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MALE SPEAKER: Tomorrow is a
national holiday, Constitution

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Day, and I lived a
good portion of my life

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without even realizing that.

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But I'm going to start
and just read the preamble

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of the US Constitution.

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And it states, "We, the
people of the United States,

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in order to form a more perfect
union, establish justice,

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ensure domestic tranquility,
provide for the common defense,

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promote the general welfare, and
secure the blessings of liberty

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to ourselves and
to our prosperity,

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do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United

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States of America."

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So with that in mind, and with
all of the discourse that we've

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had over the last
several weeks, I just

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want to remind
everybody that we do

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live in a truly
remarkable republic

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and we are truly blessed.

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And I pray that we
can find common unity,

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discuss our differences in a
fair, open, and non-violent way.

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Regardless of where we're
at on the political side--

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left, right,
conservative, liberal--

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I think we all agree that
violence is not the answer

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and it just leads to
our broken country.

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So with that in mind,
I would like to just

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do a moment of silence
to pray for our country,

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Pray for Charlie Burke's
widow, his family,

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and pray for healing.

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So let's just take
one moment of silence

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and say a prayer
for our country.

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Thank you.

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We'll start with the Pledge.

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ALL: I pledge allegiance to
the flag, of the United States

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of America, and to
the Republic for which

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it stands, one nation under
God, indivisible, with liberty

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and justice for all.

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MALE SPEAKER: At each committee
of the whole work session,

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the floor will be
open to solicit

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public comments on
items on the agenda

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after they have been presented.

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A comment card will need to be
filled out prior to speaking.

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Public comments will be limited
to three minutes for each person

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upon the discretion of the
county board chairperson.

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And we will start with
roll call, I guess.

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FEMALE SPEAKER: Mallika?

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MALE SPEAKER: Yes.

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FEMALE SPEAKER: Peters?

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MALE SPEAKER: Here.

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FEMALE SPEAKER: Hoisington?

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MALE SPEAKER: Here.

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FEMALE SPEAKER: Perfeerst?

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MALE SPEAKER: Here.

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FEMALE SPEAKER: Underdahl.

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MALE SPEAKER: Here.

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MALE SPEAKER:
First on our agenda

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is property tax and elections.

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But Denise is not
going to speak.

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I believe Dean is on
Circle Lake, Rice County.

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DEAN: Good morning, gentlemen.

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MALE SPEAKER: Good morning.

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MALE SPEAKER: Morning.

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DEAN: This is your update
for the Circle Lake

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Improvement District for 2025.

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I do have Cheryl Bonsen.

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She's our treasurer
here with me today,

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and Bill Houston, he's our
vice chair to back me up today

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on today's presentation.

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We'll go to the next slide.

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And it's just a reminder of
what the Circle Lake Improvement

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District is trying
to do, and that's

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to improve the water
quality of the lake

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to the point where we
can get off the and

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MPCA's impaired waters list.

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We go to the next slide,
just to remind you

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our four critical impairments.

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And then the next slide, those
four critical impairments

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are what causes or contributes
to the cyanobacteria

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or blue-green
algae and foul odor

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that we have out on the lake
through the summer season

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occasionally.

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We can move to the next slide.

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Our solution is a
three pronged approach.

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I've talked to you about this
before through the years,

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as we've tried to
identify the problems

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and try to figure out
what exactly we can do

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to resolve them, we've
come up with this three

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pronged approach.

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We need to get air, dissolved
oxygen into the lake.

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So we need to aerate the lake.

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There are products that will
sequester the phosphorus or make

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the phosphorus that is in the
lake-- and we have way too

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much phosphorus in this lake--

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sequester that.

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And then there are
biological agents

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that we can add to the lake to
help digest that muck that's

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in the bottom of the lake.

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So before I move on
to the next slide,

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the phosphorus
sequestration effort

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was something that
we had in front

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of you, actually, this year.

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We had a company
present a proposal to us

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for adding a phosphorus
sequestration agent to the lake.

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It was far, far too expensive
for us to fund on our own.

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So they were helping us get
a grant proposal in front

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of Congresswoman Jenny Craig.

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We asked for letters
of support for us

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and for that grant application.

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We want to make
sure that you know

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how much we appreciate
the letter that you

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had Sarah draft on our behalf.

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We had almost 30
residents and businesses

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around the lake that
wrote letters of support

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for this effort.

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Clean Water Partners
wrote a letter of support

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for this effort, and also the
Sheriff's Department weighed in.

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So all of those
letters of support

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went in with this grant
application to Jenny Craig,

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to Congresswoman Craig to
help us get that funded.

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But unfortunately, we
didn't make the cut.

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We didn't make it.

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So we'll move on
to the next slide

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to talk about the three pronged
approach, I mentioned before.

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We've tried to fund
it as a whole package.

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It's been way too expensive,
so we've had to break

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it into individual segments.

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So the first segment that we've
started to focus on this year

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is aeration.

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We can move on to
the next slide.

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And then it looks like this
this year-- onto the next slide.

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It's a combination
of a surface aerator.

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And I've labeled this
incorrectly, the nano bubbler.

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It's actually a small bubble
diffuser and nanobubbler

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or small bubble diffuser.

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It just talks to the
size of the bubbles

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that these units are producing.

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That fine bubble diffuser is
a little bit bigger bubble

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than the nanobubbler,
so that was

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my mistake when I labeled that.

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But between these
two units, they

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create a large bubble
of aerated water

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that is then moved
throughout the lake

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as the water flows
throughout the lake.

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This will ultimately,
and going into 2026,

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will actually be three of these
fine bubble diffusers that

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will circle a surface aerator.

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And we're going to deploy
them in three different spots.

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So we'll go on to
the next slide.

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This is currently where
the aerator is located.

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The DO recorder is taking
dissolved oxygen readings

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at three different
levels in the lake,

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and we're seeing results from
this, just this first unit--

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this kind of prototype unit--

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We're seeing results of this
aeration moving out at 400 feet

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away from the unit right now.

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We've measured it at 200 feet.

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We've measured it at 400 feet.

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And we'll continue moving
the DO recorders out until we

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find the limit as to
what this oxygen plume,

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this bubble of dissolved oxygen
in the water, how far it moves.

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And it's moving from
the surface all the way

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down to the bottom of the lake.

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So we're really excited
about the success

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that we're having with this.

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If we'll go up to
the next slide,

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the white arrows are the maps.

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This is how the water
flows through Circle Lake.

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So the red dot is where the
aerator is currently located.

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The blue dot down here on
the bottom on the right,

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if you move that dot to
the right a little bit,

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or to the east, that's where
the next unit will go for 2026.

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And again, it will
be a single surface

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aerator surrounded by three
small bubble diffusers.

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And then up at the
top, that blue dot

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is where we will locate another
unit, same as the others.

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And then, as we watch
this project develop,

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there are a couple
other locations where

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we might add a total of five.

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We're just figuring out
how effective this is

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and how far this dissolved
oxygen moves out.

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And we have to have this
dissolved oxygen in the lake

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for the lake to be healthy, so
that it can continue to support

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not only the wildlife
in there in the lake,

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but the bacteria
that's in the lake

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that helps dissolve the muck.

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And also, the fact that
when the oxygen in the lake

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goes to 0 at the bottom,
that's how that phosphorus gets

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released.

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That phosphorus is what the
algae uses to grow and bloom.

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And then the cycle of foul
odor and foul water continues.

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So that's our plan, as far as
the three pronged approach.

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We may-- depending on
how this works out,

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there are some biological agents
where we might have some test

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spots where we add some of
that just to see how effective

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these different products work
as far as digesting the muck

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in the bottom of the lake.

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And that's something that
we're looking at as well.

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So that's what we've
worked at on the aeration

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aspect of our three
pronged approach for 2025.

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Moving on to the
next slide, we're

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talking about weeds for 2025.

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The next slide is the areas
that we treated for weeds.

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It's curly leaf pondweed that
is our major invasive species.

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We have a little bit of
milfoil, but it's basically

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mostly curly pondweed.

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The area in green hash
there is where we treated,

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came to about 93 acres this
year, and it was very effective.

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And beyond that initial flush
of weeds that we took care

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of with the herbicide
treatment, our weeds this year

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have been very, very minimal.

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And so that's worked
out really, really well.

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That weed project was
funded by a $5,000 grant

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that came through Rice County.

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And then the Circle Lake
Association gave us $12,000

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to put towards weed control.

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We did not get a grant from
the DNR this year for weeds.

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We didn't get one last year.

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We didn't get one
this year, same thing.

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It's a lottery and we
just didn't get picked.

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So that's how that works.

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The hazard buoys, hazard to
navigation buoys are out there.

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We want to make sure
that the Sheriff's

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Department, Nathan Bodine--

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if you can, Joe, let them know
how much we appreciate it--

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if we go to the next slide--

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appreciate them.

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They put the buoys out
for us in the spring

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and they retrieve
them in the fall.

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We'll be setting that
up here pretty soon.

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So, Joe, if you let
the Sheriff's Office

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know how much we appreciate
that-- the water patrol--

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thank you.

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We move on to the
next slide, and I

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wanted to let you know that the
Circle Lake Improvement District

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now has a quarterly newsletter.

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Bill Houston is
our editor on that.

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He does a really great job.

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That was included in
your meeting packet.

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What you see here is just kind
of half of the front page,

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but it's in your meeting packet
if you'd care to look at that.

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It's a great educational
tool and vehicle that we

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get out to the community.

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It's available to them all
the time through our website,

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and so we're real happy that
Bill is doing this and getting

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that information out there.

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So we'll move to the next slide.

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00:13:10,210 --> 00:13:13,350
For 2026, this is what
we're looking at to do.

251
00:13:13,350 --> 00:13:17,260


252
00:13:17,260 --> 00:13:20,290
The one thing I haven't spoken
about is any watershed projects.

253
00:13:20,290 --> 00:13:23,000
We are looking at into
watershed projects

254
00:13:23,000 --> 00:13:25,840
as they come to our attention.

255
00:13:25,840 --> 00:13:30,080
And then the next
slide is our financial.

256
00:13:30,080 --> 00:13:32,500
So I'll stop right here and
ask, is there any questions

257
00:13:32,500 --> 00:13:35,650
about what I've covered so
far, what we've done for 2025

258
00:13:35,650 --> 00:13:38,860
and what we're looking like
we're going to do for '26?

259
00:13:38,860 --> 00:13:39,360
No?

260
00:13:39,360 --> 00:13:40,127
MALE SPEAKER: Go ahead.

261
00:13:40,127 --> 00:13:42,510
MALE SPEAKER: Mr.
Chair, thank you.

262
00:13:42,510 --> 00:13:46,090
Dean, my question is,
treating for this muck,

263
00:13:46,090 --> 00:13:48,460
what happens to it?

264
00:13:48,460 --> 00:13:52,170
DEAN: It just biodegrades, but
it can't do it without oxygen.

265
00:13:52,170 --> 00:13:53,740
MALE SPEAKER: But
what is in the muck?

266
00:13:53,740 --> 00:13:55,090
Sand and just dirt?

267
00:13:55,090 --> 00:13:59,130
DEAN: Dirt and sand and
biological material from--

268
00:13:59,130 --> 00:14:02,920
the algae grows, it dies, it
sinks to the bottom of the lake.

269
00:14:02,920 --> 00:14:04,540
The weeds grow, they die.

270
00:14:04,540 --> 00:14:05,740
They sink to the
bottom of the lake.

271
00:14:05,740 --> 00:14:09,720
So it's organic material that
is just resting in the bottom

272
00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:11,590
of the lake, trying to decay.

273
00:14:11,590 --> 00:14:15,730
But when it does, it
uses up all the oxygen.

274
00:14:15,730 --> 00:14:17,760
And then the phosphorus
that's in the soil

275
00:14:17,760 --> 00:14:19,990
in the bottom of the lake
starts getting released.

276
00:14:19,990 --> 00:14:22,420
And the whole cycle
starts all over again.

277
00:14:22,420 --> 00:14:24,420
MALE SPEAKER: So this
just dispenses throughout

278
00:14:24,420 --> 00:14:25,450
the whole lake, then?

279
00:14:25,450 --> 00:14:26,190
DEAN: Yes, sir.

280
00:14:26,190 --> 00:14:28,560
MALE SPEAKER: Thank you.

281
00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:29,820
MALE SPEAKER: Anybody else?

282
00:14:29,820 --> 00:14:34,620
So, Dean, how are you
powering these aerators?

283
00:14:34,620 --> 00:14:35,290
DEAN: It's electric.

284
00:14:35,290 --> 00:14:36,130
They're electric powered.

285
00:14:36,130 --> 00:14:36,897
MALE SPEAKER: Electric?

286
00:14:36,897 --> 00:14:39,750
So is that coming off somebody's
power in someone's home?

287
00:14:39,750 --> 00:14:44,670
DEAN: In the particular
site we have right now,

288
00:14:44,670 --> 00:14:48,330
there's actually a power
pole down there that is--

289
00:14:48,330 --> 00:14:50,850
I believe it was installed
quite a number of years

290
00:14:50,850 --> 00:14:52,650
ago when the
Tri-Lakes Sportsman's

291
00:14:52,650 --> 00:14:56,500
Club was aerating that part of
the lake in the winter time.

292
00:14:56,500 --> 00:14:58,500
So there's a transformer
and a power pole

293
00:14:58,500 --> 00:15:01,270
down there on one of
our member's properties.

294
00:15:01,270 --> 00:15:04,360
We have a lease agreement
with him to access that site,

295
00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:07,620
and we're powering
this particular unit

296
00:15:07,620 --> 00:15:08,650
off of that power pole.

297
00:15:08,650 --> 00:15:12,120
So we have our own meter and
that's how that's going to go.

298
00:15:12,120 --> 00:15:13,860
On the other two
sites, that will

299
00:15:13,860 --> 00:15:16,870
be power that will be
provided by the resident,

300
00:15:16,870 --> 00:15:19,030
and we'll figure out a
way to compensate them.

301
00:15:19,030 --> 00:15:21,370
I don't know how
that's going to go.

302
00:15:21,370 --> 00:15:25,120
And you reminded me,
as just a side note,

303
00:15:25,120 --> 00:15:28,230
is that Benjamin Berry area
where we have the aerator right

304
00:15:28,230 --> 00:15:32,220
now will be an area that we will
aerate throughout the winter

305
00:15:32,220 --> 00:15:35,540
to support the fish and also
continue trying to get oxygen

306
00:15:35,540 --> 00:15:38,460
into the lake water as well.

307
00:15:38,460 --> 00:15:41,270
That will look like
that surface aerator

308
00:15:41,270 --> 00:15:43,863
that I showed you plus two more.

309
00:15:43,863 --> 00:15:44,730
There'll be three of them.

310
00:15:44,730 --> 00:15:46,320
We won't use the
bottom diffusers,

311
00:15:46,320 --> 00:15:48,080
but we'll put three of
the surface aerators

312
00:15:48,080 --> 00:15:51,650
out there to keep an
open section of water

313
00:15:51,650 --> 00:15:53,767
throughout the winter.

314
00:15:53,767 --> 00:15:54,600
MALE SPEAKER: Well, good.

315
00:15:54,600 --> 00:15:56,070
Well, I appreciate
what you're doing.

316
00:15:56,070 --> 00:15:57,240
It's incremental.

317
00:15:57,240 --> 00:15:59,360
It's an uphill battle.

318
00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:02,030
But I'm glad that
you're addressing

319
00:16:02,030 --> 00:16:03,410
it the best way you can.

320
00:16:03,410 --> 00:16:05,360
DEAN: And the thing we're
really excited about, like I

321
00:16:05,360 --> 00:16:07,610
said, is we're seeing
results and we've

322
00:16:07,610 --> 00:16:09,510
got something that's modular.

323
00:16:09,510 --> 00:16:10,770
It's transferable.

324
00:16:10,770 --> 00:16:14,160
If we can really get it
dialed in, we can use it.

325
00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:16,800
You can use it on other
lakes, and it's affordable.

326
00:16:16,800 --> 00:16:19,190
It's not like these
multi-million dollar projects

327
00:16:19,190 --> 00:16:21,450
that I've been talking to
you about in previous years.

328
00:16:21,450 --> 00:16:24,720
This is something
that we can afford,

329
00:16:24,720 --> 00:16:26,930
that we can pay for ourselves--
not that we're not looking

330
00:16:26,930 --> 00:16:30,390
for grants and the like
to expand these things,

331
00:16:30,390 --> 00:16:32,070
but this is
something that's wet.

332
00:16:32,070 --> 00:16:33,600
It's in the water,
it's being tested.

333
00:16:33,600 --> 00:16:34,757
And we're real excited.

334
00:16:34,757 --> 00:16:36,090
MALE SPEAKER: You're
doing what you can.

335
00:16:36,090 --> 00:16:36,930
DEAN: We're doing what we can.

336
00:16:36,930 --> 00:16:37,500
Exactly, sir.

337
00:16:37,500 --> 00:16:39,500
Thank you.

338
00:16:39,500 --> 00:16:43,490
So we'll go over our
financials real quick.

339
00:16:43,490 --> 00:16:48,080
Year to date income, we've
brought in about $58,000.

340
00:16:48,080 --> 00:16:50,820
The two points I want
to make on this slide,

341
00:16:50,820 --> 00:16:52,910
I mentioned the
$12,000 from the Circle

342
00:16:52,910 --> 00:16:54,510
Lake Association for weeds.

343
00:16:54,510 --> 00:16:59,360
They also gave us a $15,000 to
go towards the aeration project.

344
00:16:59,360 --> 00:17:03,350
Next slide, please.

345
00:17:03,350 --> 00:17:08,270
We've spent about $75,000.

346
00:17:08,270 --> 00:17:10,560
The big number there
is the projects

347
00:17:10,560 --> 00:17:14,089
which will be broken
out in the next slide,

348
00:17:14,089 --> 00:17:15,599
if we can move to that.

349
00:17:15,599 --> 00:17:21,349
So we've spent a little over
$27,000 on the lake restoration

350
00:17:21,349 --> 00:17:26,240
project or the aeration
project, and a little

351
00:17:26,240 --> 00:17:28,820
over $40,000 for weeds.

352
00:17:28,820 --> 00:17:31,780
We'll go to the next slide.

353
00:17:31,780 --> 00:17:34,570
This is the estimated
income and expenses

354
00:17:34,570 --> 00:17:36,760
for the rest of the year.

355
00:17:36,760 --> 00:17:39,820
The top number is the second
half of the assessment

356
00:17:39,820 --> 00:17:41,680
that will come in.

357
00:17:41,680 --> 00:17:44,410
This is really great, guys.

358
00:17:44,410 --> 00:17:46,670
The second number is $22,000.

359
00:17:46,670 --> 00:17:49,660
We had a member get up at our
annual meeting in August that

360
00:17:49,660 --> 00:17:51,790
challenged the group,
challenged the membership

361
00:17:51,790 --> 00:17:55,720
to match a $1,000
donation that he was

362
00:17:55,720 --> 00:18:00,230
going to make to the district.

363
00:18:00,230 --> 00:18:08,450
That challenge generated $22,000
in donations from the district.

364
00:18:08,450 --> 00:18:09,970
So we're really
excited about that

365
00:18:09,970 --> 00:18:13,310
and we certainly appreciate
that kind of support.

366
00:18:13,310 --> 00:18:16,930
It shows you the involvement
and the dedication

367
00:18:16,930 --> 00:18:21,780
that our members have towards
getting this lake cleaned up.

368
00:18:21,780 --> 00:18:24,640


369
00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:27,550
So you see the number for
the estimated expenses

370
00:18:27,550 --> 00:18:29,030
for the remainder of the year.

371
00:18:29,030 --> 00:18:30,730
We might be a little
bit low on that number

372
00:18:30,730 --> 00:18:32,470
because we didn't know
we were going to have

373
00:18:32,470 --> 00:18:35,060
that windfall of $22,000.

374
00:18:35,060 --> 00:18:37,690
We may find that we
spend a little bit more

375
00:18:37,690 --> 00:18:43,640
on the aeration project, just
because if we buy something now,

376
00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:46,010
it might be cheaper than
waiting for it next year.

377
00:18:46,010 --> 00:18:49,010
I don't think we'll spend
the $4,800 for weeds.

378
00:18:49,010 --> 00:18:50,540
There's just no weeds
in the lake right now,

379
00:18:50,540 --> 00:18:53,560
but there was about $5,000
left over in the budget

380
00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:55,660
for weeds if we had
a milfoil problem,

381
00:18:55,660 --> 00:18:58,960
and we don't at this point.

382
00:18:58,960 --> 00:19:01,060
We're looking at
somewhere just north

383
00:19:01,060 --> 00:19:05,450
of $98,000 in the bank
at the end of the year,

384
00:19:05,450 --> 00:19:07,280
if this kind of pans out.

385
00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:10,970
So we'll go to the next slide.

386
00:19:10,970 --> 00:19:13,010
And this is the vote.

387
00:19:13,010 --> 00:19:14,270
You can go to the next slide.

388
00:19:14,270 --> 00:19:18,440
We had 42 parcels vote
at our annual meeting,

389
00:19:18,440 --> 00:19:21,880
and there are the
results of that.

390
00:19:21,880 --> 00:19:27,030
They approved, and then we
can go on to the next slide.

391
00:19:27,030 --> 00:19:30,280
This is the budget that was
sent out to our membership.

392
00:19:30,280 --> 00:19:32,350
This is the budget
that they approved.

393
00:19:32,350 --> 00:19:35,010
I've broken it down into
the income and expense

394
00:19:35,010 --> 00:19:36,910
side for the next slides.

395
00:19:36,910 --> 00:19:40,650
So if we can go up one
more, on the income side

396
00:19:40,650 --> 00:19:46,390
of the approved budget
for 2026, for this budget,

397
00:19:46,390 --> 00:19:49,650
we carried over $70,000.

398
00:19:49,650 --> 00:19:54,100
The membership approved a
$400 per parcel assessment.

399
00:19:54,100 --> 00:19:57,490
That's going to generate
us around $66,800.

400
00:19:57,490 --> 00:20:03,000
The grants, I put this
grant DNR weed in here

401
00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:05,130
just because we just
don't think we're

402
00:20:05,130 --> 00:20:06,580
going to get any
money from the state.

403
00:20:06,580 --> 00:20:11,050
We've always had budgeted
$10,000 from the DNR,

404
00:20:11,050 --> 00:20:13,660
but I don't think that's
going to happen this year.

405
00:20:13,660 --> 00:20:15,840
I'm not sure that they're going
to have any money for weeds

406
00:20:15,840 --> 00:20:16,360
at all.

407
00:20:16,360 --> 00:20:19,240
But certainly, if they
do, we'll apply for it,

408
00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:21,360
but we're not counting on it.

409
00:20:21,360 --> 00:20:24,300
As far as we know, the $5,000
that comes through the County

410
00:20:24,300 --> 00:20:25,710
for weeds will be there.

411
00:20:25,710 --> 00:20:32,090
And then hopefully, we've
got $12,500 budgeted from

412
00:20:32,090 --> 00:20:34,220
other grant sources,
the Circle Lake

413
00:20:34,220 --> 00:20:36,560
Association being one of them.

414
00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:39,660
Up to the next slide,
estimated expenses.

415
00:20:39,660 --> 00:20:42,840
That top group of numbers just
kind of keeps the lights on.

416
00:20:42,840 --> 00:20:45,650
This is the budget for the
lake restoration project

417
00:20:45,650 --> 00:20:48,270
and weeds management project.

418
00:20:48,270 --> 00:20:51,470
Both of those projects are
over $5,000, so our membership

419
00:20:51,470 --> 00:20:52,530
has to vote on those.

420
00:20:52,530 --> 00:20:54,750
They've approved those as well.

421
00:20:54,750 --> 00:20:58,880
So if we do, in fact,
spend all this money,

422
00:20:58,880 --> 00:21:01,560
that'll pretty much
tap us out for 2026.

423
00:21:01,560 --> 00:21:03,170
I think we'll carry in
a little bit more than

424
00:21:03,170 --> 00:21:05,300
the $70,000 but it
gives you a rough

425
00:21:05,300 --> 00:21:07,860
idea of what we're looking at.

426
00:21:07,860 --> 00:21:09,960
And this is what the
membership approved.

427
00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:11,600
So we'll go to the next slide.

428
00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:13,390
For questions on the budget?

429
00:21:13,390 --> 00:21:17,390


430
00:21:17,390 --> 00:21:18,290
MALE SPEAKER: Go ahead.

431
00:21:18,290 --> 00:21:20,340
DEAN: Well then, I thank
you very much for your time.

432
00:21:20,340 --> 00:21:21,800
I hope that when it
comes time for you

433
00:21:21,800 --> 00:21:27,300
to vote on our budget and our
items, that you approve it.

434
00:21:27,300 --> 00:21:29,510
And certainly, if you
have any questions,

435
00:21:29,510 --> 00:21:36,260
you know how to get a hold of me
and I appreciate your support.

436
00:21:36,260 --> 00:21:37,910
MALE SPEAKER: Go ahead.

437
00:21:37,910 --> 00:21:40,460
MALE SPEAKER: Just a thank
you to you and everybody

438
00:21:40,460 --> 00:21:43,280
on the board and the
residents for stepping

439
00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:45,380
up and doing what
you're doing to make

440
00:21:45,380 --> 00:21:46,720
improvements to the lake.

441
00:21:46,720 --> 00:21:47,420
DEAN: You're welcome.

442
00:21:47,420 --> 00:21:49,230
I'll let them know.

443
00:21:49,230 --> 00:21:50,430
MALE SPEAKER: I
also have a comment.

444
00:21:50,430 --> 00:21:52,310
MALE SPEAKER: Go ahead.

445
00:21:52,310 --> 00:21:53,700
MALE SPEAKER: The
Circle Lake island,

446
00:21:53,700 --> 00:21:56,280
you're all aware
of the land trust,

447
00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:58,790
purchasing it and
going to hopefully

448
00:21:58,790 --> 00:22:02,220
switch it over to the DNR, so
that's going to be a good thing.

449
00:22:02,220 --> 00:22:04,500
And then, I have had
several comments.

450
00:22:04,500 --> 00:22:08,480
I live real close to the
lake, of course, of how good

451
00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:10,830
it was this year,
the weeds and stuff.

452
00:22:10,830 --> 00:22:15,480
So you must be doing
something right, so thank you.

453
00:22:15,480 --> 00:22:16,180
DEAN: You're welcome.

454
00:22:16,180 --> 00:22:19,120


455
00:22:19,120 --> 00:22:20,120
MALE SPEAKER: Thank you, Dean.

456
00:22:20,120 --> 00:22:20,820
Appreciate it.

457
00:22:20,820 --> 00:22:23,260
DEAN: Thank you.

458
00:22:23,260 --> 00:22:24,970
MALE SPEAKER: Next,
we have our assessor's

459
00:22:24,970 --> 00:22:26,505
office with Josh Schoen.

460
00:22:26,505 --> 00:22:30,483


461
00:22:30,483 --> 00:22:31,850
JOSH SCHOEN: Good
morning, commissioners.

462
00:22:31,850 --> 00:22:32,210
MALE SPEAKER: Good morning.

463
00:22:32,210 --> 00:22:32,980
MALE SPEAKER: Morning.

464
00:22:32,980 --> 00:22:35,290
JOSH SCHOEN: Thanks for letting
me do an update this morning.

465
00:22:35,290 --> 00:22:38,200
I'm going to start
just by showing

466
00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:39,740
the organization of my office.

467
00:22:39,740 --> 00:22:44,020
So I have 13 full staff in
my office, including myself.

468
00:22:44,020 --> 00:22:47,380
Our most recent hire
was in the end of May,

469
00:22:47,380 --> 00:22:48,940
so we've been fully
staffed since the end

470
00:22:48,940 --> 00:22:50,680
of May, which is
the longest stretch

471
00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:52,490
we've had since before COVID.

472
00:22:52,490 --> 00:22:54,530
So I'm thankful for that.

473
00:22:54,530 --> 00:22:56,350
Hopefully, that continues.

474
00:22:56,350 --> 00:23:01,180
But we have six appraisers,
three, I guess, office staff,

475
00:23:01,180 --> 00:23:04,390
and then two GIS
people besides myself

476
00:23:04,390 --> 00:23:08,320
and the assistant county
assessor, Carolyn.

477
00:23:08,320 --> 00:23:10,360
Next slide.

478
00:23:10,360 --> 00:23:13,090
I showed this slide when
I gave the presentation

479
00:23:13,090 --> 00:23:15,610
at the County Board of
Appeal and Equalization.

480
00:23:15,610 --> 00:23:18,490
So you can kind of see where
the market value has gone

481
00:23:18,490 --> 00:23:21,640
over the more recent years.

482
00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:25,430
Our sales ratio
study analyzes sales,

483
00:23:25,430 --> 00:23:28,720
so for the '26
assessed values, we

484
00:23:28,720 --> 00:23:32,240
started with sales
starting October 1 of '24

485
00:23:32,240 --> 00:23:36,470
and will go through the end
of September 30 of 2025.

486
00:23:36,470 --> 00:23:40,420
So we're getting close to
the end of that time study.

487
00:23:40,420 --> 00:23:46,130
From what I'm seeing before
the sales ratio season's over,

488
00:23:46,130 --> 00:23:50,300
is that we'll see similar
increases as a year ago,

489
00:23:50,300 --> 00:23:54,220
that kind of all property types,
our assessed value compared to

490
00:23:54,220 --> 00:23:57,100
the sale prices have been low.

491
00:23:57,100 --> 00:23:59,320
So I'm expecting
to see increases

492
00:23:59,320 --> 00:24:01,750
across all the property types.

493
00:24:01,750 --> 00:24:03,917
MALE SPEAKER: I have
a question about that.

494
00:24:03,917 --> 00:24:05,350
JOSH SCHOEN: Go ahead.

495
00:24:05,350 --> 00:24:06,590
MALE SPEAKER: At what point--

496
00:24:06,590 --> 00:24:09,790
and I know this is not
you-- but at what point are

497
00:24:09,790 --> 00:24:11,470
the Department of Revenue--
because that's who

498
00:24:11,470 --> 00:24:12,740
you answer to, right--

499
00:24:12,740 --> 00:24:14,600
I mean, they make the rules.

500
00:24:14,600 --> 00:24:19,080
At what point are they
going to say, gosh,

501
00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:23,280
we've made the assessors
raise the value on everything

502
00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:27,160
from commercial to residential,
to apartments to farmland,

503
00:24:27,160 --> 00:24:28,770
that it's not sustainable?

504
00:24:28,770 --> 00:24:31,920
Because that's the
point we're approaching.

505
00:24:31,920 --> 00:24:34,710
You can deliver that message
to whoever from the Department

506
00:24:34,710 --> 00:24:36,460
of Revenue, but I will as well.

507
00:24:36,460 --> 00:24:39,540
But it's becoming the point
where people can't, because it's

508
00:24:39,540 --> 00:24:42,210
part of the tax
process of the value

509
00:24:42,210 --> 00:24:45,070
and what they pay for
taxes on their homes.

510
00:24:45,070 --> 00:24:49,740
It's getting to the point where
it's not sustainable for people

511
00:24:49,740 --> 00:24:51,480
to be able to live in
their homes anymore

512
00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:54,450
because the values have
been rising so dramatically

513
00:24:54,450 --> 00:24:58,170
that we're going to
have a mess on our hands

514
00:24:58,170 --> 00:24:59,850
here coming up soon.

515
00:24:59,850 --> 00:25:02,280
JOSH SCHOEN: Yeah, and
one of the big things

516
00:25:02,280 --> 00:25:05,610
to make sure understand
too, is remember,

517
00:25:05,610 --> 00:25:07,990
the values are just how
the levies are distributed.

518
00:25:07,990 --> 00:25:11,730
So I mean, if levies stayed
the same and values doubled,

519
00:25:11,730 --> 00:25:15,550
the taxes would stay the same
in a more simple tax system.

520
00:25:15,550 --> 00:25:20,260
So it is how it's
distributed statutorily.

521
00:25:20,260 --> 00:25:24,090
Assessors must value
at market value.

522
00:25:24,090 --> 00:25:28,410
I know other states have done
a little bit different things.

523
00:25:28,410 --> 00:25:30,460
In Minnesota, they
use net tax capacity.

524
00:25:30,460 --> 00:25:34,570
So not every classification
pays the same amount of taxes

525
00:25:34,570 --> 00:25:37,980
because there's a
multiplier that changes,

526
00:25:37,980 --> 00:25:39,990
that percentage that they pay.

527
00:25:39,990 --> 00:25:43,030
That's how Minnesota's
chosen to do that.

528
00:25:43,030 --> 00:25:45,580
I know Iowa, like
on their farmland,

529
00:25:45,580 --> 00:25:48,990
they value it like a small
percentage of the value.

530
00:25:48,990 --> 00:25:54,370
So it's always just how do
you shake that out, I guess.

531
00:25:54,370 --> 00:25:58,320
But what we are seeing is,
the good thing about when

532
00:25:58,320 --> 00:26:00,460
we see all property types--

533
00:26:00,460 --> 00:26:04,830
so residential and commercial
apartments-- when they all go up

534
00:26:04,830 --> 00:26:06,930
rather opposed to
one goes up, one goes

535
00:26:06,930 --> 00:26:09,370
down, that creates a tax shift.

536
00:26:09,370 --> 00:26:12,820
So that's a good thing about
when all of them go up together,

537
00:26:12,820 --> 00:26:15,020
at least there's not
this big tax shift

538
00:26:15,020 --> 00:26:16,910
that you could see
because then, there's

539
00:26:16,910 --> 00:26:19,460
kind of unexpected tax bills.

540
00:26:19,460 --> 00:26:23,420
So that's the positive
of that, I guess.

541
00:26:23,420 --> 00:26:26,420
Also, just having
a healthy market

542
00:26:26,420 --> 00:26:30,150
is usually a better
economical sign too.

543
00:26:30,150 --> 00:26:35,300
So hopefully, that
exists as well.

544
00:26:35,300 --> 00:26:37,890
I guess we can move
on to the next slide.

545
00:26:37,890 --> 00:26:43,520
This just shows the residential
and seasonal rec sales.

546
00:26:43,520 --> 00:26:45,230
I always kind of show
this from year to year,

547
00:26:45,230 --> 00:26:47,810
what the average
county-wide and average

548
00:26:47,810 --> 00:26:49,640
and Faribault, Northfield.

549
00:26:49,640 --> 00:26:53,220
Last year's study for
the 2025 assessment,

550
00:26:53,220 --> 00:26:57,060
the average county-wide
sale price was $350,000.

551
00:26:57,060 --> 00:27:00,840
And preliminary, through
the first week in September,

552
00:27:00,840 --> 00:27:03,320
it was $370,000.

553
00:27:03,320 --> 00:27:06,480
And then you can
see in Northfield,

554
00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:11,810
I think it went from 365 to
378, and then in Faribault, from

555
00:27:11,810 --> 00:27:14,990
285 to just about $300,000.

556
00:27:14,990 --> 00:27:18,085
So you can see those increases
in the average sale price.

557
00:27:18,085 --> 00:27:22,220


558
00:27:22,220 --> 00:27:23,970
Last year, when
I gave an update,

559
00:27:23,970 --> 00:27:27,870
I had several slides
on legislative changes,

560
00:27:27,870 --> 00:27:30,120
and a lot of them really
created some tax shifts.

561
00:27:30,120 --> 00:27:34,610
We saw a really active bill
a year ago with the tax bill

562
00:27:34,610 --> 00:27:35,430
this year.

563
00:27:35,430 --> 00:27:37,470
There was a lot discussed
in the tax bill,

564
00:27:37,470 --> 00:27:40,670
but nothing really
made it through.

565
00:27:40,670 --> 00:27:42,290
Some of the big
changes a year ago

566
00:27:42,290 --> 00:27:45,470
was that they redid the
formula for the Homestead

567
00:27:45,470 --> 00:27:46,940
market value exclusion.

568
00:27:46,940 --> 00:27:50,900
That probably had the
biggest impact on tax shifts.

569
00:27:50,900 --> 00:27:55,590
Also, you can see in this
chart, from '23 to '24,

570
00:27:55,590 --> 00:27:59,650
the Ag Homestead tier went
from just over $2.1 million

571
00:27:59,650 --> 00:28:01,430
to $3.5 million.

572
00:28:01,430 --> 00:28:02,550
That created some shift.

573
00:28:02,550 --> 00:28:05,390
There was a low income
rental classification

574
00:28:05,390 --> 00:28:12,670
that really had a reduced rate
from essentially 0.75% to 0.25%.

575
00:28:12,670 --> 00:28:15,250
The legislature doesn't
always pass bills

576
00:28:15,250 --> 00:28:16,990
on the Homestead tier limit.

577
00:28:16,990 --> 00:28:18,190
Usually, the
Department of Revenue

578
00:28:18,190 --> 00:28:21,550
just determines that based
on the value increases

579
00:28:21,550 --> 00:28:22,930
that are on the state.

580
00:28:22,930 --> 00:28:24,460
There was that big
change a year ago

581
00:28:24,460 --> 00:28:27,070
because legislators didn't
think the Department

582
00:28:27,070 --> 00:28:30,290
of Revenue kept up with
the changes of ag value.

583
00:28:30,290 --> 00:28:34,840
But this year, there was a
$300,000 increase in that limit,

584
00:28:34,840 --> 00:28:37,030
which is percentage-wise,
pretty similar

585
00:28:37,030 --> 00:28:42,920
to the tillable increase that we
saw a year ago with our ag land.

586
00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:46,390
So that's probably
the one big change

587
00:28:46,390 --> 00:28:49,420
for this coming assessment.

588
00:28:49,420 --> 00:28:51,590
MALE SPEAKER: So, Josh, can
I ask just a question here?

589
00:28:51,590 --> 00:28:52,900
JOSH SCHOEN: Yeah.

590
00:28:52,900 --> 00:28:54,310
MALE SPEAKER: How
do you determine

591
00:28:54,310 --> 00:28:56,150
agricultural homestead?

592
00:28:56,150 --> 00:28:58,370
I mean, what's the
criteria for that?

593
00:28:58,370 --> 00:29:01,150
JOSH SCHOEN: Yeah, so
the most basic way is

594
00:29:01,150 --> 00:29:04,940
if you own and occupy the farm.

595
00:29:04,940 --> 00:29:06,430
So you live on the farm.

596
00:29:06,430 --> 00:29:09,010
Once you establish ag
homestead-- so that usually

597
00:29:09,010 --> 00:29:13,600
means at least 10 contiguous
productive acres in production--

598
00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:15,900
then, once you establish
that, you can link

599
00:29:15,900 --> 00:29:18,840
farmland within four townships.

600
00:29:18,840 --> 00:29:20,790
There's different ways.

601
00:29:20,790 --> 00:29:24,090
That's one thing that's added to
the complexity of ag homesteads

602
00:29:24,090 --> 00:29:25,410
that we have--

603
00:29:25,410 --> 00:29:27,660
a lot of our administration
in our offices

604
00:29:27,660 --> 00:29:33,130
just follow this stuff, but
there's relative ag homesteads.

605
00:29:33,130 --> 00:29:34,650
There's the special
ag homesteads

606
00:29:34,650 --> 00:29:37,050
because the farming community
has changed where there's

607
00:29:37,050 --> 00:29:40,860
more entity-owned properties.

608
00:29:40,860 --> 00:29:43,270
Maybe they're
moving off the farm,

609
00:29:43,270 --> 00:29:46,240
but they still continue
to farm but live in town.

610
00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:49,980
There's some ways that they can
qualify if they're the farmer

611
00:29:49,980 --> 00:29:52,440
or a relative is a farmer.

612
00:29:52,440 --> 00:29:54,600
They've really kind
of expanded the ways

613
00:29:54,600 --> 00:29:56,850
that that's changed
as farming operations

614
00:29:56,850 --> 00:29:59,040
have changed over the years.

615
00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:03,070
So it is something
we have, in general,

616
00:30:03,070 --> 00:30:06,480
our homestead applications,
once people file, they continue

617
00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:08,260
to get that homestead credit.

618
00:30:08,260 --> 00:30:11,800
But like the special egg, we
require applications every year.

619
00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:14,940
Any kind of relative homestead,
we've been on every other year

620
00:30:14,940 --> 00:30:17,460
cycle just to make sure
they continue to live

621
00:30:17,460 --> 00:30:19,620
there and meet that criteria.

622
00:30:19,620 --> 00:30:24,030
So it is a little more
complex than a simple answer

623
00:30:24,030 --> 00:30:25,920
on that, but that's
changed over the years.

624
00:30:25,920 --> 00:30:27,990
And every year-- well,
not every year, but it

625
00:30:27,990 --> 00:30:31,140
seems like there's a
little different rules

626
00:30:31,140 --> 00:30:33,390
periodically within.

627
00:30:33,390 --> 00:30:34,590
MALE SPEAKER: And
then the valuation

628
00:30:34,590 --> 00:30:36,420
limit would be
that's the maximum

629
00:30:36,420 --> 00:30:37,600
that they can be valued at?

630
00:30:37,600 --> 00:30:38,040
Is that what you're getting at?

631
00:30:38,040 --> 00:30:38,640
JOSH SCHOEN: Yeah.

632
00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:44,400
Once all the farmland and
outbuildings reach that--

633
00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:47,010
let's say, it'll
be 3.8 next year.

634
00:30:47,010 --> 00:30:49,200
Once they hit that
limit, then they're

635
00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:52,050
taxed at the non-homestead
rate, which is twice as much

636
00:30:52,050 --> 00:30:53,560
as the homestead rate.

637
00:30:53,560 --> 00:30:55,570
So your taxes
double on that part.

638
00:30:55,570 --> 00:30:58,300
So we've had over the years,
like a truth and taxation time.

639
00:30:58,300 --> 00:31:03,090
We'll have some farmers
come in and say my taxes

640
00:31:03,090 --> 00:31:04,330
doubled on this parcel.

641
00:31:04,330 --> 00:31:05,110
This can't be right.

642
00:31:05,110 --> 00:31:06,470
And what happens
a lot of times is

643
00:31:06,470 --> 00:31:08,300
that parcel was
getting homestead

644
00:31:08,300 --> 00:31:09,720
and then it doesn't
get homestead.

645
00:31:09,720 --> 00:31:11,750
Maybe it's at the
end of that tier.

646
00:31:11,750 --> 00:31:14,720
It is one thing, legislation
addressed that homestead tier

647
00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:18,150
a year ago because there
wasn't a lot of change in there

648
00:31:18,150 --> 00:31:19,970
and we were having
some pretty big

649
00:31:19,970 --> 00:31:23,780
value increases in especially
the southern part of the state.

650
00:31:23,780 --> 00:31:25,440
So we saw a lot of that.

651
00:31:25,440 --> 00:31:28,070
And then it's such a big
difference between homestead

652
00:31:28,070 --> 00:31:31,100
and non-homestead with
ag land and outbuildings,

653
00:31:31,100 --> 00:31:32,720
that you notice that.

654
00:31:32,720 --> 00:31:35,640
Because really, the biggest
difference is the rate doubles.

655
00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:37,640
And there's also an
ag homestead credit

656
00:31:37,640 --> 00:31:41,600
that farmers get
that's up to $490

657
00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:45,740
based on the value
of the property.

658
00:31:45,740 --> 00:31:48,860
MALE SPEAKER: Well, thank
you for that clarification.

659
00:31:48,860 --> 00:31:51,300
You guys deal with
that more than I do.

660
00:31:51,300 --> 00:31:53,390
But you understand
that completely?

661
00:31:53,390 --> 00:31:54,470
MALE SPEAKER: Yeah.

662
00:31:54,470 --> 00:31:57,830
I've been to his
office several times.

663
00:31:57,830 --> 00:32:01,370
JOSH SCHOEN: Yeah, no,
Minnesota has the most complex

664
00:32:01,370 --> 00:32:04,380
property tax laws in
the entire country,

665
00:32:04,380 --> 00:32:06,050
and it's not even close.

666
00:32:06,050 --> 00:32:08,570
I know the last time I heard, it
was like Minnesota had something

667
00:32:08,570 --> 00:32:11,790
like 67 property
tax classifications,

668
00:32:11,790 --> 00:32:14,360
and the next highest
state was Iowa with 11.

669
00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:16,500
It was that big a disparity.

670
00:32:16,500 --> 00:32:21,080
And there are credits
for different things.

671
00:32:21,080 --> 00:32:23,330
One thing that's changed
over the more recent years

672
00:32:23,330 --> 00:32:28,010
is there's a school building
bond credit that became

673
00:32:28,010 --> 00:32:30,890
established as a lot
of old state schools

674
00:32:30,890 --> 00:32:34,340
failed to pass
referendums because it

675
00:32:34,340 --> 00:32:37,370
would impact the farmers so
much and they'd vote against it.

676
00:32:37,370 --> 00:32:42,800
Now when there's a school
building bond, 70% of that

677
00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:45,840
comes back as a
credit to farmland.

678
00:32:45,840 --> 00:32:49,400
So they're only paying on 30%
of it, where historically,

679
00:32:49,400 --> 00:32:50,756
they've paid 100%.

680
00:32:50,756 --> 00:32:53,700


681
00:32:53,700 --> 00:32:54,200
Next slide?

682
00:32:54,200 --> 00:32:55,767
MALE SPEAKER: Thank you
for that clarification.

683
00:32:55,767 --> 00:32:57,320
I think it's important
and you helped me

684
00:32:57,320 --> 00:32:58,470
understand it a little better.

685
00:32:58,470 --> 00:32:59,070
JOSH SCHOEN: Yeah.

686
00:32:59,070 --> 00:33:01,790


687
00:33:01,790 --> 00:33:03,400
Every year, the
Department of Revenue

688
00:33:03,400 --> 00:33:05,270
does a State Board
of Equalization.

689
00:33:05,270 --> 00:33:09,520
So whenever there's six or more
sales within a property type

690
00:33:09,520 --> 00:33:15,380
in a jurisdiction, our
median value or median sale,

691
00:33:15,380 --> 00:33:18,200
we have to be
within 90% to 105%.

692
00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:22,010
So if I don't get
that value there,

693
00:33:22,010 --> 00:33:25,730
the state steps in and
issues state orders

694
00:33:25,730 --> 00:33:27,880
that brings the whole
jurisdiction kind

695
00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:31,250
of up to that close to 100%.

696
00:33:31,250 --> 00:33:34,030
And then anyone that
appeals in that jurisdiction

697
00:33:34,030 --> 00:33:36,010
would lose their appeal.

698
00:33:36,010 --> 00:33:39,190
So it's something
that we want to avoid.

699
00:33:39,190 --> 00:33:42,500
And then also, they look
at different measures too.

700
00:33:42,500 --> 00:33:43,960
Like, there's certain
jurisdictions,

701
00:33:43,960 --> 00:33:45,880
like especially some of
our smaller townships

702
00:33:45,880 --> 00:33:47,420
that don't get six sales.

703
00:33:47,420 --> 00:33:51,160
So they look at how
those sales have occurred

704
00:33:51,160 --> 00:33:53,890
over the five year
period to see if we're

705
00:33:53,890 --> 00:33:55,580
making the changes necessary.

706
00:33:55,580 --> 00:33:57,310
So just because
there's not sales

707
00:33:57,310 --> 00:34:02,020
there doesn't mean we can't
just let the values be flat,

708
00:34:02,020 --> 00:34:04,810
and that's something we've been
keeping up with the market.

709
00:34:04,810 --> 00:34:07,220
We haven't had any
issues with that.

710
00:34:07,220 --> 00:34:10,480
And it's good too, just
from a fairness, equity

711
00:34:10,480 --> 00:34:13,360
with other taxpayers and to
make sure we're addressing

712
00:34:13,360 --> 00:34:17,320
those areas where we don't
have sales as we can see what

713
00:34:17,320 --> 00:34:19,900
the market indicates in
other areas of the County

714
00:34:19,900 --> 00:34:23,500
and other areas of the state.

715
00:34:23,500 --> 00:34:27,080
And then, one of the big things
we're working on right now--

716
00:34:27,080 --> 00:34:29,889
we're kind of wrapping
it up-- is our appraisers

717
00:34:29,889 --> 00:34:31,130
do quintile inspections.

718
00:34:31,130 --> 00:34:35,199
So we're required statutorily
to visit each property at least

719
00:34:35,199 --> 00:34:37,250
once every five year period.

720
00:34:37,250 --> 00:34:42,110
So every year, I guess since
last four or five years,

721
00:34:42,110 --> 00:34:44,080
we send out postcards
of the properties

722
00:34:44,080 --> 00:34:45,489
that we're going to visit.

723
00:34:45,489 --> 00:34:48,920
People have the opportunity
to line up appointments

724
00:34:48,920 --> 00:34:52,670
and we start going out
and visiting properties.

725
00:34:52,670 --> 00:34:53,950
And it's really,
a lot of times, I

726
00:34:53,950 --> 00:34:55,750
think people are a little
worried that we're going out

727
00:34:55,750 --> 00:34:57,490
there or we're going
to value the property

728
00:34:57,490 --> 00:34:59,940
and we're seeing this-- we
value properties every year.

729
00:34:59,940 --> 00:35:01,090
We're keeping up
with the market.

730
00:35:01,090 --> 00:35:04,440
It's really just to verify
whether the information we have

731
00:35:04,440 --> 00:35:05,380
is correct.

732
00:35:05,380 --> 00:35:07,170
Sometimes, we'll
be at properties

733
00:35:07,170 --> 00:35:09,720
and maybe the conditions
improved or there's something

734
00:35:09,720 --> 00:35:10,990
there that we didn't realize.

735
00:35:10,990 --> 00:35:14,910
But also, there's times that
they're having issues that might

736
00:35:14,910 --> 00:35:16,830
bring the value down or
buildings that have been

737
00:35:16,830 --> 00:35:18,460
raised that we didn't realize.

738
00:35:18,460 --> 00:35:22,890
So there's both ways on that.

739
00:35:22,890 --> 00:35:27,520
And we're really trying to
be as efficient as we can.

740
00:35:27,520 --> 00:35:32,640
We really utilize the air photos
that we've been getting a lot

741
00:35:32,640 --> 00:35:36,060
to make it more efficient, that
historically, like the director

742
00:35:36,060 --> 00:35:38,190
of the Department of
Revenue, was to go out

743
00:35:38,190 --> 00:35:41,700
and measure every single
building at every property

744
00:35:41,700 --> 00:35:43,090
that we're at.

745
00:35:43,090 --> 00:35:45,850
And that's just not realistic
with all the farms that we have.

746
00:35:45,850 --> 00:35:48,720
And we do all that
on air photos.

747
00:35:48,720 --> 00:35:51,510
We usually only measure if
we have some discrepancy

748
00:35:51,510 --> 00:35:55,200
that we see on the air photos.

749
00:35:55,200 --> 00:36:00,690
And then, you can see, through
the end of August, we've visited

750
00:36:00,690 --> 00:36:03,270
almost 5,800 properties.

751
00:36:03,270 --> 00:36:06,340
About 6,000 would be
1/5 of our parcels,

752
00:36:06,340 --> 00:36:09,510
so we're getting close to
wrapping up our quintile

753
00:36:09,510 --> 00:36:10,920
inspections, and
then our appraisers

754
00:36:10,920 --> 00:36:16,380
move to checking permits for
new construction for the year.

755
00:36:16,380 --> 00:36:22,110
On the next slide, we
currently have 13 active tax

756
00:36:22,110 --> 00:36:24,900
petitions in the County.

757
00:36:24,900 --> 00:36:29,070
One in payable '24, which we
have a motion hearing next week

758
00:36:29,070 --> 00:36:31,470
to try to get
dismissed, and then

759
00:36:31,470 --> 00:36:33,880
12 for the payable '25 year.

760
00:36:33,880 --> 00:36:37,090
I think we started with
17 and payable '25,

761
00:36:37,090 --> 00:36:40,085
and we've either had five of
them dismissed or settled.

762
00:36:40,085 --> 00:36:44,520


763
00:36:44,520 --> 00:36:45,220
Next slide.

764
00:36:45,220 --> 00:36:51,090
So the Beacon website, so this
is kind of a website that really

765
00:36:51,090 --> 00:36:53,070
shows taxpayers a lot
of the information

766
00:36:53,070 --> 00:36:54,540
that we have on
their properties,

767
00:36:54,540 --> 00:36:57,470
shows property lines, maps.

768
00:36:57,470 --> 00:37:03,320
Last year, we had over 390,000
visitors, over 1,000 a day.

769
00:37:03,320 --> 00:37:06,890
With that, I think there
was over 5 million views

770
00:37:06,890 --> 00:37:10,040
of different sites on there.

771
00:37:10,040 --> 00:37:12,750
This year, we're quite a
bit ahead of that pace.

772
00:37:12,750 --> 00:37:17,690
We're on pace for
over 500,000 visits.

773
00:37:17,690 --> 00:37:22,070
And it's been a really
good tool as an assessor

774
00:37:22,070 --> 00:37:24,440
that we have transparency
with the taxpayers,

775
00:37:24,440 --> 00:37:26,670
that we can talk with taxpayers.

776
00:37:26,670 --> 00:37:29,480
And we hear when stuff's
wrong, whether it's

777
00:37:29,480 --> 00:37:30,950
their property
lines or information

778
00:37:30,950 --> 00:37:33,140
that we have on their property.

779
00:37:33,140 --> 00:37:34,800
I think it's been a good tool.

780
00:37:34,800 --> 00:37:36,840
We have tax
statements out there.

781
00:37:36,840 --> 00:37:41,720
People can see a copy of
their subdivision or plat.

782
00:37:41,720 --> 00:37:44,240
We have corner
certificates out there.

783
00:37:44,240 --> 00:37:47,420
Mike is working on
linking our sales

784
00:37:47,420 --> 00:37:51,530
to their LandShark
TriMin sites so that they

785
00:37:51,530 --> 00:37:54,980
can link to those documents.

786
00:37:54,980 --> 00:37:57,030
So it's been a really
good tool for us.

787
00:37:57,030 --> 00:37:58,670
We get a lot of
compliments from people

788
00:37:58,670 --> 00:38:02,910
on how usable our website is.

789
00:38:02,910 --> 00:38:04,410
MALE SPEAKER: So I have
one question on that.

790
00:38:04,410 --> 00:38:05,810
JOSH SCHOEN: Sure.

791
00:38:05,810 --> 00:38:09,800
MALE SPEAKER: The accuracy
of the Beacon sites, I mean,

792
00:38:09,800 --> 00:38:12,680
how much or how
accurate is it compared

793
00:38:12,680 --> 00:38:15,620
to actual surveyed stakes?

794
00:38:15,620 --> 00:38:19,160
And can people look at that
with a confidence of this

795
00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:20,390
is what it is?

796
00:38:20,390 --> 00:38:21,380
JOSH SCHOEN: No.

797
00:38:21,380 --> 00:38:23,640
I would say it's definitely
not survey grade.

798
00:38:23,640 --> 00:38:27,600
I think it'll be very
difficult to get it there,

799
00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:29,520
but it's the best
information that we have.

800
00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:32,870
We've gotten a lot
better over the years

801
00:38:32,870 --> 00:38:35,370
through efforts of our
GIS, and of course,

802
00:38:35,370 --> 00:38:36,870
Mike, the county surveyor.

803
00:38:36,870 --> 00:38:41,540
We've really cleaned up
a lot of information.

804
00:38:41,540 --> 00:38:42,300
It's tough.

805
00:38:42,300 --> 00:38:44,630
And even with the air
photos, the way they line up

806
00:38:44,630 --> 00:38:47,990
isn't always exactly perfect.

807
00:38:47,990 --> 00:38:50,160
So there's always some
error built in there.

808
00:38:50,160 --> 00:38:52,480
But you'll see
they're pretty good,

809
00:38:52,480 --> 00:38:54,500
and I like that we
have it out there.

810
00:38:54,500 --> 00:38:56,650
We hear from taxpayers
that we really

811
00:38:56,650 --> 00:38:59,350
research some legal
descriptions and we

812
00:38:59,350 --> 00:39:03,820
make some improvements on those
parcel lines based on that too.

813
00:39:03,820 --> 00:39:06,580
But I would say it's
gotten drastically

814
00:39:06,580 --> 00:39:09,190
better the last 10 years.

815
00:39:09,190 --> 00:39:11,450
And it continues to
be a work in progress.

816
00:39:11,450 --> 00:39:14,140
I don't think it'll
ever be survey grade,

817
00:39:14,140 --> 00:39:17,140
but it continues to get better.

818
00:39:17,140 --> 00:39:22,018
And we hope to hear from people
when there is something--

819
00:39:22,018 --> 00:39:22,885
MALE SPEAKER: Discrepancy?

820
00:39:22,885 --> 00:39:24,850
JOSH SCHOEN: --yeah, some
discrepancy because that's

821
00:39:24,850 --> 00:39:27,740
when we look into it.

822
00:39:27,740 --> 00:39:30,137
It gives us an opportunity
to relook at things.

823
00:39:30,137 --> 00:39:30,970
MALE SPEAKER: Well, good.

824
00:39:30,970 --> 00:39:34,240
I think it's good for everybody
to know that because some people

825
00:39:34,240 --> 00:39:38,320
make the presumption that
what's shown on Beacons,

826
00:39:38,320 --> 00:39:40,177
your fence is on my
property or whatever.

827
00:39:40,177 --> 00:39:42,010
JOSH SCHOEN: Yeah, I know we
do get a lot of questions,

828
00:39:42,010 --> 00:39:43,630
we're thinking about
putting a fence up.

829
00:39:43,630 --> 00:39:47,320
Get a survey or here's-- the
nice thing is we can pull

830
00:39:47,320 --> 00:39:50,180
the plat right up and say, these
corners are located right here.

831
00:39:50,180 --> 00:39:56,140
You need to find those to put up
a fence, but it's not perfect,

832
00:39:56,140 --> 00:39:59,580
but it's a good
representation, I guess.

833
00:39:59,580 --> 00:40:02,700
MALE SPEAKER: Thank you.

834
00:40:02,700 --> 00:40:03,870
JOSH SCHOEN: The
final slide that I

835
00:40:03,870 --> 00:40:06,760
have is the air photo flight.

836
00:40:06,760 --> 00:40:11,530
We were on the first of a three
year contract over six years.

837
00:40:11,530 --> 00:40:17,010
So this spring, we flew air
photo flight by eagle view.

838
00:40:17,010 --> 00:40:18,760
It was purchased with
the compliance fund,

839
00:40:18,760 --> 00:40:20,530
and it's been a
really good tool.

840
00:40:20,530 --> 00:40:23,890
We put the ortho image
out on our Beacon website.

841
00:40:23,890 --> 00:40:26,430
And there's actually
a tool that you

842
00:40:26,430 --> 00:40:28,860
can look at some
oblique imagery,

843
00:40:28,860 --> 00:40:31,510
but it's really a tool that
we use internally a lot.

844
00:40:31,510 --> 00:40:34,870
Our office, the assessor's
office, dominates the use of it

845
00:40:34,870 --> 00:40:36,510
but other departments
around the County have it

846
00:40:36,510 --> 00:40:40,050
and we provide it to
the cities as well.

847
00:40:40,050 --> 00:40:44,590
In 2024, we had over
55,000 image views.

848
00:40:44,590 --> 00:40:47,590
And this year, we're on
pace for more than that.

849
00:40:47,590 --> 00:40:50,940
So we have over
43,000 image views.

850
00:40:50,940 --> 00:40:55,180
It's really, really allowed
us to do our job differently,

851
00:40:55,180 --> 00:40:56,980
to be more efficient
in the field.

852
00:40:56,980 --> 00:40:59,950
It's really amazing how far
this technology has come.

853
00:40:59,950 --> 00:41:05,610
And we're not purchasing the
best product that they have.

854
00:41:05,610 --> 00:41:09,580
This year, we by default,
got a better product.

855
00:41:09,580 --> 00:41:11,400
We got three inch
resolution, which

856
00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:15,990
means each pixel in the photo
is 3 inches by 3 inches, which I

857
00:41:15,990 --> 00:41:19,390
say without human error,
you can measure within three

858
00:41:19,390 --> 00:41:22,230
inches on each side, so you
can measure within 6 inches

859
00:41:22,230 --> 00:41:25,410
before kind of human
error, I guess.

860
00:41:25,410 --> 00:41:27,330
They have a 1 inch product.

861
00:41:27,330 --> 00:41:30,810
Traditionally, we've gotten
some three and some six,

862
00:41:30,810 --> 00:41:33,660
or it used to be
a 12 inch product

863
00:41:33,660 --> 00:41:35,620
that we got when they
first kind of came out,

864
00:41:35,620 --> 00:41:37,090
so it's gotten better.

865
00:41:37,090 --> 00:41:41,880
And just having different angles
of things has really helped

866
00:41:41,880 --> 00:41:44,266
us do our job efficiently.

867
00:41:44,266 --> 00:41:47,180


868
00:41:47,180 --> 00:41:50,240
And I guess, with that, are
there any other questions

869
00:41:50,240 --> 00:41:51,325
that you have for me today?

870
00:41:51,325 --> 00:41:55,515


871
00:41:55,515 --> 00:41:56,615
MALE SPEAKER: I
don't believe so.

872
00:41:56,615 --> 00:41:59,063


873
00:41:59,063 --> 00:42:00,030
JOSH SCHOEN: Well, thank you.

874
00:42:00,030 --> 00:42:01,570
MALE SPEAKER: Thank you
Josh, appreciate it.

875
00:42:01,570 --> 00:42:04,190


876
00:42:04,190 --> 00:42:06,790
Next, we have Adult
Services with Megan Thomas.

877
00:42:06,790 --> 00:42:16,370


878
00:42:16,370 --> 00:42:17,770
MEGAN THOMAS: Good
morning, commissioners.

879
00:42:17,770 --> 00:42:18,670
MALE SPEAKER: Good morning.

880
00:42:18,670 --> 00:42:19,460
MALE SPEAKER: Morning.

881
00:42:19,460 --> 00:42:22,290
MEGAN THOMAS: I have quite
a packed agenda here,

882
00:42:22,290 --> 00:42:25,190
so I'm going to try to really
just hit some highlights

883
00:42:25,190 --> 00:42:28,130
and take any questions
that you might have,

884
00:42:28,130 --> 00:42:30,360
given today's agenda in general.

885
00:42:30,360 --> 00:42:33,690
So I just started off
with some acronyms.

886
00:42:33,690 --> 00:42:35,790
We use them quite
frequently downstairs.

887
00:42:35,790 --> 00:42:39,090
So when I say some of these
things, you might be like, well,

888
00:42:39,090 --> 00:42:39,960
what does that mean?

889
00:42:39,960 --> 00:42:43,080
I kind of just laid it out
for you in the beginning.

890
00:42:43,080 --> 00:42:46,610
So next slide, please.

891
00:42:46,610 --> 00:42:49,010
Continued, you can go to
the next one as well, Sarah.

892
00:42:49,010 --> 00:42:49,920
Thank you.

893
00:42:49,920 --> 00:42:52,970
So we're just going to start off
with CADI, Community Alternative

894
00:42:52,970 --> 00:42:54,800
for Disability Inclusion.

895
00:42:54,800 --> 00:42:59,670
So right now in 2025, we
currently have 8 case managers

896
00:42:59,670 --> 00:43:04,320
and we're serving 423 cases
with 25 in the hopper.

897
00:43:04,320 --> 00:43:05,930
And what that just
means is that we're

898
00:43:05,930 --> 00:43:09,500
waiting for people's medical
assistance to be approved

899
00:43:09,500 --> 00:43:12,200
or their certification
of disability, which

900
00:43:12,200 --> 00:43:15,590
is one of the two
eligibility requirements

901
00:43:15,590 --> 00:43:17,550
to open to a CADI waiver.

902
00:43:17,550 --> 00:43:21,420
So in combination of
one or two, or both,

903
00:43:21,420 --> 00:43:24,080
that's where the
number 25 comes in.

904
00:43:24,080 --> 00:43:26,720
Next slide.

905
00:43:26,720 --> 00:43:31,040
In MnCHOICES, we added a
new lead position in 2025.

906
00:43:31,040 --> 00:43:35,790
The MnCHOICES team consists of
four assessors at this time,

907
00:43:35,790 --> 00:43:38,630
including a lead who
also does assessments.

908
00:43:38,630 --> 00:43:43,900
They complete all waiver PCA
initials, annual MnCHOICES

909
00:43:43,900 --> 00:43:49,150
for PCA, or what is now rolling
out to be CFSS, So Community

910
00:43:49,150 --> 00:43:51,580
First Services and Supports.

911
00:43:51,580 --> 00:43:56,720
The second version, or MnCHOICES
2.0, launched in October 2024.

912
00:43:56,720 --> 00:43:58,840
And I know that I've previously
shared with you there

913
00:43:58,840 --> 00:44:00,260
were a lot of reservations.

914
00:44:00,260 --> 00:44:02,560
There's been a lot of
bumps along the way.

915
00:44:02,560 --> 00:44:06,220
There continues to be a
lot of concerns and bumps

916
00:44:06,220 --> 00:44:09,950
along the way using this
new platform for us.

917
00:44:09,950 --> 00:44:13,450
And with that, CFSS rolled out
at the same time, which has

918
00:44:13,450 --> 00:44:16,150
also been quite problematic.

919
00:44:16,150 --> 00:44:19,660
There hasn't been enough
providers in the state on board

920
00:44:19,660 --> 00:44:23,420
to provide the CFSS portion.

921
00:44:23,420 --> 00:44:25,780
And so how that differs
from straight PCA

922
00:44:25,780 --> 00:44:29,290
is the CFSS model
allows a person

923
00:44:29,290 --> 00:44:32,950
to have a monetary
budget, and so it

924
00:44:32,950 --> 00:44:35,710
allows a person and their
family or caregivers

925
00:44:35,710 --> 00:44:37,480
to determine how
those needs are going

926
00:44:37,480 --> 00:44:39,350
to be met with a budget model.

927
00:44:39,350 --> 00:44:44,200
And providers haven't
really gotten on board

928
00:44:44,200 --> 00:44:48,220
with being able to be the fiscal
supervisor of those things

929
00:44:48,220 --> 00:44:49,940
as well as providing
the service.

930
00:44:49,940 --> 00:44:54,980
So we've had a long wait for
families to open to CFSS.

931
00:44:54,980 --> 00:44:57,740
However, their PCA
does stay in place,

932
00:44:57,740 --> 00:44:59,570
so they're not losing services.

933
00:44:59,570 --> 00:45:01,660
There's no gap in services.

934
00:45:01,660 --> 00:45:04,000
The state is just
struggling with trying

935
00:45:04,000 --> 00:45:06,970
to lift that and bring
it to what I think

936
00:45:06,970 --> 00:45:10,870
their fruition was meant to be.

937
00:45:10,870 --> 00:45:14,980
MnCHOICE assessors are case
managing all of their own CFSS

938
00:45:14,980 --> 00:45:17,870
PCA individuals,
which is nothing new,

939
00:45:17,870 --> 00:45:21,850
but an average caseload for
an assessor is 77 to 120.

940
00:45:21,850 --> 00:45:27,370
And with the new MnCHOICES
2.0, it certainly

941
00:45:27,370 --> 00:45:29,320
has increased our
number of appeals

942
00:45:29,320 --> 00:45:31,220
that we're facing downstairs.

943
00:45:31,220 --> 00:45:33,760
So we've had 15
appeals so far, which

944
00:45:33,760 --> 00:45:36,460
is actually quite high for us.

945
00:45:36,460 --> 00:45:38,800
And what that means, or
where that comes from,

946
00:45:38,800 --> 00:45:43,800
really, is that the new platform
is determining people's number

947
00:45:43,800 --> 00:45:47,020
of hours of care per
day to either be lower,

948
00:45:47,020 --> 00:45:53,110
or the new budget model is
less than what it used to be.

949
00:45:53,110 --> 00:45:55,800
And so people are appealing
that, which they certainly

950
00:45:55,800 --> 00:45:57,010
have the right to do that.

951
00:45:57,010 --> 00:46:02,910
So we've spent a lot of time in
15 cases determining appeals.

952
00:46:02,910 --> 00:46:05,620
We have won a majority of those.

953
00:46:05,620 --> 00:46:08,010
And when I say majority,
some recommendations

954
00:46:08,010 --> 00:46:11,490
from the appellate court or
the DHS Human Services judge

955
00:46:11,490 --> 00:46:15,550
will make recommendations for
us to reconsider something.

956
00:46:15,550 --> 00:46:19,570
So they haven't reversed our
decisions or determinations,

957
00:46:19,570 --> 00:46:22,170
they've upheld most of ours.

958
00:46:22,170 --> 00:46:23,770
And then we have just a number--

959
00:46:23,770 --> 00:46:25,230
I think we have one
that's still floating

960
00:46:25,230 --> 00:46:26,970
out there since
February that we're

961
00:46:26,970 --> 00:46:28,480
still waiting to hear back on.

962
00:46:28,480 --> 00:46:31,920
So it's taking
quite a lot longer

963
00:46:31,920 --> 00:46:35,640
to get those determinations
back as well.

964
00:46:35,640 --> 00:46:37,410
Next slide.

965
00:46:37,410 --> 00:46:39,140
Developmental disabilities.

966
00:46:39,140 --> 00:46:40,760
We have seven case managers.

967
00:46:40,760 --> 00:46:43,700
We're currently serving
400 individuals.

968
00:46:43,700 --> 00:46:49,250
The average caseload size is
57, which is quite high for DD,

969
00:46:49,250 --> 00:46:51,560
so it's definitely
creeping up there.

970
00:46:51,560 --> 00:46:55,100
We have two that are designated
to children and families,

971
00:46:55,100 --> 00:47:00,260
so that's that CDCS consumer
directed support model.

972
00:47:00,260 --> 00:47:03,730
And so it's mostly kids living
with parents, guardians,

973
00:47:03,730 --> 00:47:05,740
that sort of caseload.

974
00:47:05,740 --> 00:47:08,540
So we have two case managers
that are delegated to that.

975
00:47:08,540 --> 00:47:11,240
And so their caseloads are
actually a little bit higher.

976
00:47:11,240 --> 00:47:13,310
But when you average
the team out,

977
00:47:13,310 --> 00:47:18,490
it looks to be that they're all
sitting on an average of 57.

978
00:47:18,490 --> 00:47:19,350
Next slide.

979
00:47:19,350 --> 00:47:22,000


980
00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:24,800
Adult protection mental
health intake and nursing.

981
00:47:24,800 --> 00:47:29,500
So in 2024, one of our
nurses retired, Lisa Benson.

982
00:47:29,500 --> 00:47:33,260
These positions are
mostly grant funded,

983
00:47:33,260 --> 00:47:37,890
so we made a choice looking
at the caseload of two nurses.

984
00:47:37,890 --> 00:47:41,450
We had two, one retired,
and decided not to fill back

985
00:47:41,450 --> 00:47:43,700
that position and
use the grant dollars

986
00:47:43,700 --> 00:47:46,830
to hire another adult
mental health case manager.

987
00:47:46,830 --> 00:47:49,430
And that's really
where our need was.

988
00:47:49,430 --> 00:47:51,747
So in a nursing perspective,
our current nurse

989
00:47:51,747 --> 00:47:56,880
is serving 17 individuals, which
includes medication management,

990
00:47:56,880 --> 00:48:00,800
monitoring of side effects,
education, communicating

991
00:48:00,800 --> 00:48:03,120
with doctors, psychiatrists,
psychologists,

992
00:48:03,120 --> 00:48:04,320
things of that nature.

993
00:48:04,320 --> 00:48:06,990
And so far, it's
been really good.

994
00:48:06,990 --> 00:48:09,590
We feel that we really
made the right decision

995
00:48:09,590 --> 00:48:13,530
with that because our case
management numbers were growing.

996
00:48:13,530 --> 00:48:16,260
And we'll talk a little bit
about the complexity of that.

997
00:48:16,260 --> 00:48:17,540
Next slide, please.

998
00:48:17,540 --> 00:48:18,780
MALE SPEAKER: Mr.
Chair, if I could?

999
00:48:18,780 --> 00:48:19,230
MEGAN THOMAS: Yes,

1000
00:48:19,230 --> 00:48:19,470
MALE SPEAKER: Yes.

1001
00:48:19,470 --> 00:48:20,120
Go ahead.

1002
00:48:20,120 --> 00:48:21,620
MALE SPEAKER: Why are
we not using the Public

1003
00:48:21,620 --> 00:48:23,210
Health or the
nursing department we

1004
00:48:23,210 --> 00:48:26,070
have without duplicating here?

1005
00:48:26,070 --> 00:48:29,010
MEGAN THOMAS: So it was
determined a long time ago--

1006
00:48:29,010 --> 00:48:31,980
and Deb and I have spent
some time talking about this,

1007
00:48:31,980 --> 00:48:33,350
and we just recently
talked about

1008
00:48:33,350 --> 00:48:35,980
it when Lisa retired as well--

1009
00:48:35,980 --> 00:48:39,410
that before, long
before my time,

1010
00:48:39,410 --> 00:48:43,990
it was determined through
SCCBI and/or AMHI and CSP grant

1011
00:48:43,990 --> 00:48:47,980
dollars, that we could have
specialized nursing funded

1012
00:48:47,980 --> 00:48:53,320
by those grant dollars
embedded in our AMH AP units

1013
00:48:53,320 --> 00:48:57,910
that maybe would have
more of, one could argue,

1014
00:48:57,910 --> 00:49:00,740
nursing expertise or
mental health expertise,

1015
00:49:00,740 --> 00:49:04,150
meeting those people that
were serving under AMH

1016
00:49:04,150 --> 00:49:06,280
or at Friendship House.

1017
00:49:06,280 --> 00:49:08,720
So that decision was
made a long time ago.

1018
00:49:08,720 --> 00:49:11,170
I did reevaluate that.

1019
00:49:11,170 --> 00:49:13,840
And I think-- not I think.

1020
00:49:13,840 --> 00:49:17,770
I made the determination not
to jump back to Public Health

1021
00:49:17,770 --> 00:49:21,050
just because we weren't going
to fill back a second nurse.

1022
00:49:21,050 --> 00:49:25,930
So now we're down to one, and
this nurse is working so closely

1023
00:49:25,930 --> 00:49:29,420
with AMH case managers, adult
mental health case managers--

1024
00:49:29,420 --> 00:49:31,570
because it's their clients
that they're serving--

1025
00:49:31,570 --> 00:49:35,510
that to be within the unit for
those quick questions-- like,

1026
00:49:35,510 --> 00:49:38,570
hey, did we get a
prescription for this?

1027
00:49:38,570 --> 00:49:39,800
Did their medication go up?

1028
00:49:39,800 --> 00:49:42,730
When's their next psych-- just
that communication and being

1029
00:49:42,730 --> 00:49:45,070
embedded in the world
that really that they're

1030
00:49:45,070 --> 00:49:46,310
living and serving.

1031
00:49:46,310 --> 00:49:51,460
So we do get support from
Public Health with some

1032
00:49:51,460 --> 00:49:53,780
of our injectables
when necessary,

1033
00:49:53,780 --> 00:49:55,370
and we're very
thankful for that.

1034
00:49:55,370 --> 00:49:58,420
But really, from
my understanding

1035
00:49:58,420 --> 00:50:00,160
of the whole
picture, it just lies

1036
00:50:00,160 --> 00:50:02,740
back to this is how we
could use those grant

1037
00:50:02,740 --> 00:50:06,140
dollars to fund this.

1038
00:50:06,140 --> 00:50:08,810
MALE SPEAKER: Thank you
for the explanation.

1039
00:50:08,810 --> 00:50:12,340
MEGAN THOMAS: Might not be
perfect, but it's working,

1040
00:50:12,340 --> 00:50:15,400
and I think someday,
our current nurse isn't

1041
00:50:15,400 --> 00:50:17,240
going to be there forever.

1042
00:50:17,240 --> 00:50:22,220
And I presume if
Deb is still here,

1043
00:50:22,220 --> 00:50:24,220
I would entertain
more conversations

1044
00:50:24,220 --> 00:50:27,530
and continue to see how
we can partner in that.

1045
00:50:27,530 --> 00:50:29,360
I don't know that we'll
always stay funded.

1046
00:50:29,360 --> 00:50:33,150
We're the only county in the
region that uses grant dollars

1047
00:50:33,150 --> 00:50:34,810
to fund nursing positions.

1048
00:50:34,810 --> 00:50:37,480
So we're the
exception to the rule,

1049
00:50:37,480 --> 00:50:41,980
but right now it's working
so don't rock the boat,

1050
00:50:41,980 --> 00:50:43,740
is kind of how I feel.

1051
00:50:43,740 --> 00:50:46,200
MALE SPEAKER: Thank you.

1052
00:50:46,200 --> 00:50:47,440
MEGAN THOMAS: Adult protection.

1053
00:50:47,440 --> 00:50:52,960
So in 2025, we added a new
adult protection social worker.

1054
00:50:52,960 --> 00:50:55,210
So we went from
2 to 3 on a team.

1055
00:50:55,210 --> 00:51:02,100
We've opened 261 cases and we've
received 371 adult protection

1056
00:51:02,100 --> 00:51:04,200
reports so far.

1057
00:51:04,200 --> 00:51:06,060
As far as civil
commitments, we've

1058
00:51:06,060 --> 00:51:10,590
had 14 and 36
pre-petition screenings

1059
00:51:10,590 --> 00:51:11,920
that have been completed.

1060
00:51:11,920 --> 00:51:17,460
So really, what that just
tells us is that the complexity

1061
00:51:17,460 --> 00:51:20,340
and acuity of people we're
serving, which you all know

1062
00:51:20,340 --> 00:51:23,400
is a lot greater, we're
serving more criminally

1063
00:51:23,400 --> 00:51:25,270
involved individuals as well.

1064
00:51:25,270 --> 00:51:28,830
So we anticipate to
see those numbers

1065
00:51:28,830 --> 00:51:32,200
continue to increase over time.

1066
00:51:32,200 --> 00:51:35,840
Case management-wise,
they're serving 150 people.

1067
00:51:35,840 --> 00:51:37,640
So we have six case managers.

1068
00:51:37,640 --> 00:51:42,190
So the average caseload
size is sitting at about 25.

1069
00:51:42,190 --> 00:51:47,510
30 is the average norm per case
manager when talking about AMH.

1070
00:51:47,510 --> 00:51:49,810
It's targeted case
management, so these

1071
00:51:49,810 --> 00:51:54,580
aren't meant to be long term
case managing, like DD and CADI.

1072
00:51:54,580 --> 00:51:57,700
So we really do look
at our caseloads

1073
00:51:57,700 --> 00:52:01,330
and we look at when it's
appropriate to close

1074
00:52:01,330 --> 00:52:02,810
when successes happen.

1075
00:52:02,810 --> 00:52:05,360
What does success
look like for people.

1076
00:52:05,360 --> 00:52:07,810
We know that that's different.

1077
00:52:07,810 --> 00:52:11,030
And then, as far as
intakes go in 2025,

1078
00:52:11,030 --> 00:52:15,800
again, up until completing
this packet a couple weeks ago,

1079
00:52:15,800 --> 00:52:17,630
we've completed 44.

1080
00:52:17,630 --> 00:52:21,520
So our intake position
works with people

1081
00:52:21,520 --> 00:52:24,170
to open to adult mental
health case management.

1082
00:52:24,170 --> 00:52:27,670
It works with
children's mental health

1083
00:52:27,670 --> 00:52:29,730
to open to case
management there,

1084
00:52:29,730 --> 00:52:33,740
as well as our therapy
providers and working to get

1085
00:52:33,740 --> 00:52:36,761
people connected to therapy.

1086
00:52:36,761 --> 00:52:38,310
MALE SPEAKER: Mr.
Chair, if I could?

1087
00:52:38,310 --> 00:52:39,350
MALE SPEAKER: Yes, please.

1088
00:52:39,350 --> 00:52:39,990
I'm sorry.

1089
00:52:39,990 --> 00:52:40,890
MEGAN THOMAS: No, it's OK.

1090
00:52:40,890 --> 00:52:44,790
MALE SPEAKER: My question is,
do we have any responsibility,

1091
00:52:44,790 --> 00:52:47,340
are we working up
at the state prison?

1092
00:52:47,340 --> 00:52:48,720
MEGAN THOMAS: No.

1093
00:52:48,720 --> 00:52:50,130
MALE SPEAKER: We've
nothing to do with--

1094
00:52:50,130 --> 00:52:54,950
MEGAN THOMAS: We do not have any
input or anything in the state

1095
00:52:54,950 --> 00:52:57,770
prison system for that.

1096
00:52:57,770 --> 00:53:01,040
As far as MnCHOICES choices
go, we MnCHOICE a lot

1097
00:53:01,040 --> 00:53:02,940
of people at the state prison.

1098
00:53:02,940 --> 00:53:05,190
We get a lot of
referrals from there,

1099
00:53:05,190 --> 00:53:08,000
and so we'll go in and
complete the assessment

1100
00:53:08,000 --> 00:53:10,260
before they're released.

1101
00:53:10,260 --> 00:53:14,510
And then our information then
goes to the county in which

1102
00:53:14,510 --> 00:53:18,140
they're returning to
after release so they

1103
00:53:18,140 --> 00:53:19,500
can connect them to services.

1104
00:53:19,500 --> 00:53:22,700
So it kind of starts there,
but not from an intake

1105
00:53:22,700 --> 00:53:25,190
per se perspective.

1106
00:53:25,190 --> 00:53:26,010
Next slide.

1107
00:53:26,010 --> 00:53:28,640
Thank you, Rick.

1108
00:53:28,640 --> 00:53:30,720
Again, just a snippet
of Friendship House.

1109
00:53:30,720 --> 00:53:34,020
We've had six new members
join so far in 2025,

1110
00:53:34,020 --> 00:53:39,470
and then there's
just a little picture

1111
00:53:39,470 --> 00:53:42,600
of how many participants--

1112
00:53:42,600 --> 00:53:44,370
I tried to blow
this up, you guys.

1113
00:53:44,370 --> 00:53:48,200
I couldn't get it any
bigger on the slide--

1114
00:53:48,200 --> 00:53:49,950
who participated in what.

1115
00:53:49,950 --> 00:53:52,380
And so what we've seen,
not only with new members,

1116
00:53:52,380 --> 00:53:55,430
is majority of our
members are actually

1117
00:53:55,430 --> 00:53:57,690
participating in most things.

1118
00:53:57,690 --> 00:54:01,830
And so our participation numbers
have certainly increased.

1119
00:54:01,830 --> 00:54:03,860
And as you all
know, Linda and Dana

1120
00:54:03,860 --> 00:54:08,420
do such an amazing job
there, so we're really happy

1121
00:54:08,420 --> 00:54:10,380
and our members are happy.

1122
00:54:10,380 --> 00:54:14,270
So next slide is
just a little picture

1123
00:54:14,270 --> 00:54:15,930
of our most recent additions.

1124
00:54:15,930 --> 00:54:18,620
So our lovely new garbage
can that fits in there.

1125
00:54:18,620 --> 00:54:22,230
And in the back, I didn't
have along pictures,

1126
00:54:22,230 --> 00:54:24,940
but in the background,
you see two hydrangea

1127
00:54:24,940 --> 00:54:26,330
bushes and one in the middle.

1128
00:54:26,330 --> 00:54:29,620
Those are our most recent
grant-funded additions

1129
00:54:29,620 --> 00:54:34,630
to our landscaping,
so continues to grow.

1130
00:54:34,630 --> 00:54:36,250
Guardianship.

1131
00:54:36,250 --> 00:54:37,520
Key pieces here.

1132
00:54:37,520 --> 00:54:40,430
So we're currently
serving 109 individuals.

1133
00:54:40,430 --> 00:54:43,730
Five of those are contracted
with Scott County.

1134
00:54:43,730 --> 00:54:47,170
We have worked to assist
six individuals successfully

1135
00:54:47,170 --> 00:54:49,630
restoring their rights
or moving to a lesser

1136
00:54:49,630 --> 00:54:53,000
restrictive alternative, which
is supported decision making.

1137
00:54:53,000 --> 00:54:57,290
If you remember from
previous board discussions,

1138
00:54:57,290 --> 00:55:03,250
we launched supported decision
making under a grant in 2024.

1139
00:55:03,250 --> 00:55:06,590
We've had some staff
fluctuation with that,

1140
00:55:06,590 --> 00:55:09,440
but one staff has
stayed consistent,

1141
00:55:09,440 --> 00:55:12,890
so we're currently
serving 26 individuals.

1142
00:55:12,890 --> 00:55:15,040
We have four in a waiting list.

1143
00:55:15,040 --> 00:55:19,150
We've closed 31 cases
so far, and we've

1144
00:55:19,150 --> 00:55:23,410
provided 30 trainings in our
community of supported decision

1145
00:55:23,410 --> 00:55:27,730
making and how that is really
a benefit to individuals,

1146
00:55:27,730 --> 00:55:32,350
and could be a lesser
restrictive alternative as well.

1147
00:55:32,350 --> 00:55:34,990
What we've learned along
the way is that it really

1148
00:55:34,990 --> 00:55:38,830
keeps the ability of people
to experience autonomy

1149
00:55:38,830 --> 00:55:41,410
and independence, and
it really has proven

1150
00:55:41,410 --> 00:55:44,380
to be cost effective for
us in counties if they

1151
00:55:44,380 --> 00:55:46,750
were to decide to do this.

1152
00:55:46,750 --> 00:55:49,310
So of all the individuals
referred to us,

1153
00:55:49,310 --> 00:55:51,220
we've either screened
them for guardianship

1154
00:55:51,220 --> 00:55:53,170
and referred them
to SDM because they

1155
00:55:53,170 --> 00:55:56,560
didn't meet that quite
level of vulnerable adult

1156
00:55:56,560 --> 00:55:58,720
or incapacitated.

1157
00:55:58,720 --> 00:56:01,870
We also have a screening
team with our courts

1158
00:56:01,870 --> 00:56:05,170
and our judicial system, which
we review all cases filed

1159
00:56:05,170 --> 00:56:08,680
under in forma pauperis,
which then, we bear

1160
00:56:08,680 --> 00:56:10,460
the financial burdens of that.

1161
00:56:10,460 --> 00:56:13,460
So we screen those cases that
are filed with the courts,

1162
00:56:13,460 --> 00:56:15,700
and we've been able
to recommend supported

1163
00:56:15,700 --> 00:56:20,300
decision making to the judges
for those cases as well.

1164
00:56:20,300 --> 00:56:24,480
So next slide, Rick.

1165
00:56:24,480 --> 00:56:26,260
Oh, sorry, go back.

1166
00:56:26,260 --> 00:56:28,020
I thought there was another one.

1167
00:56:28,020 --> 00:56:30,270
So as far as that
goes, we continue

1168
00:56:30,270 --> 00:56:34,020
to evaluate our current
guardianship caseload

1169
00:56:34,020 --> 00:56:38,940
for restoring rights,
supported decision making,

1170
00:56:38,940 --> 00:56:41,740
those step down
processes as well.

1171
00:56:41,740 --> 00:56:44,490
And right now, our grant is
still funded and in place

1172
00:56:44,490 --> 00:56:47,770
until June 30 of 2026.

1173
00:56:47,770 --> 00:56:51,120
And I know this legislative
session, we're going to go back

1174
00:56:51,120 --> 00:56:55,500
and we're just going to
keep lobbying for this.

1175
00:56:55,500 --> 00:57:01,200
We have a lot of support
at the legislative platform

1176
00:57:01,200 --> 00:57:04,620
for this type of service,
really looking at guardianship

1177
00:57:04,620 --> 00:57:11,260
and trying to keep it on civil
commitment, like as needed.

1178
00:57:11,260 --> 00:57:14,590
I mean, you're really, truly are
taking a person's rights away.

1179
00:57:14,590 --> 00:57:17,280
And we know that
there's a place for it,

1180
00:57:17,280 --> 00:57:19,160
but we've seen a
lot of petitions

1181
00:57:19,160 --> 00:57:23,760
where guardianship is
just simply not necessary,

1182
00:57:23,760 --> 00:57:26,100
and so part of it's
education as well.

1183
00:57:26,100 --> 00:57:27,440
So we meet with
a lot of families

1184
00:57:27,440 --> 00:57:29,390
talking about that stuff too.

1185
00:57:29,390 --> 00:57:32,870
Now next slide.

1186
00:57:32,870 --> 00:57:33,930
Housing support.

1187
00:57:33,930 --> 00:57:36,660
So again, I think an
email was shared with you.

1188
00:57:36,660 --> 00:57:39,060
And if it wasn't,
I mean, we can.

1189
00:57:39,060 --> 00:57:41,360
But again, just reminding
that housing support

1190
00:57:41,360 --> 00:57:44,010
is not the same as
housing stabilization.

1191
00:57:44,010 --> 00:57:46,820
What we've seen all over
the news with fraud,

1192
00:57:46,820 --> 00:57:49,970
that is not what we
administer to downstairs.

1193
00:57:49,970 --> 00:57:53,300
We have 106 housing
support providers

1194
00:57:53,300 --> 00:57:55,640
with five new providers
that we've worked with

1195
00:57:55,640 --> 00:57:57,840
and approved in the last year.

1196
00:57:57,840 --> 00:58:01,560
Housing support does require
a lot of time and dedication.

1197
00:58:01,560 --> 00:58:06,440
It's operated by a financial
supervisor as well as our CADI

1198
00:58:06,440 --> 00:58:09,620
supervisor manages this role.

1199
00:58:09,620 --> 00:58:12,530
It really could be its own FTE.

1200
00:58:12,530 --> 00:58:16,950
We did apply for a grant this
year to fund a position for this

1201
00:58:16,950 --> 00:58:19,470
because of the amount
of work that it entails,

1202
00:58:19,470 --> 00:58:22,730
and unfortunately,
we weren't picked.

1203
00:58:22,730 --> 00:58:27,290
In fact, DHS shared with us
that there was $9 million

1204
00:58:27,290 --> 00:58:30,260
in requests above and
beyond what the legislative

1205
00:58:30,260 --> 00:58:31,620
had approved for this.

1206
00:58:31,620 --> 00:58:36,170
So they obviously see that
the need is out there as well.

1207
00:58:36,170 --> 00:58:39,350
Next slide.

1208
00:58:39,350 --> 00:58:40,800
Legislative updates.

1209
00:58:40,800 --> 00:58:43,040
So I'm just going to get into
some legislative stuff that

1210
00:58:43,040 --> 00:58:46,580
really impacts my division,
and this is where you may

1211
00:58:46,580 --> 00:58:48,950
or may not have more questions.

1212
00:58:48,950 --> 00:58:52,590
So from a MnCHOICES perspective,
our timelines change.

1213
00:58:52,590 --> 00:58:56,000
So we went from 20 calendar
days to 20 business days

1214
00:58:56,000 --> 00:58:58,530
from the time of a request.

1215
00:58:58,530 --> 00:59:00,470
So when somebody
requests a MnCHOICES

1216
00:59:00,470 --> 00:59:02,340
and we complete an
intake with them,

1217
00:59:02,340 --> 00:59:05,240
we have 20 business days
to complete that MnCHOICES

1218
00:59:05,240 --> 00:59:06,800
assessment with them now.

1219
00:59:06,800 --> 00:59:11,480
Sometimes, it's phone tag
and scheduling conflicts,

1220
00:59:11,480 --> 00:59:14,070
and you might get outside
those 20 business days.

1221
00:59:14,070 --> 00:59:16,720
But I mean, that's
kind of natural

1222
00:59:16,720 --> 00:59:18,190
when you're dealing
with people and trying

1223
00:59:18,190 --> 00:59:20,650
to get things scheduled.

1224
00:59:20,650 --> 00:59:24,610
Assessors may provide up to
four remote reassessments

1225
00:59:24,610 --> 00:59:27,200
consecutively, but the
fifth one must be in person,

1226
00:59:27,200 --> 00:59:29,020
so that's something new.

1227
00:59:29,020 --> 00:59:32,200
We can now receive
a verbal attestation

1228
00:59:32,200 --> 00:59:34,250
to replace assessment
signatures,

1229
00:59:34,250 --> 00:59:38,680
but we make it our practice
downstairs to always try and get

1230
00:59:38,680 --> 00:59:42,040
a physical signature for whether
it's consent for services

1231
00:59:42,040 --> 00:59:44,920
or the consent for
MnCHOICES release

1232
00:59:44,920 --> 00:59:47,410
of information,
things like that.

1233
00:59:47,410 --> 00:59:50,080
But we now know that
if we have it in email

1234
00:59:50,080 --> 00:59:53,020
or if we have a verbal
attestation, we document that

1235
00:59:53,020 --> 00:59:56,770
and that can replace
the physical signatures.

1236
00:59:56,770 --> 00:59:59,380
And then now,
individuals can attest

1237
00:59:59,380 --> 01:00:02,510
to unchanged needs for two
consecutive reassessments.

1238
01:00:02,510 --> 01:00:04,990
So what that just means is
that if I have an assessment

1239
01:00:04,990 --> 01:00:07,600
this month and next
year comes around,

1240
01:00:07,600 --> 01:00:09,620
and I say absolutely
nothing's changed,

1241
01:00:09,620 --> 01:00:11,980
all the things are
same, the assessor

1242
01:00:11,980 --> 01:00:14,320
can continue with the
previous year's assessment

1243
01:00:14,320 --> 01:00:15,980
results and information.

1244
01:00:15,980 --> 01:00:18,370
You can do that
twice until someone

1245
01:00:18,370 --> 01:00:21,130
technically has to really
sit down and complete

1246
01:00:21,130 --> 01:00:23,200
an assessment with you.

1247
01:00:23,200 --> 01:00:28,270
So I would love to say that
lightens the MnCHOICE assessor's

1248
01:00:28,270 --> 01:00:32,380
caseload and responsibilities,
but it doesn't because CFSS

1249
01:00:32,380 --> 01:00:36,770
has actually quadrupled the
work for them in that regard.

1250
01:00:36,770 --> 01:00:38,175
So, next slide.

1251
01:00:38,175 --> 01:00:41,320


1252
01:00:41,320 --> 01:00:46,790
DHS is working on a dashboard
of agencies assessment data.

1253
01:00:46,790 --> 01:00:48,790
We're really looking
forward to that.

1254
01:00:48,790 --> 01:00:51,370
MnCHOICES is never
really, by platform,

1255
01:00:51,370 --> 01:00:54,110
been able to provide us
concrete data or numbers.

1256
01:00:54,110 --> 01:00:56,090
We've had to collect
that on our own.

1257
01:00:56,090 --> 01:01:00,110
They're now valid for
365 days, which is huge,

1258
01:01:00,110 --> 01:01:03,370
so we're not going out and
having to redo assessments

1259
01:01:03,370 --> 01:01:04,550
while we're waiting.

1260
01:01:04,550 --> 01:01:07,370
If someone's MA took
so long to approve,

1261
01:01:07,370 --> 01:01:13,050
or if their determination of
certification of disability

1262
01:01:13,050 --> 01:01:16,470
has taken longer, we would have
to go out and redo assessments

1263
01:01:16,470 --> 01:01:17,620
for those timelines.

1264
01:01:17,620 --> 01:01:20,850
Now they're good for 365.

1265
01:01:20,850 --> 01:01:23,320
This is probably
the biggest impact.

1266
01:01:23,320 --> 01:01:27,240
So starting in January of
2027, MnCHOICES will no longer

1267
01:01:27,240 --> 01:01:29,590
be reimbursed by a time study.

1268
01:01:29,590 --> 01:01:32,460
It's going to have a
flat rate reimbursement

1269
01:01:32,460 --> 01:01:34,060
for assessments completed.

1270
01:01:34,060 --> 01:01:39,330
And so they're going to be
utilizing the later portion

1271
01:01:39,330 --> 01:01:43,540
of '25 here this fall and
all of '26 to, I guess,

1272
01:01:43,540 --> 01:01:47,190
determine what that flat rate is
going to look like for counties

1273
01:01:47,190 --> 01:01:48,790
for the reimbursement phase.

1274
01:01:48,790 --> 01:01:52,830
So it will be a
lot less than what

1275
01:01:52,830 --> 01:01:57,960
we're getting through the
time study, so stay tuned.

1276
01:01:57,960 --> 01:01:59,000
Next slide.

1277
01:01:59,000 --> 01:02:01,770


1278
01:02:01,770 --> 01:02:05,310
As most of you know-- and thank
you so much for your advocation

1279
01:02:05,310 --> 01:02:07,650
and your platforms--
but the replacement

1280
01:02:07,650 --> 01:02:11,100
and modernization
of SSIS was huge,

1281
01:02:11,100 --> 01:02:13,230
in the amount of $35 million.

1282
01:02:13,230 --> 01:02:16,200
Priority admissions,
again, I'm sure you heard

1283
01:02:16,200 --> 01:02:20,430
many, many conversations-- not
just for me, but from others--

1284
01:02:20,430 --> 01:02:25,540
about the 48 hour rule,
the bed capacity shortage,

1285
01:02:25,540 --> 01:02:26,710
things of that nature.

1286
01:02:26,710 --> 01:02:30,390
So $34 million was directed
to the Miller building

1287
01:02:30,390 --> 01:02:33,150
for bed expansion, with
an additional $20 million

1288
01:02:33,150 --> 01:02:36,960
for future administrative work.

1289
01:02:36,960 --> 01:02:39,040
And then, last
legislative session,

1290
01:02:39,040 --> 01:02:43,020
there was a reprieve to counties
for mentally ill and dangerous

1291
01:02:43,020 --> 01:02:45,090
that were awaiting
placement from one

1292
01:02:45,090 --> 01:02:46,920
state facility to another.

1293
01:02:46,920 --> 01:02:50,590
That has now sunsetted and
counties don't get that.

1294
01:02:50,590 --> 01:02:55,020
We never had a scenario
where we were able to reap

1295
01:02:55,020 --> 01:02:56,860
the benefits of that reprieve.

1296
01:02:56,860 --> 01:02:59,730
We didn't have anybody
in that situation.

1297
01:02:59,730 --> 01:03:00,910
MALE SPEAKER: So,
excuse me, Megan?

1298
01:03:00,910 --> 01:03:03,720
Could you just
explain for all of us

1299
01:03:03,720 --> 01:03:08,220
the 48 hour rule, what exactly
that is, so people understand

1300
01:03:08,220 --> 01:03:08,950
that a little better?

1301
01:03:08,950 --> 01:03:10,617
MEGAN THOMAS: Well, I
encourage Brian to chime in.

1302
01:03:10,617 --> 01:03:13,130
But basically, in a
nutshell, the 48 hour rule

1303
01:03:13,130 --> 01:03:16,580
was that if we had somebody
that was brought into jail

1304
01:03:16,580 --> 01:03:18,950
who was mentally ill--

1305
01:03:18,950 --> 01:03:20,850
because that's not
the place for them,

1306
01:03:20,850 --> 01:03:24,140
it's not appropriate that
they should a new placement,

1307
01:03:24,140 --> 01:03:26,810
and they should be
released to a more

1308
01:03:26,810 --> 01:03:29,460
appropriate placement
treatment facility, whatever,

1309
01:03:29,460 --> 01:03:31,280
within 48 hours.

1310
01:03:31,280 --> 01:03:33,510
That's pretty much
it in a nutshell.

1311
01:03:33,510 --> 01:03:36,290
Would you add anything?

1312
01:03:36,290 --> 01:03:38,490
MALE SPEAKER: No, that's what
it is at its basic level.

1313
01:03:38,490 --> 01:03:39,440
MEGAN THOMAS: Yeah.

1314
01:03:39,440 --> 01:03:41,120
MALE SPEAKER: So
you have 48 hours

1315
01:03:41,120 --> 01:03:42,890
to deal with this individual?

1316
01:03:42,890 --> 01:03:45,000
MEGAN THOMAS: That was
the intent of the statute.

1317
01:03:45,000 --> 01:03:50,960
It has since then been paused
and relooked at because there's

1318
01:03:50,960 --> 01:03:51,960
nowhere to put them.

1319
01:03:51,960 --> 01:03:54,570
I mean, bed capacity
was, like, next to none.

1320
01:03:54,570 --> 01:03:57,270
So they languished in jails.

1321
01:03:57,270 --> 01:04:01,760
We did have an individual that
unfortunately spent 92 days

1322
01:04:01,760 --> 01:04:05,090
in our jail before he was
able to get into St. Peter

1323
01:04:05,090 --> 01:04:07,080
and be appropriately treated.

1324
01:04:07,080 --> 01:04:10,620
So we were all fighting
the same fight.

1325
01:04:10,620 --> 01:04:14,030
We know that jail is not where
people with mental health

1326
01:04:14,030 --> 01:04:16,670
needs and symptoms should be.

1327
01:04:16,670 --> 01:04:19,700
They should be treated as
humans and seek the treatment

1328
01:04:19,700 --> 01:04:21,000
that they deserve.

1329
01:04:21,000 --> 01:04:24,090
MALE SPEAKER: So right now, in
your opinion, is this working?

1330
01:04:24,090 --> 01:04:26,840
I mean, are we able to
accomplish that in 48 hours?

1331
01:04:26,840 --> 01:04:27,540
MEGAN THOMAS: Oh, no.

1332
01:04:27,540 --> 01:04:28,860
No, we're far from it.

1333
01:04:28,860 --> 01:04:33,080
And I think until, like, this
Miller building expansion

1334
01:04:33,080 --> 01:04:36,890
and until we start
lifting places

1335
01:04:36,890 --> 01:04:39,260
in more capacity
for people to go

1336
01:04:39,260 --> 01:04:42,020
to have the treatment
that they need,

1337
01:04:42,020 --> 01:04:46,220
we'll never meet the
48 hour rule, no.

1338
01:04:46,220 --> 01:04:48,270
MALE SPEAKER: So we have a
rule that we can't achieve,

1339
01:04:48,270 --> 01:04:48,770
basically?

1340
01:04:48,770 --> 01:04:50,960
MEGAN THOMAS: Yep, pretty much.

1341
01:04:50,960 --> 01:04:52,310
MALE SPEAKER: OK, thank you.

1342
01:04:52,310 --> 01:04:53,310
MEGAN THOMAS: Next slide.

1343
01:04:53,310 --> 01:04:55,850


1344
01:04:55,850 --> 01:04:57,210
Competency attainment.

1345
01:04:57,210 --> 01:05:00,320
So that was something that was
lifted where counties are going

1346
01:05:00,320 --> 01:05:03,590
to have to contribute to
the cost of examination or

1347
01:05:03,590 --> 01:05:05,890
competency attainment programs.

1348
01:05:05,890 --> 01:05:09,080
This really hasn't
lifted-lifted per se,

1349
01:05:09,080 --> 01:05:13,210
so we don't know what this
is going to look like.

1350
01:05:13,210 --> 01:05:18,470
As we get further into budget
discussions and our 2026 budget,

1351
01:05:18,470 --> 01:05:21,400
we did put a line item
in our budget for this

1352
01:05:21,400 --> 01:05:24,190
because we have to, and we're
going to bear responsibility

1353
01:05:24,190 --> 01:05:26,110
for this at some point.

1354
01:05:26,110 --> 01:05:31,990
The state is just still working
on getting this out there,

1355
01:05:31,990 --> 01:05:35,200
as a better word, maybe, to say.

1356
01:05:35,200 --> 01:05:38,020
Other legislative
things, so there's

1357
01:05:38,020 --> 01:05:41,110
a task force that's been
lifted in waiver, reimagine,

1358
01:05:41,110 --> 01:05:43,150
and long term
services and supports,

1359
01:05:43,150 --> 01:05:47,020
just looking at how to reduce
cost in long term services

1360
01:05:47,020 --> 01:05:49,760
and supports building
greater efficiencies.

1361
01:05:49,760 --> 01:05:51,680
They limited rate exceptions.

1362
01:05:51,680 --> 01:05:55,210
So really, what this means is
that providers could request

1363
01:05:55,210 --> 01:06:05,430
a rate exception for people that
had needs above and beyond maybe

1364
01:06:05,430 --> 01:06:08,020
the norm, might be
the best word to use,

1365
01:06:08,020 --> 01:06:11,020
and so they would make that
request to the counties.

1366
01:06:11,020 --> 01:06:15,150
We would look at the
assessment and all of the needs

1367
01:06:15,150 --> 01:06:17,290
that the person
reflects that they have,

1368
01:06:17,290 --> 01:06:20,650
and then really
pass it on to DHS.

1369
01:06:20,650 --> 01:06:23,610
So we're not approving or
denying the rate exceptions

1370
01:06:23,610 --> 01:06:26,100
for these providers, DHS is.

1371
01:06:26,100 --> 01:06:29,650
So they really have
reined that back in.

1372
01:06:29,650 --> 01:06:32,730
I don't think they knew
when they lifted this what

1373
01:06:32,730 --> 01:06:37,330
a pandemonium it was going
to be because really,

1374
01:06:37,330 --> 01:06:41,260
right now, as it stands,
they very rarely get denied.

1375
01:06:41,260 --> 01:06:44,820
So we just have to make sure
the request from the provider

1376
01:06:44,820 --> 01:06:46,720
is valid.

1377
01:06:46,720 --> 01:06:49,140
If it's not, we work
with the provider

1378
01:06:49,140 --> 01:06:55,110
to revise the request
so it's actually

1379
01:06:55,110 --> 01:06:56,530
accurate and appropriate.

1380
01:06:56,530 --> 01:07:00,300
We won't send it to DHS
if it's not accurate.

1381
01:07:00,300 --> 01:07:05,190
So that's basically our role
in it from a county standpoint.

1382
01:07:05,190 --> 01:07:06,020
Next slide.

1383
01:07:06,020 --> 01:07:09,750


1384
01:07:09,750 --> 01:07:10,870
This is huge.

1385
01:07:10,870 --> 01:07:14,370
There's been significant
provider fees and licensing

1386
01:07:14,370 --> 01:07:16,020
requirements changes
that are going

1387
01:07:16,020 --> 01:07:18,670
to come January 1 here in 2026.

1388
01:07:18,670 --> 01:07:21,930
So anyone who is
adult foster care,

1389
01:07:21,930 --> 01:07:25,120
child foster care, a community
residential setting--

1390
01:07:25,120 --> 01:07:26,640
so a group home--

1391
01:07:26,640 --> 01:07:29,340
or family adult
day services, will

1392
01:07:29,340 --> 01:07:35,440
now be expected to pay an
annual licensing fee of $2,100.

1393
01:07:35,440 --> 01:07:39,240
Previously, it was
$500 upon licensing

1394
01:07:39,240 --> 01:07:43,110
and then every two
years after that.

1395
01:07:43,110 --> 01:07:46,870
So it's not just the AFC
annual licensing fee,

1396
01:07:46,870 --> 01:07:48,940
so a provider could have that.

1397
01:07:48,940 --> 01:07:52,440
And they could have a 245d
license with Department of Human

1398
01:07:52,440 --> 01:07:54,630
Services, and they
will also have

1399
01:07:54,630 --> 01:07:57,010
to pay $2,100 a year for that.

1400
01:07:57,010 --> 01:08:02,240
So they could take a
$4,200 hit to maintain

1401
01:08:02,240 --> 01:08:06,480
both their licenses on an annual
basis, and that's per site.

1402
01:08:06,480 --> 01:08:11,180
So when you have
providers like LSS

1403
01:08:11,180 --> 01:08:14,390
Kennedy, which is now
Harry Meyering Center,

1404
01:08:14,390 --> 01:08:16,710
that have multiple sites--

1405
01:08:16,710 --> 01:08:19,160
13, 14 group homes, nine--

1406
01:08:19,160 --> 01:08:21,410
that's per site,
that's a huge hit

1407
01:08:21,410 --> 01:08:23,700
to our foster care providers.

1408
01:08:23,700 --> 01:08:26,300
That is going to be devastating.

1409
01:08:26,300 --> 01:08:28,680
We have one provider--
so let me rephrase.

1410
01:08:28,680 --> 01:08:31,490
We have 76 providers in Rice
County that are licensed

1411
01:08:31,490 --> 01:08:33,920
in one capacity or another.

1412
01:08:33,920 --> 01:08:36,680
We're still getting
information from DHS

1413
01:08:36,680 --> 01:08:38,310
on this whole payment thing.

1414
01:08:38,310 --> 01:08:42,710
But we out of the 76 providers
that are going to take a hit

1415
01:08:42,710 --> 01:08:47,240
of $2,100 a year or $4,200
annually per site that they

1416
01:08:47,240 --> 01:08:52,310
have, we have one family adult
foster care provider that

1417
01:08:52,310 --> 01:08:55,340
doesn't take any waiver
funding for the two

1418
01:08:55,340 --> 01:08:57,029
individuals that she serves.

1419
01:08:57,029 --> 01:09:01,970
So she's funded through housing
supports and some other means.

1420
01:09:01,970 --> 01:09:06,770
So for a provider like
that, it's pretty gigantic.

1421
01:09:06,770 --> 01:09:08,250
I'm nervous.

1422
01:09:08,250 --> 01:09:12,350
I'm worried about-- we've lost
providers and bed capacity

1423
01:09:12,350 --> 01:09:14,540
within our residential
settings already

1424
01:09:14,540 --> 01:09:19,370
the last few years just due
to staffing complications.

1425
01:09:19,370 --> 01:09:23,279
I'm afraid to see what
these fees happen.

1426
01:09:23,279 --> 01:09:27,590
So as far as the fees go, DHS
will be collecting all the fees

1427
01:09:27,590 --> 01:09:29,790
from the providers
on an annual basis,

1428
01:09:29,790 --> 01:09:32,479
and then 50% of those
fees are going to be

1429
01:09:32,479 --> 01:09:34,170
kicked back to the county.

1430
01:09:34,170 --> 01:09:39,020
So we could, in more detail,
really look at our provider

1431
01:09:39,020 --> 01:09:41,840
lists and figure
it out and really

1432
01:09:41,840 --> 01:09:44,670
grind the numbers out to see
what that looks like for us.

1433
01:09:44,670 --> 01:09:47,149
But with so much
information kind

1434
01:09:47,149 --> 01:09:49,649
of still coming out
statutorily about these,

1435
01:09:49,649 --> 01:09:50,790
I haven't done that.

1436
01:09:50,790 --> 01:09:51,899
I haven't done that yet.

1437
01:09:51,899 --> 01:09:55,460
So I will soon when I
feel comfortable that this

1438
01:09:55,460 --> 01:09:57,850
is set in stone.

1439
01:09:57,850 --> 01:10:00,400
Any questions on that?

1440
01:10:00,400 --> 01:10:01,870
MALE SPEAKER: So,
Megan-- yeah, I do.

1441
01:10:01,870 --> 01:10:04,450
Megan, if you're going
to hit these providers

1442
01:10:04,450 --> 01:10:08,320
with this big fee,
this annual fee,

1443
01:10:08,320 --> 01:10:10,780
they're going to want
to recap that money

1444
01:10:10,780 --> 01:10:13,850
somehow with their services
that they're providing, right?

1445
01:10:13,850 --> 01:10:15,070
Or how is that--

1446
01:10:15,070 --> 01:10:18,340
MEGAN THOMAS: There's no
way that we can offset that.

1447
01:10:18,340 --> 01:10:20,060
We've already looked at it.

1448
01:10:20,060 --> 01:10:23,470
It's impossible, and we can't--

1449
01:10:23,470 --> 01:10:26,020
there's some actually
statutory language I just

1450
01:10:26,020 --> 01:10:28,030
looked at this morning that--

1451
01:10:28,030 --> 01:10:29,480
because I thought, OK.

1452
01:10:29,480 --> 01:10:33,220
Well, if we get 50%,
can a portion of that

1453
01:10:33,220 --> 01:10:35,300
be offset back to the provider?

1454
01:10:35,300 --> 01:10:36,290
We can't even do that.

1455
01:10:36,290 --> 01:10:38,110
I mean, there's language
in there that suggests

1456
01:10:38,110 --> 01:10:39,737
that can't even happen.

1457
01:10:39,737 --> 01:10:40,870
MALE SPEAKER: Well,
it seems to me

1458
01:10:40,870 --> 01:10:42,037
it's going to be
obvious that we're

1459
01:10:42,037 --> 01:10:43,280
going to lose some providers.

1460
01:10:43,280 --> 01:10:44,330
MEGAN THOMAS: I think we will.

1461
01:10:44,330 --> 01:10:45,730
I think it's very possible.

1462
01:10:45,730 --> 01:10:48,740
We have some really dedicated
people in our community--

1463
01:10:48,740 --> 01:10:51,340
and I'm thankful for
that-- that truly just

1464
01:10:51,340 --> 01:10:54,820
believe in caring for people.

1465
01:10:54,820 --> 01:10:56,260
But there are people
that maybe just

1466
01:10:56,260 --> 01:10:59,910
can't financially sustain this
and there's no way to fix it.

1467
01:10:59,910 --> 01:11:03,430


1468
01:11:03,430 --> 01:11:07,840
MALE SPEAKER: So if you're
a provider, if you have one

1469
01:11:07,840 --> 01:11:09,700
resident, or if
you have 10, you're

1470
01:11:09,700 --> 01:11:11,000
still considered a provider?

1471
01:11:11,000 --> 01:11:12,700
Is that how it works?

1472
01:11:12,700 --> 01:11:16,760
MEGAN THOMAS: Yeah, it's how
many they're licensed for.

1473
01:11:16,760 --> 01:11:20,630
So this particular provider that
doesn't take waiver funding,

1474
01:11:20,630 --> 01:11:24,070
she has two people living in her
home, so she's licensed for two,

1475
01:11:24,070 --> 01:11:29,620
where most of our corporate
sites are licensed for four.

1476
01:11:29,620 --> 01:11:33,550
It's not based on the number of
people, it's based on the site.

1477
01:11:33,550 --> 01:11:38,770
So if you're a single
family foster care provider,

1478
01:11:38,770 --> 01:11:39,920
that's your site.

1479
01:11:39,920 --> 01:11:40,670
That's your home.

1480
01:11:40,670 --> 01:11:42,700
You have one.

1481
01:11:42,700 --> 01:11:44,830
Like I said, some of
these bigger agencies

1482
01:11:44,830 --> 01:11:48,350
that have multiple corporate
sites throughout our community,

1483
01:11:48,350 --> 01:11:49,545
it's per site.

1484
01:11:49,545 --> 01:11:52,720


1485
01:11:52,720 --> 01:11:55,240
MALE SPEAKER: Well, it'd be
interesting to see what happens.

1486
01:11:55,240 --> 01:11:57,390
MEGAN THOMAS: Yeah.

1487
01:11:57,390 --> 01:11:58,890
Anything else?

1488
01:11:58,890 --> 01:12:01,680
Nope?

1489
01:12:01,680 --> 01:12:03,720
So I've already shared that.

1490
01:12:03,720 --> 01:12:07,170
You can skip to the next slide.

1491
01:12:07,170 --> 01:12:07,930
It is?

1492
01:12:07,930 --> 01:12:09,370
Oh, see?

1493
01:12:09,370 --> 01:12:09,910
Great.

1494
01:12:09,910 --> 01:12:10,650
Perfect.

1495
01:12:10,650 --> 01:12:13,990
I tried really hard to
just get through that.

1496
01:12:13,990 --> 01:12:15,360
I know it's a lot.

1497
01:12:15,360 --> 01:12:19,290
Any other questions, then?

1498
01:12:19,290 --> 01:12:20,010
No?

1499
01:12:20,010 --> 01:12:21,210
MALE SPEAKER: Well,
Megan, thank you

1500
01:12:21,210 --> 01:12:24,390
for giving us a little
insight into your world

1501
01:12:24,390 --> 01:12:27,003
and what you're doing, so
appreciate your efforts.

1502
01:12:27,003 --> 01:12:28,170
MEGAN THOMAS: All
right, thank you.

1503
01:12:28,170 --> 01:12:31,450


1504
01:12:31,450 --> 01:12:34,260
MALE SPEAKER: Commissioners,
you all doing good?

1505
01:12:34,260 --> 01:12:35,170
Very good.

1506
01:12:35,170 --> 01:12:39,240
We have Public Health and
nursing with Deb Purfeerst.

1507
01:12:39,240 --> 01:12:40,570
I don't see-- oh, there's Deb.

1508
01:12:40,570 --> 01:12:43,920


1509
01:12:43,920 --> 01:12:44,853
DEB PURFEERST: Good morning.

1510
01:12:44,853 --> 01:12:45,753
MALE SPEAKER: Good morning.

1511
01:12:45,753 --> 01:12:47,790
DEB PURFEERST: You guys need
to stand up and stretch,

1512
01:12:47,790 --> 01:12:49,233
or you're all good?

1513
01:12:49,233 --> 01:12:50,500
MALE SPEAKER: I just
asked these guys.

1514
01:12:50,500 --> 01:12:52,906
DEB PURFEERST: You're good.

1515
01:12:52,906 --> 01:12:56,050
There's going to be two updates
today from Public Health.

1516
01:12:56,050 --> 01:13:01,990
The first is on our safe
roads coalition and TCD work.

1517
01:13:01,990 --> 01:13:04,320
So the Minnesota
Department of Public Safety

1518
01:13:04,320 --> 01:13:07,920
provides funding for
traffic safety coalitions

1519
01:13:07,920 --> 01:13:11,800
to address and prevent traffic
deaths and serious injuries.

1520
01:13:11,800 --> 01:13:14,130
Public Health serves
as the fiscal host

1521
01:13:14,130 --> 01:13:16,650
and the grant
manager for the Rice

1522
01:13:16,650 --> 01:13:19,350
County Safe Roads Coalition.

1523
01:13:19,350 --> 01:13:24,210
The coalition began in
2006 with Kathy Cooper

1524
01:13:24,210 --> 01:13:27,270
serving as the coordinator.

1525
01:13:27,270 --> 01:13:31,080
The mission of the coalition is
to move Rice County towards zero

1526
01:13:31,080 --> 01:13:33,340
deaths and serious injury.

1527
01:13:33,340 --> 01:13:37,420
So with me today, I
have Jessica Schleck.

1528
01:13:37,420 --> 01:13:42,820
Jessica is our regional safe
roads coalition coordinator.

1529
01:13:42,820 --> 01:13:45,420
She'll start the presentation
and talk about some

1530
01:13:45,420 --> 01:13:48,010
of the state and
regional work being done.

1531
01:13:48,010 --> 01:13:50,380
And then we have
Kathy Cooper here.

1532
01:13:50,380 --> 01:13:53,310
Kathy is our Rice
County coordinator,

1533
01:13:53,310 --> 01:13:56,720
so she'll be sharing
with you some of the data

1534
01:13:56,720 --> 01:13:58,710
and local work being done.

1535
01:13:58,710 --> 01:14:01,830
So I will turn it
over to my partners.

1536
01:14:01,830 --> 01:14:03,470
JESSICA SCHLECK: Thank you.

1537
01:14:03,470 --> 01:14:06,750
I talk fast, so we should
get you right back on track.

1538
01:14:06,750 --> 01:14:08,940
So as she said, my name
is Jessica Schleck.

1539
01:14:08,940 --> 01:14:11,130
I am the Southeast TCD
Regional Coordinator.

1540
01:14:11,130 --> 01:14:14,310
I have had the privilege of
working with Kathy for 17 years,

1541
01:14:14,310 --> 01:14:16,410
I think, or something, so lucky.

1542
01:14:16,410 --> 01:14:19,640
But the statewide TCD
program was launched in 2003

1543
01:14:19,640 --> 01:14:22,500
when we were seeing a big uptick
in traffic-related fatalities.

1544
01:14:22,500 --> 01:14:25,710
So 655 people died on
our roads that year.

1545
01:14:25,710 --> 01:14:27,710
So it was a program that
was created by the Minnesota

1546
01:14:27,710 --> 01:14:30,290
Department of Public Safety,
Transportation and Health

1547
01:14:30,290 --> 01:14:32,180
as a deliberate,
interdisciplinary

1548
01:14:32,180 --> 01:14:33,720
approach to traffic safety.

1549
01:14:33,720 --> 01:14:36,290
Basically, they just realized
we needed to not only work

1550
01:14:36,290 --> 01:14:39,020
with the state stuff, we needed
to pull in local organizations

1551
01:14:39,020 --> 01:14:39,840
to help.

1552
01:14:39,840 --> 01:14:42,950
So the magic of this program
is we are 20 plus years in

1553
01:14:42,950 --> 01:14:46,100
and we have so many
partners across the state.

1554
01:14:46,100 --> 01:14:48,000
So TCD's vision.

1555
01:14:48,000 --> 01:14:49,880
Hopefully, you've
heard this before,

1556
01:14:49,880 --> 01:14:52,430
but to reduce fatalities
and serious injuries

1557
01:14:52,430 --> 01:14:55,340
on Minnesota roads
to get to zero.

1558
01:14:55,340 --> 01:14:56,640
You can go to the next.

1559
01:14:56,640 --> 01:14:59,750
And the mission explains
just how we do that.

1560
01:14:59,750 --> 01:15:01,530
You can go to the next one.

1561
01:15:01,530 --> 01:15:03,150
It's by collaborating.

1562
01:15:03,150 --> 01:15:06,170
So the TCD program focuses
on those four strategic areas

1563
01:15:06,170 --> 01:15:10,010
to reduce crashes, enforcement,
education, engineering, EMS,

1564
01:15:10,010 --> 01:15:11,480
and of course that
fifth E, which

1565
01:15:11,480 --> 01:15:14,120
is everyone, because
everyone shares our roads.

1566
01:15:14,120 --> 01:15:16,040
So, next one.

1567
01:15:16,040 --> 01:15:18,410
So over the years, TCD
regional partnerships

1568
01:15:18,410 --> 01:15:20,660
have been established in
eight geographical areas

1569
01:15:20,660 --> 01:15:21,690
throughout the state.

1570
01:15:21,690 --> 01:15:24,720
They're led by a regional TCD
coordinators such as myself.

1571
01:15:24,720 --> 01:15:26,270
Each has a local
steering committee

1572
01:15:26,270 --> 01:15:29,460
made up of traffic safety
stakeholders from that region.

1573
01:15:29,460 --> 01:15:31,520
These are led by MnDOT
district engineer

1574
01:15:31,520 --> 01:15:33,740
and a State Patrol captain.

1575
01:15:33,740 --> 01:15:37,980
Also included on the map are two
state program TCD coordinators.

1576
01:15:37,980 --> 01:15:41,370
We just recently added
a communications leader,

1577
01:15:41,370 --> 01:15:44,460
so hopefully, that will help
us push out our messaging.

1578
01:15:44,460 --> 01:15:46,250
There's also four law
enforcement liaisons

1579
01:15:46,250 --> 01:15:48,850
who work with all levels
of law enforcement agencies

1580
01:15:48,850 --> 01:15:51,610
across the state, and three
child passenger safety

1581
01:15:51,610 --> 01:15:53,380
liaisons who make
sure our kiddos

1582
01:15:53,380 --> 01:15:56,170
are in those right car seats.

1583
01:15:56,170 --> 01:15:57,550
Let's go to the next one.

1584
01:15:57,550 --> 01:15:59,230
So right now,
there are currently

1585
01:15:59,230 --> 01:16:01,690
six funded and one
unfunded active

1586
01:16:01,690 --> 01:16:04,250
TCD safe roads
coalitions in our region.

1587
01:16:04,250 --> 01:16:06,280
So our educational
efforts only improve

1588
01:16:06,280 --> 01:16:08,450
as more of these
coalitions are established.

1589
01:16:08,450 --> 01:16:11,720
But as Kathy may talk about,
they have to apply for a grant.

1590
01:16:11,720 --> 01:16:13,780
And if they don't
receive the grant,

1591
01:16:13,780 --> 01:16:17,120
they don't get to do the work
or aren't able to do the work.

1592
01:16:17,120 --> 01:16:19,810
So, next slide.

1593
01:16:19,810 --> 01:16:22,960
So each of these coalitions
bring together community members

1594
01:16:22,960 --> 01:16:25,330
from the five E's to
address areas of concern

1595
01:16:25,330 --> 01:16:27,950
for their specific
county or community.

1596
01:16:27,950 --> 01:16:30,760
So crash data is reviewed
and counties develop a plan

1597
01:16:30,760 --> 01:16:32,570
for addressing these crashes.

1598
01:16:32,570 --> 01:16:35,080
They also implement
activities and best practices

1599
01:16:35,080 --> 01:16:38,230
to make the greatest impact on
reducing those serious and fatal

1600
01:16:38,230 --> 01:16:39,470
injury crashes.

1601
01:16:39,470 --> 01:16:41,500
So the coalitions
also assist law

1602
01:16:41,500 --> 01:16:43,810
enforcement during the
enforcement periods

1603
01:16:43,810 --> 01:16:45,500
with educational efforts.

1604
01:16:45,500 --> 01:16:48,090
So they really are boots
on the ground doing all

1605
01:16:48,090 --> 01:16:50,640
the work, very important work.

1606
01:16:50,640 --> 01:16:52,330
Next slide.

1607
01:16:52,330 --> 01:16:55,360
So these are just a few of the
focus areas that we work on.

1608
01:16:55,360 --> 01:16:57,810
Kathy will talk more
about Rice County efforts

1609
01:16:57,810 --> 01:16:58,870
when she steps up.

1610
01:16:58,870 --> 01:17:00,270
But if you have any
questions about those,

1611
01:17:00,270 --> 01:17:03,240
you can feel free
to let me know.

1612
01:17:03,240 --> 01:17:04,710
So, next one.

1613
01:17:04,710 --> 01:17:06,420
So this is just a
quick glance at some

1614
01:17:06,420 --> 01:17:08,740
of the regional successes
over the past year.

1615
01:17:08,740 --> 01:17:09,910
I'm not going to
read them to you,

1616
01:17:09,910 --> 01:17:13,320
don't worry, but you should
have those on your own screen.

1617
01:17:13,320 --> 01:17:14,620
If you have any
questions, let me know.

1618
01:17:14,620 --> 01:17:15,820
But I just want to
point out there's

1619
01:17:15,820 --> 01:17:18,010
a bunch that really
started in Rice County,

1620
01:17:18,010 --> 01:17:19,960
like Joyride, for instance.

1621
01:17:19,960 --> 01:17:22,140
Joyride Rice County
was the first county

1622
01:17:22,140 --> 01:17:23,410
to implement Joyride.

1623
01:17:23,410 --> 01:17:25,500
They were the first County
to work on the driver's

1624
01:17:25,500 --> 01:17:27,630
license for all programs.

1625
01:17:27,630 --> 01:17:30,360
You can add to this if you
want, but there's so many things

1626
01:17:30,360 --> 01:17:32,760
that Rice County has really
implemented and kicked

1627
01:17:32,760 --> 01:17:33,880
off for the whole state.

1628
01:17:33,880 --> 01:17:37,020
So, next one.

1629
01:17:37,020 --> 01:17:41,070
So since TCD started, together,
we have saved more than 4,700

1630
01:17:41,070 --> 01:17:43,420
lives, which is 220 per year.

1631
01:17:43,420 --> 01:17:45,720
So that is a great work, but--

1632
01:17:45,720 --> 01:17:49,420
next slide-- but there's
a lot of work to be done.

1633
01:17:49,420 --> 01:17:52,230
So as of September
12, last Friday, there

1634
01:17:52,230 --> 01:17:55,000
were 253 fatalities
on Minnesota roads,

1635
01:17:55,000 --> 01:17:56,980
compared to 310 at
this time last year.

1636
01:17:56,980 --> 01:17:59,790
Well, that number, I just
got it right as I walked up,

1637
01:17:59,790 --> 01:18:03,130
and it is 261.

1638
01:18:03,130 --> 01:18:06,210
So that means that-- how
many people is that died

1639
01:18:06,210 --> 01:18:08,170
from Friday until today?

1640
01:18:08,170 --> 01:18:11,970
So that's a big number
for our weekend.

1641
01:18:11,970 --> 01:18:15,990
So there's a lot of work to be
done to date in Rice County--

1642
01:18:15,990 --> 01:18:19,350
or, I'll just let you go.

1643
01:18:19,350 --> 01:18:22,680
KATHY COOPER:
Thank you, Jessica.

1644
01:18:22,680 --> 01:18:25,320
I'm going to talk a
little bit about our Rice

1645
01:18:25,320 --> 01:18:27,070
County crash facts.

1646
01:18:27,070 --> 01:18:29,470
One of the requirements
of the grant,

1647
01:18:29,470 --> 01:18:31,980
the TCD grant that
we receive, is

1648
01:18:31,980 --> 01:18:35,710
that we have a fatal and
serious injury review committee,

1649
01:18:35,710 --> 01:18:38,350
and we are required
to meet quarterly.

1650
01:18:38,350 --> 01:18:44,390
So we track crashes in Rice
County with the help of our law

1651
01:18:44,390 --> 01:18:47,240
enforcement and other
partners, and then we

1652
01:18:47,240 --> 01:18:49,920
meet quarterly to review them.

1653
01:18:49,920 --> 01:18:53,370
We're not reviewing them to
assign blame or anything,

1654
01:18:53,370 --> 01:18:57,450
but what we're looking at is
why did that crash happen.

1655
01:18:57,450 --> 01:18:58,800
What are the trends?

1656
01:18:58,800 --> 01:19:03,920
What can we do to prevent
that crash, that type of crash

1657
01:19:03,920 --> 01:19:05,640
from happening again?

1658
01:19:05,640 --> 01:19:13,280
So the crash facts report that
I have in this presentation

1659
01:19:13,280 --> 01:19:14,610
is incomplete.

1660
01:19:14,610 --> 01:19:19,100
We're still working on
it, waiting for some data

1661
01:19:19,100 --> 01:19:24,720
to complete it, but it's a
report from 2020 to 2024.

1662
01:19:24,720 --> 01:19:31,550
And you'll see that there was
120 total serious and fatal

1663
01:19:31,550 --> 01:19:34,440
injury crashes in Rice County.

1664
01:19:34,440 --> 01:19:42,425
We average about 750 crashes in
Rice County every year, so two

1665
01:19:42,425 --> 01:19:43,850
a day--

1666
01:19:43,850 --> 01:19:45,680
two a day.

1667
01:19:45,680 --> 01:19:50,810
And that's been pretty
consistent throughout the years.

1668
01:19:50,810 --> 01:19:56,240
In 2025, we know that
we have already had--

1669
01:19:56,240 --> 01:19:57,073
question?

1670
01:19:57,073 --> 01:19:58,040
MALE SPEAKER: Yeah, go ahead.

1671
01:19:58,040 --> 01:19:59,210
MALE SPEAKER: Are
you including--

1672
01:19:59,210 --> 01:20:02,450
is this outside the
cities, county-based?

1673
01:20:02,450 --> 01:20:05,070
Or is this including
some of the city?

1674
01:20:05,070 --> 01:20:07,920
KATHY COOPER: It includes
the cities, the counties.

1675
01:20:07,920 --> 01:20:14,690
So Northfield, Faribault,
Lonsdale, and then countywide.

1676
01:20:14,690 --> 01:20:16,650
MALE SPEAKER: So the
cities are included?

1677
01:20:16,650 --> 01:20:19,910
KATHY COOPER: Yes, the
cities are included, yes.

1678
01:20:19,910 --> 01:20:23,780
But it's all broken out,
so the reports that we do

1679
01:20:23,780 --> 01:20:31,233
are by city and then by the
county, and then a total.

1680
01:20:31,233 --> 01:20:32,400
MALE SPEAKER: My
other question is,

1681
01:20:32,400 --> 01:20:36,170
do you guys track the
location of these accidents

1682
01:20:36,170 --> 01:20:37,650
for interception?

1683
01:20:37,650 --> 01:20:39,340
KATHY COOPER: Yep, yep.

1684
01:20:39,340 --> 01:20:42,950
Dennis Luebbe with Rice
County Highway Department,

1685
01:20:42,950 --> 01:20:47,150
he's one of the members on
the fatal review committee.

1686
01:20:47,150 --> 01:20:55,040
And he'll look at those
trends and the locations.

1687
01:20:55,040 --> 01:20:58,270
And a lot of times, he
goes right out to the site

1688
01:20:58,270 --> 01:21:02,240
and to see, do we have
proper signage there?

1689
01:21:02,240 --> 01:21:04,060
What's going on here?

1690
01:21:04,060 --> 01:21:07,960
He's a very important part
of our fatal review committee

1691
01:21:07,960 --> 01:21:10,270
because he can provide
that perspective

1692
01:21:10,270 --> 01:21:12,430
and he can get things done.

1693
01:21:12,430 --> 01:21:19,520
If a motorcycle is going off
of a curve on a certain road,

1694
01:21:19,520 --> 01:21:21,440
he'll go out and
check that curve.

1695
01:21:21,440 --> 01:21:26,740
And do we have signage to
alert the motorcycle rider

1696
01:21:26,740 --> 01:21:29,680
that there's a curve coming up?

1697
01:21:29,680 --> 01:21:33,520
And curves are hard
for motorcycles.

1698
01:21:33,520 --> 01:21:36,140
We've got data that
shows that as well.

1699
01:21:36,140 --> 01:21:40,690
So any more questions
on the '20 to '24

1700
01:21:40,690 --> 01:21:44,860
or the fatal review committee?

1701
01:21:44,860 --> 01:21:51,160
In 2025, already to
date, we've had four

1702
01:21:51,160 --> 01:21:53,840
fatal crashes in Rice County.

1703
01:21:53,840 --> 01:21:57,730
And the one thing that
we have noticed already

1704
01:21:57,730 --> 01:22:01,720
and have recorded is that
all four of the fatalities

1705
01:22:01,720 --> 01:22:03,880
were over 65.

1706
01:22:03,880 --> 01:22:07,130
So that's telling
us right there,

1707
01:22:07,130 --> 01:22:10,880
we need to focus on
our older drivers.

1708
01:22:10,880 --> 01:22:18,670
And so we wrote some things
into our 2026 grant application

1709
01:22:18,670 --> 01:22:20,120
with that in mind.

1710
01:22:20,120 --> 01:22:23,200
One of the things that
we did this past year

1711
01:22:23,200 --> 01:22:24,860
is called Car Fit.

1712
01:22:24,860 --> 01:22:28,430
And we had a Car Fit clinic
in Northfield in May.

1713
01:22:28,430 --> 01:22:30,850
We're trying to bring it
to Faribault. We're hoping

1714
01:22:30,850 --> 01:22:34,210
that the senior centers
will take it up and do it

1715
01:22:34,210 --> 01:22:39,810
as a regular clinic, but
that's to help older people fit

1716
01:22:39,810 --> 01:22:45,720
in their cars so that they're
driving more safely, that they

1717
01:22:45,720 --> 01:22:49,630
can see out of their mirrors
on the side, their rear view,

1718
01:22:49,630 --> 01:22:52,530
that they're at the right
height and the right distance

1719
01:22:52,530 --> 01:22:54,040
from the steering wheel.

1720
01:22:54,040 --> 01:22:58,410
So lots of work to do there.

1721
01:22:58,410 --> 01:23:05,170
And then there's been 15 serious
injury crashes already in 2025.

1722
01:23:05,170 --> 01:23:08,650
And four of those were
with older drivers.

1723
01:23:08,650 --> 01:23:12,690
So we'll be meeting
for our fourth quarter

1724
01:23:12,690 --> 01:23:17,260
fatal review committee at the
end of the month, September 29.

1725
01:23:17,260 --> 01:23:20,530
And we'll finish up
this crash facts report,

1726
01:23:20,530 --> 01:23:25,320
and then we'll get it out to
you so that you have the data.

1727
01:23:25,320 --> 01:23:26,500
What else, here?

1728
01:23:26,500 --> 01:23:29,790
Oh, TCD work in Rice County.

1729
01:23:29,790 --> 01:23:34,320
So every year, we have to apply
for the grant around again,

1730
01:23:34,320 --> 01:23:36,700
and we do that
with Public Health.

1731
01:23:36,700 --> 01:23:40,740
Deb helps write that
grant, and there's

1732
01:23:40,740 --> 01:23:42,640
two grants that are awarded.

1733
01:23:42,640 --> 01:23:47,010
One is the education grant
through Public Health,

1734
01:23:47,010 --> 01:23:51,960
and then local law enforcement
also writes a grant

1735
01:23:51,960 --> 01:23:57,010
for extra enforcement help.

1736
01:23:57,010 --> 01:23:59,790
And that kind of
rotates through the law

1737
01:23:59,790 --> 01:24:01,480
enforcement and Rice County.

1738
01:24:01,480 --> 01:24:05,160
So in this year,
2025, Northfield

1739
01:24:05,160 --> 01:24:08,280
has been the coordinator
for the enforcement grant.

1740
01:24:08,280 --> 01:24:10,990
Lonsdale wrote it for 2026.

1741
01:24:10,990 --> 01:24:13,590
We're still waiting
to hear about that

1742
01:24:13,590 --> 01:24:16,860
and hoping that
we get that grant.

1743
01:24:16,860 --> 01:24:19,590
The next slide, please.

1744
01:24:19,590 --> 01:24:23,700
Our Safe Roads Coalition
members has been pretty

1745
01:24:23,700 --> 01:24:26,860
steady over the past years.

1746
01:24:26,860 --> 01:24:29,500
They are wonderful members.

1747
01:24:29,500 --> 01:24:32,330
I can't tell you how
much support that they

1748
01:24:32,330 --> 01:24:34,440
provide to the coalition.

1749
01:24:34,440 --> 01:24:38,820
Anything I ask of them,
they step right up.

1750
01:24:38,820 --> 01:24:43,640
They may not always be at our
meetings, but I can call on them

1751
01:24:43,640 --> 01:24:49,040
and they provide
for traffic safety

1752
01:24:49,040 --> 01:24:51,920
activities in Rice County.

1753
01:24:51,920 --> 01:24:54,290
Next slide, please.

1754
01:24:54,290 --> 01:24:59,060
Some of the local efforts
this grant period,

1755
01:24:59,060 --> 01:25:04,880
we sponsor or provide a
Thanksgiving Eve DWI kickoff

1756
01:25:04,880 --> 01:25:08,090
this past fall Thanksgiving.

1757
01:25:08,090 --> 01:25:09,740
It was held at the
Northfield police

1758
01:25:09,740 --> 01:25:14,640
department on the Wednesday
before Thanksgiving.

1759
01:25:14,640 --> 01:25:17,100
All law enforcement are invited.

1760
01:25:17,100 --> 01:25:19,430
The county attorney comes.

1761
01:25:19,430 --> 01:25:21,920
Media is there.

1762
01:25:21,920 --> 01:25:26,450
Minnesotans For Safe Driving
and myself are there.

1763
01:25:26,450 --> 01:25:30,070
We also recognize
the law enforcement

1764
01:25:30,070 --> 01:25:35,960
officer in the county that
has the most DWI citations.

1765
01:25:35,960 --> 01:25:39,790
So last year, there were
two officers that tied

1766
01:25:39,790 --> 01:25:44,650
and they're given a
certificate of appreciation.

1767
01:25:44,650 --> 01:25:48,820
Nancy Johnson with Minnesotans
For Safe Driving and I

1768
01:25:48,820 --> 01:25:51,590
provide pizza for the officers.

1769
01:25:51,590 --> 01:25:56,440
And sometimes, there's
an impact speaker.

1770
01:25:56,440 --> 01:25:59,380
The County attorney will speak.

1771
01:25:59,380 --> 01:26:01,750
It's a great time
to get together

1772
01:26:01,750 --> 01:26:05,750
and thank them for their work.

1773
01:26:05,750 --> 01:26:09,430
They're going out
on Thanksgiving Eve,

1774
01:26:09,430 --> 01:26:13,280
when they would probably rather
be home with their families,

1775
01:26:13,280 --> 01:26:17,180
helping to stuff that turkey
and make pies for the next day,

1776
01:26:17,180 --> 01:26:20,600
but they're out on the road
to help ensure our safety.

1777
01:26:20,600 --> 01:26:23,530
So that's a huge event for us.

1778
01:26:23,530 --> 01:26:26,150
This last year in
Northfield too,

1779
01:26:26,150 --> 01:26:33,740
we always try and do a poster
and some media coverage, a PSA.

1780
01:26:33,740 --> 01:26:41,200
And Kevin Tussing was able to
bring in the Jesse James Gang

1781
01:26:41,200 --> 01:26:42,860
to help us do that.

1782
01:26:42,860 --> 01:26:48,730
And we had Sam Temple from
the City of Northfield

1783
01:26:48,730 --> 01:26:52,180
communications department,
and Susie Rook.

1784
01:26:52,180 --> 01:26:56,060
They were both there taking
photos of the James gang.

1785
01:26:56,060 --> 01:27:00,220
All our law enforcement
were in red cowboy hats,

1786
01:27:00,220 --> 01:27:02,930
Santa hats, cowboy Santa hats.

1787
01:27:02,930 --> 01:27:07,390
And Susie did a fabulous
poster, and then Sam Temple

1788
01:27:07,390 --> 01:27:10,540
did a PSA that we were
able to put on the city

1789
01:27:10,540 --> 01:27:12,950
web pages and Facebook.

1790
01:27:12,950 --> 01:27:15,200
So we really try and
get it out there.

1791
01:27:15,200 --> 01:27:20,170
We try not to be all
doom and gloom about it,

1792
01:27:20,170 --> 01:27:22,790
but raise awareness.

1793
01:27:22,790 --> 01:27:24,050
This is important.

1794
01:27:24,050 --> 01:27:24,980
This is serious.

1795
01:27:24,980 --> 01:27:29,440
This is life and death
matters, so huge event.

1796
01:27:29,440 --> 01:27:34,050
And then the Car Fit safety
clinic, I spoke about.

1797
01:27:34,050 --> 01:27:36,360
We partnered with
Faribault's Double

1798
01:27:36,360 --> 01:27:40,270
Impact for a traffic safety
week at Bethlehem Academy.

1799
01:27:40,270 --> 01:27:47,250
Double Impact led the charge
and it was a great event

1800
01:27:47,250 --> 01:27:48,670
at Bethlehem Academy.

1801
01:27:48,670 --> 01:27:51,370
It was for the sophomore
and senior students.

1802
01:27:51,370 --> 01:27:55,510
They brought in the drunk carts
with the fatal vision goggles,

1803
01:27:55,510 --> 01:27:59,410
and we've actually had those for
the county board in the past,

1804
01:27:59,410 --> 01:28:02,490
and a little course
out in the parking lot

1805
01:28:02,490 --> 01:28:06,700
where you've had to put the
goggles on and drive through it.

1806
01:28:06,700 --> 01:28:08,740
So they brought that
into the high school.

1807
01:28:08,740 --> 01:28:10,570
It was very successful.

1808
01:28:10,570 --> 01:28:14,770
And then on Wednesday, there
was a mini mock crash there.

1809
01:28:14,770 --> 01:28:19,180
Again, law enforcement and
Double Impact, fire department,

1810
01:28:19,180 --> 01:28:20,560
they handled that.

1811
01:28:20,560 --> 01:28:23,170
They brought in a
helicopter, landed.

1812
01:28:23,170 --> 01:28:25,660
So that was another huge event.

1813
01:28:25,660 --> 01:28:28,450
They had an assembly
at the high school,

1814
01:28:28,450 --> 01:28:31,200
and we brought in a
crash car that was

1815
01:28:31,200 --> 01:28:35,010
posted on campus before prom.

1816
01:28:35,010 --> 01:28:40,090
We also partnered
or participated,

1817
01:28:40,090 --> 01:28:43,440
I guess, at the Safe
Summer Kickoff in Faribault

1818
01:28:43,440 --> 01:28:45,010
on the last day of school.

1819
01:28:45,010 --> 01:28:47,220
We brought in the
seat belt convincer

1820
01:28:47,220 --> 01:28:50,500
and we also had a crash
car there as well.

1821
01:28:50,500 --> 01:28:53,320
The belt convincer
was a lot of fun.

1822
01:28:53,320 --> 01:28:59,280
We get a lot of teens that
take a ride on the seat belt

1823
01:28:59,280 --> 01:29:02,280
convincer, and then they can
put their name in a drawing

1824
01:29:02,280 --> 01:29:04,740
for a Kwik Trip card.

1825
01:29:04,740 --> 01:29:08,050
A lot of little kids
want to ride it,

1826
01:29:08,050 --> 01:29:09,820
but we set an age limit.

1827
01:29:09,820 --> 01:29:14,820
You have to be 14, but the
little kids watch and we always

1828
01:29:14,820 --> 01:29:19,410
ask their parents to take a
ride since their child can't

1829
01:29:19,410 --> 01:29:22,500
show them what
it's all about, so

1830
01:29:22,500 --> 01:29:25,490
another great education piece.

1831
01:29:25,490 --> 01:29:30,380
And then, Joyride was
provided at the Defeat

1832
01:29:30,380 --> 01:29:32,040
of Jesse James Days.

1833
01:29:32,040 --> 01:29:35,030
Again, many, many,
many, many thanks

1834
01:29:35,030 --> 01:29:38,450
to the committee and the
Northfield police department who

1835
01:29:38,450 --> 01:29:43,970
provided the funding for
the epic shuttle and driver.

1836
01:29:43,970 --> 01:29:47,150
It ran all three nights.

1837
01:29:47,150 --> 01:29:52,430
She was extremely busy on
Saturday night, which is usual.

1838
01:29:52,430 --> 01:29:56,660
But the thing that struck
me this year was the riders

1839
01:29:56,660 --> 01:29:58,970
were so appreciative.

1840
01:29:58,970 --> 01:30:02,820
On and on, and on,
thank you so much.

1841
01:30:02,820 --> 01:30:06,780
Northfield is wonderful to
provide this kind of service.

1842
01:30:06,780 --> 01:30:09,030
I wasn't going to
comment until I saw this.

1843
01:30:09,030 --> 01:30:13,650
So that was really, really
exciting to hear that.

1844
01:30:13,650 --> 01:30:19,680
And I didn't see any
public intoxication,

1845
01:30:19,680 --> 01:30:21,340
and that was really good too.

1846
01:30:21,340 --> 01:30:24,900
People were having fun
and being responsible.

1847
01:30:24,900 --> 01:30:31,260
So I think Joyride, even though
the rider numbers aren't huge,

1848
01:30:31,260 --> 01:30:34,430
it provides a lot of
education and awareness

1849
01:30:34,430 --> 01:30:39,710
on don't drink and drive in our
community during this event.

1850
01:30:39,710 --> 01:30:43,880
There still was a few
DWIs, but there were

1851
01:30:43,880 --> 01:30:46,730
no crashes, so that was good.

1852
01:30:46,730 --> 01:30:50,030
And then, I mentioned the
quarterly fatal and serious

1853
01:30:50,030 --> 01:30:52,780
injury committee
reviews that we do.

1854
01:30:52,780 --> 01:30:55,550


1855
01:30:55,550 --> 01:31:00,350
We also have presentations
at driver's ed classes

1856
01:31:00,350 --> 01:31:02,700
related to alcohol and drugs.

1857
01:31:02,700 --> 01:31:05,090
I'm a speaker.

1858
01:31:05,090 --> 01:31:10,010
Public Health also has a speaker
that does cannabis education

1859
01:31:10,010 --> 01:31:14,630
at driver's ed and
in the health classes

1860
01:31:14,630 --> 01:31:21,220
at the public high school,
so that's really good.

1861
01:31:21,220 --> 01:31:25,510
And then we always support the
enforcement calendar with media

1862
01:31:25,510 --> 01:31:27,800
releases and Facebook posts.

1863
01:31:27,800 --> 01:31:31,630
And that's thanks
to Susie Rook here

1864
01:31:31,630 --> 01:31:33,470
at Rice County Communications.

1865
01:31:33,470 --> 01:31:37,660
She's a great partner and
she does a lot of work for us

1866
01:31:37,660 --> 01:31:39,910
on that, so we appreciate it.

1867
01:31:39,910 --> 01:31:43,240
And then, next slide, please.

1868
01:31:43,240 --> 01:31:45,440
You'll see just some photos.

1869
01:31:45,440 --> 01:31:46,690
The Car Fit clinic.

1870
01:31:46,690 --> 01:31:51,110
There's the Jesse James
Gang poster that we put out.

1871
01:31:51,110 --> 01:31:55,070
The PSA can be found on the
City of Northfield website.

1872
01:31:55,070 --> 01:31:59,060
I think it's also
posted with Rice County.

1873
01:31:59,060 --> 01:32:03,400
There's the crash car that
we had at Bethlehem Academy

1874
01:32:03,400 --> 01:32:06,920
and at Safe Summer Kickoff.

1875
01:32:06,920 --> 01:32:09,910
And then, I forgot
to thank College

1876
01:32:09,910 --> 01:32:12,530
City Beverage for the banners.

1877
01:32:12,530 --> 01:32:18,080
They print all the banners and
posters for the Joyride event,

1878
01:32:18,080 --> 01:32:22,040
and they really did a
fabulous job this year too.

1879
01:32:22,040 --> 01:32:24,430
I went in the
entertainment tent and they

1880
01:32:24,430 --> 01:32:26,150
had banners on the outside.

1881
01:32:26,150 --> 01:32:27,920
They had banners on the inside.

1882
01:32:27,920 --> 01:32:30,310
They had posters all over.

1883
01:32:30,310 --> 01:32:36,490
For the first time, I had
riders coming to the pick

1884
01:32:36,490 --> 01:32:40,730
up location with
tickets filled out.

1885
01:32:40,730 --> 01:32:43,600
Every year, I print
500 tickets and

1886
01:32:43,600 --> 01:32:45,970
distribute them
to the local bars

1887
01:32:45,970 --> 01:32:47,960
and in the entertainment tent.

1888
01:32:47,960 --> 01:32:50,830
And I've never had
anybody come to the pick

1889
01:32:50,830 --> 01:32:54,800
up location with their ticket,
so I always have a handful.

1890
01:32:54,800 --> 01:32:57,380
They have to put their
address on the ticket.

1891
01:32:57,380 --> 01:33:01,270
That's the only reason that they
need a ticket, is so that we can

1892
01:33:01,270 --> 01:33:03,380
have their address
for the driver,

1893
01:33:03,380 --> 01:33:05,360
so the driver knows
where to take them.

1894
01:33:05,360 --> 01:33:10,700
So anyhow, that
was an improvement.

1895
01:33:10,700 --> 01:33:15,040
So there, again, you'll
see our Rice County Safe

1896
01:33:15,040 --> 01:33:20,860
Roads Coalition mission, to move
Rice County toward zero deaths.

1897
01:33:20,860 --> 01:33:22,540
We've been close.

1898
01:33:22,540 --> 01:33:25,870
We've had some years
with only two fatalities,

1899
01:33:25,870 --> 01:33:27,460
and that's encouraging.

1900
01:33:27,460 --> 01:33:30,060
And we're going to
get there, I know it.

1901
01:33:30,060 --> 01:33:35,490
And then, if you
want to get involved,

1902
01:33:35,490 --> 01:33:40,260
come to the Safe Roads Coalition
meetings or support us.

1903
01:33:40,260 --> 01:33:45,120
We also attend the Southeast
TCD Steering Committee.

1904
01:33:45,120 --> 01:33:50,440
And then, attend the state
conference this year.

1905
01:33:50,440 --> 01:33:54,040
It's in Prior Lake,
October 21 to 22,

1906
01:33:54,040 --> 01:33:57,870
and we have had county
board commissioners

1907
01:33:57,870 --> 01:33:59,200
attend in the past.

1908
01:33:59,200 --> 01:34:02,020
We've had the county
attorney and law enforcement,

1909
01:34:02,020 --> 01:34:04,170
lots of good folks.

1910
01:34:04,170 --> 01:34:09,180
And it's a great event, a lot
of workshops to choose from.

1911
01:34:09,180 --> 01:34:16,900
And then, you'll see on the
last page, our regional posters.

1912
01:34:16,900 --> 01:34:20,610
So every year, the
region, Jessica,

1913
01:34:20,610 --> 01:34:25,440
will organize a photo shoot
of all law enforcement

1914
01:34:25,440 --> 01:34:29,430
and first responders
for a photo shoot

1915
01:34:29,430 --> 01:34:34,920
that we can distribute
for seat belt awareness

1916
01:34:34,920 --> 01:34:36,970
prior to seat belt campaign.

1917
01:34:36,970 --> 01:34:40,740
And so it moves throughout
the county, the 11 counties.

1918
01:34:40,740 --> 01:34:44,800
We did it in 2012 at
Northfield Hospital.

1919
01:34:44,800 --> 01:34:49,410
And this year, we did it at
the new Public Safety Center

1920
01:34:49,410 --> 01:34:52,420
in Faribault. So
there's the poster.

1921
01:34:52,420 --> 01:34:58,050
The poster was printed
by Neuger Communications.

1922
01:34:58,050 --> 01:35:03,760
They did 500 large
posters for $40.

1923
01:35:03,760 --> 01:35:07,060
So they were a great partner
too, and we thank them for that.

1924
01:35:07,060 --> 01:35:08,500
So thank you very much.

1925
01:35:08,500 --> 01:35:10,210
Any questions, anybody?

1926
01:35:10,210 --> 01:35:12,770


1927
01:35:12,770 --> 01:35:13,397
Thank you.

1928
01:35:13,397 --> 01:35:14,430
MALE SPEAKER: Not necessarily--

1929
01:35:14,430 --> 01:35:15,150
KATHY COOPER: Oh, I'm sorry.

1930
01:35:15,150 --> 01:35:16,050
MALE SPEAKER: No, it's OK.

1931
01:35:16,050 --> 01:35:18,750
Not necessarily a
question, but a statement.

1932
01:35:18,750 --> 01:35:20,310
Thank you for what you do.

1933
01:35:20,310 --> 01:35:22,340
You've been doing this
for how many years now?

1934
01:35:22,340 --> 01:35:23,300
KATHY COOPER: 18.

1935
01:35:23,300 --> 01:35:24,440
MALE SPEAKER: 18.

1936
01:35:24,440 --> 01:35:27,280
And we appreciate it.

1937
01:35:27,280 --> 01:35:28,280
MALE SPEAKER: Well, thank you.

1938
01:35:28,280 --> 01:35:30,360
KATHY COOPER: There's so
many different factors,

1939
01:35:30,360 --> 01:35:34,430
from seat belts, to
drinking, to inattentive

1940
01:35:34,430 --> 01:35:36,870
driving, to these things.

1941
01:35:36,870 --> 01:35:43,970
And we have an aging society,
so when you have training for 65

1942
01:35:43,970 --> 01:35:47,540
plus, it's a lot of
factors that come

1943
01:35:47,540 --> 01:35:48,533
into just driving a vehicle.

1944
01:35:48,533 --> 01:35:49,200
KATHY COOPER: Right.

1945
01:35:49,200 --> 01:35:54,020
And now, thanks to our
legislature passing

1946
01:35:54,020 --> 01:35:57,860
legalized recreational
marijuana, that's

1947
01:35:57,860 --> 01:35:59,160
going to be another issue.

1948
01:35:59,160 --> 01:36:01,790
I mean, it's already an
issue, but it's probably

1949
01:36:01,790 --> 01:36:03,870
going to be a greater issue.

1950
01:36:03,870 --> 01:36:05,520
So, thank you.

1951
01:36:05,520 --> 01:36:07,970
DEB PURFEERST: And I just want
to keep Kathy up here a second

1952
01:36:07,970 --> 01:36:10,910
and point out that
Kathy has served

1953
01:36:10,910 --> 01:36:13,360
in a very long
time in Rice County

1954
01:36:13,360 --> 01:36:15,140
to promote traffic safety.

1955
01:36:15,140 --> 01:36:19,240
So we're really grateful for
her work and her dedication.

1956
01:36:19,240 --> 01:36:24,670
In 2024, Kathy was the recipient
of the Kathy Swanson Outstanding

1957
01:36:24,670 --> 01:36:27,910
Service Award for Exceptional
Leadership in her efforts

1958
01:36:27,910 --> 01:36:31,070
to improve traffic
safety in Minnesota,

1959
01:36:31,070 --> 01:36:34,160
and it was because
of Kathy's work.

1960
01:36:34,160 --> 01:36:39,160
Unfortunately, her daughter
was killed in a traffic crash

1961
01:36:39,160 --> 01:36:42,490
a number of years ago,
but she led the efforts

1962
01:36:42,490 --> 01:36:46,640
to improve the laws for
the primary seat belt law,

1963
01:36:46,640 --> 01:36:49,420
and it was because of
Kathy's dedicated work

1964
01:36:49,420 --> 01:36:50,570
that that happened.

1965
01:36:50,570 --> 01:36:54,070
So we really appreciate
all the work that she

1966
01:36:54,070 --> 01:36:55,910
has done in Rice County.

1967
01:36:55,910 --> 01:37:00,130
I would also like to shout out
to some of the Rice County staff

1968
01:37:00,130 --> 01:37:04,430
who are very helpful
with our coalition.

1969
01:37:04,430 --> 01:37:08,890
We have the county attorney's
office, law enforcement, highway

1970
01:37:08,890 --> 01:37:13,300
department and communications,
and they are all very active

1971
01:37:13,300 --> 01:37:16,090
partners on our
coalition, so we couldn't

1972
01:37:16,090 --> 01:37:17,780
get the work done without them.

1973
01:37:17,780 --> 01:37:18,970
So, thank you.

1974
01:37:18,970 --> 01:37:20,570
Again, thank you.

1975
01:37:20,570 --> 01:37:23,030
Any other questions about
Safe Roads Coalition?

1976
01:37:23,030 --> 01:37:24,430
MALE SPEAKER: Well,
I'd like to give it up

1977
01:37:24,430 --> 01:37:26,420
for Kathy and your whole staff.

1978
01:37:26,420 --> 01:37:27,160
So let's--

1979
01:37:27,160 --> 01:37:28,830
DEB PURFEERST: Yeah,
thank you Kathy.

1980
01:37:28,830 --> 01:37:30,500
[APPLAUSE]

1981
01:37:30,500 --> 01:37:31,420


1982
01:37:31,420 --> 01:37:35,500
KATHY COOPER: So we have a We
Care card because we do care.

1983
01:37:35,500 --> 01:37:40,330
Law enforcement is not out
there just giving citations.

1984
01:37:40,330 --> 01:37:43,240
They're trying to educate
the driving public.

1985
01:37:43,240 --> 01:37:44,920
We care.

1986
01:37:44,920 --> 01:37:45,550
We care.

1987
01:37:45,550 --> 01:37:49,580
DEB PURFEERST: Kathy did bring
the fatal vision goggles,

1988
01:37:49,580 --> 01:37:51,980
but I don't think we're going
to take time to do that.

1989
01:37:51,980 --> 01:37:55,660
But later, if any of you want
to put them on and see what it

1990
01:37:55,660 --> 01:37:59,360
would be like if you are
using cannabis products,

1991
01:37:59,360 --> 01:38:01,990
it gives you a good
indication of what that is

1992
01:38:01,990 --> 01:38:05,140
and how that might
affect your driving.

1993
01:38:05,140 --> 01:38:09,400
So that concludes includes
our safe roads presentation.

1994
01:38:09,400 --> 01:38:12,540
I'm going to move over
to the second thing

1995
01:38:12,540 --> 01:38:15,010
that Public Health is
going to present about.

1996
01:38:15,010 --> 01:38:18,330
So we're going to give you
an update on our community

1997
01:38:18,330 --> 01:38:20,470
health assessment process.

1998
01:38:20,470 --> 01:38:24,240
So as a reminder, all Minnesota
Community Health boards

1999
01:38:24,240 --> 01:38:28,530
are mandated to participate
in assessment and planning

2000
01:38:28,530 --> 01:38:31,590
and to determine local
public health priorities

2001
01:38:31,590 --> 01:38:35,040
and focus local resources
on the greatest community

2002
01:38:35,040 --> 01:38:37,090
and organizational needs.

2003
01:38:37,090 --> 01:38:40,470
So we did have a community
health assessment and planning

2004
01:38:40,470 --> 01:38:45,180
meeting in March of this year to
prioritize some of the issues.

2005
01:38:45,180 --> 01:38:47,050
I have Sarah Coulter here.

2006
01:38:47,050 --> 01:38:50,020
She is our clinic and
community supervisor,

2007
01:38:50,020 --> 01:38:54,240
and she's going to give
a brief update about some

2008
01:38:54,240 --> 01:38:56,290
of the work that
was done in March,

2009
01:38:56,290 --> 01:38:59,590
as well as some of the
next steps moving forward.

2010
01:38:59,590 --> 01:39:01,300
So, thank you, Sarah.

2011
01:39:01,300 --> 01:39:02,460
SARAH COULTER: Thank you.

2012
01:39:02,460 --> 01:39:05,350
So good morning, everyone.

2013
01:39:05,350 --> 01:39:06,820
I'm Sarah Coulter.

2014
01:39:06,820 --> 01:39:10,600
I am the clinic and community
supervisor, as Deb indicated,

2015
01:39:10,600 --> 01:39:13,360
and I have been in
this role since 2013.

2016
01:39:13,360 --> 01:39:15,630
So that actually means
this is my fourth go

2017
01:39:15,630 --> 01:39:17,680
around with this process.

2018
01:39:17,680 --> 01:39:19,260
So we keep doing
things a little bit

2019
01:39:19,260 --> 01:39:21,880
differently, improving,
learning some new skills.

2020
01:39:21,880 --> 01:39:24,360
And I want to acknowledge that
the things that have been talked

2021
01:39:24,360 --> 01:39:27,630
about today, I've heard at least
15 different points that you're

2022
01:39:27,630 --> 01:39:31,450
going to hear a little bit about
in this presentation as well.

2023
01:39:31,450 --> 01:39:33,310
Health is in all policies.

2024
01:39:33,310 --> 01:39:35,260
So just hearing some
of these things,

2025
01:39:35,260 --> 01:39:37,830
I'm going to try and point out
where they connect to our work

2026
01:39:37,830 --> 01:39:38,800
as well.

2027
01:39:38,800 --> 01:39:42,730
So in the world of public
health, this process,

2028
01:39:42,730 --> 01:39:45,430
this community health assessment
and improvement planning--

2029
01:39:45,430 --> 01:39:46,740
you can go to the next slide--

2030
01:39:46,740 --> 01:39:51,310
is required by the Local
Public Health Act of 1976.

2031
01:39:51,310 --> 01:39:54,300
So I'm going to take you a
little bit through this wheel

2032
01:39:54,300 --> 01:39:54,970
here.

2033
01:39:54,970 --> 01:39:57,630
Our goals are to increase your
understanding of the health

2034
01:39:57,630 --> 01:40:01,590
of the people of Rice County, to
walk through this process of how

2035
01:40:01,590 --> 01:40:05,600
we identified our top
three health-related needs

2036
01:40:05,600 --> 01:40:08,930
in the county, and then to
lay out our next steps, which

2037
01:40:08,930 --> 01:40:12,980
get to the heart of
strategizing with the community

2038
01:40:12,980 --> 01:40:16,350
and our partners to
address those needs.

2039
01:40:16,350 --> 01:40:17,610
So, go ahead.

2040
01:40:17,610 --> 01:40:20,730
We do this process through
a variety of methods.

2041
01:40:20,730 --> 01:40:23,740
This assessment piece, that
first part of our wheel.

2042
01:40:23,740 --> 01:40:27,020
The first part is
really data that we

2043
01:40:27,020 --> 01:40:30,720
gather from national,
local and state sources.

2044
01:40:30,720 --> 01:40:33,770
It's me going clickety-click,
click, click in my office

2045
01:40:33,770 --> 01:40:36,650
pulling data from the census,
from the Minnesota student

2046
01:40:36,650 --> 01:40:39,830
survey, et cetera, putting it
into tables, charts, and graphs,

2047
01:40:39,830 --> 01:40:41,730
and trying to
understand that data.

2048
01:40:41,730 --> 01:40:43,800
We also do a mailed survey.

2049
01:40:43,800 --> 01:40:45,260
So if you go to the
next slide, you'll

2050
01:40:45,260 --> 01:40:49,490
see that we do hire a survey
company to format the survey

2051
01:40:49,490 --> 01:40:53,690
and to handle the
distribution of that survey.

2052
01:40:53,690 --> 01:41:01,440
In this last round of surveying,
it was 57 questions long.

2053
01:41:01,440 --> 01:41:03,240
We're working to shorten that.

2054
01:41:03,240 --> 01:41:05,460
That's a lot of
questions for the public.

2055
01:41:05,460 --> 01:41:12,240
We did have a 27% response rate,
which is still pretty good.

2056
01:41:12,240 --> 01:41:16,770
But in 2021, we had
a 38% response rate.

2057
01:41:16,770 --> 01:41:21,380
So we are making efforts to
shorten that survey, for sure.

2058
01:41:21,380 --> 01:41:23,570
The survey results
are actually weighted

2059
01:41:23,570 --> 01:41:26,240
to ensure that the results
more accurately reflect

2060
01:41:26,240 --> 01:41:27,270
our population.

2061
01:41:27,270 --> 01:41:29,400
For example, we don't
survey students,

2062
01:41:29,400 --> 01:41:33,410
so this is not representative
of college students at all.

2063
01:41:33,410 --> 01:41:37,700
And the number of respondents
who participate in a written

2064
01:41:37,700 --> 01:41:39,890
survey like that,
they're typically older

2065
01:41:39,890 --> 01:41:42,000
and they're typically
white women.

2066
01:41:42,000 --> 01:41:44,090
So the results are
weighted to be more

2067
01:41:44,090 --> 01:41:46,160
reflective of our
population and we

2068
01:41:46,160 --> 01:41:50,360
can't use this data at all to
represent our people of color

2069
01:41:50,360 --> 01:41:52,430
in Rice County.

2070
01:41:52,430 --> 01:41:56,570
So all of these results were
compiled into a report, which

2071
01:41:56,570 --> 01:41:58,530
is available on our website.

2072
01:41:58,530 --> 01:42:01,220
And I am going to go through
the results of that survey

2073
01:42:01,220 --> 01:42:03,630
and the data gathering
in a little bit,

2074
01:42:03,630 --> 01:42:07,230
but I did want to show you
the next part of the wheel.

2075
01:42:07,230 --> 01:42:13,830
So the report and the survey
are building our assessment,

2076
01:42:13,830 --> 01:42:18,360
and then we have to do
this prioritization piece.

2077
01:42:18,360 --> 01:42:22,230
So to move into that, we
actually asked for help.

2078
01:42:22,230 --> 01:42:24,240
We don't do that
easily downstairs,

2079
01:42:24,240 --> 01:42:26,270
but we did ask for
help from the Minnesota

2080
01:42:26,270 --> 01:42:30,090
Department of Health, their data
and technical assistance team.

2081
01:42:30,090 --> 01:42:31,790
I'm really grateful
that we did do

2082
01:42:31,790 --> 01:42:33,480
that because they-- go ahead--

2083
01:42:33,480 --> 01:42:36,260
they helped us prepare
for this meeting

2084
01:42:36,260 --> 01:42:38,720
that we hosted
with the community.

2085
01:42:38,720 --> 01:42:43,280
We did gain some new
skills and it did push

2086
01:42:43,280 --> 01:42:45,900
us to try different new things.

2087
01:42:45,900 --> 01:42:49,980
So that meeting was
held on March 18.

2088
01:42:49,980 --> 01:42:52,070
And if you would
please raise your hand

2089
01:42:52,070 --> 01:42:55,460
if you were able to
attend that meeting,

2090
01:42:55,460 --> 01:42:58,380
or you can just raise
your hand if you wish

2091
01:42:58,380 --> 01:42:59,630
you had attended that meeting.

2092
01:42:59,630 --> 01:43:02,590
And I really hope everyone's
hand goes up because I'm

2093
01:43:02,590 --> 01:43:03,670
going to give you this.

2094
01:43:03,670 --> 01:43:04,330
Oh, sorry.

2095
01:43:04,330 --> 01:43:05,210
I can't reach that.

2096
01:43:05,210 --> 01:43:05,810
That's all right.

2097
01:43:05,810 --> 01:43:06,910
MALE SPEAKER: I
think we all did.

2098
01:43:06,910 --> 01:43:08,110
SARAH COULTER: Just
hold on to this.

2099
01:43:08,110 --> 01:43:11,920
Don't do anything with it
right now, just hold on to it.

2100
01:43:11,920 --> 01:43:14,260
All right, so there you go.

2101
01:43:14,260 --> 01:43:16,810
So since everyone
did raise their hand

2102
01:43:16,810 --> 01:43:19,540
and was hoping that they
could either have been there

2103
01:43:19,540 --> 01:43:23,000
or that they were
there, at this meeting,

2104
01:43:23,000 --> 01:43:26,060
45 people from the community
were in attendance.

2105
01:43:26,060 --> 01:43:27,590
And we did try some new tools.

2106
01:43:27,590 --> 01:43:29,360
If anybody's ever
worked with Padlet,

2107
01:43:29,360 --> 01:43:30,740
you'll see it in a little bit.

2108
01:43:30,740 --> 01:43:32,830
And we use these data
sheets that the data

2109
01:43:32,830 --> 01:43:35,950
and technical assistance
team helped us develop.

2110
01:43:35,950 --> 01:43:38,330
So before we get
into the-- go ahead.

2111
01:43:38,330 --> 01:43:41,320
Before we get into the
results of this data

2112
01:43:41,320 --> 01:43:43,870
and what the health of
the people of Rice County

2113
01:43:43,870 --> 01:43:46,640
looks like, I want to just
give you a quick overview.

2114
01:43:46,640 --> 01:43:49,700
We've got about 68,000
people in Rice County.

2115
01:43:49,700 --> 01:43:54,490
We are increasingly diverse,
and about 11% of our population

2116
01:43:54,490 --> 01:43:57,090
lives in poverty.

2117
01:43:57,090 --> 01:44:02,100
So as we do this, do you guys
have your cell phones with you?

2118
01:44:02,100 --> 01:44:03,430
MALE SPEAKER: Yes.

2119
01:44:03,430 --> 01:44:05,530
SARAH COULTER: If you would
please play along with me,

2120
01:44:05,530 --> 01:44:07,300
I'd like to try something
new with you guys,

2121
01:44:07,300 --> 01:44:09,660
because we're constantly trying
to innovate and keep people's

2122
01:44:09,660 --> 01:44:11,920
attention and try new things.

2123
01:44:11,920 --> 01:44:17,020
So if you would please go to
menti.com on your cell phone.

2124
01:44:17,020 --> 01:44:18,840
And then at the top,
you're going to see

2125
01:44:18,840 --> 01:44:20,890
a spot to plug in a code.

2126
01:44:20,890 --> 01:44:22,300
And that code is there.

2127
01:44:22,300 --> 01:44:24,580
It's going to stay on
the next few slides.

2128
01:44:24,580 --> 01:44:28,060
So if it takes you
a bit to get there,

2129
01:44:28,060 --> 01:44:30,520
your connectivity is
slow, you will get there.

2130
01:44:30,520 --> 01:44:32,110
We're going to go on
to the next slide.

2131
01:44:32,110 --> 01:44:35,130
But all you're going to do at
this point is go to the website

2132
01:44:35,130 --> 01:44:39,150
and plug in the access
code, and then you can

2133
01:44:39,150 --> 01:44:41,080
put your phone down for a bit.

2134
01:44:41,080 --> 01:44:44,830
So once I am done reviewing
the health topics,

2135
01:44:44,830 --> 01:44:46,180
I do want you to vote.

2136
01:44:46,180 --> 01:44:48,270
So Menti is a voting
tool that I want

2137
01:44:48,270 --> 01:44:50,110
you to try out with me today.

2138
01:44:50,110 --> 01:44:51,940
Anyone is welcome to vote.

2139
01:44:51,940 --> 01:44:55,110
So if members of the public at
home, they want to try voting,

2140
01:44:55,110 --> 01:44:57,150
again, the information
is on the slides.

2141
01:44:57,150 --> 01:44:59,010
People in the room,
you're welcome to vote.

2142
01:44:59,010 --> 01:45:03,410
This is just to
help us understand

2143
01:45:03,410 --> 01:45:04,950
and stay tuned into the data.

2144
01:45:04,950 --> 01:45:07,920
We will be looking at the
results at the end of this.

2145
01:45:07,920 --> 01:45:10,190
So again, on this slide
and the next several,

2146
01:45:10,190 --> 01:45:13,250
that Menti information
is on there.

2147
01:45:13,250 --> 01:45:15,270
All right, let's go on.

2148
01:45:15,270 --> 01:45:17,630
So the first data slide
that we're going to look at

2149
01:45:17,630 --> 01:45:19,620
is around health care access.

2150
01:45:19,620 --> 01:45:21,930
And you can see, this is
how we oriented the public.

2151
01:45:21,930 --> 01:45:26,180
So the exclamation points are
where we emphasized items that

2152
01:45:26,180 --> 01:45:29,000
were particularly noteworthy.

2153
01:45:29,000 --> 01:45:33,390
I am limiting myself to one data
point on each of these slides

2154
01:45:33,390 --> 01:45:37,920
and I'm sheepish to tell you
that I did miss one slide,

2155
01:45:37,920 --> 01:45:40,310
so I'll just verbally
talk through that one.

2156
01:45:40,310 --> 01:45:42,380
So in no particular
order, we're starting

2157
01:45:42,380 --> 01:45:44,010
off with health care access.

2158
01:45:44,010 --> 01:45:47,120
Rice County has more
people per provider

2159
01:45:47,120 --> 01:45:50,810
than the state average
for dental, mental health,

2160
01:45:50,810 --> 01:45:52,950
and physical primary care.

2161
01:45:52,950 --> 01:45:57,440
So more patients per provider
than the state average.

2162
01:45:57,440 --> 01:46:00,170
I just want you to think about
how that impacts a person's

2163
01:46:00,170 --> 01:46:02,580
ability to manage
their chronic disease,

2164
01:46:02,580 --> 01:46:04,790
or to get in for an appointment.

2165
01:46:04,790 --> 01:46:09,440
Next slide, we've got on
the bottom right, only 45%

2166
01:46:09,440 --> 01:46:11,870
of our children and
teens who are enrolled

2167
01:46:11,870 --> 01:46:14,420
in medical assistance--
so our low income

2168
01:46:14,420 --> 01:46:18,290
families-- have completed
their well-child exam.

2169
01:46:18,290 --> 01:46:22,190
But parents know that these
exams are an important part

2170
01:46:22,190 --> 01:46:25,070
of catching their
child's development

2171
01:46:25,070 --> 01:46:29,940
or physical care needs early on
so that they can be addressed.

2172
01:46:29,940 --> 01:46:32,870
The sooner that we detect
something, the more likely

2173
01:46:32,870 --> 01:46:35,690
we are to have a successful
health outcome of whatever

2174
01:46:35,690 --> 01:46:37,250
is identified.

2175
01:46:37,250 --> 01:46:39,420
So that's preventative
screenings.

2176
01:46:39,420 --> 01:46:40,740
Physical health.

2177
01:46:40,740 --> 01:46:46,170
So this sheet really captures
our leading causes of death.

2178
01:46:46,170 --> 01:46:50,390
And those are labeled in Rice
County by one, two, skip a few,

2179
01:46:50,390 --> 01:46:54,620
and then 4, 5, 6.

2180
01:46:54,620 --> 01:46:56,740
The one I want to
point about out here

2181
01:46:56,740 --> 01:46:58,520
is in your top right quadrant.

2182
01:46:58,520 --> 01:47:03,380
We've got 38% of our population
has high blood pressure.

2183
01:47:03,380 --> 01:47:07,430
High blood pressure is a
modifiable health risk.

2184
01:47:07,430 --> 01:47:11,110
So that is something you can
actually do something about.

2185
01:47:11,110 --> 01:47:15,220
That number has also
been increasing.

2186
01:47:15,220 --> 01:47:15,850
All right.

2187
01:47:15,850 --> 01:47:18,920
Next slide, we've got our
childhood immunizations.

2188
01:47:18,920 --> 01:47:23,410
And I'd like to point out that
we have decreasing vaccination

2189
01:47:23,410 --> 01:47:25,340
uptake here in Rice County.

2190
01:47:25,340 --> 01:47:28,930
So there's four data points
on here and all four of them

2191
01:47:28,930 --> 01:47:30,250
are asterisked,
so I'm just going

2192
01:47:30,250 --> 01:47:32,170
to summarize it by
saying we have decreasing

2193
01:47:32,170 --> 01:47:34,670
vaccinations in Rice County.

2194
01:47:34,670 --> 01:47:39,550
And there was a pertussis
outbreak in Minnesota in 2024.

2195
01:47:39,550 --> 01:47:40,600
Next slide.

2196
01:47:40,600 --> 01:47:42,490
I lumped the youth
and the adults

2197
01:47:42,490 --> 01:47:44,990
together when it comes
to weight status.

2198
01:47:44,990 --> 01:47:48,700
Our adults are actually-- if
we look at overweight and obese

2199
01:47:48,700 --> 01:47:52,780
together, 75% of our
Rice County residents

2200
01:47:52,780 --> 01:47:54,170
are overweight or obese.

2201
01:47:54,170 --> 01:47:56,140
And being in those
weight categories

2202
01:47:56,140 --> 01:47:58,930
has an impact on our
chronic disease, which

2203
01:47:58,930 --> 01:48:01,210
just two slides ago,
I told you was one

2204
01:48:01,210 --> 01:48:03,880
of our leading causes of death.

2205
01:48:03,880 --> 01:48:06,430
So I also wanted to point
out-- so I'm cheating

2206
01:48:06,430 --> 01:48:09,400
and I'm doing two on this
one-- that as our screen

2207
01:48:09,400 --> 01:48:13,010
time increases, oh, it's
actually-- no, it's right here.

2208
01:48:13,010 --> 01:48:17,030
So as our screen time
increases, so sedentary time,

2209
01:48:17,030 --> 01:48:20,830
so does our experience with
anxiety and depression.

2210
01:48:20,830 --> 01:48:24,790
You're going to see that
here coming up soon too.

2211
01:48:24,790 --> 01:48:26,920
So on this slide,
we've got our youth

2212
01:48:26,920 --> 01:48:28,790
and our adult substance abuse.

2213
01:48:28,790 --> 01:48:31,300
And I just want to say
that our children reflect

2214
01:48:31,300 --> 01:48:32,960
the behaviors of the adults.

2215
01:48:32,960 --> 01:48:37,030
So we've got increasing
amounts of cannabis.

2216
01:48:37,030 --> 01:48:39,320
Tobacco is actually
going down a little bit.

2217
01:48:39,320 --> 01:48:42,650
And tobacco is actually higher
in southern Rice County.

2218
01:48:42,650 --> 01:48:45,110
So if you're a commissioner
in southern Rice County,

2219
01:48:45,110 --> 01:48:48,340
take a look at that
top right area,

2220
01:48:48,340 --> 01:48:52,380
looking at Southern Rice County
split by northern Rice County.

2221
01:48:52,380 --> 01:48:54,870
Pause here, Sarah, because
this is where I forgot

2222
01:48:54,870 --> 01:48:57,360
the slide on mental health.

2223
01:48:57,360 --> 01:49:00,460
Sorry about that, it's actually
a really important one.

2224
01:49:00,460 --> 01:49:03,780
And one in three adults
have either anxiety

2225
01:49:03,780 --> 01:49:06,070
or depression in Rice County.

2226
01:49:06,070 --> 01:49:08,260
It's the same for our children.

2227
01:49:08,260 --> 01:49:10,930
It's also interesting that
when you look at loneliness,

2228
01:49:10,930 --> 01:49:14,560
one in three of our adults
experience loneliness.

2229
01:49:14,560 --> 01:49:22,630
So that number has increased
very significantly since 2016.

2230
01:49:22,630 --> 01:49:23,800
We're going to go on.

2231
01:49:23,800 --> 01:49:26,340
The next slide is
around maternal health.

2232
01:49:26,340 --> 01:49:30,310
As you know, I do work with
our WIC services as well.

2233
01:49:30,310 --> 01:49:31,830
And I want to
point out that this

2234
01:49:31,830 --> 01:49:33,600
is an area WIC is
going to be focusing

2235
01:49:33,600 --> 01:49:35,080
on in the next two years.

2236
01:49:35,080 --> 01:49:39,520
37% of our WIC moms
have a low hemoglobin.

2237
01:49:39,520 --> 01:49:41,950
Hemoglobin is like the
iron in your blood,

2238
01:49:41,950 --> 01:49:45,180
and it's what carries oxygen. A
woman is building another human

2239
01:49:45,180 --> 01:49:47,400
at this time, and that
human needs blood volume,

2240
01:49:47,400 --> 01:49:48,640
and so does mom.

2241
01:49:48,640 --> 01:49:52,620
So in their third trimester,
we have 37% of our WIC moms

2242
01:49:52,620 --> 01:49:54,430
with low hemoglobin.

2243
01:49:54,430 --> 01:49:57,520
That is actually higher
when you look at it by race.

2244
01:49:57,520 --> 01:50:01,210
So our white moms experience
lower levels of low hemoglobin,

2245
01:50:01,210 --> 01:50:03,510
and our Black and
our Hispanic moms

2246
01:50:03,510 --> 01:50:06,460
experience greater
levels of low hemoglobin.

2247
01:50:06,460 --> 01:50:09,060
So low hemoglobin in
pregnancy increases

2248
01:50:09,060 --> 01:50:13,330
risk of premature babies, so
babies born before 37 weeks.

2249
01:50:13,330 --> 01:50:14,610
I'm guessing some
of you guys have

2250
01:50:14,610 --> 01:50:18,910
had experiences with premature
babies in your lives.

2251
01:50:18,910 --> 01:50:21,630
Those babies are also at
risk of low birth weight

2252
01:50:21,630 --> 01:50:24,090
and at risk of
infection or the mother

2253
01:50:24,090 --> 01:50:25,810
bleeding out during birth.

2254
01:50:25,810 --> 01:50:30,960
So 37% of our moms
are experiencing this.

2255
01:50:30,960 --> 01:50:33,190
All right, our housing slide.

2256
01:50:33,190 --> 01:50:35,430
We've got nearly
half of our renters

2257
01:50:35,430 --> 01:50:42,510
in Rice County are paying 30%
or more of their income on rent.

2258
01:50:42,510 --> 01:50:43,960
You already knew
that, I'm thinking,

2259
01:50:43,960 --> 01:50:46,460
but that is really,
really significant.

2260
01:50:46,460 --> 01:50:48,150
Motor vehicle safety.

2261
01:50:48,150 --> 01:50:51,420
Shout out to Kathy who, I don't
know if she's still in the room,

2262
01:50:51,420 --> 01:50:57,050
but two in five of our students
report distracted driving.

2263
01:50:57,050 --> 01:50:59,750
Commissioner Mallika pointed
out all the distractions

2264
01:50:59,750 --> 01:51:03,360
that are available to
us when we're driving,

2265
01:51:03,360 --> 01:51:07,790
and so just a nod to Kathy
on that part of her work.

2266
01:51:07,790 --> 01:51:10,080
Violence, abuse, and neglect.

2267
01:51:10,080 --> 01:51:14,190
One in 10 of our students report
emotional or physical abuse.

2268
01:51:14,190 --> 01:51:17,660
There's also some information
from Megan Thomas's unit

2269
01:51:17,660 --> 01:51:20,160
or department on
this slide as well,

2270
01:51:20,160 --> 01:51:25,970
regarding the number of children
in out-of-home foster care.

2271
01:51:25,970 --> 01:51:28,760
All right, that is what I
would like to call a turn

2272
01:51:28,760 --> 01:51:32,540
and burn on the data
related to Rice County.

2273
01:51:32,540 --> 01:51:35,640
And this is where we're going to
pause so that you guys can vote.

2274
01:51:35,640 --> 01:51:38,300
So if you would again pull up
your Menti, what I want you

2275
01:51:38,300 --> 01:51:40,880
to do is choose three
categories where

2276
01:51:40,880 --> 01:51:44,240
you think it's the outstanding
or one of the top three

2277
01:51:44,240 --> 01:51:46,250
of those categories.

2278
01:51:46,250 --> 01:51:49,020
Just select them,
and then Sarah,

2279
01:51:49,020 --> 01:51:51,890
if you would go to our
website so we can start

2280
01:51:51,890 --> 01:51:53,413
seeing how you guys voted.

2281
01:51:53,413 --> 01:51:58,760


2282
01:51:58,760 --> 01:52:01,280
MALE SPEAKER: So you just told
us we're going to get depressed

2283
01:52:01,280 --> 01:52:03,050
if we're on the screen
time and now you

2284
01:52:03,050 --> 01:52:05,360
got us playing on our phones.

2285
01:52:05,360 --> 01:52:06,780
SARAH COULTER: Yeah, yep.

2286
01:52:06,780 --> 01:52:08,670
You're absolutely right, I do.

2287
01:52:08,670 --> 01:52:12,290
But after this, please
feel free to turn it off.

2288
01:52:12,290 --> 01:52:14,700
All right, so what you
can see, we've got--

2289
01:52:14,700 --> 01:52:15,270
oh, good.

2290
01:52:15,270 --> 01:52:16,350
You're still voting.

2291
01:52:16,350 --> 01:52:19,460
I'm going to let it
settle for a bit.

2292
01:52:19,460 --> 01:52:21,650
MALE SPEAKER: I was
paying attention.

2293
01:52:21,650 --> 01:52:22,850
SARAH COULTER: And
dang, we're going

2294
01:52:22,850 --> 01:52:24,480
to need some tiebreakers here.

2295
01:52:24,480 --> 01:52:26,160
So if somebody
else wants to vote,

2296
01:52:26,160 --> 01:52:29,580
you can see that the number
one issue here is housing,

2297
01:52:29,580 --> 01:52:31,170
and then we've got a whole lot.

2298
01:52:31,170 --> 01:52:32,670
And I'm not too surprised.

2299
01:52:32,670 --> 01:52:36,272
All of these things is
a pressing health need.

2300
01:52:36,272 --> 01:52:39,230
We're only able to
focus on the top three,

2301
01:52:39,230 --> 01:52:40,620
and now we've got three.

2302
01:52:40,620 --> 01:52:42,000
So let's just go with this.

2303
01:52:42,000 --> 01:52:45,230
We've got physical health,
substance use, and housing.

2304
01:52:45,230 --> 01:52:46,450
So just in this kind of--

2305
01:52:46,450 --> 01:52:49,180
I'm sorry, I'm pretty
informal about some of this

2306
01:52:49,180 --> 01:52:50,690
and this spitball method.

2307
01:52:50,690 --> 01:52:52,600
This is what we
came up with, those

2308
01:52:52,600 --> 01:52:55,270
being the top three--
housing, physical health,

2309
01:52:55,270 --> 01:52:56,780
and substance use.

2310
01:52:56,780 --> 01:52:59,620
Let's take a look, Sarah, if you
would go back to the top three

2311
01:52:59,620 --> 01:53:01,870
that the community identified.

2312
01:53:01,870 --> 01:53:05,090
When the community went through
this process which, granted,

2313
01:53:05,090 --> 01:53:07,570
they got a whole lot
more meat on the bones

2314
01:53:07,570 --> 01:53:08,840
in this presentation.

2315
01:53:08,840 --> 01:53:11,540
We really took some time to
digest it with our partners.

2316
01:53:11,540 --> 01:53:14,050
And these are the top three
that they came up with.

2317
01:53:14,050 --> 01:53:18,400
Housing, mental health,
and health care access.

2318
01:53:18,400 --> 01:53:23,270
So we can go to the next slide
because this is the tool Padlet.

2319
01:53:23,270 --> 01:53:26,420
Super, super messy, but
it worked brilliantly.

2320
01:53:26,420 --> 01:53:31,360
You're getting the summary, but
we spent the rest of our meeting

2321
01:53:31,360 --> 01:53:34,600
after we identified the
top three, really diving

2322
01:53:34,600 --> 01:53:37,250
deep on those three
topics of housing,

2323
01:53:37,250 --> 01:53:38,840
mental health, and health care.

2324
01:53:38,840 --> 01:53:42,990
And we talked about
what is helping

2325
01:53:42,990 --> 01:53:47,100
on this issue of mental health,
housing, and health care,

2326
01:53:47,100 --> 01:53:50,440
and what is contributing,
what's making it worse.

2327
01:53:50,440 --> 01:53:53,760
And everybody just kept dumping
their ideas and information

2328
01:53:53,760 --> 01:53:56,130
into this tool, Padlet.

2329
01:53:56,130 --> 01:53:59,550
And now what we've done--

2330
01:53:59,550 --> 01:54:02,250
well, then, we
stopped the meeting.

2331
01:54:02,250 --> 01:54:04,440
Well, no, I guess not.

2332
01:54:04,440 --> 01:54:06,180
We closed the
meeting by asking who

2333
01:54:06,180 --> 01:54:10,030
wants to be involved in the
next steps of this process.

2334
01:54:10,030 --> 01:54:12,240
So we can go to the
next slide, because I've

2335
01:54:12,240 --> 01:54:15,360
taken you all the way
around to number three here.

2336
01:54:15,360 --> 01:54:17,860
We are currently strategizing.

2337
01:54:17,860 --> 01:54:20,710
So we're taking these
top three health issues

2338
01:54:20,710 --> 01:54:24,000
and we're meeting with work
groups, which are going to begin

2339
01:54:24,000 --> 01:54:26,140
meeting later on this month.

2340
01:54:26,140 --> 01:54:27,420
And then we're
going to be setting

2341
01:54:27,420 --> 01:54:30,520
some goals, some
strategies, and objectives.

2342
01:54:30,520 --> 01:54:34,260
And we're going to
develop measurement

2343
01:54:34,260 --> 01:54:35,940
in order to be able
to see whether or not

2344
01:54:35,940 --> 01:54:37,750
we're having an impact.

2345
01:54:37,750 --> 01:54:42,270
So the population measure
is something we just measure

2346
01:54:42,270 --> 01:54:45,100
periodically, not regularly.

2347
01:54:45,100 --> 01:54:48,570
So when we look at the fact
that one in three of our adults

2348
01:54:48,570 --> 01:54:50,530
is experiencing
anxiety or depression,

2349
01:54:50,530 --> 01:54:52,590
if I measure that
every week, I'm

2350
01:54:52,590 --> 01:54:54,100
not going to see much change.

2351
01:54:54,100 --> 01:54:57,540
But if I measure the efforts
that the community is having

2352
01:54:57,540 --> 01:55:01,150
around, like, raising awareness
about mental health needs,

2353
01:55:01,150 --> 01:55:02,980
increasing the
number of providers,

2354
01:55:02,980 --> 01:55:04,840
those things change
more regularly.

2355
01:55:04,840 --> 01:55:07,980
And then we pull our
population measure again

2356
01:55:07,980 --> 01:55:11,940
in about three years and see
if we've had a positive impact

2357
01:55:11,940 --> 01:55:14,040
on that outcome.

2358
01:55:14,040 --> 01:55:17,430
So since our technology
worked, I don't actually

2359
01:55:17,430 --> 01:55:20,520
need you to use your
red packets in the way

2360
01:55:20,520 --> 01:55:22,350
that I thought I might
need you to use them

2361
01:55:22,350 --> 01:55:24,130
if our technology didn't work.

2362
01:55:24,130 --> 01:55:26,850
But in recognition that
one of our top health needs

2363
01:55:26,850 --> 01:55:28,920
is mental health,
when you open up

2364
01:55:28,920 --> 01:55:30,630
your packet, what
you're going to find in

2365
01:55:30,630 --> 01:55:32,890
there is three wooden hearts.

2366
01:55:32,890 --> 01:55:35,730
And again, since our technology
worked and mental health

2367
01:55:35,730 --> 01:55:37,980
is a top health
need in Rice County,

2368
01:55:37,980 --> 01:55:40,670
you can feel free to take
those three wooden hearts

2369
01:55:40,670 --> 01:55:43,470
and distribute them
to three people.

2370
01:55:43,470 --> 01:55:46,550
I'm going to ask you to find
three people that you want

2371
01:55:46,550 --> 01:55:49,160
to appreciate, or just
send a message of kindness

2372
01:55:49,160 --> 01:55:51,990
to, and give those little
hearts of kindness away.

2373
01:55:51,990 --> 01:55:54,450
So thank you for
your time today.

2374
01:55:54,450 --> 01:55:56,290
What questions may I help with?

2375
01:55:56,290 --> 01:55:59,360


2376
01:55:59,360 --> 01:56:01,910
MALE SPEAKER: Well,
Sarah, I enjoy your energy

2377
01:56:01,910 --> 01:56:04,310
and your presentations.

2378
01:56:04,310 --> 01:56:05,550
SARAH COULTER:
Love working here.

2379
01:56:05,550 --> 01:56:08,390
We've got some good
stuff going on.

2380
01:56:08,390 --> 01:56:08,990
MALE SPEAKER: Yes.

2381
01:56:08,990 --> 01:56:11,390
Any other comments?

2382
01:56:11,390 --> 01:56:12,750
Thank you, Sarah.

2383
01:56:12,750 --> 01:56:13,910
That was very good.

2384
01:56:13,910 --> 01:56:16,850
SARAH COULTER: Thank you.

2385
01:56:16,850 --> 01:56:19,370
MALE SPEAKER: Commissioners,
are you doing good?

2386
01:56:19,370 --> 01:56:20,310
Stay with it?

2387
01:56:20,310 --> 01:56:22,976


2388
01:56:22,976 --> 01:56:25,390
We got the honorable
Dennis Luebbe coming up.

2389
01:56:25,390 --> 01:56:32,300


2390
01:56:32,300 --> 01:56:33,470
DENNIS LUEBBE: Good morning.

2391
01:56:33,470 --> 01:56:34,370
MALE SPEAKER: Good morning.

2392
01:56:34,370 --> 01:56:35,600
MALE SPEAKER: Good morning.

2393
01:56:35,600 --> 01:56:37,710
DENNIS LUEBBE: So I'll
keep some updates brief.

2394
01:56:37,710 --> 01:56:38,700
It's been a long morning.

2395
01:56:38,700 --> 01:56:41,750
I know Paula wanted to know
how long I was going to talk

2396
01:56:41,750 --> 01:56:45,170
because she's ready to go.

2397
01:56:45,170 --> 01:56:46,500
Just some updates from highways.

2398
01:56:46,500 --> 01:56:49,910
I'll focus on
construction, mostly.

2399
01:56:49,910 --> 01:56:53,480
A couple projects, well, all
projects are moving along fine.

2400
01:56:53,480 --> 01:56:54,900
I think in the next
couple of weeks,

2401
01:56:54,900 --> 01:56:59,150
we'll be really close to
wrapping up several of them.

2402
01:56:59,150 --> 01:57:02,110
I do want to point out that
on our County Road 50, that's

2403
01:57:02,110 --> 01:57:03,980
that reconstruction
project, we ran

2404
01:57:03,980 --> 01:57:06,620
into two pockets
of silty material

2405
01:57:06,620 --> 01:57:09,920
that required us to put
in a little extra cement

2406
01:57:09,920 --> 01:57:11,070
stabilization.

2407
01:57:11,070 --> 01:57:13,100
So we'll probably
have a little cost

2408
01:57:13,100 --> 01:57:17,010
overrun in at least that
line item on that contract.

2409
01:57:17,010 --> 01:57:22,370
But at this point, I don't
think it's anything excessive.

2410
01:57:22,370 --> 01:57:27,560
Let's see, on our County Road
78 culvert up by Sechler Park

2411
01:57:27,560 --> 01:57:29,720
in Northfield, we
ran into bedrock,

2412
01:57:29,720 --> 01:57:32,780
and that will cost a
few extra dollars again

2413
01:57:32,780 --> 01:57:34,720
to have that excavated
out, especially

2414
01:57:34,720 --> 01:57:39,190
for the knee walls or the
toe walls of that culvert.

2415
01:57:39,190 --> 01:57:40,700
Again, I don't think
it's excessive,

2416
01:57:40,700 --> 01:57:48,730
but probably some
unplanned cost on that job.

2417
01:57:48,730 --> 01:57:52,750
Let's see, we did receive
some additional funding

2418
01:57:52,750 --> 01:57:55,960
so we can advance the
Richland Township Bridge

2419
01:57:55,960 --> 01:57:57,340
Hall Avenue Commissioner.

2420
01:57:57,340 --> 01:58:00,080
I'll be talking to them
in November on that,

2421
01:58:00,080 --> 01:58:03,700
get that squared
away for next year.

2422
01:58:03,700 --> 01:58:07,910
I will have next week, for
your action or consideration,

2423
01:58:07,910 --> 01:58:12,400
a proposal to start a design
for another Northfield Township

2424
01:58:12,400 --> 01:58:14,270
Bridge on Carroll Trail.

2425
01:58:14,270 --> 01:58:16,190
I got a proposal
from a consultant,

2426
01:58:16,190 --> 01:58:20,240
so that'll be on the agenda
for next week's action item,

2427
01:58:20,240 --> 01:58:24,910
as well as an update on County
Road 11, our slope failure

2428
01:58:24,910 --> 01:58:26,930
due to the flooding last year.

2429
01:58:26,930 --> 01:58:28,790
We did open some bids.

2430
01:58:28,790 --> 01:58:31,370
The bids came in extremely high.

2431
01:58:31,370 --> 01:58:35,060
And we will be
reassessing our options,

2432
01:58:35,060 --> 01:58:38,620
and I'll share more details
with you next week on that.

2433
01:58:38,620 --> 01:58:40,330
It doesn't look like
we'll get that project

2434
01:58:40,330 --> 01:58:45,790
done this year due to the costs
we saw on that bid opening.

2435
01:58:45,790 --> 01:58:50,320
And then the other
County Road 20 project

2436
01:58:50,320 --> 01:58:55,540
we're designing for 2027 from
Trunk Highway 3 by Menard's

2437
01:58:55,540 --> 01:58:58,480
and Dundas to back up
towards Faribault about three

2438
01:58:58,480 --> 01:59:02,180
miles, that project, in
the design phase right now,

2439
01:59:02,180 --> 01:59:05,090
we're probably looking at
a few challenges there.

2440
01:59:05,090 --> 01:59:07,510
We've talked to Great
River Energy, which

2441
01:59:07,510 --> 01:59:11,410
is the transmission line through
Rice County, or at least one

2442
01:59:11,410 --> 01:59:12,050
of them.

2443
01:59:12,050 --> 01:59:14,380
We're going to have to
move one of their poles

2444
01:59:14,380 --> 01:59:20,050
so our alignment can best fit
the contours and the other needs

2445
01:59:20,050 --> 01:59:21,400
of the project.

2446
01:59:21,400 --> 01:59:24,340
That may not be cheap.

2447
01:59:24,340 --> 01:59:28,960
We've just started the process
with them to investigate

2448
01:59:28,960 --> 01:59:30,700
the cost to do that.

2449
01:59:30,700 --> 01:59:35,940
And then, in that same area,
to make the road improvements

2450
01:59:35,940 --> 01:59:38,280
and design a safe road
to serve the public

2451
01:59:38,280 --> 01:59:42,030
for the next 50 years, we're
going to move the alignment.

2452
01:59:42,030 --> 01:59:45,150
Moving that alignment
pushes us into some wetland

2453
01:59:45,150 --> 01:59:46,750
and some poor soils.

2454
01:59:46,750 --> 01:59:50,280
So we're just beginning to
learn how much over-excavation.

2455
01:59:50,280 --> 01:59:52,170
We're going to get into that.

2456
01:59:52,170 --> 01:59:56,910
So when we talk about
the cost of that project,

2457
01:59:56,910 --> 02:00:00,810
I think it's creeping
upwards, but we'll know more

2458
02:00:00,810 --> 02:00:03,420
as we get further into design.

2459
02:00:03,420 --> 02:00:09,000
We do hope to have maybe some
exhibits in a public open house

2460
02:00:09,000 --> 02:00:12,390
on that part of County
Road 20, I think in October

2461
02:00:12,390 --> 02:00:16,410
now, maybe later in October.

2462
02:00:16,410 --> 02:00:20,140
And let's see, well, I
think I'll stop there.

2463
02:00:20,140 --> 02:00:21,690
I could talk a little
bit about parks

2464
02:00:21,690 --> 02:00:26,070
if you're interested in what
we've been able to do in parks.

2465
02:00:26,070 --> 02:00:28,570
We've got a project
going on at Shaker Park,

2466
02:00:28,570 --> 02:00:30,815
right west of town off
of Trunk Highway 60

2467
02:00:30,815 --> 02:00:35,340
for some ADA improvements
through Deb and Public Health

2468
02:00:35,340 --> 02:00:37,260
funding some of that,
and then the action

2469
02:00:37,260 --> 02:00:39,690
you took last week to free
up some of those dollars

2470
02:00:39,690 --> 02:00:42,030
in our park dedication fee.

2471
02:00:42,030 --> 02:00:44,940
Randy Tim's crew is going to
get in there, I think, next week

2472
02:00:44,940 --> 02:00:47,520
and start making
those improvements.

2473
02:00:47,520 --> 02:00:50,100
We have some trailhead
signs that were also funded

2474
02:00:50,100 --> 02:00:52,390
through Public Health and SHIP.

2475
02:00:52,390 --> 02:00:57,090
Those should be going up next
week at three different parks

2476
02:00:57,090 --> 02:01:01,260
to give folks a better
sense of the park amenities

2477
02:01:01,260 --> 02:01:03,040
and some of the
history of the parks.

2478
02:01:03,040 --> 02:01:06,130
And Susie's been very
helpful to help that,

2479
02:01:06,130 --> 02:01:08,310
along with other
staff in Public Health

2480
02:01:08,310 --> 02:01:10,830
and in the assessor's office--

2481
02:01:10,830 --> 02:01:12,610
good teamwork on that.

2482
02:01:12,610 --> 02:01:16,470
Our MnDOT crew, I think, should
be placing signs along our Trunk

2483
02:01:16,470 --> 02:01:18,060
Highway system in
Rice County that

2484
02:01:18,060 --> 02:01:20,920
identify those parks as well.

2485
02:01:20,920 --> 02:01:24,130
I need to follow up and see
where they're at with that.

2486
02:01:24,130 --> 02:01:27,230
That was also funded
through Public Health.

2487
02:01:27,230 --> 02:01:31,730
And then our regional
park application,

2488
02:01:31,730 --> 02:01:35,330
we were able to go to
the Defeat of Jesse James

2489
02:01:35,330 --> 02:01:36,600
Day on a Saturday morning.

2490
02:01:36,600 --> 02:01:39,710
We had an opportunity
for a survey,

2491
02:01:39,710 --> 02:01:42,980
try to capture some folks'
interest and knowledge

2492
02:01:42,980 --> 02:01:46,190
of Cannon River Wilderness
Park, what amenities

2493
02:01:46,190 --> 02:01:48,080
they would like to see.

2494
02:01:48,080 --> 02:01:52,140
And some folks didn't even know
where it was, but that's fine.

2495
02:01:52,140 --> 02:01:53,850
So we're building
awareness for that.

2496
02:01:53,850 --> 02:01:55,310
That was a pretty good
turnout on that day

2497
02:01:55,310 --> 02:01:59,150
until we got rained out,
I think, about 2 o'clock.

2498
02:01:59,150 --> 02:02:02,180
Nice event up there.

2499
02:02:02,180 --> 02:02:06,480
With the attorney's office,
we're working on the park rules.

2500
02:02:06,480 --> 02:02:10,220
So as part of our signage,
we're going to display--

2501
02:02:10,220 --> 02:02:13,880
the board will be acting
on that in the future

2502
02:02:13,880 --> 02:02:18,360
here to develop some updated
park rules, so that's underway.

2503
02:02:18,360 --> 02:02:20,630
And I think we're going
to hopefully wrap that

2504
02:02:20,630 --> 02:02:23,390
up by the end of this year.

2505
02:02:23,390 --> 02:02:26,220
And then it's
funding time, so I'll

2506
02:02:26,220 --> 02:02:28,620
be working with Sandy on a
couple of different initiatives.

2507
02:02:28,620 --> 02:02:34,200
And then also, our routine
highway funding opportunities

2508
02:02:34,200 --> 02:02:37,740
are starting to come
to us, and there'll

2509
02:02:37,740 --> 02:02:40,050
be some discussion
possibly on what projects

2510
02:02:40,050 --> 02:02:42,180
we would pursue funding on.

2511
02:02:42,180 --> 02:02:44,880
And we're talking about projects
that are probably in years

2512
02:02:44,880 --> 02:02:47,830
3, 4, and 5 in our program.

2513
02:02:47,830 --> 02:02:50,400
So I'll keep it short.

2514
02:02:50,400 --> 02:02:54,420
Any questions on that update?

2515
02:02:54,420 --> 02:02:56,400
MALE SPEAKER: Go ahead, Galen.

2516
02:02:56,400 --> 02:02:58,800
MALE SPEAKER: I don't think
you mentioned County Road

2517
02:02:58,800 --> 02:03:00,720
46, Hazelwood Avenue.

2518
02:03:00,720 --> 02:03:02,070
DENNIS LUEBBE: That
project, I think,

2519
02:03:02,070 --> 02:03:04,590
has one lift of asphalt to go.

2520
02:03:04,590 --> 02:03:07,740
They finished that this
week with the paving,

2521
02:03:07,740 --> 02:03:10,800
and then of course, pavement
markings, signage, shouldering,

2522
02:03:10,800 --> 02:03:14,850
and I think some
very minor ditch

2523
02:03:14,850 --> 02:03:16,950
grading has to be done yet.

2524
02:03:16,950 --> 02:03:20,710
Probably, I would say,
middle of October,

2525
02:03:20,710 --> 02:03:24,100
maybe a week earlier than that.

2526
02:03:24,100 --> 02:03:27,070
County Road 48 right
here in Faribault, it's

2527
02:03:27,070 --> 02:03:29,740
an interesting
paving approach there

2528
02:03:29,740 --> 02:03:31,900
to deal with all of the
different traffic lanes

2529
02:03:31,900 --> 02:03:33,490
and the different
depths of paving.

2530
02:03:33,490 --> 02:03:36,610
That's moved along
nicely, and the traffic

2531
02:03:36,610 --> 02:03:38,440
signal work was done.

2532
02:03:38,440 --> 02:03:41,300
And I think final
paving is, again,

2533
02:03:41,300 --> 02:03:44,350
probably five to 10 days out.

2534
02:03:44,350 --> 02:03:45,260
That could wrap up.

2535
02:03:45,260 --> 02:03:48,430
Our County Road 27 project,
I think all the construction

2536
02:03:48,430 --> 02:03:51,495
signs have been removed and so
I think we're essentially done.

2537
02:03:51,495 --> 02:03:54,040


2538
02:03:54,040 --> 02:03:57,080
Did mention County Road 50,
and I did mention the culvert.

2539
02:03:57,080 --> 02:04:03,630
So it's been a good,
heavy month of work.

2540
02:04:03,630 --> 02:04:04,430
MALE SPEAKER: Thank you.

2541
02:04:04,430 --> 02:04:05,697
MALE SPEAKER: How
about the fuel port?

2542
02:04:05,697 --> 02:04:07,900
Is that going this year or is
that going to get pushed in?

2543
02:04:07,900 --> 02:04:10,100
DENNIS LUEBBE: I talked to
our consultant just yesterday.

2544
02:04:10,100 --> 02:04:13,640
We have not heard back from
the low bid on their intention.

2545
02:04:13,640 --> 02:04:16,090
I do believe it is planned
for next year, Commissioner.

2546
02:04:16,090 --> 02:04:19,360
I'm waiting for written
confirmation on that

2547
02:04:19,360 --> 02:04:21,760
and I wanted to
mention that today,

2548
02:04:21,760 --> 02:04:24,630
but I don't have it, so
we should get that any day

2549
02:04:24,630 --> 02:04:28,530
with a schedule for work
commencing next spring.

2550
02:04:28,530 --> 02:04:34,320


2551
02:04:34,320 --> 02:04:35,430
MALE SPEAKER: Thank you, Dennis.

2552
02:04:35,430 --> 02:04:35,950
Is that it?

2553
02:04:35,950 --> 02:04:36,820
DENNIS LUEBBE: Yep, yep.

2554
02:04:36,820 --> 02:04:37,820
MALE SPEAKER: I appreciate it.

2555
02:04:37,820 --> 02:04:39,360
Thank you much.

2556
02:04:39,360 --> 02:04:43,690
Next, we have finance
with Paula O'Connell.

2557
02:04:43,690 --> 02:04:46,607
SARAH: And actually,
I'll be taking it.

2558
02:04:46,607 --> 02:04:47,640
MALE SPEAKER: Thank you, Sarah.

2559
02:04:47,640 --> 02:04:48,130
SARAH: Yep.

2560
02:04:48,130 --> 02:04:50,063
Our prelim budget-- and I'm
going to stay here because I'm

2561
02:04:50,063 --> 02:04:51,990
going to have multiple
screens that I

2562
02:04:51,990 --> 02:04:53,520
can pull up our
information depending

2563
02:04:53,520 --> 02:04:56,820
on where the questions land.

2564
02:04:56,820 --> 02:04:58,870
Sometime later this
morning as well,

2565
02:04:58,870 --> 02:05:01,740
the budget packet will be
updated for a new budget

2566
02:05:01,740 --> 02:05:03,220
roll forward document.

2567
02:05:03,220 --> 02:05:05,160
There was a section
in there that

2568
02:05:05,160 --> 02:05:07,470
had some data from
outside agencies

2569
02:05:07,470 --> 02:05:10,380
that needed to be updated,
so that will be taken care of

2570
02:05:10,380 --> 02:05:11,650
and re-uploaded.

2571
02:05:11,650 --> 02:05:14,880
I do have an accurate copy
that I can share on the screen

2572
02:05:14,880 --> 02:05:15,910
when we get to that point.

2573
02:05:15,910 --> 02:05:19,700
So let me move into
a presentation here.

2574
02:05:19,700 --> 02:05:29,760


2575
02:05:29,760 --> 02:05:32,045
I just have to try to get
it over to the other screen.

2576
02:05:32,045 --> 02:05:39,910


2577
02:05:39,910 --> 02:05:41,240
I'll try this instead.

2578
02:05:41,240 --> 02:05:50,565


2579
02:05:50,565 --> 02:05:51,310
There we are.

2580
02:05:51,310 --> 02:05:53,910
So I'm going to just go through
the first couple of slides

2581
02:05:53,910 --> 02:05:55,560
we have every year with
our mission, vision,

2582
02:05:55,560 --> 02:05:59,830
values, priorities, and
the high level summary.

2583
02:05:59,830 --> 02:06:03,480
So for next week, this
number is actually going

2584
02:06:03,480 --> 02:06:06,450
to go just a little bit lower.

2585
02:06:06,450 --> 02:06:08,190
We got some information
at the end of last week.

2586
02:06:08,190 --> 02:06:09,870
As we talked about
throughout the summer here

2587
02:06:09,870 --> 02:06:11,610
in legislative
session, we're going

2588
02:06:11,610 --> 02:06:13,500
to be getting
information on a rolling

2589
02:06:13,500 --> 02:06:15,520
basis beyond preliminary levy.

2590
02:06:15,520 --> 02:06:18,870
So towards the end of last week,
we received some information.

2591
02:06:18,870 --> 02:06:21,600
I know when Angela Brewer
was here talking about some

2592
02:06:21,600 --> 02:06:24,250
of their grants, we requested
a one year extension.

2593
02:06:24,250 --> 02:06:25,870
We didn't know the
results of that yet,

2594
02:06:25,870 --> 02:06:29,410
so we had that half time FTE on
the levy instead of the grant,

2595
02:06:29,410 --> 02:06:31,810
because as far as we knew, that
grant was going to be done.

2596
02:06:31,810 --> 02:06:34,260
We did get, towards the end
of the week, notification

2597
02:06:34,260 --> 02:06:38,040
that one year, no cost
extension was granted,

2598
02:06:38,040 --> 02:06:41,430
so that FTE will
then shift from levy

2599
02:06:41,430 --> 02:06:43,630
to grant funding for next year.

2600
02:06:43,630 --> 02:06:45,250
That will take that
down a little bit.

2601
02:06:45,250 --> 02:06:47,820
And then we had another
position that we reviewed,

2602
02:06:47,820 --> 02:06:50,140
that instead of being full
time, is going to be 0.75.

2603
02:06:50,140 --> 02:06:51,850
So that will move some
things around too.

2604
02:06:51,850 --> 02:06:55,720
So for the purposes of
today, these are the numbers.

2605
02:06:55,720 --> 02:06:57,240
But next week, when
you see the resolution,

2606
02:06:57,240 --> 02:07:00,780
it will be a little
bit lower than that.

2607
02:07:00,780 --> 02:07:03,240
So the 2026 budget
recommendation

2608
02:07:03,240 --> 02:07:08,530
is $103,688,739 for all funds.

2609
02:07:08,530 --> 02:07:12,010
The 2025 budget was a
little over 116 million.

2610
02:07:12,010 --> 02:07:14,670
You'll see this visually
reflected later where you look

2611
02:07:14,670 --> 02:07:18,860
at in particular, like
transportation projects can make

2612
02:07:18,860 --> 02:07:21,710
that swing, or when we have
facility projects, things

2613
02:07:21,710 --> 02:07:25,820
like that, that are not our
general ongoing operations,

2614
02:07:25,820 --> 02:07:30,620
where you'll see that
number can shift what

2615
02:07:30,620 --> 02:07:32,580
would be pretty significantly.

2616
02:07:32,580 --> 02:07:35,310
So last year, we had more
transportation projects.

2617
02:07:35,310 --> 02:07:38,060
This year, you'll see how
transportation is a smaller

2618
02:07:38,060 --> 02:07:39,230
portion of the
budget than it was

2619
02:07:39,230 --> 02:07:42,330
last year, just because again,
you guys see the 10 year plan.

2620
02:07:42,330 --> 02:07:45,600
When we have larger, maybe
federal or state funded projects

2621
02:07:45,600 --> 02:07:48,600
that's not levy, that can make
that number move quite a bit.

2622
02:07:48,600 --> 02:07:50,930
So that's where we're
sitting for this year.

2623
02:07:50,930 --> 02:07:56,780
Our total levy
increase is $3,532,540.

2624
02:07:56,780 --> 02:08:01,290
If you think about all things
equal, nothing changes.

2625
02:08:01,290 --> 02:08:03,440
What are the staff,
because of health

2626
02:08:03,440 --> 02:08:07,700
care, bargaining agreement
changes, things of that nature--

2627
02:08:07,700 --> 02:08:11,370
our personnel costs,
including all the taxes,

2628
02:08:11,370 --> 02:08:15,760
and we have a new tax this year
with the paid family leave tax

2629
02:08:15,760 --> 02:08:17,350
that will be going into play.

2630
02:08:17,350 --> 02:08:19,930
That's $3,157,000,
so that leaves

2631
02:08:19,930 --> 02:08:23,480
$374,870 for other things.

2632
02:08:23,480 --> 02:08:25,510
The staffing is
not a one-for-one

2633
02:08:25,510 --> 02:08:27,430
because we do have
some positions where

2634
02:08:27,430 --> 02:08:31,450
a portion of their funding
might be reimbursed

2635
02:08:31,450 --> 02:08:32,870
through state or
federal programs,

2636
02:08:32,870 --> 02:08:34,520
or it might be a
grant funded position.

2637
02:08:34,520 --> 02:08:37,280
So again, that staffing
number isn't a one-for-one,

2638
02:08:37,280 --> 02:08:41,840
but that's what that increase
in payroll is year over year.

2639
02:08:41,840 --> 02:08:44,680
And next year, we actually
have a slight overall decrease

2640
02:08:44,680 --> 02:08:47,800
in FTE, so there's
not going to be

2641
02:08:47,800 --> 02:08:50,350
an increase in our FTE from
last year to this year,

2642
02:08:50,350 --> 02:08:52,000
or this year to next year.

2643
02:08:52,000 --> 02:08:55,850
Our HRA levy increase is 0.

2644
02:08:55,850 --> 02:08:58,840
We were able to stay flat
based on funding they

2645
02:08:58,840 --> 02:09:00,910
get from a variety of sources.

2646
02:09:00,910 --> 02:09:07,460
And then the county and
HRA combined levy is 8.87%,

2647
02:09:07,460 --> 02:09:09,800
and then I'll have that
breakdown a little more further.

2648
02:09:09,800 --> 02:09:17,030
So the total 2026 property tax
levy request is $43,354,666,

2649
02:09:17,030 --> 02:09:19,670
but that will change
for next week.

2650
02:09:19,670 --> 02:09:22,623
Again, that will be a
little bit lower than that.

2651
02:09:22,623 --> 02:09:23,290
MALE SPEAKER: Sarah?

2652
02:09:23,290 --> 02:09:24,040
SARAH: Yeah?

2653
02:09:24,040 --> 02:09:26,030
MALE SPEAKER: Could you
go back just for a moment?

2654
02:09:26,030 --> 02:09:31,420
Our top line, our
budget is $103,688,000.

2655
02:09:31,420 --> 02:09:34,725
And then you got in
parentheses, $116,538,000.

2656
02:09:34,725 --> 02:09:36,350
SARAH: Yeah, that
was this year's.

2657
02:09:36,350 --> 02:09:39,550
So just so you could see what
our budget was for this year

2658
02:09:39,550 --> 02:09:41,200
for expenditures
compared to what we're

2659
02:09:41,200 --> 02:09:42,853
going to be spending next year.

2660
02:09:42,853 --> 02:09:43,420
MALE SPEAKER: OK.

2661
02:09:43,420 --> 02:09:43,945
SARAH: Yep.

2662
02:09:43,945 --> 02:09:44,745
MALE SPEAKER: Thank you.

2663
02:09:44,745 --> 02:09:49,300


2664
02:09:49,300 --> 02:09:51,880
SARAH: And this is, again,
kind of dialing down

2665
02:09:51,880 --> 02:09:54,760
a little bit, our levy by fund.

2666
02:09:54,760 --> 02:09:59,380
So you can see the changes for
general fund, libraries, road

2667
02:09:59,380 --> 02:10:02,680
and bridge, human
services, and compared

2668
02:10:02,680 --> 02:10:08,020
to what we levied in 2025.

2669
02:10:08,020 --> 02:10:12,130
So our total gross county
levy is 7.6% increase.

2670
02:10:12,130 --> 02:10:13,680
And then you take
into consideration

2671
02:10:13,680 --> 02:10:17,470
county program aid, which
we're actually losing a bit.

2672
02:10:17,470 --> 02:10:23,170
And that impact, even though
it's only a loss of $143,393,

2673
02:10:23,170 --> 02:10:26,920
it doesn't keep up with our
cost of administering services.

2674
02:10:26,920 --> 02:10:30,790
So that's what makes that
net levy net out to the 8.92.

2675
02:10:30,790 --> 02:10:35,820
So before the impact of county
program aid, we're at 7.6,

2676
02:10:35,820 --> 02:10:38,800
then we go up to 8.92.

2677
02:10:38,800 --> 02:10:43,060
And we do have a slide that
just talks about program aid,

2678
02:10:43,060 --> 02:10:46,890
but as a reminder for
people's knowledge

2679
02:10:46,890 --> 02:10:52,320
here, we did have an
infusion or the legislature

2680
02:10:52,320 --> 02:10:56,160
provided more money a few years
back for additional program aid.

2681
02:10:56,160 --> 02:10:59,190
And that didn't change for
this year, but what we get

2682
02:10:59,190 --> 02:11:03,390
is based on formula for how
our county is either performing

2683
02:11:03,390 --> 02:11:05,220
or the demographics
of our county compared

2684
02:11:05,220 --> 02:11:06,820
to other counties in the state.

2685
02:11:06,820 --> 02:11:09,160
So you have two parts
to county program aid.

2686
02:11:09,160 --> 02:11:11,040
You've got county
need aid and county

2687
02:11:11,040 --> 02:11:13,260
tax base equalization aid.

2688
02:11:13,260 --> 02:11:15,390
So for the county
need aid, our share

2689
02:11:15,390 --> 02:11:17,460
is based on here's
the money, here's

2690
02:11:17,460 --> 02:11:19,680
what the legislature
appropriates

2691
02:11:19,680 --> 02:11:21,700
for each of those buckets.

2692
02:11:21,700 --> 02:11:25,080
And then part of it's
distributed based on percentage

2693
02:11:25,080 --> 02:11:27,360
of our population
that's 65 and older

2694
02:11:27,360 --> 02:11:31,080
compared to other counties
with what their 65

2695
02:11:31,080 --> 02:11:32,470
and older population is.

2696
02:11:32,470 --> 02:11:37,030
The next part of that is based
on what portion of our county,

2697
02:11:37,030 --> 02:11:39,550
how many residents
receive SNAP benefits.

2698
02:11:39,550 --> 02:11:43,530
And then the other part is
based on state group A offenses,

2699
02:11:43,530 --> 02:11:45,610
like part I crime data.

2700
02:11:45,610 --> 02:11:49,680
So it's kind of that hard
thing too, because you

2701
02:11:49,680 --> 02:11:51,040
don't want crime committed.

2702
02:11:51,040 --> 02:11:53,910
You want a good economy
where we don't need some

2703
02:11:53,910 --> 02:11:56,400
of those social safety nets.

2704
02:11:56,400 --> 02:11:58,750
So as you improve
in those areas,

2705
02:11:58,750 --> 02:12:00,390
your aid goes down
because then it

2706
02:12:00,390 --> 02:12:03,210
seems like the economy of
your county is doing better,

2707
02:12:03,210 --> 02:12:05,680
and same thing on the tax
base equalization aid.

2708
02:12:05,680 --> 02:12:08,420
There were some
changes to this maybe--

2709
02:12:08,420 --> 02:12:10,700
I'm thinking 10 years ago,
maybe a little longer,

2710
02:12:10,700 --> 02:12:12,920
because it talks about--

2711
02:12:12,920 --> 02:12:16,710
it's based on your
county tax base.

2712
02:12:16,710 --> 02:12:19,790
And so there was a period
of time particularly, like,

2713
02:12:19,790 --> 02:12:22,640
I was working in
Southwest Minnesota, where

2714
02:12:22,640 --> 02:12:24,980
ag land was rapidly rising.

2715
02:12:24,980 --> 02:12:27,500
You had over $10,000
an acre, sometimes

2716
02:12:27,500 --> 02:12:29,100
close to $15,000 an acre.

2717
02:12:29,100 --> 02:12:30,590
The prices in the
Minnesota River Valley

2718
02:12:30,590 --> 02:12:31,830
were very significant.

2719
02:12:31,830 --> 02:12:34,190
So those counties that
were small and having

2720
02:12:34,190 --> 02:12:39,100
these rapid rises
of ag land values,

2721
02:12:39,100 --> 02:12:43,050
their county program aid was
decreasing pretty significantly.

2722
02:12:43,050 --> 02:12:47,120
So they put in this
little formula piece

2723
02:12:47,120 --> 02:12:55,040
that is the greater of 0.27%
of the statewide appropriation

2724
02:12:55,040 --> 02:12:57,710
for the equalization aid,
or 95% of your county's

2725
02:12:57,710 --> 02:12:59,610
TBA for the previous year.

2726
02:12:59,610 --> 02:13:02,930
So that reduced the instability
and that fluctuation

2727
02:13:02,930 --> 02:13:04,520
of that portion of aid,
because again, that

2728
02:13:04,520 --> 02:13:07,010
was pretty significant
for some counties

2729
02:13:07,010 --> 02:13:12,050
that had those large
swings in the ag values.

2730
02:13:12,050 --> 02:13:18,360
So that's where, again, if money
doesn't get added to that pool,

2731
02:13:18,360 --> 02:13:20,210
some counties will see
a continual decline,

2732
02:13:20,210 --> 02:13:22,970
while other counties will
see a continual increase.

2733
02:13:22,970 --> 02:13:26,660
So it's more of a policy thing
when we get to legislature.

2734
02:13:26,660 --> 02:13:29,288


2735
02:13:29,288 --> 02:13:33,290
MALE SPEAKER: Excuse me, did you
commissioners understand that?

2736
02:13:33,290 --> 02:13:34,920
SARAH: Sorry, it's complicated.

2737
02:13:34,920 --> 02:13:36,720
MALE SPEAKER: I mean, that
was a lot to digest for me.

2738
02:13:36,720 --> 02:13:37,220
SARAH: I know.

2739
02:13:37,220 --> 02:13:40,470
I'll repeat it again during
final, but that is just,

2740
02:13:40,470 --> 02:13:42,950
again, one of the complicated
formulas that we deal with that

2741
02:13:42,950 --> 02:13:46,740
does have an impact on what our
net levy looks like every year,

2742
02:13:46,740 --> 02:13:50,395
and it is a legislative point of
discussion every year as well.

2743
02:13:50,395 --> 02:13:53,330


2744
02:13:53,330 --> 02:14:01,340
So if we look at the county HRA
only tax rate and levy history,

2745
02:14:01,340 --> 02:14:05,170
over the past 10 years
or so, our tax rate

2746
02:14:05,170 --> 02:14:11,810
estimate for this coming year is
38.96%, our levy change, 8.87.

2747
02:14:11,810 --> 02:14:14,080
I'm going to pull up
another document here just

2748
02:14:14,080 --> 02:14:16,630
to show you some more info.

2749
02:14:16,630 --> 02:14:17,330
Let me see here.

2750
02:14:17,330 --> 02:14:20,590


2751
02:14:20,590 --> 02:14:21,540
I think it's on here.

2752
02:14:21,540 --> 02:14:24,310


2753
02:14:24,310 --> 02:14:26,060
And Josh was here earlier.

2754
02:14:26,060 --> 02:14:28,490
He talked about the trends
and what we're seeing.

2755
02:14:28,490 --> 02:14:31,720
So these numbers
in the bottom are

2756
02:14:31,720 --> 02:14:33,890
very close to his presentation
but not quite the same.

2757
02:14:33,890 --> 02:14:36,400
These are a point in time
number that we get when we're

2758
02:14:36,400 --> 02:14:37,700
working on preparing stuff.

2759
02:14:37,700 --> 02:14:42,130
So when you look at our
taxable market value,

2760
02:14:42,130 --> 02:14:45,910
our projection at the point in
time we did this document was

2761
02:14:45,910 --> 02:14:51,430
about that $10,817,000,000 mark,
which was very close to what

2762
02:14:51,430 --> 02:14:53,150
Josh had in his presentation.

2763
02:14:53,150 --> 02:14:56,110
And our net tax capacity,
which is what he was describing

2764
02:14:56,110 --> 02:14:59,530
in that very complex, all the
property classifications and all

2765
02:14:59,530 --> 02:15:01,690
those classes are
assigned at a tax rate,

2766
02:15:01,690 --> 02:15:03,820
based on what the
state tells us,

2767
02:15:03,820 --> 02:15:06,120
each piece of
parcel can be taxed

2768
02:15:06,120 --> 02:15:13,480
at, our net tax capacity for
the county is $111,267,925--

2769
02:15:13,480 --> 02:15:16,950
again, an estimate at
this point in time.

2770
02:15:16,950 --> 02:15:21,010
We have a little over $93
million in new construction,

2771
02:15:21,010 --> 02:15:23,460
so this isn't just
values increasing

2772
02:15:23,460 --> 02:15:25,870
because of different
market factors,

2773
02:15:25,870 --> 02:15:27,520
this is also new construction.

2774
02:15:27,520 --> 02:15:31,480
And that gives us our
tax rate of 38.96%.

2775
02:15:31,480 --> 02:15:36,510
So basically, based on current
tax capacity that the state

2776
02:15:36,510 --> 02:15:39,940
allows through their
statutes and rules,

2777
02:15:39,940 --> 02:15:42,790
we're tapping into
about 38% of that.

2778
02:15:42,790 --> 02:15:47,560
So we can, under their
rules, tax $111 million.

2779
02:15:47,560 --> 02:15:51,420
We don't and are not going to.

2780
02:15:51,420 --> 02:15:53,170
So that's kind of what shows.

2781
02:15:53,170 --> 02:15:57,310
So we're looking at $43
million in property taxes.

2782
02:15:57,310 --> 02:16:01,600
Our ceiling is 111, if
that kind of makes sense.

2783
02:16:01,600 --> 02:16:06,900
So our new estimated net tax
capacity for new construction

2784
02:16:06,900 --> 02:16:09,600
is $838 million.

2785
02:16:09,600 --> 02:16:11,680
Our new construction
tax revenue--

2786
02:16:11,680 --> 02:16:16,440
so of this increase that we're
asking for, we're estimating

2787
02:16:16,440 --> 02:16:21,060
that $326,000 of that, maybe 3/4
of a percent-- a little more--

2788
02:16:21,060 --> 02:16:24,840
is going to be paid
for by new construction

2789
02:16:24,840 --> 02:16:26,940
that we're experiencing.

2790
02:16:26,940 --> 02:16:30,100
So it's always good to see
growth in our tax base.

2791
02:16:30,100 --> 02:16:32,760
That's what we're going
for to help spread

2792
02:16:32,760 --> 02:16:33,769
that out a little bit more.

2793
02:16:33,769 --> 02:16:36,930


2794
02:16:36,930 --> 02:16:39,549
This is the document
that's in the attachment,

2795
02:16:39,549 --> 02:16:43,020
but the more current version
where it goes through

2796
02:16:43,020 --> 02:16:46,200
and talks about each
department within the fund.

2797
02:16:46,200 --> 02:16:51,750
So the total general
fund is going up 9.27%.

2798
02:16:51,750 --> 02:16:56,490
Some areas, we're
kind of phasing out

2799
02:16:56,490 --> 02:16:58,580
some one-time funding
that we received

2800
02:16:58,580 --> 02:17:04,760
and easing that off because
that money is just about done.

2801
02:17:04,760 --> 02:17:08,150
We had an increase
in that payroll tax

2802
02:17:08,150 --> 02:17:11,215
for the paid family leave,
some things like that.

2803
02:17:11,215 --> 02:17:14,360


2804
02:17:14,360 --> 02:17:17,540
Let's see here-- extension,
I'll talk about that one a bit

2805
02:17:17,540 --> 02:17:18,959
because that looks
like a larger number,

2806
02:17:18,959 --> 02:17:20,730
and that number will
come down a little bit.

2807
02:17:20,730 --> 02:17:24,650
But in the prior year--
so not this year in '24,

2808
02:17:24,650 --> 02:17:26,299
I think towards the
end of '23 maybe,

2809
02:17:26,299 --> 02:17:30,950
a position was eliminated
but it wasn't eliminated,

2810
02:17:30,950 --> 02:17:32,040
was only on pause.

2811
02:17:32,040 --> 02:17:33,980
But we took it off
the levy and we

2812
02:17:33,980 --> 02:17:37,910
provided for funds
for a facilitator

2813
02:17:37,910 --> 02:17:39,090
to determine what
the needs were.

2814
02:17:39,090 --> 02:17:42,020
So we had a position, didn't
feel like it was meeting

2815
02:17:42,020 --> 02:17:43,410
the needs we wanted to do.

2816
02:17:43,410 --> 02:17:45,650
We're reevaluating
that, and so now we've

2817
02:17:45,650 --> 02:17:49,430
come up with some ideas so we
can look at having the Extension

2818
02:17:49,430 --> 02:17:51,559
Committee review some
job descriptions, come

2819
02:17:51,559 --> 02:17:54,480
to an agreement, and
that was a 0.75 FTE.

2820
02:17:54,480 --> 02:17:58,400
So now for '26, we're
anticipating that that 0.75 FTE

2821
02:17:58,400 --> 02:18:00,440
will be back in the
budget when it's

2822
02:18:00,440 --> 02:18:03,830
been left unfilled for a
year while they try to work

2823
02:18:03,830 --> 02:18:06,469
out the job descriptions.

2824
02:18:06,469 --> 02:18:09,980
Those positions are State of
Minnesota, extension University

2825
02:18:09,980 --> 02:18:12,950
of Minnesota positions, so
it's not like a job description

2826
02:18:12,950 --> 02:18:14,250
that we can just
craft and change.

2827
02:18:14,250 --> 02:18:16,820
We have to work
within what they have

2828
02:18:16,820 --> 02:18:19,469
and their union, their wages,
their job descriptions.

2829
02:18:19,469 --> 02:18:21,469
So it's just a little bit
different process to get

2830
02:18:21,469 --> 02:18:22,650
to where we want to get to.

2831
02:18:22,650 --> 02:18:24,770
But that'll be there, so that's
why it looks like there's

2832
02:18:24,770 --> 02:18:27,559
a larger increase in
extension, is to accommodate

2833
02:18:27,559 --> 02:18:30,350
for that position.

2834
02:18:30,350 --> 02:18:32,270
And if anything changes
with that before final,

2835
02:18:32,270 --> 02:18:33,805
we'll make those changes.

2836
02:18:33,805 --> 02:18:38,209


2837
02:18:38,209 --> 02:18:43,430
Again, we show we had these fund
summaries on the other page.

2838
02:18:43,430 --> 02:18:45,150
Human Services.

2839
02:18:45,150 --> 02:18:47,990
So throughout this
fall, we had departments

2840
02:18:47,990 --> 02:18:50,480
come in that were going to
be seeing more of an impact

2841
02:18:50,480 --> 02:18:52,049
from legislative changes.

2842
02:18:52,049 --> 02:18:56,740
So, like, we had Social Services
presented a couple of times

2843
02:18:56,740 --> 02:18:58,250
on some different areas.

2844
02:18:58,250 --> 02:19:00,280
Community Corrections
was in because there's

2845
02:19:00,280 --> 02:19:02,389
a little bit larger swing
in community corrections.

2846
02:19:02,389 --> 02:19:05,620
So they came and talked twice
to you all about the things

2847
02:19:05,620 --> 02:19:08,200
impacting their budget
and what the needs were.

2848
02:19:08,200 --> 02:19:11,559
We had the 901 Center
and some other smaller

2849
02:19:11,559 --> 02:19:15,520
presentations on budgets, so you
could get the detail in there.

2850
02:19:15,520 --> 02:19:16,990
And when we do
final budget, we'll

2851
02:19:16,990 --> 02:19:18,879
link to all those
online resources

2852
02:19:18,879 --> 02:19:21,820
so people can go back and
review the specific department

2853
02:19:21,820 --> 02:19:24,760
presentations on that for
more information as well.

2854
02:19:24,760 --> 02:19:28,030
But in here, you'll see areas
where, again, we might have

2855
02:19:28,030 --> 02:19:30,610
a little bit higher swing
because we have new things that

2856
02:19:30,610 --> 02:19:32,920
are going in there,
whether it's competency

2857
02:19:32,920 --> 02:19:36,980
attainment like Megan discussed,
or we have increased services.

2858
02:19:36,980 --> 02:19:40,389
What you don't see in
particular in Human Services,

2859
02:19:40,389 --> 02:19:43,100
are things that changed
in session this year,

2860
02:19:43,100 --> 02:19:44,690
whether it's state or federal.

2861
02:19:44,690 --> 02:19:47,719
But a lot of those have
delayed implementation.

2862
02:19:47,719 --> 02:19:51,650
So some things are end of fourth
quarter next year, October,

2863
02:19:51,650 --> 02:19:52,910
so we might have that in there.

2864
02:19:52,910 --> 02:19:55,370
Some things are
2027 implementation,

2865
02:19:55,370 --> 02:19:56,990
some things are 2028.

2866
02:19:56,990 --> 02:19:59,740
And so departmental
staff and myself

2867
02:19:59,740 --> 02:20:01,700
have been attending
any opportunity we can,

2868
02:20:01,700 --> 02:20:05,320
federal and state online
meetings and webinars

2869
02:20:05,320 --> 02:20:06,260
that they're holding.

2870
02:20:06,260 --> 02:20:08,420
And the message has
pretty much been the same.

2871
02:20:08,420 --> 02:20:12,370
Like, here's the change, here's
maybe a broad sweep of what they

2872
02:20:12,370 --> 02:20:15,970
think an impact would be, but
the analysis is not complete as

2873
02:20:15,970 --> 02:20:17,810
to what that means for us here.

2874
02:20:17,810 --> 02:20:19,570
And so that
information hopefully

2875
02:20:19,570 --> 02:20:23,540
will continue to develop over
towards the end of this year.

2876
02:20:23,540 --> 02:20:27,130
Some of it we won't be
getting maybe till next year.

2877
02:20:27,130 --> 02:20:31,180
So that's why we talked
significantly about impacts

2878
02:20:31,180 --> 02:20:36,460
of changes and we've only
seen an increase of 7.462%

2879
02:20:36,460 --> 02:20:38,440
because a lot of
those changes are not

2880
02:20:38,440 --> 02:20:40,570
implemented quite yet
next year, but they

2881
02:20:40,570 --> 02:20:44,110
will be seen in future years.

2882
02:20:44,110 --> 02:20:44,950
Debt service.

2883
02:20:44,950 --> 02:20:47,627
I have a thing on debt
service to show you guys,

2884
02:20:47,627 --> 02:20:48,760
because we usually
talk about this

2885
02:20:48,760 --> 02:20:51,790
and this is good
for thinking ahead.

2886
02:20:51,790 --> 02:20:57,960
So all these numbers are
our debt service chart

2887
02:20:57,960 --> 02:21:00,070
that Paula and finance track.

2888
02:21:00,070 --> 02:21:01,290
So I'm going to
highlight because I

2889
02:21:01,290 --> 02:21:02,910
know this is itty-bitty.

2890
02:21:02,910 --> 02:21:05,620
But what it shows is how
we structured our debt.

2891
02:21:05,620 --> 02:21:11,080
So for '25, '26, '27, '28, our
debt service number is flat,

2892
02:21:11,080 --> 02:21:13,440
so we won't need
to increase pending

2893
02:21:13,440 --> 02:21:18,390
a decision made to do anything
else with additional debt.

2894
02:21:18,390 --> 02:21:24,250
$4,513,000 is our debt
service through 2028.

2895
02:21:24,250 --> 02:21:28,440
Then you'll see in 2029, some
prior debt service issues

2896
02:21:28,440 --> 02:21:30,370
are going to start to drop off.

2897
02:21:30,370 --> 02:21:31,420
They're going to be paid.

2898
02:21:31,420 --> 02:21:35,080
So we'll see a decrease
of almost $700,000

2899
02:21:35,080 --> 02:21:37,920
in 2029 for debt service.

2900
02:21:37,920 --> 02:21:41,460
We'll see some
little modifications

2901
02:21:41,460 --> 02:21:44,670
in the next several
years, and then again, you

2902
02:21:44,670 --> 02:21:47,165
just see a continued drop off.

2903
02:21:47,165 --> 02:21:50,240


2904
02:21:50,240 --> 02:21:54,570
Looks like 2039, we'll get
about a million decrease.

2905
02:21:54,570 --> 02:21:56,180
But this is what our
schedule looks like

2906
02:21:56,180 --> 02:21:57,660
and how our debt is structured.

2907
02:21:57,660 --> 02:22:00,920
We try to do it so it
remains as flat as possible.

2908
02:22:00,920 --> 02:22:02,850
So even when you
see some drop off,

2909
02:22:02,850 --> 02:22:04,680
it might increase
in another area,

2910
02:22:04,680 --> 02:22:06,410
again, because we try
to always structure

2911
02:22:06,410 --> 02:22:08,580
our debt in a way
that keeps it flat

2912
02:22:08,580 --> 02:22:12,260
so we don't see
those large swings.

2913
02:22:12,260 --> 02:22:15,140
MALE SPEAKER:
Sarah, our debt levy

2914
02:22:15,140 --> 02:22:18,000
is mainly due to our new
law enforcement center.

2915
02:22:18,000 --> 02:22:19,010
Is that a big portion of that?

2916
02:22:19,010 --> 02:22:21,800
SARAH: So, half?

2917
02:22:21,800 --> 02:22:24,470
What do you think,
Paula, about half?

2918
02:22:24,470 --> 02:22:28,520
It's little, but you
can see, we've got--

2919
02:22:28,520 --> 02:22:30,120
let's see, that one
comes off this year.

2920
02:22:30,120 --> 02:22:32,420
So we had a 2018
equipment certificate

2921
02:22:32,420 --> 02:22:34,840
that got paid off in '14.

2922
02:22:34,840 --> 02:22:38,850
The 2019 debt service
for the GSB, so in 2019,

2923
02:22:38,850 --> 02:22:42,780
we had two issues because of the
project and how we broke it up.

2924
02:22:42,780 --> 02:22:44,880
So those are on there.

2925
02:22:44,880 --> 02:22:50,260
Those are about-- let's
see, between the two--

2926
02:22:50,260 --> 02:22:54,330
about $700,000 for
that payment that

2927
02:22:54,330 --> 02:22:56,970
goes up to a little
over eight in the last

2928
02:22:56,970 --> 02:22:59,140
year of payment in 2033.

2929
02:22:59,140 --> 02:23:05,140
And then the jail, the
2022 jail bonds are at 2.9.

2930
02:23:05,140 --> 02:23:12,812
So of the 4.5, 2.9 right
now is the jail bonds.

2931
02:23:12,812 --> 02:23:16,120
And then there was a
2016 crossover refunding.

2932
02:23:16,120 --> 02:23:19,710
So when you have other
bonds that you might

2933
02:23:19,710 --> 02:23:22,000
refund and restructure
at any point in time,

2934
02:23:22,000 --> 02:23:23,050
you got refunding bonds.

2935
02:23:23,050 --> 02:23:24,893
So that is done in '28.

2936
02:23:24,893 --> 02:23:28,800


2937
02:23:28,800 --> 02:23:32,830
So again, in 2029, we'll see a
decrease in our bond payment.

2938
02:23:32,830 --> 02:23:36,990
So the next couple of years,
it'll be the same amount,

2939
02:23:36,990 --> 02:23:39,240
and that'll help, with
the levy in that year,

2940
02:23:39,240 --> 02:23:41,310
offset that-- again,
unless other decisions

2941
02:23:41,310 --> 02:23:42,540
are made in the
meantime that might

2942
02:23:42,540 --> 02:23:44,660
change our debt service needs.

2943
02:23:44,660 --> 02:23:50,290


2944
02:23:50,290 --> 02:23:52,540
Our capital projects
fund, that's another one

2945
02:23:52,540 --> 02:23:54,160
I'd just like to highlight.

2946
02:23:54,160 --> 02:23:57,800
Last year, in order to
get the levy where it was,

2947
02:23:57,800 --> 02:24:02,050
we removed our
annual contribution

2948
02:24:02,050 --> 02:24:04,820
to the capital projects fund.

2949
02:24:04,820 --> 02:24:06,350
So those are things
for facility needs.

2950
02:24:06,350 --> 02:24:09,160
When you have a more
major structural capital

2951
02:24:09,160 --> 02:24:11,420
type project with
facilities, we use that fund.

2952
02:24:11,420 --> 02:24:17,740
So in 2025, we used
some of it and then

2953
02:24:17,740 --> 02:24:20,240
we did not contribute to it.

2954
02:24:20,240 --> 02:24:22,940
And then this year,
we are doing it again.

2955
02:24:22,940 --> 02:24:26,440
So we're going to
be using $83,000

2956
02:24:26,440 --> 02:24:32,230
for projects that we have, and
we're going to be levying 100.

2957
02:24:32,230 --> 02:24:34,580
Actually, we did levy
for it last year.

2958
02:24:34,580 --> 02:24:37,570
One year, we didn't but
anyhow, sorry about that.

2959
02:24:37,570 --> 02:24:40,120
We are going to be using 80-- so
that's the use of fund balance,

2960
02:24:40,120 --> 02:24:43,420
is about $83,000 in projects
that are more capital in nature

2961
02:24:43,420 --> 02:24:45,110
that we're going to be
using from that fund,

2962
02:24:45,110 --> 02:24:48,070
and then we'll have
that net of the 100

2963
02:24:48,070 --> 02:24:51,220
that we're going to be levying.

2964
02:24:51,220 --> 02:24:54,250
You're going to be having some
meetings coming up regarding

2965
02:24:54,250 --> 02:24:56,180
environmental services
in the landfill,

2966
02:24:56,180 --> 02:24:58,870
some studies that's going to
talk about rates and things

2967
02:24:58,870 --> 02:24:59,420
like that.

2968
02:24:59,420 --> 02:25:02,740
But that environmental services
fund is a self-sustaining fund

2969
02:25:02,740 --> 02:25:03,440
at this point.

2970
02:25:03,440 --> 02:25:06,430
But again, you will be looking
at studies, landfill needs,

2971
02:25:06,430 --> 02:25:09,010
changes in legislation
that might impact

2972
02:25:09,010 --> 02:25:10,490
our expenses going forward.

2973
02:25:10,490 --> 02:25:13,160
Those presentations
will be forthcoming.

2974
02:25:13,160 --> 02:25:20,310


2975
02:25:20,310 --> 02:25:20,810
Oops, sorry.

2976
02:25:20,810 --> 02:25:23,237
MALE SPEAKER: Could you
go back a page, Sarah?

2977
02:25:23,237 --> 02:25:24,170
MALE SPEAKER: Yes, go ahead.

2978
02:25:24,170 --> 02:25:25,330
MALE SPEAKER: Thank you.

2979
02:25:25,330 --> 02:25:29,570
The tax rate proposed
for '26 is 38.9%.

2980
02:25:29,570 --> 02:25:33,220
What was it this last
year, in '25 year?

2981
02:25:33,220 --> 02:25:34,090
SARAH: 37.

2982
02:25:34,090 --> 02:25:36,160
MALE SPEAKER: 37?

2983
02:25:36,160 --> 02:25:38,830
SARAH: Yep.

2984
02:25:38,830 --> 02:25:42,470
We've come down from, like,
you see we were in the 40s.

2985
02:25:42,470 --> 02:25:44,430
I mean, it's kind of just
bouncing back and forth here

2986
02:25:44,430 --> 02:25:49,020
depending on where we're at.

2987
02:25:49,020 --> 02:25:50,520
MALE SPEAKER: And how
does this look compared

2988
02:25:50,520 --> 02:25:52,510
to surrounding counties?

2989
02:25:52,510 --> 02:25:54,330
SARAH: Yep, and I can
get the most recent.

2990
02:25:54,330 --> 02:25:57,240
I don't have it on me, but
we're typically in the lower

2991
02:25:57,240 --> 02:26:00,790
of the tax rates in the state.

2992
02:26:00,790 --> 02:26:03,120
But there is annually
a report that comes out

2993
02:26:03,120 --> 02:26:09,150
that shows that information,
so we're in the better

2994
02:26:09,150 --> 02:26:10,780
off of the tax rate counties.

2995
02:26:10,780 --> 02:26:11,890
We're not the lowest.

2996
02:26:11,890 --> 02:26:14,490
That's usually like a
county to the north of us

2997
02:26:14,490 --> 02:26:16,360
in particular that stays
towards the bottom.

2998
02:26:16,360 --> 02:26:19,170


2999
02:26:19,170 --> 02:26:20,760
Yeah, no, we sit
really nice, but there

3000
02:26:20,760 --> 02:26:21,900
are reports that
come out annually

3001
02:26:21,900 --> 02:26:25,530
and I can get that information.

3002
02:26:25,530 --> 02:26:28,770
So part of our 2026 budget
also includes the use

3003
02:26:28,770 --> 02:26:30,870
of fund balance and reserves.

3004
02:26:30,870 --> 02:26:37,020
So in most instances, it's from
money that has been set aside

3005
02:26:37,020 --> 02:26:39,660
for special purposes,
one time money

3006
02:26:39,660 --> 02:26:42,330
that we receive for
special purposes,

3007
02:26:42,330 --> 02:26:45,300
departments that have fund
balances for specific projects

3008
02:26:45,300 --> 02:26:47,520
like environmental services--

3009
02:26:47,520 --> 02:26:50,805
again, one time state
or federal funding.

3010
02:26:50,805 --> 02:26:55,560
So our projected based on
our use of $2 million for

3011
02:26:55,560 --> 02:26:58,320
will still have
the estimated fund

3012
02:26:58,320 --> 02:27:01,740
balances that are shown above.

3013
02:27:01,740 --> 02:27:04,020
So some things that we're
using fund balances for

3014
02:27:04,020 --> 02:27:07,440
is, we had some money
set aside when we

3015
02:27:07,440 --> 02:27:09,450
were going to go self-insured.

3016
02:27:09,450 --> 02:27:12,210
And so as part of our
health insurance agreements

3017
02:27:12,210 --> 02:27:14,130
for the next three
years, since we decided

3018
02:27:14,130 --> 02:27:16,530
not to go self-insured,
we're spending

3019
02:27:16,530 --> 02:27:22,000
down that employer and employee
portion of those funds.

3020
02:27:22,000 --> 02:27:24,690
So those were funds that have
been sitting in our reserve that

3021
02:27:24,690 --> 02:27:27,120
have been dedicated
for that purpose

3022
02:27:27,120 --> 02:27:29,190
that we're now going to be
spending down because we don't

3023
02:27:29,190 --> 02:27:31,410
need to hold them
anymore, because we're

3024
02:27:31,410 --> 02:27:32,860
not going to go self-insured.

3025
02:27:32,860 --> 02:27:34,890
So we're spending those down.

3026
02:27:34,890 --> 02:27:38,190
Same thing with some public
safety funds or highway funds

3027
02:27:38,190 --> 02:27:41,900
or other, again,
one time revenues

3028
02:27:41,900 --> 02:27:44,710
that we received that we
are intending to spend down.

3029
02:27:44,710 --> 02:27:47,990


3030
02:27:47,990 --> 02:27:50,030
But again, at the
end of the year,

3031
02:27:50,030 --> 02:27:53,125
we should still have a healthy,
appropriate fund balance.

3032
02:27:53,125 --> 02:27:57,470


3033
02:27:57,470 --> 02:28:01,430
We discussed this the
beginning of the month

3034
02:28:01,430 --> 02:28:05,960
here, our board agency, the
outside appropriation requests

3035
02:28:05,960 --> 02:28:08,460
that you heard during August.

3036
02:28:08,460 --> 02:28:11,090
And so we have our
2025 board approved,

3037
02:28:11,090 --> 02:28:14,760
the 2026 requested, and
the 2026 board recommends.

3038
02:28:14,760 --> 02:28:20,060
So after discussion, we've kept
the outside agency requests

3039
02:28:20,060 --> 02:28:24,050
at their 2025 level and
made adjustments for areas

3040
02:28:24,050 --> 02:28:26,210
with the two, with
the Historical Society

3041
02:28:26,210 --> 02:28:30,360
and the Ag Society, where
we pay for the insurance.

3042
02:28:30,360 --> 02:28:33,660
And those rates went up, and
that's kind of what it is.

3043
02:28:33,660 --> 02:28:37,070
There's not an option
there, and so those are

3044
02:28:37,070 --> 02:28:39,270
the only modifications to that.

3045
02:28:39,270 --> 02:28:42,890
So our level for
outside agency funding

3046
02:28:42,890 --> 02:28:47,280
goes from $856,256 to $868,661.

3047
02:28:47,280 --> 02:28:49,590
And that change is just
due to insurance changes,

3048
02:28:49,590 --> 02:28:52,300
but all other things
remained the same.

3049
02:28:52,300 --> 02:28:57,020


3050
02:28:57,020 --> 02:28:58,820
This, we covered
in detail, but here

3051
02:28:58,820 --> 02:29:01,680
is the history of what our
county program aid looked like.

3052
02:29:01,680 --> 02:29:04,950
So you can see where the state
made that infusion of funds,

3053
02:29:04,950 --> 02:29:05,940
so we got a bump.

3054
02:29:05,940 --> 02:29:10,410
And then now we're going
back down a little bit,

3055
02:29:10,410 --> 02:29:12,530
just based on our
demographics of our county

3056
02:29:12,530 --> 02:29:13,465
compared to others.

3057
02:29:13,465 --> 02:29:16,940


3058
02:29:16,940 --> 02:29:18,150
Adjustment to fees.

3059
02:29:18,150 --> 02:29:20,850
So when we go through and meet
with departments on the budget,

3060
02:29:20,850 --> 02:29:23,240
we talk about what are
the fees for service

3061
02:29:23,240 --> 02:29:24,540
that we have control over.

3062
02:29:24,540 --> 02:29:25,380
Are they appropriate?

3063
02:29:25,380 --> 02:29:27,050
Do they need to be changed?

3064
02:29:27,050 --> 02:29:31,020
In December, you all review the
fee schedule and approve that.

3065
02:29:31,020 --> 02:29:33,870
So we made changes where we
knew they were going to be made

3066
02:29:33,870 --> 02:29:36,730
and then we'll present that
fee schedule for discussion

3067
02:29:36,730 --> 02:29:40,150
in detail in December.

3068
02:29:40,150 --> 02:29:43,160
Here are some of the different
visual things you can see.

3069
02:29:43,160 --> 02:29:45,580
We are a service.

3070
02:29:45,580 --> 02:29:49,330
We provide services, so bulk
of our expenditures by type

3071
02:29:49,330 --> 02:29:50,216
are personnel.

3072
02:29:50,216 --> 02:29:53,560


3073
02:29:53,560 --> 02:29:54,650
And our revenue.

3074
02:29:54,650 --> 02:29:57,280
This is where you're going to
see a little bit of flipping

3075
02:29:57,280 --> 02:29:58,370
from the prior year.

3076
02:29:58,370 --> 02:30:03,310
So for 2026, 42% of our
budget is property taxes

3077
02:30:03,310 --> 02:30:06,770
and penalties and 37%
intergovernmental.

3078
02:30:06,770 --> 02:30:07,940
So that's like our
federal, state,

3079
02:30:07,940 --> 02:30:11,810
and other governmental
revenues we get in.

3080
02:30:11,810 --> 02:30:18,040
Last year, it was flipped where
we had I think 34% of our budget

3081
02:30:18,040 --> 02:30:20,590
was funded by property
taxes and more was

3082
02:30:20,590 --> 02:30:22,960
funded by intergovernmental.

3083
02:30:22,960 --> 02:30:27,130
Some of it is due to
decreasing, but also, we

3084
02:30:27,130 --> 02:30:31,160
had that large
transportation project too.

3085
02:30:31,160 --> 02:30:34,750
So that kind of skews
us more than normal.

3086
02:30:34,750 --> 02:30:37,490
Because if we don't
have that project,

3087
02:30:37,490 --> 02:30:38,570
that doesn't count as funding.

3088
02:30:38,570 --> 02:30:42,400
So again, take it a little
bit with a grain of salt

3089
02:30:42,400 --> 02:30:46,070
that those things can make
these changes in something.

3090
02:30:46,070 --> 02:30:48,435
One project could make those
numbers go back and forth.

3091
02:30:48,435 --> 02:30:51,640


3092
02:30:51,640 --> 02:30:53,000
Our expenditures by function.

3093
02:30:53,000 --> 02:30:54,280
Again, this is where
you can visually

3094
02:30:54,280 --> 02:30:58,990
see that last year, road
and bridge was higher

3095
02:30:58,990 --> 02:31:01,330
than public safety
and social services,

3096
02:31:01,330 --> 02:31:03,800
again, because of the road
program for that year.

3097
02:31:03,800 --> 02:31:05,960
This year, the road
program looks different.

3098
02:31:05,960 --> 02:31:11,230
And so you'll see human services
as being 25% of our expenditure

3099
02:31:11,230 --> 02:31:13,390
by function, public
safety at 20,

3100
02:31:13,390 --> 02:31:18,230
and then road and bridge at 17,
and general government at 14.

3101
02:31:18,230 --> 02:31:21,670
So again, depending on what
some of our programming

3102
02:31:21,670 --> 02:31:24,700
is for any given year,
what portion of the budget

3103
02:31:24,700 --> 02:31:26,630
is larger changes
from time to time.

3104
02:31:26,630 --> 02:31:30,940


3105
02:31:30,940 --> 02:31:33,900
Joy was in and
presented on her budget

3106
02:31:33,900 --> 02:31:37,210
during one of her meetings
earlier this month.

3107
02:31:37,210 --> 02:31:40,840
So this just, again, talks
about what our levy use is,

3108
02:31:40,840 --> 02:31:44,135
but she went into detail
with you guys on her budget.

3109
02:31:44,135 --> 02:31:47,700


3110
02:31:47,700 --> 02:31:50,130
And special purpose
funding for 2026

3111
02:31:50,130 --> 02:31:54,480
that we're still administering,
the opioid litigation funding.

3112
02:31:54,480 --> 02:31:58,980
We approved an MOA
a little earlier--

3113
02:31:58,980 --> 02:32:01,230
I think it was actually
still this month--

3114
02:32:01,230 --> 02:32:04,080
for some services, with
most to be able to continue

3115
02:32:04,080 --> 02:32:09,120
that program, to provide some
gap funding while they reassess

3116
02:32:09,120 --> 02:32:11,400
opportunities for other
state or federal sources

3117
02:32:11,400 --> 02:32:12,870
to keep that going.

3118
02:32:12,870 --> 02:32:15,370
The spending plan will be
discussed in full in December.

3119
02:32:15,370 --> 02:32:17,220
We have some community
engagement activities

3120
02:32:17,220 --> 02:32:20,850
between now and then, but just
know that the opioid litigation

3121
02:32:20,850 --> 02:32:22,920
funding, that
number might change

3122
02:32:22,920 --> 02:32:26,110
within the detail of the budget,
but that's not Levy funds.

3123
02:32:26,110 --> 02:32:29,910
There are eligible certain uses
that we use and we discuss those

3124
02:32:29,910 --> 02:32:33,500
with community members,
and then the spending plan

3125
02:32:33,500 --> 02:32:38,690
is presented in December when
we have our final levy meeting.

3126
02:32:38,690 --> 02:32:43,260
The local homeless prevention
aid for fiscal year '25,

3127
02:32:43,260 --> 02:32:44,520
again, they're kind
of rolling years.

3128
02:32:44,520 --> 02:32:46,650
So part of it's this year,
part of it's next year,

3129
02:32:46,650 --> 02:32:48,380
and same thing in '27.

3130
02:32:48,380 --> 02:32:51,660
Goes up a little bit
for fiscal year '26,

3131
02:32:51,660 --> 02:32:54,620
so this is one that the funding
is very specific to support

3132
02:32:54,620 --> 02:32:56,480
new or existing family
homeless prevention

3133
02:32:56,480 --> 02:32:59,280
and assistance
projects or programs.

3134
02:32:59,280 --> 02:33:04,200
We work with other agencies
to administer this funding.

3135
02:33:04,200 --> 02:33:06,680
It's targeted towards
families with children.

3136
02:33:06,680 --> 02:33:08,490
So annually, we report on this.

3137
02:33:08,490 --> 02:33:11,370
I usually give an update in
December about some impact.

3138
02:33:11,370 --> 02:33:16,130
Again, it's to stabilize
households with children that

3139
02:33:16,130 --> 02:33:18,650
are school age children in the
homes that are either paying

3140
02:33:18,650 --> 02:33:21,290
more than 50% of their
income for rent, lacking

3141
02:33:21,290 --> 02:33:23,120
fixed, regular or
nighttime residence,

3142
02:33:23,120 --> 02:33:25,010
living in overcrowded
conditions,

3143
02:33:25,010 --> 02:33:28,250
or facing eviction and things
like that to help stabilize

3144
02:33:28,250 --> 02:33:31,500
families and provide
connects with organizations

3145
02:33:31,500 --> 02:33:32,950
to provide wraparound services.

3146
02:33:32,950 --> 02:33:36,690
So this has been a pretty
successful program.

3147
02:33:36,690 --> 02:33:39,100
And this was a
legislative appropriation

3148
02:33:39,100 --> 02:33:40,500
that's pretty specific.

3149
02:33:40,500 --> 02:33:43,350
We also are in our final
years of the statewide

3150
02:33:43,350 --> 02:33:44,970
affordable housing aid.

3151
02:33:44,970 --> 02:33:48,930
So these are for the purposes of
construction acquisition, things

3152
02:33:48,930 --> 02:33:52,710
that work towards providing and
increasing affordable housing

3153
02:33:52,710 --> 02:33:54,070
opportunities in the county.

3154
02:33:54,070 --> 02:33:56,820
We've used our money so far
to support the engineering

3155
02:33:56,820 --> 02:33:58,620
and design on Twin Oaks.

3156
02:33:58,620 --> 02:34:00,870
In the last year, we'll be able
to look at other opportunities

3157
02:34:00,870 --> 02:34:04,140
for how we use that affordable
housing aid in the community

3158
02:34:04,140 --> 02:34:05,616
for eligible activities.

3159
02:34:05,616 --> 02:34:08,880


3160
02:34:08,880 --> 02:34:11,520
Looking at when we're going
to have our public hearing

3161
02:34:11,520 --> 02:34:13,690
on the proposed budget
will be Thursday,

3162
02:34:13,690 --> 02:34:16,090
December 11 at 6:00 PM.

3163
02:34:16,090 --> 02:34:18,300
So kind of just a note, we
will not have a regular board

3164
02:34:18,300 --> 02:34:20,190
meeting that week
because that aligns

3165
02:34:20,190 --> 02:34:21,900
with our annual conference.

3166
02:34:21,900 --> 02:34:24,090
But then that Thursday, we'll
come together that night

3167
02:34:24,090 --> 02:34:25,175
for a public hearing.

3168
02:34:25,175 --> 02:34:29,470


3169
02:34:29,470 --> 02:34:34,143
So if you have any questions--

3170
02:34:34,143 --> 02:34:35,210
MALE SPEAKER: I have a question.

3171
02:34:35,210 --> 02:34:36,310
MALE SPEAKER: Yes, go ahead.

3172
02:34:36,310 --> 02:34:37,900
MALE SPEAKER: Do
we have built-in

3173
02:34:37,900 --> 02:34:40,820
for a downtown
maintenance building here?

3174
02:34:40,820 --> 02:34:42,730
SARAH: No.

3175
02:34:42,730 --> 02:34:47,830
So I have some meetings
tomorrow to talk

3176
02:34:47,830 --> 02:34:51,430
about some different
things with other parties.

3177
02:34:51,430 --> 02:34:53,140
I know that's very vague.

3178
02:34:53,140 --> 02:34:55,480
We have some opportunities
to talk about

3179
02:34:55,480 --> 02:34:56,780
that I'll bring forward to you.

3180
02:34:56,780 --> 02:34:58,360
This does not include
a building there.

3181
02:34:58,360 --> 02:35:00,370
That will be part of
an ongoing discussion

3182
02:35:00,370 --> 02:35:04,290
of how we meet those needs,
but that is not in this budget.

3183
02:35:04,290 --> 02:35:08,650


3184
02:35:08,650 --> 02:35:10,780
MALE SPEAKER: Any other
questions, commissioners?

3185
02:35:10,780 --> 02:35:12,370
MALE SPEAKER: Uh, yeah.

3186
02:35:12,370 --> 02:35:14,270
SARAH: I know, it's
a lot of information.

3187
02:35:14,270 --> 02:35:16,750
And we'll keep working this
through to the end of the year

3188
02:35:16,750 --> 02:35:19,790
as we get more information,
more clarity on changes.

3189
02:35:19,790 --> 02:35:22,100
The prelim you set
next week is the max.

3190
02:35:22,100 --> 02:35:24,040
We can't go lower.

3191
02:35:24,040 --> 02:35:29,230
Besides this grant that we heard
back from, unless some funding

3192
02:35:29,230 --> 02:35:32,960
opportunities return to
us or loosen up a bit,

3193
02:35:32,960 --> 02:35:35,380
I'm not going to say
that I anticipate

3194
02:35:35,380 --> 02:35:37,550
that it's going to get
much lower than what it is.

3195
02:35:37,550 --> 02:35:39,910
If anything, we're going
to look a little worse

3196
02:35:39,910 --> 02:35:42,470
and we'll have to accommodate
in one area or another.

3197
02:35:42,470 --> 02:35:44,505
But we can't go higher than
what you set next week.

3198
02:35:44,505 --> 02:35:47,950


3199
02:35:47,950 --> 02:35:50,210
MALE SPEAKER: Well, I
appreciate the pie charts.

3200
02:35:50,210 --> 02:35:57,370
I'm a visual guy and I can
relate to that quite well.

3201
02:35:57,370 --> 02:35:58,733
Yeah.

3202
02:35:58,733 --> 02:35:59,900
MALE SPEAKER: I do
have a question.

3203
02:35:59,900 --> 02:36:00,667
MALE SPEAKER: Go ahead.

3204
02:36:00,667 --> 02:36:06,910
MALE SPEAKER: What percent
of this 8.9% or 8.8 levy

3205
02:36:06,910 --> 02:36:11,120
is personnel, between
health insurance?

3206
02:36:11,120 --> 02:36:12,310
SARAH: Yep, one moment here.

3207
02:36:12,310 --> 02:36:13,155
I'll get that for you.

3208
02:36:13,155 --> 02:36:17,260


3209
02:36:17,260 --> 02:36:19,030
And some of that's a little--

3210
02:36:19,030 --> 02:36:21,370
again, I talked about it's
not a one-for-one on the levy

3211
02:36:21,370 --> 02:36:22,550
because of all of that.

3212
02:36:22,550 --> 02:36:30,570
But I can show you of our
budget, so of the $106 million,

3213
02:36:30,570 --> 02:36:33,510
54% of that is
personnel services.

3214
02:36:33,510 --> 02:36:34,540
It's staff.

3215
02:36:34,540 --> 02:36:37,110
So how that kind of
proportionately shakes out just

3216
02:36:37,110 --> 02:36:39,660
depends on what
percentage of a position

3217
02:36:39,660 --> 02:36:43,110
might be funded by
another source-- grant,

3218
02:36:43,110 --> 02:36:44,770
state, federal reimbursement.

3219
02:36:44,770 --> 02:36:48,880
So it's easier to
say of our budget,

3220
02:36:48,880 --> 02:36:50,583
here's what personnel
expenses are.

3221
02:36:50,583 --> 02:36:52,050
I don't know, Paula,
if you've got another--

3222
02:36:52,050 --> 02:36:56,600


3223
02:36:56,600 --> 02:36:58,350
FEMALE SPEAKER: It's
complicated, because I can say,

3224
02:36:58,350 --> 02:37:01,230
let's say that we have funding
sources in there for that,

3225
02:37:01,230 --> 02:37:02,740
and that we do
support that budget.

3226
02:37:02,740 --> 02:37:05,691


3227
02:37:05,691 --> 02:37:07,750
But we can tell you
what the total is.

3228
02:37:07,750 --> 02:37:11,190
We can we tell you what the
comparison is from last year

3229
02:37:11,190 --> 02:37:16,530
to this year to break it down by
types of benefits and overtime,

3230
02:37:16,530 --> 02:37:19,890
and things like that.

3231
02:37:19,890 --> 02:37:21,960
SARAH: Yep, and our personnel
again increased a little

3232
02:37:21,960 --> 02:37:24,660
over 3 million, but
that doesn't one-for-one

3233
02:37:24,660 --> 02:37:27,570
go on our levy increase, just
because some of those positions

3234
02:37:27,570 --> 02:37:30,340
are funded differently.

3235
02:37:30,340 --> 02:37:32,500
MALE SPEAKER: I understand
it's a hard number to hit.

3236
02:37:32,500 --> 02:37:33,330
SARAH: Yeah.

3237
02:37:33,330 --> 02:37:37,440
So if we look at last year,
we were down, around 52,

3238
02:37:37,440 --> 02:37:40,420
high $52 million for personnel.

3239
02:37:40,420 --> 02:37:43,625
That includes health care,
taxes, all those things.

3240
02:37:43,625 --> 02:37:48,600


3241
02:37:48,600 --> 02:37:50,250
MALE SPEAKER: So
Sarah, basically,

3242
02:37:50,250 --> 02:37:54,420
just so people understand, I
think transparency is the best

3243
02:37:54,420 --> 02:37:58,200
thing we can be right now as
far as what we're up against

3244
02:37:58,200 --> 02:37:58,925
and what we're doing.

3245
02:37:58,925 --> 02:38:02,340


3246
02:38:02,340 --> 02:38:02,980
Oh, gosh.

3247
02:38:02,980 --> 02:38:06,060
I lost my train of thought.

3248
02:38:06,060 --> 02:38:09,580
Well, one thing--
and Susie or Sarah,

3249
02:38:09,580 --> 02:38:12,970
how available is the
public to these pie charts,

3250
02:38:12,970 --> 02:38:16,147
so they can see what we're
doing and what we're up against?

3251
02:38:16,147 --> 02:38:17,980
SARAH: Yeah, so once we're
done with this presentation,

3252
02:38:17,980 --> 02:38:20,960
we can upload it in the
packet so people can see it.

3253
02:38:20,960 --> 02:38:23,400
MALE SPEAKER: So that would
be out on our website?

3254
02:38:23,400 --> 02:38:23,900
SARAH: Yep.

3255
02:38:23,900 --> 02:38:25,190
MALE SPEAKER: Yeah, OK.

3256
02:38:25,190 --> 02:38:27,950
I think that's important.

3257
02:38:27,950 --> 02:38:30,090
Yeah, I don't know.

3258
02:38:30,090 --> 02:38:32,990
Did anybody else have anything?

3259
02:38:32,990 --> 02:38:36,770
SARAH: I think Commissioner
Peter stopped in a couple times

3260
02:38:36,770 --> 02:38:38,810
for some of our
department meetings

3261
02:38:38,810 --> 02:38:41,360
to see our process behind
the scenes and the work

3262
02:38:41,360 --> 02:38:44,160
that we put in ahead of
bringing it to you all.

3263
02:38:44,160 --> 02:38:46,130
So I think this year, I'm very
thankful to the departments

3264
02:38:46,130 --> 02:38:49,790
for coming in,
understanding the situation.

3265
02:38:49,790 --> 02:38:52,550
We had a much lower
initial request

3266
02:38:52,550 --> 02:38:54,200
than we have in other
years, because everyone

3267
02:38:54,200 --> 02:38:56,490
knew this is not the year
to ask for anything new.

3268
02:38:56,490 --> 02:38:58,310
We need to figure
out how to sustain

3269
02:38:58,310 --> 02:39:01,940
or how to make changes to
accommodate for any cuts, which

3270
02:39:01,940 --> 02:39:03,680
was a good thing but it
also made it a lot harder

3271
02:39:03,680 --> 02:39:07,010
to find those areas where we
could get it down from that

3272
02:39:07,010 --> 02:39:09,890
15% down to something under 10.

3273
02:39:09,890 --> 02:39:11,310
It made the work
a little harder.

3274
02:39:11,310 --> 02:39:13,550
And social services in
particular put a lot of work

3275
02:39:13,550 --> 02:39:15,120
into evaluating things.

3276
02:39:15,120 --> 02:39:17,090
One area I should have
highlighted when we're talking

3277
02:39:17,090 --> 02:39:18,020
about-- and I didn't.

3278
02:39:18,020 --> 02:39:21,710
Let me pull it up here
real quick again--

3279
02:39:21,710 --> 02:39:25,740
that kind of helped us get
that last little mile here,

3280
02:39:25,740 --> 02:39:28,400
let me see if it's on.

3281
02:39:28,400 --> 02:39:29,480
And it might not be.

3282
02:39:29,480 --> 02:39:31,390
It's not going to be in
this chart, I don't think.

3283
02:39:31,390 --> 02:39:34,280


3284
02:39:34,280 --> 02:39:35,100
Oh, maybe.

3285
02:39:35,100 --> 02:39:37,920
So this thing called
contingency fund.

3286
02:39:37,920 --> 02:39:41,580
What it is, is
anticipated wage savings.

3287
02:39:41,580 --> 02:39:43,940
And that's the number we work
with a little bit at the end

3288
02:39:43,940 --> 02:39:45,330
to try to get us down.

3289
02:39:45,330 --> 02:39:50,180
So we look at what's our
usual savings in a given

3290
02:39:50,180 --> 02:39:52,580
year because of vacancies
and time to fill,

3291
02:39:52,580 --> 02:39:53,760
and things like that.

3292
02:39:53,760 --> 02:39:55,830
And then in particular,
like in social services,

3293
02:39:55,830 --> 02:39:59,190
we looked at with some of
the changes that are coming,

3294
02:39:59,190 --> 02:40:01,970
do we have some positions
that are going to have a leg

3295
02:40:01,970 --> 02:40:03,380
and being filled?

3296
02:40:03,380 --> 02:40:05,990
Because we're going
to pivot what service

3297
02:40:05,990 --> 02:40:09,390
we're needing to provide based
on what we're mandated to do.

3298
02:40:09,390 --> 02:40:14,000
And so we changed that
number from that $1,044,000

3299
02:40:14,000 --> 02:40:16,430
that we have as an
offset of wage savings,

3300
02:40:16,430 --> 02:40:20,230
to $1,283,000 based on--