[This transcript was generated automatically from audio using AI and hasn't been reviewed by a person -- it can contain mistakes, including plausible-sounding sentences that were never actually said. Treat it as a starting point, not a verbatim record.]

[2:02] We'll call the Washington County Board of Commissioners' Meeting to order for October 1,
[2:10] 2024. Stephanie, roll call, please. Commissioner Miran.
[2:14] Here. Commissioner Karwaski.
[2:16] Here. Commissioner Creasel.
[2:17] Here. Commissioner Bigham.
[2:19] Here. Commissioner Claussen.
[2:20] Here. Roll call taken, all present.
[2:23] Please join the Board for the Pledge of Allegiance.
[2:30] Allegiance to the flag of the United States from America and to the very Pledge of
[2:46] That next item is item two is comments from the public.
[2:50] If there's anyone in the audience that would
[2:52] like to speak on an item, not on the agenda.
[2:59] With none, we'll move on to item three, consent items.
[3:03] I think it's A through H.
[3:05] Here, I'll move the consent from A to H.
[3:12] Second.
[3:15] Consent calendar moved all items A through H
[3:21] by Commissioner Klosson, second by Commissioner Bigham. Any questions? With none, roll call,
[3:29] Stephanie.
[3:30] Commissioner Miran.
[3:31] Aye.
[3:32] Commissioner Creasel.
[3:33] Aye.
[3:33] Commissioner Bigham.
[3:34] Aye.
[3:35] Commissioner Klosson.
[3:36] Aye.
[3:36] Commissioner Karwaski.
[3:37] Aye.
[3:38] Consent calendar passes 5-0.
[3:40] Thank you. Item 4 on the agenda is Information Technology. Phil Dreher, IT Manager. Welcome.
[3:51] Welcome.
[3:58] Mr. Chair and Commissioners, thank you for the opportunity to present to you today.
[4:02] I'm Phil Dreyer.
[4:03] I'm the Information Technology Security Manager in the Information Technology Department.
[4:08] I'm here in support of the resolution to declare October 24th as Cybersecurity Awareness
[4:13] Month.
[4:13] I'd like to provide you a brief overview of what Cybersecurity Month is all about
[4:18] and highlight the ways that information technology protects the county for cybersecurity.
[4:23] In
[4:28] October 2024 marks the 21st Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
[4:34] In 2024, the President of the United States and Congress declared the month of October
[4:38] to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a dedicated month to raise awareness about the importance
[4:44] of cybersecurity to protect against malicious attacks.
[4:48] While it started as a government initiative, it is to raise awareness of cybersecurity.
[4:52] security, it has grown over the years in a collaborative effort between government and
[4:57] industry to enhance cybersecurity awareness, encourage actions by the public to reduce
[5:03] online risk and generate discussion on cyber threats on a national and global scale.
[5:11] The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency describes how we can all increase
[5:16] our online safety through four simple actions, whether at home, work, or school, to build
[5:23] the safer digital world. First, recognize phishing. Understand the kinds of emails that
[5:30] we all get and to report them and delete them to save ourselves from being attacked by criminals
[5:37] from across the globe. Second, use strong passwords. We all recognize the idea that
[5:45] using your password as password is not secure. So in many cases for banks and other
[5:51] areas we should have stronger passwords with random characters, phrases, special symbols
[5:57] across our keyboards.
[6:00] Third, turn on MFA.
[6:02] Banks use multi-factor authentication or two-factor authentication to secure our money and our
[6:08] contents in our banks.
[6:10] Many more organizations and shopping areas are now using these types of technologies
[6:15] to secure our accounts and prevent malicious attacks to subvert our accounts and use it for subversive activities.
[6:24] Last, update our software. Protecting ourselves from vulnerabilities is key to prevent different kinds of antivirus attacks that we all protect ourselves from.
[6:38] information technology cyber security. Among the many things that IT does is we
[6:43] deliver county-wide training on cyber security in areas such as passwords,
[6:49] social media, internet use, protecting ourselves in the cloud. Second, support
[6:55] phishing tools and respond to immediate issues. Our IT staff monitors the button
[7:01] that people use to report phishing attacks and follow up with investigations
[7:05] to ensure that they are indeed who people think they are.
[7:10] Third, provide system patching and vulnerability remediation.
[7:14] Our staff monitors our different assets and computing computers
[7:18] to make sure that the vulnerabilities are remediated
[7:21] and we keep updated on our patching of all of our operating systems.
[7:25] Last, IT reviews new application requests
[7:29] from various departments to discover any potential weaknesses
[7:33] and vulnerabilities and improve the safety of those applications before they are implemented
[7:38] at the county.
[7:42] In front of you today is the Proclamation for Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and I am happy
[7:47] to answer any questions you may have.
[7:51] Thank you, Phil.
[7:54] Any questions, Phil?
[7:58] We certainly appreciate everything that the county employees do and the investments
[8:04] commitments we make, and even our citizens as responsible citizens in everyday life, whatever
[8:11] precautions they can do.
[8:14] There's no questions, maybe if you wouldn't mind reading the resolution?
[8:21] Certainly.
[8:23] Unfortunately, if I'm going to read that, it requires a little bit more of an assistance
[8:27] on my part.
[8:30] Resolution of support of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2024.
[8:35] Whereas Washington County recognizes that it has a role in identifying and protecting
[8:40] its citizens from and responding to cyber threats that may have a significant impact
[8:45] to our individual and collective security and privacy.
[8:48] And whereas Washington County recognized that local governments are increasingly targeted
[8:53] by cyber criminals to gain illegal access to sensitive information in which Washington
[8:58] County employees protect and safeguard daily. And whereas businesses and governments are
[9:04] increasingly reliant on information systems and technologies to support financial services,
[9:10] elections, telecommunications, transportation, utilities, healthcare, and emergency response
[9:15] systems and whereas in Washington, in 2024, Washington County continues to building cyber
[9:23] security awareness programs for all employees by requiring the completion of security awareness
[9:29] training courses designed to address the most common risks.
[9:33] And whereas the Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency has implemented awareness
[9:39] programs through a coalition of private companies, non-profit and government organizations
[9:44] as well as academic institutions working together
[9:48] to increase the understanding of cyber threats
[9:50] and empowering the American public to be safer
[9:53] and more secure online.
[9:55] And whereas the National Institute of Standards
[9:58] and Technology's cybersecurity framework has been developed
[10:01] as a free resource to help organizations
[10:04] improve their cybersecurity practices
[10:06] through a practical approach
[10:08] to addressing evolving threats and challenges.
[10:11] And whereas maintaining the security of cyberspace
[10:14] space is a shared responsibility in which each of us has a critical role to play.
[10:19] And awareness of computer security essentials will improve the security of Washington County's
[10:23] information, infrastructure, and economy.
[10:26] And whereas the federal government of the United States of America, the U.S. Department
[10:31] of Homeland Security, the multi-state information sharing and analysis center, the National
[10:36] Association of State Chief Information Officers, and the National Cybersecurity Alliance
[10:42] all recognize October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month and all citizens
[10:48] are encouraged to visit these websites and the Cyber Security Awareness Month
[10:52] website to learn about cybersecurity to put that knowledge into practice in
[10:57] their homes, schools, workplaces and businesses. Now therefore be it resolved
[11:02] that Washington County Board of Commissioners does hereby proclaim the
[11:06] month of October 24 as Cyber Security Awareness Month and recognizes that
[11:11] maintaining the security of cyberspace is a shared responsibility, which each of us has
[11:16] a critical role.
[11:18] Thank you, Phil.
[11:19] I'd look for a motion to support this.
[11:22] I'll move the motion to adopt the resolution to recognize October 2024 as Cybersecurity
[11:29] Awareness Month.
[11:31] Second.
[11:32] Thank you.
[11:36] Motion by Commissioner Kloss and second by Commissioner Crease, Commissioner Kloss.
[11:40] Any comments?
[11:41] Yeah, I just wanted to comment, Phil, thank you so much for bringing this forward.
[11:45] It's very important that we keep secure our information and the AI cyber attacks are just
[11:53] getting more and more complicated and targeted.
[11:56] And it is scary to see these stories that come out about somebody who has been targeted
[12:01] by a cyber attack.
[12:03] So thank you so much for bringing this forward.
[12:05] I appreciate the information.
[12:06] Thank you.
[12:08] Make sure Crystal.
[12:09] Thank you.
[12:09] So, yeah, I just want to say how pleased I have been recognizing the tsunami of cyber
[12:23] attacks that RIT department deals with on a probably a minute-by-minute basis, I mean,
[12:31] and they're sophisticated.
[12:32] And the good news is, RIT is more sophisticated, and I just have very proud of Adam and his
[12:41] whole team of professionals doing a great job.
[12:45] And I'm also pleased with our county board's support to provide any resources that are
[12:53] necessary to continue to protect us, but I couldn't be more happy than with the
[13:01] job of RIT department is doing. Thank you, Phil, for that.
[13:07] Well said, Commissioner. If there's no further comment, we have a motion in second. We'll
[13:15] go to roll call, Stephanie. Commissioner Miran.
[13:18] Aye. Commissioner Carrizo.
[13:19] Aye. Commissioner Bigham.
[13:21] Aye. Commissioner Claeson.
[13:22] Aye. Commissioner Karwaski.
[13:24] Aye. The solution passes 5-0.
[13:26] Thank you again, Phil. Thank you.
[13:29] Next on the agenda is Item 5, Public Health and the Environment, Caleb Johnson, Community
[13:36] Environment Health Program Manager, Senior Manager.
[13:41] Welcome.
[13:43] Good morning, Chair and Commissioners.
[13:45] Well, it was an exciting day here bringing the Solid Waste Management Plan to you, and
[13:50] shout out to IT.
[13:51] They are fantastic for us in public health.
[13:53] We love them, so it's very excited.
[13:56] Today we're bringing to you the final draft for your consideration for adoption of the
[14:03] Washington County Solid Waste Management Plan.
[14:06] We public health and the Board have had a good conversation throughout the year about this,
[14:10] but today I'll provide a little additional background so the public who we don't expect
[14:15] is necessarily tuned into every meeting gets some insight into how this is unfolded
[14:20] here.
[14:23] So we'll go through the management plan itself and the overview of that.
[14:27] that we'll talk a little bit about the board workshops
[14:29] that we've held throughout the summer.
[14:31] We'll talk about the management plan elements itself
[14:34] so the public can get a sense of the chapters
[14:36] that are in there and how we're achieving the goals
[14:38] to reduce solid waste and increase recycling
[14:41] and waste reduction.
[14:43] And we'll bring to you our official request
[14:45] and talk about those next steps.
[14:49] So as a reminder,
[14:50] the solid waste management plan
[14:52] is a statute-driven process.
[14:54] So state statute requires that the seven metro county area adopt individual
[15:00] Dual county management plans that are based on a state policy plan.
[15:05] So the Pollution Control Agency is responsible for kicking off the process by releasing a plan
[15:11] shown here, the 2022-2024 plan in blue.
[15:15] It's a six-year cycle that planning goes through.
[15:18] So every six years, we refresh the plan and we reset that 20-year horizon to look into
[15:23] the future and then guide our actions as the county around solid waste management.
[15:28] So, Statute 473.803 is what requires all of this.
[15:35] This is a fantastic opportunity for the county to continually reset its vision,
[15:40] being the county of landfill number one, Lake Jane landfill,
[15:44] and the public health issues that we know are related to that landfill,
[15:48] and the damage done to the environment.
[15:52] We today are bringing to you this draft plan before all other seven counties.
[15:57] So we're very excited about that. We would have done it on the same day as Ramsey County
[16:01] We don't have a board meeting next week. That was when they're going. So all things equal we we wanted to go first here
[16:07] So we're very excited and proud of what this creates for an opportunity
[16:13] in high-level numbers we have the
[16:15] Actual objectives where we hope to move the waste in the waste hierarchy meaning where it's going to go besides a landfill
[16:24] I'm very happy to say if we look at these numbers, these are statewide numbers and in
[16:28] Washington County virtually none of our municipal solid waste goes to the landfill at all.
[16:33] So this goal of 17.6% in 2025, we've met that goal already.
[16:39] We're near zero.
[16:41] Waste to energy, that's one of our critical tools to manage waste and we do that through
[16:45] the recycling and energy center co-shared with Ramsey County.
[16:48] County, and you can see this continues on into the future. The state sees that into 2042
[16:56] this will be a fifth of the trash still managed by waste to energy. So this is a critical
[17:01] tool that we know needs to continue in the future. And moving up the hierarchy, we're
[17:07] going to be collecting organics recycling throughout the county. We're already doing
[17:11] that at drop sites. I have some exciting news to share a little bit later in the presentation
[17:15] about that. We're already meeting this traditional recycling rates, and then new to this year's
[17:21] state-driven plan is this top-line waste reduction that actually shows the reduction
[17:28] of waste, so making less of it all together. And that's been a hard thing to quantify in
[17:31] public health. It's really a challenge for us sometimes to quantify what we've prevented.
[17:36] We know good work is happening, but you can't count it when it doesn't happen.
[17:40] So this is something we're going to get more sophisticated in documenting how we've reduced
[17:44] the waste stream as well, but going up to 15 percent of the waste stream reduced in 2042.
[17:53] We're coming off of our hottest, driest September on record in Minnesota, so the importance of
[17:59] minding our environmental footprint as a county is of the utmost importance. It's more relevant
[18:06] than ever, and this plan does that through connections to several other county-level plans.
[18:11] the comprehensive plan, the groundwater plan, our mitigation plans including emergency management
[18:18] and debris management, community health improvement plans, county strategic direction,
[18:23] and other key initiatives at the department level. We also connect with neighbors at Ramsey
[18:28] County and at the recycling and energy center that we share with Ramsey County. And this plan
[18:33] was adopted with deliberate focus to align it through recycling and energy so we can leverage
[18:40] our shared neighbor resources between Washington and Ramsey County together and then just a
[18:45] shout out that this really does align with the new county vision of a vibrant county embracing
[18:50] the diversity of its communities, advancing equitable access to resources and opportunities
[18:56] and prioritizing the sustainability of its natural environment.
[19:05] You all were here for these
[19:06] workshops but a reminder to the public that we did have a few touch points throughout the
[19:11] with the board, including all the way back to August 23
[19:14] when we introduced what was all gonna happen
[19:17] throughout 2024 in this planning process.
[19:21] Engagement was a critical component of this plan.
[19:24] It's reflected in the resolution we're bringing for you,
[19:27] bringing forward before you at the end of this presentation.
[19:30] And these were the groups that were critical partners
[19:33] to influence what made it into the plan
[19:35] and how we've prioritized our activities.
[19:37] just
[19:42] one really proud moment where we did reach out through the public
[19:46] schools here locally in the county and we saw that reflected back in a survey
[19:52] response where the youth voice that was reflected in that survey the age
[19:57] demographic shift was just amazing and it was just exciting to see the the
[20:03] county's future weighing in on the county's future decision-making through
[20:07] this plan.
[20:10] So the plan itself is outlined with a background and an introduction, the overarching policies,
[20:17] the governing partnerships, and several chapters covering many different sectors of waste and
[20:24] waste management.
[20:26] Some of the new chapters that you're going to see in this plan that are a reflection
[20:30] of state lessons learned throughout the last planning cycle and through engagement
[20:35] with our public include the product stewardship and extended producer
[20:39] responsibility chapter, bulky waste management, yard waste and wood waste,
[20:44] and construction and demolition waste and deconstruction. We also have a marquee
[20:50] call-out of food scrap pickup program and the work we're doing around
[20:55] organics management and the enhanced communication and outreach strategies
[21:00] that we're focusing on into the future because we know the public
[21:03] doesn't know enough about this plan and they need to.
[21:08] So this is the exciting news. Here
[21:10] we are bringing this to you for adoption today. This is also the day that 82% of our county
[21:16] residents become within reach of the new food scrap pickup program being offered by recycling
[21:23] and energy. So that's 27,670 new households able to sign up for this today. We do have
[21:32] trial kits for this moment down on the fourth floor at the public health
[21:36] offices for anybody who's located in the dark green areas on the map here or in
[21:41] the light green areas that want to sign up we have trial kits available today
[21:45] that people can come and pick up. Commissioner Muran I apologize of the
[21:50] light gray area here but you do have a new environmental center that's going
[21:54] to be opening a couple months here so district one is getting something out
[21:59] of this new plan as well.
[22:02] So the next steps are that we're bringing to
[22:05] a request to adopt this resolution that adopts the 2024-2042 Washington County Solid Waste
[22:13] Management Plan and give public health and environment the authorization to submit the
[22:18] final plan to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for their review and approval. And
[22:23] we have been collaborating with them as we've been drafting the plan.
[22:28] And then lastly, we're just so excited to implement this revised planning, get
[22:33] going on improving the health and the environment
[22:36] for our residents.
[22:38] And with that, I'll stand for questions.
[22:40] Thank you, Caleb.
[22:41] Questions of Caleb?
[22:43] Chair, I'll move the resolution to get it before us.
[22:46] I would move to adopt the resolution approving the 2024
[22:50] to 2042 Washington County Solid Waste Management Plan
[22:54] and authorize the Department of Public Health
[22:56] and Environment to submit the plan
[22:59] to the Commissioner of Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
[23:01] for review and approval.
[23:02] second well should my commissioner Miran second by commissioner class and
[23:10] commissioner Miran Caleb no need to apologize for the gray area there you
[23:17] know there's good rationale for the way the program has been rolling out
[23:23] obviously you know that managing the the food scrap pickup program and and the
[23:31] Delivery directly to our facility in Newport was kind of a key factor and
[23:37] Enrolling the program out and it's been expanded. There's significant areas in Ramsey County that aren't being served yet either
[23:44] Simply because they're not doing a direct haul and we need to incorporate the technology
[23:51] at the sites that the
[23:54] Solid waste is being hauled to so there's there's good rationale in that and the important thing is
[24:01] you know, it's being utilized, the program is meeting our expectations in the communities
[24:07] that it's been rolled out to and, you know, we certainly appreciate the support from the
[24:14] state in, you know, some of the helping with the funding of some of the technology that
[24:21] was necessary to implement that program. I believe, you know, we're not only the
[24:26] first in submitting this solid waste management plan,
[24:30] but we're the first in many areas when it comes to
[24:35] solid waste management here in Washington and Ramsey County.
[24:39] And I think this board is very proud of the work
[24:42] that we've been doing for quite a number of years.
[24:45] I remember when I came on to the board in 2013,
[24:50] attending the meetings in 2012,
[24:52] this was probably one of the more controversial areas
[24:55] of discussion at that time and whether or not we were going to invest in this
[25:01] facility and Commissioner Creasel was somewhat of a stalwart there but I
[25:08] think you know that that thought process evolved and we developed a really good
[25:16] agreement and a really good program because of some of the consternation on
[25:21] the part of, you know, commissioners in this area. But, you know, I look at the every six
[25:29] years it seems almost a little overkill on the program and yet I see how much change has
[25:37] occurred in the last six years. And it truly is important that, you know, we stay abreast
[25:45] with the technology, the changes in the work that we're doing, and so I'm really pleased
[25:52] with the amount of effort you had a slide there with all of the meetings and that type
[25:58] of thing, the volunteers that we had, the people with various expertise in this area
[26:04] that contributed immensely to helping pull our solid waste management plan together along
[26:10] with yourself and public health and environment.
[26:13] I think it truly was a team effort and just a good program.
[26:22] I would encourage our residents to make connections with our recycling and energy center.
[26:29] We're happy to host groups there and do tours so that people can actually see and understand
[26:36] their waste production and where their waste is going and how it's being managed.
[26:42] And I think, you know, people become familiar with that and they see that the zero-waste
[26:50] goal, and I know it's not zero-waste on your chart there, I think is more attainable.
[26:58] I think people will recognize the impact of their waste and the trash and the effort.
[27:05] But I think we're doing a good job in this plan, certainly, brings us forward.
[27:13] Thank you so much for the presentation and bringing this forward.
[27:17] I had made a comment that the entire plan is in the packet and I was scrolling and scrolling.
[27:23] I think the packet was like 340 pages.
[27:28] So thank you for putting it into the packet and letting people really see what this plan
[27:33] is about.
[27:35] you know, the legislature in 1971 required that we have some type of solid waste plan that the
[27:43] MPCA requires this of us. So this is something that we have to do. But we do it. We're doing it
[27:50] so well. And I agree with Commissioner Miran's comments about, you know, we're the first
[27:57] of many for the, you know, not only solid waste plan, but also conserving land and clean water
[28:06] protections. And we continue to do that and try and be, you know, good environmental stewards.
[28:14] And I think the county and you, as well as Dave Rummel and Stephanie's shooter and suitor
[28:20] and the additional staff, you guys are experts
[28:24] in what you're doing and it's people are becoming,
[28:28] like we're becoming the ones that people look to
[28:30] to see what are we gonna be doing next.
[28:33] And I really appreciate you taking the time
[28:35] to consider comments from the commissioners,
[28:38] asking to make sure that our solid waste plan,
[28:44] matches or at least
[28:48] compatible to Ramsey County because we do work with them so much on the recycling
[28:54] and energy and I think that that is something that we also added to the
[29:00] solid waste plan so that it's more of a picture and more of a it tells a story
[29:05] our plan does than it then it has in the past so I'm actually really pleased
[29:12] and proud of the results in front of us today you know I also think that you know
[29:18] the legislature in 2014 required all agencies and the counties to achieve
[29:23] recycling rates of 75% and higher by 2030 and we're already there and as you
[29:31] just mentioned none of our garbage in those areas that we talked about are
[29:37] going to the landfill.
[29:39] And that's a big accomplishment that many around the state wish they could say as well.
[29:46] And when I went to Kowalski's at the grocery store and I put away my, and I was throwing
[29:50] away my garbage and it said waste to landfill, I was confident that that was what was happening.
[29:57] and I
[30:00] And I'm happy that that is something that people can take away from this because there's
[30:03] a lot of work that goes into it. And you guys are doing an amazing job at reducing the waste
[30:09] stream and helping people, you know, reduce their carbon footprint. And I think that's
[30:13] what we're, this is intended to do. So kudos, double star, gold star, double checks. I really
[30:22] applause. Thank you.
[30:25] for sure big um yeah thank you it's a it's a great plan and I've always enjoyed
[30:30] this process I think that the feedback that the commissioners provided I was
[30:34] very well accepted and the one thing that I like about this plan is it
[30:39] demonstrates that Washington County is not stagnant when it comes to this area
[30:46] and I appreciate the additions that you did add I think one of the areas
[30:53] is that really had a lot of change to it was PFAS
[30:56] because of what the federal government, the EPA,
[30:59] set the limits for human exposure for the first time
[31:04] and the timeline, I think is important.
[31:06] I think it's important because we have
[31:09] our local municipalities who we work in concert with
[31:13] and they're gonna struggle meeting these limits,
[31:18] whether it's Woodbury, whether it's Stillwater,
[31:23] cottage grove, they all are going to struggle with how to mitigate those concerns with the
[31:31] water levels. And so I just think it was important for public transparency to have
[31:35] the timelines in there and the levels in there in that. So I think it was a very good
[31:41] addition that you put in there. And again, I just want to highlight that
[31:46] But just the document shows that we are just constantly moving along and progressing in
[31:55] this area and our leaders in this.
[31:58] And I think that that's important to demonstrate.
[32:00] So thank you.
[32:03] Commissioner Bigum, I wanted to point out that the Newport facility, which you represent
[32:09] Newport, is such a critical, the recycling energy building there, so critical, the effort
[32:16] of the Solid Waste Management Plan and your leadership on the facilities and finance,
[32:21] cheering that is instrumental in your communication with the city of Newport and having a good partner
[32:29] with Newport and there's been a lot of things done to mitigate
[32:36] order order I was searching was there anything done with sound but maybe not
[32:43] but the order and a lot of investment there so thank you for your leadership there
[32:51] and Commissioner Maron you're chairing the energy and recycling energy board is
[32:58] critical also can we share a crease over do you like that anything yeah I'd
[33:02] I'd like to recognize Commissioner Begum
[33:05] for having that facility in her district.
[33:09] They do just a great job
[33:11] and respond to any concerns that Newport has in such
[33:17] and they've really improved that
[33:20] from older containment and things like that.
[33:25] So I appreciate that.
[33:27] Also appreciate the great relationship
[33:31] we have with Ramsey County. I know that goes back to when they had the solid
[33:36] waste management coordinating board back at Dick Stafford days and and the
[33:43] Green Guardian and things like that. It was a it was a great committee and that
[33:48] evolved into the R&E board and I'd just like to say Ramsey County provided
[33:57] a tremendous leadership with Commissioner Reinhardt, Victoria Reinhardt. She's going to be
[34:04] stepping down this year and I'm confident that Ramsey County, it's going to be hard to replace her
[34:11] because she's just been so great to work with. I know Commissioner Maron, you and
[34:19] Commissioner Reinhardt have a great relationship and that's very meaningful. I just want to
[34:26] Command Caleb in the public health environment. This is a great plan. I know there's a lot
[34:33] of effort goes into this and things like that. And I think you did a superb job looking
[34:39] forward to the yard waste, free waste in the central district. I know I appreciate
[34:45] the work you're doing. I do know the lower Valley communities appreciate what you're
[34:53] doing and keeping them informed and hopefully that will become a reality.
[35:00] But other than that, the other thing, the R&E facility is self-sustaining.
[35:05] There's no direct support from levy support or no use of CEC funding.
[35:12] Is that right, Commissioner Maron?
[35:16] Right.
[35:16] I just want to point that out to the public.
[35:18] So it's a great plan, supported, thanks Caleb.
[35:25] Any other comments from the board?
[35:29] Maybe in closing, Caleb, thank you for your leadership.
[35:34] And there's a lot of staff members.
[35:36] I know we've got some in the audience,
[35:38] so it takes a good team effort.
[35:40] I think I totally agree also with the commissioner's comments
[35:45] they made this morning on the board.
[35:47] very good comments and if it's okay with the board we'll not read the
[35:54] resolution on this one and we'll if there's no further comment we will move
[36:00] to a vote on adopting the resolution the motion was made by Commissioner Miran
[36:04] second by Commissioner Klosson. Stephanie roll call please. Commissioner Miran?
[36:10] Aye. Commissioner Creasel? Aye. Commissioner Bigham? Aye. Commissioner Klosson?
[36:15] Hi.
[36:15] Commissioner Karwaski.
[36:16] Hi.
[36:17] Resolution passes 5-0.
[36:19] Thank you again, Kale.
[36:21] Thank you, commissioners.
[36:23] We'll move to public works.
[36:25] Joe Gustafson, traffic engineer, item A. Good morning and welcome.
[36:33] I must say, our state recognized national recognized traffic engineer.
[36:39] Good morning, Mr. Chair and commissioners.
[36:41] I'm here this morning to ask for a resolution of support
[36:45] to convert the intersection of County Road 12
[36:48] at Brick Street to always stop control.
[36:52] In my presentation this morning,
[36:54] we'll do a quick review of the intersection location
[36:56] and characteristics, talk about what we've heard
[36:58] from residents in the city,
[37:00] review our findings and the staff recommendation,
[37:03] discuss the proposed timeline if the Board were
[37:06] to approve these improvements or these changes
[37:08] and finally end with a request for a resolution to approve an all-way stop on
[37:14] County State 8 Highway 12 at Brick Street in the city of Stillwater. The
[37:20] location highlighted on the map here again is on County State 8 Highway 12
[37:26] which is known at this location as Myrtle Street. If you go just a little
[37:29] bit to the west it becomes 75th Street as it heads over towards Modemidae. It
[37:34] is a four-legged intersection that currently operates as a two-way stop
[37:38] with stop control for the northbound and southbound approaches is within a 30
[37:43] mile per hour zone but it is very near to a 50 mile per hour zone just to the
[37:47] west and it's also located at a transition area from the urban the old
[37:53] grid portion of Stillwater to a less dense area as you head to the west. There
[37:58] are sidewalks on both sides of County 12 in this area and on the west side of
[38:02] Brick Street. There is also a residential street to the north which is
[38:06] Birchwood Drive, which has no sidewalks at this time.
[38:12] We were approached by residents that expressed concerns about the lack of controlled crossings
[38:18] in this area and their desire to reach trails that are in the area of Lake McCusick, which
[38:23] is just to the north of this area that does have a number of trails around it.
[38:27] They were concerned with traffic speeds that routinely exceed 30 miles per hour.
[38:31] We do have a radar sign out there that does help and advises people of their speed
[38:35] as they come into town. But even though it's effective, it's not 100 percent effective
[38:39] by any means. There are concerns about sight lines in both directions. This area is located
[38:44] within a curve. And the volumes are fairly high. So some are concerned about lack of
[38:49] gaps even if their sight lines and ability to judge those is good.
[38:55] We were originally approached essentially with a blank request that seemed to suggest
[39:01] that they were looking for some crosswalk signage or markings. So we did evaluate
[39:04] evaluate that as a possibility. They also mentioned the possibility of some button-activated
[39:09] flashing signs. We evaluated possible geometric changes such as a center island and finally
[39:15] changes to intersection control that could have included an always stop or a roundabout
[39:19] or a traffic signal. So we looked at all of these. We did some data collection by
[39:24] visiting the site to look at the site conditions. We reviewed the pedestrian network in this
[39:29] area where the different places that connect up to the north where these pedestrians
[39:33] and they're saying they would like to go.
[39:35] And also the corridor, what are the other features
[39:38] within this corridor that people might want to cross to
[39:40] and what types of volumes might we see at those locations?
[39:44] So for example, we have the JC ball fields,
[39:47] which is just two blocks to the west of here.
[39:49] We have Ramsey Grove Park,
[39:50] which is one block to the east of here.
[39:51] So there's crossing desires throughout this corridor.
[39:56] And we wanted to figure out how does this rate
[39:58] relative to other places within the corridor.
[40:01] door. We collected intersection counts and created a traffic model, which you see a screenshot
[40:05] of here. And our findings were that the intersection does not meet official warrants for always
[40:11] stops or a signal. So that's an important consideration for us. But we also determined
[40:16] that crosswalk signs or flashers would likely be unsatisfactory in performance. We know
[40:21] that crosswalk markings themselves are not a safety device. And blinking yellow lights
[40:25] do not actually reassign right of way. So we expected that even if we were to pursue
[40:30] those, these residents would be coming back asking for more. Our past experience says
[40:35] that these types of devices in the long run are not meeting expectations. And always stop
[40:42] at Brick Street could operate without excessive queues or delays. So even though it wasn't
[40:48] quite meeting those criteria, it seemed like it will operate well based on the model.
[40:51] And another benefit of that is there's an existing right turn lane for traffic
[40:56] that's coming from the west to turn south on Brick Street, which based on the model is not needed with an always stop.
[41:03] So that would offer us an opportunity to possibly narrow up that crossing narrower than what it is today.
[41:11] In February 22 of this year, county staff shared a preliminary recommendation with these residents
[41:17] and with some city staff that we were leaning towards always stop control.
[41:21] That was well received and on July 14th this year.
[41:25] The Stillwater City Council approved a resolution to install
[41:28] Always Stop Control at this intersection.
[41:32] So just a quick review of the timeline.
[41:34] A lot of the genesis of this was the addition of a sidewalk to Brick Street,
[41:38] which did not previously have sidewalks.
[41:40] So that's bringing more people to this intersection.
[41:43] So they approached us in 2023.
[41:46] And again, in those discussions earlier this year,
[41:50] expressing those concerns and looking for some changes to the intersection. We
[41:54] completed our analysis and provided that recommendation. One thing I want to make
[41:58] sure to mention that's not on here is early this year in April, we hired our
[42:02] new assistant traffic engineer, Zach Raven, who helped me put this
[42:05] presentation together and help keep the ball rolling on this despite our
[42:09] busy schedules. And the City Council approved a resolution supporting the
[42:19] to install this within this month, October 2024, along with a temporary closure of that
[42:24] existing right turn lane. We believe that this will help draw driver attention to the
[42:30] change in traffic control and also provide a proof of concept for how the intersection
[42:34] would operate if we were to explore permanently removing that right turn lane in the future.
[42:39] That's something that would require more road construction. That's not explicitly programmed
[42:43] right now, but this offers us an opportunity to see just how well that works. The model
[42:50] suggests it works well, but it's always good to try things in real life when you can.
[42:55] And so then before winter, though, before the snow plows are out there, we want to
[42:59] make sure to get those drums and barrels off the road. So that would be a relatively
[43:03] short experiment.
[43:07] Allway stops are not a cure-all. They do have downsides. They're
[43:10] a useful method to control the right-of-way assignment at intersections, and they can
[43:14] be effective in reducing certain crash types. We weren't seeing an actual crash problem
[43:19] at this intersection. It was more difficulty finding gaps to cross and for people making
[43:25] that left turn because this serves as kind of an unofficial connection between County
[43:29] Road 5 and County Road 12 for people that are coming northbound. Always stops can
[43:34] increase delays and traffic noise and they can potentially increase other crash types
[43:39] such as rear-end crashes. So these are not appropriate for every intersection but
[43:42] that's why we took a strategic look at this corridor to figure out which of these locations
[43:47] would make the most sense. And what we found here was this one had on average the best
[43:52] connectivity and also the highest volume. The amount of volume passing back and forth
[43:58] on the county road is actually quite comparable to the amount of traffic that is coming
[44:02] north on Brick Street. So it's not exactly 50-50, but it was surprisingly close.
[44:09] So, the requested Board action this morning is to adopt a resolution authorizing the installation
[44:14] of appropriate signs to establish an all-way stop condition at the intersection of County
[44:19] State Aid 12, known as Myrtle Street at this location, at its intersection with Brick Street,
[44:25] South, and Birchwood Drive in the city of Stillwater.
[44:28] And with that, I will stand for questions.
[44:31] Thank you, Joe.
[44:32] Mr. Kreisel.
[44:32] Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[44:34] I would move that resolution.
[44:36] Second.
[44:38] Okay, we have a motion by Commissioner Creasel, second by Commissioner Bigum, Commissioner
[44:43] Creasel.
[44:44] Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you, Joe, for the good presentation.
[44:48] I agree if we didn't take action with it, certainly be here at the residence.
[44:54] This has a lot to do about pedestrian safety.
[44:58] They have that.
[44:58] I don't know.
[45:00] If name escapes me right now or that apartment complex, but we met with them a few months ago
[45:09] and City of Stillwater staff was there and everybody is pretty much in agreement that
[45:15] this would be a great safety improvement. As you know, Brick Street gets quite busy.
[45:23] people coming off of five trying to access 12 to go to the west during rush
[45:31] hour and other times it's a it's kind of a main main connector Brook Street is so
[45:37] this is I think it's gonna be pretty good for pedestrian safety there's a lot
[45:45] of walkers they want to be across north and south so I strongly support this and
[45:51] I appreciate the work of our public works bringing this forward.
[45:54] Thank you, Commissioner.
[45:56] Thank you.
[45:57] Commissioner Begum.
[45:58] Thank you.
[45:58] Thank you, Joe, for your work on this.
[46:01] Folks have not seen Joe in action when he is evaluating one of these intersections.
[46:06] It's something to watch just so you know I've seen it personally, so thank you for
[46:11] doing this.
[46:12] I can understand why you're a national board winning engineer.
[46:15] So I just want to compliment Commissioner Creasel's leadership on this.
[46:19] he's like a dog on a bone with this,
[46:22] making sure that this got done for the residents there
[46:26] in this area for safety and just for pedestrian crossing
[46:32] and really just to make sure that the flow
[46:36] is going good there for traffic,
[46:38] because it is a busy area.
[46:39] And I know it was a big concern,
[46:40] so I appreciate your leadership there with the city as well.
[46:44] Thank you, Commissioner, anyone else?
[46:48] Joe, good overview, good background.
[46:51] I was wondering, and maybe Commissioner Creasville and Joe, would you know this, will this impede
[46:56] any traffic getting to Nelson's ice cream, is it like somewhere in the area?
[47:01] That's always a concern of mine.
[47:04] I don't think so, Joe.
[47:06] It will take a little longer if you're coming from the West, but fortunately they don't
[47:10] serve you the ice cream.
[47:11] Okay.
[47:11] It won't melt.
[47:13] You don't want to eat or drive.
[47:14] You don't want to be nice cream and driving. Good point. Good point. Well, we
[47:20] appreciate that commissure Creasel's leadership, you know, still water well, so um
[47:27] If there's no further comment, we this is a resolution we'll move to
[47:34] Stephanie roll call, please
[47:35] Mr. Miran. Hi to Mr. Creasel. Hi, Mr. Bigam. Hi, Mr. Clawson. Hi, Commissioner Karwaski. Hi
[47:43] Resolution passes five zero. Thank you, John.
[47:49] We'll move to item seven on the agenda of property records and taxpayer services
[47:53] Amy Stentenagel. Did I get that right? You did commissioner. Yes. Thank you
[47:59] Good morning, Mr. Chair commissioners. My name is Amy Stentenagel and I am the director of property records and taxpayer services
[48:05] Thank you for the opportunity to be here today
[48:07] I am here to honor the employees and the property records and taxpayer services department and ask that we declare October 7
[48:14] through 11th, 2024 as customer service week here in Washington County.
[48:19] Since 1992 in the U.S., the first full week in October was proclaimed National Customer
[48:24] Service Week by Congress to recognize the work of customer service professionals throughout
[48:28] the year and the importance of that work in a wide range of businesses including government.
[48:34] The employees in the property records and taxpayer services department serve county
[48:37] customers and residents on a daily basis, face-to-face at a number of locations throughout
[48:42] the county.
[48:42] We are here today to recognize the high-quality service they provide and to share our appreciation.
[48:48] And we have a resolution before you today requesting that you proclaim this week Customer
[48:52] Service Week in Washington County, and if it's okay with you, Mr. Chair, I'll go ahead
[48:56] and read the resolution.
[48:57] Yes, please.
[48:59] All right.
[48:59] Resolution honoring County staff and employees of the Department of Property Records and
[49:03] Taxpayer Services during Customer Service Week October 7th through 11th, 2024, whereas
[49:09] the purpose of the work of Washington County employees is to serve the resident
[49:12] of Washington County and whereas the mission of Washington County is that we strive to provide
[49:17] exceptional services that enhance quality of life and promote a safe, healthy and welcoming community
[49:22] for all and whereas the employees at Washington County live this mission every day providing a
[49:28] wide variety of quality external and internal services and whereas the people who make up the
[49:33] staff of the county's property records and taxpayer services department have extensive
[49:37] of technical knowledge and serve county residents on a daily basis at a number of locations
[49:42] throughout the county.
[49:44] And whereas prompt, friendly and accurate customer service is a requirement of that staff doing
[49:49] its job well and serving county residents with its utmost ability and whereas it is
[49:53] fitting to recognize the supreme customer service that staff provides while fulfilling
[49:58] its role of providing service to the residents of Washington County.
[50:01] Now therefore be it resolved that the Washington County Board of Commissioners wishes to
[50:05] extend its heartfelt thanks and appreciation to all employees of Washington County for the
[50:09] quality services they provide and be it further resolved that the Washington County Board of
[50:14] Commissioners wishes to specifically acknowledge property records and taxpayer services staff
[50:18] for its matchless customer service to all residents of Washington County and be it
[50:23] further resolved that in the light of that appreciation the Washington County Board of
[50:27] Commissioners proclaims October 7th through 11th 2024 customer service week in Washington
[50:33] County to publicly state that appreciation. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll stand for any comments or
[50:38] questions. Thank you, Amy. I'd look for a motion. Board, I will, Chair, I will move to adopt the
[50:46] resolution honoring staff in the property records and taxpayer services department and declare an
[50:50] October 7th through the 11th 2024 customer service week in Washington County. Second.
[50:58] Okay.
[50:58] Okay.
[50:59] Motion by Commissioner Klassen, second by Commissioner Begum.
[51:02] Commissioner Klassen.
[51:04] Thank you so much for the presentation.
[51:07] Your department has Supreme customer service.
[51:11] You're right.
[51:12] It's Supreme.
[51:13] What other heartfelt thanks, I mean that is really what it is.
[51:17] It's quality services and they continue to exceed the expectations.
[51:22] They're doing amazing work and I'm so excited for them to have the new central service
[51:26] Center which everyone always enjoys a new location and also the amount of pride
[51:33] that I have in the election staff. I just saw two this morning and we talked
[51:38] about what you know all the things that they're they're doing and they got all
[51:41] of the primary election voter information updated before the 10,000
[51:48] applications that were completed. So kudos to your team. Every day I see them
[51:54] They have a smile on their face.
[51:56] If it's not in the, you know, getting my license renewed or, you know, talking to elections,
[52:01] they are excited to perform the services.
[52:05] And that's really what we do in county is we have to provide those quality services
[52:10] to our constituents.
[52:11] So thank you.
[52:15] Thank you.
[52:16] Thank you.
[52:16] This is a fantastic resolution and it is just wonderful that we're able to recognize
[52:23] and I'm going to pass this resolution because I have to say, and I think I've said this
[52:28] numerous times, but your staff is probably the front line, front phase, the number one
[52:35] interactors of residents that they will more than likely have interaction with any of our
[52:40] staff, maybe besides libraries, would be your staff.
[52:44] And so the incredible work and effort and service that they provide is just amazing.
[52:52] and as you said it is superb so and they are earning their keep with the
[52:57] elections and all the legislation that changes that I don't think the folks up
[53:03] in St. Paul think about your staff when they make the changes and how it impacts
[53:07] them. So just appreciate their dedication and their hard work and thank you for
[53:13] bringing this forward. Thank you Commissioner Mann. Just a very well
[53:17] written resolution. It almost has the taste of a former library director involved in writing
[53:25] resolution. But, you know, certainly customer service is key to our success in serving the
[53:34] public here in Washington County. And, you know, as a board member, I just so much appreciate
[53:39] the dedication there is. And it's not always an easy job. I know, you know, sometimes
[53:46] times, hours of service are an issue as well and we've made adjustments to that over time.
[53:52] I think, you know, we just got such good people serving the public here in Washington County
[53:58] and appreciate all of the work that they do.
[54:02] Thank you.
[54:03] Can we share?
[54:04] Grisel?
[54:04] Thank you.
[54:05] I agree with the comments that the commissioners have made.
[54:09] the employees here staff continue to impress. They're very committed. They're very serious
[54:20] in what they do, and they put in a lot of effort. They're the face of the county in
[54:27] many cases, and I believe they just do an outstanding job. Thank you for your leadership.
[54:35] Any other comments?
[54:39] Amy, good leadership.
[54:41] We appreciate your employees.
[54:43] I wanted to point out this specific resolution is recognizing the property records and taxpayer
[54:50] services department of your director position.
[54:56] I agree with the commissioner's comments.
[55:00] There has been a motion by Commissioner Clausson,
[55:03] second by Commissioner Bigum to adopt the resolution
[55:07] honoring staff in the property records
[55:10] and taxpayer services department
[55:11] and declaring October 7th through 11th, 2024,
[55:16] customer service week in Washington County.
[55:20] There's no further comments.
[55:21] We'll move to roll call, Stephanie, please.
[55:24] Commissioner Miran.
[55:25] Aye.
[55:25] Commissioner Creasel.
[55:26] Aye.
[55:26] Commissioner Bigum.
[55:27] Aye.
[55:28] Commissioner Klossin.
[55:29] Hi.
[55:29] Commissioner Kowalski.
[55:31] Hi.
[55:31] Resolution passes 5-0.
[55:34] Thank you, Amy.
[55:36] And now we'll move to Item 8 on the agenda, General Administration.
[55:40] Kevin Corbett.
[55:41] Good morning, Mr. Chair and commissioners.
[55:43] Item 8 will be presented by Emily Jorgensen.
[55:47] Welcome, Emily.
[55:52] Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[55:53] Emily Jorgensen, Planning Manager with Administration.
[55:56] I'm here today to talk to you about Imagine 2050, the Regional Development Guide, and
[56:01] any comment letter prepared by staff on behalf of the board.
[56:04] And we did have a workshop on this item last week
[56:06] so we're mostly updating you on the changes that we made.
[56:11] So go over very highly what is Imagine 2050.
[56:15] We'll give you a review of those policy plan area comments
[56:18] a little bit about the overall Imagine 2050 timeline
[56:20] and then we'll get into the approval of the letter.
[56:24] Well, I'll give a summary of those comments
[56:26] from our workshop last week.
[56:28] I do wanna note that while I'm up here today
[56:29] this was a very kind of a collaborative process
[56:32] as leveraging a lot of the technical expertise
[56:35] of the planners throughout the organization.
[56:37] So a lot of kudos to all of our departments who are involved.
[56:41] What is Imagine 2050?
[56:43] So this is a plan that's developed
[56:44] by the Metropolitan Council
[56:46] as they are our Metropolitan Planning Organization
[56:48] and the Local Planning Authority
[56:50] for the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area.
[56:52] Under State Law, Met Council is responsible
[56:54] for producing what's usually a 30 year plan
[56:56] and also known as the Regional Development Guide
[56:59] for the Twin Cities area.
[57:00] If you've been around long enough,
[57:01] remember the last one was called Thrive 2040. That was adopted in May 2014. Imagine 2050
[57:08] again is our regional development guide. It is in draft form so that's why they're asking
[57:12] for comments. For us what this means is this is the beginning of the 2050 comprehensive
[57:17] plan process. So imagine 2050 contains policy plans on land use, transportation, regional
[57:23] parks, housing and water.
[57:27] So we'll get into the first policy plan area which is
[57:30] land use.
[57:33] So the land use policy plan guides land use planning for the entire region. As
[57:37] the board recalls, we have very limited land use control as Washington County. Our comment
[57:42] themes really support the interconnected nature of all the systems covered in Imagine
[57:46] 2050, highlighting the need to protect habitat and water resources, and reflecting our role
[57:52] in land use and the Land and Water Legacy Program. We also provided some comments
[57:57] on staging development apologize for the typo in there of stagging we meant staging development
[58:01] to protect their remaining aggregate resources reflecting what we heard from the county board
[58:06] last week during workshop.
[58:10] Moving right along to our transportation policy plan. The transportation
[58:14] policy plan covers highway transit freight and bicycle pedestrian. Our comments are centered
[58:20] on the regional solicitation which is a federal grant process encouraging that council to ensure
[58:24] that process meets our regional goals, asking that geographic equity should be considered
[58:29] when making transportation investments, particularly when considering the vital role that suburban
[58:33] rural areas play in transportation. We ask that safety improvements and initiatives
[58:38] continue to be emphasized. And then added from last week, we added some comment centered
[58:43] on ensuring that the communities that participate in the transit taxing districts
[58:47] do see something for their participation. And then asking also for further collaboration
[58:52] on microtransit services and other transit service types
[58:57] beyond kind of that classic commuter model.
[59:04] Moving into our regional parks policy and trails plan,
[59:08] this covers a policy for regional parks
[59:10] for the entire region.
[59:11] It includes changes to current policies
[59:13] like long range plan requirements,
[59:16] funding caps, recreational uses, natural systems, and more.
[59:19] Our comment centered on asking for policies
[59:22] that acknowledge the variability
[59:23] in the park and trail system
[59:25] them. And then the variety of needs from implementation agencies, as we call Conor Schaefer last week
[59:30] noted that Cuomo Regional Park and Big Marine Regional Park are under the same system, but
[59:34] they have very different needs. So asking the Met Council to kind of create policy
[59:38] that reflects that variety. We provided comments that support streamlined processes
[59:43] and increased coordination on new initiatives. You reflected in the plan while also encouraging
[59:47] the Met Council to continue to provide only a high level guidance. We are seeking
[59:52] support for increased demands and funding challenges that regional parks are facing,
[59:56] including a more sustainable funding formula.
[1:00:00] And we also add comment seeking regional support for coordination on tourism efforts, invasive
[1:00:04] species management, accessibility and mobility, and coordination on land protection, similar
[1:00:09] to the role that the county's land and water legacy program currently plays.
[1:00:18] Moving along to our water policy plan, this covers water resource planning for the entire
[1:00:22] metro, includes the council's role in managing the wastewater treatment system, surface water
[1:00:27] monitoring and planning, and water supply planning.
[1:00:30] Our county groundwater plan is currently being drafted and updated and works to coordinate
[1:00:35] with partners for protection.
[1:00:37] Council staff participated in the county's process.
[1:00:40] County staff participated in the council's process.
[1:00:42] A lot of strong collaboration there.
[1:00:45] In our comments here, kind of note the importance of water resources in Washington
[1:00:50] County, our groundwater plan efforts, and the impact that PFAS are having on both
[1:00:55] wastewater and drinking water management.
[1:00:56] We also ask for clarification around the agency's roles, as identified in Imagine 2050.
[1:01:02] Support for increased funding for well and septic replacement.
[1:01:05] Support for safe water use and encourage more coordination from the Met Council with local
[1:01:09] governments and the NPCA on decentralized wastewater treatment system planning, use
[1:01:15] and subsurface sewage treatment systems.
[1:01:21] And the last policy plan is our housing policy plan.
[1:01:25] This was truly under more of the purview of the Community Development Authority or agency.
[1:01:31] So we did have Melissa Tapphorn participate, and there was a letter submitted by the CDA
[1:01:36] to the Met Council already.
[1:01:37] You will see an updated letter in your packets that did reflect some of the comments that
[1:01:41] Melissa heard last week.
[1:01:43] Overall, the policy plan leverages a lot of the work that the Met Council did 10
[1:01:46] years ago, which was the first housing plan in 30 years as part of Thrive 2040.
[1:01:50] this time they're focusing really on proximity, choice,
[1:01:53] dignity, decency, connection, and well-being.
[1:01:55] All of that is split into those three policy areas
[1:01:58] of provide, plan, and partner.
[1:02:00] The county's comments for this section
[1:02:01] do just affirm that CDA letter of what we found there,
[1:02:04] where they encourage fair housing and geographic choice,
[1:02:07] options to own and rent, stability, equity,
[1:02:09] and future affordable housing needs by local jurisdiction.
[1:02:15] This is just a brief timeline
[1:02:16] of where the Met Council is at in their process.
[1:02:19] So while this process did start two years ago
[1:02:20] with the research and paper authoring and community engagement, and they are now in
[1:02:26] the kind of went through the drafting of the policy and actions are now asking for public
[1:02:30] comment.
[1:02:31] Comments are due next Monday, which is why we're here before you today.
[1:02:34] And then after that time, we would hear back from them on some of the comments, and then
[1:02:38] they'd move into that adoption implementation.
[1:02:40] That's when we would really kick off our process for our 2050 comprehensive plan.
[1:02:46] So the requested action I have for you today is approval of Washington County's
[1:02:49] comment letter to Metropolitan Council regarding the draft Imagine 2050 policy
[1:02:53] plan. Mr. Chair, I can now stand for questions. Thank you, Emily. Commissioner
[1:02:57] Bigham. Mr. Chair, I'll move approval of the Washington County's comment letter to
[1:03:01] the Met Council regarding the draft Imagine 2050 policy plan. Second. We have a
[1:03:07] motion and second. Commissioner Bigham. Thank you. Again, thank you for putting
[1:03:12] this together. I know it was a big effort. That's a big plan to go through
[1:03:16] and just appreciate staff's efforts in doing this.
[1:03:19] I'm not going to go through every section,
[1:03:21] but really appreciate the detail that has gone into this.
[1:03:26] I will say, again, really appreciate the PFAS highlights.
[1:03:30] I think whether it's letting the state know in our plans,
[1:03:33] whether the Met Council known the plans,
[1:03:35] the struggle that our communities have
[1:03:38] with the contamination and PFAS,
[1:03:41] and the difficulty it's going to be
[1:03:44] in the collaboration we need to have with them and amongst each other is important.
[1:03:48] So really appreciate highlighting that in this.
[1:03:50] And then I just want to say the transportation policy plan
[1:03:56] and the highlighting of geographic equity is very important.
[1:04:00] We're going into next year where there will be an update
[1:04:05] to the regional solicitation plan.
[1:04:07] And I just want to give a shout out to Commissioner Karwaski who serves
[1:04:10] on tabs and halls for quite a while and his leadership has been fantastic on that and
[1:04:15] really advocating for geographic equity in the regional solicitation and federal dollars
[1:04:24] and has really delivered for Washington County on federal dollars.
[1:04:27] So just appreciate his leadership on that role and that his comments and stuff were reflected
[1:04:33] in this as well.
[1:04:34] So appreciate that.
[1:04:35] Thank you, Commissioner.
[1:04:36] Commissioner Moran.
[1:04:36] Well, Metropolitan Council is an important partner with Washington County, and the comment
[1:04:43] letter, I think, takes into consideration certainly the good discussion we had in the
[1:04:49] workshop setting, and I appreciate Emily, the staff, working with us to address some
[1:04:55] of the other concerns that weren't necessarily addressed as well as what the board thought.
[1:05:01] But public doesn't always see the work behind the scenes and the effort in our workshops
[1:05:07] to provide good solid input into some of these planning documents.
[1:05:16] This is certainly an important document that's going to provide guidance for some time here
[1:05:22] and appreciate your work on that and the rest of the staff.
[1:05:26] So thank you.
[1:05:28] Commissioner Klossam.
[1:05:29] Yeah.
[1:05:29] Thank you.
[1:05:30] I appreciate and I agree with the comments made by the board.
[1:05:35] One thing that wasn't mentioned that I think is important is to talk about the housing stability
[1:05:39] and the comments that were taken into the board's comments that were taken into and put down on the letter.
[1:05:48] I really liked the fact that we are spotlighting that we are at a disadvantage in Washington County
[1:05:55] because of the allocation of housing choice vouchers.
[1:05:58] and I am glad that we put that information out there.
[1:06:02] The Met Council has an opportunity to help us more with funding,
[1:06:07] and I think it's a really important paragraph.
[1:06:11] It's also important that we talk about and encourage more project-based vouchers
[1:06:18] within our Washington County.
[1:06:21] I think that East Metro, and Washington County, we lag behind.
[1:06:27] And this is what we need in order to meet the demands of our constituents in the future.
[1:06:33] So I'm happy with the changes that were made and the feedback that was taken in and the
[1:06:41] changes that we see before us today.
[1:06:43] I really appreciate staff's effort into, again, letting the board have our comments
[1:06:50] and talk about it in the way that we do.
[1:06:53] and, like Commissioner Miran said, much of this is not in work sessions and in other conversations.
[1:07:00] And so we see ourselves as a really strong supporter and stakeholder to the Met Council
[1:07:06] and continue to have these kind of conversations with them in the future.
[1:07:13] Any other?
[1:07:14] Commissioner Crizzle?
[1:07:15] Thanks.
[1:07:16] Pretty much the same comments.
[1:07:17] And I appreciate the fact, as Commissioner Klassen mentioned, the feedback from the County
[1:07:24] Board was incorporated in the final draft and just want to give a shout out to Emily.
[1:07:30] Emily, I think you're doing a great job and appreciate your leadership.
[1:07:35] Any other comments?
[1:07:38] Yeah, I'll conclude.
[1:07:39] Emily, you appreciate your leadership.
[1:07:41] I know there's a lot of planners involved in this and staff.
[1:07:45] It was really a good document that you've worked on using what you think the will of
[1:07:52] the county board is, the knowledge of our staff.
[1:07:56] You know, I think as pointed out, I really think ours were kind of not changes, but
[1:08:02] additions that just made it a stronger comment later on the plan.
[1:08:09] I do think that Med Council's Commissioner Miron pointed out there's a good partner,
[1:08:15] an essential partner for the regional planning and this our input and the work
[1:08:22] that staff has done on our letter and the CDA's work only make the regional
[1:08:28] planning better and actually makes Med Council's partnership with Washington
[1:08:36] County even stronger as far as knowing the will of Washington County and how we can be a better
[1:08:40] county. So it's kind of a two-way information street. I definitely can agree with the other
[1:08:48] commissioner's comments and if there's no further comments we will move to a vote. We have a
[1:08:55] commissioner Bigham made the motion and commissioner Amaran seconded it and that was to approve
[1:09:01] the Washington County's comment letter to the Metropolitan Council regarding the draft
[1:09:06] Imagine 2050 policy plan. With that said, all in favor signify by aye.
[1:09:14] Aye.
[1:09:16] Opposed, same sign. Motion carries. Ayes have it. Thank you.
[1:09:21] Thank you.
[1:09:21] Thank you again.
[1:09:25] Anything else, Kevin?
[1:09:28] No, Mr. Chair.
[1:09:28] It will move to number nine, a commissioner reports,
[1:09:34] commissioner classes.
[1:09:35] Thank you.
[1:09:40] It's been a busy week.
[1:09:42] Tuesday was an open house for my district
[1:09:46] on Beley Road and Settlers Ridge.
[1:09:49] The open house was Lake Middle.
[1:09:51] It was a decent turnout.
[1:09:54] A lot of people in support of the project
[1:09:57] did get more complaints about noise
[1:09:59] and that's been an ongoing issue that I'm hearing more and more about is the
[1:10:05] noise from the high-speed roads. And so I'm just going to mention what I know
[1:10:11] people are saying to me so that they hear that I'm listening and I'm telling
[1:10:15] people that I'm hearing constituents. On Thursday we had the R&E board
[1:10:21] which Commissioner Miran and Bigham I'm sure will talk about. On 927 which
[1:10:27] Friday, we had the open Hover Door Dash event that Washington County was invited to as well.
[1:10:35] Washington County back in 2020 during the COVID pandemic began to do food deliveries.
[1:10:43] The food delivery emphasizes on nutritional and healthy food options. So these boxes are given
[1:10:51] into homes that are in need and unable to get
[1:10:55] to the food shelf.
[1:10:57] The food shelf in the beginning was a collaboration
[1:10:59] with the White Bear Lake Food Shelf and Valley Outreach.
[1:11:03] We continue to lead this program as from fundings
[1:11:08] from the American Rescue Plan,
[1:11:10] as well as the SHIP grant.
[1:11:16] So in just 2024,
[1:11:18] There's already 3,000 deliveries made into 13 zip codes in the local East Metro area.
[1:11:27] And we are supporting that and continue to do that.
[1:11:31] DoorDash is a supporter of the program and nationally does this as well and helps to
[1:11:39] this program is called Program Dash and they do this everywhere and help to get out these
[1:11:45] healthy food options to those in need of food. So very honored to be able to be
[1:11:52] there for Chair Kowalski and Tujong, Senator Tujong was there as well as
[1:11:57] Representative Leon Lilly East, the Executive Director of OpenCover as well
[1:12:05] as the OpenCover board and volunteers and staff. So it was a big event and I
[1:12:10] I was very excited to be there.
[1:12:13] This program is beloved, beloved in the community.
[1:12:18] And so just happy that the board made this decision in 2020
[1:12:21] and that we get to continue to honor and support it.
[1:12:25] And then on Saturday was the East Metro Suicide Prevention
[1:12:29] Coalition 5K.
[1:12:31] The East Metro has a variety of Woodbury mental health
[1:12:37] professionals that are involved in the 5K. Back in 2012, I believe, is when there were
[1:12:45] four students that had taken their lives. And so this suicide prevention 5K is basically
[1:12:54] about that experience. And as they continue to support nonprofits that collaborate with
[1:13:02] partners to just establish these integrated suicide prevention programs in the East Metro
[1:13:08] to give more awareness to mental health resources. So a very amazing, cool event. I saw lots
[1:13:17] of our community partners there, amazing amount of businesses that had sponsored this that
[1:13:24] are local. So very excited to be able to be a part of that. And then that Saturday
[1:13:29] Today there was also the community service department
[1:13:34] and the public health had a community wellness event
[1:13:37] at Brookview School that focused on mental health
[1:13:40] and wellness as well.
[1:13:41] So kind of a theme throughout the weekend for me.
[1:13:44] And then tonight, also there was various staff meetings
[1:13:47] that I attended throughout the week.
[1:13:49] And then tonight is the Open House Valley Creek Road
[1:13:51] corridor study at the City Hall from 430 to 630.
[1:13:55] And excited to hear more comments and questions
[1:13:58] questions about these important projects. Thanks.
[1:14:01] Thank you, Commissioner. Commissioner Miao. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[1:14:06] You and I attended a personnel committee meeting. Most of those
[1:14:09] issues were on our consent today.
[1:14:15] We continued work on some areas
[1:14:18] there that were presented to the personnel committee. The
[1:14:21] Metropolitan Mosquito Control Executive Committee met.
[1:14:25] that we failed to have a quorum. So all of the items, there was some brief discussion,
[1:14:30] but obviously no action by them, by that executive committee because of the lack of a quorum.
[1:14:38] But all of those items will be moving forward to the executive or to the full committee.
[1:14:46] And there'll also be the performance review of the Executive Director at the next meeting.
[1:14:52] we were scheduled to do that in the executive committee, but we will do that in a closed
[1:14:58] session with the full committee.
[1:15:00] As was mentioned, the recycling and energy board met. I think the main issues there were
[1:15:07] the bylaws and the joint powers agreement that will be coming forward hopefully for a vote
[1:15:15] and approval in November. The bylaws address the leadership structure, the board composition,
[1:15:23] the potential formulas for financial contribution.
[1:15:31] Legal representation, I'll note John Ristead,
[1:15:35] who is one of the attorneys,
[1:15:37] represents Washington County for the recycling
[1:15:39] and energy is also sitting up front
[1:15:42] representing the county board today.
[1:15:44] So John, we just so much appreciate your legal counsel
[1:15:49] and the work that you do here
[1:15:52] and for the recycling and energy board as well.
[1:15:56] So all of those issues will be addressed in the bylaws
[1:16:00] and the joint powers agreement.
[1:16:02] And I know that will be coming before.
[1:16:06] And those two documents really mirror one another.
[1:16:10] And this board will be reviewing the joint powers agreement.
[1:16:14] We did have an opportunity to recognize Jody Tharp
[1:16:17] who's retiring from recycling and energy board.
[1:16:21] just a fabulous contributor to the work that we've been doing there and great organizer
[1:16:29] and just so good to work with, as pleased, and to recognize her and congratulate her on
[1:16:40] her retirement.
[1:16:44] We also talked about a new position, a strategic partnership manager's position for the recycling
[1:16:53] and energy board.
[1:16:54] I think our executive director hit the ground running and is looking at those structural
[1:17:03] changes and the need for you know creating the positions that will
[1:17:12] complement the work that we're doing and then we also approved a letter of
[1:17:17] support for Commissioner Reinhardt to serve on the advisory board for the
[1:17:22] packaging response work that is is going to be done and I would just
[1:17:29] to appreciate her stepping up to the plate, even amidst her retirement as a Ramsey County
[1:17:36] Commissioner. So it's nice that she's going to remain involved. And then the partnership
[1:17:42] on Waste to Energy met, we talked about our legislative initiatives, our lobbying services.
[1:17:51] There too we approved a letter of support for Commissioner Reinhart's appointment
[1:17:57] And then we had discussion on our budget and the continued work that we're doing.
[1:18:05] That's all I have, Mr. Chair.
[1:18:06] Thank you, Commissioner Begum.
[1:18:09] Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[1:18:10] I'm going to start off with a little bit of sad news.
[1:18:12] Louisa Malich, who served for over 20 years on our Water Conservation District,
[1:18:17] passed away this last week.
[1:18:18] in her and her husband, Jean, really are stalwarts of Cottage Grove and during Louise's tenure,
[1:18:30] Jay Riggs sent me the article where Louise was honored and recognized, but in 2007 at
[1:18:37] the Minnesota Association of State Water Conservation Districts, she was awarded in 2007 the Outstanding
[1:18:45] Supervisor Award. And then Washington County Conservation District was honored as the 2009
[1:18:52] Conservation District of the Year. And he credited her leadership throughout the years as those.
[1:18:58] So just reflects her leadership and outstanding concern for soil and water resources. But
[1:19:07] also her and she and Jean practiced what they preach on their farm. You know, it's
[1:19:15] It's really grass waterways, rotational grazing, conservation tillage, how you like them, where
[1:19:21] it's their farmer friend.
[1:19:23] And really being, you know, practicing what she preaches.
[1:19:28] And so she's going to be missing.
[1:19:30] I'm hoping we can have a moment of silence to honor.
[1:19:33] After 20 years.
[1:19:35] Thanks.
[1:19:41] Thank you, Mr. Chair.
[1:19:42] Yeah, good.
[1:19:44] Commissioner Miran, one of the weigh-in on the floor.
[1:19:46] Yeah, if I could, you know, I've had a chance over the years to work with Louise on a number
[1:19:53] of initiatives.
[1:19:54] I considered her a good friend.
[1:19:58] She was a leader in agriculture, in conservation, and in politics here in Minnesota, and I would
[1:20:06] suggest that, you know, that leadership even extended into the national arena.
[1:20:12] just a quality individual and she and, you know, Jean complimented one another so well
[1:20:24] and she will be deeply missed, you know, in those arenas especially and certainly by her
[1:20:31] family and her friends.
[1:20:33] Absolutely, and thank you.
[1:20:35] I also attended the Red Rock Corridor meeting yesterday, which was very exciting.
[1:20:42] More transit came in and presented on their network now routes where they went over the,
[1:20:52] essentially, two new routes.
[1:20:53] One will be from Woodbury to Cottage Grove.
[1:20:55] The other one will be from Woodbury, stopping Newport going west out to the airport,
[1:20:58] which the commission during East Metro Strong, which Will Schroer really got a shout out
[1:21:06] in all of his work for the redesign, appreciated that, gets a lot of credit for that and just
[1:21:12] advocacy of the commission and this board for getting those new routes. And Sue Vento
[1:21:22] from our Met Council rep was there and appreciated that. After the R&E meeting I attended, I don't
[1:21:29] need to add on to what Commissioner Miran said. I did attend the PUC meeting with Commissioner
[1:21:36] Sanjim from Olmsted County. And they did make a unanimous decision that if it can
[1:21:45] be proven from the clean energy bill that passed last year, if it can be proven that
[1:21:52] biomass and garbage can reduce greenhouse gases compared to the other disposals.
[1:21:59] So in other words, just letting it be in the forest or else through landfills, which
[1:22:04] we know there's data that shows that our process of how we process our trash has
[1:22:11] has fewer greenhouse gases, that that will meet the standard.
[1:22:16] So that was a big benefit to our way of doing and reducing and diverting trash from landfills.
[1:22:27] So there'll be more to that, but that was an interesting meeting and it was packed.
[1:22:33] Act, attended the Melsa meeting and also had a Keats Avenue, otherwise known as County
[1:22:41] Road 19, and the 80th Street Open House in Cottage Grove.
[1:22:45] I just really want to thank Erin Clarkowski, one of my favorites.
[1:22:49] She's just fantastic, and Joe Gustafson and Kevin Peterson, that were there.
[1:22:55] So this is really by the Tanks Farm, and the number one concern was the Tanks Corn
[1:23:00] and the mayor was there too and we're committed to making sure that the tanks
[1:23:05] corn stand continues. We're gonna make sure that that's accessible. And then
[1:23:12] wanted to also say that we do lead in a lot of practices here in Washington
[1:23:18] County and there are now going to be goats in a city park right by my house.
[1:23:25] I'm very excited about that, Commissioner Creasel, eating buckthorn and invasive species.
[1:23:31] The neighbors were very excited this morning when they saw the trailer go up the street.
[1:23:37] And so it just shows that Washington County is a leader in a lot of these practices.
[1:23:43] So just wanted to say that.
[1:23:45] Awesome.
[1:23:46] Invitation is the best form of flattery, isn't it?
[1:23:49] Right.
[1:23:49] Here we go.
[1:23:50] That's it, Mr. Chair.
[1:23:51] Thank you, Commissioner.
[1:23:52] Commissioner Creasel.
[1:23:52] Thank you, Mr. Chair. Last week, had the Board of Appeals approved annual permit for
[1:23:59] Brian Rock. This morning, I spoke at the Sunrise Rotary in Stowwater along with
[1:24:12] Public Works Director Wayne Sandberg and I got to say Wayne
[1:24:21] did just a
[1:24:25] They were just very impressed with the direction the county is going in.
[1:24:30] So, what else?
[1:24:32] Oh, just, boy, it was hard to watch the news and see the devastation of the hurricane.
[1:24:39] What is it, Haleen?
[1:24:40] That hit Asheville, North Carolina.
[1:24:43] And I mean, many of us have probably been through that area of Asheville,
[1:24:48] a beautiful area, and it just reveled.
[1:24:51] and it shows how fortunate we are up in Minnesota that we just get some of the
[1:24:58] rain and stuff like that from a hurricane, but boy there was a utter
[1:25:03] devastation down there. Just to end on a positive note I'd like to remind my
[1:25:10] friends from across the river that the amount of motorbikes are four and zero.
[1:25:18] That's all I have, Mr. Chair. Thank you, Commissioner. Highlights for me the past week is Commissioner
[1:25:25] Maron pointed out the personal meeting that both was served on and several of those items
[1:25:30] were on the consent calendar. Today was also mentioned about the Ramsey Washington Recycling
[1:25:36] board meeting that many of us are on. I did, it was interesting, the bylaw and the structure
[1:25:45] changes were definitely a highlight. I had a constituent meeting, you know, in person,
[1:25:53] sometimes we do that. I had a NACO, National Association of County Membership Standing Committee
[1:26:01] I serve on a virtual meeting.
[1:26:04] Commissioner Kloss and I attended prior to this board meeting, a staff meeting on the gold line.
[1:26:11] And Commissioner Kloss and I appreciate you attending that open house for open cupboard described it well.
[1:26:19] And then as Commissioner Kloss pointed out, tonight is the Valley Creek
[1:26:27] visioning open house and some of that from interlocking to the east of Manning and I represent
[1:26:37] interlocking in the 19th so I'll also be there but I encourage residents to show up and that's
[1:26:44] all I have for the past highlights for the past week.
[1:26:49] we'll move on to board correspondence which we have none that's item 10 on the
[1:26:55] agenda and then now we're going to move into executive closed session and this
[1:27:02] is the next meeting listed on the on the agenda is the executive closed
[1:27:06] session to review an appraisal for the potential purchase of property for
[1:27:12] for inclusion in Big Marine Park Reserve.
[1:27:16] Pursuant to Minnesota Statute Section 13D.05,
[1:27:22] subdivision 3C, this meeting may be closed to the public.
[1:27:27] At this time, I would entertain a motion
[1:27:31] to go into closed session and discuss this agenda item.
[1:27:35] So moved.
[1:27:36] Second.
[1:27:37] Motion by Commissioner Beggin,
[1:27:39] second by Commissioner Merron to move into closed session all those in favor
[1:27:45] signify by aye aye opposed same sign motion curious we're moving in closed
[1:27:52] session and we'll be back to adjourn three minutes