You ever have a problem with yours waking up after it's been off a while? Yeah. See, I don't have internet right now. Too bad you don't know any IT people. >> Mine bells. >> Yeah. Oh. Call the Benton County Board of
Commissioners to order. Can the flag pledge? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and
justice for all. >> Roll call. >> Sure. Commissioner Benoy >> here. >> Commissioner Heinen >> here. >> Commissioner Pop >> here. >> Commissioner Johnson >> here. Commissioner Kapinsky >> present. >> Approve. Amend the agenda.
>> Yes, Mr. Chair. We have a couple of amendments. Um the first one is going to be we're going to pull Kathy Rutder's agenda item request. Um it sounds like her um the one county attorney did
accept the position and I think he gave a verbal yesterday that he was going to put in his two weeks. So, um, so we'll pull that one and then, um, at 9:30 we will pull, uh,
auditor treasurer Christine Sherbing on the update on county owned parcels, but we will add, um, the a discussion on the TNT insert. >> Okay. >> So, she'll still be on at 9:30, just a
different topic. >> Yes. Move for approval of the amend. >> Wait, wait. Uh, Mr. Chair, I'd like to add and maybe mine would be after yours on the TNT because it would be I want to add airport authority.
>> Okay. >> You want to do it at We'll do it after Christine. Right after Christine, I think. >> Okay. >> And that'll be you, Jared. >> Yep. Okay. Anything else? Beth, move for approval of the amended agenda.
Mr. Chair, >> second motion been made to approve the amended agenda. All in favor? I >> I opposed. Carried. >> County board meetings are broadcast live and video recorded on YouTube. Please, please restrain from speaking from the
audience area and come to the podium so that viewers can hear you. The board observes the Robert's rules of order for its meeting. So, please obtain the board's chair before addressing the county board. Public comments are generally reserved for open form segment or public hearing. However, public
comments on other agenda items may be allowed at the discretion of the board chair. As we begin today, please turn off your cell phones or turn them to vibrate. Thank you. Open form. Nothing. Okay. Consent agenda.
Move for approval, Mr. Chair. Items one through three. >> Second. >> Any discussion? All in favor? >> I >> I >> Okay, we pulled count the county attorneys. Montgome Monty's and then it's going to
be >> Monty. Can you hear us? If he can, we got issues. >> Jackie is going to take care of this. >> Yes. All right. So, yes, Monty is not here.
So, it's me. time for the audit presentation for the golf 3124 audit and here to present that is from >> morning welcome again >> good morning >> perfect so as Jackie mentioned I will be
going over the 2024 so on the agenda today are the required communication internal controls Minnesota legal compliance and the federal single audit financial results and and then I'll close it out by the key issues in summary.
So required communications all of you should have received a stapled letter and this is required by auditing standards very boilerplate. Um it does mentioned that mention that there was a new gaze statement implemented this year 101 around compensated absences. So it
just redefined what goes into that liability. Um it actually kind of added with what people are using during their employment as well as what you are liable to pay at the end when they separate from employment.
And then it also talks about any uncorrect misstatements statements that we didn't encounter any difficulty. No discriminative management there. Perfect. And then the other item here is that we did issue an unmodified
or clean opinion which is the best you can get on the financials going into internal controls. So we do ensure that all internal controls are working properly and if not we need to note those in writing or some do just go
to management if there are any. Um so the first type in writing is material weaknesses. So these are deficiencies in internal control that are more that are material in nature that would not be prevented or detected and corrected on a timely basis. So the two listed here are
the same two as last year very common in governments of your size and they are audit adjustments and financial reporting process. So the audit adjustments, there were items that we adjusted acrruals. We booked some of the full acral entries such as um the
pension entries um adjusted where PACE loans are reported. They were in your governmental funds. They are now in a custodial fund. That was put out by the state auditor's office this year to have that shown over in the custodial funds since you are collecting it and then
moving it over to the port authority. And then the other item here is the financial reporting process. So that just means that CLA does draft your financial statements and then we do send them to management to approve but we do have to note that that we are drafting.
The other type of internal control deficiency is significant deficiencies. So those are less severe the material weaknesses but still important enough to be in writing. So the item here is segregation of duties. Same as last year and that just means that you know there
are many departments within the county that there aren't enough people that are to properly segregate all duties. So once again very common for entities your size. >> Any questions before I go on? >> Sure. >> Yes.
>> With that deficiency one, how many other counties are in the same boat as we are on that one? >> The segregation. >> Yeah. Y >> um I would say probably 90% of the ones I audit are. >> So it's the very large counties in the state have a robust finance team in
order to not have this. Okay. >> And I will say a lot of the ones that I audit actually have material weaknesses versus the significant deficiencies. So you are on you know the less severe of the two. Okay. >> Just because um Jackie's team has really put in a lot of pl things in place that
they can. Okay. It's more so those smaller departments. >> Mr. Chair, and going back to the audit adjustments, was there a correction for the 24 interest? Was it Do you recall that adjustment at all? >> Um, I recall Monty saying something about that when we were talking about budgets and
>> does that ring a bell? >> It doesn't ring a bell. I mean, you know, we do mark to market. >> Yeah. >> So, your investments, we do have to because you're not carrying them at market. So every year we do adjust them to what the markets say at 1231.
>> That might be what he was talking about and that really fluctuates. If you look um later in the presentation, some are actually negative years >> where I think it's a positive about 2 million this year, but sometimes they do go negative if the markets are negative. So it is a big swing in budget.
>> Okay. Thank you. >> Okay. So then going on to the Minnesota legal compliance and the federal single audit. So the first is Minnesota legal compliance. The state auditor's office publishes each year a county guide of legal compliance of various statutes
that we have to look at and comply ensure you're complying with. So in going through those about 25 pages of statutes, we found one deficiency same as last year and that is that the ditch has or there's ditches that have um
deficit cash balances. So nine of the 13 did have that and it's management has agreed to always leave that instead of doing advances. So and then in terms of the single audit,
so since you spent about $8.7 million of federal expenditures, you were required to have single audits performed. We do have to test 40% of those federal expenditures. So we tested two programs this year. The first being highway planning and construction and then the
other one was the Corona virus state and local fiscal recovery funds or ARPA as you know it. So you'll see here no material weaknesses and no significant deficiencies. So very great results there and we did resolve there was one finding last year and that was for ARPA
um for suspension and dearment. So keep that up. That's great. Okay, any questions before I move into the financial results? Okay, so this first graph is looking at the months of expenditures in unrestricted fund balance. So it does not include your restrictions, your
non-spendable, and this is your governmental funds. And so you'll see here that you sat at just over six months of expenditures and fund balance at your end. The OSA, I see I have a typo on there. The OSA does
recommend no less than 3 to 5 months just because that's your LA the largest span of time between tax settlements. So you are above that and it did increase from last year. So I mean it's good that it's going up. And then you'll see in the bottom there expenditures did go
down this year. Fund balance went up overall as a county. So I will talk about those more in detail in the next slides. So this graph looks at your governmental funds once again, but it's the revenues and expenditures. So you'll see revenues
did exceed expenditures by about 5.6 million and fund balance overall increased just over 6 million. And so we do break it down by fund on the next slides to see the reasons why. So, in terms of the revenue sources for
your governmental funds, you'll see here there's two main ones that stick out that are your ma primary sources, first being taxes, and you'll see they are steadily increasing, which is nice to see. I mean, because you do have rising costs each year with inflation and everything. So, those are steadily going
up. Intergovernmental really does fluctuate year-toear based on what grants you're getting. And you'll see that it did go up from last year. The main drivers were that highway planning and construction federal money that was about 1.9 million as well as the ARPA
money. You did spend about 800,000 more than last year because that is sitting in your unearned revenue until you spend it right now. So when you spend it then the revenue rec is recognized in terms of the expenditures overall by all governmental funds. Then you'll see
your main um expenditures here are general government, public safety, highways and streets and human services. General government did go up. The main reasons it went up about 1.3 million were wages and then the bend in the river project.
Public safety also increased about 1.2 million. That was wages, severance payouts. And then we did catch it would be in this letter um if you look at the bullets that there was uh half a year of probation costs that were missed as a
payable in the previous year. So that was caught up this year. So at year end now your fund balance is correct but there were three half years in there instead of two. So that caused that to >> what did that equate out to in dollars? >> Um let me look at this. It's quite a
bit. Mhm. >> So that was >> cuz I think in order to look at this properly, we'd have to take that off of >> or split it between the 23 and 24. >> Yes, it's so it was about 260,000. >> Okay. >> So those expenditures technically should
have been a year back, >> but it would still but 24 would still be up 800,000. >> Correct. And wages, severance, payouts for paying drivers. >> And then the other item here that does really fluctuate is capital outlay. You'll see that last year it really
spiked up and it was mainly due to large projects, highway projects last year. It was about $7 million a decreased this year. So then going into the general fund revenues and expenditures. So revenues did exceed expenditures almost by 2
million. After transfers in and out, fund balance increased 1.2 million. And so the revenues you'll see went up here. It was really slight increases in taxes, intergovernmental, and investment earnings. So there wasn't one primary
driver there. And then expenditures went up about 1.4 million. Wages, severance payouts, and then that probation extra item. Looking at the road and bridge fund, expenditures did exceed revenues by 1.6 million. expenditures did exceed for the
all five years presented here and so after transfers in and out fund balance decreased 371,000 um revenues were pretty stable I know I mentioned that highway um the federal portion coming in that was offset by
last year you had more user tax so it did increase a little about 500,000 and then expenditures as mentioned you know that really fluctuates based on your projects so there were less projects in 24 and it was pretty consistent with the previous years.
Okay. Then going into the human service fund, revenues did exceed expenditures by 1.1 million and revenues have exceeded for all five years presented here, which is good. After the transfers in and out, fund balance increased um almost 600,000.
So revenues were up, taxes were up, and then intergovernmental revenues, primarily federal, were up as well. And then you'll see here your expenditures were pretty flat in there. So, okay, going into the miscellaneous fund,
then revenues exceeded expenditures by 14,000 and revenues have exceeded all five years. And so, overall fund balance did increase about 275,000. So, you'll see here your revenues were pretty consistent year-over-year, but
expenditures did go up about 440,000. And that was mainly due to it was election year. So it was a federal election year in 24 as well as implementing a new tax system. So you went to that and had a lot of extra cost for that. Okay. >> Tyler tax.
>> Yep. >> And then the last graph here is just the county indebtedness. So you'll see that that top line that had spiked up back in 21 is coming down. that is paying off the go bonds as well as there was a new
line or the last couple years hasn't had anything for direct borrowing that were that was the egg BMP septic loans so those were new in 24 so that came on there and then the other items were pretty consistent nothing really to note
um compensated absences did stay consistent actually went down which surprises me because other governments actually with that new standard were going up, but you did stay pretty flat on that. >> Kristen, as long as we're on this page, sorry, Mr. Chair.
>> Um, for just for people watching potentially, what how does a county sit for um debt? >> Um, I would say I mean very low compared to some. Most governments have some debt and I would say, you know, you do not
have much compared to some. >> Okay. So, and that I will say the detail of this is in your notes if you want to know exactly what issuance you issuances you
have. Those are they start on page 55. >> Y >> um so I mean you only have the 2021 tax abatement refunding bond at 123124 outstanding >> which is really good. >> I just wanted to put it out there for the public.
Okay. So then to wrap it up, key issue summary. As I noted, GZBY 101 was implemented for comp ABS. Um it was not material enough to restate. So that was one of the bullets in this staple letter just to say we adjusted because of that. So we float it through current year
operations. No large standards for 25 coming up there. Gazsby 102 shouldn't impact you. Coming into 26 though, Gazsby 103 will be a larger standard again. So that is
really looking at how your financial statements are presented. Your MDNA is going to get more robust. Your budget to actuals will get more robust. Um and actually have to explain large significant variances between budget and
actual and um the final and the original budget as well. So that'll be out to the public in the report starting in 26. So something to track as we enter 26 of those budget variations just so it makes it easier
come 27 when we're doing that audit. And that is all I had. Any questions? >> It was the usual fun read. >> Yeah. >> And the usual good job from >> Yep. Yeah. Awesome job, Jackie, in your department. Yeah, great job.
>> Thank you. >> Yeah, >> she makes it very easy. >> I'm sure she does. >> Yes. >> Perfect. >> Thank you. >> Thank you very much. >> Thank you very much. [Applause] >> Christine Okay. So, Beth should have handed out
the TNT insert to you. Um, I guess just looking for your approval on that to include that >> and with the TNT backside includes all the proposed levy is >> Yep. Great job putting this together. I think it's good. It's a good easy read.
It's right to the point. So, thank you and for the idea of including it in the >> the mailouts. That'll good. >> Yeah. I think it'll be good for the public to see where the tax dollars go. >> And then, um, to kind of bounce off of Jared's airport, I just wanted to give a
little update on that. Benton County's portion of it is $123,656. And on our median valid valued home, it will add roughly $5 per year. So, >> can you repeat that number one more time
from Uh Benton County's portion is $123,656. >> And Mr. Chair, Christine, is that the simple formula based off tax capacity or is there is it a long >> It's the simple >> the simp whatever Bon County's tax capacity is divided into the levy. Yeah,
we took it off of the median valued home to kind of given I mean obviously it's going to diff be different for commercial and >> Sure. >> And a >> but the total amount comes off tax capacity, >> right? Yes. Yep. Off of our 50 million. >> Yep. Mhm.
>> So So just to I mean our portion compared to Sherburn and and Sterns is way down there, >> but the portions are the same. They just got a lot more properties. >> They got more tax capacity. >> I have their portions if you want to know. Oh, there actually is. Yeah, that would be great.
>> Sterns is $466,34 and Sherburns is $410,310. >> Lot closer than I thought they were. >> Yeah, actually I thought Sterns was going to be about 60%. >> Yep. >> Commissioner Burch should be happy. It's down,000. >> We'll send them this.
>> Oh, I have. >> Thank you. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Can you hang tight for Okay, >> Jared, do you wanted to have >> Yeah. So, um, obviously we had the airport authority meeting and and I think Commissioner Benoy for going over there, Commissioner Heinen and myself
had a bonding tour um, uh, basically presentation we had to do. So, it overlap that time frame. But one of the thing and and I I got a hold of you the week before or the the day before on on the airport authority. Yeah,
>> I whatever you know, obviously there's a there's a group out there making sure taxpayers are in the know what's going on. I just wanted to put it out there because this did go through >> and they said they were going to be there and they weren't. And then, you know, there's there's things going on in
the city of Sock Rapids that affects taxpayers for for uh the additional buildings and stuff like that. I I it just it it there's a lot of things going on that we got to keep everybody involved with and we've been we've been kind of saying this all the way along
that there's other things out there and and as Kristen Hoo said today, you know, before the building we're basically >> pretty low. We basically hardly anything in >> well we're gonna be debtree in 2029 >> you know and and you look at for the
27th largest county to build a I mean in the end it's probably going to be in that $21 million range that we'll end up paying out because we got money to put down and everything like that. It's like you start looking at it going, "God,
that's 21 million." But we're letting there there's there's roughly six to seven million. Well, 6 to10 million for a soccer rapids, 1 million on airport. All that adds up, too. And nobody's nobody's saying anything. Nobody's, you
know, I I I uh I basically braced the uh airport authority for a large group of people potentially coming to and there was nobody there. >> Nobody there. >> No. Gary Graves and I were the only two other than Tim from the Herald were the
only ones that Yeah. >> were there. >> Yeah. >> That attended. There was no nobody from the public at that meeting. >> Yeah. did. And you know the air when they rebranded the airport last week, Commissioner Bertram and myself were there. We were the only elected
officials there. >> Mhm. >> Sherburn didn't have anybody there. St. Cloud didn't have anybody there. It it it's just frustrating that a lot of this stuff gets get gets out there, you know, but nobody's following up on it because it must not mean anything to
them because they're not they maybe they're not in those districts or something. But the airport is going to affect everybody >> and this isn't just a one-year deal. >> Well, and obviously, excuse me, Mr. Chair, Commissioner Kinsky, it's it's
way more than the $5 per median home. It's the principal. >> It's the principal tax. >> It's another levy, another line on your taxes. >> Now, I will 100% say that I I'm on the board or I'm on the side that the Scloud airport or St. called Sky Central
Airport now is very critical to central Minnesota, especially on the business end of things. It's not like business people are flying out on on jet on on commercial airlines. They're flying out on their their personal business jets and everything and flying in. It It's
huge for for the business aspect of things. They're doing what they can on the commercial end. I get that. But, you know, it it it's still a cost to the county. And I I we've been since we've been doing this building, we've been saying, "Hey, there's more out there." You know, we got to we got to make sure
we got the same voices being heard and and those voices aren't showing. So, um >> question, I think both of you sit on that board. Um, Bill made the comments at that meeting
something to do with um a a a upcoming meeting that might have that will put like some type of cap on what they can do. Yeah, we're we're uh I I think that's
basically I think what or I we know what what we're trying to do is we're trying to reconfigure that board whether it's changing up the board completely >> or um if it stays the same putting a cap on what they can do uh from a taxing
authority and stuff like that. I think that's our first win is getting a cap on it because right now they're they're a group of of unelected officials that can that have the authority to put a tax on all the t all the the three counties.
>> Yeah. So there's there's a lot of moving parts on on this whole airport authority and um >> but to your point there doesn't seem to be a lot of public interest. There's not a lot of there's there's zero public interest because I was actually approached by one of them
said, "I thought there was going to be a lot of people here." I'm like, "I thought so." You know what I mean? So anyway, I just I wanted to bring that up because it it it's frustrating cuz everybody's seen what happened on the building. Then you start tacking on a
million here and you know seven to 10 million on Soccer Rapids and nobody's saying anything but it's in the clear sky, clear open on on everything. So Mr. Chair, you know, alls they do is once they read the backside of this and find out, you know, what all the cities and
the uh uh townships and everything are doing with their levies, you know, self-explanatory. And the reason I want to uh uh uh uh whatchamacall uh >> Christine to uh stay is we it can't be on the truth and taxation, right? But it
will be on your property tax line item out. >> So maybe if you can just clarify that. So due to the timing of when we implemented our new tax system, there wasn't enough time to get the programming in to calculate it into our
truth and taxation statement. So there will be a very large bolded box that says that the St. Cloud Airport Authority is a new taxing district. So, it will be clear that that's a new one, but it's not going to break out the
special taxing districts like um the HR and the EDA and Metro Transit and such. So, >> Okay. >> But on the tax statements, it will be separated out >> and it will state an amount per parcel. >> Yeah, it'll be whatever your amount is.
Yep. >> So, >> well, and and Mr. Mr. Chair, can can you explain also um because when I was at that meeting uh it was it was stated that they do not have to have a public
truth and taxation meeting, >> right, >> to do that. >> Special special taxing districts do not, >> right? >> Okay. Um they have chose to >> they are going to still do that. So, anybody interested, get on to the
airport authority um board or uh website and take a look because they are still going to have one because most of the board felt it was important to do that. >> Yeah. >> Yep. >> Mr. Chair, just were you able to get a
hold of anybody that to let them know or not >> to let them know >> about that meeting? >> Yeah, I called but I don't know. Nobody must not show up. >> All right. couple or couple of people that are very interested in the airport, but one had to work. You know, I thought the timing of it didn't wasn't very
>> Yeah. Well, I know it didn't work for me and Commissioner Heinen, but >> Yeah. >> But no, it it's more like Commissioner Johnson, it's more the principle. I don't think $5 is is going to take anybody completely out. But it's just it it's another dollar that keeps adding up
and adding up. >> Kind of like the solid waste tax and everything else that's on there, you know. >> Yep. Exactly. But some but this is one of those things where we're virtually have no control of. >> We got no control other than our other than appointees and stuff like that.
>> So that's all I had on that. Thank you, Mr. Chair. >> Thanks. >> Thanks, Christine. >> Sorry I couldn't remember. >> Drawing a blank. >> It happens as you age, >> Chris. >> Yeah. >> All right. Look at that. Running five
minutes ahead. Don't worry. I'll get us back on schedule. I was just going to say you're going to burn through it, aren't you? >> All right. Well, today I'd like to talk to you maybe briefly about a county road safety plan as it's called. Um I just want to always like to bring them
up on the screen. So, uh every county in Minnesota, including Benton County, has a county road safety plan. Here's ours. Our last plan was adopted or completed in August of 2010.
What a county road safety plan is is kind of a comprehensive look at all the county roads and it did touch on some township roads and looks at areas where there are safety concerns where we have high crashes. What are some of the causes of those crashes? But more
importantly, the plan identifies projects uh where you could improve safety. And a big part of this is opening us up to receiving grants and federal funds for the for those projects
to improve safety. Um I would like to have our county road safety plan updated. Reasons why is although this was completed in 2010, they looked at crash data for the five years of 2003 to 2007. That
was a long time ago. Um I would like to see what are crashes doing more recently. What's interesting though is back then what we learned is that 80% of the severe crashes in Benton County occurred in rural areas identifying that
we had a really uh you know a rural road safety issue. Um and of those 80% 71% of the rural severe crashes were run off the road crashes meaning no other vehicle they weren't at an intersection
just these long stretches of roadways. uh people running off the roads anecdotally now because I don't have the data the evidence or the data to back this up. I don't feel like that's an issue anymore. I feel like our rural intersections now are becoming what our issues were. So I those are some reasons
why I think it would be prudent to have a new plan created. Um I do want to touch on the last plan identified all these projects in the back here for safety improvements and we we completed uh more than 70% of these. What's nice is, and I anticipate something happening
similar, the plan um created like these one pages of the safety improvement projects when HSIP applications were open. All I had to do was take this page out of this plan. I have it electronically, attach it to the
application form, submit it, boom, we got the funding. It was probably the the easiest federal grant to receive because this document identified a safety issue, identified the solution. Boom. They handed out uh 90% of that project cost
through the HZIP uh application. So, fast forward to now. Let's say we do want to do uh an update to our county road safety plan. It really requires a lot of time just pulling together data, going through the Minnesota crash
mapping analyst tool and getting that data, looking at the crashes, disseminating it, compiling it into a readable format. Most often that requires a consultant to do that. Fortunately for us, Mindot is
uh taking kind of the lead on this and lumping counties together and kind of doing it as a larger project in in in groups of counties and then making it uh they well they received a federal HZIP grant to update these.
So to do Benton County's uh project uh the total project cost is about $138,480.88 88, but 80% of that or $110,784.70 would be covered by the state's HSIP
grant. We would be expected to contribute 20% or $27,696.18 to to get a a new county road safety plan. Um, so that's what's before you today is consideration and entering into
this MINDOT agreement committing to the 20% local match. I do have this that was part of my big budget for consultant fees next year. Um, that line item was $230,000. I was expecting about $30,000 of local cost next year to come out of
that that line item. But I really think that that's a good investment. investing 27 to $30,000 could just open up to hundreds of thousands, maybe a million dollars worth of safety projects uh in the future. And once again, those HIPP construction projects, they're different
than other federal projects, it was 90% of the construction costs uh only requiring 10% local match where even like this, it's usually an 8020 match. >> Okay, Mr. Chair, how long does it take to for them to do? >> It's going to take uh a better part of a
year. I think that um in here it does talk about time frame, but I was anticipating if authorized now, it would be fall of next year before this is finalized. I'll touch on it. These completing this plan
also involves open houses, some public meetings to talk about it, to get uh public input. Uh there's a lot of things we do nowadays with online maps and and meetings to solicit input where back then they were having a lot of town hall type meetings and stuff. So I I think
that's that's important to note that our public here in Benton County will have an opportunity to weigh in on what roads that they think are unsafe and possible solutions, but I would anticipate about a year from now before we have a final report. >> I was I was just thinking with with the raised build grant and the state
bonding, you know, all that stuff. >> Yeah. Unfortunately, we're not going to have any conclusive results. Best we could say as we're applying for those is that we're we we are doing things on our own to embark on looking at ways to improve safety. We just don't have all the answers yet, >> Mr. Chair. And, you know, speaking with
legislators and all that, that's exactly what they want to hear, too. >> I think it's a smart move, especially with with MDOT already getting that grant and us piggybacking off of it. >> That's right. You're right. 80% of this cost is being picked up by somebody
else. >> Mr. Chair, I'll approve move for approval of the resolution as resolution as presented and uh authorize the county board chair to sign it. >> I'll second. >> Motion been made and second it. Any other discussion? Chris, you said they're going to lump counties together.
>> Yeah. So, um we're kind of like the second round of county road safety plan updates. So there's maybe five or six counties that are going to be part of this overall contract and that's where they get contract savings is that this consultant that they hired um it's actually Bolton and Mink is actually
working on four or five counties. So that's where you get some kind of economy of scale to get those consultant fees down a little bit. I I really believe if we had gone out to a consultant just to do it on our own, we'd probably be upwards of probably closer to $200,000 just for them to look
at us. But by them Yeah. combining with some other counties, it did bring that overall consultant cost down and then once again the 80% being picked up I think is a good deal for Benton County. >> Okay, any other questions? All in favor?
>> I appro for formal action uh before the county board, but if there's any questions I can address now, I'd be happy to do that or I'll stick around for ditch authority in a little bit. >> Um Mr. chair, just to confirm, CASAT 2 open house. >> Oh, that's right. Yeah, we put out some
social media posts. So, uh, Casatu reconstruction project, which is right now a 2027 project, but we're going to have an open house tonight at Lake View Center at Benton Beach Campground, um, from 4:30 to 6:30 open house style. Just come and go as you please. There's no
set time for a formal presentation or anything, but we'll have some project boards there prepared by our consultant. U, we'll talk about Yeah. construction timeline, possible detour routes, um possible roundabout at that 78 and2 intersection and things like that. So,
>> and you sent letters to all the property owners? >> Yes, we sent letters to everybody that owned property immediately adjacent to the the roadway. But >> yeah. >> Okay. >> Anything else? Anything else you want to report on? Uh
well, I just want to address um federal, you know, federal shutdown is a big topic in news. Hasn't affected us too much, albeit our Gilman project. You would think it would affect our federal money, but it isn't. Since
Gilman got that USDA rural development loan, USDA offices are shut down right now. While although they have the money, there's nobody at the office to process the reimbursement payments. So what does that mean for us? Our agreement was that we pay the contractor, then we invoice
the city, they repay us back for their costs on those monthly pay users to the contractor. They can't pay us until they get their money from USDA. So, at the end of the day, we're going to have to float the cash for their project probably a little
bit longer than what we anticipated originally um until the federal government gets back to work, those come back to the office at USDA and process those reimbursement payments. So, I did just want to acknowledge that. That's something that we debated really hard last week whether we should be paying do
we pay anything if we don't know if we're going to get reimbursed from the city. But ultimately we realized, no, our contractors doing our work are owed that payment for the work that they completed and passed inspections and everything and we're just going to have to pay that out and maybe wait a little
bit longer to get reimbured from Gilman. So that's the only thing that's affecting the federal shutdown's affecting us right now. So >> Mr. Chair, how about uh punch list on CASA 7? That project pretty much wrapped up or >> It is pretty much wrapped up. We're still talking about uh liquidated damages and and everything like that.
So, um >> I think we're about 20 days worth of liquidated damages being charged to the contractor before they finally opened it up to to traffic. >> 60,000. >> Yeah. >> So, >> so like the turn arrows and striping, that type of stuff. >> That should be all done. We have a
little thing though. We're still watching. Um anytime you add new impervious surface, you have to do storm water treatment. We had some infiltration ponds designed into the ditches. >> Um they're not draining within 24 hours
like like there designed for. So we're watching those. There's some things that we can do by use with use of um drain tile. Um that may require a change order to have them come back in and do that. We're we're we're just looking at those. That would be the only thing we're probably looking at right now is our
storm water ponds if they're functioning as intended. So, do we have more funds available now than just retainage or are we sitting at retainage? >> I think we're pretty much just sitting at retainage right now is all is all is being held back. So, >> I I take that back. So, we
>> Yeah, I think about retaining I try to remember the timing of the payment since we pay at the end of the month. Uh there might have been some work completed into September that they hadn't got uh payment yet. >> And a rough number is at like 5%. So 250,000 or >> Yeah. So 5% at 5.8 million. Yeah.
>> Okay. >> So >> So enough of a chunk of change to make a difference. >> Oh yeah. I would think the contractor would be highly motivated to do whatever they need to to get that 5% out. So >> thank you. Thank you. >> Thanks, Chris.
>> You want to go to public health? >> Yeah. Let's get this one over with. >> All right. We'll adjourn the county board meeting. Go to public health. Are you Excuse me, Mr. Chair. You going to recess it? recess the county board meeting. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. We'll call order Benton County Community Health Board.
Note that all commissioners are are here. Uh approve or amend the agenda. I seen you've got two things. Yes. >> Yes. Good morning. Yep. I have two add-ons for um two contracts that came in after our agenda cut off deadline to make the packet. One is for our recovery
core member who will start on the 20th of October and the second um is for the ship contract for the next grant cycle 2025 through 2030 that starts in November. Um both of those would have been consent agenda items. I'm not sure how that works when they're add-ons, but
those two. And then I just had two comments I just wanted to end with, but no formal agenda item for those. >> Okay, board. Anything else to add? If >> we are we putting those underneath the >> They're under consent. Yep. >> I'll move approval.
>> Second. >> Got a motion, a second. Any further discussion? Now to call the question. All in favor say I. >> I. Opposed. Motion carries. Thank you. Now we'll go to the consent item one, two, three, and four. Would you like to
pull any of them for clarification? >> Move for approval. Mr. here. >> Second. >> We get a motion and a second. Any discussion? If not, I'll call the question. All in favor say I. >> I. >> I. Opposed. Motion carries. Jacqueline, consider the public health emergency
preparedness mutual aid agreement. >> Yeah. So, I'm going to just really quick here pull up this. It's hard to drive the computer and talk at the same time. So, I just want to make sure I get to this folder. So, I'm going to pull up a presentation. And in your packet, you also have a copy
of this PowerPoint. And I'm also going to share this quick to go to meeting so people online can also see. There we go. Okay. So, just a brief introduction. Um, so at our central region public health director's meetings, we've been talking a lot about our emergency preparedness and public
health. And you know, anytime we really have a crisis or an emergency, we tend to call upon our partners in public health. And we've been doing that for a long time. Um, but we're talking now about formalizing with a mutual aid agreement. I think many of you are familiar with mutual aid agreements. Nothing new. I know a lot of fire
departments utilize mutual aid. Our emergency management utilizes mutual aid. Um so something that we're looking to move forward with and wanted to bring a presentation to you about um a potential opportunity for us to be part of a central region mutual aid agreement for public health. Um I have with me
today our community health specialist Julie. Julie is our emergency preparedness coordinator and has been with us for many many years. So she's going to talk through a little bit about our um plans, kind of what the next steps would look like and then um I'll close us back up after she gets done here. So I'll pass it on over to Julie.
Um it's shared to go to and then you can navigate with the the keyboard. >> Good morning commissioners. >> Morning. >> Um so as um Jacine said, my name is Julie Wilman. I am the FEP coordinator, public health emergency preparedness coordinator. Um a little bit of
background on this. Um, as some of my colleagues and I were talking and just reflecting on events that we've been a part of over the many years, um, we got to thinking, you know, we don't really have we don't have a mutual aid agreement that we know of for public health. So, we did some research. We
checked in with some other counties. We checked in with some of our emergency managers um, and have found out that we do not align with emergency management as far as our region for public health emergency preparedness and emergency management. And this map can show you shows you a little bit of how those
regions are split up. On the left side of the screen, you see the Log Public Health um FEP central region and on the right you see the emergency management region. So they do not align. And that's going to come into play when I start talking about um the agreement that that
we're looking at. This is just another breakdown of of the same thing. It shows you the uh counties that are all in the local public health region. Um there's 13 counties in our region and of those 13 counties only six of them align in the emergency
management um region and emergency management has I bring that up because emergency management does have mutual aid agreements. Um so their region is covered but only six of our public health counties would be covered under that agreement which would make it difficult for public health to just tack
on to the emergency management agreement. Oops. This slide just um shows the language from emergency management um some of the state statutes that they have and how they can um come together and um have
mutual aid agreements between their organizations. And I just wanted to point out on the right side of the screen um in the emergency management mutual aid agreement language when they talk about assistance they have it spelled out there in those letters. um A
through E of of different um departments within a county. But as you can see, public health is not spelled out in this document in this mutual aid agreement document. We would fall under probably that other personnel. Um but again, that's open to interpretation. So we're
really looking to define public health piece of it. Um mutual aid um is critical for several reasons particularly in times of crisis as we all know. Um sharing resources um that could be personnel. Um we have a
lot of like FEP coordinators. We go to a lot of different trainings. We have a lot of knowledge that we could all bring to help each other. Um most other people in in our departments um don't have that same kind of experience and knowledge and expertise. It's a specialized kind of training um that we go through and
exercising and planning that could be medical supplies in that mutual aid agreement, equipment um you know during disease outbreaks, natural disasters or other public health crisis. Um this would help ensure that no single department is overwhelmed and that all
communities can receive support. Um coordinating response is another um reason for a mutual aid agreement. collaborating between those departments. Like I mentioned, that knowledge and expertise is a huge component of that. Um I know many of us in central region have been coordinators. I've been here 12 years and I've been doing this for 12
years. So there's a number of us that have um 10 to 12 years of experience within our within our region for public health. Um and it helps to dup to make sure that we avoid duplication of efforts and to ensure that resources are um used effectively and efficiently.
Um, as I mentioned already, training staff is a is a big piece and we can respond quickly. You know, if another county needed our assistance, it might not be sending like the whole team. We're talking maybe a couple people to help u people that have that training and knowledge just to help be another set of hands and eyes. Um, and maybe to
help think about things that, you know, in that time of crisis, we sometimes can tend to forget certain areas. um looking at that equity of of response and making sure that you know vulnerable vulnerable populations are adequately supported and you know thinking through some of those
things that the county that's in the emergency at that time might not be continuing to think about. Um so it's just bringing that expertise and then it can increase um our resilience. Having that flexibility and adaptability to allow other agencies to
work together and to bring those resources can help um to quickly scale up or shift resources as needed and allows for that faster response time. Um, we know during COVID, uh, we did not getting some of those resources took a took longer. I mean,
everybody was needing them. I get it for during CO, but even in other responses, if there was a TB outbreak, um, or just needing extra nurses or extra supplies to help with things like that, having this mutual aid agreement in place can just help quickly um, mobilize those,
um, supplies or people quicker. That's all I have. Any questions for me? You want to wrap that up or anything else to add? >> Change number nine. Good. >> Um, are when you when you're looking at this mutual aid agreement, are you looking to align with emergency
management the same counties that are in that emergency management? So, we'd be looking to align our public health region so that all of our 13 counties, whichever ones wanted to participate in this agreement, um, could participate. And so, all of our 13 counties for local public health
emergency preparedness would be aligned. And I will say the metro region does have, which we just found out about recently, they actually do have an agreement for their local public health in the metro region. And I don't think >> that one didn't get that one didn't get included. Correct. Because we just found out last week about that agreement that
they already have. Right. >> And to add on to what Julie commented on, Pam, um or Commissioner Benoy, the other piece of it is our public health regions are determined by the state. And so we meet frequently as a we meet monthly as a region um regional group. And so I think for the ease and
facilitation of the contract and just knowing who our regional partners are, we'd probably maintain that same um region. Although it doesn't stand to say that somebody who's external to our region couldn't choose to join in. I think that door would be open too because we know mutual aid agreements are effective and it helps us to respond
quicker. So yeah, >> Mr. Kinsky, >> I do I I do think the mutual aid agreement is definitely well worth it. Everybody has them like you mentioned fire department, everybody has mutual aid out there. Do you got could would you be able to put together like the top
10 like department of health um outbreaks or whatever over the last 20 years you know obviously everybody knows CO but people don't know other things that have happened and what and like the affected amount and stuff like that. >> So actually at and maybe um you can tell me if this will be helpful. We actually
have planned for both Julie and for Kristen, our emergency manager, to do a joint presentation at one of the upcoming committee of the holes or board meeting just on the roles of public health and emergency management and how we both interconnect um how our planning
aligns um where we overlap at times and how we have that jointed effort and kind of talk a little bit about that response. Um and that could certainly be something we could add into that. Yeah, that would be great. Maybe we do a couple slides of here's you know interactions we've had in the past but um some of the examples um you know just
speaking off the top of my head would be um you know like HPA and I I and cattle for example our first call you know we get notified of a case we're usually in contact with Kristen right away she's got other contacts with other boards of animal health um agricultural um you know and if things escalate then
typically it's a joint response and we're looking at the human side of things um emergency management is is really their focus is you know as much different um ours is really about the human the health side um points of dispensing um but I think that presentation would be really helpful we've been talking about that for some
time um and this even came up the mutual aid agreement need even came up yesterday Kristen um and public health had partnered with our response sustainability grant funds um we've been doing the continuity of operations planning um updates for the county for the entire county and so we had our
first our session with yesterday with our public health team and you know we talked about three people deep like are you three people deep in any of these things if Courtney and I are gone what what what do we do at that point if we're both incapacitated you know what's our next step and we talked about how something like this could be so effective in that case too pulling in
those other preparedness coordinators directors from other counties getting them at bay um you know because again we all have similar responses in our counties and um this will help us to do it faster um and already have some of those practices in place where we don't have to determine the policy right then and there when we're in a crisis to try
to get that communication going. So, yeah, I don't know if Julie wants to add anything there, but we could certainly um add those. >> Yeah, I think just giving the top 10 over the last 20 years or something because people always can, you know, they know CO, right? Everybody's know co know knows CO.
>> Yeah. One tiny huge part of our time, but tiny part of public health. Yeah. >> Yeah. So, thank you. >> Thank you, Julie. Great. What would you like to do with this board? I'll make a motion to move forward with the mutual aid agreement.
>> Second. Okay, >> we got a motion and a second. Any further discussion on this? If not, I'll call the question. All in favor say I. >> I. >> I. Opposed. Motion carries. Thank you. Next. Thanks. >> Okay, so next on the agenda, um I I'm really just bringing this one back. Um
we had come to a prior board meeting in September and uh the board had granted approval for us to explore a potential grant that was coming up. Um, we looked into that grant further, found, um, you know, Kayla and Mariah, our community health specialist, did some research into that grant, found out that grant came with a lot more responsibilities
and duties, um, more of a burden, um, than what we were maybe looking for. We have identified a different grant that we'd like to apply for. The deadline is this Friday, um, October 10th. So, just coming back to to kind of give an update. you know, we're not going to apply for the prior ask, but would like
to put our hat in the ring for this um communitydriven approaches to address commercial tobacco use. Would not be used to um hire any additional staff. It would really be used to support current staff time and expanding our tobacco work and being able to offset cost of some of the activities that we have
planned. So, um with that, like I said, the deadline would be on Friday. Um there is no local match required. It would be an opportunity to request from an award amount of 100,000 to 200,000 annually. Um it would be be a three-year contract that would start in um 2026. So
just um reaching out for approval for us to put our hat in the ring or submit an application for an RFP for tobacco work. >> Can't hurt. >> I'll make a motion to move forward. >> I'll second. Get her.
Excuse me. We've got a motion in a second. Any discussion on this? >> If not, I'll call the question. All in favor say I. >> I. >> Opposed? Motion carries. Thank you. Next. Congratulate, educate. Checks update. >> So, I have Kayla Roloffs here with us
today. Kayla is our substance use prevention coordinator. Um, works on substance use mental health. She works a little bit in our SHIP program and recently is um transitioning our child and teen checkups program to our new public health nurse um Kaden. Um but Kayla's going to do today just an
overview of the recently completed congratulate and educate checks that we've done with our tobacco retailers um in Benton County. So I will pass it over to Kayla and um Kayla it's up on the screen. You can just use the there to navigate through. Great. Thank you. >> Good morning commissioner.
>> Good morning. Um yeah, so like Jacqueline said, I'm just here to kind of give you an update of the congratulate and educate checks that we had completed. Um I believe it was June 27th, so not quite recent, but still within the last couple of months. Um and here's just a quick little overview of
what um our congratulate and educate um checks are. Um they are just educational tobacco compliance checks. Um it is just a way um to try to educate um our tobacco retailers on current laws. Um
and it is supported um by the Minnesota Department of Human Services and um the Association for Non-Smokers Minnesota. Um so we apply um we conduct the checks and then we get reimbursed for the checks that we do. Um, and they are
really just for educational purposes only. There's no sort of penalty that comes with any of this. Um, it's just a really good way to kind of connect with some of those retailers. Um, so how they work, our public health team, um, myself and then our other community health specialist, Mariah
Klein, go out um with a local youth, um, someone between the ages of 17 and 20. We visit the 10 retailers that are licensed through Benton County. um our youth attempts to buy tobacco products and then um we always go in and then
talk to the retailers about their results. Um so all the retailers receive um the results of their check. So this is just like an example of what the form looks like. Um we just say like on whatever date at this time your clerk passed or failed the check and then we have like
our information on there as well. Um, anybody who passes gets a nice little certificate of appreciation. We just say thank you for not selling to youth. Um, and then for anybody who fails, they get um some additional handouts. Um, they get one that just
talks about um what a compliance check is um what the Minnesota law is. And then we um on the bottom I think it also has like additional resources for training. So, um, if they want to have their clerks go through training again,
they can do that. And then we also give them a form about how to check the ID, just, you know, the horizontal versus vertical. Um, and then we also talk about like Benton County specific penalties as well. Um, so then after the checks are complete, our team shares the
results um with DHS and that's how we get our reimbursement. And then we also share with the sheriff's office as well, just so that way they have those records. Um and then the results of this year, we checked all 10 retailers. Um eight of our retailers passed. Um two did not. Um
last year there was only one that failed. Um so it was additional um failure again this year. So again, we just kind of provide that education. Um again, it's not an opportunity to find anybody. It's just a way to educate and let them know about what
>> they failed last year and this year. >> The same. They were different, but I'm not supposed to say who it was just because they're educational. So, I just want to make sure that's clear. Yeah, they were all different over the last two years. So, >> Mr. Chair, Kayla, who decides if they're getting fined?
>> Sheriff's Office. >> So, that would be when they do the compliance checks. So, they always end up conducting those separately. Um, we can't use these in place of compliance checks. So, um, like I said, again, we just kind of pass that information on so that way they know, um, and can kind of pay attention, I guess, when they're doing their compliance checks. So,
>> so Kayla, the sheriff would have to go out or the deputies would have to go out to that individual that you said pa failed and do their own. >> Yes. Yep. So, I think they usually conduct theirs like at some point in the year. So, they're completely separate, but like I said, we just kind of try to
communicate those results just so that way we know like, hey, maybe there's issues with this retailer or they're consistently failing or, you know, kind of have that track record. So, um, yeah, this is really just educational, but then they also know for, I don't know,
whatever they need to do. >> Mr. Chair, any liability issues you've run into with taking minors into these places that try to buy cigarettes? >> No. Um, we try to have at least someone over the age of 18, so they are a legal adult. Um, I think if they were 17, we'd have to just have like written parent
permission. Um, we've never had any issues with that before. they sign a waiver or anything, just they're asked to do it to do it. >> Yep. Yeah. >> Right. >> As long as they're 18. >> Yeah. >> Yes. Yes. >> Okay. >> Yeah. We've had pretty good luck um using the same youth a couple years in a
row. So, um he's really good and Okay. >> Yeah. Unfortunately, he'll be turning 21 next year, so we won't be able to use him again, but he's been really good partner with us. >> Okay. >> Um I do want to highlight though one positive from this um round. Uh last year when we completed the checks, we
found two of our retailers had price promotions and I think we're selling flavored tobacco products. Um so we had the sheriff's office follow up with them on that. And then this year um everybody was within compliance there. So I think that was all I had for that. Um you guys asked a bunch of questions, but
if you have any more, I'm happy to try to answer them. >> Thank you. Thank you for what you do. >> Thank you. Thank you, >> Kayla. Kayla did a nice job answering some of those. And I think um just to circle back, one of the partnerships between the sheriff's office and public health was that when we updated our
tobacco ordinance that we would continue to do those congratulate and educate checks so that way the clerks and the different retailers, we could provide that education and give them a chance to learn what the new updates were, the changes, policies. Um so that's been really helpful and that in having that partnership and that communication as
well. So, we're thankful for for that partnership and collaboration on this. All right. So, then um the only other thing I had for today was just to um provide a couple of comments. Um one, I just wanted to comment on the federal
government shutdown as well. Um with that, the program that we're watching right now is our WICK program. Um currently, there are no changes in our WIC program operations. Um Mininnesota Department of Health has sent out communications to continue as normal. Um it's my understanding they receive funds in advance and so um we're continuing to
work. No no no impact at this point in time but we're keeping it on our radar. Um the other thing I just wanted to comment on was the department of the month last month. Um many of our department staff attended the department of the month with the public works building and had really highly um positive remarks. So just wanted to you
know express appreciation for that. Um it really did provide a space for a lot of interaction and collaboration. And I know I don't know if Chris is still in here but you made it hard. Now he raised the bar even higher every month. I think everybody is raising the bar and it was really fun just to see um the pride that
Chris's staff had and I did the tour. So it was nice to just be able to walk around and learn and it really opened even my eyes um even after working in county for government for here and in another agency um to the work that happens and it was just cool to see the the pride as they walked around and talked about all the different um
activities that they do and projects. So yeah, that was just it. Just wanted to express a thank you for that and I think that's all I have for today. >> Great. >> Thank you, Jacine. Appreciate it. >> Mr. I just want to um uh go off what Jacqueline just said is I wasn't able to
be here for that for that um highway department area or that that department. But I've heard a lot of great things and and you go from the sheriff's department the month earlier when and everybody said, "Ah, nobody can beat this." And then you go over there and it's like
keep I don't know what I don't know how people are going to keep eating this because people are having a good time with it. It is >> it's very positive. >> Yeah. So >> just so you know, Jacquine, we did hold Commissioner Kpinsky accountable to that because he wanted his booya. >> Yeah. >> All the meat out of it.
>> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> That's what you get for missing it. >> Tomato soup. >> Yeah. I don't know what we're going to I mean, we won't have like big trucks with flashing lights and that, but we'll be we'll be scheming up something. So, but yes, thank you for supporting that. I
appreciate that. >> Great. Thank you, Jacqueline. At at this time, we'll uh adjourn the Benton County Community Health Board and turn it over to the board chair. >> And we'll we'll continue with ditch authority. >> All right, we'll call our ditch authority meeting to order. And please
recognize we've done the roll call already with everyone present. Move on to approval. are amending our agenda. Chris, do you have any additions? >> Uh, no, I have none. >> Um, the only thing I'd like to do, I know that I see that uh there's one person online with us, a couple in the audience. I don't know if we want to
maybe start and have an open forum section uh to allow speak people to speak because typically without that open forum, we don't really do that. So, if that's okay with the ditch authority and with Chris, we could just add an open forum section in and maybe do that
now. Um, so I see Mr. Staltman's on. You guys are here. If there's anyone that'd like to speak in an open forum type setting before we start the meeting, if you could please come to the podium and state your name and address for the record or anyone online.
>> Mr. Chair, that'd be something that's not on the current agenda. Correct. >> That's right. >> So, we probably should have something on there to approve that. >> Right. >> And actually, I was talking about that as I went to approval. So, if we could, if someone would like to maybe make a motion to add the open forum in a
second, we can get that on. >> I'll make that motion. >> I'll second that. >> Okay. We have a motion to approve uh to add the open forum and a second. Any other discussion on that? >> Hearing none. All those in favor? >> I oppose is carried. And maybe while we're on that, we can move for our
agenda too now that uh we have the open forum added and then we'll go into that. Is there approval for the open or for the agenda? >> So, move. >> Okay. >> Second >> and a second. All those in favor? I >> opposes carried. All right. Move the open forum. Thank you.
>> Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. >> Morning. >> My name is Vernon C. Reiner from 275965th Street Northeast in Sock Ravitz. I have one question and a couple suggestions. The question being the beaver that are blocking County Ditch 10 at the
intersection of 65th Street Northeast, when are they going to be removed? >> Okay. uh that'll be >> there is an item on the agenda for that today. So we'll have discussion about that. >> Okay. And then my s suggestions are that due to the
negligence andor whatever of depa renting that meadow to Lansancy Zedansky who run livestock in there and destroyed the ditch from county from 65th Street to 55th Street Northeast. that depa should well in the consequences of that
the ditch being destroyed water backed up beaver moved in fact there's even muskrat huts now on the north on the north side of 65th street which in my 85 years of living there never was one
but my suggestion here is that depa pay 100% of the cost of removing them beaver from county ditch 10 The other suggestion is along with that is that he pay due to his negligence in
renting that to Lassie Sedansky without fencing off County Ditch 10 that he pay 90% of the cost of cleaning out ditch 10 between 65th Street and 55th Street. One other suggestion that I have
for how to pay for Benton County ditch maintenance, cleaning, and maintenance in the future is to implement a general sales tax that would cover that. And so we could get rid of this screaming and hollering that
people are doing because they're being they would be paying for it, but in a minor amount. and such as a road tax, which I am all in favor of or in favor of. Uh it would be a minor
uh cost to all taxpayers if there was a general sales tax implemented. Got any questions for me? Other than that's all I got. >> Thank you, Vern. Appreciate it. Anyone else? >> Anyone else? >> Hello, this is Robert Stman.
>> Okay. Hi, Robert. >> Hi. Um, I appreciate the ability to be online with you. Um, and um, I welcome what I see on the agenda as a solution uh, to see how uh, much the ditch can be
improved or the water flow can be improved. I just want to reiterate on my end of the ditch on the bottom end of 10, there hasn't been water running there beyond the garden hose trickle for the last month. Uh things are drying up,
but it's still somewhat soft in there. So, uh but um if we can get that beaver dam out uh several other blockages, I think that'll work um to solve the issues here. I just want to reiterate
that ditch 10 is a very unique ditch compared to all the other county ditches and uh hopefully we'll have other discussion on the continuous maintenance of it. So, thank you. >> All right. Thank you. All right, move on to consent agenda item number one item.
What you wish is >> move approval. Okay, >> I'll second >> motion and a second to approve the consent agenda. All those in favor? >> I oppose is carried. Move on to regular agenda. Chris, consider the quotes for removal of obstructions from CD 10 and 11. >> Yeah. Um, so we've talked a lot about
this repair of um county ditch 10. In fact, uh the drainage authority has um uh ordered a repair report and we're still working through that and all the challenges, but it does seem to be that there are some these blockages in the
onem section between 55th Street and 65th Street. So, uh we did go solicit some quotes from some contractors of just bringing in a machine um and removing those obstructions in that one mile section. Our observations is that
that's that area is pretty flooded. Um, normal excavation machines would not work there. You'd have to bring in matting or some kind of machine that had flotation devices. So, what we do have some quotes here from contractors that have excavators on big pontoons. Um, the
first quote was was rather high. They needed $6,000 just to mobilize to the site. And then they needed then they were going to say $300 an hour with a minimum of 40 hours of work whether we could find 40 hours worth of work to do it or not. So that put the quote at
about $18,000. Um then we we learned of another contractor that actually has a smaller machine. That's why I think he's be able to be more cost effective. Um and then so we met with him, showed him the
videos, the drone videos. Uh we looked at maps of how he could get to the site and stuff and so that's what he was estimating. Um only charging us $250 an hour and he's estimating about a day and a half. Uh that would bring his quote to $3,860
for just county ditch 10. Um >> we did talk about briefly CD11. What's that? It was 3,860. I thought I had 30 in there. Yeah, $3,860. I'm sorry if I misspoke. So, $3,860
for CD10. >> We do know that there's some trees that are down on CD11. We thought, well, if we have this guy here with a smaller machine, he looked at that location, thought, well, another half day, that would give him two days total in our area. But on ditch 11, a different
system, um, another $1,360. So, that contractor's quote for even just doing two ditches would be 5220, $5,220 um for both ditches. But I think the key ditch that we're we're most concerned
about CD10 would only be $3,860. Um and so that's what I would like the the board to consider. Uh maybe maybe authorizing us to spend, you know, $3,800 on CD10. and if
acceptable another $1,300 on CD11. >> Commissioner Kaminsky. >> Mr. Chair, thank you. I think going and doing both of them right away, as long as he's mobilized, he can go from ditch to ditch, it's going to keep the cost down. I also want to thank you and your staff for getting these options. I know
Mark Ebn, uh, kudos to all you guys. So, thank you for I think this is a is a great option to see if it does um alleviate some of those uh um blockages. >> The the the second quote here I I should add to our drain inspector Adam, we
learned that that according to contractor, he had done a lot of work for Todd County. So, Adam reached out to that drainage inspector in Todd County >> and um basically came back with glowing reviews. they really like the way this guy operated, how efficient he was, his cost and stuff. So, we did do some
vetting of that contractor um before we we brought this to you, >> Chris. I I do think it's imperative that we have a reminder to the ditch authority and to land owners that we do have this repair report that's in progress that's been ordered. That comes
at a cost >> and this is above and beyond that. Again, this doesn't take care of the cost of the repair, right? >> So, yeah, I just I I just really want to be clear because sometimes that's easy to go, well, we don't have to do the
repair report now. Well, that's already been ordered and it's already in process and there's already a cost there. >> This is an addition. >> Yeah. >> And I'm not saying we shouldn't do it. I'm just >> I want to be really >> But it's a lot better option at this point than cleaning than
>> Well, exactly. and it may give us a lot better options of what we look at once the repair report comes back. >> Right. But I >> we just have to remember that. >> Commissioner, >> Mr. Chair, and I would agree with you at that point in time. I mean, as what we've been hearing is that it's been the
beaver dams that have been the whole problem on ditch 10. So, if we get rid of the beaver dams, hopefully that will clear that up. But then again, as you were saying, we still have a repair report. >> If if I may add, commissioner, I think
that's an excellent point to make. So, we did receive a repair petition and at a public after a public hearing, yeah, the drains authority did order that report. So, per statute, we still need to bring that report back at a public hearing, but after receiving testimony
at a public hearing, the board could decide whether to go forward with a fulllength repair or not. Um, what I understand talking to drainage attorneys and stuff, nothing precludes us from doing maintenance in the interim. We may complete this maintenance, still have
that public hearing on that report. The public may say, "No, we're satisfied with the what's been accomplished so far. We don't need to go forward with a full scale repair, but we still need to have that hearing, >> but the report, because it was ordered, there's costs there." >> That's right. We've already incurred
those costs getting to the engineering. As long as we're talking about statute, maybe we can try to answer some of Mr. Reinhardt's questions here. And please correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't know that there's anything in in drainage statute that allows us to call out a particular landowner to pay X
number of% of a problem. You know, he he offered two suggestions for that for two different things. And then I don't know that there's anything available to the ditch authority to try to establish a general sales tax across the county to pay for ditch repairs. So if you can maybe address that, we can try to get
answers to him today. >> Sure. The first thing uh a specific individual. Um I think there are cases in drainage law where things can be assessed to an individual. >> Okay. >> The caveat is the drainage authority needs to have documentation where they
notified this landowner that they're in violation and that they failed to correct it on their own. Um that's where I think we struggle. Although we have an adjacent land owner that says that they had done something since we weren't active and maybe maybe this is a failure
on our part, but we weren't active in managing that ditch up until just a couple years ago. I don't think we have that documentation where that land owner was notified that they were violating and that they had failed to correct it on their own. So I think that keeps us from assessing specifically on one
landowner. What would make me leerary about that though is we probably have to include some type of legal advice which will be a cost to the system again. >> Well, correct. Then then we're consulting our legal becomes a cost again. >> So, >> okay. And as for our sales tax, what I
understand just general sales tax because obviously we have the sales tax for transportation. That was specific legislation that if I remember right, 2012 or 2013 where the state legislature authorized county boards to authorize a
sales tax specifically for transportation just by board resolution. Right >> now, I'm not a tax expert, but I think there are there's laws that where you can enact a sales tax, but after only a referendum. So we'd have to put it on a ballot for everybody in Benton County to
say, "Yeah, we're in favor of more sales tax to to clean out ditches." But in specifically drainage code, really the only funding mechanism is assessment on the benefited land owner. >> Mr. Chair, let me throw a caveat on to
that. Everybody that lives in the city limits is already paying for that monthly. So we be double paying because we have to pay for our water running off of our property onto the road and we get assessed every month from the city.
>> It's called storm water. >> Storm water. >> Well, plus city of Sak Rapids is paying for CD3 right now. >> And they are paying for CD3 too, >> which we are. >> And we are >> what Commissioner Hines Yeah. in municipalities. Yeah. It's storm water assessments and that's where some have
compared ditches is just a rural storm water collection system and that's why in cities it's easy to say oh you live on that street so you get assessed for it. Um in rural areas it's a little bit unclear but basically that's what some would say that it's a rural storm water
collection system so they're only those that dump water into that system should be yeah paying for it. So, okay. Thoughts on the quotes? >> I'll move approval of both quot or both
uh prices 3860 for ditch 10 and 1,360 for ditch 11. >> And I'll second that. >> Okay. Motion a second to approve those quotes. Any other discussion? And Chris timeline something. If this gets approved today, they can get on it. >> Yeah, this this guy's very eager. Uh he
does have another job, but he has a lot of time off. He could do it within this week probably. So, >> okay. >> So, I I know somebody addressed the beavers. I think that's still something that we will still need to do. We'll need to hire a trapper to trap those beavers or they'll just rebuild those obstructions in short time. So, that'll
happen concurrently. And just to be clear, full disclosure, that cost is not included in this quote. That's a different individual or we'll have to contact some individuals to find availability for trapping. But I think we should do that concurrently. >> Yeah, absolutely. Mr. Any other discussion? Go ahead.
>> Uh, Adam, great job. Thank you for everything you're doing, too. >> We have a motion, a second to approve the quotes. Commissioner Benite, >> I have just one question on some of the ditches that haven't been cleaned out in the past 100 years. Is there any other
obstructions in any other ditches while we have this guy here that we could be removing to cut back on costs to everybody? >> Um, probably. I mean, looking at our videos that that Adam has flown, um, I
think occasionally you'll find a a tree down here or there. Um, >> I don't know if his machine is necessarily needed. So, what he has is basically a mini excavator on pontoons. Um, and and he can haul that on a gooseeneck behind a one- ton pickup.
That's I think that's why he saves on mobilization. He doesn't doesn't need to get overweight permits and things like that to haul it. Um, but based on his availability and eagerness to do our work, I think that he could come back once again in short time and I don't
think I guess to answer your question directly within this time frame, I don't think we're prepared to say that. I I just want to be transparent. So before we spend any more money on any ditches, I would like to bring that back. Say like ditch five is another ditch that's
coming to my mind. We haven't touched that. If we find an obstruction, I would like to bring something back to the drains authority to say, "Yep, ditch five. It's going to be this cost for this ditch. We're authorizing you to spend that much out of that ditch fund." I I'm not prepared today to say, "Yeah,
we're going to spend another $1,000 on ditch five and and $1,500 on ditch ditch 15 or something. I I just don't have those numbers today." So, I I appreciate the eagerness to save costs, but I think to be transparent, I want to have a discussion on each ditch. So, so it's
everybody knows that we had authorized to spend that that money out of that ditch fund for those ditches. >> Well, and if we look at having him come back at some point in time to get into another ditch, maybe that's when we take a look at all of them to make sure that we're having one expense.
>> Sure. I that's a good idea. >> All right. Any other discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor? >> I opposed. It's carried. Right. Um, consider the correction
regarding the petition for removal of property from CD12. >> All right. Yeah. So, this is this is uh just a a clerical correction. At the last uh drainage authority, we discussed uh the petition uh for removal of property from county dish number 12. And
uh we had the drainage authority adopt uh a public hearing notice. Um there was an error on the the parcel ID number on that um order that was signed at the last danger meeting. So we we as staff
just felt it probably prudent to correct that with the correct partial ID that matches uh the petitioners uh parcels. Uh there it is 8 0037601 [Music]
800337601 just to make sure that we have the correct partial ID. We had an incorrect typo in this parcel ID. So we just felt for once again full transparency have it correct notice. It doesn't change the the time of the the hearing um and the
the date uh which is not filled in here. We'll fill that in. Um, but that's uh the first meeting in November is when we decided to have that. Um, and we just we advertised it or adopted last time at 9:00 and that's what the notices are going to say. November 4th at 9:00 here
at the the government center. >> Chris, was there two parcels up there on the upper sheet? >> Correct. Yes. Good. Good. uh noticing but only this second parcel is the only one that's within the the county ditch 12 benefited area.
>> Okay. Okay. >> So that's the only that's the reason why that one's listed on the the notice. So >> the auditor's office will then draft letters to those benefited parcels based on on this notice. >> So So is the partial ID number up on top
wrong or is the one here wrong? >> They're both right. No, >> they're both right. >> They're both right. >> Go back up. >> The other parcel wasn't in that ditch. >> But there's not >> Oh, >> it's the second one.
>> Hard to read from here cuz I don't see I only see one three up there and there's two threes down there. But I see where you pointed Chris with your it. It's hard to read from up here. 1 337601. Okay, I get it.
No, I thank you. >> It looks like 8 Z. >> This is uh >> It is. >> It is. >> And then this one has uh >> two threes in it. >> I think that one's showing that that one
was wrong or what was wrong about that one and then there would be a new one that would be brought. >> So this one is not the correct one. >> Correct. The correct parcel ID though should be 080037601.
>> So is there an extra three in here? >> There is a I think because if you count the number of digits I think that's too many digits for partial IDs in Benton County. So >> I commissioner Benoy good coach. >> So we'll correct it again. >> I'm not blind.
>> We'll correct it again. Is it uh >> we still have correction tape around here? >> No. Uh Oh, >> she's got some over there. >> She uses it quite often >> cuz like she said, she's not blind from a distance, but >> see in the corner.
>> So, that should be the correct parcel ID. So, yeah. Um um once again, these two parcels, they are owned by these, but when reviewing the county dish benefited area, only this second parcel was within there. That's
why um it was determined to put that on the notice. So um do you want to approve it with the directions noted and we can cross one of the threes out and still have it signed today? Yeah. Where the auditor can still get letters out. Um I >> I'll make a motion to approve this with
the partial ID dropping a three from it. >> Second. >> Any other discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor? I opposed. It's carried. Um Chris to Commissioner Benoyy's comment
about other ditches CD12 there's been a valid repair petition filed. >> Yeah. >> Is there a report ordered yet? Trying to recall if we've ordered a >> Yeah. So once we had the uh the hearing um we order the the drainage authority did order a report. So we're in that
time frame where we're working on the report. Um, once again, full disclosure, not much work has occurred on that report because we've been focusing on these other ditches. >> Situation hypothetically would be in the same situation as CD10 as if we went in there and maybe did some maintenance.
>> The report still is going to be done, right? >> That's right. A report still needs to be created and brought back and and a public hearing scheduled and notices sent out and everything. So, >> and the repair petition is what triggers that. >> Correct. Yeah.
Because basically, yeah, what the repair, and this is how it goes. So, you get a repair petition and you look at it. Is it a valid petition? Yes, they're in the benefited area. Do they have some claims that the ditch needs to be repaired? And in all these ditches, what we've looked at is like, you're right, there's been no formal drainage
authority action in a long time. Yes, let's clean it out. Then we get to the point where it's like, well, how deep can we go to clean it out? What's happened a lot of times is that led to the reestablishment of drainage records. will find in our files. Oh yeah, we have from a 1905 when they first excavated
that they they assumed an elevation of 100 based on a railroad spike driven into an elm tree. Well, that elm tree is long gone. How do we find that elevation? And then we had to go through this. That's what happened on ditch 10 that led to a lot of the costs there is like we had to reestablish where the
bottom of that ditch was originally excavated. And since it's a public water, that was some extra coordination with um the regulatory agencies DNR and Bowser. We had a public hearing on that back in 2023. That was uh I think that was in April of
2023. We had a hearing on the reestablishment report. >> Commissioner, >> Mr. Chair, um which ditch were you just talking about that you said we haven't gotten a a long ways down the road on >> CD12. So just I just want to throw this out there. I'm more of a realist than
than anything. If we haven't done a ton of work, is there a way that let's just say hypothetically there's three beaver ponds on ditch 12, right? You look at it and go, you know what, maybe if we took care of those three beaver, you know, these these dams, we don't have to go
through all that other stuff. Even those there there's a valid petition, maybe they could retract that and save all that money. I'm just throwing it out there. I mean, >> um, yeah, I still think because we I had a brief conversation with one of the the
drainage attorneys regarding that. The fact remains is still that there is a >> a report ordered. So, some sort of report needs to be brought back. Now, there may be work ways around that. Maybe we have a hearing again and the drainage authority says, "Yeah, we we
decided we don't need a repair report." Um but currently we need to bring some sort of report back. The the extent or the length of that report is kind of up to us. We can still do some maintenance in the interim, get that done and then a
report could be, you know, a couple pages say that after some routine maintenance discussion with land owners led to no further action. >> Well, and and that's that's my point. I think we've come a long ways from the first ditch, >> right, >> to where we're at right now. And we're learning as we go because this hasn't
been done in a hundred years. >> And I I'm thinking instead of just having something completely in full spin right now, even though it hasn't really been started, maybe we look at those options and try and >> I I think um what I I just clarify if
the petitioner retracts their petition, it doesn't automatically kill the process or stop the process. >> In most things, a public hearing is required. So let's say in 12 the petitioner ret tracks their petition. At a minimum I think it would be
recommended that we have a public hearing to say we ordered the repair report. We're taking public testimony whether we should complete the repair report or stop the process now. >> Um it it's just not an automatic administrative thing. >> So
>> and and I completely agree with that. >> In this case, you'd have to have the land owner agree to >> to Yeah. >> Yeah. Exactly. Yeah. You who knows if that person because there's a lot of people that didn't understand by putting in that petition, they didn't understand
the ramifications of that either and what it was going to cost. Neither did we. >> No. Well, yeah, we did, but >> Well, we to a point, you know, but when you start when when you start talking about wetland credits and all of this stuff, >> it starts to add up.
>> It does. And it comes back to what is what what do the land owners really need? Do they need just some water to get moving or do they need it to be excavated back down to the original 1910 depth um and everything cleared back and and everything. So in some cases I think
maybe those land owners would want that but maybe in other cases they they just want the minimum. >> All right. Any other items board Chris? Anything else on >> I have nothing else. Okay. >> All right. We're journed at 10:34. Bad back to the board chair. Let's see.
We're up to commissioner meeting updates. >> I can start, Mr. Chair. >> You go right ahead. >> You go right ahead. >> Okay. >> Uh September 24th, Highway 23 monthly meeting. Uh the 25th uh that evening, a
fully care meeting. Uh the next day, region 7W. Um, I did have a brief discussion with Steve Voss, the director for district, one of the planning directors for our district. Um, in regards to our letters of support
for the highway 23 funding requests for a feasibility study from Foley to I35. I don't know if you recall, but we did receive all cities letters of support with the exception of one, city of Oglevie. And the way the the rules are
set up, the way I understand it is it's all or none. >> Oh. >> And that's worth 45 of the hundred points. >> Oh, >> wow. >> So, they're doing the point schedule now, working on it, and we should know something by November 1st, but it's a
little frustrating that one city could blow this thing up >> because we're high on the list for this potential study to come through and no local match. And this stud is three and a half to 3.7 million 53 mile stretch. So we had additional letters of support.
We had every county. We had a chamber. So I don't know. We're going to see where that what comes out of that. But >> and and from my understanding from our meeting or from what you were talking about, it's really one person, the mayor.
>> How one person could shut all this down is is absolutely insane. did reach out to the Kabic County engineer who happens to have a friendship with the mayor and he talked to him directly too and nope he has in his head that the 23 coalition
is demanding that we take 23 and a four lane around Oggov and that's we have no authority on that anyways that's what the feasibility study would look at >> right >> doesn't mean it's even going to happen >> more of a fear than anything else >> it it is so when they're doing the study that's when they're going to do what
they think the recommendations Right. And it's not the 23 coalition that has any determination about where that goes. >> Oh man. Oh man. >> Anyway, so that's brief update from that. Uh last week we did have a planning commission meeting. If you weren't aware, the uh check road what's
old roadside acres, right? When they had new I don't know. >> Now it's new heights. New heights. Yeah. >> The large dairy up here just south of Gilman, they're basically going to double their operation going to about 1,800 dairy cows. So that got approved on >> Thursday evening for that. Um, and then
those of you, I think four of us were in attendance at the Highway 23 annual meeting in Rosco. A brief update. It was nice to have the speaker of the house there, uh, Speaker Damoth. So, >> nice to have a few of those. Uh, Representative Schultz was there, too. And so, anyways, thank you for those of
you that were able to come and support that coalition. Appreciate that. That's all I have. >> Okay, >> I can go. >> Go ahead. Okay. So, we did the uh I was at uh Commissioner Heinen, Commissioner Boy was there too until she had to
leave. But our bonding tour um uh presentation went phenomenal. Very good. We were at the last we were at the end of the the uh the the top what was it five or six people? Yep.
>> And and uh as they as they finished up all their remarks and all their uh thank yous at the end, we still stood there and stood. I kind of felt a little uncomfortable cuz I'm like, do we sit or do we stay? And Chris Chris was uh
smart. He left our our request and our our project right up on the the big screen and everything like that. So, I mean, we got a lot of I mean, 10 minutes of extra time with us. And in the bonding tour, all the legislators come up and took a picture with us. Nobody
else came up. >> Okay. >> It was supposed to be with all the projects, but Well, they took a picture with us and that was it. >> These are people that are going to have a lot of say in the bonding. >> Exactly. Which obviously Chris got an email last Thursday, I think it was. on
the Senate bonding tour. We made the um top was it 15 or 15 or something like that? Um Senate bonding um we got a virtual tour virtual meeting and that's 20 minutes. >> So, and there's only like 15. There's
only two counties on there. Correct. The rest are all cities. >> Yeah. which is >> this is I I don't want I don't want to cross bridges, but I'm going to say >> um uh uh O'Driscoll did phenomenal. Wolgamont did phenomenal. Yes,
>> it was I mean our delegates there um did did a great job. Speaker um uh Damoth was there. So there there was a lot of a lot of our local people that were there and >> Brady was there. >> Brady was there. Brady did a great job.
So >> just just to add on that, a lot of the representatives that were there in a room came up and thanked me and and I believe they thanked you and Chris personally too. >> Yeah. >> About how well it was the presentation. >> So we had that. Then uh um airport uh
you went uh she uh Pam went over to the uh airport authority. We couldn't make that. Um but I did hit the airport renaming. That was that was very very good. said there was I mean there wasn't a ton of people there but um it was we
didn't we didn't say a lot it was more you know we're there um AMC board we had our our as you know how these go there the first policy draft meeting or whatever so we had that yesterday um
>> that was just policy chairs right >> that was just policy chairs and stuff like that uh let's see here uh ATP3 meeting. I had that uh last Wednesday. Last Thursday. Last th
last Thursday I think it was. But that went over time into the ECRJ deal. So I wasn't able to join that. It wouldn't it went about half an hour 40 minutes into that. So, um, there was a there was a
little bit of battle on the ATP3 on the on on it hasn't the formula hasn't been looked at since like 96. >> Oh my. >> Yeah, it's like 25 26 years old. But the
problem is is if you look at it and we were we we kind of got to be a little bit, you know, uh be boisterous but yet not real because we could lose some on one side and gain some on the other on the APO side. So,
you know, it's one of these things where we we we had a voice, but it was it had to be tempered a little bit. >> Yeah. >> Cuz 7W is in there. Mhm. Y >> so which which you're a part of, right?
So anyway, there we're we got finally approval to move forward on at least looking at them and and they they want to take safety out of the deal cuz every road could have safety and it's like, well, wait a minute here. >> So other than that, uh um and then the
highway 23 coalition, that was that was very that was that was good to be there. I think there's movement there. It is very frustrating on that walle situation. >> That'll be it. >> I can go a lot of the ones they already
said but I that I was at but that um I just want to reiterate the highway department and um I thought that was pretty amazing. Everybody got to get out there and see the new uh plow trucks and and their tours and stuff. I I thought
they did a phenomenal job and the turnout I was >> pleasantly surprised. There was quite a few. Um and I went to the 28 Steve and I were both at the 29 corridor meeting for the Sock Rapids Government Center. Um I
thought that went fairly well. There was some concerns from some neighbors. >> How long did you stay there? Well, I I left when someone got there, but um and you
and then I covered Central Minnesota Emergency Board for Jared, which it's the same old same old. Um and then we did well, I went to the bonding tour and and got out early and headed over to the
airport meeting. Um I had a uh uh city of St. Cloud W 2 meeting which I thought was pretty interesting on the 1010 building. Um now Steve, do you know who owns the 1010 building? Is that owned by the city of St. Cloud or is that owned
by Sherburn County? >> Sherburn County. >> Um and just a thought in your minds that maybe if need be, we could look at renting a room or have a a there where
people could stop and make copies, whatever. But if you've not been over there, I highly suggest that you head over there and take a a peek at that. It is very well set up. >> May maybe I have them confused. The 1010 >> I think that's >> department.
>> No, the 10 the No, the 1010 is >> kind of church. >> No, that's not the church. >> Okay. Okay. Right. So the 10 >> not Sailor Lutheran. It's the cop house. >> Yep. Yep. cop house at Sherburn County. >> Okay. Yeah. >> And St. Cloud >> because I think that the more we can
partner with other counties on certain things, the more we can save everybody money. But >> so, and I'll add to that if you don't mind. So, the cop house at St. Luthan Church is going to be open pretty soon.
>> So, there's two cop houses. Okay. One's in Sherurn County just down by 10 well the 1010 and then the other one is opening soon if it hasn't already at Salem Lutheran Church >> and that's going to be opening up soon
to where they have space available because they were talking about wick clinics and everything done there because they're going to house St. Benedict's nurses and all that to do all their training at that one Luther and >> well there's ain't there a cop house
over in by St. Cloud State. So no there'll be three of them. >> Okay. >> But this I I I was very impressed. I was happy with um some of the reports back from the citizens that lived over there and how well they really liked it there.
How they feel it's really cut back on crime in that area. how uh several neighbors got up during that meeting and said it was really super nice to walk out onto my front porch or my front steps and hear the kids playing at the
playground >> and hear the laughing in the and and I think when I left that meeting there was probably if I'm guessing 10 to 15 kids playing basketball in the dark >> but um so that I don't know if the
presence is making it better or what the deal is. But and then the Avivo groundbreaking, I went to that that too was um uh there was quite a few from several different county cities at that Avivo groundbreaking. There's a lot of
people there. Um and uh the Highway 23 coalition meeting that was already and then I had a city council meeting for city of St. called last night and some of you might be aware, some of you might not be aware, but um the uh it was
brought up again at the last night's meeting. One of the residents from uh Donovan Lake um was there and brought up the HOA issues that they're having over there and how the new owner from Portland is banging on people's doors
with attorneys and all kinds of stuff. And um that was brought up to the city council last night at the end of the meeting. So we'll see where that goes. But it's a pretty hot issue >> cuz neighbors have had SWAT teams show up at their house. >> Yeah.
>> So this 29 corridor I didn't I didn't go to it, but I had calls ain't people that are complaining are right where the road next to the road where it's going to be. They think it's >> so I will discuss that in my >> but they call and they my theory is that
the developer and I mean when they bought this property and built this house >> they knew about this. >> Yes. >> Right. >> Correct. >> So I'm sorry. Are you >> I'm done. >> Okay. I'm done. >> Yes. So let let's get right to it to that County Road 29 extension.
>> Correct. You know so when you left I got totally annihilated for an hour. I mean fbomb and everything. Okay. But it is it supposedly it is in development agreement with that and that road was
always there. >> Right >> now I personally when I was with the city and that when this because I was I was part of that process when it first started. I point blank said just remember just so you know 29's going to
go through there sooner or later. Okay. and it went through seven different uh PUDs and everything else, but it's still under the same criteria. And of course, they were not notified or led to be known that there was going to be a road there. And then pretty soon now it's our
problem and our fault. And it's like after I got fbombed for an hour, I said, "Go through this door and take a left and that's where the city offices are. Have a conversation with them about the development agreement." Okay? Okay. And then that'll clarify things. Then you
can get mad at other people than just us. >> I think to piggyback off of that, I think what we should do is get a hold of Ross and Jack and me and Jack at uh uh event we were at the other uh last week. We talked about that a little bit. But
>> I think I think what we need to do is we need to pull out that old developers agreement. And I think each one of them should be handd delivered this agreement over there and just say don't be cussing us out. This was not this was in your
develop. You cuss out the people that you bought your property from and didn't disclose and do all this. We did our job. the city did their job >> was long and a story >> and and that's what I told those people and of course they didn't like it but at the end of the at the end of the time I
said you know sorry but I don't need to deal with this anymore the way this is being uh handled by you and I told them right there's the office doors to city hall have a conversation with them about that. >> Yep.
>> Uh yeah so that was interesting. Oh yeah, and then I got annihilated on ditches too after during that process too. Oh my god, it's like it never ends. It just never ends. Uh bonding bill tour, that was very
good. Uh Commissioner Gapinsky and uh Chris, did you actually speak? I don't think you did. >> I didn't need to. I took care of it. >> We're getting we're getting really good at this. Really good at this. Uh and then uh Sock Rapids roundabout water and
sewer opera funds. We had a meeting about that discussing some of that stuff. >> Oh yeah. >> Uh and then after that, oh yeah, union. I'm not even going to go there. >> It's like that >> pretty much non-existent. >> It's it's been interesting.
>> Yeah. >> And after that, I was on vacation. >> And you did get something, I understand. No, I was hiking. >> Oh, you was hiking this time? >> No, no, no. I got one the first time on vacation. >> Okay. >> Once again, >> once again, we have no proof. >> We have We have no meal.
>> There might be a surprise package coming. >> Okay, >> that would be a surprise. >> He's just waiting for He's waiting for it to show up on Amazon in a freeze pack. >> We got to rouse you a little bit here. >> I And and I deserve it
>> in a You know, >> that would be a surprise. >> There might be a package coming. >> That would be a surprise. Um, okay. Um, we had we had the Rum River and I was online and I don't know what happened. It got cut off. And they they operate in
the basement of the um Max County Government Center. We when we sit there, you know, like there's a gal from Anoka County. She's always there and she'll be saying something. I was like, you know, she's gone. So, I don't know what really happened there. Then we had parkboard. We actually the park board met out at
Mayu Lake at the little park they did and they had a couple of them had a comment that they'd like to build a you know a 20 by 30 shelter out there if they have any funds available and we said well it's something that you know there's got to be funds >> is that is that that me you like by
their by the dam a little bit a >> little bit it's just north of the dam >> yep in that same area where you go through and down >> y that's a little hidden I I like that area I used to fish there all the time. >> Yeah. And they said that they're going to look at Mayo Lake Township. They
think has some money that >> dedicated park funds. >> Yeah. They wanted to like buy more property, but they can't find a willing particip. The person's not a willing participant at this time. So, it was very short. They did a little tour of the Jeff was out there showing us the dock. And he replaced, which I was
really surprised, he replaced all of the boards on the dock for docking your boat. like he was showing us, they had to grind out the screws and put new screws and everything and then they put uh >> not wood no more. They put the recycled stuff in it. Yeah.
>> So, and his his people did that. Not we didn't hire it out. >> That that is a cool little little uh >> Yeah. And maybe a shelter's okay. You know, somebody wanted that have some we were surprised there was people coming and going. >> I mean, fishing off the dock and I don't know if one was out fishing, loaded the
boat. So, >> do they have docks where you go? You got the landing, but do they have they still >> Yeah, they got a pier that that's brand new. That was by somebody that was donated. So, yeah, it's kind of a neat little place. So, the park park board went out and
>> um and then we had well labor negotiations had uh two meetings with the library under the new director. Um it actually went really well. I mean, six candidates and out of the six candidates we started with, you could only say that one wasn't really
qualified that you would have been the and we settled with a second negotiation or second interview with two and they were both internal. Um, one's been at the library 26 27 years. Um, and she's the one that we chose to present to the
board and we did that last Thursday and they unanimously accepted her proposal. I think she's she's got things figured out. A lot of the comments between um me and the Sterns County Commissioner was that, you know, the library is going to you're going to have a tough dealing with
counties in the next couple years on the financial part. And she agrees. >> Mhm. >> Um she's also wanting to kind of straighten out the usage of the library because she said right now that if you have a card, Jared, and you may have seven different people coming in under
it, they all use your card. that's only considered one person. So, she'd like to straighten that out. And she was in member services for a long time. So, I think Brandy will do a good job. I think she and Karen is going to stay on at uh I think up to 16 hours a month or a week
to do our labor negotiations because they got to start they got to start them. And then, of course, the Highway 23 deal I thought was pretty good. I'd like to see a little more people attend it though, you know, from along the way. You know, there should be >> a lot of people concerned about that.
>> It seems like maybe the south part is got more. >> I think the struggle is going to be an ongoing one is the places where it's finished to try to keep those people involved. They need to remember that the rest of the quarter >> isn't done yet. >> Yeah. And was there to support. So just cuz your area is done doesn't mean we're
done. >> Yeah. >> So that's all that I had, >> Mr. Chair. Yeah. >> Um on the on the library side, just make sure that they also when they're updating that they they do say, you know, it's every year, not not once every three years, >> right? You know,
>> and she said she's been working cuz she was the the branch coordinator for I believe the northern half of the the deal. Actually, both of them were the two we interviewed last where one was the southern part. The one did not have all her library master's degree or something yet, but she was in the
process. But they're both good candidates. Um, you know, the one from St. the one that was running the libraries at St. College State applied, >> but I they understand that that's probably going to be a non-existent position pretty quick. >> So, >> and I did try to get Commissioner
Johnson to take a picture on the highway. Uh, >> he says, "Go out on the highway, take a picture." I said, "Yeah, you want me out on the center line, don't you?" >> Oh, >> I didn't say it have to be that far. Yeah, >> partial. You know, >> there's kind of a local connection
there, though. Royce Sele's daughter, Heather, is works for Vantage Point Marketing. So, >> Oh, yeah. I think she was at the last >> fully connection. >> She was at the last one of the last meetings I was there. >> Mr. Chair, I have a comment on your park board. You sit on that board, right? Yeah.
>> Just a little tidbit of information. The park next to Menon Township is called Paul's Park because he got all of that. Oh, he told us about that. He got that >> every bit of it donated. So, he sits on that board. So, if you he wants to build
a building, you all on board with >> donations. >> Yeah, he did. He did tell us that and he offered to >> to head it up if we want to get donations and get it built. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. And he did the the the lean to the
two cement there's two cement um >> benches or tables in there. >> No. Uh picnic tables. Really nice ones. and then two swinging chairs and he got every bit of that donated. >> So that's where I think I think it that's where it come from that he thought that he should have something out there.
>> Well, I'm just trying to give you a tidbit of information that you tell Paulie you want this building. >> Yeah. No, they're >> you work on your donation. >> They're they're pretty good. They're pretty adamant about that. So, >> um commissioner concerns, comments, not
required any board action, nothing. Committee of the Holes. You got anything there, girl? >> I got one. >> Oh, one. That ain't so bad. >> Um, it looks like it's the Betton Co-op exercises has been rescheduled to Monday, October 27th from 9:00 a.m. till
12:00 p.m. at the sheriff's office situation room. So again, that is on Monday, October 27th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Sheriff's Office situation room. It's the Benton County
co-op exercises >> um >> with emergency management. >> I don't exercise ever for >> Have you ever exerc exerciseed? >> No. >> So I will not be an attendant. No, just
>> um I do, Mr. Chair. I I would like to make sure that we kind of we we put something on the radar for um doing a committee of the whole with uh uh county attorney's office. >> Okay. I was just going to say that cuz you'd mentioned it.
>> So I would like to get something on sooner rather than later on that. >> Uh Commissioner Pinsky, we have a cow for local op sales tax discussion after our next meeting, but did you say you will be gone? I will be a as a note I
will be attending DC trip with the APO on the 21st through the 24th or whatever. >> You won't be here at all. Not >> I I might be able to join virtually for a little bit. >> Okay. >> Well, at the airport, but I'm not positive.
>> That's not a good option. The 20th won't work because we have AMC district meeting. >> Where's that at? >> That's in Mora. >> Yeah. Mora Cancer or Cancer. sheriff's sheriff's or something. >> Just so you know, we've two of us will not be there. Well, I'm sorry. One of us
for sure will not be there because we got union negotiation scheduled that day. >> You scheduled it for the day of the district meeting. >> Uh that was scheduled prior to >> Okay. >> every prior to the email coming forth of when the district meeting was. >> We tried to schedule it so we'd be back.
I thought >> No, that's the case. If you're both gone, you'll have to Monty might have to do the update or get somebody else >> here with Monty. Yeah. >> Oh, yeah. We can I'm probably I'm probably planning on attending that
>> on the district meeting. >> We have 1 p.m. is 1 p.m. is labor negotiations. >> I thought we'd had more. >> Oh, that's what I got. 1 p.m. and 2:30. >> Well, then you should be back. >> Yeah. And from from this uh uh the
county attorney one, I don't think that we can actually schedule it today because I think that maybe we should throw out a few dates and then see what works for the county attorney's office. >> So I've I've got unions down for 9:00 on October 20th. Correct. >> I don't have that down.
>> Yeah, I've got that written down. So >> who's with who's at 9:00? >> Yeah, you're going to I don't I don't know who I just got you. >> What about the 27th? >> That's what I was just thinking. the 27th. >> What time was that other one? The exercise with Jared's going to
>> 4 9 >> 9 to noon. >> And what's that for? >> What is that? What does that mean? >> Yeah. um is from the emergency management um emergency manage emergency response
plans for Benton County government. I'm guessing I'm guessing that is probably butdding off that meeting we had in here with emergency SP response management. Um, do you remember when we
had the cow here and they were talking about emergency response? I'm guessing that that is what I think you're right. >> If this is to re the plan though, that's probably something the commissioner should be at. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. >> Looks >> so 9 to noon.
>> Noon. >> Yep. Well, and we have um the we have the meeting on the redevelopment plan for the old government center on the 28th at 1:00. So, could we do the cow before
that? >> Which what date? >> The 28th. Tuesday the 28th. >> It's at 1:00. We have nothing. >> You and I have that. >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Yeah. That's not You and I. >> Yes. Used to. >> The board doesn't. >> The board doesn't have
Oh, really? >> Why is it just you and I? >> Cuz you guys we Yeah, we don't need all the >> You guys agreed to because there's going to be like 10 people there at least. >> What's that for? >> Okay. >> Start the redevelopment plan of this building. >> Oh, yeah. >> Yeah.
>> Like the city and all that. >> Do you think we need to do that county attorney sooner than later or? >> I personally think so. What about the 27th? >> Like I said, the 27th works for me and the 28th, the morning of the 28th
worked, too. >> But the 9 to noon on the 27th, I mean, is that something we're >> I don't know. I'm not really sure what it's about. So, I don't know. >> Oh, Mr. Chair, um it looks like uh Kristen said that they will be discussing essential services that the
county must maintain. Well, >> at that one. >> So, just a thought. Why Why couldn't we do it at 8:00 and then go over to that >> one hour? I don't think it's going to take more than an hour. >> Okay, I'll agree with that. I'm not going to do it after that because I have no things to do.
>> Why don't we do it at 8:00 and we we if it works for them or for her, we do it at 8 to 9 and then we're over there and we could actually go over to her office. >> We can meet over there. >> Yeah. That way we're we're right next to the
>> I guess if Beth's willing to check with her and see if she's available and then just let us know. >> Mhm. >> Okay. >> If not, I guess we'll have to have a discussion on the 4th instead of time. >> Yeah, exactly. Does that work? >> From 8 to 9 on the 27th. >> Yep. >> And we can meet over
>> over there >> in her building cuz we've got to be over at the situation room at 9:00 anyway. >> Yep. That's motion to approve the cows, Mr. Chair. >> Second. Motion been made and second to approve the cows. All in favor? I
>> opposed. Carried. We're journed at 11:04. So much for a click.