Sep 09, 2026 Washington County Board of Supervisors Meeting

SO YOU, ARE YOU GUYS EXCITED? YEAH.

NICE WORK.

SO YOU GUYS CAN BE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE AND WE'LL JUST STAND ON THE OUTSIDE RIGHT ON THIS SIDE OF THE SEAL.

AND I'LL SAY THANK YOU, ASHLEY, FOR RUNNING THAT COMPETITION AGAIN.

IT'S, IT'S GREAT TO SEE.

UH, NEXT UP IS 2026, RESOLUTION 27 FOR A GENERAL FUND TRANSFER OF 500,000 TO THE REVOLVING LOAN FUND MANAGED BY E-D-D-E-D-W-C, MR. CHRISTIAN TETLOCK WILL PRESENT.

ALRIGHT, AARON, YOU HAVE, OH, WRONG ONE.

UM, THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE DID DIRECT THAT THIS RESOLUTION BE DRAFTED AND BROUGHT FORWARD.

UM, JUST WANTED TO KINDA KICK IT OFF HERE FOR CHRISTIAN.

SO THERE'S A COMMITTEE REPORT IN HERE, JUST SORT OF OUTLINES, UM, SOME OF THE INFORMATION THAT WAS SHARED WITH THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

AND THEN,

[a. 2026 Resolution 27 – General Fund Transfer of $500,000 to the Revolving Loan Fund Managed by the EDWC]

UM, WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE HELPFUL BACKGROUND INFORMATION, UM, TO, TO RECEIVE, UM, A VERSION OF THE PRESENTATION THAT THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE GOT AS WELL.

AND SO, UM, CHRISTIAN WITH THE EDWC IS HERE TO DO THAT.

SO THANK YOU.

TAKE IT AWAY, CHRISTIAN.

THE SUCCESS LITERALLY DISTRIBUTED ACROSS THE COUNTY, NOT JUST IN OUR LARGER MUNICIPALITIES, BUT IN SOME OF OUR, OUR RURAL COMMUNITIES AS WELL.

GREAT, THANK YOU.

UM, IS THIS ON? YEP, LOOKS LIKE IT.

ALRIGHT.

AND, UH, THE POWERPOINT SHOULD BE COMING UP HERE, ALTHOUGH IT'S IN YOUR PACKET, IS MY UNDERSTANDING.

THERE WE ARE.

AWESOME.

SO THIS IS NOT EDW C'S, UM, REGULAR ANNUAL REPORT THAT WE OFFER YOU, SO DON'T WORRY I WON'T BE HERE FOR THE NEXT 60 MINUTES.

JUST KIDDING.

UH, THIS IS QUITE A BIT SHORTER , AND IT'S FOCUSED ON A POLICY DECISION THAT IS DRIVEN BY A VERY AWESOME MOMENT IN TIME THAT WE'RE IN RIGHT NOW.

BUT NOT TO ASSUME THAT EVERYBODY HAS EQUAL CONTEXT HERE.

I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU A, A REFRESH IN THAT PART OF OUR GREAT COMMUNITY, AND IF NOT REALLY AT THE CENTER OF OUR GREAT COMMUNITY IS PROSPEROUS LIVES.

AND SEVERAL YEARS AGO, UH, BACK IN 2017, ACTUALLY, UH, EDWC PARTNERED WITH THE THEN COUNTY BOARD TO REALLY TAKE A LOOK AT HOW CAN WE CREATE AN ENGINE OF GROWTH THAT DRIVES THAT PROSPEROUS LIVES MISSION AND THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GOALS THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN AND DO SO IN A WAY THAT IS, UH, SELF-SUSTAINING, IF YOU WILL.

AND THE MEANS THAT WE DID THAT IS BY FIRST, AS YOU CAN SEE AT THE TOP, UH, INVESTING SOME OF THE SALES TAX DOLLARS.

AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, SALES TAX DOLLARS ARE A FUNCTION OF ECONOMIC SUCCESS, RIGHT? SO TAKING SOME OF THAT ECONOMIC SUCCESS AND REINVESTING IT INTO A PORTFOLIO THAT THEN GETS INVESTED IN SOME OF OUR EXISTING BUSINESSES AS WELL AS A FEW NEW ONES.

AND THEY CREATE ECONOMIC SUCCESS THAT GROWS OUR ECONOMY, WHICH GENERATES MORE SALES TAX REVENUE, AND CAPITAL REVENUE FOR OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES AS WELL AS THE COUNTY.

AND THAT VIRTUOUS CYCLE CONTINUES AND ACCELERATES.

THAT'S ESSENTIALLY IN FACT, WHAT WE'VE BEEN EXPERIENCING.

THE MAP YOU SEE HERE IS NOT INCLUSIVE OF SOME OF OUR 2026 WINS, BUT WHAT'S BEEN AWESOME IS WE'VE BEEN EXPERIENCING

[00:10:01]

AND IN FACT, THAT RAPID ENGINE OF GROWTH HAS, IS REALLY MANIFEST COMMUNITY BY COMMUNITY.

BUT I WANTED TO SHARE WITH YOU A REALLY PROFOUND EXAMPLE THAT HAPPENS TO BE, UH, CENTERED IN THE VILLAGE OF GERMANTOWN.

WE HAVE, UM, A BUSINESS PARK BY THE NAME OF GATEWAY BUSINESS PARK, AND IN THE VILLAGE OFF OF HOLY HILL ROAD, YOU'RE PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH IT 'CAUSE IT POPPED OUTTA NOWHERE A FEW YEARS BACK AND HAS BEEN ENORMOUSLY SUCCESSFUL.

AND THAT PARK, UM, HAS BEEN BUILT ON THE BACK OF EXISTING COMPANIES THAT HAVE CHOSEN TO EXPAND AND LOCATE THERE NEW COMPANIES THAT HAVE COME IN FROM OUTSIDE THE AREA.

AND AS PART OF THAT, UM, EDWC AND WASHINGTON COUNTY THROUGH THE IMPACT LOAN FUND HAS REALLY, UM, BEEN DRIVING A LOT OF THAT SUCCESS.

SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF YOU JUST TAKE A LOOK AT PS SEASONING INITIALLY WAS, UM, EXPANDING AND LOOK TO LOCATE UNDER A SHORT TERM LEASE IN THAT SPACE, WHICH DROVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR US TO LOCATE THEIR NEW GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS OPERATIONS HERE IN WEST BEND, UH, THROUGH A, A VERY LARGE PROJECT THAT SEVERAL OF YOU HAVE BEEN A PART OF THAT SUCCESS, WHICH WAS MULTIPLE YEARS IN THE MAKING.

HOWEVER, THAT CREATES A NEW OPEN SPOT IN THE VILLAGE OF GERMANTOWN IN THE GATEWAY BUSINESS PARK, WHICH GOT FILLED BY ANOTHER RECRUITMENT OPPORTUNITY IN FLAMINGO MARINE, WHICH WE WERE SUCCESSFUL IN SECURING IN PART THROUGH A PARTNERSHIP WITH THE VILLAGE OF GERMANTOWN IN THE TAX INCREMENT DISTRICT THERE, BUT ALSO WITH THE IMPACT FUND AND MARRYING THE BEST OF THOSE TWO TOOLS TOGETHER TO CREATE A HIGH IMPACT OPPORTUNITY THAT ATTRACTED FLAMINGO MARINE.

WITH THAT BUILDING FILLED, WE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO FILL YET ANOTHER BUILDING WITH PRECISION METAL HOLDINGS, THAT'S PMH.

AND, UH, WE PUT FORWARD A, AN OFFER THAT INCLUDED THE IMPACT LOAN FUND.

NOW, NOT EVERY DEAL REQUIRES AN INCENTIVE.

THIS WAS A CASE WHERE WE WERE ABLE TO SEND THE RIGHT SIGNAL THROUGH AN INCENTIVE, BUT IN NEGOTIATIONS, WHAT THEY NEEDED WAS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE COULD, UH, BRING TO THE TABLE IN TERMS OF THE INS INCENTIVE AND STRUCTURE STRUCTURE FOR THEM TODAY.

BUT THEY WERE LIKE, WE LOVED WORKING WITH THE VILLAGE OF GERMANTOWN AND WASHINGTON COUNTY AND EDWC ON THIS PROJECT.

YOU GUYS SENT THE RIGHT SIGNAL.

WE'RE IN, UH, WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO WORK WITH YOU ON CONTINUED FUTURE GROWTH.

THEY'RE A COMPANY THAT, UH, IS KNOWN LOCALLY AS ACCURATE FABRICATION IN HARTFORD.

THEY STILL HAVE THAT MANUFACTURING FACILITY.

THEY'VE JUST EXPANDED AND ARE NOW ACROSS MULTIPLE LOCATIONS IN WASHINGTON COUNTY.

THAT THEN INSTIGATED BUILDING NUMBER SEVEN, WHICH IF YOU, UH, PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR NEXT DRIVE THERE, YOU'LL SEE THEY'RE MOVING EARTH IN THAT PARK THAT IS BUILDING NUMBER SEVEN, WHICH HAS CREATED AN ATTRACTION OPPORTUNITY FOR US, UM, THAT WE ARE NOW PART WORKING WITH THE IMPACT FUND TO, TO SUPPORT.

UM, AND I WAS JUST GIVEN AN EMAIL THAT THEY'RE NOT QUITE READY TO REVEAL THEIR NAME YET.

UM, SO I I CAN'T SPEAK TO THAT, BUT, UH, PERHAPS YOU'LL BE HEARING ABOUT THAT, THAT VERY SOON.

UM, AND THAT IS JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF THAT ACCELERATED ENGINE OF GROWTH.

PRIOR TO 2017, YOU HAD AN IMPACT FUND.

IT WAS MUCH SMALLER.

IT WAS, UH, VERY CONSTRAINED FOR A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT REASONS, INCLUDING FEDERAL STRINGS.

UH, IN THE CREATION OF THIS IMPACT FUND, YOU REALLY LET ALL OF THAT GO.

AND WE, WE SAID THAT, HEY, WE WANTED TO BE ABLE TO MEASURE, IS THIS ACTUALLY GOING TO SUCCEED IN THE WAY THAT WE HAD INTENDED? AND YOU CAN SEE HERE THE ANSWER IS YES, PRIVATE CAPITAL GREW BY 73%, UM, OVER WHAT WE WERE SEEING UNDER THE PREVIOUS STRUCTURE.

YOU CAN SEE PAYROLL DOUBLED IN THE WAY THAT WE WERE ABLE TO BRING NEW PAYROLL ON BOARD WITH EQUALLY IMPORTANT, MAYBE NOT EQUALLY IMPORTANT, BUT ALSO IMPORTANT IS THE REVENUE THAT YOU'RE ACTUALLY SEEING.

AND OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES ARE SEEING GREW BY 81%.

AND THAT IS ON A PER PROJECT BASIS, THAT IS NOT JUST A NET OVER THE COURSE OF THE, OF THE TIMEFRAME.

SO REALLY WHAT HAS HAPPENED HERE IS WE'VE BEEN SEEING, UM, OUR MODEL THAT WE MODELED BACK IN 2017 HOLD IN TERMS OF IMPACT, BUT IT HASN'T HELD IN TERMS OF SOME OF THE DRIVER ASSUMPTIONS THAT HAVE GONE INTO THE MODEL FOR ITS ABILITY TO BE EVERGREEN.

FOR ONE THING, WE HAD MODELED IN, UH, OUR AVERAGE PARTICIPATION AT BEING 300,000 PER PROJECT.

YOU CAN SEE THAT WHILE WE STARTED THERE, UM, TODAY WE'RE SEEING OUR PARTICIPATION FOR SOME OF THESE DEAL OPPORTUNITIES BEING AT A MUCH HIGHER LEVEL, 1 MILLION.

SO WE'RE PUTTING IN MORE CAPITAL PRO PER PROJECT, WHICH IS, UM, STRAINING THE, THE EVERGREEN COMPONENT OF THAT MODEL.

UH, THIS IS REALLY

[00:15:01]

A GOOD PROBLEM TO HAVE.

IT MEANS THAT OUR COMPANIES HERE IN WASHINGTON COUNTY ARE DOING WHAT WE'VE SEEN THEM DO IN THE PAST IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF UNCERTAINTY.

THAT'S WHEN THEY DOUBLE DOWN.

THEY'RE TYPICALLY VERY CONSERVATIVE IN THEIR BALANCE SHEETS AND HOW THEY OPERATE.

AND SO THEY GET AN, THEY SEE AN OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN MARKET SHARE WHEN THE REST OF EN THE ENVIRONMENT IS UNDER STRESS.

AND THAT'S WHAT WE SEE HAPPENING RIGHT NOW.

SO THEY'RE MAKING A MOVE AND WE WANT TO BE THERE TO SUPPORT THAT.

AND WE ARE THERE TO SUPPORT THAT.

ALSO, WE'RE SEEING TERM LENGTHS INCREASE.

THIS TOO IS NOT A BAD THING BECAUSE IT MEANS THAT WE ARE TIMING TO SOME OF OUR PARTNERED INCENTIVES.

IN OTHER WORDS, THE COUNTY ISN'T THE ONLY ONE WITH SKIN IN THE GAME.

OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES ARE PUTTING SKIN IN THE GAME THROUGH, THROUGH TID AND WE ARE PARTNERING WITH THEM AND TYING EACH OTHER TOGETHER.

THE TRADE OFF MEANS THAT WE'VE GOT SOME LONGER TERM LOANS THAT ARE OUT THERE.

WE ALSO HAVE, UH, BUILDINGS THAT ARE GETTING BUILT THAT HAVE LONGER TERM HORIZONS TO THEM IN TERMS OF THE TYPICAL FINANCING VERSUS PIECES OF EQUIPMENT ALSO.

VERY GOOD.

AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE HAD A TARGETED UTILIZATION OF, UM, ABOUT 70% TO BE EVERGREEN.

AND WE THOUGHT IN OUR MODELING, WE WOULD BE ANYWHERE BETWEEN 50 TO 68% AT ANY GIVEN POINT IN TIME.

AS OF TODAY, WE ARE, UM, UH, OVER, ALMOST OVER 80%, UH, UTILIZATION, WHICH MEANS WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF OPERATING ROOM FOR THE SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF DEALS THAT ARE COMING TO THE TABLE TO US RIGHT NOW, UH, AND THAT WE'RE CULTIVATING.

WHY ARE WE SEEING THIS PUSH IN DEALS RIGHT NOW? UH, HERE'S ONE OF THE REASONS THE COST OF CAPITAL HAS, HAS GONE UP.

UM, WHICH MEANS THAT THERE IS INCREASING STRAIN ON THE DEMAND FOR CAPITAL.

AND YOU CAN SEE HERE, JUST IN TWO BASIC MEASURES, THE PRIME RATE VERSUS 2017 VERSUS WHERE IT'S AT TODAY, IT'S NO LONGER AT, ITS EIGHT AND A HALF PERCENT PEAK, BUT IT'S STILL, IT'S STILL PRETTY HIGH.

SO THAT MEANS THAT COMPANIES ARE REALLY LOOKING FOR ADDITIONAL WAYS TO SOURCE THEIR PROJECTS.

ALSO, THE PROJECT SIZES HAVE GONE WAY UP DUE TO INFLATION COMING OUTTA CO AND OTHER REASONS THAT, UM, WOULD TAKE LONGER THAN YOU'RE WANTING TO GIVE ME TO EXPLAIN.

UM, BUT NEEDLESS TO SAY, WAY, WAY UP FROM ONE AND A HALF MILLION ON AVERAGE TO NOW WE'RE SEEING 10 PLUS MILLION DOLLAR DEALS THAT WE'RE WORKING WITH ON A VERY REGULAR BASIS.

SO NOT A FAILURE OF THE MODEL.

THE MODEL'S BEEN ENORMOUSLY SUCCESSFUL.

IN FACT, IT'S OVERPERFORMED, IT'S SUPER HEATED.

AND AS A RESULT OF THAT ARE RECYCLING.

AND SOME OF THE FACTORS THAT I SHARED WITH YOU EARLIER, OUR RECYCLING IS TAKING LONGER.

UM, BACK WHEN WE STARTED THIS IN THE, YOU KNOW, EVEN AS LATE AS RECENT AS 2024, WE WERE SEEING GO OUT, WE WERE DEPLOYING AT A RATE THAT WE WERE ROUGHLY SEEING THE MONEY COME BACK IN THROUGH REPAYMENTS OF THE LOAN, RIGHT? SO THAT'S GOOD, THAT'S WHAT WE WANTED.

THAT'S THE EVERGREEN COMPONENT.

BUT BECAUSE OF THE FACTORS THAT I SHARED WITH YOU EARLIER, WE'RE NOW PUTTING OUT MORE THAN WE'RE RECEIVING IN, UH, ON A REGULAR BASIS, WHICH MEANS THAT WE CAN, WE WANT TO DO THAT, WE WANNA MAKE THESE INVESTMENTS, BUT AT SOME POINT IN TIME, IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT, WE ARE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO LOOK AT NO LONGER PARTICIPATING AND SAYING NO TO PROJECTS, UH, THAT ARE CONSIDERING GROWTH HERE IN WASHINGTON COUNTY.

AND THAT'S REALLY WHERE THE, THE POLICY OPPORTUNITY IS.

UH, THIS IS A SENSE OF OUR CURRENT DASHBOARD.

IT WAS UPDATED FROM WHAT WE SHARED WITH THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE BECAUSE WE'RE DEALING WITH PROJECTS IN REAL TIME AND HAVE ENGAGED IN SOME RECENT CLOSURES.

WE'RE, UH, CLOSING ON SEPTEMBER 30TH ON ANOTHER COMPANY CALLED WISCONSIN STAMPING.

UM, FOR THOSE IN THE MANUFACTURING WORLD, YOU'RE PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH THEM.

UM, THEY ARE A COMPANY BASED OUT OF GERMANTOWN THAT ACQUIRED DJS MANUFACTURING IN HARTFORD AND WANT TO NOT JUST GROW THAT, THAT COMPANY IN HARTFORD, BUT, UM, BUILD A BRAND NEW FACILITY IN HARTFORD.

AND SO WE WERE ABLE TO PARTNER WITH THE CITY OF HARTFORD AND, UM, ENABLING THE SUCCESS OF THAT PROJECT.

WE'LL BE CLOSING ON THAT.

SO WE'RE GONNA SEE THESE NUMBERS CHANGE EVEN FURTHER.

BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, WE'VE GOT A PIPELINE THAT IS EFFECTIVELY EVEN ON THE MEDIUM CONFIDENCE LEVEL, EFFECTIVELY LARGER THAN WE HAVE RESOURCES.

SO THE DECISION IN FRONT OF US RIGHT NOW AT A DWC IS WE CAN KEEP ON EXECUTING, UM, AND ADVANCING QUALIFIED PROJECTS UNTIL WE CAN'T.

UH, OR WE CAN LOOK AT, UM, A COMBINATION OF A BRIDGE, GETTING A BRIDGE, UH, IN WORKING WITH OUR COUNTY, UH, THE COUNTY BOARD HERE, THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE'S OFFICE, AND THE STAFF HERE AT WASHINGTON COUNTY TO, UH, GET A SMALL BRIDGE THAT WOULD ALLOW US TO CONTINUE TO PURSUE SOME OF THESE PROJECTS THAT ARE IN FRONT OF US TODAY.

AND THEN DEVELOP UP AND COME BACK WITH A LONGER TERM SOLUTION THAT IS BASED ON TODAY'S REALITIES AND ASSUMPTIONS.

IN OTHER WORDS, BUILD A NEW MODEL AROUND, UM, WHAT OUR CURRENT ENVIRONMENT

[00:20:01]

IS LOOKING LIKE, AS WELL AS PROJECTING INTO THE FUTURE.

AND, UH, TALK ABOUT WHAT IT MIGHT MEAN TO ENABLE THE CONTINUED SUCCESS OF THIS, THIS ENGINE, THIS GROWTH ENGINE THAT YOU CREATED BACK IN 2017.

BUT THE SHORT TERM ASK IS TO, UH, TAKE A LOOK AT A BRIDGE.

AND AGAIN, THE ALTERNATIVE IS WE KEEP EXECUTING UNTIL WE CAN'T.

IF YOU SHOULD, YOU CHOOSE TO NOT, NOT PURSUE THE BRIDGE, AND THEN AT THAT POINT IN TIME, WE WOULD BE THROTTLING DOWN ON OUR MISSION FOR PROSPEROUS LIVES.

SO THANK YOU SUPERVISOR BOSER.

SO YOU ACTUALLY JUST AT THE END TOUCHED ON EXACTLY MY QUESTION.

UM, I'M GONNA SUPPORT THIS.

I THINK WE NEED TO DO THIS.

WE NEED TO INVEST IN OUR ECONOMY AND GROWING IT.

BUT WHEN I SAW THAT NUMBER OF 38 MILLION THAT'S ACTIVELY INVESTED RIGHT NOW IN ANOTHER 5 MILLION IN THE PIPELINE, AND YOU'RE ASKING FOR 500,000, MY INITIAL THOUGHT WAS, HOW MUCH GOOD IS THAT REALLY GONNA DO? SO HEARING THAT, THAT'S JUST SHORT TERM AND YOU'RE WORKING ON A LONG-TERM PLAN, I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT.

YOU'RE WELCOME, SUPERVISOR GALL.

THANK YOU, CHAIR.

YEAH, I, I GUESS I WOULD ECHO SUPERVISOR BROSS COMMENT, THE 500 SEEMS ALMOST TOO SMALL BASED UPON WHAT WE'VE SEEN CHANGE SINCE 2017 OR 18.

SO IF YOU'RE SAYING IN THIS, UH, REQUESTED DIRECTION TO STAFF DESIGN BRIDGE, WHAT INCLUDED IN THERE IS CONSIDERING YOUR TARGETED CLIENTS, IF, IF THE, IF THE, UH, MEDIAN EXPENDITURE HAS QUADRUPLED, OR ACTUALLY MORE THAN THAT, YOU'LL KNOW THE, THE, THE NUMBER.

BUT THAT MEANS WE HAVE LESS TO GIVE OUT FOR EACH REQUESTER.

SO DO WE NEED TO RETHINK OUR TARGET CLIENT? MEANING WE COULD SPEND MORE MONEY THEN ON MORE SMALLER BUSINESSES VERSUS A SMALLER AMOUNT OF BUSINESSES AT $9.2 MILLION VERSUS $1 MILLION, FOR EXAMPLE.

UM, 'CAUSE I, I, I KNOW PRIVATE EQUITY IS REALLY BEEN A SAVIOR FOR A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES, BUT THERE'S A LOT OF RISK WITH PRIVATE EQUITIES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, AND IT'S EXPENSIVE EXPENSES IS IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT, RIGHT? AND THEY, THEY KIND OF LIKE PAYDAY LOANS, THEY GET TRAPPED INTO IT, RIGHT? AND IT'S TOUGH TO GET OUT.

SO IF WE HAVE SMALLER BUSINESSES IN WASHINGTON COUNTY THAT WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO, TO ENCOURAGE GROWTH AT A SMALLER SCALE VERSUS, YOU KNOW, 10, $15 MILLION TO BUILD OUT A, A 500 SQUARE FOOT FACILITY OR WHATEVER THE TERM IS, VERSUS A SMALLER FACILITY THAT'S GONNA OPEN UP AT HARTFORD OR RICHFIELD OR BARTON, YOU COULD OR SHOULDN'T WE REVISIT THEN WHO THAT TARGET CLIENT IS SO THAT MONEY CAN GO FURTHER.

SO, UH, I APPRECIATE THAT QUESTION BECAUSE WHAT IT REALLY GETS DOWN TO IS THE PORTFOLIO WE'RE TARGETING, AND AGAIN, RECOGNIZING YOU'VE GOT A BROAD AGENDA TONIGHT.

UM, WE CAN COME BACK AND HAVE A DEEPER DISCUSSION AT SOME LEVEL WITH THIS.

BUT THE, THE SHORT ANSWER FOR YOU IS WE LOOK AT THIS AS A PORTFOLIO APPROACH, AND WHAT WE'RE TARGETING IS NOT BUSINESS SIZE PER SE, BUT, UM, THE ECONOMICS AND THE, UH, FOR FUTURE GROWTH POTENTIAL, THE BUSINESS BASED ON OUR, YOU KNOW, DUE DILIGENCE THAT WE DO ON THE COMPANY, THE UNDERWRITING THAT WE DO FOR THE COMPANY.

SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SLIDE THAT I JUST PUT UP HERE IN TERMS OF DIVERSITY IN OUR PORTFOLIO, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEARD IS, HEY, WE'VE GOT A, AND THIS IS FEEDBACK THAT WE'VE GOTTEN FROM THE COUNTY BOARD IN THE PAST.

WE'VE GOTTA MAKE SURE WE'RE ALSO SERVING THE, THE REALLY TRULY SMALL BUSINESS, NOT THE, UH, FEDERAL GOVERNMENT'S DEFINITION OF SMALL BUSINESS, BUT THE TRULY SMALL BUSINESS.

AND WE HAVE, UH, THE SMALL BUSINESS, SMALL BUSINESS LOAN PROGRAM, OF WHICH, UM, WE'VE HAD SEVERAL, UH, WINS THAT HAVE OCCURRED ON THAT EVEN THIS YEAR.

ONE OF 'EM IS IN AGRICULTURE.

A DAIRY FARM HAS PARTICIPATED IN THE, IN THAT, UH, PARTICULAR PROGRAM TO NOT, NOT GROW THE HERD, BUT INVEST IN SOME TECHNOLOGIES TO SUPPORT THEIR, THEIR HERD GROWTH.

UM, COFFEEVILLE PROBABLY SOMETHING, UH, YOU KNOW, A SMALL BUSINESS THAT MOST OF US RECOGNIZE, UH, IT HAS, IS EXPANDING THROUGH, UH, A ROASTING OPERATION AND ACTUALLY DOING MORE WHOLESALE TYPE OF THINGS AS WELL.

SO DEFINITELY LOOKING AT THAT DIVERSE PORTFOLIO.

BUT WHAT WE DO NEED TO DO TO YOUR POINT IS, IS EVALUATE, WHICH WE ARE DOING, EVALUATE, AND WE'LL BE REMODELING, UM, THE TARGET IN TERMS OF NOT THE SIZE OF THE COMPANY, BUT TO ENSURE THAT THE ECONOMIC IMPACT IS WHAT WE WANT TO SEE COMING OUT OF THE PARTICULAR PROJECT.

OBVIOUSLY WE'RE GETTING HUGE IMPACTS, BUT IT'S AN IMPACT PER DOLLAR INVESTED THAT WE'RE GONNA BE, UH, MODELING AS WELL.

[00:25:01]

SUPERVISOR KELLY.

UM, FIRST LET ME SAY THAT I, UH, COMPLETELY AND ENTHUSIASTICALLY SUPPORT THIS PLAN.

UM, AND FOR THOSE AT HOME AND, AND MAYBE SOME PEOPLE HERE WHO HAVEN'T BEEN THROUGH THIS BEFORE, UH, A SIMPLE EXPLANATION OF WHAT'S ACTUALLY GOING ON HERE.

WE AS A COUNTY, UH, THE SECRET TO OUR SUCCESS OVER CERTAINLY THE 11 YEARS I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD IS, IS OUR GROWTH.

GROWTH IN OUR COUNTY IS WHAT FUELS OUR ABILITY TO REDUCE TAXES AND, AND TO DO THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO DO.

ONE OF THE, UH, PILLARS OF THAT GROWTH IS CERTAINLY EDWC, UH, AND OUR INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO IN BUSINESSES THAT WE'VE COME IN.

WE'VE SEEN OUTSTANDING GROWTH IN GERMANTOWN, IN HARTFORD, IN WEST BEND, IN AYAHUASCA.

THIS AFFECTS ALL OF OUR COMMUNITIES AND HAS BROUGHT UP THEIR TAX BASE AND THEIR GROWTH AS WELL.

SO IT'S JUST AN OUTSTANDING PROGRAM, UH, THAT'S WORKING FOR EVERYBODY, NOT SELECT COMMUNITIES.

UM, OVERALL IT'S BEEN HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL AND, UH, HAVING BEEN ON EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND HAVING A LITTLE PEEK AT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING, UM, THERE'S SOME AMAZING POTENTIAL COMING UP.

UM, SO I DO HOPE FOR THE STAFF TO WORK OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A LONG-TERM SPENDING PRODUCT, UH, PROJECT TO, TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP THIS FUNDED, WE KEEP THIS GROWTH GOING BECAUSE THIS WILL BE IMPORTANT COME THE FUTURE.

SO I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO SUPPORT THIS.

NEXT UP, WE HAVE A THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERATION.

I WILL ECHO SUPERVISOR KELLY'S COMMENTS.

UH, YOU GUYS HAVE CREATED MAGIC OVER OUR 11 YEARS TOGETHER, AND, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT YOU AND AARON DAH CAN COOK UP FOR, FOR THE FUTURE BECAUSE RIGHT.

CHALLENGE YOU ON, IT'S GONNA TAKE SOMETHING SPECIAL.

SUPERVISOR OLAK.

THANK YOU MR. CHAIR.

UH, THANKS FOR BEING HERE, CHRISTIAN.

SO, UH, I DON'T MEAN TO BE THE WET BLANKET IN THE ROOM, BUT I, I'VE ALWAYS SORT OF BEEN, YOU KNOW, SKEPTICAL, UH, ON, UH, ON ORGANIZATIONS LIKE EDWC AND, UH, AND I SEE THE THINGS THAT WE'RE DOING THERE, BUT I HAVE SOME CONCERNS, YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE AND THE WAY FORWARD.

UM, YOU KNOW, THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, THE PRIVATE EQUITY COMPANIES, WHICH SUPERVISOR GALLS TALKED ABOUT, AND I REALIZE WE'RE NOT IN THE SAME REALM AS THEY ARE, BUT WE ARE THE CANARY IN THE COAL ROOM, UH, YOU KNOW, IN THE COAL MINE, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THESE COMPANIES ARE TAKING SIGNIFICANT WRITE DOWNS.

THEIR STOCKS ARE REALLY BEAT UP, RIGHT? SO THIS IS A, YOU KNOW, IT'S A TOUGH BUSINESS TO BE IN.

AND SOME OF THE THINGS YOU WERE TOUTING AS BEING BENEFIT LONGER TERM, UH, YOU KNOW, LOANS, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, THE HIGHER DOLLAR AMOUNTS, UH, THAT, THAT CONCERNS ME A LITTLE BIT, RIGHT? SO, AND, UH, I REALIZE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE TYPES OF COMPANIES THAT WE'RE TALKING, UM, ABOUT, BUT, UM, I, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WHEN WE'RE TALKING TODAY, AND SO WE HAVE A LONG NIGHT AHEAD OF US, SO I'M NOT GONNA SPEND A LOT OF TIME, YOU KNOW, ON THIS.

BUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, EMS LEVIES, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO GET RIGHT, AND WE HAVE TO DO IT SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE THINGS WE HAVE TO DO FOR OUR MUNICIPALITIES.

THIS IS SORT OF OUT THERE ON THE EDGES OF A CORE FUNCTION THAT WE PROVIDE.

AND SOME OF THE BENEFITS THAT YOU HAVE IN HERE ARE NOT NECESSARILY BENEFITS TO THE AVERAGE HOMEOWNER OR TO THE CONSTITUENT THAT I REPRESENT, RIGHT? OR IT'S HARD TO SELL THAT TO THEM.

SO, AS WE'RE LOOKING AT THIS WAY FORWARD, AND THIS $500,000, I'M MARGINALLY ON BOARD WITH THAT.

THE LONG, LONG-TERM PLAN ABOUT ONE, TWO, OR THREE.

I'M CLOSER TO THE ONE ON THIS THAN I AM TO THE TWO.

SO, YOU KNOW, I, AND, UM, I WOULD BE HAPPY TO TALK WITH YOU, UH, ABOUT THIS FURTHER, BUT THIS IS LESS OF A SLAM DUNK TO ME, UM, THAN THAN OTHERS, UH, IN THIS ROOM FEEL.

AND SO I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT WITH YOU.

ALRIGHT, THANKS A LOT THERE BEING, UH, NO OTHER PEOPLE RINGING IN THE COMMENT.

UM, I'LL LOOK FOR A MOTION SUPERVISOR, BOSER, SUPERVISOR KEL.

SECONDS.

UM, ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? THERE BEING NONE.

WE WILL VOTE ELECTRONICALLY.

THIS REQUIRES A TWO THIRDS MAJORITY VOTE.

DO WE HAVE A PHONE? IT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.

18.

NOTHING.

[00:30:01]

APPRECIATE IT AND APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS.

NEXT UP, UH, WE WILL TALK ABOUT THE EMSS SYSTEM, THE ONGOING STUDY ON THAT.

WILL THAT BE PRESENTED BY EXECUTIVE SHOWMAN? OH, YEAH, YEAH.

EXECUTIVE.

IT WAS ENTIRELY DRIVEN BY THE AREA EXPERTS, FIRE CHIEFS, CHIEF ELECTED OFFICIALS, ADMINISTRATORS.

UM, I, I'D LIKE TO GIVE, UH, AN UPDATE ON WHAT WE HAVE HEARD OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST WEEK AND A HALF.

UM, MANY OF YOU WERE IN ATTENDANCE AT THE LISTENING SESSIONS THAT WE HOSTED, OBVIOUSLY, A NUMBER OF YOU ON PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE AND A COUPLE OTHERS WHO WERE ABLE TO ATTEND OR MAYBE WATCH THAT MEETING HAVE, HAVE HEARD SOME OF THIS.

UM, AND PLEASE, AT ANY POINT, IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS, UH, ACCORDING TO THE, WHAT THE CHAIR WANTS TO DO, UH, FEEL FREE.

UM, THE, THE PROGRESS HAS BEEN POSITIVE.

UH, WE HAVE PUT TOGETHER A PRESENTATION, UH, THAT WE SHARED WITH THE CHIEF ELECTED OFFICIALS, UH, THE DAY BEFORE, OR MAYBE IT WAS TWO DAYS BEFORE THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MET.

UM, THIS WAS FOLLOWING, UH, THE, THE WORK WE DID WITH THE TOWN HALLS AND LISTENING SESSIONS, FIVE OF THEM ACROSS THE COUNTY.

SO LET'S JUST START CHRONICAL CHRONOLOGICALLY FROM THE LAST TIME WE MET, UM, LISTENING SESSIONS, FIVE LOCATIONS, UM, WHICH YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT MY LISTENING SESSIONS THAT I'VE DONE IN THE PAST, AND I KNOW A NUMBER OF YOU HAVE ATTENDED DIFFERENT ONES OVER THE YEARS.

UH, IT'S PRETTY TYPICAL FOR US TO AVERAGE SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 50 AND A HUNDRED PEOPLE AT FIVE DIFFERENT LISTENING SESSIONS.

UM, AND SOME OF YOU HAVE BEEN AROUND LONG ENOUGH TO REMEMBER THINGS LIKE UWWC AND SAMARITAN AND THE SANITARY SEPTIC FEES.

UH, AND WHEN PEOPLE HAVE A STRONG OPINION, THEY WILL DRIVE, DRIVE LONG WAYS TO LET YOU KNOW HOW STRONG THEY FEEL ABOUT THINGS.

UM, UWWC IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE.

SANITARY FEES WAS AN EVEN BETTER EXAMPLE IF YOU WERE AROUND BACK THEN.

UH, I THINK WE HAD SIX OR 700 PEOPLE SHOW UP AT THE FAIR PARK FROM EVERY CORNER OF THE COUNTY.

UM, THIS WAS NOT THAT.

I THINK THAT THAT IS PROBABLY THE BIGGEST TAKEAWAY I HAD.

UM, WE HAD A LOT OF PEOPLE ATTEND, UH, PROBABLY NORTH OF 150, UH, TOTAL.

OUT OF THAT 150, ABOUT 70 OF THEM WERE NOT CONNECTED TO EITHER A DEPARTMENT, FIRE DEPARTMENT OR A GOVERNMENT OF SOME LEVEL STATE.

AND WE HAD STATE, FEDERAL, AND, UH, OBVIOUSLY COUNTY AND LOCAL PEOPLE AT JUST ABOUT EVERYONE.

UM, SO 70 PEOPLE TOTAL, THAT IS A VERY AVERAGE TOWN HALL LISTENING SESSION.

UM, NOTHING TO WRITE HOME ABOUT THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES TO ME.

SECONDLY, THE PEOPLE WHO DID ATTEND, UM, WE HAD A SURVEY AT THE VERY END OF THE PROCESS.

IT WAS ENTIRELY DRIVEN.

SOME OF THE SUPERVISORS IN THE ROOM WHO ATTENDED CAN ATTEST TO THIS.

I DID AN INTRODUCTION, MAYBE 10 OR 15 MINUTES.

[a. Washington County – County Wide Emergency Medical Services (EMS) System]

IT DEPENDED ON WHICH SESSION YOU ATTENDED.

UH, NOT EVERY ONE OF THOSE INDIVIDUALS WAS ABLE TO ATTEND EVERY SESSION.

UM, BY THE END, UH, I CAME BACK, GIVE A SUMMARY OF WHERE THE COUNTY WAS AT AND WHAT THE PROPOSAL REALLY MEANT.

UM, AND THEN TOOK QUESTIONS.

AND THEN AT THE VERY END ASKED PEOPLE AS THEY LEFT TO KIND OF DO A SMALL SURVEY, TAKE STICKERS, PUT IT IN THE PLACES THAT THEY REALLY LIKE SOMETHING, OR THEY REALLY DISLIKE SOMETHING.

UM, ALL IN ALL, I THINK THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE THERE COULD ATTEST TO THIS.

THE, UH, RESPONSE, EVEN FROM PEOPLE WHO CAME THAT I KNOW, UH, WERE VERY SKEPTICAL TO BEGIN WITH, UH, BY THE TIME WE WERE DONE, UH, COMMENTS SUCH AS, IT'S REALLY NOT THE PROPOSAL THAT I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH.

IT'S THE PROCESS.

UM, WELL, SOME OF YOU HAVE BEEN IN GOVERNMENT LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW WHEN YOU'RE, WHEN YOU'RE ARGUING PROCESS, YOU'RE LOSING, UH, BECAUSE YOU'VE RUN OUT OF ISSUES TO ARGUE.

BUT, UH, IT, IT WAS INTERESTING TO WATCH WHEN THEY GOT ALL OF THE INFORMATION BY THE TIME WE WERE AT THE END, UH, HOW MINES CHANGED.

IN ADDITION TO THAT, WE HAD SEVERAL DATA POINTS FROM, FROM SKEPTICS AND SUPPORTERS ALIKE THAT ACTUALLY HAVE MODIFIED THE PROPOSAL THAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE IN A SECOND.

UM, THAT PUBLIC SAFETY HAS SINCE, UM, MADE SOME, SOME OF ITS OWN TWEAKS TO, UM, SO IN, IN THE END, UM, YOU HAVE SURVEY RESULTS THAT, THAT WE ARE HAPPY TO SHARE, HAVE SHARED WITH THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE.

UH, WE SUMMARIZED THOSE IN A THREE OR FOUR PAGE DOCUMENT.

UM, THE BIG TAKEAWAYS WERE THE, THE, THE

[00:35:01]

HIGHEST SCORING ONES WERE DOING.

NOTHING IS NOT AN OPTION.

SO DON'T DO NOTHING, UH, THAT THESE ARE THE 70 PEOPLE VOTING.

AND, UM, WE THINK THE PROPOSAL AS IS AS GOOD.

THOSE WERE THE TWO HIGHEST SCORING.

UM, SO WE TOOK THAT INFORMATION.

WE WENT TO THE, UH, CHIEF ELECTED OFFICIALS AS A WHOLE, UM, GOT THE FEEDBACK WE HAD ALREADY RECEIVED FROM YOU AND FROM THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE, WHICH AT THE VERY TOP OF THE LIST WAS TWO THINGS.

PULL THE ADMINISTRATIVE FEE OUT AND MAKE IT TAX RATE NEUTRAL.

UM, BOTH OF WHICH TO ME SAY PUT TAXPAYERS FIRST.

AND SO WE WALKED THROUGH THE, THE PRESENTATION AS FOLLOWS TO THE CHIEF ELECTED OFFICIALS.

UM, FIRST, A QUICK REMINDER OF THE GOALS THAT WE STARTED WITH AT THE VERY BEGINNING.

UM, AS YOU RECALL IN A PRESENTATION, UM, THAT WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST, ALL OF THESE ARE CHECKED OFF.

WE'VE ADDED A SIX, THEN YOU'LL SEE, THAT'S CHECKED AS WE GO TO THE END.

JUST A QUICK REMINDER OF THEIR ORIGINAL PROPOSAL, AS YOU FIRST HEARD IT, AS PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE, FIRST HEARD IT AS WAS DELIVERED FROM THE CHIEF ELECTEDS AND THE CHIEF, UH, THE FIRE CHIEFS.

UM, THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL WAS $3.5 MILLION.

UH, THE TAX RATE IMPACT INITIALLY, WE THOUGHT, UH, IT WAS CLOSER TO A DOLLAR 52.

IT TURNED OUT IT WAS A DOLLAR 44 THAT THE DOLLARS, THE 3.5 MILLION, UH, THE BULK OF IT IS SHARED.

75 25 UNDER THAT PROPOSAL BETWEEN THE MUNICIPALITIES, UH, 75%, 2.05 MILLION AND DEPARTMENTS 683,000, UH, WITH A VOLUNTEER INCENTIVE ONLY FOR VOLUNTEER PAID ON-CALL DEPARTMENTS OF $500,000, UH, INTENDED TO GO FOR THE 500 VOLUNTEERS ACROSS THE COUNTY, A THOUSAND DOLLARS EACH.

AND THEN THE ADMINISTRATIVE FEE, WHICH WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT A TIME LENGTH OF EIGHT YEARS AND ANNUAL INCREASES, AS YOU CAN SEE, PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE, UM, AT THEIR, NOT THIS PAST MEETING, BUT THE PREVIOUS MEETING, UH, MADE A COUPLE OF CHANGES.

YOU MAY KNOW ABOUT THESE, YOU MAY REMEMBER THESE, BUT JUST AS A REMINDER, UH, THEY'RE, THE THINGS HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW REMOVE THE ADMINISTRATIVE FEE.

AS WE ALREADY MENTIONED.

UM, THEY TIGHTENED UP THE LENGTH OF THE TERM FROM EIGHT YEARS TO FIVE YEARS.

UM, WHAT YOU'RE GONNA FIND IS THAT TERM IS REALLY THREE AND A HALF YEARS BECAUSE OF, UH, THE CLAUSE THAT WE PUT IN, UH, FOR ENDING THE AGREEMENT, WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT IN A FEW MINUTES.

UH, BUT IT'S A FIVE YEAR AGREEMENT, SMART GOALS THAT ARE TIED TO THAT THREE AND A HALF YEARS, UH, AND ULTIMATELY TO THE FIVE YEARS.

AND THEN AN ANNUAL INCREASE.

THE, THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE HAD A FAIR AMOUNT OF DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS.

UM, THOSE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE CAN, CAN SPEAK TO IT MORE INFORMED, UH, IF YOU'RE INTERESTED.

BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, IT PRETTY DEMONSTRABLY CHANGED FROM THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL.

BASICALLY, THE CONVERSATION WAS THIS, IF WE'RE TRYING TO AVOID BORROWING FOR OPERATIONS IN ORDER TO, UH, PAY FOR THESE INCREASED COSTS, OR WE'RE TRYING TO AVOID REFERENDUM, THEN WHY ARE WE TRYING TO BE CHEAP ON THE AMOUNT OF ANNUAL INCREASE? AND SO WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT THAT AND CREATED THIS TIERED MODEL OF APPROVAL.

UM, SO THE TWO TO 4% THAT WAS ORIGINALLY TALKED ABOUT IN THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL, UM, AUTOMATICALLY THEY CAN PLAN ON 2%.

TWO TO 4% IS REPORTED TO PUBLIC SAFETY.

UM, BUT IT IS NOT, NO APPROVAL IS NECESSARY.

SO AT THE END, BASICALLY, IF YOU LOOK AT ALL OF OUR CONTRACTS, MUNICIPALITY BY DEPARTMENT ACROSS THE COUNTY, 4% IS VERY NORMAL.

PROBABLY A LITTLE LIGHT, BUT NORMAL, UM, 4% TO 6%.

THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE ITSELF WANTED TO HAVE SOME AUTHORITY TO THROTTLE, UM, BE, IN OTHER WORDS, IF YOU HAVE A GOOD REASON THAT YOU'RE GOING ABOVE 4% ON AVERAGE, WE'LL HEAR YOU OUT.

AND IF IT MAKES SENSE, WE DON'T HAVE TO GO THROUGH A BUNCH OF APPROVALS TO GET TO THAT.

WE, WE, AS A COMMITTEE CAN DECIDE THAT.

BUT IF YOU GO ABOVE 6%, THEN THE COUNTY BOARD'S GOTTA ACT, THEN THERE HAS TO BE A HIGHER LEVEL OF, OF OVERSIGHT, INCLUDING REFERRING BACK TO THE SMART GOALS.

SO THAT, THOSE WERE A HANDFUL OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY'S, UM, MODIFICATIONS WE TAKE.

WE TOOK THOSE AND SHARED THEM AT THE LISTENING SESSIONS.

UH, THAT INFORMATION WAS PUT UP, UH, ON KIND OF A CHART FORM.

WE WALKED THROUGH THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL, UH, THE DISCUSSION AT PUBLIC SAFETY AND WHAT THAT ALL MEANT, WHAT IT WOULD MEAN TO A TAXPAYER.

UH, AND, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, AND AS I REPORTED HERE IN THE BEGINNING OF THIS DISCUSSION, UH, THE, THE, THE INFORMATION WE GOT BACK WAS WHAT IT WAS.

UM, SO ALL OF THAT CONSTITUENT FEEDBACK HAS BEEN IMPORTANT.

I KNOW MANY OF YOU HAVE RECEIVED NOT JUST INFORMATION FROM THE LISTENING SESSIONS, BUT ALSO EMAILS AND PHONE CALLS.

AND, UH, I DON'T KNOW ABOUT HOW MANY OF YOU ARE DOING THIS, BUT I I HAVE DONE ABOUT 150 DOORS IN THE LAST TWO MONTHS, SPECIFICALLY ASKING ABOUT THIS ISSUE.

UM,

[00:40:01]

YOU ALL PROBABLY, AS I DO, READ ALL OF THE POLLING AND SEE AFFORDABILITY IS THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE.

AND CONTINUALLY, I'M HEARING CON FROM CONSTITUENTS AT EVENTS AND CHURCH AND FISH FRY ABOUT, UH, AFFORDABILITY BEING THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE.

SO WHEN YOU PUT ALL OF THOSE THINGS TOGETHER, I THINK THE COUNTY BOARD'S, UM, REACTION, THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE'S REACTION, AND MY REACTION THAT TAXPAYERS FIRST TAX RATE NEUTRAL IS WHAT WE'VE GOTTA ACHIEVE, UM, IS, IS VERY IMPORTANT.

UM, WHILE WHEN WE WENT TO LISTENING SESSIONS AND HAD AN HOUR TO EXPLAIN THE ISSUE TO EVERYBODY, AND BY THE END PEOPLE WERE VERY UNDERSTANDING, WE HAVE 140,000 PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTY, AND THAT'S JUST NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

UM, SO HERE'S THE MODIFICATION THAT I PROPOSE TO PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE.

UM, AND THEY HAVE ASKED STAFF TO PUT THIS IN RESOLUTION FORM FOR THEM TO HAVE FINAL CONSIDERATION NEXT WEEK, WEDNESDAY.

UM, YOU CAN SEE THIS PROPOSAL REDUCES THE OVERALL AMOUNT OF EMS FUNDING.

UM, IT TAKES IT FROM 3.5 MILLION TO 2.96 MILLION.

SO DOWN BY JUST OVER 500,000, UH, THAT ACHIEVES THE TAX RATE NEUTRAL.

UH, 2026 TAX RATE IS A DOLLAR 40.

UM, THIS WOULD PUT US AT A DOLLAR 40.

AND HERE'S HOW WE ACCOMPLISH THAT.

UH, THE VOLUNTEER INCENTIVE WOULD BE LEVIED.

UM, IT'D PROBABLY BE A COMBINATION OF OPERATIONAL LEVY AND EMS LEVY, UM, MUNICIPAL SHARE.

THAT'S 75% 1.85 MILLION.

SAME THING, UM, THAT WOULD BE LEVIED, UM, POTENTIALLY A COMBINATION OF OPERATIONAL AND EMS LEVY.

AND THEN THE DEPARTMENT GRANT.

THIS IS THE BIGGEST PIECE.

UM, YOU MAY KNOW, UH, SOME OF YOU HAVE BEEN AROUND LONG ENOUGH TO KNOW THE SALES TAX WHEN IT WAS ORIGINALLY CREATED HAD TWO SPECIFIC RULES FOR HOW IT WOULD BE USED.

ONE IS TO PAY DOWN CAPITAL COSTS, UH, SO AVOID BORROWING, IF YOU WILL.

AND TWO, UH, IS TO DRIVE DOWN OR HOLD DOWN PROPERTY TAXES.

UM, THIS DOES BOTH OF THOSE IN A ROUNDABOUT WAY.

IT AVOIDS LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES BORROWING TO PAY FOR OPERATING COSTS, AND IT DIRECTLY REDUCES THE $3.5 MILLION NUMBER, WHICH WAS UNDER THIS PROPOSAL, WOULD'VE BEEN LEVY.

IT REDUCES IT TO BELOW, UH, $3 MILLION.

SO CHECK, CHECK, CHECK, CHECK, CHECK.

UH, MOST IMPORTANTLY, TAXPAYERS FIRST TEXT RATE NEUTRAL.

ALL THE REST OF THE ITEMS ON THIS PROPOSAL, UH, REMAIN AS THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE HAD TALKED ABOUT THEM.

SO WE TOOK ALL OF THIS INFORMATION, SHARED IT WITH THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE MEETING, UH, COMMITTEE LAST WEEK.

UH, THEY HAD A SPECIAL MEETING.

WE WALKED THROUGH, UM, UH, THOSE FINANCES IN THOSE PARTICULARS THAT I JUST TALKED ABOUT IN THIS PROPOSAL THAT YOU'RE SEEING ON THE SCREEN.

UH, AND THE CONSENSUS WAS TO SEND THAT TO BACK TO STAFF TO DRAFT A RESOLUTION AND BRING BACK TO PUBLIC SAFETY FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION NEXT WEEK.

AND YOUR CONSIDERATION IN OCTOBER.

THE OTHER ITEM THAT THE COMMITTEE, UM, DISCUSSED AND DEBATED CA ALSO CAME OUTTA THE LISTENING SESSIONS.

AND THAT WAS AS REGARD TO WHAT WAS REFERRED TO IN LISTENING SESSION AS AN OPT OUT CLAUSE.

BUT THAT'S NOT A PRACTICALLY POSSIBLE THING TO DO.

SO WHAT WAS DISCUSSED AT PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE WAS, IS THERE AN OPT IN, UH, RATHER THAN AN OPT OUT, GIVE US SOME OPTIONS ON AN OPT-IN OPT-OUT.

SO FOR THE LAST WEEK, UH, WE'VE BEEN DOING EXACTLY THAT AND, UH, WORKING VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER, BRAD STERN, UM, WHAT PUBLIC SAFETY IS GOING TO CONSIDER NEXT WEEK.

WEDNESDAY, UH, IS ALMOST EXACTLY THE SAME TYPE OF A PROGRAM THAT YOU'VE BEEN ADMINISTERING WITH SHARED SERVICES FOR THE LAST THREE, FOUR, ALMOST FOUR YEARS NOW.

IT'S A MUNICIPAL OPT-IN PROGRAM.

THEY HAVE TO PASS A RESOLUTION SAYING, WE WANT, WE NEED THE COUNTY'S HELP.

WE WANT YOU TO PARTICIPATE SPECIFICALLY IN A SHARED SERVICES GRANT TO HELP WITH FIRE FIRING EMS. AND THEN OUR JOB IS TO ADMINISTER THE GRANT AND ENSURE THROUGH SMART GOALS THE FIVE-YEAR TIMEFRAME AND AN 18 MONTH OUT CLAUSE THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY LIVING UP TO THEIR END OF THE BARGAIN.

OUR ROLE IS VERY LIMITED, BUT IT'S ALSO VERY SPECIFIC AND, AND HAS A LOT OF, UM, UH, A LOT OF, UH, CHECKS AND BALANCES AS PUBLIC SAFETY HAS CREATED IT.

SO I, I WOULD SAY, UH, THAT IS THE, THE BULK OF THE UPDATE.

UM, WE HAVE A NUMBER OF SHARED, UH, UH, EXCUSE ME, SHARED.

WE HAVE A NUMBER OF SMART GOALS, UH, THAT HAVE BEEN PUT TOGETHER THAT THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE REVIEWED AS WELL.

UM, THO THOSE ARE IN DRAFT FORM, THEY'RE NOT FINALIZED.

PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE, UH, WILL BE THE COMMITTEE THAT ULTIMATELY FINALIZES THOSE GOALS.

BUT THEY ARE ALL ORIENTED TOWARDS TWO THINGS.

ONE, DRIVING THAT BLUE LINE, UH, THAT YOU, YOU MAY REMEMBER FROM PREVIOUS PRESENTATIONS.

DRIVING THAT DOWN OVER TIME, UM, BY

[00:45:01]

WORKING TOGETHER AND TRYING TO FIND NEW AND DIFFERENT WAYS, EVEN IF THAT MEANS, ALL WE CAN DO IS STUDY THOSE NEW AND DIFFERENT WAYS, TRY AND FIND NEW AND DIFFERENT WAYS FOR US TO WORK BETTER TOGETHER AND SAVE TAXPAYER DOLLARS.

GOING BACK TO DRIVING DOWN THE BLUE LINE.

UM, SO WE, I'M HAPPY TO TALK ABOUT SMART GOALS.

DAVE CAN PROBABLY SPEAK TO THOSE, UH, AS WELL, OR BETTER THAN, THAN ME.

AARON CAN CERTAINLY SPEAK TO, UM, THE PARTICULARS OF THE DOLLARS AND CENTS OF THE DEAL.

UH, BUT AS YOU CAN SEE, THE OBJECTIVES ARE ALL MET UNDER THIS PROPOSAL.

UM, AS PAINFUL AS EVERY SINGLE ITERATION OF THIS PROCESS HAS BEEN, UH, AND THERE ARE PLENTY OF PEOPLE IN THE ROOM CAN DO, WHO CAN ATTEST TO HOW PAINFUL IT'S BEEN.

UM, I, I LITERALLY THINK THE LISTENING SESSIONS AND THAT LAST CHIEF ELECTED OFFICIAL MEETING MADE IT DEMONSTRABLY BETTER.

AND THANKS TO BRAD, UM, AND, AND HIS IDEA TO MODEL IT BASICALLY AFTER EVERY OTHER SHARED SERVICE THAT YOU'RE GONNA APPROVE A LITTLE BIT LATER ON THIS AGENDA, UM, I THINK IT MAKES IT A HECK OF A LOT SIMPLER AS WELL.

SO, UM, WE ADDED THE LAST CHECKBOX OF PROMOTING SHARED SERVICES AND COLLABORATION.

'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE DOING.

SO WITH THAT, MR. CHAIRMAN, I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO YOU AND HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS FOR MANY OF US.

SUPERVISOR KEL.

OUTSTANDING, OUTSTANDING.

UM, A FEW THINGS.

UH, THIS WAS A, A HEAVY LIFT, UH, FOR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE.

AND, AND I COMMEND YOU GUYS FOR ALL YOUR SUPER INCREDIBLY HARD WORK.

I MEAN, UH, I'VE BEEN IN ON SOME PRETTY HEAVY STUFF OVER MY YEARS AND THIS CERTAINLY RANKS AMONG THE TOP.

SO JUST OUTSTANDING, UH, THE WORK YOU'VE DONE HERE.

UM, THIS PROGRAM IS INTENDED TO BASICALLY KEEP COSTS FROM GETTING OUTTA CONTROL IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS.

AND THAT WOULD HAPPEN IF THIS PROGRAM WERE TO NOT GO THROUGH.

UH, THE PROBLEM THAT YOU'RE GONNA GET IS EVERYBODY'S GONNA START HAVING TO DO REFERENDUMS, UH, IN ORDER TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING.

UH, SOME OF THE PROBLEMS THAT THAT COULD CREATE IS, WE'VE ALL SEEN THESE SCHOOL TAX REFERENDUMS WHERE THEY JUST GET OUTTA CONTROL.

WHY WOULD YOU ASK FOR $10,000, WHICH IS WHAT YOU NEED WHEN YOU COULD GET A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS FOR THE SAME REFERENDUM OR A MILLION DOLLARS, YOU SEE? SO THE REFERENDUMS CAN JUST GO RIGHT OFF THE RAILS REALLY QUICK.

UH, ALSO WITH DIFFERENT VARYING REFERENDUMS, YOU HAVE NO CENTRAL GOALS OR METRICS TO REACH.

SO THIS CREATES MORE INEFFICIENCY IN OUR SYSTEM.

IT JUST, AGAIN, WE CONTINUE DOING THE SAME THINGS WHERE WE'RE INEFFICIENT AND SPENDING A LOT OF MONEY OVER HERE, LESS MONEY OVER THERE.

WELL, THE PROBLEM WITH THAT, AND I'VE HEARD THIS FROM SOME, UH, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, IS LIKE, WHILE WE'RE IN GOOD SHAPE, WE'RE ALL TAKEN CARE OF.

WE JUST DID THIS.

AND SO WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM.

WELL, YES YOU DO, BECAUSE YOU'RE ALL PART OF THE MAIS SYSTEM.

SO IF THE LITTLE GUY NEXT DOOR CAN'T MEET HIS COMMITMENTS, SOMEBODY'S GOTTA GO.

SOMEBODY'S GOTTA TAKE CARE OF HIM.

AND THIS IS WHAT MAKES YOU ALL CONNECTED.

SO IF YOU FEEL THAT YOU'RE IN GREAT SHAPE, YOU WON'T BE FOR LONG.

I GUARANTEE I'VE SEEN WHAT'S, UH, JOSH HAS PRESENTED, UH, WHAT DAVID'S PRESENTED A COUPLE YEARS, YOU'RE GONNA BE IN A BIG TROUBLE TOO.

BUT RIGHT NOW, SOME SMALLER DEPARTMENTS, IF, IF WE DON'T DO SOMETHING RELATIVELY QUICK, THEY'RE GONNA BE FACING A LOT OF HARDSHIPS.

THEY'RE GONNA BE FACING INABILITY TO DO THE JOB.

AND THEN THAT MEANS MAVIS KICKS IN AND THE NEXT DEPARTMENT OVER HAS TO COME AND MUTUAL AID.

AND THEN WE GOTTA TRY AND FIGURE IT OUT AFTER THAT.

GROSSLY INEFFICIENT.

IF IT GETS TO THAT POINT, HOPEFULLY IT WON'T.

UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO KIND OF PUT THAT IN PEOPLE'S HEADS.

UM, BUT ONE THING, THIS WHOLE OPT-IN WITH THE ADMINISTRATOR, GRANT CHEF'S KISS.

WHAT, WHO THIS? TELL BRAD THIS .

I HAD A DISCUSSION WITH THE CHIEF OF STAFF , AND, UH, SHE KNOWS THAT I WAS FEELING QUITE FRUSTRATED WITH SOME OF THE, UH, SOME OF THE MUNICIPALITIES WITH THEIR LUKEWARM, UH, COMING TO JESUS MOMENTS HERE.

UM, LOOK, IF YOU DON'T WANT TO DO IT, DON'T DO IT.

BUT YOU KNOW, THE BIG PROBLEM IS GONNA BE YOU WILL BE FACING THESE PROBLEMS. AND, YOU KNOW, AND, AND I THINK THE PROBLEM THAT SOME OF OUR LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES HAVE, AND THIS IS ME SAYING THIS IS, YEAH, IT, WHEN YOU GOTTA FACE THE PEOPLE AND RAISE TAXES, PEOPLE GET MAD.

WELL, WHY NOT JUST HAVE THE COUNTY BOARD RAISE TAXES AND THEN I I CAN GET THE MONEY AND NOT HAVE TO GET, GET YELLED AT BY MY CONSTITUENTS? WELL, NO, I, I DON'T LIKE THAT IDEA.

YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL IN, I BELIEVE IT WAS SAID

[00:50:01]

BY JOSH VERY EARLY ON IN THIS PROCESS.

WE EITHER HANG TOGETHER OR WE HANG SEPARATELY.

AND I THINK THAT'S SO APROPOS TO WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE.

AND I THINK THIS OPT IN REALLY SHOWS IT.

UH, BECAUSE NOW, YEAH, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO OUT THERE.

YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO SAY, YEAH, I APPROVED THIS PLAN.

I LIKE THIS PLAN.

THIS IS WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING FOR OUR COMMUNITY.

AND IF YOU'VE GOTTA FACE A LITTLE HEAT, THEN FACE IT.

WE ALL WILL.

BUT AGAIN, WE'RE GONNA HANG TOGETHER RATHER THAN HANG SEPARATELY.

THE IMPORTANT THING IS, AT THE END OF THE DAY, WHEN THIS EMS IS DONE, IT WILL, I BELIEVE, ACCOMPLISH A FEW GOALS.

IT WILL KEEP SPENDING UNDER CONTROL, IT WILL BRING IN EFFICIENCY.

IT, IT WILL HELP DEPARTMENTS TO COVER SOME OF THE COSTS, GET THE PEOPLE IN THAT THEY NEED.

THERE'S A LOT OF GOOD THINGS COMING OUT OF THIS, SO I HIGHLY SUPPORT WHAT I'M SEEING HERE.

THIS IS REALLY GOOD WORK, AND THANK YOU SO MUCH TO ATTORNEY STERN, OUTSTANDING, REALLY.

SO THANK YOU SUPERVISOR SHARUN.

UH, THANK YOU CHAIRMAN.

I CONCUR WITH WHAT SUPERVISOR KELLY SAID.

UM, ONE POINT I WOULD LIKE TO ASK IS WHEN IT COMES TO ANNUAL INCREASES MOVING FORWARD, UM, HOW DOES THIS AFFECT WHAT WE'RE SEEING? AS, I MEAN, IN OTHER WORDS, IS THIS GONNA GOBBLE UP ALL OUR INCREASES? SO WE HAVE NO ROOM TO MOVE FOR ANY OTHER OPERATIONS WITH THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT OR PUBLIC WORKS OR ANYTHING? YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? I DO FOUR TO 6% THAT MIGHT CONSUME A MAJORITY OF OUR INCREASES EVERY YEAR.

SO HAVE WE LOOKED INTO, UM, WE HAVE.

SO, UM, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE A PEEK AT THE, UM, PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE PACKET, UM, WHEN YOU GET SOME TIME.

AND, AND IF, IF YOU'RE REALLY INTERESTED, GO LISTEN TO THE DISCUSSION AT PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE ABOUT, UH, HOW THE FORMULA WORKS AND WHAT THAT 4% REALLY MEANS.

UM, THE IMPORTANT THING IS TO KEEP IN MIND IT'S NOT 4% OF 2.96 MILLION, IT'S 4% OF THE TOTAL LEVY SPEND FOR ALL FIRE AND EMS IN THE WHOLE COUNTY.

SO IT'S A BIG NUMBER EVERY YEAR.

SO YOUR CONCERN IS VERY VALID.

UM, THAT'S LARGELY UNAFFECTED.

HOWEVER, UM, AT THE ANNUAL, OVER THE LAST DECADE, OUR PROPERTY VALUE GROWTH IN WASHINGTON COUNTY HAS AVERAGED 7.5%.

UM, IT'S, IT'S BOUNCED WAY UP.

IT'S ALMOST NEVER GONE WAY DOWN, BUT IT'S SEVEN AND A HALF PERCENT.

IF WE MAINTAIN THAT LEVEL OF GROWTH, IN ORDER TO GET TO TAX RATE INCREASES OR HIT ANY KINDS OF CAPS TO GET TO ABOVE TAX RATE NEUTRAL IN THE FUTURE, YOU'D HAVE TO HAVE DOUBLE DIGIT PERCENTAGE INCREASES ON THIS, WHICH IS WHY THE CAP WAS FOUR TO 6% AND NOT HIGHER.

SECONDLY, THIS IS EMS LEVY AND SALES TAX, UH, PREDOMINANTLY, UM, THERE MAY BE SOME OPERATING LEVY, BUT OUR OPERATING LEVY CAPACITY IS IN THE PROBABLY TWO OR $3 MILLION RANGE, DEPENDING ON THE YEAR, SOMEWHERE IN THAT RANGE.

THE EMS LEVY DOESN'T HAVE A CAP, SO IT'S NOT RELEVANT TO THE CONCERN THAT WE MAY HIT A CAP AND WE MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO BORROW TO, TO LEVY FOR EVERYTHING ELSE THAT DOESN'T EXIST.

SO THIS PARTICULAR PROGRAM, UH, I THINK SUPERVISOR KELLY SAID IT BEFORE, THE ACCOUNTABILITY IS GREAT, BUT THE REALITY IS THE THE ACCOUNTABILITY ISN'T ON THIS SIDE OF THIS BENCH.

IT'S ACTUALLY ON THAT SIDE OF THIS BENCH.

YOU ARE THE ACCOUNTABILITY.

IF YOU DON'T HOLD IT ACCOUNTABLE, IT CAN GROW AT WHATEVER PACE YOU WANT IT, IT CAN GROW OUT OF CONTROL.

THE 21 SUPERVISORS AND THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE ARE GONNA BE THE ONES THAT CAN THROTTLE IT UP AND DOWN.

UM, AND I THINK WHAT YOU'RE GONNA FIND, ESPECIALLY THE WAY THE SMART GOALS ARE WRITTEN, IS THE, THE DIFFICULT DECISIONS AREN'T GOING TO BE, IS IT 4%? IS IT 6%? THE DIFFICULT DECISION IS GOING TO BE, HEY, WE HAVE SEVEN LADDER TRUCKS AND WE HAVE THE POSSIBILITY OF GOING TO FOUR, AND THERE'S THREE DEPARTMENTS WHO ARE WILLING TO GIVE THEM UP IF THEY HAD A LITTLE INCENTIVE TO DO THAT.

LADDER TRUCKS COST, HOW MUCH EACH? 3 MILLION A CRACK.

MM-HMM .

SO THAT'S $9 MILLION.

WHAT IF WE, WHAT IF WE THREW 'EM A BONE FOR A 10TH OF THAT? LIKE THAT'S, I MEAN, THAT'S A HARD DISCUSSION FOR THIS GROUP TO HAVE, BUT DO WE COLLECTIVELY AS A COUNTY PAY 900,000 SO WE CAN SAVE 9 MILLION? THAT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE AS HARD OF A DECISION, BUT IT'S A, IT'S SIMILAR TO CHRISTIAN'S PRESENTATION A FEW MINUTES AGO.

I THINK THE BIGGER CHALLENGE IS GONNA BE THE VICTIM HOOD OF SUCCESS BECAUSE YOU'RE GONNA START TO SEE, HEY, WE CAN SHARE THIS TOGETHER.

WILL YOU INCENTIVIZE TO HELP US DO THAT? AND NOW YOU NOW THE COUNTY BOARD, THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE

[00:55:01]

ARE GONNA HAVE TO BE GOING, OH, IS THAT ONE WORTH OUR INVESTMENT OR IS IT NOT? I THINK, I THINK WHAT YOU'RE GONNA FIND IS THAT'S THE HARDER, THE HARDER DECISION, THE HARDER DISCUSSIONS.

SO I CAPS AREN'T, AREN'T TO WORRY.

AND YOU AS A BODY HAVE CONTROL OVER THAT.

WELL, WE DO IT THE SIX PLUS PERCENT, BUT I'M JUST WONDERING IF WE SHOULDN'T DO THE FOUR TO SIX, BRING THE COUNTY BOARD OR, YOU KNOW, FOUR OR ABOVE JUST FOR REVIEW.

AND LIKE I SAID, I'M ONLY WORRIED ABOUT IF WE START YEP.

SAYING, OKAY, WE'RE GONNA DO THIS EVERY YEAR AND WE HAVE A DOWN YEAR.

YOU KNOW, NOW WE'RE, NOW WE'RE LIMITING US FOR ALL OUR OTHER OPERATIONS.

SO THAT'S KIND OF MY CONCERN.

SO, GREAT QUESTION.

CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT NEXT MONTH WHEN THE RESOLUTION'S UP THAT I'M, I'M SURE WILL BE SPELLED OUT THERE THAT YOU COULD TWEAK OR PUBLIC SAFETY IS LISTENING AND TALK ABOUT.

THANK YOU SUPERVISOR TROUTNER.

I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT, UM, THIS IS JUST BASICALLY A CONTINUATION OF WHAT THE COUNTY HAS ALREADY BEEN DOING.

UM, BECAUSE THERE, WE HAVE ALREADY BEEN PROVIDING AN EMS GRANT TO MUNICIPALITIES FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS.

SO REALLY WE'RE JUST CONTINUING, UH, YOU KNOW, WITH A LITTLE BOOST FOR FIRE DEPARTMENTS, UM, GRANT OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM AS WELL.

SO THANK YOU.

IT IS, AND WHERE WE STARTED, UM, WITH THIS PROGRAM COMPARED TO WHERE WE ARE NOW IS PRETTY SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT.

AND THE WAY THAT BRAD HAS HELPED US GUIDE IT, NOT ONLY IS IT A PROGRAM THAT WE'VE ALREADY BEEN DOING, BUT NOW IT'S A PROGRAM THAT MIRRORS THE OTHER PROGRAMS THAT YOU'RE ALREADY APPROVING, INCLUDING TONIGHT WITH IT SHARED SERVICES WAS BOTH SUPERVISOR GALL.

THANK YOU CHAIR.

SO CAN YOU WALK ME THROUGH, I GUESS I, I AM, I WAS LOOKING AT THE PUBLIC SAFETY PACKAGE AND, AND A POTENTIAL, UH, RESOLUTION AND IT TALKS ABOUT AN ADDITIONAL LEVY, BUT YOU JUST SAID TAX LEVY NEUTRAL, SO I'M CONFUSED.

UM, I SAID TAX RATE NEUTRAL.

SORRY, TAX RATE.

NEUTRAL TAX RATE NEUTRAL.

SO THEN HELP ME UNDERSTAND AS WELL AS ANYONE LISTENING YEP.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY TAX RATE NEUTRAL? BECAUSE WE, WE HAVE BEEN SOCIALIZING THAT DEPENDENT UPON THE, THE, THE LAST, UH, UH, ASSESSMENT COME THROUGH.

IT WAS 12 SOME CENTS AND NOW IT'S GONE DOWN TO APPROXIMATELY FOUR.

SO WHAT CAN OUR CONSTITUENTS ACTUALLY FOLLOW ALONG? SURE.

UM, SO AARON, HOW MUCH IS THE TOTAL COUNTY PROPERTY VALUE? BALLPARK NUMBER? 28 BILLION.

$28 BILLION.

SO I'VE DONE THIS BEFORE, AND PARDON ME, I KNOW IT SEEMS SILLY, BUT IT'S TRUE.

THE COUNTY LEVIES APPROXIMATELY $36 MILLION IN LEVY.

WE DIVIDE THAT OVER, RIGHT? LAST YEAR, JUST UNDER 24, PROBABLY AROUND $24 BILLION IN PROPERTY VALUE THAT EQUALED LAST YEAR, A TAX RATE OF A DOLLAR 40 CENTS.

THE BOTTOM LINE NUMBER, THE DENOMINATOR PROPERTY VALUE WENT UP BY 7.5%, APPROXIMATELY TO 25 BILLION.

UM, AND PARDON ME, THIS IS ALL ON THE FLY MATH, BUT, UM, THE INCREASE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE, AS YOU CAN SEE, 2.96 MILLION OF WHICH, UM, 2.36 IS ACTUALLY LEVY.

SO AN INCREASE OF THE NUMERATOR OF 2.36 IS LESS THAN 10%.

IT'S LESS THAN 7.5% OF TH $36 MILLION LEVY.

SO BECAUSE THOSE ARE APPROXIMATELY THE SAME, THE TAX RATE STAYS NEUTRAL.

AND MARGIE IS JUST FLAT OUT CHEAP .

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? YEAH, IT DOES.

I'M, I'M FOLLOWING THE MATH.

UM, BUT I HAVE A SECOND QUESTION ON THE USE OF THE, UH, COUNTY SALES TAX.

YES.

OVER THE YEARS WE'VE ALLOCATED MANY OF THOSE DOLLARS, IF NOT ALL.

SO HOW DOES THIS ADDITIONAL USE OF 600 K PLAY INTO THAT? SO I KNOW SOMETIMES WE RECEIVE MORE MM-HMM .

SOMETIMES WE MIGHT RECEIVE LESS AND WE'RE VERY CONSERVATIVE IN OUR PER COLLECTION PROJECTION AND TYPICALLY HAVE SOME EXTRA.

BUT 615 K IS A SIZABLE NUMBER.

SO I WOULD SAY THE COUNTY BOARD FOR THE 27 YEARS WE'VE HAD SALES TAX HAS BEEN CONSERVATIVE SINCE I'VE BEEN COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR AND NOW COUNTY EXECUTIVE.

UH, I AM, I'M A LITTLE MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN THE BOARD IS 'CAUSE I'M NERVOUS TO BRING YOU SOMETHING I KNOW YOU'RE ALREADY CONSERVATIVE ABOUT.

AND THEN AARON'S EVEN MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN I AM

[01:00:01]

UM, SO RIGHT.

WELL SHE'S, SHES WATCHING AT HOME, I'M SURE .

UM, SO WE ARE, WE ARE, WE'RE A VERY CONSERVATIVE 2026 TO PROVE THAT POINT.

WE ARE CURRENTLY ON PACE NOW.

WE ONLY HAVE NUMBERS THROUGH JULY SO FAR.

UM, AND WE ARE ON PACE TO BE A MILLION DOLLARS OVER OUR PROJECTION.

SO PUT PUTS US PROBABLY JUST UNDER 20,000,019 AND A HALF MAYBE.

UM, SO THIS 615 COMES OUT OF THAT MILLION.

NOW THAT, THAT'S A MILLION DOLLAR SURPLUS FOR 26, WHICH MEANS THE GROWTH FOR NEXT YEAR, IT'S PROBABLY GONNA BE CLOSER.

IF WE STAY ON PACE, IT'S PROBABLY GONNA BE CLOSER TO A MILLION AND A QUARTER OR A MILLION AND A HALF.

UM, SO THIS WOULD BE A VERY CONSERVATIVE PORTION OF THAT GROWTH.

SO WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF STACKING CONSERVATISM, WHICH IS OBNOXIOUS, BUT IT'S HOW WE'VE MANAGED BUDGETS AND BEEN ABLE TO PULL STUFF LIKE THIS, PULL RABBITS OUT OF HATS OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

UM, SO IN THE END, WHAT DOES THAT 615,000 REPRESENT? IT PROBABLY REPRESENTS ABOUT 3%, THREE TO 4% OF TOTAL SALES TAX.

THIS, THIS STARTS TO MAKE AARON REALLY UNCOMFORTABLE 'CAUSE I'M DOING MATH ON THE FLY.

UM, BUT YOU KNOW, IF IT'S PUSHING A $20 MILLION SALES TAX COLLECTION, YOU'RE ONLY USING 615,000 OF IT.

YOU'RE USING A PRETTY SMALL SLICE OF THE PIE.

SO THE 4% INCREASES ON THAT TO THE QUESTION EARLIER, LIKE EVEN, EVEN IN THE WORST RECESSIONS, WE HAVEN'T SEEN, YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN IT DROP, BUT IT DROPS 25% OR 30%.

IT DOESN'T DROP 75%.

SO I THINK THAT NUMBER IS CONSERVATIVE ENOUGH.

IT'LL COVER THE DEPARTMENT GRANT AND ASSUMING THINGS CONTINUE TO GO WELL, IT'LL STILL GIVE US BREATHING SPACE TO DO THE OTHER STUFF WE NEED TO DO.

SO IT PROBABLY ANSWERS BOTH OF YOUR QUESTIONS.

IT, IT, IT DOES.

UH, ONE LAST QUESTION.

UH, AND I'M NOT SURE IF THIS MIGHT BE COVERED IN THE UPCOMING PUBLIC SAFETY, BUT THAT ACTUAL OPT-IN, WHAT DOES THAT ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE IN PRACTICE? IS THAT NAILED DOWN YET OR IS THAT STILL YEAH, SO, UM, MEANING UNDER ATTORNEY PUR STERN'S PROPOSAL, UM, IT WOULD LOOK EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE, THE SHARED SERVICES THAT YOU'RE CONTEMPLATING TONIGHT.

SO THE LOCAL MUNICIPALITY HAS TO PASS A RESOLUTION, WHICH IN THIS CASE HAS TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE SCRIPTED THAN THE OTHERS.

THOSE, THE OTHER ONES ARE A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBLE.

THIS ONE IS PRETTY STATUTORILY PRESCRIPTIVE.

WE HAND THEM THOSE RESOLUTIONS IN DRAFT FORM.

UM, THEY HAVE TO SEND THEM BACK WITH CERTAIN, CERTAIN PRESCRIPTIONS IN THEM, BUT THEY'RE BASICALLY SENDING US A RESOLUTION APPROVED BY THE MAJORITY OF THEIR BOARD.

SO WHETHER IT'S SLINGER OR RICHFIELD OR GERMANTOWN OR HARTFORD, THEY'RE ASKING US TO HELP WITH FIRE AND EMS IN THE FORM OF GRANT ADMINISTRATION FOR SHARED SERVICES.

IN OTHER WORDS, THEY'RE ASKING US FOR GRANT DOLLARS THAT WE CONTROL, AND WE MEASURE ON OUR OWN MEASURES TO HELP THEM MANAGE FIRE AND EMS COSTS.

ONCE WE RECEIVE THAT, THEN THE COUNTY BOARD WILL HAVE, FROM THE TIME THEY ARE, THEY'VE BEEN NOTIFIED AND THEY WERE NOTIFIED YESTERDAY, THIS MORNING, THIS MORNING, UM, THEY'LL HAVE ABOUT 60 DAYS TO TURN AROUND, TAKE ALL THAT INFORMATION, TRY TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS, SET THEIR OWN BUDGETS, COME BACK TO US.

I THINK I SET A DEADLINE OF NOVEMBER 5TH.

UM, AND THEN IT WOULD COME TO YOU AT THE NOVEMBER COUNTY BOARD MEETING, UM, BASED ON HOWEVER MANY OF THEM WE GOT BACK.

UM, AND THEN YOU MAKE THE DECISION ON WHETHER YOU ACCEPT THAT SHARED SERVICE AND THEN YOU LEVY APPROPRIATELY.

DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? IT DOES.

BUT THOSE MUNICIPALITIES THAT THEN OPT OUT OR DON'T OPT IN, WHATEVER TERM YOU WANT TO CALL IT.

PROBABLY FILLMORE FIRE DEPARTMENT THAT SHOWED UP AT STAGS PAY TAX DOLLARS TO GERMANTOWN TODAY? DON'T WORRY.

UM, THOSE RESIDENTS WOULD NOT SEE AN ADDITIONAL, CAN I STOP YOU RIGHT THERE BEFORE? SURE.

UM, THOSE RESIDENTS WOULD NOT, LET ME PAUSE AND GO BACK TO SOMETHING.

SUPERVISOR, SUPERVISOR KEL TALKED ABOUT, UM, HOW MANY OF YOU READ IN NEWSPAPER THE STORY ABOUT, UM, DOUG'S BROTHER'S FARM BURNING OR STAG TAVERN BURNING? MM-HMM .

OR THE MASSIVE ACCIDENT ON I 41, UH, FIVE AMBULANCES IN FLIGHT FOR LIFE.

EVERY ONE OF THOSE IS MAIS.

23, 23 DEPARTMENTS SHOWED UP AT DOUG'S BROTHERS FARM.

HOW MANY AT STAGGS? 50 50 SHOWED UP AT STAGGS? HOW MANY PEOPLE IN THE TOWN OF FARMINGTON,

[01:05:01]

NOBODY, EVERYBODY WHO CHOOSES NOT TO PARTICIPATE.

SO LET'S USE AN EXAMPLE.

UM, USE THE EXAMPLE OF, UH, THE VILLAGE GERMANTOWN, UM, JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE ONE OF THE BIGGER ONES AND THEY'VE BEEN, UM, TALKING A LOT.

SO $383,000, IF THEY DO NOTHING, UM, THEY DO NOT OPT IN.

IF THAT LEAVES $380,000, TAKES IT OFF THE 1.85 MILLION, WHICH IS TO SAY THE REMAINING 1.5 PLUS THE 500,000 FOR VOLUNTEER INCENTIVES.

SO 2 MILLION TOTAL WILL BE TAXED.

THE PEOPLE IN GERMANTOWN WILL BE TAXED.

THEY'LL JUST BE TAXED LESS.

BUT THE PEOPLE IN FARMINGTON WILL ALSO BE TAXED LESS.

AND THE REASON IS BECAUSE WHEN THE NEXT FIRE LIKE STAGGS HAPPENS, THE PEOPLE IN GERMANTOWN ARE STILL COMING AND THEY'RE STILL PAYING TO COME.

IT'S A, IT'S WHY WE'VE TALKED THE WHOLE TIME ABOUT A COUNTYWIDE SYSTEM BECAUSE IT IS A COUNTYWIDE SYSTEM.

IT JUST ISN'T COUNTY RUN.

UM, THIS HAS THE COUNTY IN THE GAME FOR THE FIRST TIME AND ALLOWS FOR IF THEY CAN OPT IN.

IF THEY DON'T OPT IN, YOU'RE PAYING.

YOU'RE JUST NOT PAYING AS MUCH.

IT'S LIKE THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE.

UH, IF THERE'S A DETECTIVE BUREAU, UM, WHICH EVERYBODY IN THE COUNTY PAYS FOR, AND I, I'LL PICK ON THE CHO TRENTON.

'CAUSE I, I LIVE THERE AND I KNOW HOW MUCH TONY LOVES ME PICKING ON THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN TRENTON.

IF THEY DECIDED TO HAVE THEIR OWN DETECTIVE BUREAU, THEY'RE TOTALLY ENTITLED TO DO THAT.

AS A TAXPAYER IN TRENTON, IT WOULD DRIVE ME NUTS.

I THINK IT'S STUPID.

BUT THEY CAN DO THAT.

THEY'RE CHOOSING TO PAY BOTH.

THEY DON'T HAVE TO.

THE COUNTY COULD JUST DO IT.

THE COUNTY COULD JUST PROVIDE POLICE SERVICES ENTIRELY.

THAT'S THEIR CHOICE.

BY, BY BRAD COMING UP WITH THIS MODEL, YOU COMPLETELY FLIP THE SCRIPT.

IT'S TOTALLY THEIR CHOICE.

ALL OF THEIR, THE FIRE CHIEF'S PROPOSAL, THE CHIEF ELECTED'S PROPOSAL, NOW IT'S TRULY THEIRS.

NOW, IF THEY DON'T OPT IN, THAT'S THEIR CHOICE.

BUT WE'RE GONNA, WE COLLECTIVELY, YOU THE BOARD, ARE GONNA SAVE THE SYSTEM WHETHER THEY WANT TO PARTICIPATE OR NOT.

OUTSTANDING DISCUSSION TONIGHT.

ANYBODY ELSE HAVE A QUESTION OR DISCUSSION ITEM? WE LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING IN.

SUPERVISOR CONRAD, THANK YOU.

AND YES, I WANNA THANK, UM, ALL OUR LEADERS AND YOU KNOW, AARON AND DOUG FOR ALL YOUR DUE DILIGENCE AND ANSWERING QUESTIONS BEHIND, YOU KNOW, UM, ONE-ON-ONE TO HELP US BETTER UNDERSTAND SO WE CAN ARTICULATE BACK TO OUR CONSTITUENTS AND THE, YOU KNOW, THE, UM, LEADERS TOO IN OUR COMMUNITIES THAT WE REPRESENT.

BUT, UM, ONE QUESTION TOO WAS, OKAY, NOW, YOU KNOW, TO ENSURE WE'RE NOT ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL, YOU KNOW, NOW WE HAVE, UM, WE'RE GONNA BE UTILIZING SALES TAX AND, UM, TO LEARNED THIS EVENING ALSO THAT THE SALES TAX, THAT THAT WAS NOT ALLOCATED, UM, CURRENTLY FOR ANYTHING ELSE.

WE'RE NOT ROBBING PETER TO PAY PAUL.

THAT'S CORRECT.

IT'S CPL IT'S A SURPLUS FOR THIS YEAR.

ALRIGHT, THANK YOU.

ANYONE ELSE? ANYONE ELSE HAVE A COMMENT? OKAY.

AND, AND JUST TO KIND OF REITERATE, GOING BACK A LITTLE BIT, CHRISTIAN CHESHEK AND GROWTH, WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT, SALES TAX COMES FROM GROWTH AND GROWTH COMES FROM BUSINESS.

SO WE KIND OF GO FULL CIRCLE.

THIS SUR SURPLUS IS KIND OF A DIRECT RESULT OF SOME OF CHRISTIAN CHESH SHOCK'S WORK.

YOU, LIKE, UH, CHAIRMAN SAID THIS IS NOT ASKING FOR A SPECIFIC MUNICIPALITY.

YOU'RE RIGHT.

IT'S AN ECONOMIC EDGE IN AND OTHER COUNTIES, WALKER SHAW COUNTIES ASK ME ABOUT THIS.

HOW DO YOU DO IT? SO THE ANSWER IS SIMPLE.

WE HAVE CHRISTIAN TETLOCK.

SO , OUR NEXT ITEM IS THE SHARED SERVICES POLICY.

YOU'LL NOTE THERE'S NO RESOLUTION, BUT WE'RE SIMPLY DISCUSSING WHETHER WE INTEND TO CONTINUE WITH THE POLICY THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING.

SO ANYONE WISH TO SPEAK TO THAT? GO AHEAD, JOEL.

ALRIGHT, GOOD EVENING.

UH, SO BEFORE

[01:10:01]

THIS IS ASKING

[b. IT Shared Services Policy]

THE, THE BOARD, DO WE WANNA CONTINUE DOING IT? SHARED SERVICES FOR OTHER MUNICIPALITIES, UM, IN YOUR PACKET.

UM, LIST THE NINE MUNICIPALITIES THAT WE SERVICE RIGHT NOW.

UM, THINGS HAVE BEEN GOING WELL.

UM, I'VE HAD GOOD FEEDBACK FROM, UH, THE VILLAGE ADMINISTRATORS, THE, THE TOWN ADMINISTRATORS.

UM, FEEDBACK'S BEEN GREAT.

UM, AND IT'S BEEN SO GOOD THAT , OTHERS ARE REACHING OUT TO ME AND SAYING, HEY, HOW CAN WE, HOW CAN WE JUMP ON? UM, I'VE HAD RECENT CONVERSATIONS WITH THE CITY OF HARTFORD, THE VILLAGE OF GERMANTOWN, THE VILLAGE OF JACKSON, AND THE VILLAGE OF RICHFIELD.

RICHFIELD, THANK YOU.

UM, REALLY GOOD CONVERSATIONS.

THEY'RE REALLY INTERESTED IN TO SEEING, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE COUNTY CAN DO TO PROVIDE THEM THE SAME IT SHARED SERVICES.

SO THIS IS, THIS IS JUST A POLICY TO, TO ASK THE BOARD, DO WE WANNA CONTINUE TO LOOK INTO IT SHARED SERVICES, UM, IN THE PACKET, IF WE WOULD.

I, I DID A KIND OF AN ESTIMATE, A COST ESTIMATE ON WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE IF WE SUPPORTED ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES.

YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD IT NEED, WHAT WOULD IT TAKE FROM STAFFING, FROM SOFT COST TO, TO ALL THAT.

AND, AND ONCE AGAIN, HIGH LEVEL ESTIMATE IT ALL.

THIS WOULD BE DEPENDENT UPON THE WORKLOAD THAT EACH MUNICIPALITY WOULD BRING TO THE, THE, THE COUNTY.

SOME VERY LIGHT WORKLOAD.

SOME WOULD BE PRETTY HEAVY WORKLOAD DEPENDING ON WHAT THEY ALL SUPPORT.

DO THEY SUPPORT WATER TREATMENT? DO THEY HAVE A POLICE DEPARTMENT? DO THEY HAVE A FIRE DEPARTMENT AT ALL? IT'S DEPENDENT UPON THAT.

UM, SO I JUST WANNA LEAVE THAT TO, TO YOU GUYS.

AND IS THERE ANY QUESTIONS? LOOKS LIKE MR. SCHMIDT HAS A COMMENT.

UH, THANK YOU MR. CHAIR.

UH, INSIDE THAT PACKET, YOU'LL ALSO SEE THERE'S A, A FISCAL EFFECT.

AND THAT'S REALLY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE HIGHLIGHTING TONIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU AS WE GET INTO THE NEXT, UH, AGENDA ITEM WITH THE, UH, SHARED, UH, SERVICES WITH GERMANTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT IS WHEN WE GO FORWARD, AND, AND JOEL DOES SPEAK TO THESE MUNICIPALITIES, IS WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE WHEN WE, WE TALK ABOUT SHARED SERVICES GOING FORWARD.

RIGHT NOW, OUR IT SHARED SERVICES, UH, COST NOTHING TO THOSE LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES THAT ARE CURRENTLY BEING SERVED RIGHT NOW.

THE OPTION THAT WE DISCUSSED AT PUBLIC WORKS IS, WELL, DO WE HAVE THEM PAY A HUNDRED PERCENT OF THOSE COSTS GOING FORWARD, OR SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN? IF YOU LOOK IN THE FISCAL PACKET, WE'RE KIND OF ONE FROM 1 1 1 SIDE OF THIS PENDULUM TO THE OTHER SIDE OF PENDULUM GOING, SHOULD WE HAVE THEM PAY 100% OF THE COST? HAVE THEM PAY 0% OF THE COST OR SOMEWHERE IN BETWEEN? OR DO YOU WANT TO TREAT THESE AS ALL INDEPENDENT ONES WHEN THEY COME TO THE PUBLIC WORKS COMMITTEE AND COUNTY BOARD AS WHAT DO YOU WANNA DO GOING FORWARD WITH SHARED SERVICES FOR IT? OBVIOUSLY FUNDING BECOMES A, A, A VERY IMPORTANT MATTER WHEN YOU DO ONE POSITION VERSUS TWO, THREE TO FOUR, UH, YOUR POSITION MIGHT CHANGE.

SO WE'RE CERTAINLY WELCOME TO, TO BRING EACH ONE OF THESE TO THE, THE COMMITTEE AND BOARD AS INDEPENDENTLY AND THE DECIDED PERCENTAGE THERE, UH, BUT ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE WE'RE, UH, OPEN AND HONEST WITH OUR LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES WHAT THOSE COSTS, UH, COULD POTENTIALLY BE ANYWHERE FROM ZERO TO A HUNDRED PERCENT.

SO REALLY KIND OF LOOKING FOR MORE OF YOUR COMMENTS ON, ON THAT.

ANYTHING ELSE? CERTAINLY AS MATTER.

BUT, UH, JUST AS THAT, AS WE GO FORWARD, UH, WHAT SHE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT THIS WITH THE MUNICIPALITIES.

THANK YOU SUPERVISOR KELLY.

PROTECTION BECOMES EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.

UM, YEAH, SO I'M LOOKING AT THIS AND I'M SEEING THAT THERE'S, I MEAN, CERTAINLY THE VILLAGE OF, UH, GERMANTOWN, UH, LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE LOOKING AT 1.5 EQUIVALENT FULL TIME AT A ESTIMATED COST OF 155,000.

THAT'S, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN YOU LOOK AT LIKE, SOME OF THESE BARTON POLK, WAYNE, $11,000 .

I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I, I WANT YOU GUYS TO SEE THIS 'CAUSE OF THE, THE ADVANTAGE FOR A SMALL COMMUNITY, LIKE SAY SCU.

UH, I'M GONNA PICK ON ANN BECAUSE I LOVE PICKING ON ANNA, UM, IS THAT THEY CAN'T AFFORD A LOT.

AND SO BY DOING SHARED SERVICES WITH THE COUNTY, THEY GET TOP OF THE LINE PROTECTION.

DATA PROTECTION IS CERTAINLY AS MUCH AS WE PROVIDE, WHICH IS PRETTY GOOD.

WE'VE GONE UP QUITE A BIT IN OVER THE YEARS.

WE'VE GONE FROM NOT REAL GOOD TO ON THE HIGH END OF GOOD.

SO, UM, SO THEY, THEY GET THIS AT A BARGAIN, REALLY, THEY GET IT SUPPORT AND ALL THE REST OF THAT.

SO IT'S, IT'S NOT A HEAVY LIFT FOR US TO DO THIS FOR A LOT OF THESE SMALL COMMUNITIES.

UM, AND I THINK IT'S CERTAINLY, IT'S, IT'S PROBABLY TO OUR ADVANTAGE BECAUSE IN THESE SMALL COMMUNITIES, DATA

[01:15:01]

A LOT OF THESE LARGER COMMUNITIES PROBABLY HAVE A LITTLE BETTER SYSTEM THAN BARTON OR KIOSKI OR, YOU KNOW, UH, TOWN OF WAYNE MIGHT BE ABLE TO DO.

UM, BUT WE CAN GET AT LEAST THEM ON PACE WITH THE LARGER SYSTEMS LIKE WEST BEND, GERMANTOWN, HARTFORD.

UM, BUT HAVING SAID THAT, THE COST IS QUITE PROHIBITIVE.

AND, AND WHILE I'M, I'M CERTAINLY LEANING TOWARDS TRYING TO SAVE MONEY AND INTEGRATE, WHICH IS ALSO AN ADVANTAGE FOR US INTEGRATING ALL OF OUR SYSTEMS TOGETHER.

UM, WE CAN KIND OF HELP, IT HELPS US WITH GIS AND ALL THE DIFFERENT FUNCTIONS THAT WE DO.

BUT, UM, AT THAT KIND OF COST, I'M INTERESTED IN SAVING THESE LARGER, UH, COMMUNITIES, SOME MONEY, BUT NOT FOOTING THE FULL BILL.

BECAUSE AS YOU CAN SEE, UH, FOR CERTAIN MUNICIPALITIES, LITERALLY ONE, THE VILLAGE OF GERMANTOWN WOULD PAY FOR EVERYBODY, YOU KNOW, THE COSTS ALONE.

SO I'D BE MORE INTERESTED IN A PERCENTAGE DEAL PERSONALLY, UM, WHERE THEY, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT ARE THEIR CURRENT COSTS? HOW MUCH ARE WE PICKING UP, YOU KNOW, IS THERE ARE OTHER SAVINGS TOO, BECAUSE YOU CAN ALSO USE BUYING POWER, UH, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HARDWARE, SO THEY CAN ORDER WITH US, AND INSTEAD OF ON THEIR OWN, WE CAN ORDER UP, YOU KNOW, 500 COMPUTERS, LAPTOPS, YOU KNOW, FOR THE WHOLE COUNTY.

AND WE WOULD HAVE SIGNIFICANT COST SAVINGS VERSUS THEM MAYBE THE CITY OF WEST BEND ORDERING 40, YOU KNOW, SO THERE'S STILL AN ADVANTAGE TO THEM.

THERE'S STILL A SAVINGS TO THEM, BUT WE DON'T HAVE TO NECESSARILY FOOT THE WHOLE BILL.

I WANNA SEE PEOPLE SHOWING UP AT THE DINNER TABLE WITH ALLIGATOR ARMS CAN'T REACH FOR THEIR WALLET AT ALL, YOU KNOW? UM, WHILE I DO BELIEVE WE WANT TO TRY AND HELP OUR LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES, I THINK A LITTLE BIT OF PRUDENCE IS ALSO IN ORDER.

THANK YOU SUPERVISOR SHARIN.

THANK YOU, CHAIRMAN.

UM, AGAIN, I CONCUR WITH SUPERVISOR KELLY, AND I'M NOT EVEN TRYING TO SUCK UP TO YOU, DENNIS.

UM, SO I, THE COMMENT I WANNA MAKE IS THE TOWN OF WEST BEND AND THE TOWN OF ADDISON.

EVERY TIME I GO TO THEIR MEETINGS, THEY'RE SAYING, KUDOS TO YOUR TEAM, BECAUSE THEY LOVE IT AND IT SAVES THEM A LOT OF MONEY ON RECURRING COSTS, YOU KNOW, FOR THE SECURITY AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF.

SO, SO GREAT FOR THAT.

BUT I GUESS MY, MY QUESTION KIND OF ALWAYS LEADS TO WHERE DOES THIS FIT IN OUR BUDGET OVERALL? YOU KNOW, AARON, DO YOU HAVE A TOTAL, I MEAN, WE WERE AT LIKE 3 MILLION TOTAL SHARED SERVICES, RIGHT? IF WE KEEP MOVING FORWARD WITH THIS, OBVIOUSLY THE DEMAND IS GONNA KEEP INCREASING AS IT HAS BEEN.

EVERYBODY LIKES WHAT WE'RE DOING, AND I'M, THAT, THAT MAKES ME HAPPY BECAUSE NOW WE'RE COLLABORATING WITH OUR LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES.

THEY'RE, THEY ENJOY WORKING WITH US MORE AND, AND TALKING INSTEAD OF ALWAYS FIGHTING, RIGHT.

KEEPING THINGS EFFICIENT.

SO ANYWAY, AARON, IF YOU COULD JUST TOUCH BASE ON IF, IF WE KEEP ADDING, WHERE DO YOU SEE THIS POTENTIAL GROWTH? AND, AND AGAIN, THAT GOES TO EVEN WITH THE EMS STUFF THAT WE'RE GONNA BE SHARING SERVICES WITH, RIGHT? UH, WHERE DOES THAT TAKE US TO? UM, TODAY, I, I BELIEVE WE'RE JUST NORTH OF 4 MILLION, UH, IN TERMS OF WHAT WE'VE BUDGETED FOR VALUE, UM, PROVIDED TO OUR, OUR PARTNERS IN, IN 2026.

UM, THAT NUMBER DOES INCLUDE EMS GRANTS, FOR EXAMPLE, RIGHT? SO DEPENDING ON HOW WE DECIDE TO RECOGNIZE SOME OF THAT STUFF GOING FORWARD, THAT NUMBER COULD CHANGE.

AS WELL.

UM, YOU KNOW, IN, IN, I GUESS, YOU KNOW, YOU SEE A, YOU SEE A, A DESCRIPTION HERE OF THE MUNICIPALITIES, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE LEFT IN TERMS OF IT, IN, IN CONTEMPLATING TAKING THEM ON.

SO THAT, THAT WOULD ESSENTIALLY BE YOUR CAP ON THE IT SIDE.

UM, YOU KNOW, AS, UM, AS THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM KIND OF ALLUDES TO IS, IS THAT, UM, IN THIS PARTICULAR CASE, WE WOULD HAVE TO DETERMINE HOW TO FUND IT IN THE NEXT BUDGET.

UM, OKAY.

JUST BALANCING IT WITH THE REST OF OUR PRIORITIES.

SO THAT'S YOUR CONCERN THEN WHAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE SHARING WITH US THAT, HEY, WE'RE KIND OF GETTING TOWARDS THE CAP OF WHERE WE COULD BE I, IF I'D SAY THAT.

I, I WOULD SAY IT'S, IT'S, IT'S THE SAME BUDGET EXERCISE AS WE WOULD ALWAYS GO THROUGH BALANCING OF PRIORITIES.

WELL, WE GOT A LOT OF THINGS COMING UP, A LOT OF MOVING PARTS, SO THAT'S WHY I KEEP ASKING THAT QUESTION.

ARE WE AT OUR LIMIT OR DO WE HAVE ROOM? SURE.

SO, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR NEWMAN.

THANK YOU, CHAIR.

UM, I WOULD SAY THAT, UH, MY OPINION OF, UH, IT SERVICES HAS BEEN ONE OF THE GREAT SUCCESSES FOR THE COUNTY SHARED

[01:20:01]

SERVICES PROGRAM.

UM, YOU KNOW, TO KIND OF RE REITERATE SOME OF THE STUFF SUPERVISOR KELLY SAID IS THE, JUST THE PURCHASING POWER ALONE, THE SPORADIC NEED FOR IT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, UM, FOR THESE SMALLER COMMUNITIES IS PRICELESS.

UM, HAVING TO GO, EVERYBODY GOES SEPARATELY WOULD MUCH MORE COST THAN WHAT, UM, IT'S COSTING THE COUNTY.

WELL, THAT BEING SAID, YOU KNOW, IN THE PAST, I MENTIONED THIS DURING, I THINK IT WAS THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT SERVICES, THAT AT SOME POINT WE'RE GONNA GET MAXED OUT.

AND WHEN YOU HAVE COMMUNITIES THAT REQUIRE THAT TYPE OF SERVICE, JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE PURE SIZE, IN MY OPINION, THERE NEEDS TO BE SOME SKIN IN THE GAME FROM THAT COMMUNITY.

I, I'LL COMPARE IT TO THE TOWN OF WEST BEND WITH THE SHARED DEPUTY OVER THERE.

THEY'VE GOT SOME SKIN IN THE GAME.

THE COUNTY'S GOT SOME SKIN IN THE GAME.

I LOOK AT THIS THE SAME WAY, ONCE YOU GET UP TO THAT MUCH OF A NEED.

SO I'M ALL FOR CONTINUING THE SHARED IT SERVICES.

THAT'S JUST MY OPINION ON THE FUNDING MOVING FORWARD.

AND I'LL ADD, I'LL ADD FOR EVERYONE, WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT THE FISCAL PART OF IT.

THIS, IT'S, WE'RE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE PROGRAM, BUT I KNOW WE ALL HAVE A CONCERN BECAUSE WE ARE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE.

SO SUPERVISOR BOSER.

ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.

UM, I EQUATE THIS TO ALMOST LIKE AN INSURANCE POLICY.

WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE THREATS THAT ARE OUT THERE TO IT NETWORKS, UM, LAS VEGAS HAS HAD HOTELS THAT HAVE BASICALLY SHUT DOWN FOR A FEW DAYS BECAUSE THEIR NETWORK GOT HACKED.

GOVERNMENTS WERE TARGETED FOR QUITE A WHILE.

I DON'T KNOW IF THAT TREND IS BACKED OFF A BIT OR IF THAT'S STILL CONTINUING, WHERE THEY'RE TRYING TO GET IN THE GOVERNMENTS AND RANSOM TAX MONEY IN ORDER TO SIMPLY GET YOUR NETWORK BACK.

THE MORE WE CAN PROVIDE SECURITY, ESPECIALLY FOR SOME OF THESE SMALL TOWNS WHERE IT'S JUST SO COST PROHIBITIVE TO HAVE THE SECURITY THAT WE HAVE, IT'S A BENEFIT TO THE TAXPAYERS THAT THAT IS PRICELESS.

SO, ESPECIALLY FOR THE SMALLER COMMUNITIES, YOU KNOW, LIKE IF THE TOWN OF POLK OR TOWN OF JACKSON WANTS TO JUMP ON THIS, I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO CHARGE BACK A PERCENTAGE OF THAT SMALL COST.

MAYBE FOR A COUPLE OF THE BIGGER COST COMMUNITIES LIKE THE VILLAGE OF GERMANTOWN OR THE CITY OF WEST BEND.

MAYBE WE LOOK AT CHARGING BACK, BUT ESPECIALLY THESE SMALL TOWNS.

'CAUSE THEY JUST DON'T HAVE THE RESOURCES TO, ON THEIR OWN, INVEST IN THE KIND OF NETWORK SECURITY WE CAN PROVIDE FOR THEM.

IT'S SUCH A BENEFIT FOR THE TAXPAYERS THAT NEEDS TO BE PRIORITIZED, IN MY VIEW.

THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.

SUPERVISOR CONRAD.

THANK YOU, CHAIR.

UM, THIS QUESTION IS ABOUT FISCAL EFFECT.

IT, THERE'S A STATEMENT HERE, UM, 2026 AND 2027, IT FUND BALANCE WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE COUNTY WOULD BE APPLYING FOR THE STATE INNOVATION FUND TO SUPPORT THE POSITION IN THE SHORT TERM.

UM, WHAT IF WE DO NOT GET, RECEIVE THAT GRANT? HAVE YOU JUMPED TO THE NEXT RESOLUTION? OH, THAT'S RIGHT.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR OFFERING IT.

A LITTLE BRAIN FART THERE FOR A SECOND.

UM, I'M JUST GONNA ECHO WHAT OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SAID.

I, I THINK THAT THE IT SERVICE FOR THE SMALL COMMUNITIES, ESPECIALLY TOWN OF KI WASUM, HAS BEEN, UM, JUST, UM, SO VALUABLE.

AND I, I DON'T THINK WE BOTHER THEM TOO OFTEN, BUT, UM, BUT WHEN WE DO NEED HELP, I DON'T KNOW WHO ELSE I WOULD CALL.

I'D BE, WELL ACTUALLY I'VE DRIVEN TO BEST BUY AND , THINGS LIKE THAT, .

SO, UM, SO I DO THINK THAT, UM, FOR THE SMALL COMMUNITIES ESPECIALLY, THIS IS A VERY, VERY VALUABLE THING.

UM, AND I DO THINK WE SHOULD OFFER IT TO ALL OF THE, THE COMMUNITIES THAT, TO ME, IT DOESN'T SEEM FAIR TO SAY, OH, WELL THESE, YOU KNOW, THIS PERSON CAME FIRST AND THE REST OF YOU TOO BAD.

THAT TO ME, THAT DOESN'T SEEM FAIR.

UM, PROBABLY THE LARGER COMMUNITIES NEED A MORE THINGS THAN, BUT, AND WE HAVE TWO PART-TIME COMPUTERS ON OUR, AT OUR OFFICE.

SO I, YOU CAN'T REALLY COMPARE, I DON'T THINK, WITH THE LARGER MUNICIPALITIES.

SO MAYBE THEY, THEY DO NEED TO CONTRIBUTE SOMETHING, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT WOULD BE.

BUT, BUT

[01:25:01]

THANK YOU MR. SCHMIDT.

THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.

IF I COULD JUST SUMMARIZE THEN WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR FROM THE BOARD WOULD BE WHEN WE HAVE THIS NEXT GO AROUND, WE HAVE MISS, MISS PE COMING BACK TOWARDS US, BRING THAT TO PUBLIC WORKS AND WE'LL HAVE THEM HELP US DECIDE ON POTENTIAL PERCENTAGES AND THEN BRING THAT TO THE BOARD AS PART OF THE, UH, RESOLUTION AS THAT'S WHAT I'M, I THINK I'M, WHAT I'M HEARING FROM THE BOARD, INSTEAD OF ESTABLISHING, THIS IS WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO FOR EVERYBODY, WE'LL BRING 'EM UP AS THEY COME, AS WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST AND GO FORWARD.

IS THAT KIND OF WHAT I'M HEARING THEN? JUST SO WE CAN MAKE SURE WE'RE FOLLOWING YOUR DIRECTION.

SEEMS FAIR.

I THINK YOU'VE SUMMARIZED WELL.

BEEN WORKING WITH THEIR, UH, POLICE CHIEF FOR MANY MONTHS ON A SOLUTION.

SO, UM, SO AT THIS POINT, UH, WE'LL TAKE A VOICE VOTE.

ALL IN FAVOR OF CONTINUING SHARED SERVICES.

I NEED SUPERVISOR NEWMAN.

SUPERVISOR CHADRON.

ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.

AYE.

ANY OPPOSED? THANK YOU.

ALL RIGHT.

THANK YOU, UH, FOR THAT.

AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT FOR, AND YOU CAN ROLL RIGHT INTO THE NEXT RESOLUTION, WHICH HAS NOT TO DO WITH GERMANTOWN, BUT THE GERMANTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT, CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT.

THERE IS A DISTINCTION.

YES.

UM, SO WE'VE HAD REALLY GOOD CONVERSATION WITH THE VILLAGE OF GERMANTOWN'S POLICE DEPARTMENT.

UM, I'VE

[a. 2026 Resolution 26 – Information Technology (IT) 1.0 FTE for shared services position with the Village of Germantown Police Department]

UM, AS MANY OF YOU MAY KNOW, THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, UM, TOOK THE WASHINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE, TOOK OVER DISPATCHING FOR THEM.

UM, SO WE RE-RELEASED THEM OF THAT BURDEN.

UM, HOWEVER, THEY STILL HAVE MANY SQUADS AND MANY, UM, LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS THAT ARE OUT THERE USING THE SAME TECHNOLOGY THAT WE USE.

SO THEY'RE USING OUR SAME, UM, CAD, WHICH IS OUR, OUR DISPATCHING SOFTWARE.

UM, THEY'RE SAY THEY'RE USING A LOT OF SAME TECHNOLOGY THAT WE USE, A LOT OF SAME TECHNOLOGY IN THE SQUAD CARS THAT WE USE.

UM, AND THEY HAVE A HUGE BURDEN THAT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO, UM, REMEDY WITH THEIR CURRENT IT PROVIDER.

THE, A LOT OF THESE IT PROVIDERS ARE REALLY GOOD AT GENERAL NETWORKS, RIGHT? THEY'RE REALLY GOOD AT THAT.

BUT WHEN IT GETS INTO THESE REALLY SPECIFIC SITUATIONS LIKE LAW ENFORCEMENT OR HEALTHCARE, IT'S NOT THEIR EXPERTISE.

UM, WE HAVE THE EXPERTISE IN HOUSE.

WE HAVE ONE FULL-TIME EMPLOYEE LOCATED IN THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE WHO SUPPORTS ALL THE LAW ENFORCEMENT APPLICATIONS AND THE SQUAD CARS.

UM, VERY GOOD EMPLOYEE, UM, GLAD WE HAVE HIM.

UM, BUT YET IT'S JUST ONE IN THE COUNTY.

UM, SO THIS POSITION IS ACTUALLY KIND OF UNIQUE.

IT WOULD BENEFIT BOTH THE VILLAGE OF GERMANTOWN'S POLICE DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS THE WASHINGTON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT.

UM, THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT IS PROBABLY THE LARGEST DEPARTMENT IN WASHINGTON COUNTY WITH ABOUT 220 EMPLOYEES.

UM, AND THERE'S A LOT OF NEEDS.

AND WE, WE'VE ALSO, NOT ONLY HAVE WE TO SERVICE OUR DEPUTIES IN THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, WE HAVE TO SUPPORT GERMANTOWN, HARTFORD, KI WASCOM BECAUSE THEY USE OUR SYSTEMS. AND WHENEVER THEY HAVE NEW LAPTOPS OR, OR, OR NEW DEPUTIES, WE HAVE WORK ON OUR END TO GET THEM IN INTEGRATED INTO OUR SYSTEMS. UM, SO THERE'S A LOT OF WORK THAT COMES FROM THESE MUNICIPALITIES ALREADY TO THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT.

UM, AND SHERIFF AND I HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THIS FOR QUITE A WHILE.

ONE OF THE BIG CONCERNS, UM, IS IF GOD FORBID SOMETHING WOULD HAPPEN TO OUR INDIVIDUAL IN THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE, WHAT WOULD HAPPEN? HOW WOULD THAT LOOK LIKE? UM, IT'S SUCH A UNIQUE SITUATION.

I CAN, I, MY, THE REST OF MY TEAM CAN HANDLE NETWORK.

WE CAN HANDLE AUTHENTICATION, WE CAN HANDLE EMAIL, BUT THE UNIQUE APPLICATIONS THAT THEY HAVE, WE DO NOT HAVE REDUNDANCY AND EXTRA COVERAGE.

SO THIS IS GONNA PROVIDE THAT FOR US, GIVE US THAT PEACE OF MIND AND SOME EXTRA AVAILABILITY TO HELP OUR SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT AS WELL AS THIS POSITION WOULD, UM, ASSIST THE GERMANTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH VERY SIMILAR, SIMILAR ISSUES THAT OUR COUNTY, UH, SHERIFF'S OFFICE DEALS WITH ON A DAILY BASIS.

UM, IN THIS PROPOSAL, THERE IS A, A SPLIT COST OF 75%, UH, TO THE COUNTY OF THE COST ASSOCIATED WITH THIS AND 25 TO THE, UH, VILLAGE OF GERMAN TOWN.

UH, I'D LIKE TO OPEN UP FOR ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS.

[01:30:01]

IN MOST OF THESE CASES, LIKE WE'VE JUST TALKED ABOUT FOR 20 MINUTES, THE MUNICIPALITY OR WHATEVER GETS A BIG BENEFIT AND WE DON'T GET A WHOLE LOT OF BENEFIT.

UM, IN THIS CASE, IT'S CLEAR THAT WE GET A BENEFIT AND THEY GET A BENEFIT, THUS THE COST SHARE.

AND I THINK GOING FORWARD WHEN WE START TALKING ONE BY ONE, THAT'S GONNA BE THE, THE TEST.

YOU KNOW, WHO GETS THE BENEFIT, WHAT'S IN IT FOR EITHER SIDE.

SO, UH, UH, OPEN UP FOR QUESTIONS ON THIS SUPERVISOR.

NEWMAN, THANK YOU.

I I CAN SUPPORT THIS.

UM, BASED ON THE PURE BENEFIT THAT THE COUNTY GETS OUT OF THIS AS WELL.

THE ONE QUESTION I HAD IS THE INNOVATION GRANT, UH, IF WE RECEIVE IT, DOES THAT COME OFF THE TOTAL AND THEN BENEFIT BOTH THE 25 AND THE 75? OR IS IT APPLIED JUST TO THE 75? HOW HAVEN'T YOU DECIDE IT? I'M GONNA DE DEFER TO, UH, MR. DAH HERE, OR MR. SCHMIDT? UH, THANK YOU.

UM, HOW WE WOULD WRITE IT UP WOULD BE, UH, PART OF OUR 75% IT COME OFF, IT WOULD BENEFIT THE 75% THE COUNTY PAYS.

CORRECT.

WE'LL VOTE ELECTRONICALLY.

THAT'S, THANK YOU FOR CLARIFYING SUPERVISOR THAT, UM, THANK YOU FOR THIS.

I WOULD, UM, LIKE TO START OFF BY SAYING GERMANTOWN IS THE GATEWAY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY AND THE AMOUNT THAT THE TAXPAYERS OF GERMANTOWN CURRENTLY PUT INTO KEEPING IT THE SAFEST STOP POINT BEFORE IT COMES UP, 41 45 IS TREMENDOUS.

AND SO I I REALLY THANK YOU FOR DOING THIS.

I THINK THAT THE VILLAGE OF GERMANTOWN AND ITS TAXPAYERS DESERVE SOME RECOGNITION FOR THE AMOUNT OF CAPITAL AND THE CONTINUED INVESTMENT THAT WE HAVE INTO THE GERMANTOWN, UH, FIRE, UH, POLICE DEPARTMENT IS, UM, IS GONNA BE REALLY BENEFICIAL TO THEM.

AND I THINK THIS ONLY CONTINUES TO HELP THE REST OF WASHINGTON COUNTY BY SUPPORTING GERMANTOWN.

SO THANK YOU.

UM, I THINK THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND SOME OF YOU JUST WANNA VOTE.

SO ARE WE READY FOR MOTION AND A SECOND? MOTION? MOTION BY SUPERVISOR ING? SECOND BY SUPERVISOR GALLS.

ANY MORE DISCUSSION? THERE BEING NONE.

THIS REQUIRES A TWO THIRDS VOTE.

ALSO, DO WE HAVE A VOTE FROM SUPERVISOR MARY? IT PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.

OUR NEXT ITEM IS RESOLUTION 22.

ADOPTION OF AMENDMENT 20 26 2 OF A MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY, UM, HAVING TO DO WITH FARMLAND PRE PRESERVATION.

UH, PLEASE PRESENT.

SEEING NO QUESTIONS, I LOOK FOR A MOTION AND A SECOND SUPERVISOR, ALEK SUPERVISOR TOMA, ANY QUESTIONS THERE BEING NONE.

UH, MY NAME IS HANNAH ZEN.

I WORK IN THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY.

SO WHAT YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU IS COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT 2026 DASH TWO.

UH, AS IT RELATES TO UPDATING COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TEXT AS WELL AS FARMLAND PRESERVATION PLAN TEXT AS A PART OF, UH, CHAPTER 91 IN WISCONSIN STATE STATUTES, IT STATES THAT THESE TWO PLANS MUST BE CONSISTENT WITH EACH OTHER AND THE FARMLAND PRESERVATION PLAN MUST BE UPDATED EVERY 10 YEARS.

SO THE ORIGINAL FARMLAND PRESERVATION PLAN WAS CERTIFIED IN AUGUST OF 2025.

UM, SO THE AMENDMENT BEFORE YOU CONTAINS VARIOUS AMENDMENTS THAT ARE INCLUDED FROM THAT, UM, INITIAL APPROVAL IN 2025, AS WELL AS SOME ADDITIONAL CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE FROM SOME INTERGOVERNMENTAL COOPERATION BETWEEN THE CITY OF HARTFORD AS WELL AS THE TOWN OF HARTFORD, UM, TO HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL PARCELS BE ADDED INTO THOSE FARMLAND PRESERVATION AREAS.

SO THIS UPDATE IS VERY MUCH AN ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATE TO MAKE SURE THAT BOTH OF THESE PLANS ARE CONSISTENT WITH EACH OTHER.

AND, UM, IF THIS RESOLUTION AND THE ORDINANCE BOTH PASSED, WE WOULD PROCEED WITH HAVING THE PLAN RE-CERTIFIED BY DCAP.

THEREFORE, THE TOWN OF HARTFORD COULD GET THEIR ZONING CODE CERTIFIED AND THOSE LANDOWNERS CAN, UM, OPT IN TO RECEIVE THOSE TAX CREDITS FOR FARMLAND PRESERVATION IF THEY WOULD LIKE.

SO, UM, IF ANYONE HAS ANY QUESTIONS, I AM HAPPY TO ANSWER THOSE.

[01:35:02]

WE'LL VOTE ELECTRONICALLY.

THIS IS A SIMPLE MAJORITY VOTE

[b. 2026 Resolution 22 – Adoption of Amendment 2026-2 of A Multi-Jurisdictional Comprehensive Plan for Washington County: 2050 – Plan Text, Washington County Land Use Plan: 2050, Farmland Preservation Areas Map, and Appendix K Updates]

PASSES UNANIMOUSLY AND TAILING ONTO THAT IS ORDINANCE THREE, WHICH IS KIND OF A CLEANUP THING TO BRING EVERYTHING IN LINE.

UM, ANY QUESTIONS? UH, THEN I'D LOOK FOR A MOTION SUPERVISOR, NEWMAN SUPERVISOR

[c. 2026 Ordinance 3 – to amend Section 179-9 of the code; relating to: 2026-2 of the Comprehensive Plan]

STEWART .

ANY FURTHER DISCUSSION? WE WILL VOTE ELECTRONICALLY.

THIS IS ALSO A SIMPLE MAJORITY VOTE.

IT ALSO PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.

NEXT UP WE HAVE RESOLUTION 23, WHICH IS ADOPTION OF AMENDMENT 2026 DASH THREE OF OUR MULTI-JURISDICTIONAL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR COUNTY LAND USE MAP AMENDMENT.

UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

SO THIS AMENDMENT IS PROPOSED FOR 2026 DASH THREE.

UH, THE COUNT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT RECEIVED AN APPLICATION FOR A LAND DIVISION THAT REQUIRED A COMPREHENSIVE LAND AMENDMENT.

UM, THE AMENDMENT INCLUDES CHANGING THE PARCEL FROM A GENERAL AGRICULTURAL GENERAL AGRICULTURE USE TO A SUBURBAN DENSITY RESIDENTIAL USE.

UM, SO THE COUNTY STAFF DETERMINED THAT THIS WAS IN SUBSTANTIAL AGREEMENT WITH THE, UM, LAND USE PLAN.

SO THERE WAS ALSO A 30 DAY PUBLIC HEARING PUBLISHED AS PART OF STATE STATUTES, AND THERE WERE NO COMMENTS RECEIVED ON THIS AMENDMENT.

AND WE WORKED WITH, UH, TOWN OF HARTFORD AND CITY OF HARTFORD ON IT AS WELL.

THIS ONE IS SPECIFICALLY WITHIN THE TOWN OF HARTFORD.

THE CITY OF HARTFORD HAD TO TAKE UP THE PLAT, WHICH IS, UM, SEPARATE, UH, AS AN EXTRATERRITORIAL AND THEY WERE BOTH APPROVED.

ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? OKAY.

I LOOK FOR A MOTION SUPERVISOR.

BOSER SUPERVISOR ALEK WILL VOTE ELECTRONICALLY WHEN IT'S READY, PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.

AND NEXT UP IS THE ORDINANCE SIDE OF THAT, WHICH YOU CAN PROCEED WITH.

UH, SO AS A PART OF STATE STATUTES AS WELL, THE RESOLUTION NEEDS TO BE APPROVED FIRST AND THEN THE ORDINANCE NEEDS TO BE APPROVED TO, UH, BASICALLY SOLIDIFY THE ORDINANCE AND AMENDMENT

[d. 2026 Resolution 23 – Adoption of Amendment 2026-3 of A Multi-Jurisdictional Comprehensive Plan for Washington County: 2050 – County Land Use Plan Map Amendment]

[e. 2026 Ordinance 4 –to amend Section 179-9 of the code; relating to: 2026-3 of the Comprehensive Plan]

SUPERVISOR.

KELLY, UH, THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME CHIME IN.

'CAUSE THE QUESTION WAS ASKED OF ME EARLIER.

I MEAN, IT LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF DUPLICATION.

BUT WE ARE HAVING TO MAKE CHANGES ON THE CODE AS WELL AS THE PLATS AND THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.

CORRECT? THE PLAT IS A SEPARATE ISSUE THAT WAS APPROVED, CORRECT.

AT THE LAND USE AND PLANNING COMMITTEE, THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN, JUST A PART OF STATE STATUTES, IT REQUIRES THE RESOLUTION IS APPROVED AT THE, UM, LAND USE AND PLANNING COMMITTEE LEVEL.

AND THE ORDINANCE IS APPROVED AT THE, UH, BOARD LEVEL.

SO IT'S IDENTIFIED.

WE'RE JUST FOLLOWING THE PROCEDURES THAT THE STATE STATUTES SAY.

RIGHT.

SO IT LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF DUPLICATION.

BUT IN FACT IT'S JUST THAT IT'S GOING TO DIFFERENT AREAS.

CORRECT.

THAT IT'S BEING YEP.

PRESENTED TO.

SO HOPEFULLY THAT CLEARS IT UP.

DO I HAVE A MOTION IN A SECOND? NOT YET.

HOW ABOUT A MOTION AND A SECOND? SUPERVISOR? SHARIN SUPERVISOR TROUTNER.

WE WILL VOTE ELECTRONICALLY.

PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.

SO WE'RE GETTING TO THE END RESOLUTION 24, CONFIRMING THE WASHINGTON COUNTY COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT PROVIDING MUNICIPAL PLANNING SERVICES TO THE TOWN OF TRENTON AS PART OF SHARED REVENUE OF THE COUNTY SALES TAX.

THAT'S,

[f. 2026 Resolution 24 – Resolution Confirming the Washington County Community Development Department Providing Municipal Planning Services to the Town of Trenton as Part of Shared Revenue of the County Sales Tax]

YOU MAY CONTINUE

[01:40:01]

UH, SO THE TOWN OF TRENTON, UM, HAS REQUESTED TO JOIN THE SHARED SERVICES FOR MUNICIPAL PLANNING.

UH, AS OF RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE FOUR APPROVED MUNICIPALITIES.

THE TWO BY FOUR U WOULD BE FIVE AND SIX.

UH, SO THE TOWN OF TRENTON HAS APPROVED A DRAFT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT.

UM, IF THIS RESOLUTION WERE TO PASS, THE PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT WOULD BE SIGNED OR SENT OUT FOR SIGNATURES AND BE EXECUTED.

SO THEY ARE LOOKING TO HAVE SOME ASSISTANCE WITH FARMLAND PRESERVATION ZONING, AND UPDATING THEIR COMPREHENSIVE PLAN MAPS.

AND I HAD PREVIOUSLY ASKED MS. LUDOVIC, UH, WHETHER WE HAD STAFF FOR THIS AND WHAT IT AMOUNTS TO.

AND IN FACT, THIS IS PROJECT BY PROJECT, SO WE CAN TAKE 'EM AS WE CAN.

SO, ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION? SUPERVISOR? GATZ, UH, THANK YOU CHAIR.

UH, A FOLLOW UP TO THAT.

SO NOT UNLIKE YOUR PREVIOUS DISCUSSION ABOUT MAXIMIZING SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS IN IT.

AND, AND NOW I'M PLANNING.

SO MY QUESTION TO YOU IS, HOW MANY MUNICIPALITIES ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE COUNTY'S EXPERTISE IN LAND USE AND PLANNING? MM-HMM .

YEAH, SO WE DO HAVE THOSE FOUR MUNICIPALITIES.

UM, AND IT'S REALLY A, A WIDE RANGE OF PROJECTS THAT THEY'VE REQUESTED ASSISTANCE ON.

UM, FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE TOWN OF ADDISON, WE DID A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE THAT WAS A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL WORKLOAD TO UNDERTAKE.

WHEREAS, UM, IN THE VILLAGE OF JACKSON, WE'VE DONE JUST VERY MINIMAL COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATES AND AMENDMENT.

SO IT REALLY IS DEPENDENT ON THE MUNICIPALITY AND WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO UTILIZE US FOR.

UM, BUT WE'VE, IT'S BEEN VERY SUCCESSFUL, AT LEAST FROM MY POINT OF VIEW IN WORKING WITH THEM.

IT'S BEEN A REALLY POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP.

AND, YOU KNOW, WE MADE A DECISION TO NOT DIRECTLY PARTNER WITH SEWER PACK AND THERE WAS CONCERN THAT MUNICIPALITIES MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO GET SERVICES FROM THEM.

ARE WE SEEING ANY FALLOUT, MEANING ARE MUNICIPALITIES COMING TO, UH, THE COUNTY FOR SERVICES THAT THEY MAY HAVE GOTTEN THROUGH SEWER PACK? I WOULD PROBABLY DEFER THAT COMMENT TO THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, IF THAT'S ALRIGHT.

SO FAR THE SERVICES THAT SEWER PACK PROVIDES ARE QUITE DIFFERENT THAN, UH, THE SERVICES THAT WE HAVE BEEN PROVIDING.

UM, SOME OF THE OVERLAP, UM, REALLY INCLUDES JUST ASSISTANCE WITH A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN.

UM, AND THEN THE, THE WORK THAT HANNAH DID ASSISTING THE TOWN OF ADDISON AND THE, UM, PARK AND OPEN SPACE PLAN, UM, THOSE ARE, UM, ITEMS THAT SEWER PAC COULD DO FOR A LOCAL GOVERNMENT FOR A FEE.

SO WE HAVE BEEN ASSISTING IN THOSE AREAS, UM, BUT THERE ARE OTHER AREAS THAT WE JUST DO NOT HAVE THE, THE EXPERTISE, UM, TO ASSIST WITH.

SO.

WE'LL VOTE ELECTRONICALLY.

THANK YOU SUPERVISOR SHARUN, YOU WERE ON YOU.

THAT WAS THE QUESTION I HAD.

THERE BEING NO FURTHER QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION.

THIS IS A SIMPLE MAJORITY VOTE.

OH, MOTION AND A SECOND, PLEASE DON'T I HAVE THAT SUPERVISOR.

ICK SUPERVISOR.

ICK.

I'M LOSING IT.

WE CAN VOTE ELECTRONICALLY.

PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.

AND LAST ON OUR AGENDA IS RESOLUTION 25.

[g. 2026 Resolution 25 – Resolution Confirming the Washington County Community Development Department Providing Municipal Planning Services to the Town of Hartford as Part of Shared Revenue of the County Sales Tax]

UH, THE TOWN OF HARTFORD WISHES TO PARTNER WITH THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT FOR SHARED SERVICES.

THEY HAVE ALSO APPROVED A DRAFT PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT.

AND, UH, IF THIS RESOLUTION WERE TO PASS, WE WOULD GO THROUGH THE PROCESS OF FINALIZING THAT, UH, AGREEMENT AND WITH ANNUAL EXHIBIT UPDATES FOR VARIOUS PROJECTS THAT THEY MAY WANT TO WORK ON, SPECIFICALLY WITHIN THE TOWN OF HARTFORD.

THEY'RE INTERESTED IN IDENTIFYING SOME POTENTIAL GROWTH AREAS, UH, FOR THE TOWN.

DO I HAVE A MOTION? AND A SECOND SUPERVISOR, TOMA

[01:45:01]

SUPERVISOR SHARAN.

WE WILL VOTE ELECTRONICALLY.

IT ALSO PASSES UNANIMOUSLY.