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Video-1: youtube.com/watch?v=jiR3m6JKK4U

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We're like okay so um at um 10:35 I'll call the committee the whole work session to order where we support community through quality public service and uh in our packets today uh we have the minutes of

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the previous meeting of June 16th and then on our agenda today uh we will receive information from visit Cook County on the 1% lodging tax budget presentation um maybe some updates from the administrator. And then also in our

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packets, we have minutes of the standing committees um ad uh airport advisory, budget and facility and highway advisory committee. So with that, I'll turn it over to um visit Cook County. Welcome. Thank you, Madam Chair. Um pleasure to

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be here uh our annual visit in front of the committee of the whole to talk about our 1% budget. Um, I'm going to go back a few years. Um, and just give you a little bit of history. Number one, with me today is our new event coordinator, uh, Audrey Mays Trimble. She's in her

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end of her fifth, sixth month. >> Fifth month, I think. Yeah, we're hitting on half a year. >> So, that's exciting. Um, and I just wanted to say thank you again. This money that we allocate through a grant program for events and programming

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throughout Cook County is very very much um appreciated by the community. For instance, um we have $90,000 that goes out to support our local musicians every year through a grant program. So those kinds of things have happened. So thank you to the commissioners to support

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this. It was put in place um in 2008 and went up for renewal. I needed all of your approval prior to going to the Capitol and testifying and we were able to secure this for another 15 years. So,

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um, whenever you have a chance to thank our lodging properties for collecting that lodging tax, it's important. It's what we function on. So, in front of you, um, and we're going to tag team if necessary. Please feel free to jump in. Um, I know you're I don't want to make you nervous.

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>> U, just wanted to make sure that you saw what our organizational um, chart looks like. uh because of the dual directorship of visit Cook County and the Chamber of Commerce wanted you to see that there are truly five boards within uh both of our organizations that

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we manage as a team down from our offices. Copying didn't turn out really well. Uh but we have a team of six uh 7 8 9 10 including our information center. um our information center is critical um

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to a lot of people and that you know on a normal summer day we can get upwards of 140 people just wanting to come in and pick up maps and um the folks over there are really really um intelligent on everything that's happening. Um the 1% lodging tax just goes over what that

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looks like. We have a grant program. We have really uh honed in on that. Um Audrey's put some picked up some pieces, added some pieces, really making people in the true grant world um accountable for the dollars that they've received in giving us information back. How did this

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affect tourism? You know, what did you use the dollars for? Are we recognized as a supporting organization? Those kinds of things. So, and that is very much a request by our three tourism association boards who allocate this funding as well as the Visok County

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Board of Directors. Lodging tax overview. I'm just going to keep it. I know we have a lot going on. So for those of you I think everybody understands lodging tax. Um I would say that uh on page eight when you see live music, community, arts and culture,

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outdoor recreation, we have built into our program trail support for not only uh snowmmoiling but we have all kinds of trail support that we are helping with as much as we can and events that surround our trails. So very important.

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And again, this money, and I think this is, and I've said this and I will say it time and time again, the strength of Vizica County really comes from the cohesiveness and um the work that we do with our three tourism associations,

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Gunflint Trail, Grand Marray, and Lutenanti Schroeder. Um and then we also work very closely with Grand Portage and we allocate funding to them for a lot of their events even though they don't collect lodging tax as a sovereign nation. I think that's very important to

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see. So, um the amount available funding is based on the tourism association's area of 1% lodging tax. So, it's different for every association. Uh Lutheran Tufty Schroeder being the largest lodging tax community in Cook County, of course, has the most dollars

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to allocate. And, uh the Gunland Trail has the least because they have the least amount of collection. That said, all very important. uh Gunland Trail, that strength that I'm talking to you about when they sit down and they allocate

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$10,000 to the canoe races. Is it 10? Yep. So, you know, they they understand the needs of their community and I I truly believe that that is a foundational um impact for visit Cook County strength because we have multitudes of voices talking about

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multitudes of needs and as we all know every area of Cook County is vastly different than the other. So, I think that's really important. Um we have also included this year's 26 27. Our fiscal year kicked off May 1. Um we have

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included um this kind of yeah we I we this was a quick copy job this morning. Um so uh the budget is included for you. You can see it's separated by Jamaata GTA and LTTA. I think it's also really important to know that Loots & Mountains is our partner as well. And yes,

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>> can you just walk through those acronyms for anyone who may be? >> Sorry. Uh Jamaata is the Grand Marray Area Tourism Association. GTA is the Gudlflip Trail Association and LTTA is the Loots and Tafty Tourism Association

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and um long been talked about. Why isn't you know Schroeder included? I wasn't here. Don't blame me. Don't kill the messenger. I might have included Schroeder in that LTTA one. And LMC is uh Loots and Mountains Corporation.

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Okay. Thank you. And with that, I'll take any questions. Audrey will take any questions. Um, but we're here every year and I know our brains are exploding right now with all kinds of other things that we are doing. And I would just add to that um with my chamber hat on and

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Visa County and our tourism economy um I am all about inclusivity and all of us working together every day um to get through all kinds of things. So even though communi I'd rather overcommunicate in times like this than undercommunicate and it causes me to

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lose sleep when I'm going I missed this. So um I just appreciate but I appreciate your leadership. So um thank you. >> Any questions or comments for Linda? >> You're welcome. I do have one question. Thank you, Madam

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Chair. Um, are there any significant changes moving ahead? >> You know, there could be. Um, there's not any at this point other than I would say on the Visical County marketing side of it 1%.

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Um, you know, we work really hard and diligently through that budget and we really communicate very very succinctly with our associations as to what we can predict is going to happen. I guarantee you the strike to our economy right now um after just getting out of Grand

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Marray is going to look vastly different. The budget is going to look different next year. Um I'm having a little bit of COVID post-traumatic stress, but then it was it wasn't the same. You know, this is so pocketed. So,

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I don't see anything predictable other than there will be less money because this is our breadand butter month. Yeah. And even the outfitters, which I am, you know, after talking with three outfitters on Saturday about what we can

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do, and I I'll add this right now. It's moving off this but into this. I will I will add that if they have bunk houses, they collect lodging tax and all lodging people are partners, whether they want to be or not. um they are included in

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all of our stakeholder marketing for free because of the work they do to collect our income to operate. >> So I think that's really important to remember. Um and the last thing I would say is I think it's really important um and we're

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shifting our marketing right now to really focus on the webcams that we have all over the county. So important to show Midtrail, Gunflint Trail. We have them at Gunfoot Lodge, Bare Skin, um, Rockwood,

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downtown Grammaray, two on the harbor, and Loots and Mountains. So, all the areas in question, I mean, that's what I'm telling hotelers right now. Just tell them to jump on visitookcount.com/webcams, you're going to see a place that is still we're able to travel to. So,

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as scary as all of it is, >> we have to kind of strike that communication balance. Mhm. >> Yes, Commissioner Gav. >> Thank you, Linda. The um question I have, it relates to your grant program

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>> and um uh annually the amount of monies that uh are granted. Is that reflected on on page uh 101? you have a breakout of of you know various entities

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>> and and what I'm looking for is I'm just looking to see the amount of money that is allocated in grant funding that comes from the 1% and the nature of those recipients and if if 10 and 11 are

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showing that or if it's showing the revenue side. Okay, >> that's exactly what it's showing. So the bottom yeah the bottom totals are the dollar amounts allocated per let me per association by percentage of lodging tax collected.

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>> So what I indicated you're you're going to see for Lutenanti tourism association a very large dollar amount because they collect the um they collect the most lodging tax. So, we get 3% that's handled under state statute 469.190

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under under state law um for lodging tax. The 1% is special. So, when we get that 4% 3% goes to Visical County for marketing, 1% lands here for this grant program and then it's separated by

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percentage of lodging tax collected by geographical area. Is the percentage uh by geographical area is that defined by law >> or is that something that is a matrix that is developed by visit Cook County

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and then that policy adopted >> the geographical areas were established when visit Cook County was established but even before that and I don't know that history I mean the Gunflow Trail Association launched in 1938. >> Yeah. So, I mean, there's lots of

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history here and there's lots of history with lodging tax collection. Brady, you've been around longer than I have when it comes to the the geographical areas. >> Yeah. I mean, those are >> what happened in 1938. >> I was very young. I was >> I wasn't saying that.

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>> Yeah. >> I'm 100 years old. >> Yeah. They're they're all established by resolution. So they're they're defined boundaries >> for each one because it doesn't none of them cover the absolute entirety of Cook

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County. >> Yeah. >> But when we first came here, I mean, it was individual. Everybody's individual. And I looked and I'd looked at Jamaica and all of the islands and everybody was competing competing and so from a marketing standpoint, it it made sense

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to bring everybody together under the umbrella of one. So my question isn't so much the geographical nature. it it it is the uh the policy that that makes the distribution uh based upon the revenues collected if

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that is something that's defined by statute or if that's something that visit Cook County determined how we will allocate those dollars. So, and and the reason I asked the question is in the broader context of when we look at at at

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our grant programs that fall under different umbrellas, who's being served by those dollars and to have a context to understand that just helps us to see how these things are funded when we're coming alongside

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organizations, whatever to help fund. I think it's important to recognize that in in 2008, the Cook County Events and Visitor Bureau was the catalyst organization that brought all the tourism

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associations together. We don't have a major event center like the deck. And so that's when the 1% was adopted and that's when the groups of associations came together. Shortly two years later it was like this is working we need some

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parameters around it but it makes sense that we all come together and discuss what kind of events and programs we want to support and was very very fresh and new when I arrived in 2013 there wasn't a lot of I would say structure still

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around it but in 2010 when visit Cook County then became the organization these dollars fell to that maintaining that each association had to approve being a part of the greater organization of Visit Cook County. Um, and that was

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there was some early growth years. Gunfl Trail had a website. Grammar had a website. We launched a website as Viscook County. So, there was some, you know, there was some army crawl in there going on trying to say this doesn't make sense. But I think they both rose

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together pretty equally and there's been a lot of thought process around that. I mean I remember in my early tenure, Gunflint Trail didn't want to participate in any ads that said anything about the Northshore. So there was a lot of very strategic communication that said without the

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Northshore, I mean any Boundary Waters traveler is experiencing this quaint harbor town and that's one of the draws to get to the Boundary Waters. So um does that answer your question commissioner? Well, yeah, it it if I

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look at page 101 here, then I I can see the entities based upon your formula for distribution related to collections, >> how that gets distributed >> and and so um is it the

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geographical region that makes that decision or is it the board? >> The boards. >> Yeah, the board makes that decision. boards make all these allocation decisions and I will bring to the board for instance I can say the impact of the

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halo effect of cycling trails in Cook County >> right >> is this and so the voice that would come to each board of directors the association boards would be you might want to think about supporting I'll pick a different one music everybody Luden

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started with a music supplement program long ago over the course of the last 10 years, Grand Marray has adopted a music support program. Gunflin Trail has adopted a music support program. Same thing with the arts and culture and you

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know, historic Cook County there. There's lots of dollars for their programming that are all contributed to by each association. And to me, that's like that's the best. You know, we're all in this together kind of thing. And I don't want to be Pauliana about it. you know, Luten Ty Schroeder might not

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want to support the Gunland canoe races because it's so centric to that area, but at the same time, there's others that have a huge halo effect, not only here in Cook County, but across the Midwest and the whole United States when you look at us as a culture spot and an

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art destination. >> Sure. So, uh I assume there's an application. >> Oh, yeah. >> Yeah. It'd be interesting to see that application. >> Sure. we can send that application out to you. Um I would say that this um we'll make sure to do that. I think that

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what's important to know is that this budget is housed within the entire Visit Cook County budget as well. Right. >> So, and we've really honed in on um being able to tell our stakeholders when they're going to receive their bunny so we can work on our budget and make sure

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it balances right. As you can imagine, um, when our income trails in lodging tax, because it does, um, these are the months that are really hard for us, you know, our lowest our lowest collection of funds is June.

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>> Yeah. >> So, we're working into the summer pretty quickly and we balance the payments to our grant recipients as such. >> Okay. Thank you. >> You bet. Thank you. for June. Have you thought about like tick festival or something like that?

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>> I'm thinking like I get you what you're going for. Um >> it was it was purely a joke. I was It wasn't a serious >> I'm thinking of a spruce budworm. Don't add that to my event list. >> I don't know how to plan that. >> My head JUST WENT TO I CAN market

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anything. Let's go. >> Uh serious question though. Uh um so is it accurate that Luden Mountain Corporation's proportion of lodging tax is

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as great as it is compared to the rest of LTA. >> It they collect dollars um on their ticket sales. So >> even though the right word isn't in lie of lodging tax >> it is in lie of lodging tax they in

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addition to lodging tax they collect 3%. and we have a structure of payment with them that I am actually brushing off right now because with the um impact of lodging tax collection during COVID and the fluctuation that was so great um

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same thing with Grand Portage as a sovereign nation they don't collect lodging tax but they came to the table as a true partner in branding because why wouldn't you like why wouldn't we tell our big story alto together you know with all these chapters Um but that

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dollar amount has also fluctuated because during co the board said oh my goodness if anybody suffered the most it was our area of grand portage and we just said no we want you we want you as part of our branding but you can do it we're not charging you anything there's

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no fee so in the last six years since co that has fluctuated from zero you know to 25,000 to play in our branding camp to back to zero. So, it's been um an interesting journey. >> So, um uh Lutzy Mountain Corporation has

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lodging tax as well as contributes uh sales tax >> on ticket sales. Okay. >> Thank you. >> Always have. Yeah. But without Loots and Mountains, where would we be in the middle of the winter? They bring in tremendous amount of

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>> people. Okay. Any other questions? Commissioner Gamble. >> Yeah, thank you. So, um with the pending sale of the golf course >> that the um the monies that have been

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paying on the bonding is coming from the 1% lodging tax. >> It is. >> And so that's 160,000 annually that has been allocated >> 64. So what's what is the envisioned use of

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>> I'll tell you what because you know you don't know what you don't know as uh we worked through our 2627 budget we ignored the fact that we were going to get any money um just because that's just how I would like to do

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business. I don't like spending money before we have it. And uh so now I know that there's a potential closing date coming the end of August, which serendipitously is going to work out okay for us financially because we're going to get slammed um with a hit for

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July and August. So um yes, uh when that piece of legislation, I was freshy fresh. I mean first month um when this happened and um when the transaction occurred. So, and I

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think it's important to understand that, you know, there was a lot of very very insightful people that came before me that created visit Cookook County. In addition, that legis there was there's 27 pieces of special legislation that divert lodging tax to use for another

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area. Right. This is one of them and it it state stated that I was very unaware of all the covenants that were in place. Um and um I'm happy to see the finish line coming in. We are not going to recognize the dollars until it actually

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is in the bank and that should happen in August. >> Okay. Thank you, chair. Just >> just one point. Uh that portion of lodging tax that's being affected is

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2% up to 2% of the 3% lodging tax from Luteni Schroeder. So it's not part of the 1%. >> Okay. >> Yeah. because that that law was created back in 1988 I think uh long before you know 20 years

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before the 1% was created so just so it's not coming out of events and that% more restrictive than the 1% >> very much so and it does not come out of events this isn't part of the 1% at all thank you Brady for that clarification >> it's also probably worth pointing out

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just for the everyone that this 1% is different than the 1% sales tax >> completely. So we keep saying 1% but this is 1% lodging. >> Yeah. 1% lodging. 1% lodging. >> And the 1% sales tax is not tied to the

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highway department >> transportation. We need a tax organizational chart. We see a lot of personnel charts and or department charts, but it would be interesting to see a breakdown of the >> Yeah.

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>> additional taxes. >> I'll send that out. >> That's a great idea. >> And then where those funds >> go. I like it. >> And and uh with the 1% which is the highway that is not the same. Yeah. is

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not the same as the uh secure rural schools >> money that comes in. >> So that that is strictly highway. And when we looked at implementing that, it was it's we're not a big county. So it's going to be incremental, but every

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dollar helps. So we've seen how we've been able to apply that as that fund has built. So >> we could create another position to look into all of these percentages and on the side help rating.

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>> But what in all seriousness there speaking of other positions um and we will be I mean having that bond paid off or whatever. Um there's been a lot of talk in the community of grant writing, right? It's really tough financially for all

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nonprofits, all organizations, even the county. um as far as how can we be creative to try to serve more people in our community and um I think there could be a lot of value to have community grant writers just >> and we have we should just put a

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>> well >> right >> we should put some structure around the fact that >> we should put a put them in prison and they can write grant us no it just um to have more structure around that and to be maybe more widely advertised as community grant writers or some kind of organization there because I think

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there's a lot of potential to leverage that rather than >> um >> I could put my chamber hat on with that one for sure. And and I think to that point as an example, I mean the the rationale and the evidence of it, the benefit is that

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when you look at uh the highway department and how the highway department has operated that uh the focus on freeing up by creating some additional positions within the highway department so that Robbie is able to

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submit applications. The amount of money that we have generated that has funded infrastructure here is is amazing. And and we have other examples where we're beginning to see that. We could say that if if the environmental position is more

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than funding itself through the benefit of dealing with invasives as well as creating revenues to fund the position. Those are positive signs of being creative that aren't levy dependent.

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>> Exactly. >> Okay. Anybody else? >> All right. >> Out of here before I have to hire a grant writer myself. >> Thank you team. >> Thank you for all your time. Stay in touch. Um you're all doing a great job

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during this uncertain time. >> Yes, we are. Thank you. >> Thank you. Nice to meet you. Welcome to the team. >> We'll move on to our last item. Um, administrator trouble, do you have any other updates? >> I do. Um, just

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just a reminder since now we're on a different live stream. I wanted to make sure that I reminded the community that we do have um a community um meeting this evening in Luton at 7:00 p.m. We will have our federal partners that are assisting us with the wildfire nemo

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there to present on um the the s the current um aspect of the fire and and the steps that we're taking to mitigate risk. Um I also wanted to mention that we are working on issues at the Y. That is something that we've been hearing about is the pool being shut down and

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the air quality. Um so we are currently working to uh solve for those issues as well. So those are my updates. >> Okay, thank you on that and there being no further business we are adjourned. >> Thank you.

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>> Thank you everybody. >> Be able to catch Linda still. I have a thing that says there's a one