You got a flag in your Oh, >> hey, we're live, Dave. >> Thank you. >> Uh, good morning everyone. I'd like to call this meeting of the uh Cook County Board of Commissioners to order on this Tuesday, November 25th at 8:31
a.m. Please rise and uh join me in the pledge of allegiance. >> I alian to Alian of the United States of the United States of America to the republic for it stands nation one nation
>> under Godisible indivisible with liberty and justice for all >> a little delay there >> we'll try not to sing in any rounds um let's see any any adjustments to the
agenda I don't believe so. I'd like to make a motion to approve the agenda as presented. >> Support. >> Thank you. We have a motion and support. Any further discussion? Hearing or seeing none. Make a roll call
vote, please. >> Sullivan I. >> Gamble. I. >> White. I. >> Mills. I. Um, Commissioner Sterley is absent. Um, motion passes unanimously.
Thank you very much. And, uh, before we get, uh, any further in, uh, the meeting, I just want to point out that obviously I am remote. Um, Commissioner Stley is not able to join us this morning. And I just wanted to talk about
um, some changes to the open meeting law, which enables us to do this. um in July. I believe the legislature um passed um legislation to to allow for this. And just as a summary, um uh
public bodies can hold the meetings uh where some members attend remotely. Uh at least one member uh must be physically in the meeting room. Uh remote members count as present for quorum and voting. Remote member can
chair the meeting. So here we are. uh meeting notice requirements are much simpler. Uh you just list the the meeting location and say that some members may be uh remote and then uh for for this to be legal uh
we all have to be able to see and hear each other and everyone uh in the public at the meeting must be able to see and hear all discussion, testimony and votes. And then the remote participation must be clearly recorded in the minutes
and uh we do have to do a roll call vote. That's a a little cumbersome. Um but it's wonderful to have this opportunity and flexibility and uh and very very happy for it. So um anyone
have any questions about that? >> Commissioner Mills? >> Yeah, >> this is Jean. I apologize. Um the one additional piece to that requirement is to state a reason for the virtual appearance.
>> Oh okay. Thank you. Um yeah so I am uh virtual because I am traveling uh for for the holiday um with family. Um similarly with Commissioner Stoley uh weather related travel I believe is is kind of the issue there. Um, and so, um,
if there are other members of the board who have, uh, family gatherings or any other needs to be remote, I would encourage that. So far so great. But, um, appreciate that, Jean.
Anything else? All right. Next item is public comment period. This is an opportunity for um citizens to come before the board and to um give comment on any issues um in the agenda or or off of it. Um are there members uh
in the public in the room? >> Commissioner Mills, we have no members of the public in the room. >> Okay. Thank you. We'll move on then to the consent agenda. >> Mr. Chair, >> I do I do have a public comment that was
requested to be read. >> Oh, I'm sorry. Thank you, Mr. G. Please go ahead. >> Yeah. So, um this um public comment is coming from Paul Cole who lives at 903 West 2nd Street in Grammar, Minnesota.
And he's responding to our discussion, budget discussion as to options that might uh reduce the levy. And so he refers to levy option two which results in a 7.57% increase. However, to reduce the levy to
7.5%, he says you are using $1,600,000 of fund balance and $384,328 the remainder of the American Rescue Plan Act in response to CO funds, the ARPA funds, which totals 1,984,328
adding 1,984,32 28 to the proposed levy of $13,780,236 equals $15,764,564 which is equivalent to a levy increase of approximately 21%. According to the
two 2024 audit, it looks like there is $3,965,000 of fund balance over and above the 75% required of which $1,600,000 is being used this year to reduce levy.
ARPA money is gone and you are rapidly depleting the excess fund balance. The rate of growth of spending is not sustainable. You can't keep kicking the can down the road. Sincerely, Paul Cole.
>> Thank you, Commissioner Gamble. And um thank you, Mr. Cole, for for sending in your comment and um you know, very strong points there. Um I think it's important to keep an eye on our future and our current state and um we we've got to um come up with a more
sustainable plan. Um all right, any other comments? that commissioners received that. That should be read. >> I did not receive any, Mr. Chair. >> Okay. Thank you. Okay. Then we'll move
on to the consent agenda, which as I was saying is uh fairly lengthy today. I'll go through it here. Um we have claims uh the minutes. Uh gunset mail runs special road use permit. Uh final pay request for the Spruce Creek Bridge. uh
authorization to purchase a steamer jeter unit. Approve the hire of Danielle Hefin as public information coordinator. Approve the hire of Amoris Fiser as the family service case manager. Prove the promotion of Bendon Halberg as chief
deputy/investigator. Appoint an Greyfield to the Cook County Extension Committee and then appoint Kelsey Rogers Kennedy to the Cook County Extension Committee. Is there any item on the consent agenda a commissioner would like to pull to discuss further?
>> Mr. Chair, uh, Commissioner Gamble, I'd like to pull item H, please. >> Item H is the promotion of Ven Halberg as chief deputy investigator. And we'll move that. Uh, see, maybe human resources is um or we
could do it under sheriff. Uh, Pat, do you have a preference there? But I'm sorry. What's that? >> Oh, would you like Yeah, we're going to move item H, which is uh the promotion of Ben Halberg as the chief deputy/investigator. And we can either
put it under um your item number five or we can put it down into human resources item eight. >> Um I guess uh I guess I need to know the reason why it's being pulled. So, um my question pertains to um the uh
at the where the where Ben it would be with the uh addition of it's going to be a a pay question. So whether you want to take that or human >> we'll move that to human resources if it's a pay question. >> Yeah.
>> Commissioner Mills >> on okay. >> Oh sorry. >> Yes please. Uh I would like to uh pull uh F approve the hire as public information coordinator for further discussion. >> We'll put
>> just we'll put item F under human resources as well. Any other items? >> Mr. Chair, I'd like to make a motion to approve the consent agenda with the two items pulled. I support.
>> Thank you. We have a motion and support. Any further discussion there? Hearing or seeing none, we'll do a roll call vote, please. >> Sullivan, I. >> Gamble, I. >> White, I. >> Mills, I. Uh, motion passes unanimously.
Thank you very much. And now, uh, we have our 9:00 a.m. public comment, which are a bit early. spokes. We'll skip over that and um you know, we're going to have to also skip over item five because it's related to
our um our public comment um and move on to the recorder. So, item 6A is set a date for the public hearing to consider new fee and feed changes. Madam Chair, I can uh she's not here, but I can answer that. So,
The recorder is asking to set uh two new fees, one for judicial security and to change their ID do fees. And they'd like to have this happen before the first of the year so they go in effect in January. So this is just a request to
set the date for that public hearing. The earliest date we could set it with the notice period um is for the next uh the 16th of December. So we'd ask to set it for the 16th of December and uh 10:30
or the closest to the start of the meeting. I think it starts at 10:30 on the 16th. Yeah. So maybe make it a little bit later 8:45 or whatever your preference is, >> Mr. Chair. Yeah.
Based on this, I would suggest uh 10:45, but yes, please. Commissioner Gall, go ahead. >> Yeah, I I'd make a motion to set it uh the date for December 16th at 10:45 a.m. for a public hearing to consider setting fees for digital judicial security
registration and changes to the IDOC market fees. >> Support. Thank you. We have a motion and support. Uh any further discussion there? Hearing or saying none, we'll do the roll call vote, please.
>> Sullivan I. >> Gamble I. >> White I. >> Mills I. And uh that is uh approval by unanimous vote there. Thank you very much. Uh let's move down to item 7A. Land
services updated Schroeder Township sub area plan. Good morning, commissioners and commissioner Mills. Uh, the item I have for you today is a proposed update to the Schroeder sub area plan. Um, as you
know, Cook County has a land use guide plan and the three townships in the county, Luton, Schroeder, and Tafty, each have sub area plans that identify localized priorities for development in their futures. Shorter Township began a
process in January this year to convene a land use committee which involved the township supervisors as well as uh some citizens and myself and a member from Minnesota Power to review the old Schroeder sub area plan and do a revamp
of it. It was a process that involved almost monthly meetings uh since January and we have worked diligently to bring this update to you. The relevant updates in this plan include a a much better structure to the locationspecific
priorities. So they pull out specific areas of Schroeder Township such as the Sugarloaf Road and the Kramer Road. Actually Kramer Road got three separate sections because they identified very localized priorities for the upper Kramer road, the mid Kramer road and the lower Kramer road. Uh just for example,
additionally there was significant updates to the maps that accompany this plan. Kyle Oberg with the MIS department did a terrific job assisting us and supporting that land use committee with those uh improvements. And there's a little bit more of an emphasis in trying to protect the integrity of the
neighborhood communities within the rural areas of Sher Township and to balance our land use decisions to reflect and respect those uh localized existing uses with the balancing of the gravel pits. As we all know, there's a lot of gravel pits up the Kramer road. So, it was a a really wonderful
experience and there was a public hearing that was held by the planning commission on November 12th. We did not have anyone present to speak to it. Uh, Shorter Township also held a couple of listening opportunities for the community as well as every one of their meetings had opportunities for public
comment. And with that, uh, there's a unanimous recommendation by the planning commission to adopt this sub area plan, which would be used as an assistance or as an addendum to our current Cook County land use guide plan for future land use decisions. >> Thank you, Nea. Um, any questions for
Nea? >> Mr. Chair, >> comments? I'd make a motion to approve the resolution to adopt the updated Schroeder Township sub area plan. >> Support. >> Thank you. We have a motion and support.
Uh further discussion. >> I would just say that um I think it's very impressive um very very appreciative of the planning. Um a particular interest to me uh at these days is is the Takenite Harbor area and
um I think this will be valuable for um our our committee working with uh Stantech um to understand kind of the zoning um area and and what opportunities there are and what restrictions there are. So I think I
think this is very good timing. Anything else from anyone? Then I'll call the roll call vote, please. >> Sullivan I. >> Gamble I. >> White I. >> Mills. I. Motion passes unanimously.
Thank you very much. >> Thank you. >> All right. Well, that moves us down to uh item eight, human resources. Um start of course with 8A. >> This is the resolution to approve
memorandum of agreement with CCA. And then we also have uh B and C which is the same thing but with our other two bargaining units LS as well as the local 49ers. >> All right, >> Mr. Chair. >> Yes, please.
>> Yeah. Uh just a question here. Um as to procedure, uh these resolutions are uh as a result of the mandated uh requirement relative to the um uh paid
leave. And so my understanding in in reviewing this uh each resolution is for each bargaining group to update that so it's in compliance with the mandated requirement by the state. Are we able to make a motion that states that all three
bargaining groups in that motion to approve the updated uh agreement or do we need to do those individually? >> Well, I believe we need three resolutions, but you I believe you can make a motion to have all three
resolutions made. Um though I Okay. >> Yeah. Yeah, >> I would agree. And Mr. Chair then um is there anything that you wanted to say Allison to precipitate? All right. Otherwise, I would make a motion
>> over and sum it up. That's exactly >> make a motion to approve the uh memorandum memorandum of agreement with CCA LS and local 49. uh the attached
memorandum of agreement to the 2025 2026 uh collective bargaining agreements for each of these units. Uh the memorandum addresses the Minnesota paid leave employer and employee premium contribution rates and other customizations negotiated and agreed
upon that are not included in the original agreement. Support. >> Thank you. We have a motion in support. I was there some further discussion I heard. I just wanted to say uh you know I'm I'm
very uh appreciative of uh the three bargaining units um entering into this uh with us with the the 50/50 split. I think this is um indicative of our our relationship with those bargaining units
and and the business agents. Um we've we've uh made significant effort towards strengthening those relationships and working working with the bargaining units. And um I think this is just a good example of of what a good
relationship can can bring forth. And of course when we enter negotiations again it it could be um a change there. But um considering the the new mandate um I'm just really grateful for for where we're starting. Anybody else?
Then I would call for the roll call vote, please. >> Sullivan, I. >> Gamble, I. >> White, I. >> Mills, I. Motion passes unanimously. Thank you.
All right, Allison, we have um two other items um that were pulled from the consent agenda. That would be F and that's the hire for the public information coordinator as well as H which is the promotion of uh chief deputy investigator. If you um I guess I
guess it was uh Commissioner White had questions about item F and then Commissioner Gamble had questions about item H. >> Yes, Commissioner White here. This is u primarily a community uh questions that
just to be have them the answers public. One more time. Why does a p why the public information person that we are hiring um the information that is put out by this particular person
whomever I mean Todd did it before is it uh the question is is it worth paying another person to do this when already we have department heads that do a really good job of sharing information and that was the question. So perhaps it
is not to you Allison but to the administrator. >> Yes chair if if that's okay I would like to respond. >> Yes. In my opinion um this position is absolutely necessary to ensure that we can continue to share as much
information as possible with the public. Yes, some of the department heads do draft and write some of the materials, but this position is responsible for reviewing those, editing those, and getting them out to the public um through our media relationships. Um,
this position was part of the strategic plan uh to be increased to a full-time position. I made the decision not to increase it to a full-time position, but instead to keep it as a 50 uh% position
um with the hospital. The position is a joint agreement with the hospital and 50% is for the hospital to keep the cost down and because I believe that that relationship has been working really well with this position. Um we have between Jana and I, we have been
covering for this position over the last month since Todd has retired. It is a significant amount of work and not something that is sustainable if we weren't going to move forward with the position. So, if we did not fill the position, the amount of information that
we would be able to get out to the community would be decreased because we wouldn't have capacity to do so. And if I may um and that is what has been since I've been on the board an effort not I didn't do this but my
personally is um to get more information out to the community to be transparent through all different avenues because not everybody in this county is is uh into social media. Not everyone gets the newspaper. Not everyone listens to the
radio. And so it's an effort to get to be transparent and as transparent as possible which then means that the people getting this information if they have questions you do have a responsibility to get to the commission
commissioners good or bad and tell us what you like or don't like and uh because then we can respond. But if we you don't know what's going on and then we don't know how you are reacting when you do know what's going on. There's
it's kind of not it's not how it should be functioning. So listen up and um I'll say for myself give me a call. I'm in the book. Well I'm online >> and
>> well said. Well said. >> Chair Mills if I can add one other comment. I would like to take this opportunity to publicly thank Janna for all of the work that she has done over the last month. Like I mentioned, it has been an incredible lift for her to fill that position in addition to her other
duties and she's done an incredible job. >> You're here. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. >> Chair. Mr. Chair, >> please. Thank you. Um I I would agree. Um restating uh the intent
county administrator has um represented as well as Commissioner White and the importance of uh informing public and this is a commitment to do that. I I think in our partnership and um
making uh efforts and statements that reinforce uh our our intent and willingness to include public informed decisions and the only way just as commissioners the only way we really can be good stewards in decisionm is to make
informed decisions and this is a commitment to be able to do that. I agree that the uh the part-time relationship with a hospital is a workable one that balances the fiscal responsibility with that commitment to communicate to the public so the public
is aware of what decision makers are doing. So um I I affirm moving forward in in this uh with this position with that in that stated intent.
Thank you, Commissioner Gamble. I I agree with you there as well. I think that was very well stated, >> Mr. Chair. >> Yes, please. >> I'd like to make a motion to approve the hire of Danielle Hefron as the public information coordinator with a pay grade
of 160 and a pay rate of $3046 per hour. >> Okay, we have a motion. >> Support. >> Thank you. We have a motion and support. Any further discussion? >> Just uh to echo the appreciation that
county administrator has made, Jenna. She does a lot for us and on top of on top of that's appreciated. There's many things that we don't see that you do. Thank you. >> Yes, absolutely. Thank you, Commissioner Gamble. Thank you, Janet again.
All right. Uh call for the roll call vote, please. >> Sullivan, I. Gamble I >> White I >> Mills I motion passes uh unanimously. Thank you. And then we'll move on to
item H. Uh Commissioner Gamble, you have some questions. >> Yeah, thank you Mr. Chair. Uh two questions basically just wanting to understand this in context. Um I have obviously no no issue with the promotion of Ben Hullberg in that position. My two
questions is what uh given the pay grade of 210 with a base rate of 5721 and then it says per uh hour plus longevity, what does this bring the hourly rate to when you consider the longevity? That's my
first question. And the other is just from a budgeting standpoint, how does the proposed rate compare to the retiring chief deputy investigator? Uh so I have the answer to the first question easily pulled up and then I'll
look at um the the information for the second question. So uh Deputy Halberg has been with the organization for um at least 20 years. So he is receiving the highest rate for longevity which is an
additional 9% added on to the base rate. So if you're looking at a base rate of 5721 plus the 9% longevity, it would equate to $62.36 cents per hour. Hold on. Let me I just got to bring up
my HR system for currently it looks like >> I'm sorry I'm having a hard time hearing Alison. >> Sorry I'm just kind of talking out my thoughts as I'm looking here. Um so currently the retiring chief deputy Leaf
Lundy um he is his pay is currently lower than that um than what Deputy Halberg will be paid. So there would be an increase in compensation from the current incumbent
uh of about $4 per hour. >> Okay. And a follow-up question to that is uh I would assume that that leaf has been you know in that department for more than 20 years but that is the the
maximum when you're looking at the uh longevity. So it must be that the position has been rescored which is why you're seeing the difference between what was paid in the position prior to what is proposed for
the new hire. >> There are a lot of variables that would affect someone's pay. Um so it's not necessarily an applesto apples comparison uh between Leaf and Ben. um they've been with the department I
believe for more than 20 years. So they're both receiving that longevity but their movement within the organization um steps change positions have been regraded. Um Ben's transitioned between
um deputy jail administrator back to deputy now back to jail administrator up. So all of those different internal changes affect the step two that uh as people transition within positions, they don't necessarily keep the same step. Um
so it's really difficult to actually say why there's differences in their step without actually plotting back the history of all of their individual changes. >> Okay. So, um, basically when we look at the
effects on the budget going into 2026 with this change and and promotion, we're we're looking at uh probably roughly around $10,000 additional in budget.
>> So, I would I guess defer to Sheriff Elias as to they >> draft their looking at at budget budget effect. Yes, it'd be at approximately $10,000. Um, as it would affect the overall budget, it would probably would not because we are down five staff right
now. And the, you know, we don't we don't anticipate it being full staff till at least next June. >> So, six months with with the other savings of of of the payroll would would impact that $10,000. >> Yeah, I I can I can appreciate that from
the standpoint. And I mean we look at different departments and and sometimes what we're saying the effect of increase in one area is compensated by the fact that we aren't you know at full position. I I recently saw very large ad for St. Louis County. So I don't think
we're alone in trying to find staff in in those areas. given the climate uh for law enforcement, there's things that are making it challenging to find people that want to step into that role of responsibility and risk. Um but I I
would say that um having that understanding is beneficial but if we're full up in every area here with increasing in multiple we see you know the effects of how that um
increases budget and to Mr. Cole's point um we have to look at these things from the standpoint of understanding how do we how do we stem the flow of growth with um the the available funds that we
have to support governance locally. So this is the reason for the question is just understanding I have no problem with Ben stepping into that role. It just it's just looking at it from the fiscal standpoint so we as decision makers know how these dollars affect pvy
overall. So I appreciate the discussion. With that, I'd make a motion uh to approve the promotion of Ben Hullberg as chief deputy investigator with a pay grade of 210, base rate of 5721 per hour plus longevity. Um
I'll leave it at that. >> No support. >> Okay. Thank you. We have a motion and support. any further discussion there. >> The only thing I would say is that uh the information that that uh helps us to make informed decisions on these things that come before us, it would be nice to
see the the the growth of that. In other words, 5721 per hour plus longevity. If we could see what that actually translates, the 6236 that you referenced, that would help us to know total impact. So,
>> all right. Thank you. Anything else? Uh then I'll do a roll call vote, please. >> Sullivan I. >> Gamble. I >> White I. >> Bills I. Motion passes unanimously. Thank you very much all. And uh it is
now after 9:00 so we can move on to the um public comment uh period for the bodywn camera program by the sheriff's office. >> Commissioner Mills, I have a question before. >> Yes, please.
>> I'm just curious as to whom is uh videotaping us. It's No, I mean I haven't been videotaped by >> by the public since schoolboard time. So I was just wondering if this if you're part of MIS or
>> I don't know. It looks like he's got a WDIO hat on. >> I can't see that from here. >> How have we been behaving now? I'm concerned. >> Okay, thank you. You have a name, please. Uh, yes. I'm Ethan Sherman. I'm
the morning photographer for WDIO and I'm sent here for the public comment that you're about all about to do. So, >> okay, great. Thank you. >> Thanks for coming, Ethan. >> Happy to be here. >> Commissioner Mills, were you able to hear that? >> No. >> Okay. So, we have a representative from
WDIO. Is it Did I say that correctly? Yeah. >> Um, here to record the public comment. >> Okay. Thank you. So, uh, with that, I'll open the public comment. Uh, would anyone like to come
and speak on this, um, topic? >> We have nobody, >> Chair Mills. There's no one here to speak on that. >> All right. And we have received um some written comments that Sheriff Lias has
has shared um and um and I appreciate those. Uh, I think by and I think they're all um in support of of this policy. Um, has anyone heard any any concerns from the public uh
regarding the policy? >> Commissioner Mills, just for those that don't have the agenda in front of them, the policy is bodywn cameras for our law enforcement people. It's just for the
listening public. So, >> thank you. Yep. Yep. Yep. This is the body warn camera um policy um and uh related to public safety here. >> And I as Commissioner White, I've heard
nothing but well, why wouldn't we if we could? So, it's been positive. >> Thank you. >> And Commissioner Mills, uh Mr. chair. I have also had very positive comments um
and have had a chance to look at our policy and compare it to other communities, other counties throughout Minnesota. Um looked at Sherburn County, looked at Ottertale County, a number that came on earlier. And I really appreciate the good work that has been
put into this and I'm very um excited to uh move forward with this. I think it's going to be a real positive change for us. Thank you, >> Mr. Chair. >> Okay. Oh, yes, please. Commission. >> Yeah. I I would just say that uh we we
can see an increasing number of law enforcement uh using this and it it's a matter of um providing um the truth of of what is happening as as
we carry out our responsibilities in law enforcement. It is a it is a protection for the public and a protection for those that serve us in law enforcement. And uh when it comes down to questions uh which can be very emotional in in
this area of law enforcement that um uh it's it's good to take the subjectivity out of it and to represent what in fact is true. And so I think our commitment as a community and I think that's why there have been support and that's why we see many law enforcement agencies
moving towards this is protection for both those that serve us and for the public to know that in fact we serve you well. >> And I would also add kind of to build on Commissioner Gamble's comments that um this reduces civil liability. I'm sure
that our county attorney is well aware of that. Um, but these devices document citizen and officer behavior. They help to capture evidence and they've been shown to reduce civilian complaints and enhance accountability. So, I think we
look forward to that. >> Absolutely. >> Well, very good then. Um without any further comments, I'm going to close the public comment um period and um we can
move on to item 5A, which uh is the the approval of the implementation of the policy. >> Mr. Chair, >> the sheriff alliance. Oh, yes, please. >> I'd like to approve by motion the body worn camera policy for the Cook County Sheriff's Office.
>> Very good. Thank you. We have a motion as your support. >> I support Thank you, Commissioner White. We have a motion and support. Any further discussion? Hearing or seeing none, do the roll call file vote, please. >> Sullivan I. >> Gamble I.
>> White I. >> Mills I. Motion passes unanimously. Thank you very much. Thank you Pat for the work on this. >> Mr. Chair too. I I would like to um acknowledge that at our November 12th
meeting, we had requested that our sheriff provide for us the financials so that we could be able to see what the investment is initially and ongoing costs and uh that was provided and appreciate that. Thank you, Pat.
>> Thank you. >> I think Pat wants to say something to us. >> I do. Thank you. Thank you all for uh for for for the the motion and and the vote. Um I also want to want to thank
County Attorney Peterson for all the the hard work she did on this. I want to thank um Ben Hallberg. I want to thank Leaf Lundy. I want to thank my two sheriff's technicians back here, Bamoose and Elsa Lundy. Um with without all of them, uh this this would have never come
to fruition. So I want to uh make sure that they uh got the recognition that they deserve. Nice. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. >> Good teamwork. Go team.
>> All right. Now we'll move on to item 9A, auditor. Um it's the county commissioner salary and schedule for DMS. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. So there's no action requested today, although you could take action. Uh this is just to
remind you that the board has to make a decision uh on their own salary and prediums prior to the end of the year for any change to take effect in the following year. And uh and that's by statute. And beyond that, our office of
state auditors recommends that we just take a a proactive stance on this. Whether you're making no change, uh do that also by resolution. So whatever happens before the end of the year to take that action.
And then I added in the um packet just to show you the resolution from last year that you approved on December 17th and at that time you decided to to use the consumer price index
uh for the year last year it was 2.6%. And with that background, I'll just uh ask any questions otherwise I can move on. >> Well, I had an opportunity to review that and I also looked up the consumer price index which we have been using for
a few years and it's right around 3% currently. Um, so I'm thinking when we get to our uh meetings in December that we should consider continuing with that consumer price index so that we don't fall behind as we have done in the past
and also that we um consider keeping our prediums the same. I believe we're going to have a reduction in some committees which will be some savings to our overall budget. Um, but anyway, I really appreciate you bringing forward um this item, Brady, and um look forward to
taking action in December. >> Thank you. Any any other comments or questions or no? >> Uh Mr. Chair, I uh Commissioner Campbell, I I would just say that um uh decisions that affect each of us as as commissioners uh with Commissioner
Stoley not being present, I think that motion would be best in best scenario to include all uh commissioners when we do take that vote. >> Good point. Thank you. Um,
one more thing I would want to add is uh uh and again I shouldn't say again this is not anything that I'm uh passionate about I would say but I I I do think it would be
wise to use uh an average for the CPI to try to give it u um >> more level um amount. Um, uh, whether that's a three-year average
or a fiveyear, I I don't know. But I I I I think it would be beneficial, um, for um, for budgeting as well as um, leading by example for uh, collective bargaining units. I I'm really pushing
for that rather than um, trying to follow it uh, direct that the CPI I'm talking about directly. um uh that that um would coincide with um the length of our agreements um
potentially with uh bargaining units. Um but again, it's nothing I feel very strongly about, but I am very happy that we're looking at the CPI because it is data that we can use to help us make decisions. So,
>> all right. Uh if there's nothing else, we can move on to item 9B, which is legal newspaper bid. >> Thank you, Mr. Chair. So, this is uh asking for a motion to advertise for bids for legal newspapers
uh to run legal notices in 2026. And I'm asking to set the date and time to receive bids as December 23 23rd at uh 2 p.m. So we annually do this um from qualified newspapers to publish our
notices. We we've only had one qualified newspaper uh for many many years. We had two long time ago, but uh it's not easy to be a qualified newspaper. There is a there
uh they can be outside of the county, but uh the main qualifications are not getting into the technical detail, but that they how much advertising they have versus news and they have to be covering our meetings already.
>> So, um you probably already know the answer because I don't know anyone who is doing that currently. So, um but it could it could change at some point. So, Yeah, it's uh it's not easy to be a newspaper, let alone a qualified
newspaper. >> Yeah, I mean this day and age. Yeah. >> So, a question would be if we are receiving bids up till December 23rd, could we take action at our organizational meeting in January?
>> That's what we normally do. Yes. >> All right. Just wanted to make sure we're looking at the same time frame as we've done before. Thank you, >> Mr. Chair. >> Yes, please. >> Um, so basically this is a compliance
issue. This is we go through this formality, but we know what inevitably what it is. uh we can put it out there and if if in fact it it's giving an opportunity. So we're not making an assumption that because it's always been it will continue to be because somebody
else could step up and say and so we do this for two reasons basically the compliance and if something does change that we can look at it from a fiscal standpoint to see if there might be any savings in regard to right to this. So,
so I I would um make a motion to uh approve the advertising for bids from legal newspapers for the cost of legal notices in 2026 and set the date and time to receive bids as of December 23rd, 2025 at 2 p.m.
>> And I'll support. >> Thank you. We have a motion from Commissioner Damble and second from Commissioner Sullivan. Any further discussion there? Hearing or seeing none, I'll do the roll call vote, please. >> Sullivan I.
>> Gamble I. >> White I. >> Mills I. Motion passes unanimously. Thank you very much. And then this moves us down to our administrator section, administrator updates. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, today I
thought I would just update us on where we're at with the law enforcement construction project as well as the transfer station in Grand Marray. So, starting with the law enforcement um center, twothirds of the knee walls are now completed. The water barrier barrier
is installed on that section of footings and knee wall. Um, drain tile and back filling is starting today on the same completed section. We're planning on pouring the last section of the NIA wall on Wednesday, but that could be pushed to Monday because of course the storm that's coming in. Um structures and
piping for the storm sewer and sanitary sanitary sewer are going in next week. Um we have um provided a couple news releases and we'll continue to do that so that the community is aware of what's happening with that project. So it's going really well. Um the transfer
station is also going very well. Um the contractor is currently trying to get the entire site to final um grade with class 5 gravel before freeze up. The bar joist installation is almost completed in the upper section. Installation of the roof decking um could start as early
as Wednesday. And of course, all of this is dependent on the the storm that may be uh coming through as well, but the goal is to get the roof on as soon as possible so that the building can be heated to complete the internal work that needs to happen. Um the internal work will be focused on the plumbing and
the electrical after the building is heated. And um Dustin has from Northshore Waste has also offered tours for any of the commissioners that are interested in going out there. Um I went out about a week and a half ago and it was um very interesting to see the
status of the construction and just to walk through the complete um process with him. So he's more than happy to do that if you're interested. So, all in all, everything is going very well with those two projects. And that's all I have today. >> Mr. Chair, if I could ask a follow-up
question on that. Um, >> please. >> The uh when we set out on on this project and our timeline and things. I know there's always delays and stuff. So the the one thing is is that um moving into into the
winter, how do those that are facilitating this process feel about where we're at with winter coming? >> Yeah. So, we have a meeting um that I take part uh in every um every other
Wednesday and they talk about the you know where we're at with the project um concerns about weather and anything that might be causing any any particular delay. And so far during those meetings um everything has been very positive in
terms of the timeline. So, um I'm anticipating that we'll have additional discussions as we move into winter and things may be delayed at times due to that, but right now everything looks very good. >> Good. Thank you. >> Great. Any other questions for
Administrator Treble? >> Okay. Well, that moves us on to employee concerns, commissioner concerns, uh commissioner reports, meeting updates. Uh just like to start with Commissioner Sullivan and go around if we if we would. >> Surely. Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um had an
opportunity to attend the Cook County Coalition of Lake Association meeting a couple weeks back and um one of the things they are doing is they've expanded their membership. So a lake association can join, but they are also offering family and individual
memberships and uh primarily for a lot of the education they provide. So, that's a great opportunity for anyone um in Cook County to get involved. We had our community leadership meeting um about a week and a half ago and one of
the great things that came out of that is that we are looking at a shared leadership model that no longer is it going to be just the county leading those meetings and planning those meetings, but we're moving to shared leadership and have signed up for the remaining uh or all six meetings that
are in 2026. So, our January community leadership meeting will be held by Northshore Hospital and Northshore Health will be um hosting that event and we'll be getting out agendas to all our community leaders. But I think that's a really really positive move. The Cook
County Invasive team met last week and um did kind of a review of projects. Commissioner White was there with me as well. And one of the things we want to make sure the public is aware of and looking for is spotted napweed. We have
quite a bit of it in Cook County. Um people can think, "Oh, invasives, no big deal. They're just plants." I want to share with you that um spotted naped kind of invaded a septic mound in the West End and they have very, very deep
roots that ruin the septic system. and the property owner had to spend $60,000 to remove their old septic and replace it with a new one because of spotted napweed. So, please um take a look, make
sure that you're watching and monitoring your property so that you know what kind of plants are on there. And if you have questions, um you can contact Tia Parks who's with our highway department. Um, she and Abby Prime do a great job of
working on terrestrial invasive species. We had the grand opening of the Heights, the bluff unit, which is right on Highway 61 last Wednesday. Um, it was very similar, the ribbon cutting and the grand um or
the groundbreaking were very similar because it was raining and it was cold. But uh anyway, it was really exciting to go through the um studio one and twobedroom to look at how spacious they feel with those 9 ft ceilings and um
just really nice to see more options available for housing here in Cook County. On Thursday, we had our highway advisory meeting. We talked a little bit about a policy, just a draft that they're working on um for making sure that we have access to our towers. We
have armor towers scattered throughout Cook County. They're really important for um our bus drivers, for the county highway department, for emergency management, and uh so more to come on that in the future. And we also talked a little bit about subordinate
governmental service districts. We've been getting um some information and feedback from those groups. We had an airport advisory committee on Thursday evening and reviewed our 5010 report which comes from MDOT
Aeronautics. Um Brady and the airport manager and I and the airport president will be meeting with Mindot Aeronautics um hopefully within the next week to review that report. And then um we also talked a little bit
about um electric aviation and we participated some of us in a webinar that was put on by the University of Minnesota. And just good reminders about our master plan and things we need to be really mindful of as the 20-year plan
rolls out in increments that we need to make sure that we're providing for battery storage for electric aircraft, that we have the appropriate electric infrastructure in place, and that we also consider solar opportunities to
capture um free electricity and to build that into our system. And in previous years, the airport did look at um putting solar panels on airport property. It didn't work out at that time, but is is something that we'll continue to look at over the next 20
years as we implement that master plan in stages. And then the last announcement um came out of the Cook County Historical Society and uh the Cook County Historical Society is taking ownership
of the blacksmith shop. Uh the county has owned that for a number of years, but uh they voted at their meeting last Thursday to take uh that property over and uh so we want to congratulate them on that and that will give them opportunities for grants. Now that they
own the property, they'll have a much better opportunity to get grant dollars to do um improvements on that property. So with that, I will pass it on to Commissioner Gamble. Thank you, Commissioner Sullivan. I I'd
have a question um with regard to the blacksmith shop. Uh that is in decisions relative to anything that is done there is regulated by Minnesota Historical Society. >> Correct.
>> And so that that will continue in in that relationship. Um how that affects us financially, I don't I don't know. In other words, many of the decisions that that we make relative to budget are because we own the buildings. So, in
this case, it'd be interesting, don't need to know now, but it'd be interested to see if that has what effect that has at all on the >> Absolutely. And I think that that's a really good point. Um because one of the things I think about when I'm looking at our budget for 2026 and in the future is
what properties do we have, whether it be land or buildings or whatever, um that maybe we don't need to be taken care of or um you know that aren't really in the wheelhouse of county government, >> right? And and I think alignment is a
>> is is a big thing that that we need to look at. I think we're looking at that with the subordinate districts. It's a matter of stepping back and looking at things and evaluating in the context of what are we responsible for. It's not abdicating responsibility. It's being
sure that that we're looking at it and understanding based upon priorities and and what best serves, you know, the public. I think the other thing that we've underscored in this discussion is we're not abandoning people. We will come alongside and help in every way
that we can, but we have to make some hard decisions that um demonstrate our stewardship responsibility of our resources which are limited. >> Absolutely. >> So, well, thank you for that report. I um attended the hospital board meeting
which I do uh monthly and um uh primary focus other than the financials which they're they're doing uh better uh this year than they were in last year in 2024. So they're seeing improvements. Some of that is because of uh the the ability to
charge things in a different context than they did before. um which is um uh due to meeting with the legislature and and basically advocating for the ability to do this. Um but the the primary focus
was on uh cultural change and uh so they're doing an evaluation um primarily with leadership at this point. And so there was a report that was presented uh by the individual that is facilitating this process to show uh
the perceptions of u of culture uh at the hospital. And um I always um um affirm directions that understand the foundational nature of organizations so
that we can be better in supporting our staff and and the community. uh because we we create healthy cultures that are productive. Um also um attended u Arrowhead Corrections and um it's
probably the shortest meeting I've ever attended there. Uh they said uh there's one particular commissioner from St. Louis that tends to ask a lot of questions and they told me when we started the meeting if I could button my lip we could probably get out here real quick. So we we got out in 45 minutes.
Not that that's our intention, but uh it was very hard to button my lip because there were some questions that could be answered. But um uh the uh good thing that uh moving forward into the um
association Minnesota counties is that uh we will have a presence there and we've been talking about that looking for opportunities to serve uh the counties with not only within the state uh but and perimeter states uh Wisconsin
and and the Dakotas whatever so that that our facilities can provide services to a broader community and um in talking to that uh we suggested that they talk to AMC. So we do we are on the agenda
for that presentation uh coming up here in December and uh so that that's great. Um if you look at the statistical numbers we see that uh numbers are are declining. That's a good thing from the
standpoint of um um if it means that there's there's less crime. It's if you're a facility built to address crime, it's it's a challenging thing from the financial standpoint because your revenues support
your uh your operations. Um I think there's a number of things that contribute to that and part of that is restorative justice. Some of it is other things that we've done that uh means that that um being incarcerated or
having to be committed to a a time where you're you're away and and you're going through programming uh that's lessened some of that that burden. But um the staff is is very aggressive in in trying to understand the wise so that they
again um can provide the quality services to reduce recidivism and to u to manage uh the resource of their facilities so that we can maybe reach a broader audience
and um therefore generate revenue. So always a good good meeting even though it was short. Well, I didn't do anything other than what the other two have done. Um the uh Cook County invasive species
um meeting a big question that I had uh in thinking about that there's a lot of use of herbicides. I mean, maybe not a lot of use, but it's And my question is, how does that impact our soil and
water? Because it's being sprayed on the upside of Lake Superior or at river, the mouths of rivers. And so it's just rather scary to me that we're spraying herbicides around our water
sources, particularly Mindot, who uh they spray Roundup on the highway on the shoulders. And there is a class action lawsuit at this point against Roundup. So um that was unnerving. the
uh highway department was a very good meeting and the uh when you talk about um the arrowhead directions that uh corrections place the uh and I've asked you attorney
Peterson um last year that there were no inmates or occupants no one from Cook County was sent to this facility. And I would I'm just curious as to what are we doing that because we pay a
membership to help support this and then when we send someone there for treatment in a holding cell or waiting for trial whatever it is then there's an additional charge and by their figures we have sent no one there
in 2024. So where are they? And to your question, do we I should have asked when uh Sheriff Alison was here, do we not have crime anymore, which I don't believe that, but um you know, like why what are
we doing that's right that's going to bankrupt this place. So that that was about it. And then >> thank you. and then to um I still call it joint powers but the community
leadership group way back when it always was a rotating um hosting of the event and I do remember being at the hospital way back when and seeing it was when the facility is was newer and there was this great
big room so I think it's great that the different entities will be hosting putting their own flavor on it and changing the scen for all of us. That's it. >> Thank you.
Uh my updates. Uh well, I I ran away quickly from our community the hole to try to get um get to the photo op at the ribbon cutting for the gymnasium, but I like walked in the door as they were taking the picture. So, that didn't work. I both exited our meeting early
and missed the other one. So, that was that was too bad. But I did get a chance to catch up with some people there. Um, particularly Jeremy Kachuba. Um, and uh, and Alex who will be leaving. I got to have a little more personal chat with him just uh, where he was at and where
he's going and all that. So that was just a a a small trying to make up for for missing things. But um beyond that um uh uh EDA meeting um a lot of work um uh
being done by the Northshore Development Company which I've uh I've touched on before. Really grateful for that. Got our schedule uh working with them to um look for our our new EDA director. Um and that'll be rolling out uh in the
first part of next year. all goes first quarter of next year if all goes well. Um also looking at um impacts of the um small business uh or yeah the small business development grants uh and then
also just talking about different ways we can structure things um because of the services that Northshore Development Company offers as far as administrative functions. Um while the EDA was going through it
strategic planning um it it the one of the bottlenecks that we're seeing is just having an organization that is one deep. Um I'm sure the H is having discussions like that as well. Um and so it kind of takes away from what a
director could and should be doing if they're doing the everything. uh all the smaller tasks, all the administrative tasks, um the minutes, scheduling, you know, everything. Um and so trying to leverage
Northstar Development Company to help with that and allowing and giving space for a director to do more. That being said, um there could be opportunity for um more integration within the business community
um and and maybe uh doing uh a more concerted effort towards our small businesses locally um particularly with uh different organizations like um uh small business development or I'm sorry SBDC um as well as um you know Northland
Foundation and um entrepreneur fund and I mean there's a a plethor ptha of different organizations along that slant that hoping to integrate a little bit more into the organization. Um let's see also had um a pre the first
pre-conference subcommittee for uh AMC which is the general government and there was uh oh boy like 18 different amendments we're trying to go through and we'll have a second meeting just to try to go into more depth and to
cover more of them. Um two of them that stuck out to me that and most of them were kind of like yeah yeah that makes sense. um it seemed kind of obvious and just kind of those update sort of things. There's a couple though that really stood out to me that I wanted to share with this board. Um one uh seems
to be an effort and uh I should back up a little bit and say I'm not it wasn't entirely clear how much support there is for this because most of was being pushed by one county. Um but there just wasn't a whole lot of or a whole lot of
time for discussion. But um the two the two items are uh nuclear um power facilities as well as data centers. Um both of which are very large uh conversations uh very sensitive
conversations very controversial. Um there's a whole lot more to learn about it. The nuclear topic was more about like micro nuclear reactors um which I guess are as small as say a semi-trail um and uh there had been a
moratorum um in Minnesota and now I guess that is lifted um and my question is well why was it there in the first place has that been addressed and it doesn't seem like it has been addressed there have been technological
advances Um, at this point I believe they're all theoretical. I don't know that they've been put into practice. I learned a little bit there about the different grades of nuclear waste. Um,
there are countries or counties that buy uh uh nuclear waste to extract more nuclear power out of it. Um but um you know in my mind very very limited
knowledge of anything nuclear. Uh Commissioner Sllison had a lot of experience there. Um so he could probably speak more to it but um my question is well so what do we do with nuclear waste? Um assuming it's safe to
use nuclear power um because nuclear waste literally lasts forever. And so when we're making decisions and the decisions are forever decisions and radioactive decisions, it makes me
really uncomfortable. Um, and so I would want to learn a whole lot more about that um before I gave it any support. Um, but the answer I received is like, well, we just hang on to the nuclear waste until the feds kind of figure out their repository.
Well, that's kind of been the answer for many many many years. Um, and there hasn't been any movement there. So, uh, yeah, it just it it gave me the wheelies. Um, and then on the data centers, of course, we're we're familiar
with, uh, kind of some of the the conversations, uh, in St. Louis County. Um, and so that was a pretty controversial, um, conversation. And um you know the big push for the data centers is the tax
revenue um because they can be very large and provide a lot of taxes. My limited research on the topic uh raises concerns about the infrastructure required for the data centers and as well as environmental impacts. So, uh,
environmental impacts aside, what I've read is, sure, the tax base can increase significantly with these data centers. However, you know, um, Arowhead Electric and the PUC, they have their base rate that everybody pays regardless of how
much power they use. Uh, and that is that that base rate is is to my understanding there to support the infrastructure. So if a data center needs substantially more infrastructure,
then all of the members who are paying in that system will be paying a much higher base rate. And and that's kind of the push back that I've been hearing from across the country. But also saw an article recently saying if you're trying to escape data centers, there might be
one state that's safe. uh and it was Minnesota because of our regulatory hurdles which I hear criticism for at times but also in this case it seems like it's a good protection. Um and so it's just really interesting to kind of start learning more about that. Um and
uh there will be more to come and I am certain we'll hear more about it at the annual conference um and beyond. Um so to be continued there >> also library board meeting. >> Yes please. If if I can just add one um piece of information for the
commissioners about the conversation around nuclear power. Um this did come up with um at my regional um county administrator meeting a couple weeks ago >> and one of the administrators we talked about um you know information that was
going to be provided to commissioners and we discussed um asking AMC to do a webinar. So to your point to make sure that everyone is educated on kind of the pros and cons and issues surrounding this. So I don't know where that landed
um but one of the administrators was going to reach out and share that feedback with AMC. >> Thank you. Yeah, it was probably the same county that uh is kind of pushing it in in the general government, I would guess. So, um, but yeah, we we
definitely need more information and, um, you know, part of the I mean, part of the conver conversation really rubbed me the wrong way because they were when I asked about nuclear waste, the response also included, well, what about
wind turbine waste and solar panel waste? And I mean, because there's issues with those for sure. Um, but I mean, come on. Compared to nuclear waste, it's it's like apples and uh, you know,
>> turnipss, >> Volkswagens, you know, it's not even like oranges, you know, it's just a whole another it's it's way different. So, um, yeah, it was it was a little bit alarming, but, you know, I again, I couldn't get a good read on the whole the whole group, but I think, you know, we have to have to trust our our
Minnesota values and our in our our counties and and just uh advocate for what our community believes. No, >> Commissioner Mills. Um, >> yes. >> To that end, um, you do know we have nuclear powered submarines
that that run everything for decades on from the nuclear reactor. And then I believe it's in the Nordic states like um Scandinavian states across the ocean that they do run they they do have
smaller nuclear facilities that run their countries. So, uh, it's not about we all remember, well, maybe not you, you're younger, but we all remember three M 5 mile island, 3M island, those things,
the meltdowns, the fear that that there was. And but the technology that as I understand it has greatly improved and we don't even know about it because everyone has just been everyone is in an
industry hands off at this point. But there are many innovations and uh but indeed as you say the the what do you do with the remains like you can't I mean
how even if you say well we'll bury it 20 miles into the ground. Well something could happen you know like something could always happen. So yes. >> Yeah. And it's Yeah. that's literally
always there then. Um, and yeah, but could that be a target for terrorism or blah blah blah? You know, your imagine can run wild. I I appreciate that. They also mentioned that that the the the Navy's been using it for 75 years and um but yeah, then it's like, well, what do you do with the waist still?
Um and yeah that was also um shared that there have been technological improvements but but again the little research that I've done have shown they're all theoretical um it is being used and it is a carbon-f free uh power
source but then it's uh also a radioactive power source. So yeah a lot of ins and outs. I'm very curious. That's what I told them. I said, "Well, I'm approaching this very cautiously, but I'm very curious. So, please bring on more information so I can learn and
>> love to love to learn about the Scandinavian countries as well and and what to do." But another argument they had for both data centers and nuclear power was our climate in Minnesota being a colder climate. I guess supposedly it's ideal for everything um except for gardening and farming, which
maybe more directly related to our health. Um but yeah, much more to come on that, I'm sure. Uh and then at the library board uh meeting, we we looked um uh doing a library review for for the
for the year and review just kind of the board members uh uh feedback and and hopes for for the next year. Um and there's been a lot of turnover at the library. And so my hope was that we could really hone in on um building a
stronger culture there and doing a lot more team building uh and trying to address um any concerns that that staff may have and that that fit into our our strategic plan from from the last round too. So um trying to touch on all all the all the little issues within the
strategic plan. Um I think that's probably all I have to share today. Um, any any other questions or or thoughts from anyone? >> Mr. Chair, relative to the library, and
Brady can confirm this, but and I sat on the library board in my first term, but my understanding is is that the library budget as presented to us each year that uh if it falls under 5%, it's it's an automatic unless we
challenge it. And so what we have done is we have created a a structure that allows growth without the accountability. I I say that respectfully, but let's
just say that when you tie something uh to an automatic, it goes on this automatic pilot and it will continue to grow whether it needs to grow or not. There is an assumption that obviously we
things need to grow and therefore we need more money but efficiencies and evaluation are part of process and that's a discipline. So unless we as commissioners say justify the increase and we evaluate it,
we're just on automatic pilot for a 5% increase each year. So >> yeah. No. Yeah. Thank you. That's that's uh that's spot on. Um but uh you know you can guess what wages have done uh
every year um as well as cost of books. You know I think 5%'s pretty modest but I hear your point that if it's just automatic then it's there's not a necessarily a a hard look at at the increases or the changes in the costs.
And so um there have been some savings because of turnover but we all know the costs of turnover are usually higher than the whatever we're looking at in the inter room. So, um but um yeah, I
think I think so far library has been pretty modest. Um and uh and uh hopefully it won't it won't um grow more than it needs to as you say. Always want to support it because the community uses
it like like nothing else. um the kids in there, the seniors in there, um low-income people who maybe don't have a computer, need computer access, all that. A lot of really valuable services and um you know, literacy is an extremely important part of u community
health. Um just so that we can be more informed and and uh better critical thinkers. Uh anything else from anyone? Well, we have a whole slew of upcoming meetings. I will not read them all, but
they are attached to our agenda. And we also have our correspondence and memos, which is sales tax comparison. And um just as a reference, looks like um about sales tax collections were up 5% from
the previous year. So take that for for what it's worth. Um previous years have been let's see uh 2019 was 10% 2020 was minus 6.7 2021 was 32 almost 33 2020 uh
2 is 5.8 then 4.8 then minus 6.8 and then five. So lots of ups and a few downs and here we are. Uh, next item. If there is nothing else, little pause here,
we're thank you for um participation and your flexibility and I hope you have a safe and wonderful holiday. >> Thank you. >> You as well. Thank you. >> Thanks for serving as our chair today.
Have a >> pleasure. Nice job. How are you coming with getting Oh, are we off? >> I think so. Are you still there, Commissioner Mills? No, >> I just I >> I Yeah, I came off the computer, but I'm on