioned Dewine Park. You mentioned the Farley shop. How does that benefit the operations

991
01:35:14,430 --> 01:35:18,210
that exist today? There has to be a reason that we're doing that, not just because

992
01:35:18,210 --> 01:35:27,190
This technology is a great term these days and that we don't want to be the last one.

993
01:35:28,910 --> 01:35:37,410
What are the operational benefits in this fiber effort as a whole?

994
01:35:38,070 --> 01:35:44,250
You know, does putting fiber at the

995
01:35:46,940 --> 01:35:51,980
Farley shop, the Holy Cross shop, the Fillmore shop,

996
01:35:52,920 --> 01:35:54,760
how is that going to benefit us?

997
01:35:55,320 --> 01:35:57,700
I know I've heard the word security cameras.

998
01:36:01,210 --> 01:36:02,810
Security, there's a cost to security.

999
01:36:03,370 --> 01:36:05,550
If there's a reason for security, I get it.

1000
01:36:05,670 --> 01:36:07,670
It's always nice to be able to sleep better at night.

1001
01:36:08,550 --> 01:36:11,830
But I see us spending a tremendous amount of money here.

1002
01:36:12,770 --> 01:36:18,370
When you said not much, you were talking about a specific piece or segment of this project.

1003
01:36:19,650 --> 01:36:27,610
I think we need to capture, and this is again where there's a difference between, as you said, previous boards and present boards.

1004
01:36:29,350 --> 01:36:30,670
And I think we need to,

1005
01:36:33,160 --> 01:36:36,440
maybe it's because I've only been here a little over a year and a half,

1006
01:36:36,440 --> 01:36:43,280
but I don't think that should put me in a situation where I just breeze by some of this

1007
01:36:43,280 --> 01:36:48,260
information before making a decision. This is a lot of money. What is it going to do for us?

1008
01:36:48,720 --> 01:36:55,300
Technology in the background can be a very expensive operating cost. And if there's no benefit

1009
01:36:55,300 --> 01:37:00,820
to it, other than the fact that we own fiber, is it going to make us better? Is it going to

1010
01:37:00,820 --> 01:37:08,440
allow us to prevent hiring new resources as things change? Is it going to allow as people

1011
01:37:08,440 --> 01:37:15,900
retire to reduce workforce? Why are we doing it other than the fact that, hey, we got technology?

1012
01:37:17,640 --> 01:37:21,540
I'd like to know what's going on. Okay. I don't think Wayne's mic's working.

1013
01:37:22,540 --> 01:37:27,640
I don't know. I think it's lit green, but he's very, very faint for me. He turns off in

1014
01:37:31,550 --> 01:37:33,310
I'll work on that, I'm sure.

1015
01:37:36,060 --> 01:37:41,200
I guess the cost to put in the conduit and stuff is very high.

1016
01:37:41,560 --> 01:37:41,720
Yes.

1017
01:37:42,680 --> 01:37:46,680
I look at leasing fiber from somebody else

1018
01:37:46,680 --> 01:37:49,400
and I can lease for a hell of a long time

1019
01:37:50,160 --> 01:37:51,940
compared to what it costs to put it in.

1020
01:37:52,480 --> 01:37:52,680
Yes.

1021
01:37:54,240 --> 01:37:59,100
And as Wayne said, going out to the Farley shop,

1022
01:37:59,300 --> 01:38:03,920
what is the benefit to going there?

1023
01:38:03,920 --> 01:38:10,320
I mean, okay, we have workers there, but they sign in, they go to work.

1024
01:38:10,580 --> 01:38:14,060
I mean, they're not there on the computer all day.

1025
01:38:14,180 --> 01:38:14,560
You know what I mean?

1026
01:38:14,660 --> 01:38:17,340
I guess I don't understand the benefits to some of it.

1027
01:38:18,480 --> 01:38:21,080
I don't have any problem with dig once.

1028
01:38:21,720 --> 01:38:29,160
I think my take on it was that if you have to dig once policy that if somebody is coming

1029
01:38:29,160 --> 01:38:32,200
in, they have to notify us that they're doing it, right?

1030
01:38:32,200 --> 01:38:39,060
So you can do it a couple of different ways, and some of this we'll go back to bucket of money.

1031
01:38:39,540 --> 01:38:49,180
Cart before the horse. We need a policy in place that allows us the time to evaluate

1032
01:38:50,120 --> 01:38:58,360
is there value in us putting conduit in along a certain stretch that someone has requested a permit for.

1033
01:39:00,040 --> 01:39:05,720
currently we don't have that opportunity. They request the permit. Secondary

1034
01:39:05,720 --> 01:39:09,580
Rhodes says, yep, you're good and sends it on. A lot of them I don't even know

1035
01:39:09,580 --> 01:39:14,640
about. Sometimes Russell will let me know if he thinks, but they already have the

1036
01:39:14,640 --> 01:39:19,460
signed permit, like the horse has left the barn. Who signed the permit? That

1037
01:39:19,460 --> 01:39:25,740
would be county engineer. So if we had big ones, anybody looking to use the

1038
01:39:25,740 --> 01:39:30,760
right away to do this would need to notify IT. It would be a natural flow to your system.

1039
01:39:30,760 --> 01:39:35,360
It would be direct. It would be a process within an internal process.

1040
01:39:35,820 --> 01:39:41,140
And it doesn't cost money just because we have a dig once policy. I understand getting

1041
01:39:41,140 --> 01:39:43,540
a dig once policy. There's some cost. Yes.

1042
01:39:43,900 --> 01:39:50,560
Time in experts, I get that. But the idea that we would do a dig once policy doesn't

1043
01:39:50,560 --> 01:39:57,320
start churning out costs. It begins the conversation so we can evaluate what opportunities we're

1044
01:39:57,320 --> 01:40:02,800
missing, what opportunities are occurring, what are we being given as options. I don't

1045
01:40:02,800 --> 01:40:08,540
see you here asking for the ring like you were during ARPA, which was us being the

1046
01:40:08,540 --> 01:40:15,440
nearly the contractor, doing the work, laying the line, putting the fiber in. What I understand

1047
01:40:15,440 --> 01:40:22,460
you to be asking is the simple conversation. Dubuque County needs to have a big one's policy.

1048
01:40:23,180 --> 01:40:30,460
The costs are not in the policy. The costs will come as projects are identified. But if we don't

1049
01:40:30,460 --> 01:40:37,760
believe in the first step of having a policy discussion, this is going to be eight more

1050
01:40:37,760 --> 01:40:43,240
boards. We're going to be years down the road on this. Generations. I understand the policy

1051
01:40:43,240 --> 01:40:52,520
part of it? Well, to me it's a matter of communication. We have a permit process right now. Call it process, call it policy, whatever you want to call it.

1052
01:40:53,960 --> 01:41:06,340
I believe the step that we're looking for is that all in case there's something, it's no different than a rezoning. You know, it goes through many hands to make sure other departments

1053
01:41:08,260 --> 01:41:17,160
are affected by it or can see some advantage in it. So I see this as, hey, when a permit

1054
01:41:17,160 --> 01:41:24,480
comes in, because it's in our right-of-way, what other departments need to be signing off

1055
01:41:24,480 --> 01:41:30,240
on it as well, right? We have a process for zoning. It goes through the different signatures.

1056
01:41:30,940 --> 01:41:34,020
That's what I'm hearing happening here. Does it need to go through the county

1057
01:41:34,020 --> 01:41:38,740
attorney doesn't need to go through zoning? Probably not. If you want to call it a policy,

1058
01:41:39,260 --> 01:41:46,480
your name has a little, the name of this effort, dig once, already puts us into the digging part

1059
01:41:46,480 --> 01:41:52,340
of it. If you're talking about a, you know, communication part of it, so you get made aware

1060
01:41:53,380 --> 01:42:00,400
some contractor is going to be digging for water, sewer, fiber, electric, whatever,

1061
01:42:00,400 --> 01:42:05,840
in Dubuque County's right-of-way, because that's really the only time that permitting

1062
01:42:05,840 --> 01:42:08,700
issue is focused through the county,

1063
01:42:10,780 --> 01:42:16,580
what more is a, this policy, are you looking forward

1064
01:42:16,580 --> 01:42:21,660
to do? Is it a policy? Is it a procedure? You want to know about digging in County

1065
01:42:21,660 --> 01:42:26,820
right-of-way, so if there's something that we can be advantaged by doing that,

1066
01:42:26,820 --> 01:42:36,500
we do it right yes what I am looking for is do we want to develop and yes we can

1067
01:42:36,500 --> 01:42:41,420
change the name if we want to I don't care what we call it but right now there

1068
01:42:41,420 --> 01:42:53,440
is no process either incentive carrot stick there there's nothing to require

1069
01:42:54,500 --> 01:43:01,640
somebody to work with us. So the second example, I mean I reached out to them, I

1070
01:43:01,640 --> 01:43:06,500
had several good conversations with them. Forget the funding piece, it didn't even

1071
01:43:06,500 --> 01:43:13,220
reach the question. Are you saying then we're issuing permits and contractors

1072
01:43:13,220 --> 01:43:17,920
are denying us access to go in the ditch with them and we want to change

1073
01:43:17,920 --> 01:43:25,960
that. That is what I would like to explore as a change in county vision and policy because yes,

1074
01:43:26,080 --> 01:43:33,080
that is the second example I gave is that they chose not to allow us to work with them to go

1075
01:43:33,080 --> 01:43:40,960
into the ditch with them on that project because we don't have a dig once policy in place. There

1076
01:43:40,960 --> 01:43:46,720
There is nothing for us to incentivize or carrot or stick or deny.

1077
01:43:46,900 --> 01:43:48,020
There's nothing there.

1078
01:43:48,360 --> 01:43:51,360
As long as they meet the permit, they get the permit and they offer the races.

1079
01:43:52,160 --> 01:43:54,340
That is not the spirit of dig once.

1080
01:43:54,520 --> 01:43:57,620
The spirit of dig once is somebody's going to do a project.

1081
01:43:58,140 --> 01:44:00,000
They're either going to dig or they're going to bore.

1082
01:44:01,240 --> 01:44:04,560
Who else wants to join in?

1083
01:44:05,100 --> 01:44:07,160
It doesn't not also have to be the county.

1084
01:44:07,160 --> 01:44:19,800
Part of dig once is having an advertisement something so others can join that go one of the goals is to stop disrupting the right of way.

1085
01:44:19,880 --> 01:44:25,780
You are you familiar with other government entities that have this in place.

1086
01:44:26,140 --> 01:44:27,780
Yes, I have several examples.

1087
01:44:29,260 --> 01:44:40,900
So, they can prevent a vendor or a contractor slash utility from going in a excavation of

1088
01:44:40,900 --> 01:44:41,580
whatever type.

1089
01:44:42,500 --> 01:44:47,100
The county can prevent them from doing that unless they allow the county to go in with

1090
01:44:47,100 --> 01:44:47,320
them.

1091
01:44:48,320 --> 01:44:50,120
For Iowa, it's harder.

1092
01:44:50,700 --> 01:44:55,660
The code is not quite as strong, so we put it.

1093
01:44:56,320 --> 01:44:59,980
So, like I said, it's not as simple as...

1094
01:45:00,000 --> 01:45:10,220
We're going to change our policy. I am asking, do we want to work towards developing a sophisticated

1095
01:45:10,880 --> 01:45:18,180
and manageable, dig-once policy? This is going to take us a couple months. This is not going

1096
01:45:18,180 --> 01:45:23,620
to be quick because whatever we develop, we need to make certain that we're following the

1097
01:45:23,620 --> 01:45:34,570
code and that we're not burdening our private sector partners. But if you look out decades,

1098
01:45:35,230 --> 01:45:43,270
which is what this helps, the lens you should be looking at is decades, this pays off over

1099
01:45:43,270 --> 01:45:49,350
time because of decisions that we make now as the ground is dug up.

1100
01:45:49,930 --> 01:45:54,330
Technology changes over time. Ten years from now, fiber might not be the greatest

1101
01:45:54,330 --> 01:46:00,150
it will. And I don't make many declarative statements in this room. I'm from St. Louis.

1102
01:46:00,770 --> 01:46:06,230
When I was doing research two, three years ago for ARPA, we have the Harris's Trail is

1103
01:46:06,230 --> 01:46:12,130
a gem. Okay, we are unique that we have the Harris's Trail. I was trying to find other

1104
01:46:13,030 --> 01:46:19,050
Harris's Trail type examples. As ironically, I found it in St. Louis. I remember we have

1105
01:46:19,050 --> 01:46:26,850
the Katie Trail. There was a news article from like 1988. The City Council was paving

1106
01:46:26,850 --> 01:46:34,710
the Katie Trail. AT&T showed up at the City Council meeting and said, we're going to give

1107
01:46:34,710 --> 01:46:43,450
you $40,000 if you delay paving this for three weeks so we can put conduit under

1108
01:46:43,450 --> 01:46:49,210
the trail before you do that. City Council was like, cool, we can delay it three weeks that

1109
01:46:49,210 --> 01:46:55,430
even the penalty for the contractor is like five grand, whatever the article said. That conduit,

1110
01:46:55,770 --> 01:47:00,510
not only the conduit, but the fiber that was put in 1988 is still in use today.

1111
01:47:02,590 --> 01:47:08,050
Fiber does not have an upper limit. The equipment on the ends is what you change.

1112
01:47:08,610 --> 01:47:20,170
The fiber that you put in today started at 100 megabit, 10 megabit back in 88, then it went to 100, then it went to 1000, then it went to 10, 40, 100.

1113
01:47:20,770 --> 01:47:26,390
You can do 200 if you really want to cut the check, but you're cutting the check for the equipment on the ends.

1114
01:47:27,090 --> 01:47:34,510
The stuff that lives in here, like I said, I don't make many declarative statements in here, but I'm going to make a declarative statement on this.

1115
01:47:35,710 --> 01:47:46,550
Nothing is replacing modern fiber. It's not. You want to put fiber in properly. You're good.

1116
01:47:47,590 --> 01:47:53,890
I mean, this has seven channels. Even if you happen to run out of fiber, you put more fiber in.

1117
01:47:56,070 --> 01:48:03,830
Well, as a comparison, you mentioned having this run to all of our facilities and we would

1118
01:48:03,830 --> 01:48:04,230
own it.

1119
01:48:04,610 --> 01:48:04,770
Yes.

1120
01:48:04,870 --> 01:48:05,950
These parts of it we would own.

1121
01:48:06,110 --> 01:48:10,150
I mean, it would be like saying, okay, we want to run our own electricity and we want

1122
01:48:10,150 --> 01:48:11,470
to run it to all these facilities.

1123
01:48:12,690 --> 01:48:16,250
It's something that can be compared very easily.

1124
01:48:19,920 --> 01:48:24,860
Again, what is that return on investment for the county?

1125
01:48:24,860 --> 01:48:29,360
You know, some things we do, we're not interested in the return on investment because one, it

1126
01:48:29,360 --> 01:48:31,320
can't, we may not be able to be measured to.

1127
01:48:32,100 --> 01:48:33,500
Sometimes it just doesn't matter.

1128
01:48:33,700 --> 01:48:34,800
It's the right thing to do.

1129
01:48:35,140 --> 01:48:41,840
In this case, you know, we keep talking about the fiber, but we don't talk about what it's

1130
01:48:41,840 --> 01:48:42,880
going to do for us.

1131
01:48:43,780 --> 01:48:44,500
Not even that.

1132
01:48:44,620 --> 01:48:45,160
That's some of my takeaways.

1133
01:48:45,780 --> 01:48:47,260
I will work on the ROI for you.

1134
01:48:47,700 --> 01:48:47,840
Okay.

1135
01:48:50,550 --> 01:48:54,550
Well, I'd like to know if we're going to have consensus on the idea at this

1136
01:48:54,550 --> 01:49:01,330
time to explore a Dig One's policy. Do we have that? Yes, I think we need to have a

1137
01:49:01,330 --> 01:49:05,410
Dig One's policy. That's very minimal to

1138
01:49:08,520 --> 01:49:10,800
give the county at least the opportunity to.

1139
01:49:11,160 --> 01:49:18,700
I don't know as though we can legally force facilities or vendors or whatever to allow

1140
01:49:18,700 --> 01:49:24,320
us to go into the ditch. I think we have an opportunity already where we know when

1141
01:49:24,320 --> 01:49:32,420
there's a permit being issued that we include the IT department to say, hey, is there a

1142
01:49:32,420 --> 01:49:36,160
benefit or is there a reason for us to get in?

1143
01:49:36,800 --> 01:49:42,180
Well, I guess that would be the big one's policy that when a permit comes in that the

1144
01:49:42,180 --> 01:49:43,600
IT is going to fight everything.

1145
01:49:44,620 --> 01:49:49,940
Well, I can see that as a potential policy, so it's known ahead of time, not just

1146
01:49:49,940 --> 01:49:54,280
when you submit the permit, if that's what it, you know, it needs to be, if that's where

1147
01:49:54,280 --> 01:49:55,280
we're headed on this.

1148
01:49:55,340 --> 01:49:58,440
That's not saying we're moving forward at anything, but that at least gives us the

1149
01:49:58,440 --> 01:49:58,860
policy.

1150
01:49:59,060 --> 01:49:59,440
There we go.

1151
01:49:59,520 --> 01:50:04,380
That's what concerns me sometimes, is once in a while we get to the point where, you

1152
01:50:04,380 --> 01:50:08,580
know, it gets thrown back at us that, hey, we already had consensus we're already

1153
01:50:08,580 --> 01:50:11,100
moving forward with this, but you're saying it doesn't matter.

1154
01:50:11,340 --> 01:50:12,560
And I don't-

1155
01:50:12,560 --> 01:50:14,440
This is just for the dig one's policy.

1156
01:50:14,600 --> 01:50:18,320
This isn't saying that we're going to approve any fiber.

1157
01:50:18,320 --> 01:50:24,960
but at least you would get notified and have the opportunity to present to us to show us

1158
01:50:24,960 --> 01:50:27,680
what the benefit is. Yes?

1159
01:50:29,280 --> 01:50:34,940
We are doing extensive technology trainings, little pieces that your department is sending out.

1160
01:50:35,420 --> 01:50:40,400
And I've learned a lot about fishing and other words that I can't remember right now.

1161
01:50:40,500 --> 01:50:41,860
Nathan, so bear with me, okay?

1162
01:50:42,300 --> 01:50:45,800
The technology training for cybersecurity has been tremendous.

1163
01:50:45,800 --> 01:50:51,820
So thank you to the auditor and to you and and and are there little lessons like that?

1164
01:50:51,920 --> 01:50:58,520
Can I go to dig one school where you can show me the pieces I see Dave Lyons nodding his head

1165
01:50:58,520 --> 01:51:04,680
Give me some tutorial pieces right that so that we can further understand dig once because I

1166
01:51:05,240 --> 01:51:10,340
Still think we're we're struggling with getting our arms around dig once for fear of

1167
01:51:10,340 --> 01:51:14,220
Authorizing you to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars and we're not doing that

1168
01:51:14,220 --> 01:51:19,980
it. Can I ask Dave Lines to come to them? I asked him to join, so yes. Would you mind?

1169
01:51:22,170 --> 01:51:30,430
I have sent you numerous links for funding opportunities, but you had said to turn down

1170
01:51:30,430 --> 01:51:37,850
on some of them, but... First of all, a Dig One's policy can take a lot of different forms,

1171
01:51:38,030 --> 01:51:42,210
so that's one of the things Nathan will be bringing back to you, is different forms

1172
01:51:42,210 --> 01:51:48,930
a Dig One's can take. For example, in Minnesota, Wisconsin, a couple of others, they have sticks,

1173
01:51:49,310 --> 01:51:54,730
which is basically saying, if you don't have a good reason why we can't be in the ditch with you,

1174
01:51:54,810 --> 01:52:00,670
then we'll be in the ditch with you. That's not really what's happening in Iowa. What's

1175
01:52:00,670 --> 01:52:07,530
happening in Iowa is the carrot approach, which is a Dig One's polly that says you need to

1176
01:52:07,530 --> 01:52:14,330
inform us, and then we as the governmental entity will take the appropriate action. Sometimes

1177
01:52:14,330 --> 01:52:20,530
that's sharing costs, which we do quite often. So you go to the entity that's putting it

1178
01:52:20,950 --> 01:52:27,090
in and you say, look, so how much more would it cost to put in a seven way for the city

1179
01:52:27,090 --> 01:52:34,110
or the county? And then that becomes a financial ROI issue for you. Does that or does that

1180
01:52:34,110 --> 01:52:41,650
not make sense. There's also the potential where there are some entities in Iowa that

1181
01:52:41,650 --> 01:52:46,850
would just as soon not have any agreements with government. In that case, what you have

1182
01:52:46,850 --> 01:52:51,710
is a big one's policy that then you approach the contractor. The companies don't normally

1183
01:52:51,710 --> 01:52:56,010
put these in themselves. You approach the contractor and you say, so what would it

1184
01:52:56,010 --> 01:53:02,130
cost the city or the county to go ahead and put have you while you're on site

1185
01:53:02,130 --> 01:53:07,130
so there's no deployment costs, there's no additional dig costs, put in additional

1186
01:53:07,130 --> 01:53:15,830
conduit. So there's no one Dig One's policy. You're probably going to get a

1187
01:53:15,830 --> 01:53:21,290
range of Dig One's policies. If you're like most Iowa communities, you're

1188
01:53:21,290 --> 01:53:25,630
probably going to start on the fairly conservative side, which is simply

1189
01:53:25,630 --> 01:53:32,890
having a process which requests of contractors and requests of entities to

1190
01:53:32,890 --> 01:53:37,930
do a joint build unless they have a reason not to. Very few in Iowa actually

1191
01:53:38,930 --> 01:53:44,710
prohibit you from going in to the right away. There's one exception to that. I

1192
01:53:44,710 --> 01:53:48,990
don't think the county has any of those but there are places in Iowa where

1193
01:53:48,990 --> 01:53:58,610
there's so little right-of-way left that if it's taken up by a private entity, then the

1194
01:53:58,610 --> 01:54:03,770
county actually or the city actually has to purchase additional right-of-way from somebody

1195
01:54:03,770 --> 01:54:10,670
else. So that's farther down the road, but there are nuances to one policy that gets

1196
01:54:10,670 --> 01:54:17,790
you some return on investment, preserving limited right-of-way. The other issue is

1197
01:54:17,790 --> 01:54:24,210
is that with cybersecurity and communication technology, it's a little different than the

1198
01:54:24,790 --> 01:54:30,970
electric company. Electric companies have a franchise where they come in and they basically

1199
01:54:30,970 --> 01:54:38,690
say, in return for a monopoly, I will promise to serve everybody, have these minimum requirements

1200
01:54:38,690 --> 01:54:45,630
for shutoffs, et cetera. Fiber and broadband is like the only utility. People think of

1201
01:54:45,630 --> 01:54:47,050
that is a utility, but it's not,

1202
01:54:47,450 --> 01:54:49,210
because it does not have those protections.

1203
01:54:49,890 --> 01:54:51,590
So the other issue that comes in

1204
01:54:51,590 --> 01:54:56,310
for return on investment is servicing my areas,

1205
01:54:56,710 --> 01:54:59,770
my taking the county from being a lessor

1206
01:54:59,770 --> 01:55:01,210
to an owner of infrastructure,

1207
01:55:01,990 --> 01:55:05,830
and creating a monetization for the conduits that you have.

1208
01:55:06,330 --> 01:55:09,290
But it's also putting in place infrastructure

1209
01:55:09,290 --> 01:55:10,850
that makes it cheaper for people

1210
01:55:10,850 --> 01:55:13,270
to reach hard to reach areas,

1211
01:55:13,270 --> 01:55:15,470
new neighborhoods, et cetera.

1212
01:55:15,930 --> 01:55:17,430
I know you've got a great relationship

1213
01:55:17,430 --> 01:55:18,550
with Macocana Valley.

1214
01:55:19,030 --> 01:55:20,510
They're collaborating out there.

1215
01:55:20,590 --> 01:55:22,070
I think that would just continue.

1216
01:55:22,790 --> 01:55:26,130
A one big policy that you would choose

1217
01:55:26,130 --> 01:55:30,830
probably needs to fit what you see as your primary need,

1218
01:55:31,090 --> 01:55:34,270
whether that is preserving right-of-way,

1219
01:55:34,630 --> 01:55:36,530
servicing unserved entities,

1220
01:55:37,670 --> 01:55:40,310
giving you the ability to avoid leases

1221
01:55:40,810 --> 01:55:41,870
that you're paying now

1222
01:55:41,870 --> 01:55:50,450
and we'll pay in the future, and then over time defining that with members. The one thing

1223
01:55:50,450 --> 01:56:00,590
that you'll have a wrestling with is the issue of timing, and that is once one big policy is in

1224
01:56:00,590 --> 01:56:11,830
place, there's always a second question, and that is can government move as quickly as the

1225
01:56:11,830 --> 01:56:18,250
opportunities. In other cases, you would be able to pre-approve under a Dig One's policy

1226
01:56:18,250 --> 01:56:23,390
certain authorities that would be able to allow this county to commit.

1227
01:56:25,970 --> 01:56:27,350
As Nathan knows,

1228
01:56:28,310 --> 01:56:34,910
we have designed it in a way that at the city level, we can kind of fly fighter cover

1229
01:56:34,910 --> 01:56:40,030
for the county. We can see areas that are going outside the county. We can develop

1230
01:56:40,030 --> 01:56:47,330
those, we would really look forward to working with the county and basically saying this is

1231
01:56:47,330 --> 01:56:52,170
what we've learned, this is how we operate. There will also be times where the county comes into

1232
01:56:52,170 --> 01:57:02,150
the city that we would probably collaborate on. But again, the one dig policy is a range of

1233
01:57:02,150 --> 01:57:06,230
selections. And that's probably the first thing that needs to come back to you is that

1234
01:57:06,230 --> 01:57:12,890
range of selections that others have used and examples with that and then I think it's easier

1235
01:57:12,890 --> 01:57:21,590
for you to do the ROI selection. It's actually a possibility not necessarily in Dubuque County but

1236
01:57:21,590 --> 01:57:28,590
where a public entity has to buy additional right-of-way because it's too full to become the

1237
01:57:28,590 --> 01:57:36,250
player of the future, I would have to buy right-of-way. Is that a hypothetical possibility?

1238
01:57:37,050 --> 01:57:44,530
It is. Probably the best example, not Dubuque that I've worked with. In the community of West

1239
01:57:44,530 --> 01:57:51,950
Des Moines, at the intersections of 80 and 35 and the intersections of major expansion areas,

1240
01:57:52,530 --> 01:57:56,570
they were getting to the point where 90 plus percent of right-of-way had already been used

1241
01:57:56,570 --> 01:57:59,890
And the city was actually having to go out and buy additional right away.

1242
01:58:00,110 --> 01:58:05,530
You may still have to do that for sewer and water for other issues, et cetera.

1243
01:58:06,130 --> 01:58:11,690
But one of the items that they put in place was to identify all of the areas that were

1244
01:58:11,690 --> 01:58:12,730
going to be limited.

1245
01:58:13,470 --> 01:58:20,970
And the city there proactively did a bond, put in conduit itself throughout the community,

1246
01:58:20,970 --> 01:58:25,570
and then lease it ahead of time to the private carriers

1247
01:58:26,650 --> 01:58:29,030
and then their lease payments pay off the bond.

1248
01:58:29,530 --> 01:58:33,410
I don't think there's much of that kind of a pinch point

1249
01:58:33,410 --> 01:58:36,410
here in Dubuque County.

1250
01:58:36,970 --> 01:58:38,370
In the city of Dubuque, however,

1251
01:58:38,430 --> 01:58:43,490
there are very old infrastructure, things like the bridges.

1252
01:58:43,990 --> 01:58:47,050
We had to enter into some collaborative agreements

1253
01:58:47,050 --> 01:58:49,830
to be able to put conduit on both of the bridges,

1254
01:58:49,830 --> 01:58:54,950
issues, not only because it's a public safety issue, to be able to get cameras on the bridges,

1255
01:58:55,090 --> 01:58:55,430
et cetera.

1256
01:58:55,950 --> 01:59:01,090
But it's good for the economy and competitions that there is an open highway, so to speak,

1257
01:59:01,290 --> 01:59:06,610
underneath the bridge, so carriers can lease space versus having to spend between $400,

1258
01:59:06,810 --> 01:59:08,670
$800,000 to be on the bridge.

1259
01:59:09,250 --> 01:59:12,430
So those are the types of issues that may make sense in the future.

1260
01:59:13,170 --> 01:59:16,470
But again, it's a range of selections you'd have.

1261
01:59:16,470 --> 01:59:22,030
That's what made the Heritage Trail so unique, Nathan, in a previous presentation or two.

1262
01:59:22,410 --> 01:59:29,330
That is a beautiful place to run conduit, and then there'd be folks who'd want a lease

1263
01:59:29,330 --> 01:59:29,950
from us.

1264
01:59:32,350 --> 01:59:37,830
Yes, and I'm very close to an agreement.

1265
01:59:38,070 --> 01:59:40,450
I don't want to step on toes there with that.

1266
01:59:41,070 --> 01:59:43,190
I appreciate the clarity that you both bring.

1267
01:59:44,210 --> 01:59:48,970
I'll yield obviously to my colleagues if you have more questions, but I guess it's not

1268
01:59:48,970 --> 01:59:54,650
a surprise that I would like to see you go further with this and support the concept

1269
01:59:54,650 --> 01:59:55,450
to be developed.

1270
01:59:56,390 --> 01:59:59,750
I believe there's consensus on the day one policy, correct?

1271
02:00:00,000 --> 02:00:07,800
To look at it. Right. Yeah, this next step is yes, let's start getting pen to paper and start

1272
02:00:08,320 --> 02:00:15,960
reviewing it. I don't like to engage, I'm not going to use the term waste time, but use up other

1273
02:00:15,960 --> 02:00:21,920
stakeholders' times to develop a work product if it's not going to go any further.

1274
02:00:29,380 --> 02:00:29,980
So this is

1275
02:00:29,980 --> 02:00:36,000
to hopefully give us a more sophisticated model.

1276
02:00:36,500 --> 02:00:38,420
Give us a policy to put in place.

1277
02:00:38,800 --> 02:00:38,920
Yes.

1278
02:00:39,440 --> 02:00:39,660
Okay.

1279
02:00:41,820 --> 02:00:42,220
All right.

1280
02:00:43,000 --> 02:00:43,520
Thank you.

1281
02:00:43,680 --> 02:00:43,940
And Nathan?

1282
02:00:45,560 --> 02:00:48,400
I'll take a motion to recess for five minutes.

1283
02:00:48,940 --> 02:00:50,580
If you'll make it 10, I'll agree.

1284
02:00:51,500 --> 02:00:52,220
10 it is.

1285
02:00:52,780 --> 02:00:53,480
10 it is.

1286
02:00:53,760 --> 02:00:54,080
Second.

1287
02:00:54,420 --> 02:00:56,660
Motion and second to recess for 10 minutes.

1288
02:00:56,800 --> 02:00:58,220
All in favor signify by aye.

1289
02:00:58,380 --> 02:00:58,540
Aye.

1290
02:00:58,800 --> 02:00:59,040
Aye.

1291
02:00:59,040 --> 02:01:02,680
Hi, we are in recess for 10 minutes.

1292
02:01:03,140 --> 02:01:03,400
I'll

1293
02:10:56,170 --> 02:10:58,110
board the supervisors back in the session.

1294
02:10:59,770 --> 02:11:03,350
We'll move on to our last work session.

1295
02:11:04,210 --> 02:11:09,950
This is with Chelsea Green, our Human Resources Director.

1296
02:11:11,230 --> 02:11:15,930
First thing is discussion and possible action on results of patient advocate time study

1297
02:11:15,930 --> 02:11:18,270
and recommendations from Human Resources Director.

1298
02:11:18,910 --> 02:11:19,130
Chelsea.

1299
02:11:19,130 --> 02:11:22,470
Good morning, Board of Supervisors. It is still morning.

1300
02:11:25,750 --> 02:11:32,170
I put together a recommendation that was based on our recent engagement with HR consultant

1301
02:11:32,170 --> 02:11:37,930
and business owner of HRBC Plus to assist in the evaluation of the FTE for the patient

1302
02:11:37,930 --> 02:11:40,490
advocate per the request.

1303
02:11:40,930 --> 02:11:44,230
Chelsea, I'm sorry. I have to ask you to speak louder. Those microphones just

1304
02:11:44,230 --> 02:11:44,630
don't work.

1305
02:11:46,800 --> 02:11:50,660
I can't hear unless you really yell in the microphone sadly.

1306
02:11:51,160 --> 02:11:51,420
Okay,

1307
02:11:54,520 --> 02:12:01,500
so I'm just referencing the memo that is up there in regards to the recent assessment

1308
02:12:01,500 --> 02:12:05,100
that was done of the position for the PACE and advocate and making a recommendation at

1309
02:12:05,100 --> 02:12:12,200
this time that it remains at the 29-hour 0.66 FTE part-time and be re-evaluated following

1310
02:12:12,200 --> 02:12:16,280
the restructure of July 1st, 2025 of the Eastern Central Region.

1311
02:12:16,280 --> 02:12:17,420
In

1312
02:12:22,760 --> 02:12:26,520
addition, I'm requesting permission from the board to accept the Patient Advocate

1313
02:12:26,520 --> 02:12:30,660
Job Description and allow HR to move forward with the acknowledgement of the newly drafted

1314
02:12:30,660 --> 02:12:36,040
job description and mandating compliance with the safety assurance process for the

1315
02:12:36,040 --> 02:12:37,900
Eastern Central Region questions.

1316
02:12:43,810 --> 02:12:44,610
Any questions, Ann?

1317
02:12:47,590 --> 02:12:53,850
I don't want this matter to be unresolved until July 1st of 2025.

1318
02:12:53,850 --> 02:13:01,050
We have an obligation to be certain that the patient advocate is performing to the MOU

1319
02:13:01,050 --> 02:13:04,110
that we have signed with the region.

1320
02:13:04,930 --> 02:13:09,870
And so I'm not sure what the recommendation is from the HR director with regard to that.

1321
02:13:11,030 --> 02:13:13,450
That's also in this opinion letter.

1322
02:13:14,170 --> 02:13:22,170
I think the July 1st of 2025 it would be re-evaluated for hours of my understanding

1323
02:13:22,170 --> 02:13:22,590
on that.

1324
02:13:23,710 --> 02:13:30,310
So what are we doing between today and July 1st of 2025 with regard to the undone work?

1325
02:13:33,320 --> 02:13:39,660
It would stay at the $29 is the first topic until it would be reevaluated on July 1st of

1326
02:13:39,660 --> 02:13:40,360
2025.

1327
02:13:41,200 --> 02:13:43,880
So what else is HR going to do?

1328
02:13:44,000 --> 02:13:45,960
What other recommendations are we going to do?

1329
02:13:46,260 --> 02:13:47,260
What's the next steps?

1330
02:13:48,500 --> 02:13:57,280
It's to approve that portion of it, that it's 29 hours through July 1st of 2025 per

1331
02:13:57,280 --> 02:14:10,180
Lori Stewart's evaluation and the second part of it is the updated, I don't know that

1332
02:14:10,180 --> 02:14:15,120
the job description had been approved as of yet, correct?

1333
02:14:15,120 --> 02:14:19,420
Yeah, they don't normally go through an approval process, but I just wanted to make sure that

1334
02:14:19,420 --> 02:14:22,720
there was consensus and we were good with the job description that I could move forward

1335
02:14:22,720 --> 02:14:25,800
with providing that finalized copy.

1336
02:14:26,200 --> 02:14:34,920
And then also with the MOU, I'm asking for permission to assist the board to move forward

1337
02:14:34,920 --> 02:14:37,640
with mandating that quality assurance piece for the ECR.

1338
02:14:38,400 --> 02:14:43,140
So do you see the quality assurance as being the implementation of the MOU?

1339
02:14:43,140 --> 02:14:45,340
Is that the same thing? And I just don't understand that.

1340
02:14:47,920 --> 02:14:51,920
Correct. That's the quality process of the eastern central region.

1341
02:14:52,440 --> 02:14:52,900
Okay.

1342
02:14:54,420 --> 02:14:56,140
Motion to approve the recommendation.

1343
02:15:01,550 --> 02:15:03,490
I will second discussion.

1344
02:15:05,530 --> 02:15:10,850
Yeah, I'll make a statement here. I think it's really

1345
02:15:10,850 --> 02:15:15,390
unfortunate when we have the need for mental health services in the committal

1346
02:15:15,390 --> 02:15:23,450
process and we have a qualified person to provide those services and even in the

1347
02:15:23,450 --> 02:15:38,070
administrative code 44.1-25-10529 where it talks about the county's

1348
02:15:38,070 --> 02:15:43,310
responsibilities and you know as far as the performance part of this which was

1349
02:15:43,310 --> 02:15:50,490
brought up which really to me is not part of evaluating a position has

1350
02:15:50,490 --> 02:15:57,590
has nothing to do with performance. The MOU is not part of the code. One of the responsibilities,

1351
02:15:57,850 --> 02:16:03,410
county's responsibilities from the section I just mentioned, as an employer of the advocate,

1352
02:16:03,550 --> 02:16:10,130
the county shall provide qualified staff to support and facilitate the provisions of

1353
02:16:10,130 --> 02:16:16,950
the quality advocate services. So right there, and that's what has been done in

1354
02:16:16,950 --> 02:16:23,190
past, certainly prior to me being here, the makeup of the mental health system was different.

1355
02:16:23,790 --> 02:16:29,070
There was a full-time person that supported the mental health folks.

1356
02:16:29,810 --> 02:16:30,890
That has changed.

1357
02:16:32,310 --> 02:16:36,970
The hours of the advocate position have been reduced, and the services that are needed

1358
02:16:36,970 --> 02:16:38,110
are not being fulfilled.

1359
02:16:38,790 --> 02:16:43,890
We're talking about performance, we're talking about, I'm going to say, a very small percentage

1360
02:16:43,890 --> 02:16:50,370
of the time that to me is support and that is the county's responsibility to

1361
02:16:50,370 --> 02:16:56,190
provide that support and we're not only not providing that support we're

1362
02:16:56,190 --> 02:16:58,030
limiting this position the

1363
02:17:02,160 --> 02:17:07,620
only reason it's being limited is perhaps because of

1364
02:17:07,620 --> 02:17:14,340
a performance issue over a controversial issue so I'll leave it at that I

1365
02:17:14,340 --> 02:17:18,540
I disagree with the fact that this position is going to be limited at 29 hours when the

1366
02:17:18,540 --> 02:17:23,420
services that that position provides is more than 29 hours.

1367
02:17:24,180 --> 02:17:32,420
I think it's important to state again the context that change in hours predates everyone

1368
02:17:32,420 --> 02:17:35,180
sitting on the board of supervisors, all of us.

1369
02:17:35,540 --> 02:17:38,300
It isn't that something happened just immediately before you arrived.

1370
02:17:38,300 --> 02:17:46,200
right. This has been something that has been a long term, whatever long is, many years,

1371
02:17:46,340 --> 02:17:54,360
several years, more than my term, that the hours have been 29 hours. And there isn't

1372
02:17:54,360 --> 02:17:58,600
a way to separate one from the other. And so that's why I support the recommendation

1373
02:17:59,080 --> 02:18:04,040
so that the citizens of the county and that the county becomes compliant with the

1374
02:18:04,040 --> 02:18:07,120
code and the administrative code. So, on to the next steps.

1375
02:18:08,140 --> 02:18:11,260
Well, I'll make one more statement before we're on to the next steps.

1376
02:18:11,940 --> 02:18:15,740
You know, I believe that, yes, it was done prior to us being here,

1377
02:18:16,200 --> 02:18:19,560
but I believe our compensation study not only for this position,

1378
02:18:19,560 --> 02:18:23,700
but for the other positions that we did compensation study were based

1379
02:18:23,700 --> 02:18:27,640
on the position, not performance. Okay.

1380
02:18:28,320 --> 02:18:32,280
This whole MOU was brought into existence in 2023.

1381
02:18:34,320 --> 02:18:42,280
And that's what the focus of this evaluation was, and it was part of the recommendation

1382
02:18:42,280 --> 02:18:44,940
statement from the contract we hired.

1383
02:18:45,720 --> 02:18:52,160
We were to evaluate the position because we're going to have the duty to fill that

1384
02:18:52,160 --> 02:18:53,520
position at some point in time.

1385
02:18:53,720 --> 02:18:57,260
Maybe it's not us, but it will be another board of supervisors to fill that position.

1386
02:18:57,900 --> 02:19:03,280
position, we also are entering into a time where within less than a year, you know, that

1387
02:19:03,280 --> 02:19:10,220
position is housed in a facility that will may or may not go away.

1388
02:19:11,000 --> 02:19:14,640
We don't know how the advocate position is even going to be filled.

1389
02:19:15,320 --> 02:19:19,540
What we do know is the amount of services that are needed and that we're not meeting

1390
02:19:19,540 --> 02:19:20,020
that need.

1391
02:19:20,700 --> 02:19:22,840
And we've heard that from the public as well.

1392
02:19:23,560 --> 02:19:25,960
And to me, that's the important part of this.

1393
02:19:26,640 --> 02:19:34,040
When their service is needed, they're not being filled and we're quabbling over a small percentage of documentation.

1394
02:19:34,220 --> 02:19:43,320
It'd be like having a super mechanic that you took your car to, but he can only work 29 hours a week because he's not getting his paperwork done.

1395
02:19:44,760 --> 02:19:47,720
That's a waste of talent.

1396
02:19:48,240 --> 02:19:50,760
It's not a way to respond to that without being in closed session.

1397
02:19:55,630 --> 02:20:04,730
The reason we went with the consultant was to take all the political things out from the past or whatever

1398
02:20:05,390 --> 02:20:12,240
to get a third party to evaluate it was my recommendation.

1399
02:20:14,120 --> 02:20:17,120
Third party, talk to me, talk to you.

1400
02:20:17,460 --> 02:20:23,560
I believe talk to Ann, talk to the patient advocate, talk to the, she didn't talk to you.

1401
02:20:23,560 --> 02:20:28,500
I think she did, but we're not discussing that, sorry, we're not discussing that, and

1402
02:20:28,500 --> 02:20:32,800
talked to May, and I don't know who else, and made the determination.

1403
02:20:33,580 --> 02:20:38,520
I had nothing to do with it, you had nothing to do with it, you know, she made the determination

1404
02:20:38,520 --> 02:20:39,920
on her own, so.

1405
02:20:42,170 --> 02:20:45,610
But again, performance is part of that recommendation letter.

1406
02:20:50,120 --> 02:20:55,420
It's figured in, it's figured in, but we're not getting into performance stuff and open

1407
02:20:55,420 --> 02:20:55,760
session.

1408
02:20:56,340 --> 02:20:56,420
Good.

1409
02:20:56,420 --> 02:20:59,600
I've made my position clear.

1410
02:21:00,040 --> 02:21:05,140
There's a motion and a second to approve the patient advocate

1411
02:21:05,140 --> 02:21:08,160
time-studying recommendations from human resources.

1412
02:21:08,340 --> 02:21:09,860
All in favor signify by aye.

1413
02:21:10,000 --> 02:21:10,220
Aye.

1414
02:21:10,560 --> 02:21:10,880
Aye.

1415
02:21:11,320 --> 02:21:12,260
All opposed, nay.

1416
02:21:12,620 --> 02:21:12,880
Nay.

1417
02:21:15,180 --> 02:21:17,080
We have discussion and possible action

1418
02:21:17,080 --> 02:21:19,020
on the post-project appeals findings

1419
02:21:19,020 --> 02:21:20,900
from Carlson Dentman consulting

1420
02:21:20,900 --> 02:21:23,580
for the six positions remaining.

1421
02:21:33,000 --> 02:21:35,220
This item has been brought back a couple of times.

1422
02:21:35,220 --> 02:21:39,420
And so, if you have any questions, I'm here to answer those.

1423
02:21:41,740 --> 02:21:42,780
No questions, Wayne.

1424
02:21:47,170 --> 02:21:47,750
Questions on this?

1425
02:21:53,160 --> 02:21:58,280
As far as, I guess, the information, I guess I don't have questions on,

1426
02:22:01,550 --> 02:22:02,330
the way the resolution

1427
02:22:02,330 --> 02:22:04,110
is written, it

1428
02:22:06,670 --> 02:22:12,110
appears as though we're going to evaluate this group of six positions as

1429
02:22:12,110 --> 02:22:12,410
one.

1430
02:22:12,550 --> 02:22:13,090
Is that correct?

1431
02:22:13,090 --> 02:22:21,010
I think it's just to approve the pay grade staying the same.

1432
02:22:21,250 --> 02:22:24,810
The resolution is dated. It's an old date. It would have to be updated.

1433
02:22:24,970 --> 02:22:28,570
But I do have some points I want to make about two of the positions for certain.

1434
02:22:29,390 --> 02:22:33,890
Right? So these are my comments to my colleagues.

1435
02:22:36,300 --> 02:22:40,140
First, I'd like to touch on the CEO of the region.

1436
02:22:41,340 --> 02:22:44,740
I don't believe the process that was laid out was followed.

1437
02:22:45,260 --> 02:22:57,900
I don't know by who or by why or by how, but the process for the evaluation of the CEO of the region was not followed as it was set forth by human resources.

1438
02:22:58,700 --> 02:23:04,580
I don't know that that changes anything with anybody's mind. I don't even know what I want because of that.

1439
02:23:04,580 --> 02:23:12,160
But I think it's important to note that there wasn't an interview with the CEO and that

1440
02:23:12,160 --> 02:23:19,380
because she reports to different people as part of the regional enterprise, that was

1441
02:23:19,380 --> 02:23:21,880
a misstep by whomever.

1442
02:23:22,560 --> 02:23:25,340
That process didn't happen the way we had all hoped it would have.

1443
02:23:25,580 --> 02:23:28,480
I will take responsibility for that.

1444
02:23:28,700 --> 02:23:32,840
Chelsea had talked to me and asked me if I wanted to be on the hearings.

1445
02:23:33,440 --> 02:23:33,780
Yes.

1446
02:23:33,780 --> 02:23:42,620
I took it that she was referring to all of the appeals and I said, no, I did not want to be involved where she wasn't referring to that.

1447
02:23:42,920 --> 02:23:46,940
It was on me. I should have clarified. So I didn't sit on any of them.

1448
02:23:46,940 --> 02:23:50,580
And so I don't think there's any value to going down the who did the what what.

1449
02:23:50,780 --> 02:23:57,980
I'm not afraid to take responsibility for what I did and I misunderstood her and I wasn't on it, but I did talk to Chelsea.

1450
02:23:58,520 --> 02:23:58,680
Right.

1451
02:23:58,760 --> 02:23:59,920
I've talked to everybody on here.

1452
02:24:00,740 --> 02:24:06,080
So the other one I would like to also address and ask be removed from this

1453
02:24:06,080 --> 02:24:10,300
resolution is the county engineer and I want to talk about that differently

1454
02:24:12,240 --> 02:24:18,900
because when we began this entire process we have had this mantra there'll be no

1455
02:24:18,900 --> 02:24:23,220
harm there'll be no harm and I've been told well he's getting a raise that the

1456
02:24:23,220 --> 02:24:28,860
position is increasing. What I want to talk about is the fairness to the

1457
02:24:28,860 --> 02:24:36,980
county engineer that you and I hired and that we interviewed and we recruited and encouraged

1458
02:24:37,410 --> 02:24:42,280
to take on all of the additional responsibilities that being the county engineer is.

1459
02:24:43,110 --> 02:24:50,040
This and even in his appeal, Carlson Deppman says that the issue he raises that he was

1460
02:24:50,040 --> 02:24:56,160
so close to his next step, Carlson Deppman says, that's something you might want

1461
02:24:56,160 --> 02:24:57,820
to take up with the Board of Supervisors.

1462
02:24:57,820 --> 02:25:07,280
And so here we are talking about what's fair to that position, and you can certainly make a change to one without upsetting the apple part of all.

1463
02:25:08,800 --> 02:25:16,400
So he was within, I believe, two weeks of his next step pay increase as our engineer.

1464
02:25:17,700 --> 02:25:22,260
And this sets him off that. It doesn't have that next step occur.

1465
02:25:22,260 --> 02:25:29,160
And that's what I'm asking you to look at in fairness to the county engineer and all of the ever-increasing

1466
02:25:29,160 --> 02:25:35,520
things that we ask the current county engineer to do to look at that.

1467
02:25:35,820 --> 02:25:44,920
We have seen that Clinton County has had to hire their engineer at 20% more than what we pay our engineer.

1468
02:25:45,380 --> 02:25:50,020
So you can't just look and say, oh, other engineers make less, other engineers make more.

1469
02:25:51,060 --> 02:25:57,200
County engineers are hard to find, which is why we recruited him to do what we needed to be done.

1470
02:25:57,740 --> 02:26:03,660
So there's only one other person who's going to be able to evaluate this in terms of a fairness.

1471
02:26:04,400 --> 02:26:06,300
And that's you, Harley. That's it.

1472
02:26:07,140 --> 02:26:13,960
So I have always maintained that the position of the county engineer can be appealed, can be singled out,

1473
02:26:14,280 --> 02:26:19,160
and we still have the opportunity as supervisors to be fair to our original commitments,

1474
02:26:19,160 --> 02:26:23,380
whether they're in writing or they're not in writing there's the spirit and he

1475
02:26:23,380 --> 02:26:28,220
was within two weeks of his next step and what we've done is remove that from

1476
02:26:28,220 --> 02:26:33,620
him so I think that bears we can have Chelsea come back with what that pay

1477
02:26:33,620 --> 02:26:37,960
detail looks like and what the pay detail should be but I do think that

1478
02:26:37,960 --> 02:26:41,960
that should be removed from this resolution and I would support it if

1479
02:26:41,960 --> 02:26:43,300
we remove the county engineer.

1480
02:26:46,820 --> 02:26:51,760
Sure so I guess we're I don't know if we're

1481
02:26:51,760 --> 02:26:56,640
taking this one at a time, but I'm going to back up to the point of the CEO of the mental

1482
02:26:56,640 --> 02:26:57,200
health region.

1483
02:27:00,080 --> 02:27:08,580
One, that particular salary, and again, if I'm wrong because of dates or raises effective

1484
02:27:08,580 --> 02:27:15,960
July 1st, certainly feel free to correct me, but it appears as though that salary

1485
02:27:15,960 --> 02:27:27,300
is $144,000, roughly $144,000, which is above the 75th percentile. Our goal was 75th percent.

1486
02:27:28,460 --> 02:27:37,740
And so for us to make adjustments to that, to me, we've hit our target, we've hit our goal. Go ahead.

1487
02:27:37,980 --> 02:27:44,020
I have talked to May regarding this, and she is fine staying where that's at, so that's not

1488
02:27:44,020 --> 02:27:49,660
She's writing, she's writing the application literally this afternoon to begin the process

1489
02:27:49,660 --> 02:27:55,800
to become, she would be the CEO of a region, it is two-thirds of the population of the

1490
02:27:55,800 --> 02:27:56,120
state.

1491
02:27:56,380 --> 02:27:59,000
And at that time it would be reevaluated.

1492
02:27:59,220 --> 02:27:59,240
It would be reevaluated.

1493
02:27:59,240 --> 02:27:59,440
It's a different thing.

1494
02:27:59,660 --> 02:28:00,440
That's happening.

1495
02:28:01,380 --> 02:28:03,320
The work in the drafting is happening now.

1496
02:28:03,700 --> 02:28:07,440
I'm not asking that we make any modification on her way.

1497
02:28:07,620 --> 02:28:07,980
I'm not.

1498
02:28:08,480 --> 02:28:10,160
I'm simply stating the engineer.

1499
02:28:10,320 --> 02:28:10,680
Sounds good.

1500
02:28:10,680 --> 02:28:17,160
She was mentioned. That's why I was following up on it. I'm hearing, you know, that position

1501
02:28:17,160 --> 02:28:24,040
is going away effective July 1st of 2025. That will no longer be the position that it is today.

1502
02:28:24,560 --> 02:28:30,260
I'm also hearing you say she's okay staying where she's at. She just received a 4% increase.

1503
02:28:30,940 --> 02:28:36,140
She's okay staying where she's at. So I would be re-evaluated.

1504
02:28:36,140 --> 02:28:41,980
In October, there's going to be a whole restructuring under our county compensation plan.

1505
02:28:42,240 --> 02:28:48,440
We can look in October if enough things had realigned that we can be looking at a potential

1506
02:28:48,440 --> 02:28:50,080
increase in re-evaluation then.

1507
02:28:50,320 --> 02:28:51,280
What we're talking about today.

1508
02:28:51,780 --> 02:28:52,380
I agree.

1509
02:28:52,760 --> 02:28:53,060
I agree.

1510
02:28:53,220 --> 02:28:55,060
I'm just trying to make sure that we're not.

1511
02:28:55,120 --> 02:29:00,820
So is that particular position then, just so I'm understanding, that position will

1512
02:29:00,820 --> 02:29:01,780
stay on the resolution?

1513
02:29:02,460 --> 02:29:02,740
Okay.

1514
02:29:02,740 --> 02:29:11,480
Okay. So then, to follow up on the county engineer, that particular salary is $164,000.

1515
02:29:11,880 --> 02:29:17,000
It's the highest beyond elected officials. It's the highest paid classification here.

1516
02:29:17,440 --> 02:29:25,120
It has been evaluated. It has come back to us twice with the same recommendation from

1517
02:29:26,140 --> 02:29:34,500
Now, for some reason, some of our consultants, people want to hug and say they are doing

1518
02:29:34,500 --> 02:29:38,500
a great job, and for whatever other reason, maybe it's because we don't necessarily agree

1519
02:29:38,500 --> 02:29:42,520
with it, some people will say, doing a poor job.

1520
02:29:43,420 --> 02:29:49,060
But we hired consultants, just like we did to evaluate the patient-advocate thing.

1521
02:29:49,060 --> 02:29:55,920
if we're going to pay the money and adhere to recommendations from outside

1522
02:29:55,920 --> 02:29:59,980
entities then we have our recommendation here that

1523
02:30:00,000 --> 02:30:08,560
These six positions stay where they're at. If I'm wrong in saying this, but I believe all

1524
02:30:08,560 --> 02:30:13,140
six of those positions are above the 75 percentile.

1525
02:30:15,340 --> 02:30:19,440
So we've hit that target. We have 24 people that

1526
02:30:19,440 --> 02:30:30,100
are below step one. The whole effort in the compensation study was to focus on wages and

1527
02:30:30,100 --> 02:30:37,080
benefits to be able to recruit and retain good county employees. So we're talking about

1528
02:30:37,450 --> 02:30:45,840
a group of six people here that have come with recommendations twice from an outside

1529
02:30:45,840 --> 02:30:52,740
firm that we've paid over $20,000. They're telling us this is where they belong.

1530
02:30:52,740 --> 02:31:04,140
I think Ian's thing was just about the roads engineer moving to the next step because he was so close

1531
02:31:04,140 --> 02:31:09,060
The next step and then that's it. It goes back to you two weeks from

1532
02:31:11,060 --> 02:31:15,440
Correct, yes, what step is our county engineer on do we know that offhand? I know that's

1533
02:31:15,440 --> 02:31:19,120
In the spot, but I believe they're there in the open range

1534
02:31:19,760 --> 02:31:22,500
This point he's on a step program

1535
02:31:24,680 --> 02:31:33,260
He is, yes. Everybody is on a step, but he's probably on step two, maybe going to step three.

1536
02:31:33,420 --> 02:31:43,080
No, that wage is over 75% of the industry standard. What he is going to be making is more than 75%.

1537
02:31:43,080 --> 02:31:45,700
So he's actually above all the steps.

1538
02:31:45,700 --> 02:31:51,820
So he was hired on the five-step program of a wage scale that began on July 16th of 2022.

1539
02:31:52,500 --> 02:31:54,640
That's what we're talking about, Harley.

1540
02:31:54,880 --> 02:31:57,740
It's the agreement that we made as a county with him.

1541
02:31:58,100 --> 02:32:03,420
It isn't about what 75% of what Carlson Detman is saying and doing.

1542
02:32:03,820 --> 02:32:09,520
It's about honoring in fairness and need for our county engineer.

1543
02:32:10,540 --> 02:32:11,940
That's what we're talking about.

1544
02:32:11,940 --> 02:32:15,540
And it's a fair, nobody should be harmed, he is.

1545
02:32:16,380 --> 02:32:27,860
That's my understanding that his performance was going to be evaluated after a period of time when he was transferred from the assistant to the county engineer.

1546
02:32:28,220 --> 02:32:29,800
Has that evaluation been done?

1547
02:32:30,960 --> 02:32:36,340
I mean, that was a commitment that was, that I believe both of you perhaps were involved with.

1548
02:32:39,720 --> 02:32:40,540
Probably did.

1549
02:32:41,080 --> 02:32:43,020
Never done any reviews of anybody.

1550
02:32:43,020 --> 02:32:43,180
Anybody.

1551
02:32:43,800 --> 02:32:44,260
Great.

1552
02:32:44,740 --> 02:32:45,280
All right.

1553
02:32:45,520 --> 02:32:53,760
I think where part of the problem is is I think you have in your department Anthony Delaware

1554
02:32:53,760 --> 02:33:02,840
County was paying 30% of Anthony's wages and when we hired Russ, I think we only cut

1555
02:33:02,840 --> 02:33:12,500
him back 20% from the total of what we were getting from Delaware County, where he should

1556
02:33:12,500 --> 02:33:13,940
have been cut back to 30%.

1557
02:33:13,940 --> 02:33:22,560
The way the information has been presented is that the county engineer salary will be

1558
02:33:22,560 --> 02:33:28,460
164,000, which is more than 75% of the industry standard.

1559
02:33:28,640 --> 02:33:29,640
He's in that open range.

1560
02:33:30,320 --> 02:33:41,280
They're also going to develop a performance-based range that could take him to well beyond

1561
02:33:41,280 --> 02:33:44,060
whatever was agreed upon when he was hired.

1562
02:33:45,280 --> 02:33:46,920
We have a pay structure.

1563
02:33:48,930 --> 02:33:52,630
He is already going to receive a 4% increase this year.

1564
02:33:53,910 --> 02:33:58,870
He has the ability to get to 90% of the industry standard based on performance.

1565
02:34:01,140 --> 02:34:09,440
We've had two recommendations by a reputable firm that these six positions stay where they're at.

1566
02:34:09,440 --> 02:34:21,960
I will make a motion to approve the resolution with recommendation from Carlson Detman to

1567
02:34:21,960 --> 02:34:26,960
leave these six positions as originally presented to us.

1568
02:34:27,300 --> 02:34:27,560
I

1569
02:34:30,820 --> 02:34:31,640
will second that.

1570
02:34:33,120 --> 02:34:41,480
I have a motion and a second to accept the Carlson Detman consulting terminations for

1571
02:34:41,480 --> 02:34:45,020
for the six positions referenced. Any discussion?

1572
02:34:47,300 --> 02:34:48,960
All in favor, signify by aye.

1573
02:34:49,700 --> 02:34:52,500
Aye. Aye. All opposed, nay.

1574
02:34:54,870 --> 02:34:55,410
Thank you.

1575
02:34:56,030 --> 02:34:56,350
Anything

1576
02:34:59,200 --> 02:35:02,180
further? Motion to adjourn.

1577
02:35:03,500 --> 02:35:08,920
Second. Not a motion and a second to adjourn. All in favor, signify by aye. Aye. Aye.

1578
02:35:08,920 --> 02:35:09,700
All right.

1579
02:35:09,880 --> 02:35:10,800
At least stand adjourned.

1580
02:35:10,920 --> 02:35:11,500
Thank you, everyone.