[0:01] We'll call the Williams County
[0:04] Commissioners meeting for September 1st,
[0:06] 2026 to order. Beth, please call roll.
[0:09] » Barry
[0:10] » Here.
[0:11] » Steve
[0:12] » Here.
[0:12] » Bo
[0:13] » Here.
[0:14] » Chris
[0:14] » Here. We have a quorum. We'll proceed.
[0:16] If everybody please stand for the
[0:17] pledge.
[0:21] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the
[0:23] United States of America and to the
[0:26] republic for which it stands, one nation
[0:28] under God, indivisible, with liberty and
[0:31] justice for all.
[0:43] » Okay, brings us to item C, the consent
[0:46] agenda. What are the wishes?
[0:48] » Mr. Chairman had moved to approve.
[0:50] » Thank you. Is there a second?
[0:53] » Second.
[0:54] » Moved and seconded. Any discussion?
[0:58] » Discussion.
[0:59] Roll call, please.
[1:01] » Barry,
[1:02] » Yes.
[1:02] » Steve,
[1:03] » Yes.
[1:04] » Corey,
[1:04] » Yes.
[1:05] » Bo,
[1:06] » Yes.
[1:06] » Chris,
[1:06] » Yes. Motion carried.
[1:10] Item D is the public comment section. Uh
[1:13] if there's anything that's not on the
[1:15] agenda currently and there's somebody
[1:17] from the public that wishes to address
[1:18] the board, now is the time.
[1:25] Seeing none,
[1:27] we will move on. Uh item E, planning and
[1:30] zoning.
[1:35] » Good morning. Michelle Hogan with county
[1:37] planning.
[1:39] The first item that we have today is
[1:42] LU-000057-26
[1:45] which is Hannah Emmens and Von Cornell
[1:48] on behalf of Herbert Cornell who are
[1:50] requesting a variance for her proposed
[1:52] 1.21 acre lot to remain in the
[1:55] agricultural zoning district. This is
[1:58] located in the north half of the
[1:59] southwest less the state highway and
[2:01] previously deeded parts of section one
[2:04] township 155 north range 101 west being
[2:06] Missouri rich township and they have
[2:08] recommended approval on this project.
[2:11] The applicants are requesting a minor
[2:13] subdivision which will create two lots.
[2:16] The parent parcel is approximately
[2:18] 140.87 87 acres and within the
[2:20] agricultural zoning district while only
[2:23] 68.12 acres are going to be platted. The
[2:27] newly created lots will be approximately
[2:29] 1.21 acres and 66.90
[2:32] acres.
[2:34] The larger lot will remain in that
[2:36] agricultural zoning district as it meets
[2:39] the minimum required acreage. The
[2:42] applicants are seeking the variance for
[2:44] the 1.21 21 acre lot to also remain in
[2:46] the agricultural zoning district
[2:49] and from the required 175 foot minimum
[2:54] lot width. The purpose of this minor
[2:56] subdivision is to create a smaller
[2:58] standalone parcel for Herbert and
[3:00] Marlene's granddaughter Hannah to have a
[3:02] single family residence like they had
[3:03] done for their grandson. Access to the
[3:06] subject property is off of US Highway
[3:08] 85. When planning and zoning heard this
[3:11] item, they did recommend approval on
[3:13] this.
[3:14] » Okay. Is the applicant present?
[3:18] Do you have anything you'd like to add?
[3:20] » Okay.
[3:22] All right. We will turn it to the board.
[3:24] What are the wishes?
[3:30] » Make a motion to approve following staff
[3:32] comments.
[3:34] Is there a second?
[3:35] » Second.
[3:36] » Moved and seconded. Any discussion?
[3:41] Discussion.
[3:45] Roll call, please.
[3:48] » Steve,
[3:49] » Yes.
[3:49] » Chris,
[3:50] » Yes.
[3:52] » Corey,
[3:53] » Yes.
[3:54] » Bo,
[3:56] » Yes.
[3:57] » Barry,
[3:58] » Yes. Motion carried very randomly. Thank
[4:01] you, Beth.
[4:04] The second item we have today is
[4:06] LU-000058-26
[4:10] Leon Brachie on behalf of Derek and Sadi
[4:12] Offer and Lynen Mcnesen. They're
[4:14] requesting a variance for a proposed
[4:16] 13.11 acre lot to remain in that
[4:18] agricultural zoning district.
[4:21] The location of this is in the
[4:23] northeast, the east half of the
[4:25] northwest. Government lot one, which is
[4:27] northwest northwest and government lot
[4:29] two being the southwest northwest. All
[4:32] within section 31, township 159 north,
[4:35] range 99 west, which is Rock Island
[4:38] Township, and they have recommended
[4:40] approval on this item. The applicant is
[4:43] requesting a minor subdivision, which
[4:44] will create two lots. The parent parcels
[4:47] contain approximately 301.24 24 acres
[4:50] and are within that agricultural zoning
[4:52] district. The larger lot will be 288.13
[4:57] acres and will will remain in the
[4:59] agricultural zoning district.
[5:02] The smaller lot will be approximately
[5:04] 13.11 acres. The applicants are
[5:07] requesting a variance for the smaller
[5:08] lot to also remain in that agricultural
[5:10] zoning district and to allow the
[5:12] irregularly shaped lot configuration
[5:15] necessary to accommodate access to the
[5:17] property. The requested variance would
[5:20] also allow the access area to be
[5:22] incorporated into the lot. The purpose
[5:25] of this minor subdivision is to separate
[5:27] the farmyard and access road to it from
[5:30] the crop and pasture land. Access to the
[5:33] subject property is taken from an
[5:35] unnamed private access road off of 78th
[5:38] Street Northwest. And on August 20th,
[5:42] when planning and zoning heard this
[5:43] item, they did recommend approval 6 to
[5:45] zero.
[5:48] Okay. Is the applicant present? Do you
[5:50] have anything to add? No.
[5:54] Uh, what are the wishes?
[5:56] » I was just curious. Sorry, Chris. Uh, is
[5:59] that how we typically handle the roads
[6:01] like that? It seems like this is
[6:04] different.
[6:05] » Not typically. Um, with this particular
[6:08] one, they we suggested that they could
[6:10] do an easement, but they just felt like
[6:13] they would rather have the road part of
[6:15] the lot.
[6:17] » Okay. Thank you.
[6:21] Okay. Any other questions?
[6:25] » Okay. What are the wishes?
[6:29] I make a motion to approve following uh
[6:32] planning and zoning recommendations.
[6:34] » Is there a second?
[6:37] Second.
[6:39] » Moved and seconded. Any discussion?
[6:43] Discussion.
[6:45] » Roll call, please.
[6:46] » Corey,
[6:47] » Yes.
[6:48] » Bo,
[6:49] » Yes.
[6:49] » Chris,
[6:50] » Yes.
[6:50] » Barry,
[6:51] » Yes.
[6:52] » Steve,
[6:52] » Yes.
[6:53] » Motion carried.
[6:55] » The final item I have today is
[6:57] LU-0062-26.
[7:01] Clark Hatch on behalf of the Cork Trust
[7:03] is requesting a zone change to the rural
[7:05] commercial zoning district.
[7:08] This is the south south half of the
[7:11] northeast of section 8 township 156
[7:14] north range 99 west which is Marshall
[7:16] Township. The township has recommended
[7:18] denial on this project. The applicant is
[7:22] requesting a zone change to the rural
[7:23] commercial zoning district for the
[7:25] subject property. property is currently
[7:27] within the agricultural zoning district
[7:29] and consists of approximately 87 acres.
[7:32] Purpose of this zone change is to allow
[7:35] the owner to lease out the subject
[7:37] property to a company who will utilize
[7:39] it as a commercial parking lot to park
[7:41] their vehicles on. Access to the subject
[7:44] property is off of 127th Avenue
[7:46] Northwest. When planning and zoning
[7:49] heard this item in August, they did
[7:51] recommend to deny the project.
[7:56] » Okay. Is the applicant present?
[8:01] » All right. Is there any other anybody
[8:03] else that needs to address the board on
[8:04] this one?
[8:07] » Yes. If you do, if you're going to
[8:08] address, please come up, introduce
[8:09] yourself for the record, and uh
[8:14] » My name is Jeff Severson. from the uh
[8:18] landowner directly to the west of this
[8:20] property. Um I guess I'm opposed to this
[8:24] zone change on the fact of definitely
[8:28] spot zoning. It's out in the middle of
[8:29] nowhere. No infrastructure for
[8:32] commercial.
[8:34] None of the roads have been up to county
[8:37] specs.
[8:39] I don't know. It's just uh
[8:42] kind of like I said, out in the middle
[8:43] of nowhere.
[8:45] Uh, I guess any questions for me?
[8:50] » No. Thank you.
[8:58] » Good morning. My name is Kimberly Erdman
[9:00] and I am a land owner to the south of
[9:02] this. It's on 127th Avenue and I oppose
[9:06] this uh procedure. Number one, um this
[9:10] proposal contains a non-conforming use
[9:13] that harms the community's integrity. If
[9:16] you look at the infrastructure on
[9:17] highway 2 itself, there is no turning
[9:20] lanes to go across the median median,
[9:23] sorry. Which means that the truck would
[9:26] have to come to a complete stop,
[9:28] blocking swinging their trailer out into
[9:31] traffic, blocking traffic and propose
[9:34] proposed um harm to other vehicles,
[9:38] stopping traffic, and even the
[9:39] possibility of somebody passing away.
[9:43] the approach and the road itself is not
[9:46] designed to to handle truck traffic.
[9:49] The the township nor the county maintain
[9:52] it. So my question that I have is is if
[9:56] this is not proposed in their paperwork,
[10:00] who is the one that's going to maintain
[10:02] this?
[10:05] Also, my environmental concerns, as
[10:07] we're all well aware in Williams County
[10:09] that when commercial land is developed,
[10:12] spills happen that go unreported. And
[10:16] depending on how big the spill is, of
[10:18] course, it could go into the waterway,
[10:21] which could harm not only the local pets
[10:25] that we have, cows, chickens, dogs,
[10:28] cats, we got quite the arrangement out
[10:31] there, but even wildlife. So on the
[10:34] behalf of
[10:37] the neighbors, farmers and ranchers, um
[10:39] I do hope that you deny this. Thank you.
[10:43] » Thank you.
[10:50] » My name is Heather Brewer and my husband
[10:52] and I own the parcel to the southwest
[10:55] corner of this. Um, and we are opposed
[10:58] to this because we just spent $800,000
[11:02] to construct a home yesterday on that
[11:05] parcel and we have six kids. Um, the
[11:08] access road is not maintained at all.
[11:10] Myself, our neighbors, neighbors to the
[11:12] west. We all all of us have maintained
[11:15] that road for the last couple of years.
[11:16] We just got raw water this year. I think
[11:19] that having 87 acres for a truck lot is
[11:21] a little bit excessive and I think it's
[11:23] going to create a higher fire hazard
[11:25] right there. We've had a lot of fires in
[11:27] the area. Um the access road that is in
[11:31] their proposal is actually my driveway.
[11:34] So I'm an access road, section line,
[11:36] whatever you want to call it. It's um
[11:38] it's not actually maintained by anybody
[11:40] but myself and my husband.
[11:42] We have six children and I don't think
[11:44] that having a commercial truck lot just
[11:47] to the north of our brand new home is
[11:49] reasonable. We moved out there for a
[11:51] reason and that was to get away from all
[11:53] of uh the oil field traffic and I don't
[11:57] think that having 87 acres for a truck
[12:00] lot in the middle of nowhere is
[12:01] reasonable and I think the county should
[12:03] deny it.
[12:05] » Anything you want to add?
[12:06] » No. Um [clears throat]
[12:10] we bought the property to get away from
[12:12] out out of or in town and to enjoy some
[12:15] peace of quiet and now
[12:20] Now that they proposed this truck lot, I
[12:23] mean it we probably would have thought
[12:25] differently if this were to be approved,
[12:28] but um yeah, really want to uh this to
[12:32] be denied.
[12:33] » Okay. What What's your name so we don't
[12:35] have to write down husband?
[12:36] » David Larson. David. Thank you.
[12:38] » Thank you.
[12:40] » Thank you.
[12:42] » I know. I could see the look on your
[12:44] face. So we got a name now. Anyone else
[12:47] wish to address the board?
[12:51] Anyone else?
[12:54] Okay, hearing nobody else. What uh what
[12:57] are the wishes, gentlemen?
[13:00] » Make a motion to deny following planning
[13:02] and zoning recommendation.
[13:05] » Okay. Is there a second?
[13:06] » Second.
[13:07] » Moved and seconded. Any discussion?
[13:12] » Discussion. Roll call, please. B. Yes,
[13:16] » Chris.
[13:17] » Yes,
[13:17] » Barry.
[13:18] » Yes,
[13:19] » Steve.
[13:19] » Yes,
[13:20] » Corey.
[13:21] » Yes. Motion carried.
[13:23] » Thank you. That's it for planning and
[13:25] zoning. That was easy, Michelle.
[13:29] » Okay, department heads. Lindsay, you got
[13:31] a whole list of stuff.
[13:42] All right. Good morning,
[13:46] Okay.
[13:51] Hallelujah.
[13:54] Okay. We're going to start with rural
[13:56] community grant program recommendations.
[13:58] So, as a reminder, the rural community
[14:01] grant program is the extension of the 1%
[14:05] sales tax to uh communities with less
[14:08] than 5,000 people with the dedication to
[14:10] community gathering and recreational
[14:12] spaces. There were two review cycles
[14:14] here this year. Uh there's funds that
[14:16] are allocated for 2026 and 2027. Only
[14:19] public entities could apply for the
[14:21] 2026.
[14:23] The finance committee serves as the
[14:24] review committee. So this month or in
[14:28] August, I don't know what this month is
[14:30] right now. um September allegedly. Uh
[14:33] they reviewed um two applications, one
[14:35] from the Granora Park Board and one from
[14:37] the city of Tyogga um for the remainder
[14:40] essentially of the 2026 funds. Uh the
[14:43] city of Granora is looking to install a
[14:45] underground sprinkler system at Sunset
[14:47] Park, which now serves T-ball, but also
[14:49] is their park um as a way to cut down on
[14:52] on manual watering and improve that
[14:54] space. And the city of Tyogga is looking
[14:56] to construct a new soccer field um for
[14:59] utilization by the community and sports
[15:01] teams.
[15:02] So the maximum amount that can be
[15:04] utilized for a project this year is a h
[15:06] 100,000. Uh so between the city of GRO's
[15:09] request for about 90 and the city of
[15:11] Tyogga for 100. Um the finance committee
[15:14] did recommend awarding both of those if
[15:16] they're approved, you'd have about
[15:18] $2,200 left for projects this year. Uh
[15:21] but there's no review cycle left for
[15:22] this year. We're we're now looking at
[15:24] 2027. So then with this the
[15:26] recommendation then also just to move
[15:28] those remaining $2,200 to to 2027.
[15:36] » Uh when we reviewed these uh in finance,
[15:39] I mean they they are exactly what we're
[15:42] looking for as far as projects. So um
[15:45] that was where the recommendation came
[15:46] from from the finance committee.
[15:57] I'd make a motion to approve the
[15:59] recommendations as presented and
[16:00] authorize the chairman to sign the grant
[16:02] agreements once finalized with legal and
[16:05] roll the remaining 2026 grant funds into
[16:07] 2027.
[16:08] » I'll second that.
[16:10] Did somebody write that for you? That's
[16:12] impressive. I like it. I like it.
[16:16] » We have a You rattled off the top of
[16:17] your head, right? We have a motion in a
[16:19] second. Is there uh any discussion?
[16:24] » No discussion. Roll call, please.
[16:28] » Chris,
[16:28] » Yes.
[16:30] » Barry,
[16:31] » Yes.
[16:31] » Steve,
[16:32] » Yes.
[16:32] » Corey,
[16:33] » Yes.
[16:34] » Bo,
[16:35] » Yes. Motion carried.
[16:38] » Okay.
[16:40] All right.
[16:42] So now I have a variety of items related
[16:46] to theratom committee that was appointed
[16:49] uh here a few weeks ago. Uh so since the
[16:52] commission appointed it, the committee
[16:54] has met twice on August 17th and August
[16:56] 24th and the focus being on providing
[16:59] recommendations to the commission to
[17:01] then provide to the legislature. Uh the
[17:03] legislature does convene today for
[17:06] hearings. Um there is a special ad hoc
[17:08] policy committee that will hear the
[17:10] creatum related bills this afternoon,
[17:12] other bills this morning. Uh and then
[17:14] the special session will officially
[17:16] start tomorrow. Um so this week will be
[17:18] a big week for what the state decides to
[17:20] to codify and and what they make their
[17:22] decisions on. Um the recommendations are
[17:26] kind of split into two different chunks
[17:28] um coming from the committee. One um
[17:30] first is for local action. So, we it was
[17:34] recognized through our our county
[17:35] departments that already exist through
[17:37] the NDSU extension and the sheriff's
[17:39] office, plus our partnership with the
[17:40] upper Missouri district health unit um
[17:42] that they do have efforts that go on
[17:45] that support awareness and just to
[17:47] continue to support those and expand
[17:49] those um as well as with our local
[17:51] behavioral health providers. And then
[17:54] there was a a piece about making
[17:56] additional funding locally available for
[17:58] increasing those awareness and
[18:00] prevention efforts.
[18:02] And the second page in your credum
[18:05] packet kind of breaks down that funding
[18:07] recommendation. Um it was talked at a
[18:10] high level from the committee and then
[18:12] in in working with Commissioner Anderson
[18:14] who serves as the chair of that
[18:15] committee a little bit more. um an
[18:18] initial amount of $50,000 was suggested
[18:21] and then in again working with
[18:23] Commissioner Anderson to break that down
[18:25] to allocating 30,000 towards um what we
[18:30] would call our internal departments or
[18:32] partnerships. So again, focus on
[18:34] delivering credible information um from
[18:37] credible sources because this can be a
[18:39] very uh minute topic um and allocating
[18:43] then that again towards the extension
[18:44] the sheriff's office and the the health
[18:46] unit and then uh because the Williams
[18:49] County behavioral health program uh
[18:50] which licensed providers can apply for
[18:52] that's currently open through September
[18:54] 18th um and then putting 20,000 towards
[18:57] that program specific for creatum
[18:59] related programming uh programming for
[19:01] mental health awareness behavior health
[19:03] awareness uh substance abuse is already
[19:05] part of that program. So this would just
[19:07] specifically allocate dollars towards
[19:08] that.
[19:10] So that's the local action piece. And
[19:13] then the second piece is towards the
[19:15] legis the legislative actions uh with
[19:18] the two bills that are out right now
[19:19] which is house bill 1628 which focuses
[19:22] on age limits um and regulating pureum
[19:25] versus synthetic and then senate bill
[19:28] 2408 uh which focuses on scheduling the
[19:31] synthetics as a controlled substance
[19:34] and in general um the committee did
[19:37] recognize that while a total ban is
[19:39] ideal it might just not actually be
[19:40] practical because the focus should be
[19:42] onfor enforcable and effective
[19:44] legislation and regulations. Um and then
[19:47] with additional focus on increased
[19:49] consequences for retailers as opposed to
[19:52] users and decrease access overall
[19:54] toratom and products. Uh it was also
[19:58] brought up especially from our public
[19:59] health perspective uh with
[20:03] kind of looking at catum more like
[20:05] marijuana as opposed to tobacco in which
[20:07] marijuana is regulated for medicinal
[20:09] versus recreational use. And if there is
[20:12] a true medicinal use for pureratom, then
[20:14] it should be allowed under the
[20:16] supervision of a physician um and and in
[20:19] their care. And overall then as well if
[20:22] the synthetic is going to be scheduled
[20:23] as a controlled substance um the age
[20:26] limits and other parts of that
[20:27] regulatory framework uh not co-mingling
[20:29] that with language related to tobacco
[20:31] and instead with other similar
[20:33] substances such as marijuana. So that
[20:36] information is then provided synthesized
[20:38] for you in the recommendations. The
[20:40] funding recommendation is separate and
[20:42] then should you so wish to issue then
[20:44] those recommendations to the legislature
[20:46] a draft of a letter is provided as well.
[20:52] » Okay. I guess I would just like to thank
[20:53] the the committee and commissioner
[20:55] Anderson for the time and effort to to
[20:57] go through and get all these things put
[20:59] together for us. It's uh I'm sure it was
[21:01] a lot of work and Lindsay, thank you for
[21:04] uh being part of it since I volunteered
[21:06] you without you knowing it was
[21:08] happening. So Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo
[21:10] Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo
[21:10] Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo
[21:10] Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo Bo at least did it on his
[21:11] own. You kind of got stuck.
[21:14] » Well, he says a lot of work. I guarantee
[21:16] 99.9% of it is Lindsay because she took
[21:20] the ramblings of the committee and
[21:22] brought it all together here. But the
[21:24] moral of the story is the the committee
[21:28] wants to have some sort of action now
[21:30] that we can do and it's in education and
[21:32] the the folks in the room um from the um
[21:37] healthc care community basically said
[21:39] absolutely we can continue to provide
[21:42] education but uh additional funds would
[21:46] be useful to for them. Um but we also
[21:50] have I mean sheriff's office all these
[21:52] departments within the county that offer
[21:55] educational opportunities and I that
[21:57] within our own organization I think we
[22:00] can do a pretty good job of um
[22:02] bolstering this education. So um thank
[22:06] you Lindsay for putting all this
[22:07] together. This letter I think is very
[22:09] well written and um it should should
[22:13] hopefully affect the legislature in a
[22:15] good way. So, thank you.
[22:19] » One thing I was just curious about,
[22:21] we're a significant employer as Williams
[22:23] County. Could we include some
[22:24] educational material for our own staff
[22:26] in the form of a simple email? I mean,
[22:28] just some educational material. Uh, that
[22:31] seems like an easy thing we could do
[22:33] through HR and distribute information to
[22:36] make staff aware of the issue. I
[22:38] certainly didn't know about it until it
[22:41] became an issue.
[22:42] You know, one thing that one of the
[22:45] folks in the room brought up and she
[22:47] deals specifically with DOT violations.
[22:50] There was a person that came into her
[22:53] office that had a DOT violation because
[22:56] of substance of some kind and she put on
[22:59] the document that
[23:02] was part of the issue, you know, would
[23:04] have to be dealt with. the federal DOT
[23:08] person told her you have to remove that
[23:11] off there because there is no federal
[23:14] guidelines withratom use and all this
[23:16] stuff so you have to take it off. So
[23:18] basically it makes their violation go
[23:21] away because there there's nothing that
[23:24] says that using
[23:26] bad according to the federal government.
[23:29] So the fact that there are drivers out
[23:32] there on the road that are under the
[23:35] influence of is is uh is concerning. So
[23:41] » And I I will add on that note um the if
[23:46] you remember back to the DEA scheduling
[23:48] the earliest that they could have
[23:49] scheduled it would have been August 5th
[23:50] and that was based on their 30-day
[23:52] timeline for the notice of intent. um
[23:54] they didn't schedule it August the 5th
[23:56] and really it wasn't expected to be that
[23:57] day because that was just the first it
[23:59] could have been but it was scheduled
[24:00] last week so that DEA emergency
[24:02] scheduling did get completed um their
[24:05] press release was Tuesday and the
[24:06] Federal Register came out Wednesday so
[24:08] it's like they knew North Dakota was
[24:11] going into special session um so at
[24:14] least those pieces are kind of falling
[24:15] apart because a lot of times you can't
[24:16] do anything locally unless the state
[24:17] does the state can't unless the federal
[24:19] government does. So it's at least moving
[24:21] along. The other thing the committee
[24:23] talked about is the whatifs like what if
[24:25] the legislature didn't do anything. So
[24:29] as a group we also discussed that
[24:32] whatever recommendation the committee
[24:35] were to for it if something didn't come
[24:37] out of legislature has to be enforceable
[24:41] but it has to has to be lock step with
[24:44] law enforcement to make sure that it's
[24:47] it works. But not only that, it's going
[24:49] to be a collaboration with every
[24:51] community in the in the county so that
[24:54] we can come up with something
[24:55] comprehensive that fits the whole county
[25:00] that actually that will work. I mean, I
[25:02] say I say it will work to the best of
[25:04] our ability, but it will involve every
[25:07] community so that we can get on the same
[25:09] page.
[25:14] » Okay. So, what we're looking for is a
[25:16] motion to uh approve the the funding
[25:19] recommendation and also to approve the
[25:23] creative committee recommendations and
[25:26] put the letter together and authorize
[25:27] the chairman to sign. Is that what we're
[25:29] doing?
[25:29] » That yes.
[25:30] » Does that sound right?
[25:31] » That sounds right. I didn't make that.
[25:33] » Everybody catch that?
[25:34] » I would make that motion.
[25:36] » I'll second the motion.
[25:38] » Okay. Beth, did you get the motion? All
[25:41] right.
[25:43] go in order but I got it.
[25:44] » All right. As long as you got it. Is
[25:46] there any discussion
[25:49] » Discussion
[25:50] » On the healthcare side of things? Just
[25:51] for the record, I've seen uh people
[25:54] withdrawing from in our ER. It is a
[25:57] heart-wrenching site.
[26:02] » Okay. Uh roll call. Beth,
[26:07] » Yes.
[26:08] » Steve,
[26:09] » Yes.
[26:09] » Corey,
[26:10] » Yes.
[26:11] » Bo,
[26:11] » Yes. Chris.
[26:13] » Yes. Motion carried.
[26:15] » Okay. Thank you. All right. And the last
[26:19] item is uh Senator Ingot. Uh so Senator
[26:24] Mark Ingot represents district 2, which
[26:26] encompasses a couple of counties and
[26:28] actually most of the rural parts of
[26:29] Williams County. uh and he is organizing
[26:32] a data center information session for
[26:35] September 14th uh from 10 am to 2 pm uh
[26:40] for the public to be able to attend uh
[26:42] and interact with um different subject
[26:45] matter experts uh there's some folks
[26:47] that are coming from the state some
[26:48] folks that are coming from the electric
[26:50] uh companies and cooperatives uh from
[26:53] their planning coun uh one of the
[26:55] planning council representatives and
[26:57] then they're also inviting commissioners
[26:58] and planning and zoning board
[27:00] representatives. Um
[27:02] I have been piecing some information
[27:04] together here. Uh but once I had shared
[27:07] some of this, it seemed that there was
[27:08] quite a bit of interest from more than
[27:11] one commissioner attending. Uh so
[27:13] putting this before the board for your
[27:15] discussion and then um who you would
[27:18] like to have attend.
[27:22] » I guess uh my first question for Karen,
[27:25] how do we go about if we're going to say
[27:26] we want everybody to be able to attend?
[27:29] What do we have to do?
[27:32] » And so into it is it so originally I had
[27:35] thought it was only 10 to noon. It is 10
[27:37] to 2. So it's four hours and it's an
[27:39] openhouse comeand go format.
[27:44] » I guess and my reasoning while you're
[27:45] thinking um my reasoning behind it is I
[27:48] I think there's going to be some good
[27:50] information there if they're bringing in
[27:51] other people. not necessarily us as
[27:55] information because I'm I'm trying to
[27:57] learn as much as I can while we're doing
[27:59] this, but if I I mean, they did list on
[28:02] there that Bo was going to be a speaker,
[28:03] which I don't believe he's going to be.
[28:06] » Well, and uh just and Mark is the one
[28:10] that called me on this quite a while
[28:11] ago. So, he and of course I'm like,
[28:13] well, yeah, I'll put it on my calendar.
[28:16] He's like, you're the only one that
[28:18] hasn't said yes, I'm coming. So, I'm
[28:20] like, okay, yeah, I'll be there.
[28:22] Um, also since my uncle passed away and
[28:26] I will be in New Mexico, so I will be on
[28:29] my way home that day. So I won't be able
[28:30] to go.
[28:31] » Okay.
[28:31] » So I will have to let Mr. Ingot know
[28:33] that. But you know when Lindsay brought
[28:36] up that the flyer says that the whole
[28:38] commission I is coming. I in no way,
[28:40] shape or form said absolutely the whole
[28:42] commission will show up. But
[28:45] I'm I guess I have a couple concerns.
[28:48] one that it's going to be a, you know,
[28:50] like a lynch mob. But, you know, to the
[28:54] public, I want people to know that I
[28:57] probably know just about as little about
[28:59] some of these data centers as a lot of
[29:02] people do. So, it's it's going to be a
[29:04] learning curve for all of us. The good
[29:05] news is that, you know, planning and
[29:08] zoning work very hard to get our
[29:11] ordinance updated and so that we have a
[29:14] a better framework and a policy to get
[29:18] through. I think that what people are
[29:20] confused about though is that there's
[29:23] city limits and then there's county. So
[29:27] I on on the Facebook world, we all get
[29:29] lumped together as one big huge group of
[29:32] idiots. So, um
[29:36] I think I it's going to be a good
[29:38] meeting. I wish I could be there. I'm
[29:39] sorry that sorry that I can't attend.
[29:42] » Well, and I think that's that's my
[29:44] reasoning. Uh because it's going to be a
[29:46] good learning experience and and if and
[29:49] not saying and I guess I'm not
[29:50] volunteering everybody. Nobody has to
[29:52] say yes, but I I know there at one point
[29:54] there was a couple that had decided they
[29:56] were going Barry being one of them. Um I
[29:59] personally if I can make it work I would
[30:01] like to be able to be there and I don't
[30:04] know about Commissioner Kemp or
[30:06] Commissioner
[30:07] » If I can make it work I'd like to be
[30:08] there as well.
[30:08] » So I I think that brings us to the
[30:10] question with you. What do we got to do?
[30:14] » Well under state law there are certain
[30:15] instances where the board can go to
[30:17] meetings and things like that that don't
[30:18] trigger public notice requirements. But
[30:21] I'd have to really dig into the century
[30:22] code to see if a legislative session is
[30:24] one of those things. And so once I find
[30:25] that out, I can ask I can talk to
[30:27] Lindsay or coordinate with Lindsay and
[30:29] if there's like public notices that are
[30:31] required, whatever, then she can handle
[30:32] that. Then
[30:33] » That sounds like a great idea. Then you
[30:35] guys just deal with it and do what we
[30:36] got to do.
[30:37] » Okay.
[30:39] » Um so, uh would we do we need a motion
[30:43] then to to do that and direct them to go
[30:46] ahead and and move with this or do we
[30:48] just do it?
[30:49] » I think we just do it.
[30:51] » Perfect. There's nothing I love more
[30:53] than Karen saying, "Just do it."
[30:56] » I'm gonna walk away now.
[30:58] » Thanks.
[30:58] » Thank you, Lindsay. Appreciate it. And
[31:00] we got Karen to say just go. I love it.
[31:05] [laughter]
[31:07] » All right, Helen, you're up.
[31:16] Good morning.
[31:18] you'll see that we have no positions to
[31:21] seek permission to fill and we don't
[31:23] have any board appointments. So, this is
[31:25] just an FYI report for you. The the one
[31:30] thing that I would give you an update on
[31:32] today is that we are working out at the
[31:35] fairgrounds right now and when I say we,
[31:38] I really mean County Highway and Company
[31:40] are out there. Uh we they have
[31:43] undertaken a clean out on the north end
[31:46] of the site and so for maybe all of the
[31:50] 70 years of the fairgrounds things have
[31:52] been put on the north side and the weeds
[31:55] have grown up. So there's been an effort
[31:57] to knock down those weeds and then pull
[31:59] out the scrap. I understand the metal's
[32:02] gone to metal recycling. Wood where it's
[32:06] um good firewood is actually being
[32:08] reused for the parks to resell for
[32:12] camping and then the rest of course is
[32:14] going to the dump. So it's been
[32:18] I think nearly a full week. I was out
[32:20] there at the end of last week and they
[32:22] were working pretty hard filling up dump
[32:24] trucks. I think there's been
[32:28] a lot of dump truck loads taken out. So,
[32:31] thanks to those guys for that. The other
[32:33] thing that's happening is that we are
[32:35] working closely with the fair
[32:37] association and proceeding with the
[32:39] demolition of a couple of buildings out
[32:41] there. As uh we have previously
[32:44] reported, there was some kind of a wind
[32:48] shear episode out there in June in which
[32:50] we lost a number a lot of roof material
[32:54] for a couple of the oldest buildings and
[32:57] they're used primarily just during the
[32:59] fair. And so in conversation with the
[33:01] fair association, what were we going to
[33:03] do as a fix, the determination was uh we
[33:07] can we can do something with some
[33:08] temporary storage and some temporary
[33:10] trailers during the fair and to store
[33:13] their material in between. And so those
[33:15] buildings are coming down as well.
[33:19] So, baby steps and of course when when
[33:22] we had the folks in town chip sealing
[33:25] the highways, they also chip sealed all
[33:28] of the the applicable hard surface out
[33:30] there as well. So,
[33:33] » And we had a meeting with Icon and the
[33:37] gentleman from Preffort who was
[33:39] livestock handling facility which I
[33:41] thought he was fantastic but it's it was
[33:44] interesting that the majority of the
[33:46] icon guys were looking to the prefort
[33:49] guy for advice on what would this
[33:52] building look like? What should we do
[33:54] here? Where would this go? I mean that
[33:56] it was kind of interesting, but uh in
[33:58] the discussion it sounds like County
[34:00] Highway is going to do a whole bunch of
[34:02] grading of parking lots and moving dirt
[34:04] and so I I mean that it's good to have
[34:08] everybody on board and kind of getting
[34:10] on the same page. But um I mean as a
[34:14] farmer I collect junk and like to clean
[34:17] up and I I can see how the fairgrounds
[34:20] in certain areas got the way it was you
[34:21] know in that back but their county
[34:24] highways cleaning all that up and it's
[34:26] it's going to take time but I think it's
[34:28] really even just basic improvements like
[34:30] that is going to be huge. So it's nice
[34:33] but uh the discussion with Icon and the
[34:36] preer gentleman was I think was good. I
[34:39] think Helen kept giving me the the skunk
[34:42] eye occasionally because I kept telling
[34:44] him
[34:45] » I was never
[34:46] » Tip tip over the tip over the apple
[34:48] cart. Whatever whatever they think it
[34:50] should look like. We just need to tip it
[34:53] over. See what what recommendations we
[34:56] get and then we go back to what what
[34:59] will the public tolerate? You know, what
[35:02] group what does this look like to all
[35:04] the groups out there? But it was a good
[35:05] conversation. Good starter. Oh, may be
[35:08] willing to dream more than I am
[35:11] sometimes, but that's good. That's why
[35:12] we all do this together. Yeah, the um
[35:16] county highway is also going to
[35:18] undertake or has started. There's a west
[35:22] area that I would call more of a swamp
[35:25] than a parking area. And so, uh, we
[35:28] they've they've done some design work to
[35:31] be able to change, uh, sort of change
[35:34] elevations, get some drainage happening
[35:36] this year during that the big rain event
[35:39] during the fair. You could really see
[35:41] where all the water goes and either
[35:43] we've got people parking there or they
[35:45] can't park there because now it's really
[35:47] wet. So, that's the other thing that
[35:49] they're working on this fall. Uh,
[35:51] Preffort is a nationwide leader in the
[35:55] metal panels and all of the livestock
[35:58] handling stuff. Look, people who know
[36:00] know. And so, uh, this gentleman
[36:04] happened to be in the area doing work
[36:06] with ICON. And so, it was just a nice
[36:08] opportunity for us to have somebody who
[36:11] specializes in that kind of, um, animal
[36:14] handling, thought processing to to be
[36:18] out there. I I think all of the
[36:21] architects who have talked to me and
[36:22] have said we'd kind of like to be
[36:24] involved in this project have mentioned
[36:26] that they have contacts with Preffort
[36:28] and Preffort could be involved and so
[36:30] when I heard he was coming it just felt
[36:32] like a good opportunity to to meet him
[36:34] in person. and I think he's sort of the
[36:36] regional guy
[36:38] » And also has extensive knowledge of
[36:42] facilities that are going to be used for
[36:43] livestock that change immediately into
[36:48] some other venue like a concert
[36:50] basketball arena that type stuff. So
[36:52] preferred does all the like a national
[36:55] finals rodeo if you watch that all the
[36:58] interior stock handling for that and
[37:00] exterior is all preferred and guarantee
[37:03] that Glenn was probably part of that
[37:05] project. So it was it was a good visit.
[37:10] » Again I anticipate end of the year or
[37:13] probably early next year because here we
[37:14] are in September already. We'll go
[37:16] through a process to uh allow architects
[37:19] to put their names in and we'll choose
[37:22] someone who will be our our support
[37:24] through the design process. But for now,
[37:27] we're as it as it becomes possible,
[37:29] we're getting a little more information,
[37:31] educating ourselves a little bit, I
[37:33] guess, if nothing else.
[37:35] » Mr. Mr. Chairman, just one quick
[37:37] question and I
[37:40] my concern has always been around the
[37:42] racetrack and since there's no appetite
[37:44] to move it whatsoever, would there be an
[37:47] opportunity to at least engage a company
[37:50] like the one that put up the walls for
[37:52] the data center just to do a noise study
[37:54] to see if there is some remediation that
[37:56] we could do as a part of this overall
[37:58] master plan? I mean, it I don't I can't
[38:01] imagine a study would cost a tremendous
[38:03] amount of money, but at least we'd have
[38:04] an idea of what it would take to to help
[38:09] » That.
[38:10] » Yeah, exactly. With the popping and the
[38:12] cracking.
[38:13] » Yeah. I mean, we have Yes.
[38:16] » Okay.
[38:16] » Well, we can do all sorts of studies and
[38:19] determinations. Yep.
[38:21] » I'll add it to the list.
[38:22] » Okay. Would it would it be worthwhile
[38:27] reaching out to McKenzie with their
[38:30] facility down there? What what they wish
[38:32] they would have done or or good god
[38:34] don't do that kind of a thing.
[38:36] » Yeah. Yep. I would say once we have our
[38:38] architect uh once we have a contract
[38:40] with an architect then there will be a
[38:42] whole bunch of that. Uh DSU Dickinson
[38:45] State has just built a new arena rodeo
[38:48] grounds. uh McKenzo County of course and
[38:51] so once we have somebody who's
[38:53] collecting information and putting it
[38:55] together and analyzing for us then we'll
[38:58] start to do some of those efforts so
[39:00] that we can again incorporate that into
[39:03] what we're doing long
[39:04] » Term for sure.
[39:05] » And part of that meeting was supposed to
[39:07] be a a trip to Watford City to tour
[39:11] their facility and talk to them about
[39:12] all that stuff but my harvest schedule
[39:14] kept us from doing that. So we're going
[39:16] to reschedu it. And I was pretty glad Bo
[39:20] couldn't do it because I think we're
[39:21] going to need to do it when we have
[39:25] educated, knowledgeable consultants
[39:27] anyway. So, it's okay for us to wait.
[39:32] » Okay. Any other questions for Helen?
[39:36] Is that all you got?
[39:37] » That is.
[39:38] » Thank you.
[39:38] » Thank you.
[39:39] » All right. Anybody got anything else for
[39:41] the good of the order?
[39:44] We are adjourned.
[39:46] 840.