* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.
          IT 
          [00:00:01]
WAS POSTED BY THE CLERK'S OFFICE. 
          AGENDA WAS POSTED ON THE NINTH DAY OF OCTOBER, 2026. 
          NOTICE WAS SENT TO THE WASHINGTON COUNTY DAILY NEWS, THE EXPRESS NEWS, W-I-B-D-W-N-B-Z RADIO, WTKM RADIO, MY COMMUNITY. 
          NOW THE HARTFORD TIMES PRESS, THE KI WASUM STATESMAN AND THE MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL. 
          PLEASE JOIN ME TO RISE IN A MOMENT OF SILENT PRAYER AND THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. 
          I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. 
          SOME OF YOU MAY BE AWARE THERE'S A BREWER GAME TONIGHT. 
          YES, BUT OUR BUSINESS IS VERY IMPORTANT HERE, SO PLEASE PROCEED ACCORDINGLY. 
          THE MINUTES OF EPTEMBER NINTH 2026 MEETING. 
          WE'RE IN YOUR PACKET. 
          ARE THERE ANY CORRECTIONS? THERE BEING NONE. 
          WE'LL RECORD THEM AS POSTED. 
          [a. September 9, 2026]
FIRST UP IS RESOLUTION 31, THE COMMENDATION OF MARGARET SHOWALTER. 
          UH, MOTION AND A SECOND PLEASE. 
          SUPERVISOR HARTWIG. 
          SUPERVISOR BOSSERT. 
          UM, THIS WILL BE JUST A VOICE VOTE. 
          ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          ANY 
          [a. 2026 Resolution 31 – Commendation of Margaret Schowalter ]
OPPOSED? THANK YOU. 
          THE CLERK WILL READ THE COMMENDATION. 
          WHEREAS MARGARET SHOWALTER HAS CONTRIBUTED 42 YEARS OF LOYAL SERVICE TO THE CITIZENS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, AND WHEREAS MARGARET SHOWALTER HAS CHOSEN TO RETIRE FROM HER PRESENT POSITION OF MEAL SITE MANAGER WITH THE AGING DISABILITY AND RESOURCE CENTER, NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT THE WASHINGTON COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS PAUSE IN ITS DELIBERATIONS TO PAY TRIBUTE AND TO COMMEND MARGARET SHOWALTER FOR HER 42 YEARS OF MERITORIOUS SERVICE, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT ON BEHALF OF ALL CITIZENS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, THIS BODY DOES HERE WITH EXTEND TO HER HEARTFELT THANKS FOR HER MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND SUCCESSES, BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT A COPY OF THIS RESOLUTION BE FORWARDED TO MARGARET SHOWALTER AS A TOKEN OF APPRECIATION ON THE PART OF THIS BOARD. 
          ITEM FOUR B IS RESOLUTION 28 FOR THE CREATION OF THE WASHINGTON COUNTY SHARED SERVICES GRANT PROGRAM FOR COUNTYWIDE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES. 
          [b. 2026 Resolution 28 – Creation of the Washington County Shared Services Grant Program for Countywide Emergency Medical Services]
A MOTION AND A SECOND, PLEASE. 
          SUPERVISOR SCHWAB. 
          SUPERVISOR TOMA DIDN'T NEED IT. 
          DISCUSSION. 
          I KNOW. 
          DO WE HAVE ANY DISCUSSION? I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS A LOT. 
          SO THERE BEING NONE. 
          WE'LL VOTE ELECTRONICALLY. 
          OH, SUPERVISOR WATSON CONRAD. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, YES, I I HAVE A QUESTION RAISED BY THE SLINGER FIRE DEPARTMENT CHIEF, UM, GREGORY KELLER. 
          UM, HIS QUESTION IS REGARDING HOW MUNICIPALITIES WILL RECEIVE 18 TO 24% ANNUALLY AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT RECEIVE 4% OR ANYTHING OVER THAT GOES TO PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          AND HIS QUESTION, YOU KNOW, SHOULDS THE SUPPORT BE CAPPED AT 4% FOR ALL OR OPEN BEYOND 4% FOR ALL. 
          DO WE HAVE A RESPONSE? UM, SO THE, THE DOLLARS THAT ARE SET TO GO TO THE DEPARTMENTS ARE FUNDED WITH THE SALES TAX AND THE GROWTH ON THAT. 
          AND THAT'S DUE TO BE DISTRIBUTED THROUGH A GRANT PROGRAM, AS YOU KNOW, UM, THE GROWTH ON THAT SALES TAX. 
          UM, SO IT'S ABOUT $615,000 AND THE GROWTH ON THAT SIX 15. 
          [00:05:01]
UM, THE SIX 15 IS THE BASE THAT GROWS, MEANING IT GROWS SLOWER THAN THE DOLLARS THAT ARE DISTRIBUTED TO THE, UH, MUNICIPALITIES, WHICH GROWS BASED ON THE, UM, THAT'S THAT BIG $11 MILLION NUMBER. 
          THAT IS THE ASSUMED EMS LEVY IN THE SYSTEM. 
          SO THE, THE GRANTS THAT GO TO THE FIRE COMPANIES DO GROW MORE SLOWLY THAN THE DOLLARS THAT FLOW INTO THE MUNICIPALITIES. 
          DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, SUPERVISOR CONRAD? UM, WELL, PARTIALLY, BUT YOU KNOW, WHY OR HOW DID WE REALLY COME ABOUT THAT DECISION? UM, THAT, THAT IS THE CRUX OF NINE MONTHS OF NEGOTIATING, UM, CHIEF ELECTED OFFICIALS AND FIRE CHIEFS ALIKE. 
          UM, AT, I WOULD SAY AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS PROCESS, UM, THERE, THERE WAS NO CONSENSUS AT ALL. 
          UM, AT ONE POINT IN THIS PROCESS, SLINGER SPECIFICALLY, UH, THE VILLAGE PRESIDENT, UH, ADVOCATED FOR A 50 50 SPLIT. 
          UM, THAT DIDN'T LAST TERRIBLY LONG. 
          UM, CHIEFS AND CHIEF ELECTEDS BEGAN TO SPAR OVER EACH TAKING A HUNDRED PERCENT. 
          UH, AND IN THE VERY LAST MEETING BETWEEN CHIEFS, CHIEF ELECTEDS AND COUNTY REPRESENTATION, UM, WE PROPOSED THE 75 25 SPLIT. 
          UH, IT WAS AT THE SAME TIME THAT WE PROPOSED SWITCHING THE 25% TO SALES TAX, UM, REVENUE SOURCE, UM, THAT WOULD MAKE IT MORE PALATABLE AND HELP US ACHIEVE THE TAX RATE NEUTRAL. 
          UM, SO ALL OF THOSE THINGS KIND OF HAPPENED AT THE SAME TIME. 
          SO I, I GUESS THE QUICK ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION, IT WAS, WAS A BYPRODUCT OF NEGOTIATION. 
          UH, AND IF THE CHIEF WERE SITTING RIGHT HERE, I'D SAY CHIEF, IN THE END, ALL OF THAT MONEY COMES TO THE DEPARTMENTS, JUST HAPPENS TO BE 75% OF IT IS THROUGH A CONTRACT WITH A MUNICIPALITY, WHICH PREVIOUSLY 100% OF YOUR MONEY CAME FROM A MUNICIPALITY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YEP. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME GUYS. 
          PRIDE, MARK. 
          OKAY. 
          I HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS HERE. 
          UM, I KNOW WE, I ASKED THIS QUESTION BEFORE, BUT WHAT HAPPENS IF THE MUNICIPALITY DOES NOT OPT IN? BECAUSE I SEE YOU DON'T HAVE ALL OF THEM TO OPT IN YET. 
          CORRECT? I THINK AT THIS POINT WE HAVE SIX OR SEVEN MUNICIPALITIES WHO'VE PASSED RESOLUTIONS. 
          UM, YOU'LL KNOW THAT NUMBER AT YOUR NOVEMBER COUNTY BOARD MEETING. 
          AND LET'S JUST USE ONE COMMUNITY AS AN ILLUSTRATION. 
          AND SINCE YOU REPRESENT AARON, WE'LL USE AARON. 
          IF THE TOWN OF AARON CHOOSES NOT TO PASS THAT RESOLUTION OR VOTES IT DOWN, UM, WE'D OBVIOUSLY GET NOTIFIED EITHER WAY. 
          UM, THEY HAVE A DEADLINE, I BELIEVE, OF NOVEMBER 5TH, IF MEMORY SERVES CORRECTLY, TO GET US THAT INFORMATION SO THAT WE CAN GET YOU THE INFORMATION TO MAKE YOUR BUDGET APPROVAL. 
          IF AARON'S VOTES, NO, UM, THE AMOUNT THAT THEY'RE CURRENTLY ALLOCATED, UH, IN THAT SPREADSHEET THAT WE'VE SHARED, UM, THAT WOULD NOT GET TAXED AT ALL. 
          UM, NOT ONLY TO THE PEOPLE OF AARON, BUT TO THE PEOPLE OF THE ENTIRE COUNTY. 
          AND, UH, EVERYTHING ELSE, EVERY OTHER MUNICIPALITY THAT PARTICIPATED, ASSUMING ALL 19 PARTICIPATE, ASIDE FROM AARON, EVERYONE ELSE WILL, ALL THEIR TOTAL AMOUNT WILL GET TAXED TO EVERYBODY IN THE COUNTY, INCLUDING THE PEOPLE OF AARON. 
          AND THEN WHEN THOSE DOLLARS COME IN, THE TOWN OF AARON WOULD NOT GET AN ALLOCATION AT ALL. 
          UM, SO THE NET EFFECT IS, UH, PROBABLY IN THE CASE OF THE TOWN OF AARON, IT DROPS THE TAX RATE BY TWO TENTHS OF A CENT, MAYBE A HALF OF A CENT, MAYBE. 
          UM, BUT THEY WOULDN'T HAVE THE OPTION TO THEORETICALLY LOWER THE TAX RATE BY NOT PARTICIPATING, BUT THEN THEY WOULD ALSO NOT GET ANY REVENUE EITHER. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, WHAT HAPPENS IF, LET'S JUST SAY MORE THAN HALF OF THE MUNICIPALITIES ARE NOT OPTING IN? UM, WELL, YOU'D HAVE TWO OPTIONS AS A COUNTY BOARD. 
          UM, IF MORE THAN HALF DON'T OPT IN, YOU CAN DECIDE THEN WHETHER OR NOT YOU CONTINUE WITH THE PROGRAM. 
          UH, I THEORETICALLY, UM, ALSO SINCE IT'S THE VERY NEXT MONTH, WE'RE GONNA KNOW BY THEN. 
          UM, BUT, UM, IF YOU DECIDE TO PROCEED WITH THE PROGRAM ANYWAY, UH, IT WOULD BE VERY SIMILAR TO HOW THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE WORKS. 
          SO LOTS OF OTHER MUNICIPALITIES IN WASHINGTON COUNTY, TOWNS, VILLAGES, AND CITIES ALL HAVE THEIR OWN MUNICIPAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS. 
          THEY PAY FOR BOTH THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND THE MUNICIPAL 
          [00:10:01]
POLICE DEPARTMENT. 
          IN THIS CASE, THOSE 10 HALF, UM, WOULD PAY FOR THEIR OWN AND THEY'D BE HELPING PAY FOR EVERYBODY ELSE'S. 
          OKAY. 
          AND MARIA, REALLY, UM, THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT , THE FINANCIAL SUPPORT THAT THESE, EACH OF THESE MUNICIPALITIES THAT ARE OPTING IN ARE NO MORE THAN WHAT, 5% HELP OR 20% IS THE FINANCIAL HELP. 
          ARE THEY GETTING, I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND EXACTLY THE COST OF WHAT THEY'RE RECEIVING OF HELP FOR THEIR COMMUNITY. 
          5% OF WHAT, I GUESS I'M NOT FOLLOWING YOUR QUESTION. 
          WHATEVER THE MONEY THAT WE ARE BEING TAXED FOR, UH, I DON'T, OH, SEE, YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE ASKING. 
          I'M SORRY. 
          UM HMM. 
          OKAY. 
          100% OF IT GOES WELL, I MEAN, I MEAN, WE HAVE MORE. 
          OKAY. 
          LIKE, LET'S SAY THE TOWN OF AARON, WE HAVE $400,000 THAT WE ARE IN THE RED, I GUESS WE'RE IN TROUBLE FINANCIALLY. 
          OKAY. 
          THE TOWN ITSELF IS RIGHT. 
          OKAY. 
          SO I MEAN, 80 $80,000 IS NOT REALLY GONNA HELP OUT US, YOU KNOW, , DO YOU KNOW WHAT I'M SAYING? IT'S NOT ENOUGH, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I'M HEARING. 
          YEAH. 
          SO THAT'S WHY I AM TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE PERCENTAGE OF YOUR HELPING US WITH THE EMS. I SEE. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, SO I'LL GO BACK. 
          SIMILAR TO SUPERVISOR CONRAD'S QUESTION. 
          WHEN WE STARTED THIS PROJECT, UM, THE COUNTY HAD ORIGINALLY TALKED ABOUT PARTICIPATING, UM, TO THE TUNE OF 50% OF THE TOTAL COST. 
          UH, AND FRANKLY, THE MUNICIPALITIES FREAKED OUT BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT WE WERE GOING TO TAKE EVERYTHING OVER IF WE WERE 50% SHAREHOLDER. 
          UM, AND SO WE GOT ALL THE WAY BACK DOWN TO, I THINK AT ONE POINT WE TALKED ABOUT 5%. 
          DOES THAT SOUND ABOUT RIGHT? CHAIRMAN? 15. 
          AND THEN WE KIND OF WORKED OUR WAY BACK UP IN THE END. 
          THIS PUTS US UNDER 20% AS MEMORY SERVES. 
          WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT THOSE PERCENTAGES IN A LONG TIME. 
          UM, UNDER 20% OF THE FIRE AND EMS EXPENSE, WHICH OF COURSE IS ONE PORTION OF THE TOTAL TOWN BUDGET OR THE TOTAL MUNICIPAL BUDGET, UM, WE'RE NOT TRYING TO HELP THEM SOLVE ROADS OR, UM, PARKS OR CLERK'S OFFICE OR ANY OF THOSE THINGS. 
          UM, BUT WE KNOW THIS IS A LIFESAVING SERVICE AND THEY HAVE TO GET THIS ONE RIGHT. 
          SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY ABOUT THE OTHER $320,000. 
          THE TOWN OF AARON'S GONNA BE SHORT, BUT AS CITIZENS IN THE TOWN OF AARON OUGHT TO KNOW IF THEY PARTICIPATE IN THIS, THEY MAY BE SHORT IN THE CLERK'S OFFICE AND ON ROADS, BUT THEY CAN GUARANTEE WHEN THEY CALL 9 1 1, THEIR CONTRACT IS A HUNDRED PERCENT FUNDED FOR FIRE. 
          AND EMSI GUESS MY CONCERN IS THAT WE ARE, I MEAN, THERE'S OTHER TOWNSHIPS ARE HAVING FINANCIAL ISSUES TOO, THAT I'M WONDERING, YOU KNOW, ARE THEY STILL GONNA GO TO REFERENDUMS AND OTHER, THAT'S WHAT I'M THINKING. 
          BUT, NO, IT'S A GREAT THOUGHT. 
          AND THIS, WE TOUCHED ON THIS, BUT WE DIDN'T DIVE INTO IT IN YOUR COMMITTEE MEETING AT PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          UM, BUT THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE AND THIS BOARD, UM, I THINK NEED TO BE DILIGENT ABOUT, DILIGENT ABOUT WHEN WE ULTIMATELY CODIFY THOSE SMART GOALS. 
          UM, YOU'LL NOTICE THAT ONE OF THE SMART GOALS IS NO NEW REFERENDUMS FOR OPERATION AND NO NEW BORROWING TO BE SHIFTED TO OPERATIONS. 
          UM, I THINK WE HAVE TO BE HARD AND FAST ON THAT BECAUSE IT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT THEY TRY TO GO TO OPERATING REFERENDUM. 
          UM, FOR FIRE AND EMS SPECIFICALLY, IT, IT, I MEAN, LET'S FACE IT, WHEN YOU'RE ON LOOKING AT A BALLOT QUESTION AND IT SAYS, YOU KNOW, GIVE US MORE MONEY FOR MORE EMTS OR MORE COPS, PEOPLE ARE MORE INCLINED TO VOTE FOR THAT THAN THEY ARE MAYBE FOR PARKS, FOR EXAMPLE. 
          UM, THIS IS INTENDED TO STOP THE REFERENDUMS AND STOP THE BORROWING, SHIFTING MONEY OVER TO OPERATIONS. 
          SO I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO BE STRICT ABOUT, IS THERE, IS THERE A HARD AND FAST WE WILL NEVER ALLOW X, Y, Z? NO. 
          BUT THAT'S WHY THE COMMITTEE AND THE BOARD ARE HERE. 
          LIKE, I THINK THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF THE PROGRAM, IS NOW THE COUNTY BOARD FOR THE FIRST TIME IN WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORY HAS A SEAT AT THE TABLE TO HELP DRIVE THE COURSE OF THE FUTURE ON FIRE. 
          AND EMS, WITHOUT THIS, YOU, YOU HAVE NO SKIN IN THE GAME AND YOU HAVE NO ROLE IN THE GAME. 
          OKAY. 
          BRINGS ME ONE MORE QUESTION. 
          IS THE SMART GOALS, WILL THEY BE A LOT MORE SPECIFIC? IT JUST SEEMS THEY'RE VERY GENERALIZED. 
          AND THEN WHAT HAPPENS IF THE TOWNSHIP FAILS AT WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, WITH, YOU KNOW, ONE OF YOUR SMART GOALS? YEAH. 
          YOU'RE, FIRST OF ALL, UM, YOU'RE THE ULTIMATE ACCOUNTABILITY 
          [00:15:01]
HERE FOR THIS PROGRAM. 
          IT ENTIRELY DEPENDS ON THE COUNTY BOARD RENEWING IT YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR. 
          UM, AND THE WAY THAT WE'VE STRUCTURED IT, THOSE SMART GOALS, NOW, MIND YOU, ALL OF WHAT WE'RE MEASURING WITH AND SMART GOALS IS PROBABLY NOT THE RIGHT TERM BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT A TRUE DEFINITION OF A SMART GOAL. 
          THEY'RE MORE LIKE GUIDELINES TO HELP LEGISLATE. 
          BUT THE POINT IS, IT'S GONNA TAKE TWO OR THREE YEARS FOR US TO KNOW, IS THIS ACTUALLY WORKING? FOR EXAMPLE, IF, IF SOMEBODY'S GONNA GO TO REFERENDUM, THAT'S MORE THAN LIKELY NOT GONNA HAPPEN IN 2027. 
          IT'S PROBABLY GONNA HAPPEN IN 28 OR 29. 
          WELL, THAT'S THREE YEARS FROM NOW. 
          SO FOR YOU TO MEASURE A GOAL A YEAR FROM NOW AND SAY, THIS IS WORKING OR NOT WORKING, WE'RE REALLY NOT GONNA KNOW YOU. 
          YOU'RE GONNA NEED A FEW YEARS OF DATA. 
          ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THAT, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S EQUIPMENT GALORE IN THIS COUNTY AND THOSE 13 DEPARTMENTS, AND WE COULD PROBABLY ALL WORK TOGETHER BETTER TO SHARE AND SAVE MONEY ON FUTURE PURCHASES, BUT THOSE PURCHASES DON'T HAPPEN EVERY SINGLE YEAR. 
          SOMETIMES THEY DON'T HAPPEN FOR FIVE OR 10 YEARS. 
          SO IT'S GONNA TAKE US A WHILE TO SAY, OKAY, THIS, IN THE LAST THREE YEARS WE HAD NINE, NINE, UM, UH, PUMPER TRUCKS COME UP. 
          HOW MANY DID WE REALLY NEED? AND HOW MANY DID WE BUY? DID IT WORK? UM, SO THE, THE ULTIMATE ANSWER IS I THINK WE NEED TO BE, WE NEED TO BE FIRM WITH WHAT OUR GUIDELINES ARE, BUT FLEXIBLE WITH WHAT THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION IS. 
          'CAUSE I DON'T THINK ANYBODY KNOWS. 
          THERE'S NO ONE IN THE STATE, LET ALONE THE COUNTRY THAT SOLVES THIS. 
          AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, THIS BODY AND ULTIMATELY A PUBLIC SAFETY, WHICH YOU HAPPEN TO SIT ON, IS THE ONE THAT'S GOTTA BE THE ONES CALLING BALLS AND STRIKES. 
          IT'S HONESTLY, IT'S A LITTLE SUBJECTIVE, BUT THAT GIVES YOU THE ABILITY AS A LEGISLATOR TO SAY, OKAY, YOU USE SOME OPERATING DEBT, BUT IT MAKES SENSE IN THIS CASE BECAUSE WE NEEDED THIS PIECE OF EQUIPMENT, BUT YOU GUYS ARE JUST USING IT TO SHIFT MONEY OVER TO THE LIBRARY. 
          THAT MAKES NO SENSE. 
          WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING? YOU KNOW THAT I THINK YOU AS LEGISLATORS HAVE TO HAVE THE FLEXIBILITY TO MAKE A JUDGMENT CALL ON THAT. 
          IF YOU WANT TO TAKE THAT OUT OF THE REALM, YOU CAN WRITE THOSE SMART GOALS A HELL OF A LOT TIGHTER, BUT YOU'RE HANDCUFFING YOURSELF AND YOUR HANDCUFFING FIRE CHIEFS, WHICH I DON'T THINK IS REALLY WHAT WE WANT. 
          AND THEY PROBABLY DON'T SIGN ON IF THEY'RE WRITTEN TOO TIGHT. 
          YEAH. 
          AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE ISSUES I HAD FROM, UH, ONE OF MY CONSTITUENTS, WAS THAT WE WERE GONNA PLAY AROUND WITH THE MONEY AND TRANSFER THE MONEY TO THIS PLACE, TO, TO SOMETHING HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH EMS. SO I, SO THE BEAUTY OF THE WAY THAT, UH, AARON AND AND TEAM STRUCTURED THE FORMULA BOTH ON THE FRONT END AND HOW IT WORKS ON THE BACK END, IT'S ALL PREDICATED ON TOTAL FIRE AND EMS SPEND. 
          THEY CAN'T PUT OTHER SPEND INTO THE, THE FORMULA THAT ULTIMATELY CALCULATES WHAT THEY GET. 
          IT'S STRICTLY BASED ON WHAT THEY'RE SPENDING ON EMS SPECIFICALLY. 
          SO WHEN THEY DO THE MATH, UM, WE'RE GONNA KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH THEY'RE SPENDING BASED ON THE BUDGETS THAT THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF PRESENTING AND APPROVING, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA MAKE A DECISION TO SEND THOSE CHECKS OUT. 
          THE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEES ON THE BACKSIDE. 
          DID YOU REALLY SPEND THAT ON THE MS OR DID YOU JUST SHOVEL IT TO SOMETHING ELSE? YOU'RE THE ONLY BODY THAT IS ULTIMATELY GONNA BE ABLE TO DISCERN THAT INFORMATION. 
          UM, AND THEN ULTIMATELY, IF YOU HAVE TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THE COUNTY BOARD AT LARGE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. 
          I NOTE THAT DAVE SAGER, WHO IS ON VACATION IN MEXICO, IS ACTUALLY ZOOMED IN NOW. 
          SO WELCOME DAVE. 
          THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN AND THANK YOU COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE SUPERVISOR PRIDE MORE AND SUPERVISOR CONRAD WATSON'S QUESTIONS. 
          UH, WE'VE REALLY BUILT SOME EXTRAORDINARY RELATIONSHIPS THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS. 
          AND I, I BELIEVE, UH, WITH WHAT THE EXECUTIVE IS SAYING AND WHAT, WHAT MR. DOLES PUT TOGETHER, AS WELL AS THE COUNTY ATTORNEY, GIVES US A TRUE OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY BE ABLE TO TRANSITION INTO SOMETHING THAT WORKS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY WITH THE SHARED SERVICES PROGRAM THAT WE'VE IDENTIFIED THROUGH COUNTY, UH, ATTORNEY'S, UH, STERN'S ABILITY TO CRAFT THE LANGUAGE WITH THE RESOLUTION THAT YOU HAVE BEFORE YOU, UM, YES, SUPERVISOR PRYOR, AS WELL AS ALL MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE. 
          WE WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A CONSTANT REVIEW PERIODICALLY, AS OFTEN AS YOU'D LIKE TO SEE EXACTLY WHAT IS GOING ON WITH OUR PARTNERS WITHIN THE MUNICIPALITIES AND OUR FIRE SERVICE LEADERSHIP. 
          WE HAVE TREMENDOUS FIRE SERVICE LEADERSHIP, UH, CHIEF NORAN, CHIEF WEST, CHIEF SWEENEY, CHIEF DELAINE AMONGST MANY OTHERS. 
          AND WHAT WE'VE BUILT AND HAVE PUT TOGETHER IS EXTRAORDINARY. 
          AND RIGHT NOW, THIS EVENING, YOU 
          [00:20:01]
ARE AT A POINT, AND I'M DISAPPOINTED IN MYSELF THAT I'M NOT THERE TO PARTICIPATE, BUT THIS IS A QUINTESSENTIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT IS A F FLAGSHIP THING THAT WASHINGTON COUNTY IS TAKING UP THAT DODGE COUNTY, JEFFERSON COUNTY, RACINE COUNTY, MANY, MANY OTHER PARTNERS ARE LOOKING AT US, SEEING WHAT WE'RE DOING IN WASHINGTON COUNTY, AND WE ARE SETTING THE BARS. 
          SO I APPRECIATE THE QUESTIONS, BUT WE WILL HAVE THIS WELL IN HAND, AND THIS WILL BE EXTRAORDINARILY SUCCESSFUL, AND I APPRECIATE THAT, MR. CHAIRMAN, SUPERVISOR TROUTNER. 
          UM, I, I DO THINK THIS IS A, AN EXCELLENT PLAN. 
          I THINK IT'S, UM, PHYSICALLY RESPONSIBLE THAT WILL HELP PEOPLE THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE COUNTY. 
          UM, I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION. 
          UM, AFTER TALKING TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE FROM DEPARTMENTS, COULD YOU JUST GO OVER BRIEFLY, UM, HOW THE GRANT MONEY FOR THE VOLUNTEER DEPARTMENTS WOULD BE DIVVIED UP? DOES IT GO TO, UM, INDIVIDUAL VOLUNTEERS? UM, PEOPLE HAVE HEARD DIFFERENT THINGS, THE VOLUNTEER INCENTIVE, IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE ASKING? YES. 
          THE DESIGN IS SUCH, UM, THAT WE ESTIMATE THERE'S ABOUT 500 VOLUNTEERS COUNTYWIDE, UM, ACROSS ALL THE DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS. 
          AND SO THE $500,000 REPRESENTS A THOUSAND DOLLARS PER VOLUNTEER. 
          UM, THERE'S BEEN A FAIR AMOUNT OF DEBATE AMONGST THE CHIEFS ABOUT WHAT'S THE BEST METHODOLOGY TO SEND THOSE DOLLARS OUT. 
          UH, THE ORIGINAL CONCEPT WAS TO FOLLOW A MODEL, A TEMPLATE THAT SLINGER FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS, UH, WHERE THEY ESSENTIALLY HAVE A RETIREMENT TYPE OF A PROGRAM THAT IS TACKED ONTO THE STATE PROGRAM. 
          UM, THAT'S VERY, VERY, VERY SHORT SUMMARY OF WHAT IT REALLY IS. 
          BUT, UM, IN ESSENCE, THEY, THIS WOULD ENHANCE THAT SOME OF THE CHIEFS HAVE A VOICED THAT THEY'D RATHER SEE IT BE MORE OF A, UM, RECRUITMENT TYPE OF AN INCENTIVE OR ATTENTION TYPE OF AN INCENTIVE THAT COMES IMMEDIATELY. 
          SO THERE IS A FAIR AMOUNT OF DEBATE YET GOING ON FOR WHAT'S THE MOST EFFECTIVE. 
          BUT THE GOAL IS RETAIN AND RECRUIT, UM, KEEP AS MANY VOLUNTEERS AS WE CAN AND GET NEW ONES. 
          SO IN THE END, UH, PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEES GONNA HAVE TO BLESS A PROGRAM THAT ACCOMPLISHES BOTH OF THOSE THINGS. 
          FIRST AND FOREMOST. 
          AND I SHOULD ALSO MENTION THERE WAS A FAIR AMOUNT OF DISCUSSION, ESPECIALLY TOWARDS THE END, ABOUT USING SOME OF THOSE DOLLARS TO RECRUIT FULL-TIME, UM, PARAMEDIC FIREFIGHTERS. 
          UM, AND WE TOOK A PRETTY FIRM STANCE. 
          WHEN I SAY WE, I MEAN, UM, DAVE SAGER AND MYSELF, THAT THIS IS NOT FOR FULL-TIME POSITIONS. 
          THIS IS EXPLICITLY VOLUNTEER PAID ON CALL PERSONNEL ONLY. 
          UM, BECAUSE THAT IS THE, THAT IS THE AREA THAT HELPS US SUSTAIN THE OPERATION AND RELIEVE THE STRESS ON THE FULL-TIMERS. 
          SO I KNOW THAT'S NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT AN ANSWER, BUT THAT'S THE DIRECTION WE'RE TRYING TO TAKE IT. 
          THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR CONRAD. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIR. 
          UM, JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS AND ONE OF 'EM, UM, FOLLOWING UP REGARDING THE SMART GOALS, UH, ONE THAT IS, IS CONCERNING ESPECIALLY TO, YOU KNOW, SLINGER FIRE DEPARTMENT IS THAT CUT THE, THE BUDGET BY 5% FOR DEPARTMENTS LIKE SLINGER WHO HAVE, ARE EXTREMELY LEAN , UM, JUST LIKE THE TOWN OF POLK MUNICIPALITY, UM, AND HAVE BEEN FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE, HOW, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW ARE THEY EXPECT GOING TO CUT A 5%? IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S REALLY HURTING MUNICIPALITIES AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS WHO HAVE BEEN FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE. 
          AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AND IN PART THIS IS POTENTIALLY REWARDING THE ONES WHO HAVEN'T. 
          UM, I'M SMILING BECAUSE I'VE BEEN IN GOVERNMENT FOR 20 YEARS AND FOR 20 YEARS I'VE HEARD BUREAUCRATS SAY THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          UM, WE'RE NOT CUT ASKING THEM TO CUT 5%. 
          WE'RE ASKING THEM TO REDUCE FUTURE INCREASES BY 5%. 
          THAT'S A MUCH, MUCH DIFFERENT THING. 
          UM, IF YOU REMEMBER THE BLUE LINE AND THE GREEN LINE AND THE GOLD LINE, WHAT WE'RE ASKING FOR IS TRY TO BEND THE BLUE LINE DOWN, TRY NOT TO, LET'S TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR GROWTH IS MANAGED, UM, THAT IT, EVERY ORGANIZATION EVERYWHERE DOES THAT. 
          MM-HMM . 
          IF, IF WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THEIR EXPENSES ARE THIS, AND FOR THE NEXT DECADE, WE WANT YOU TO KEEP THEM FLAT AND THEN REDUCE BY 5%, I TOTALLY AGREE. 
          LIKE, THAT IS NOT ACHIEVABLE, ESPECIALLY IN THE DAY AND AGE WHERE DIESEL FUEL IS $6 AND 50 CENTS A GALLON. 
          RIGHT. 
          UM, BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MITIGATING GROWTH THAT THEY'RE ALREADY PROJECTING PRETTY AGGRESSIVELY. 
          [00:25:01]
SO I DON'T THINK THAT, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, I DEBATED SHOULD WE MAKE THAT 5% MORE LIKE 10 OR 15? BUT I KNEW FIVE ALONE WOULD GET PEOPLE STANDING UP AND BEING CONCERNED. 
          UM, SO I, I THINK THE, THE REALISTIC, UM, APPROACH THAT OUR TAXPAYERS EXPECT IS YOU CAN'T HAVE GROWTH THAT LOOKS LIKE THAT. 
          IT'S NOT PO IT'S UNSUSTAINABLE. 
          WE CANNOT AFFORD IT. 
          I DON'T, IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S SLINGER OR JACKSON OR WEST BEND OR GERMANTOWN. 
          WE CAN'T DO IT. 
          SO HOW DO YOU MAKE IT A LITTLE BIT MORE MANAGEABLE? AND THAT'S WHAT THAT'S INTENDED. 
          IF WE NEED TO CLARIFY THAT IN THE LANGUAGE, I'M HAPPY TO DO THAT. 
          UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S NOT ABOUT CUTTING, IT'S ABOUT GROWING BY A LITTLE BIT LESS. 
          ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. 
          AND JUST, UM, ANOTHER COMMENT. 
          YEAH, THERE'S, UM, TRUST CONCERNS, YOU KNOW, TRUST ISSUES AND THEN OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, YOUR, UM, YOUR STATEMENT REGARDING, YOU KNOW, WE'RE TRULY TRYING TO HELP SUSTAIN AND EVEN POTENTIALLY GROW THE VOLUNTEER PROGRAM. 
          UM, AND I, I TRULY HOPE THAT IS A, A POSITIVE THAT WOULD COME OUT OF THIS IF IT WOULD PASS, UM, AND TO SUPERVISOR P PRIMO'S CONCERNS TOO. 
          AND SOME OTHER FIRE DEPARTMENT SAID, THIS DOESN'T, YOU KNOW, LIKE SOLVE ALL OUR PROBLEMS OR POTENTIALLY EVEN THE ROOT CAUSE OF WHY WE ARE HERE. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, WE NEED TO TRY AND LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE ROOT CAUSES, THE UTILIZATION OF THE SYSTEMS IN EMS. LIKE SOME OF THE EXAMPLES YOURSELF, UM, EXECUTIVE SHOWMAN HAVE SHARED IN THE LISTENING SESSIONS WITH, YOU KNOW, UTILIZATION MM-HMM . 
          OF, UM, CITIZENS AND, YOU KNOW, LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES TOO. 
          UM, SO ADDRESS SOME OF THE, THE ROOT CAUSES. 
          UM, AND OF COURSE TOO, I WANT, YOU KNOW, WANT TO ENSURE THAT THE SLINGER LIFESTYLE MODEL, WHICH IS A ROLE MODEL AND HAS, UM, TRULY, YOU KNOW, DECREASED, UM, YOU KNOW, THE TAXES AND THE IMPACT ON CITIZENS THAT THAT IS SUSTAINED. 
          AND IF ON OTHER MUNICIPALITIES, IF THEY WOULD LIKE TO REPLICATE THAT, THAT THEY ARE ABLE TO MM-HMM . 
          AND NEED THAT IN WRITING, UM, SOMEHOW, I MEAN, IF IT COSTS LESS THE WHOLE, THE WHOLE POINT AND THE, THE GOALS THEMSELVES SPEAK TO MM-HMM . 
          UM, PROGRAMS THAT COST LESS. 
          AND SO I THINK THAT MOST CERTAINLY IS A GOAL. 
          YOU KNOW, SOME OF THOSE LARGER ROOT CAUSE UH, TYPE ISSUES GO WAY BEYOND THE SCOPE OF ANYBODY SITTING IN THIS ROOM. 
          UM, THEY REALLY ARE DRIVEN FROM A HEALTH, UM, A HEALTH CARE COMPLEX, UH, THAT MAKES THE INDU, THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX, UH MM-HMM . 
          GIVES IT A RUN FOR ITS MONEY. 
          UM, SO I, YOU KNOW, THE, I WOULD SAY THE BIGGEST DRIVER OF US SITTING HERE AND HAVING THIS DISCUSSION, UM, MAYBE MUNICIPALITIES WOULD ARGUE IT'S NET NEW CONSTRUCTION AND LEVEE LIMITS, BUT I'D ARGUE IT'S A FAILURE TO FULLY FUND MEDICARE AND MEDICAID AND HOW HEALTH INSURANCE IN GENERAL IS FUNDED. 
          UM, THAT'S THE REAL PROBLEM. 
          IF WE WERE PAYING 100% OF THE COST OF, UH, MEDICARE AND MEDICAID PATIENTS TO OUR AMBULANCE SERVICES, THEY'D BE SWIMMING IN MONEY. 
          UM, BUT WE'RE NOT, WE'RE PAYING 'EM 50 CENTS ON THE DOLLAR. 
          MM-HMM . 
          IT'S, IT'S THE PROBLEM WE HAD WITH SAMARITAN EXCEPT FIVE TIMES WORSE. 
          SO I, YEAH, I, THERE'S A LOT OF THIS ISN'T BY NO MEANS A SILVER BULLET, BUT IT PROBABLY IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MORE MUNICIPALITIES GOING DOWN THE PATH THAT RICHFIELD AND KIOSK WERE FORCED TO GO DOWN, UM, OR REPLICATING IT THEMSELVES. 
          UM, VERSUS, VERSUS BEING ABLE TO PROTECT THE AUTONOMY AND THE LOCAL CONTROL THAT ALL OF OUR MUNICIPALITIES HAVE MADE LOUD AND CLEAR THAT THEY WANT. 
          UM, THEY JUST HAVE NO WAY TO FUND IT. 
          SO THIS GIVES THEM NO WAY. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU SUPERVISOR GALLS. 
          THANK YOU, CHAIR. 
          YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE HERE TODAY IN THIS RESOLUTION TO MAKE A POLICY DECISION BASED UPON ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WE'VE SEEN SO FAR, INCLUDING, UH, JUST A REMINDER THAT THE WASHINGTON COUNTY FIRE CHIEFS COLLECTIVELY HAD PROFFERED THIS SOLUTION, RIGHT? AND, AND THAT IS MAXIMIZING WHAT IS AVAILABLE TO US. 
          UH, WHILE THE WISCONSIN LEGISLATOR, UH, ISN'T MAYBE DOING ALL IT COULD WITH THE FUNDING FORMULA HAS BEEN MENTIONED MULTIPLE TIMES, BUT THIS IS A TOOL IN OUR TOOLBOX, SO WE HAVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT. 
          OTHERWISE, UH, I THINK WE'D BE DOING A DISSERVICE TO OUR, OUR COUNTY CITIZENS, UH, UH, AS I THINK ALL WOULD AGREE, UM, WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO ENSURE A SUSTAINABLE EMS. SO I, I CAN'T 
          [00:30:01]
ENVISION ANY WAY WE COULD NOT, UH, APPROVE THIS POLICY TONIGHT. 
          AND IN SUBSEQUENT MEETINGS WHAT THAT ACTUAL FUNDING AMOUNT IS. 
          AND EVEN THE SMART, UH, GOALS THAT HAVE BEEN REFERENCED TONIGHT, UH, THE PUBLIC SAFETY IS GONNA HAVE THEIR HANDS FULL. 
          AND I SUSPECT WE'LL TAKE A LOT OF, UH, HELP FROM ANY ONE OF US, UH, TO, TO, TO HELP MAKE SURE THAT GOES SMOOTHLY. 
          BUT, UH, AND WE HAVE NO OTHER SOLUTION. 
          SO, LIKE I SAID, I CAN'T IMAGINE NOT VOTING FOR THIS SUPERVISOR, BOSER. 
          SO I'M GONNA ADD ON A LITTLE BIT TO SUPERVISOR GATZ. 
          YOU KNOW, THIS WAS BROUGHT BY THE FIRE DEPARTMENTS AND EIGHT COMMUNITIES HAVE ALREADY OPTED IN AFTER ONLY A COUPLE WEEKS. 
          I EXPECT A LOT MORE WILL OPT IN. 
          THIS IS A GENUINE SOLUTION THAT IS GOING TO HELP THIS PROBLEM. 
          SO I'D ASK EVERYBODY TO VOTE FOR IT. 
          ONE THING I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ALL UNDERSTAND, THE SMART GOALS ARE NOT GOALS FOR INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS. 
          THEY'RE GROUP GOALS. 
          SO AARON IS NOT GONNA BE ASKED TO SLOW THEIR INCREASE IN EXPENSE BY 5%, AND SLINGER NOT GONNA BE ASKED TO SLOW THEIR INCREASE BY 5%. 
          THEY'RE BEING ASKED TO WORK TOGETHER TO SLOW THE CUMULATIVE INCREASE BY 5%, AND MAYBE WEST BEND COMES UP WITH A SOLUTION THAT SAVES 6% AND THAT FILTERS DOWN. 
          UM, MAYBE JACKSON, MAYBE JACKSON AND SLINGER AND RICHFIELD WORK TOGETHER, AND COLLECTIVELY THEY BRING IN SOME SAVINGS. 
          BUT THIS IS NOT GOALS FOR INDIVIDUAL DEPARTMENTS. 
          THESE ARE PROGRAM GOALS THAT ARE GLOBAL TO ALL THE DEPARTMENTS WORKING TOGETHER. 
          SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT'S KEPT IN MIND. 
          I KNOW THERE, I WANNA ADD ON ONE LAST THING. 
          I KNOW THERE'S AN EFFORT, UH, FROM A CERTAIN SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLET TO OPPOSE THIS, BUT IN GENERAL, THE COMMUNITY SEEMS TO BE VERY SUPPORTIVE. 
          YEAH, I WAS AT THE, UH, THE POUTS THING WITH THE SEWER FEE AND WE HAD HUNDREDS, LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE SHOW UP AT COUNTY FAIR PARK AND PROTEST TO THAT. 
          WE'VE HAD ALMOST NO REACTION FROM THE PUBLIC TO THIS. 
          THAT'S NEGATIVE, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A FEW PEOPLE WHO ARE CLOSELY CONNECTED TO THAT SOCIAL MEDIA OUTLET. 
          IN CONTRAST, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF SUPPORT FOR THIS IN THE COMMUNITY. 
          I THINK PEOPLE SEE THE NEED THEY WANT WHEN THEY PICK UP THE PHONE AND DIAL NINE ONE ONE FOR SOMEBODY TO BE THERE. 
          SO AGAIN, I WOULD ASK EVERYBODY TO SUPPORT THIS. 
          UH, THANK YOU MR. CHAIRMAN, SUPERVISOR KREBS. 
          THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. 
          UM, EITHER SUPERVISOR BOSER OR OR OTHERWISE, UH, EXECUTIVE SHOWMAN. 
          COULD YOU GUYS PLEASE COMMENT ON THE FACT THAT THE SMART GOALS ARE FOR THE GROUP OR COUNTYWIDE? I WAS VIEWING 'EM A LITTLE BIT MORE INDIVIDUALLY, SO I WOULD LIKE CLARIFICATION ON THAT. 
          SPECIFICALLY, THE FIRST SMART GOAL OF AVOIDANCE OF OPERATIONAL DEBT OR REFERENDUMS. WHAT HAPPENS IF ONE MUNICIPALITY DOES IT? DO THEY RUIN IT FOR THE GROUP, OR ARE WE, OR WHAT'S THE RECOURSE FOR LIKE, SOMETHING THAT'S SO SPECIFIC TO ONE MUNICIPALITY OVER THE OTHER? I THINK THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION IS YES. 
          UM, THEY, THEY APPLY COUNTYWIDE, UM, AND THEY APPLY SPECIFICALLY. 
          SO, BUT THAT'S WHY I WAS SAYING EARLIER TO SUPERVISOR PRIDE MOORE'S QUESTIONS. 
          IT'S IMPORTANT THAT PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE SPECIFICALLY IS THE ONE KIND OF CALLING BALLS AND STRIKES. 
          IS THAT, IS THAT BEYOND THE SCOPE OF WHAT WE INTENDED? OR IS THAT NOT? UM, I THINK IN THE CASE OF SOMEBODY WHO'S GOING OUT TO OP, LET'S JUST USE AN EXAMPLE OF AN OPERATING REFERENDUM AND WE'LL PICK ON RICHFIELD. 
          LET'S DO HARTFORD. 
          I LIKE, LET'S PICK ON HAR, LET'S, YOU'RE FROM HARTFORD. 
          LET'S DO HARTFORD. 
          SO HARTFORD DECIDES WE'RE GONNA GO OUT TO REFERENT REFERENDUM ANYWAY, AND WE'RE GONNA ADD 10 NEW FIREFIGHTERS AND EMTS JUST LIKE GERMANTOWN DID, JUST LIKE RICHFIELD DID. 
          NOW IT'S OUR TURN. 
          WE'RE GONNA GO DO IT ANYWAY. 
          I'M, I'M ALMOST CERTAIN PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE'S GONNA SAY, HOLD ON, STOP. 
          LIKE YOU DO THAT, WE'RE GONNA, WE HAVE TO HAVE A DISCUSSION. 
          IF YOU'RE GETTING ANY OF THIS MONEY ANYMORE, WE'RE GONNA KEEP THIS GOING. 
          I, I ANTICIPATE THAT WILL HAPPEN. 
          ON THE OTHER HAND, IF THEY GO TO A REFERENDUM AND THEY'RE GONNA BUILD A NEW BUILDING, LIKE, I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE GONNA WANT TO BE WEIGHING IN ON THAT. 
          OUR, OUR DOLLARS THAT WE'RE ALLOCATING HERE HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH CAPITAL EXPENSES. 
          IT'S ALL CALCULATED BASED ON OPERATION. 
          SO THAT'S WHY I SAY THINGS LIKE I'M, OR FOR EXAMPLE, THEY WANT TO ADD ONE NEW FIREFIGHTER. 
          ARE WE, THEY SPEND MORE MONEY, MORE OPERATING MONEY TO ADD A FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC? ARE WE REALLY GONNA SAY, OKAY, WE'RE DONE. 
          [00:35:01]
'CAUSE YOU ADDED ONE. 
          I I DON'T KNOW IF I, IF I'M PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE, I WANT TO KNOW, OKAY, TELL ME THE CONTEXT OF WHY EXACTLY YOU ADDED ONE. 
          AND BY THE WAY, WHEN YOU ADD ONE, YOU REALLY ADD THREE 'CAUSE IT'S 24 HOUR SHIFT. 
          SO I, THAT'S WHY I SAY LIKE, I DON'T WANT TO BE SO PUNITIVE THAT WE PIN OURSELVES IN TO SOMETHING WE REALLY AREN'T INTENDING. 
          LIKE, LET LEGISLATORS LEGISLATE, LET PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE DO WHAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO DO. 
          AND IF THEY THINK IT'S ELEVATES TO THE LEVEL OF BRINGING TO PUBLIC SAFETY AND SAY, THIS IS CLEARLY NOT WHAT WE ALL ARE TO THE COUNTY BOARD. 
          THIS IS CLEARLY WHAT, NOT WHAT WE INTENDED. 
          YOU GUYS NEED TO MAKE A DECISION ON THIS. 
          THEN YOU DO. 
          UM, IN, IN CONTRAST, OTHER GOALS HOLISTICALLY. 
          LIKE SUPERVISOR BOSER WAS SAYING, I MEAN, I'M CERTAIN THERE'S GOING TO BE DEPARTMENTS THAT GO UP AND DOWN EVERY YEAR. 
          OUR, I MEAN WE'RE, WE ALL ALWAYS HAVE TO LOOK AT THE MACRO. 
          SO I THINK IT'S GONNA BE A COMPLETE BALANCING ACT THAT YOU DO THIS EVERY TWO YEARS IN YOUR BIENNIAL BUDGET PROCESS. 
          YOU DON'T LOOK, WELL, WHICH COUNTY PARKS ARE WE SPENDING ON? AND THOSE ARE THE ONE, THE ONLY ONES I CARE ABOUT. 
          YOU LOOK ACROSS THE ENTIRETY OF THE WHOLE COUNTY OPERATION AND NOBODY'S ASKING SHERIFF TICE, YOU KNOW WHAT? I REALLY DON'T CARE ABOUT HOW MUCH TIME YOU AND MONEY YOU SPEND NORTH OF IN THE NORTHERN THIRD OF THE COUNTY. 
          I ONLY CARE ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE SOUTH. 
          WE DON'T THINK, WE DON'T TALK LIKE THAT. 
          I WOULDN'T EXPECT WE WILL WITH THIS EITHER. 
          UM, AGAIN, I THINK THE POINT IS GIVE YOU GUYS AS MUCH FLEXIBILITY TO HAVE SOME GUARDRAILS AND THEN LEGISLATE WITHIN THOSE GUARDRAILS. 
          WHAT I WOULD ENCOURAGE THEN, WOULD PUBLIC SAFE IF THAT, IF PUBLIC SAFETY WOULD BE OPEN TO, IF THEY'RE GOING TO BE KIND OF ALL CALLING THESE BALLS AND STRIKES IF MUNICIPALITIES ARE CONTEMPLATING CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS OR LIKE THINGS WHERE MAYBE IT'S IN THE GRAY ZONE, UM, ALMOST IF THEY WANT TO HAVE A PRE-CONVERSATION ABOUT IT TO SEE HOW THE COUNTY WOULD FEEL OR NOT THAT THEY'D JEOPARDIZE THEIR, THEIR YES. 
          MONEY OR NOT. 
          THERE'S, WE HAVE A LIVE WIRE EXAMPLE RIGHT NOW. 
          THERE'S ONE DEPARTMENT TALKING ABOUT ADDING FULL-TIME STAFF AS AT THE SAME TIME AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THIS, AND DAVE CAN ATTEST TO THIS, WE ARE PROACTIVELY TALKING TO THEM ABOUT WHEN WE DO THIS, ARE YOU SURE YOU'RE REALLY GOING TO NEED THAT THREE YEARS FROM NOW IF WE CAN GET YOU TO WORK WITH OTHERS? ARE YOU POSITIVE YOU NEED TO SPEND THAT? I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE DOLLAR AMOUNT IS. 
          I'LL SAY $200,000. 
          UM, THAT IS A CONVERSATION THE COUNTY NEVER HAD THE ABILITY TO EVEN HAVE BEFORE. 
          SO I, I THINK YOU'RE GONNA SEE MORE OF THAT AT THE SAME TIME AS ACKNOWLEDGING LIKE, THIS IS, WE, WE COLLECTIVELY, I THINK WANT THEM TO HAVE LOCAL CONTROL, RIGHT? LIKE, WE DON'T WANT TO BE DECIDING HOW MANY PARAMEDICS DO WE REALLY NEED? UH, LIKE I, IF WE WANTED THAT, WE SHOULD CREATE OUR OWN DEPARTMENT. 
          I DON'T WANT THAT. 
          I'M NOT ADVOCATING FOR THAT, BUT I THINK THERE'S A GIVE AND A TAKE. 
          UM, AND IT IS, IT TRULY IS GONNA BE INCUMBENT ON CHIEF PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER AND THE PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE TO, TO DO THAT VETTING. 
          AND THEY'RE GONNA GET THOSE BUDGETS EVERY SINGLE, UM, JULY AND AUGUST. 
          IT'S NOT AS IF THEY HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE BIENNIAL BUDGET. 
          THEY GET 'EM EVERY YEAR. 
          SO WE'VE GOT, I MEAN THAT, THIS IS WHY I INITIALLY SAID WE NEED TO FUND, HAVE MORE FUNDING TO ADMINISTER THIS PROGRAM. 
          THERE'S NOT GONNA BE ANYTHING SIMPLE ABOUT US TRYING TO MANAGE T TYPICALLY A GRANT PROGRAM. 
          I'VE FROM, I'M NOT A, I'M NOT THE STAFF THAT DEALS WITH GRANTS ON A REGULAR BASIS, BUT I VIEW GRANTS, YOU APPLY FORM AND ONCE YOU OBTAIN IT, KIND OF, IT'S YOUR HANDS OFF. 
          MM-HMM . 
          THIS SEEMS TO BE, IT WILL BE A VERY ACTIVE, ONGOING COMMUNICATION AND WATCHING OF, OF HOW IT'S ADMINISTERED. 
          AND IT IS SPREAD OUT BECAUSE FOR TWO REASONS. 
          ONE IS IF YOU'RE GONNA AVOID REFERENDUM AND YOU'RE GONNA AVOID OPERATING DEBT, THE ONLY WAY TO DO IT IS BY WORKING TOGETHER AND BEING PROACTIVE. 
          UH, LIKE OTHERWISE THEY'RE JUST GONNA GO INTO, SET IT ON AUTOPILOT AND IT'S JUST GONNA KEEP GOING LIKE THIS. 
          THAT IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE SAME SENTENCE, THE ONLY WAY TO GET THAT BLUE LINE TO BEND DOWN 5% IS FOR EVERYBODY TO BE WORKING TOGETHER EXACTLY THE SAME WAY. 
          THAT DOESN'T HAPPEN BY US BREAKING UP THIS HUDDLE THAT WE'VE HAD FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS AND SAYING, OKAY, NOW WE'VE GOT IT SOLVED. 
          EVERYBODY'S ON THEIR OWN, IT'S NOT GONNA WORK. 
          AND THE NEXT DECADE, I MEAN, JUST LOOK AT THE, THE, UH, ARTICLE I SENT, OR I GUESS MIKE SENT, UH, ABOUT THE POPULATION DECLINE. 
          LIKE THOSE COSTS ARE GOING UP EXPONENTIALLY. 
          SO WE ARE FIGHTING GRAVITY, THEREFORE WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO DO A LOT OF WORK TO CONTINUE THAT FIGHT. 
          UM, OTHER QUE TWO OTHER POINTS OR QUESTIONS. 
          FIRST ONE IS, AS RELATED TO SMART GOALS, I UNDERSTAND SOME OF THEM IT MAKES SENSE TO HAVE LIKE A DUE DATE CALLED OUT ON IT, BUT LIKE SOME OF THEM, IT SEEMS LIKE THOSE SHOULD BE GOALS THAT ARE ONGOING WITHOUT A DUE 
          [00:40:01]
DATE. 
          LIKE THE VERY FIRST ONE ABOUT OPERATING DEBT OR REFERENDUMS. WHY DO WE WAIT TILL DECEMBER 31ST OF 29 TO START HOW I'M READING IT IN ENFORCE IF THEY DO THAT OR NOT? SO SHOULDN'T THAT BE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY? SO YOU'LL NOTICE CONSISTENTLY IT'S GATHER THREE YEARS OF DATA AND THEN ACTIVE ACT ON ENFORCEMENT. 
          I, I WOULD BE VERY, VERY SURPRISED IF 27 OR 28 THAT WAS EVEN CONTEMPLATED. 
          I, I, I MEAN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ALMOST ALL OF THE SAME ELECTED OFFICIALS WHO ARE GOING TO BE THE ONES, BECAUSE OF THE OPT-IN CLAUSE MAKING THAT ACTIVE DECISION TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS PROGRAM. 
          IT'D BE ALMOST ANTITHETICAL TO THINK THEY'D ALSO BE THE SAME ELECTED OFFICIALS TO SAY, OKAY, WE GOT ALL THIS MONEY AND NOW ALSO WE WANT TO GO TO REFERENDUM. 
          I DON'T THINK THAT WILL HAPPEN, BUT YOU KNOW, THIS IS POLITICS. 
          WHO KNOWS? YOU'RE MORE OPTIMISTIC THAN I AM. 
          . 
          IF THAT WERE TO HAPPEN, I FULLY ANTICIPATE WE WOULD ALL BE FLOW THROWING FLAGS IN THE AIR. 
          I JUST THINK THAT'S MORE THAN LIKELY IT'S GONNA BE THE FIRST TIME WE SAY I'M THINKING MORE ALONG THE LINE OF THE OPERATING. 
          THAT'S REALLY THE FIRST TIME WHERE WE, WE CAN ACTUALLY ON A DASHBOARD SAY, OKAY, THIS WORKED FOR THE FIRST THREE YEARS. 
          NOW WHAT, AND THE SAME THING IS TRUE FOR, I THINK I TALK IN THERE ABOUT, UM, EQUIPMENT EXPENSES. 
          I, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU'RE GONNA MEASURE THAT IN ONE YEAR, UH, OR TWO YEARS FOR THAT MATTER. 
          I MEAN, WE DO BIENNIAL BUDGETS. 
          WE'RE NOT EVEN HALFWAY THROUGH THE BIENNIUM TWO YEARS FROM NOW. 
          SO MY HOPE IS THAT GIVES US ENOUGH, ENOUGH SPACE, ENOUGH DATA TO ACTUALLY HAVE AN INFORMED, YEAH, THIS IS WORKING AT OR IT'S NOT. 
          AND NUMBER TWO, THE WAY THAT WE'VE STRUCTURED AND TALKED HERE ABOUT THE CONTRACT, THE INITIAL CONTRACT IS A FIVE YEAR CONTRACT, BUT IT HAS AN 18 MONTH OUT CLAUSE. 
          SO THE OTHER THING THAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT THE THREE YEARS IS THAT'S THE FIRST TIME WE CAN SAY, HEY, YOU'RE IN VIOLATION OF THE CONTRACT OR WE DON'T LIKE WHAT YOU'RE DOING BETTER YET, NOT VIOLATION. 
          WE DON'T LIKE WHAT YOU'RE DOING. 
          WE'RE GIVING YOU NOTICE NOW THAT WE'RE OUT IN 18 MONTHS OR THAT WE'RE MODIFYING THIS IN 18 MONTHS. 
          UM, NOW IF THEY COMPLETELY VIOLATE IT, WHICH IS BASICALLY WHAT YOU'RE ARGUING, I THINK THAT'S A TOTALLY DIFFERENT THING. 
          OKAY. 
          UM, THE LAST QUESTION, AND YOU HIT ON IT, THE THE FIVE YEAR CONTRACTOR, UH, EXP EXPIRATION OF THE, OF THIS, AT WHAT POINT WOULD THE COUNTY BOARD KIND OF EXPECT TO REALLY BE LOOKING TO SEE, ARE WE GONNA EXTEND THIS ANOTHER FIVE YEARS OR WHATEVER THE NEXT STEPS ARE AND STUFF? OBVIOUSLY WE'LL BE MONITORING THIS EVERY YEAR THROUGHOUT THE FIVE YEARS, BUT WHEN WILL THE BIGGER DEBATE AT THE COUNTY LIKELY COME BACK BEFORE THE SPORT AGAIN? WOULD THAT BE LIKE THE FOURTH YEAR OF IT'LL BE KIND OF GETTING 20, 30, 20. 
          IF, IF THE CONTRACTS ARE ALL SIGNED AND THEY'RE EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1ST, 2027, UM, 2030 WOULD BE THE NEXT TIME THAT YOU'D BE CONTEMPLATING, DO YOU EXTEND THEM? UM, AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN BEGUN TO TALK ABOUT WHAT THOSE CONTRACTS LOOK LIKE, BUT WE HAVE PRECEDENT, OUR, UM, HEALTH DEPARTMENT CONTRACT HAD A FIVE YEAR AUTOMATIC RENEWAL CLAUSE. 
          SO IF WE DIDN'T NOTIFY 18 MONTHS BEFORE THAT CLAUSE, WHICH IN THIS CASE WOULD BE JUNE 30TH, 2029, NO, 2030, UH, IF WE DON'T NOTICE BY THEN, IT AUTOMATICALLY EXTENDS FOR FIVE YEARS. 
          SO THE COUNTY BOARD IN THE SPRING OF 2030 SHOULD BE TAKING UP, IF YOU NOTICE, SPRING OF 2030 IS ALSO THREE YEARS EXACTLY IN LINE WITH SMART GOALS. 
          THAT'S WHEN YOU SHOULD BE SAYING, OKAY, IS THE DASHBOARD SHOWING THIS THING'S WORKING OR NOT? SHOULD WE KEEP GOING OR SHOULD WE STOP? AND QUITE FRANKLY, WHAT I ANTICIPATE TO HAPPEN IN 2030 IS REALLY A CONVERSATION OF DO WE KEEP THE GROWTH TRAJECTORY 'CAUSE THIS IS WORKING REALLY WELL, OR DO WE SAY, OKAY, WE TRIED IT, WE REALIZE WE CAN'T BACK AWAY COMPLETELY, BUT WE'RE WE'RE FREEZING THE PROGRAM AS IS. 
          THAT TO ME, THAT'S GONNA BE THE REAL DEBATE. 
          I MAY BE WRONG, UM, BUT I ANTICIPATE THAT'S WHAT'LL BE THE DEBATE. 
          I KNOW I SAID I HAD ONLY ONE MORE QUESTION, BUT I GOT ONE MORE . 
          UM, AND IT'S A HYPOTHETICAL. 
          THERE'S NO GOOD ANSWER. 
          SO YOU CAN TELL ME YOU'RE NOT ANSWERING IT. 
          IF YOU WANT MONEY TO OTHER MIN TO MUNICIPALITIES IS LIKE A DRUG. 
          THEY GET HOOKED ON IT. 
          AND WHAT HAPPENS AT A CERTAIN POINT IF THE COUNTY CAN'T PAY FOR IT FOR WHATEVER REASON, OR THE POOR JUST WANTS TO GET OUTTA THAT MARKET. 
          WHAT KIND OF CULTURE, WHAT KIND OF SHOCK TO THESE OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND MUNICIPALITIES ARE WE GONNA CREATE IF 'CAUSE ONCE YOU START, EASIEST THING TO DO IS START SOMETHING HARDEST THING TO DO IS END SOMETHING. 
          SO STARTING IT, I'M JUST, THAT'S JUST I'M LOOKING AT THE END GAME. 
          YEP. 
          OR WILL THERE EVER BE AN END GAME? THIS MIGHT BE SOMETHING THAT, 
          [00:45:01]
YEAH, WE GOT FIVE YEARS ON IT, BUT IT IT'S AS GOOD OF A LIFETIME THING AT THIS POINT THEN. 
          UM, IT'S WHY I SAID FIVE YEARS FROM NOW I, OR THREE YEARS FROM NOW, RATHER, I ANTICIPATE THE DEBATE WILL BE DO WE FREEZE IT OR DO WE INCREASE IT? IT WON'T BE DO WE CUT IT? DO WE ELIMINATE IT? UNLESS, AND UNTIL MEDICARE AND MEDICAID GET DRASTICALLY INFOR UH, REFORMED OR THE POPULATION COMPLETELY TURNS OVER, UM, OR TAX LEVY LIMITS DRASTICALLY CHANGE OR THE STATE CHANGES THE WAY IT FUNDS EMS. THERE, THERE'S, THERE IS NO ENDING THIS. 
          ONCE YOU START IT, YOU'RE NOT STOPPING IT. 
          I APPRECIATE YOU AGREEING OR SAYING THAT TOO BECAUSE WE, I THINK WE ALL NEED TO UNDERSTAND YES, ONCE IT'S HERE, IT'S, IT'S HERE. 
          IT'S NOT A TRIAL PROGRAM. 
          PROBABLY IT'S NOT. 
          MORE THAN LIKELY IT'S NOT. 
          AND BUT I SAY THAT AND THE CONTRAST IS, TELL ME WHAT THE ALTERNATIVE IS AND THE ANSWER IS THERE IS NOT ONE. 
          THANK YOU. 
          THANK YOU SUPERVISOR CONRAD. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          JUST, UH, TWO MORE POINTS AT, AT THIS TIME. 
          UM, FIRST OR ONE, THE OPT-IN AND THEN ALSO THE, SAY THE FIVE YEAR CONTRACT. 
          AND CAN YOU SPEAK TO WHY THE FIVE YEAR VERSUS A A THREE YEAR? ESPECIALLY BECAUSE IF YOU GO DOWN THIS ROAD, UM, AND IT'S TRULY NOT WORKING OUT, WE'RE GONNA KNOW WITHIN THE THREE YEARS. 
          SO IT'D BE EASIER TO, YOU KNOW, STOP IT AT A THREE YEAR POINT AND THAT MIGHT ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO GIVE US, UM, AN AN OUT. 
          SO I THINK, UH, FIRST OF ALL, THERE WE HAVE PRECEDENT FOR THIS, UM, WITH MULTIPLE SHARED SERVICES AGREEMENTS WE HAVE, UH, TO HAVE LONGER TERM, UM, TIMELINES. 
          UM, BUT TO YOUR POINT ABOUT WE'RE GONNA KNOW FAST, THE ONLY WAY WE'LL KNOW FAST IS IF SOMEBODY PRETTY AGGRESSIVELY BREACHES TRUST. 
          MM-HMM . 
          UM, I AGREE WITH YOUR EARLIER SENTIMENT THAT THERE'S A MASSIVE TRUST DEFICIT, UM, THAT'S BEEN PROBABLY BUILT UP FOR 125 YEARS BETWEEN THE COUNTY AND MUNICIPALITIES. 
          THERE'S NO ONE FIXING THAT, UM, RAPIDLY. 
          HOWEVER, IF IT'S GOING TO END QUICKLY, IT'S GONNA BE BECAUSE SOME, EITHER THE COUNTY DOESN'T DO SOMETHING IT SAID IT WAS GONNA DO, OR A MUNICIPALITY DOES THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT IT SAID IT WOULD DO. 
          UM, THAT'S WHEN YOU'RE GONNA SEE IT END FAST AND YOU DON'T NEED A CONTRACT TO DICTATE WHETHER OR NOT YOU CONTINUE. 
          IN THAT CASE, THAT'S A BREACH AND YOU TERMINATE AFTER THAT. 
          THE MORE PRACTICAL REALITY IS SIMILAR TO PROPERTY TAXES, UM, THE CYCLE FROM ASSESSMENT TO ACTUAL TAXATION IS ABOUT THREE YEARS ITSELF. 
          UM, SO FROM THE TIME YOU INSTITUTE A PROGRAM TO THE TIME IT ACTUALLY IS EFFECTUATED TO THE TIME YOU CAN ACTUALLY MEASURE WHETHER OR NOT IT'S WORKING. 
          FIVE YEARS IS TIGHT, YOU GO LESS THAN FIVE YEARS, YOU'RE NOT GONNA ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO KNOW IS IT WORKING OR ISN'T IT WORKING? IT'S GONNA BE COMPLETELY ANECDOTAL, IT'S GONNA BE ALL EMOTIONAL AND YOU'RE GONNA BE DOING GUT CHECKS, NOT DATA CHECKS. 
          SO PRACTICALLY SPEAKING, THREE YEARS GIVES YOU ENOUGH TIME TO HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF DATA TO MAKE SOME SENSIBLE DECISIONS WITH, UM, SO THAT YOU CAN SAY WE'RE EXTENDING TWO YEARS FROM NOW, REMEMBER WE APPROVE THIS ALL HAPPENS. 
          UM, ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES WILL APPROVE THIS MONTH. 
          IT DOESN'T ACTUALLY BEGIN UNTIL JANUARY. 
          YOU DON'T ACTUALLY SEE ANYTHING PRACTICALLY UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR. 
          MM-HMM . 
          AND BY THEN YOU'RE ALREADY INTO THE NEXT BUDGET AND BEGINNING TO PLAN FOR THE FOLLOWING BUDGET IN 2030. 
          SO FOR US TO DO THREE YEARS, I MEAN, WE CAN DO WHATEVER WE WANT. 
          CERTAINLY. 
          UM, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK IT'S TERRIBLY RESPONSIBLE BECAUSE IT WON'T GIVE YOU ENOUGH DATA TO MAKE AN INFORMED DECISION OF WHETHER IT'S WORKING OR NOT. 
          UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE REAL TERMINATION CLAUSES OF IS A BREACH OF TRUST. 
          OKAY. 
          ALRIGHT. 
          THANK YOU. 
          AND, UM, I DO HAVE ONE CONCERN TO HOW WE DON'T HAVE ALL THE MUNICIPALITIES WE, UM, RESOLUTIONS IF THEY'RE OPTING IN OR OPTING OUT YET, UM, THEY HAVE UNTIL NOVEMBER 6TH TO COMPLETE THAT PROCESS. 
          SO I KIND OF FEEL LIKE, UM, OUR VOTE TONIGHT TRULY PUSHES THOSE MUNICIPALITIES TO, YOU KNOW, FORCE THEM TO OPT IN. 
          UM, IF WE PASS THIS. 
          SO I HAVE SOME DISCOMFORT WITH VOTING, UM, PRIOR TO THE MUNICIPALITIES MAKING THEIR, THEIR OWN DECISIONS. 
          SURE. 
          IT, I MEAN, IT'S A CHICKEN AND THE EGG ARGUMENT. 
          UM, DO YOU CREATE THE PROGRAM 
          [00:50:01]
SO THAT MUNICIPALITIES KNOW THEY HAVE A PROGRAM THAT THEY CAN PARTICIPATE IN? OR DO YOU HAVE THEM PREEMPTIVELY SAY, WE WANT YOU TO CREATE A PROGRAM. 
          SO IF YOU THEORETICALLY CREATED IT, WE COULD PRACTICALLY PARTICIPATE IT. 
          AH, EIGHT OF THEM HAVE SAID THE LATTER 12 OF THEM ARE WAITING FOR THE FORMER ONE OF THEM I UNDERSTAND. 
          WITHIN THE NEXT 12 HOURS. 
          SO , I I DON'T THINK THERE'S A PERFECT MS. ZO OR ERMAN. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          UH, QUESTION ABOUT THE OPT OUT. 
          IF A MUNICIPALITY CHOOSES TO OPT OUT, DO THEY THEN HAVE TO WAIT FIVE YEARS FOR THE REST OF THE CONTRACT? OR WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? UH, WE SPENT A FAIR AMOUNT OF TIME WITH THE CHIEF ELECTEDS DISCUSSING THIS. 
          UM, WE TALKED ABOUT IT ALSO AT PUBLIC SAFETY. 
          THE CONSENSUS WAS AT ANY TIME THEY'D HAVE TO WAIT A YEAR UNTIL WE'RE AT A NEXT CYCLE 'CAUSE WE HAVE TO DO THE TAXATION PROCESS. 
          BUT AT ANY YEAR THEY COULD COME BACK IN AND THEY'D BE ACCEPTED IN AT WHATEVER THAT YEAR WOULD START AT, SO THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE BEGINNING, FOR EXAMPLE. 
          UM, THEY'D COME IN WHERE THEY NORMALLY SHOULD BE, MOSTLY BECAUSE MATHEMATICALLY IT'S IMPOSSIBLE. 
          UM, THE FORMULA GETS ALL SCREWED UP. 
          UM, BUT THEY CAN COME IN AT ANY TIME THEY WANT, BUT ONCE THEY'RE IN, THEY'RE IN. 
          OKAY, THANK YOU. 
          DOES ANYONE ELSE WISH TO SPEAK? OKAY, CAROL MARY MADE SOME COMMENTS, UM, AND THEY'RE TYPICALLY COLORFUL, BUT MIKE IS GONNA READ, UM, THE GIST OF IT INTO THE RECORD. 
          HIS, UM, HIS FULL COMMENTS ARE ON ALL OF YOUR, YOUR DESKS, SO FEEL FREE TO READ THOSE, UM, ON YOUR OWN MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. 
          I REGRET THAT I CANNOT BE WITH YOU IN THE CHAMBER HERE TONIGHT, BUT I WANT MY FULL SUPPORT FOR THE PROPOSED COUNTY EMS PROGRAM ENTERED INTO THE OFFICIAL RECORD. 
          I AM PROUD TO REPRESENT THE VILLAGE OF GERMANTOWN, WHICH WAS AMONG THE FIRST COMMUNITIES TO SEEK COUNTY ASSISTANCE WHEN THIS PROCESS BEGAN SIX YEARS AGO. 
          WHERE WE HAVE A FOREST TONIGHT IS A PRODUCT OF LONG, ARDUOUS AND SOMETIMES CONTENTIOUS DISCUSSIONS AMONG OUR LOCAL LEADERS, FIRE CHIEFS, AND COUNTY OFFICIALS. 
          I WANNA PERSONALLY COMMEND SUPERVISOR AND PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN DOUG NEWMAN FOR PERSISTENT LEADERSHIP IN KEEPING THIS TRAIN ON THE TRACKS. 
          THE VOTE TONIGHT ADVANCES A DURABLE SHARED SERVICE FRAMEWORK. 
          IT ENSURES THE LONG-TERM VIABILITY, STAFFING, EQUIPMENT, AND TRAINING NEEDS OF OUR EMERGENCY RESPONSE SYSTEMS FOR YEARS TO COME. 
          ALL WHILE, ALL WHILE FIERCELY PROTECTING LOCAL CONTROL AND KEEPING OUR TAXES TAXPAYERS PROTECTED WITH LITTLE TO NO ADDED COST. 
          WE ARE NOT CREATING A BROKEN COBBLED TOGETHER COMPROMISE. 
          WORKING TOGETHER WITH COUNTY LEADERSHIP. 
          WE ARE BUILDING A THOROUGHBRED RESPONSE SYSTEM THAT WILL BE THERE ACROSS WASHINGTON COUNTY. 
          WHENEVER THE CALL COMES, THE BUDGET DOLLARS WILL FOLLOW NEXT MONTH, BUT TONIGHT, MOVING THIS PROGRAM FORWARD IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO. 
          THANK YOU. 
          WE WILL VOTE ON THIS ELECTRONICALLY. 
          IT REQUIRES A TWO THIRDS MAJORITY TO PASS. 
          IT PASSES 18 TO TWO. 
          OUR NEXT ITEM IS RESOLUTION 29, THE GRANT APPLICATION FOR AQUATIC INVASIVE SPECIES PREVENTION AND CONTROL. 
          IS THERE ANY PRESENTATION OR DISCUSSION THERE BEING NONE? I'LL TAKE A MOTION AND A SECOND AND WE'LL VOTE. 
          SUPERVISOR KEL. 
          SUPERVISOR BOSER. 
          THIS IS A SIMPLE MAJORITY VOTE. 
          WE'LL VOTE ELECTRONICALLY NOW. 
          WHAT WERE WE MISSING? BRIAN? UH, BRIAN GITZ. 
          OH, BRIAN GITZ LEFT. 
          TAKE A WALK. 
          IT PASSES 19 TO NOTHING WITH ONE ABSENT. 
          TWO ABSENT. 
          NEXT UP IS RESOLUTION 30, UM, FOR HEALTH AND SERV HUMAN SERVICES DEPARTMENT STAFFING CHANGE, UH, 
          [00:55:01]
WITH THE WEST BEND POLICE DEPARTMENT CO RESPONSE PILOT PROGRAM APPROVAL OF A 
          [d. 2026 Resolution 30 – Health and Human Services Department Staffing Change – West Bend Police Department Co-response Pilot Program – Approval of 1.25 FTE Crisis Intervention Specialist]
1.25 FTE CRISIS INTERVENTION SPECIALIST. 
          DO YOU HAVE AN EXPLANATION OR DO WE NOT NEED ONE? UM, THERE ARE QUITE A FEW DOCUMENTS IN YOUR PACKET AND I WILL TAKE ANY QUESTIONS THAT ANYBODY MIGHT HAVE. 
          SUPERVISOR CONRAD. 
          THANK YOU CHAIR. 
          UM, ACTUALLY I JUST WANT TO SHARE A STATEMENT FROM THE JACKSON, UM, ASSISTANT CHIEF THAT HE FULLY SUPPORTS THIS PROGRAM AND, UM, THEIR DEPARTMENT, UH, APPRECIATES THAT THEY HAVE, UM, SEEN FIRSTHAND THE, THE POSITIVE, UH, EFFECTS OF THIS PROGRAM. 
          THANK YOU SUPERVISOR KREBS. 
          THANK YOU MR. CHAIRMAN. 
          UM, I TRIED TO FIGURING THIS OUT BEFORE AND I STILL HAVEN'T. 
          COULD YOU JUST WALK ME THROUGH WHAT WE'RE ACTUALLY INCREASING AS FAR AS FULL-TIME POSITIONS? I THINK I'M JUST GETTING HUNG UP UPON BECAUSE IT'S CALLED A PILOT PROGRAM TO START WITH MM-HMM . 
          BUT LIKE, SO IS THE PERSON THAT'S IN THE PILOT PROGRAM STILL STAYING HERE, JUST LIKE BEING INCREASED OR NOT? BECAUSE THEN AT THE END WHEN I LOOK AT THE FISCAL EFFECT, IT STARTS TALKING ABOUT HOW WE'RE EXPANDING THREE DIFFERENT POSITIONS ACTUALLY WITH THE TOTAL OF THE 1.25. 
          SO IF YOU COULD COVER THAT, THAT'D BE GREAT. 
          YES, DEFINITELY. 
          UM, SO YEAH, IT GETS A LITTLE BIT OF COMPLICATED BASED ON THEIR STAFFING, UM, PATTERN WITHIN THAT DEPARTMENT. 
          UM, SO WE HAVE BEEN, UH, DOING THIS INITIAL PILOT WITH WEST BEND, UM, UTILIZING FOUR STAFF MEMBERS. 
          WE STARTED OFF, UM, DOING ONE DAY A WEEK, UM, AND THEN WE SUCCESSIVELY ADDED, UM, ADDITIONAL DAYS, UM, THROUGHOUT THIS YEAR. 
          UM, SO WE ARE UP TO 40 HOURS A WEEK CURRENTLY, BUT WE ARE UTILIZING FOUR EXISTING STAFF WHO ARE DOING 10 HOURS, UM, EACH DAY. 
          SO WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO, BECAUSE WE WANT THESE POSITIONS AND THESE STAFF TO BE CO-LOCATED THERE, UM, WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT OR WITHIN THE DISTRICT. 
          UM, SO WE ARE GOING TO BE TAKING TWO STAFF AND THEY'RE GOING TO BE DOING 25 HOURS ONE WEEK AND 20 HOURS ANOTHER WEEK. 
          UM, SO THAT WE CAN OFFER 50 HOURS A WEEK, WHICH IS EQUAL TO 1.25 FTE TIME, UM, TO WEST BEND EACH WEEK. 
          UM, BUT IT WILL BE ONLY TWO STAFF MEMBERS WHO ARE THE ONES THAT WILL BE CO-LOCATED THERE SO THAT WE HAVE CONSISTENCY, UM, AND STANDARDIZATION WITH, UM, THE OFFICERS THAT ARE AT THAT DISTRICT. 
          UM, SO TO ACHIEVE THAT, WE HAVE TWO POSITIONS CURRENTLY THAT ARE 0.75, SO WE'RE BUMPING THEM UP TO FULL TIME AND THEN WE WOULD LIKE TO HIRE AN ADDITIONAL 0.75 FTE. 
          SO THE ADDITIONAL HIRE, THAT'S THE THREE QUARTER POSITION THAT THAT POSITION ACTUALLY WON'T BE AT WEST SPEND PD THAT POSITIONAL STAY AT THE COUNTY THEN? THAT IS CORRECT BECAUSE BECAUSE OF THIS POSITION AND THE LEVEL OF, UM, INDEPENDENCE, WE WANT IT TO BE A SEASONED STAFF PERSON THAT, THAT IS SPENDING THEIR TIME AT WEST BEND. 
          SO A NEW HIRE WOULD JUST BE ABSORBED INTO REGULAR AND ONGOING CRISIS WORK. 
          OKAY. 
          THANK YOU SUPERVISOR GALLS. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, I GUESS MY COMMENTS, I I WANNA PREFACE IT THAT I, I DO SUPPORT THIS, BUT, UM, I'M STRUGGLING WITH WHY WE KEEP CALLING THIS A PILOT. 
          WE'VE BEEN A COUPLE YEARS INTO MAKING, THIS IS GONNA BE THREE YEARS NOW. 
          I'VE BEEN LOOKING AT IT AS IF WE WERE BEING ASKED TO PAY FOR THIS OUT OF FUND BALANCE OR, OR WITHIN THE LEVY. 
          AND I, I MYSELF WAS ABLE TO COME TO CONCLUSION THAT THE MERITS, UH, AND THE VALUE OF IT TO THE CITIZENS AND TO WEST BEND POLICE DEPARTMENT AND HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, IT JUSTIFIES ADDING THESE. 
          SO AGAIN, WHY WE KEEP CALLING IT A A THREE YEARS, THAT'S, THAT'S NO LONGER A PILOT THAT'S JUST OPERATING, YOU KNOW, STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURE. 
          SO I WOULD LIKE IT PERSONALLY TO REMOVE THAT NOMENCLATURE. 
          UH, BUT THEN THE SECOND PART, THIS WAS SORT OF RAISED IN THE LAST, UH, RESOLUTION, IS WE'RE USING SHORT-TERM FUNDING, WHICH I ALWAYS STRUGGLE WITH AND ALL MY ELECTED POSITIONS, USUALLY IT'S SHORT TERM FUNDING FOR WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS A PERMANENT POSITION AT LEAST THREE YEARS. 
          AND SOMETHING TELLS ME, COME THREE YEARS FROM NOW, IF WE SAY, NOPE, WE'RE NOT GONNA FUND THIS ANYMORE. 
          I DON'T THINK THAT'S GOING TO BE THE CASE. 
          I THINK THIS IS INTENDED TO BE MORE PERMANENT, NOT IN LIKE OUR PREVIOUS, UH, COMMENT. 
          UH, 
          [01:00:01]
THE EXECUTIVE SAYING THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THE EMS AND THAT LEVY IS PROBABLY GONNA BE AROUND FOR A LONG, LONG TIME. 
          SO I CAN'T IMAGINE THE SUCCESS THAT WE'VE ALREADY DEMONSTRATED WITH THIS PROGRAM THAT THIS BOARD OR THAT'S NEW CONFIGURATION WOULD SAY, YEAH, WE'RE NOT GONNA FUND THIS ANYMORE. 
          SO I JUST, I'M PERSONALLY JUST BEING REAL, REAL AND TRANSPARENT THAT THIS IS A ADD TO STAFF THAT WE'RE GONNA BE PAYING FOR, FOR THE NEXT 15 OR 20 YEARS BECAUSE IT BRINGS VALUE TO, UH, CONSTITUENTS. 
          THAT'S HOW I'VE APPROACHED IT. 
          I DON'T KNOW HOW ALL OF YOU HAVE APPROACHED IT, BUT MAYBE I'M OVERSIMPLIFYING IT. 
          UH, I JUST BELIEVE THAT, LET'S JUST STOP CALLING IT A PILOT. 
          THIS IS A NEW POSITION. 
          AND UH, THEN THE SECOND PART TO MY CONCERN IS COME THREE YEARS, WELL WEST BEND BE WILLING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE COST OF THIS SINCE THEY ARE, UH, DIRECTLY RECEIVING BENEFITS FROM IT, NOT UNLIKE HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES BECAUSE WE'RE OBVIOUSLY ABLE TO, UH, HAVE OTHER BENEFITS, UM, AS HAS BEEN DESCRIBED AT A HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES MEETING. 
          SO, UM, AGAIN, WHEN IT COMES TIME TO FUND THIS OUT OF OUR, OUR, OUR LEVY, YOU KNOW, WILL WEST BEND BE CONTRIBUTING TO SOME OF THIS, WHETHER IT BE THROUGH THE TAX, UH, UH, SALES TAX OR, OR SOME OTHER MECHANISM? UM, SO I'LL TRY TO ADDRESS, UH, SOUNDED LIKE THERE WAS THREE THINGS THERE. 
          SO, UM, THE FIRST, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE'S CLEAR THAT THIS IS, UM, DIFFERENT THAN THE COS RESPONDER PROGRAM THAT IS RUN OUT OF THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE. 
          UM, AND SO, UM, WHY WE CALL IT A PILOT IS BECAUSE IT IS A PILOT SPECIFICALLY WITH WEST BEND, UM, THAT IS DIFFERENT AND SEPARATE THAN THE CREW TEAM THAT WORKS OUT OF THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT THAT PROVIDES SERVICES TO THE ENTIRE COUNTY. 
          UM, THIS IS, THESE ARE STAFFING THAT ARE CO-LOCATED, CO-LOCATED SPECIFICALLY AT WEST BEND AND ONLY IN THE WEST BEND JURISDICTION. 
          UM, THE REASON WE'RE CALLING IT A PILOT IS BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS NOW FOR NINE TO 10 MONTHS. 
          UM, BUT WE WANT TO CONTINUE TO, UM, UM, PROVIDE, DO THIS PROGRAM CONSISTENTLY AND FOR 50 HOURS A WEEK, UM, AS WELL AS, UM, LOOK AT THE OUTCOMES OF IT AND SEE IF THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WANNA CONTINUE. 
          THE OTHER THING THAT WE DON'T KNOW IS THAT WHAT WILL BE THE IMPACT OF THE EXISTING STAFF, UM, AT, IN THE, UH, ACUTE CARE SERVICES PROVIDING CRISIS 24 7 CRISIS INTERVENTION THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE COUNTY. 
          UM, POTENTIALLY WITH WEST BEND BEING ONE OF OUR LARGER JURISDICTIONS, UM, WE MAY NOT, YOU KNOW, NEED TO HAVE ALL OF THE STAFFING THAT, UM, IT PROVIDES A SERVICE TO THE REST OF THE COUNTY WHEN WE ALSO HAVE THE CREW TEAM, BUT WE DON'T KNOW THAT YET UNTIL WE CAN SORT OF SEPARATE OUT THE STAFF AND WHO'S, UH, PROVIDING THE WORK AND THE HOURS THAT THEY'RE PROVIDING THAT WORK. 
          AND SO THAT'S WHY WE WANT THE TIME TO BE ABLE TO ANALYZE IT AND LOOK AT OUTCOMES. 
          UM, AND SO I THINK THAT ANSWERS TWO OF YOUR QUESTIONS, UM, OR PROVIDE SOME FEEDBACK TO THAT. 
          UM, THE THIRD IS, WE HAVE BEEN IN CONVERSATION WITH CHIEF DEERING, UM, ABOUT WEST BEND, UM, PROVIDING, UM, FUNDING TO THIS OR, YOU KNOW, PARTIAL FUNDING TO THIS. 
          UM, AT THIS TIME I HAD, UM, MADE THE DECISION THAT I WANTED US TO, UM, MAINTAIN THE OVERSIGHT, UM, OF THIS PROGRAM. 
          UM, AND THE FUNDING OF IT WHILE WE GO THROUGH THE PILOT PHASE. 
          UM, WHEN WE DO THE, THE 20 30, 31 BUDGET, UM, HE AND I WILL HAVE THAT CONVERSATION, UM, AROUND WEST BEND PROVIDING A PORTION OF COST FOR THE STAFFING. 
          UM, AND IT'S, I JUST ALWAYS ASSUME THAT IT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY TO TRY TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO CONTINUE TO FUND THESE POSITIONS WITH THE TAX ALLOCATION THAT WERE PROVIDED. 
          THANK YOU SUPERVISOR CONRAD WRATH. 
          UH, THANK YOU FOR THOSE EXPLANATIONS AND, UM, YEAH. 
          AND PURPORTING OUT TO THAT. 
          YEAH, THIS IS TRULY THE CITY OF WESTBOUND AS, AS IT DOES STATE. 
          AND THEN WITH THAT POINT THOUGH I, I KNOW YOU SAID YOU WANNA KEEP IT THAT PILOT THAT WE ARE FUNDING IT A HUNDRED PERCENT. 
          UM, THAT, THAT CON, THAT STILL CONCERNS ME EVEN WITH YOUR EXPLANATION AND THAT THERE'S, UM, NO CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE WEST BEND POLICE DEPARTMENT. 
          UM, THERE, YOU KNOW, I AM AWARE OF, YOU KNOW, OTHER AREAS OF THE COUNTY THAT COULD EVEN, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY UTILIZE THE, THESE SERVICES MORE ALSO THAN THEY POTENTIALLY ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, BEYOND THE, THE CITY OF WEST BEND. 
          UM, SO YEAH, THIS CONCERNS ME THAT THE CITY WEST BEND ISN'T, UM, FUNDING MAYBE EVEN LIKE 25%. 
          THE ONLY THING I WOULD SAY, IT'S NOT THAT THEY'RE NOT WILLING AT THIS POINT. 
          UM, MY PROPOSAL AND REQUEST WAS TO USE OPIOID SETTLEMENT SO THAT WE COULD HAVE THREE MORE YEARS OF 
          [01:05:01]
DOING THIS PILOT. 
          UM, SO THAT WE COULD COME BACK TO THIS BOARD, EITHER FORMALLY OR THROUGH THE BUDGET PROCESS TO DETERMINE, UM, CONTINUATION, UM, AFTER THREE YEARS. 
          YEAH, SORRY. 
          UM, YEAH, I WOULD JUST, UH, MAYBE RE REQUEST EXPLORING, YOU KNOW, THE CITY WEST BEND, MAYBE AT LEAST, YOU KNOW, FUNDING 25%, BUT BEFORE I PERSONALLY WOULD APPROVE THIS, ESPECIALLY FOR A THREE YEAR, UM, PILOT PROGRAM, THAT'S A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY. 
          AND OTHER MUNICIPALITIES COULD ALSO UTILIZE THE SUPPORT THERE. 
          BEING NO FURTHER DISCUSSION. 
          I'D LOOK FOR A MOTION AND A SECOND AT THIS POINT. 
          SO, SUPERVISOR S P*****K, SUPERVISOR STEWART, WE WILL VOTE ELECTRONICALLY. 
          THIS ALSO REQUIRES A TWO THIRDS MAJORITY VOTE. 
          IT PASSES 18 TO TWO IN OUR LAST ITEM FOR VOTE IS ORDINANCE FIVE, THE CHAPTER 2 57 AMENDMENTS. 
          ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR DISCUSSION ON THAT? THERE BEING NONE. 
          MOTION BY SUPERVISOR KREBS, SECOND BY SUPERVISOR SCHWAB. 
          UM, WE'LL VOTE ELECTRONICALLY. 
          THIS IS A SIMPLE MAJORITY VOTE. 
          [e. 2026 Ordinance 5 – Chapter 257 Amendments]
ARE WE MISSING? OH, IT PASSES 19 TO ZERO, UM, WITH TWO ABSENT RIGHT NOW. 
          SO NEXT UP IS THE, UH, COUNTY EXECUTIVES PRESENTATION ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ACADEMY. 
          SUPER INTELLIGENCE,  SUPER. 
          UM, 
          [a. County Executive Presentation – Artificial Intelligence Executive Academy]
MR. CHAIRMAN, I, I HAVE A, AS YOU REQUESTED, I HAVE ABOUT A 15 MINUTE PRESENTATION PREPARED. 
          IT'S F WELL AFTER SEVEN O'CLOCK. 
          UM, AND I KNOW WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE BUSINESS TO DO. 
          I AM HAPPY TO OFFER TO WAIT UNTIL NOVEMBER. 
          UH, BUT I WON'T BE HERE, SO I'D HAVE TO DO IT BY ZOOM, UH, IF THE BOARD WOULD PREFER TO WAIT. 
          UM, NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING GOING ON RIGHT NOW THAT YOU MIGHT PREFER LISTENING TO RATHER THAN ME, BUT I, I DO OFFER THAT IF, IF YOU CHOOSE. 
          OTHERWISE, I CAN GET TO THE PRESENTATION. 
          WHATEVER YOU'D LIKE. 
          I DIDN'T WANT EVERYBODY TUNING OUT, WATCHING THEIR PHONE. 
          THAT'S ALL. 
          TOO LATE. 
          OKAY. 
          TOO LATE. 
          THE FIRST PITCH DIDN'T HAPPEN YET, DID IT? YEAH. 
          OH S**T. 
          NOT YET. 
          OKAY. 
          ALL RIGHT. 
          WELL, LET'S DIVE IN. 
          UM, MANY OF YOU IN THIS ROOM PROBABLY, UH, REMEMBER SOME IMAGES FROM THE SPACE RACE. 
          ANYBODY REMEMBER ANY OF THAT ACTIVITY? AND THEN IT LATE, EARLY, MID TO LATE 1960S OLD GUYS, MAYBE ALL THE WAY UP UNTIL THE 1980S. 
          I BARELY REMEMBER THE CHALLENGER BLOWING UP IN THE AIR, BUT, UM, SOME OF YOU MIGHT REMEMBER THAT THOSE MOMENTS, THE WALKING ON THE MOON, ALL OF THAT STUFF, UH, AND I CHOSE THAT THEME FOR THIS, UH, BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I REALLY WALKED AWAY WITH FROM MIT WAS, WE ARE IN THAT RACE RIGHT NOW. 
          AND WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT IT LIKE THAT, BUT THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING. 
          AND I HOPE WHEN I'M DONE WITH THIS PRESENTATION, WHEN YOU GO BACK AND THE BREWERS HAVE WON AND THEY'RE ONE GAME AWAY FROM THE WORLD SERIES, AND YOU HAVE TIME TO THINK, UM, YOU START TO THINK ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING ALL ACROSS THE STATE, UH, THE COUNTIES AROUND US, UH, ALL ACROSS THE COUNTRY, UH, HOW THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL FITS WITH, UH, THE DEREGULATION OF MUCH OF OUR ENERGY POLICY WITH THE WAR THAT IS HAPPENING IN IRAN WITH WHAT WE DID DOWN IN VENEZUELA, AND HOW THIS COMPETITION SPREADS OUT ALL ACROSS THIS GLOBE BETWEEN AMERICA AND CHINA. 
          UM, IT, IT'S ENOUGH TO BLOW YOUR MIND. 
          AND TWO WEEKS AT MIT DID THAT FOR ME. 
          UM, BUT FOR WHAT IT MEANS HERE LOCALLY, FOR WHAT IT MEANS FOR SOCIETY, FOR OUR COMMUNITY, AND FOR OUR PEOPLE. 
          I 
          [01:10:01]
THOUGHT THE BEST QUOTE FROM THE ENTIRE, UH, SESSION WAS, UH, BY A PROFESSOR FROM BOSTON COLLEGE. 
          UM, HE'S A CYBERSECURITY EXPERT. 
          UM, MOST OF THE TIME HE SPENT SCARING THE HELL OUT OF US, UH, WITH HOW AI IS GONNA BE USED TO, TO STEAL EVERYTHING FROM EVERYBODY. 
          UM, BUT I THOUGHT THIS WAS THE MOST POWERFUL. 
          AI IS NOT GOING TO REPLACE HUMANS. 
          HUMANS WHO KNOW HOW TO USE AI. 
          WE REPLACE HUMANS WHO DON'T. 
          AND I THINK THERE'S NO BETTER EXAMPLE THAT I CAN GIVE YOU THAN TO, TO PLAY THIS, UM, VIDEO THAT CHAT GPT AND I BUILT. 
          UH, I HAVE NO CODING ABILITY. 
          I'VE NEVER CREATED A VIDEO IN MY LIFE OTHER THAN WITH A SILLY VIDEO CAMERA ON MY PHONE. 
          UH, I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT HOW TO BUILD WEBSITES OR APPS, UH, OR PRESENTATIONS WITH PRETTY PICTURES LIKE THAT. 
          UM, BUT I NOT, I CAN DO ALL OF THOSE THINGS BY TALKING WITH JET GPT. 
          MY SKILLSET. 
          MY CAPABILITIES ARE COMMUNICATION, WHETHER IT'S PRESENTATIONS OR VIDEOS, OR SOCIAL MEDIA. 
          THAT'S THAT'S WHAT I DO. 
          THAT'S WHO I AM. 
          AND CHAD, GPT MAKES ME 10,000 TIMES MORE EFFECTIVE. 
          AND IT BLOWS MY MIND. 
          THE THINGS THAT I LEARNED, THE THINGS THAT I'VE DONE, THE PRESENTATION, THE VIDEO THAT YOU'RE GONNA WATCH EVERY SINGLE INDUSTRY, EVERY SINGLE POSITION, IT HAS THE ABILITY TO DO THE SAME THING. 
          AND I HO I HOPE THIS HELPS PROVE THE POINT. 
          FOR MANY OF YOU, THE SPACE RACE WAS PART OF GROWING UP IN AMERICA. 
          YOU WATCHED OUR COUNTRY ACCEPT A CHALLENGE THAT SEEMED IMPOSSIBLE AND SAW PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT SKILLS COME TOGETHER TO MEET IT. 
          NOW, THE NEXT GENERATION FACES ITS OWN RACE. 
          AMERICA AND CHINA ARE COMPETING TO SHAPE THE AI ERA. 
          THEY NEED THE LESSONS. 
          YOU CARRY COURAGE, INGENUITY, PERSEVERANCE, AND RESPONSIBILITY FOR ONE ANOTHER. 
          OUR TASK IS TO PASS THOSE LESSONS FORWARD AND EMPOWER THEM TO BUILD A FUTURE. 
          WE CAN ONLY BEGIN TO IMAGINE. 
          THE AI ERA IS ARRIVING AT WASHINGTON COUNTY'S DOORSTEP BETWEEN MAJOR AI INVESTMENTS IN BEAVER DAM AND PORT WASHINGTON. 
          WE HAVE A CLOSE VIEW OF A TRANSFORMATION TAKING SHAPE. 
          I SEE THE SCALE OF THIS INVESTMENT AS A SIGNAL OF PROFOUND CHANGES AHEAD FOR OUR ECONOMY, OUR COMMUNITY, AND THE WAY PEOPLE LIVE AND WORK. 
          AS COUNTY LEADERS, WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP OUR PEOPLE PREPARE AND TO POSITION OUR COMMUNITY TO SHAPE ITS OWN FUTURE. 
          OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES GIVE US DIRECTION, CULTIVATE OUR RICH HERITAGE, STRENGTHEN OUR GREAT COMMUNITY, AND EXPAND OPPORTUNITY FOR THE GENERATIONS WHO FOLLOW. 
          THAT IS OUR PURPOSE. 
          IN THIS MODERN DAY SPACE RACE, EMPOWER OUR PEOPLE TO HELP BUILD THE FUTURE AND PASS THE TORCH OF THE AMERICAN DREAM FORWARD. 
          I WENT TO MIT CONVINCED THAT HOME OWNERSHIP AND ENERGY PRODUCTION WOULD HELP COMMUNITIES SHAPE THEIR FUTURE. 
          I CAME HOME JUST AS CONVINCED, BUT I ALSO CAME HOME WITH A CLEAR STARTING POINT FOCUS ON THE PEOPLE. 
          AI IS NOT SLOWING DOWN. 
          IT IS NOT GOING AWAY. 
          THE UNITED STATES AND CHINA ARE COMPETING TO SHAPE ITS FUTURE. 
          AMERICA'S AI ACTION PLAN MAKES TECHNOLOGICAL LEADERSHIP A NATIONAL SECURITY IMPERATIVE. 
          THIS IS OUR GENERATION'S APOLLO RACE. 
          AN URGENT FIRST SPRINT IN A LONG MARATHON OF LEARNING AND LEADERSHIP, WASHINGTON COUNTY HAS A PART TO PLAY PEOPLE EMPOWERMENT, HOME OWNERSHIP BECOMING A NET ENERGY EXPORTER AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT THROUGH MANUFACTURING AND SUPPLY CHAINS. 
          IT ALL STARTS WITH PEOPLE AND THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT MAKE OUR COMMUNITY STRONG. 
          AT MIT, OUR TEAM BUILT AN APP AND CREATED A PRESENTATION AND VIDEO TO SHOW WHAT IT COULD DO. 
          THAT AMAZED ME WITH NO PREVIOUS CODING EXPERIENCE. 
          I COULD CONTRIBUTE THROUGH A CONVERSATION WITH AI. 
          OUR EMPLOYEES DESERVE THAT OPPORTUNITY. 
          LEARNING APPROPRIATE TOOLS AND SAFEGUARDS WITH THEIR FRONTLINE KNOWLEDGE, GUIDING THE WORK, AUTONOMY, MASTERY, AND PURPOSE. 
          OUR CITIZENS DESERVE A PLACE TO BEGIN TOO. 
          THEY NEED A BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF HOW AI WORKS AND EXPERIENCE USING IT. 
          AS A THOUGHT PARTNER, WE SHOULD ASK WHAT BECOMES POSSIBLE THAT WE COULD NOT DO BEFORE. 
          WHILE KEEPING RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR OWN DECISIONS. 
          STUDENTS IN KIOWAS, HELPING OLDER RESIDENTS USE SMARTPHONES SHOWS US WHAT LEARNING TOGETHER CAN LOOK LIKE. 
          BOTH GENERATIONS CONTRIBUTE. 
          ROBERT PUTNAM'S BOWLING ALONE REMINDS US HOW MUCH RELATIONSHIPS AND TRUST MATTER. 
          AI PREPARATION SHOULD STRENGTHEN THAT SOCIAL CAPITAL, AND WE MUST KEEP EXERCISING OUR OWN THINKING, QUESTIONING ANSWERS, CHECKING EVIDENCE, AND FORMING JUDGMENTS OURSELVES. 
          [01:15:02]
EMPOWERED PEOPLE CAN HELP US ADVANCE HOME OWNERSHIP AND EXPLORE A PATH TOWARDS BECOMING A NET ENERGY EXPORTER. 
          NEXT GENERATION HOUSING AND HEART AND HOMESTEAD ALREADY CONNECT OPPORTUNITY WITH ROOTS AND SERVICE, HOUSING, AND ENERGY CAN EXPAND OPPORTUNITY AND DRIVE PROSPERITY. 
          WE MUST EVALUATE THE COSTS AND BENEFITS FOR OUR COMMUNITY. 
          WE SHOULD BUILD ON THE SUCCESS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY'S REVOLVING LOAN FUND. 
          WORKING WITH EDWC, LET'S EXPAND THIS PROVEN TOOL TO HELP EXISTING BUSINESSES GROW AND ATTRACT NEW ONES THAT CAPITALIZE ON OUR POSITION IN THE AI ERA. 
          THAT MEANS STRONGER MANUFACTURING, STRONGER SUPPLY CHAINS, AND MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR OUR PEOPLE. 
          JANUARY'S COUNTY BOARD STRATEGIC PLANNING IS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO TURN THIS DIRECTION INTO CONCRETE PROPOSALS. 
          YOU HAVE HELPED TO BUILD THE WASHINGTON COUNTY WE LOVE. 
          NOW YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO HELP SHAPE WHAT COMES NEXT. 
          AMERICA'S PLACE IN THIS GLOBAL RACE WILL BE SHAPED BY DECISIONS MADE IN COMMUNITIES JUST LIKE OURS. 
          OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES GIVE US DIRECTION. 
          OUR PEOPLE GIVE THIS MISSION ITS PURPOSE. 
          LET'S BRING YOUR EXPERIENCE TOGETHER WITH THE NEXT GENERATION'S IMAGINATION. 
          LET'S MOLD WASHINGTON COUNTY'S ROLE WITH OUR CITIZENS AND EMPLOYEES AT THE CENTER. 
          PASS THE TORCH OF THE AMERICAN DREAM. 
          FOCUS ON THE PEOPLE, BUILD OUR FUTURE. 
          SO AS I SAID, UM, I I, I SEE THIS AS A EARLY SPRINT AND A LONG MARATHON. 
          UM, WHAT IS HAPPENING AS WE SPEAK, AND THERE WAS 30 PRESENTERS. 
          IT WAS 10 HOUR DAYS FOR TWO WEEKS, UH, DURING THE WORK WEEK, UM, THE CLASS WAS MADE UP OF PROBABLY ABOUT 60 PEOPLE. 
          75% OF THEM WERE FROM EUROPE. 
          UM, ALL OF THEM WERE BUSINESS PEOPLE. 
          I WAS THE ONLY GOVERNMENT PERSON. 
          IT WAS THE, IT WAS THE GREATEST LISTEN TRAINING SESSION I'VE HAD IN A LONG TIME. 
          UM, IT WAS, IT WAS SUPER, SUPER POWERFUL. 
          AND THESE PEOPLE COMING FROM OTHER COUNTRIES ALL WANTED TO KNOW WHERE THE US WAS GOING. 
          UM, BECAUSE WHAT THEY SEE IS THE SAME RACE THAT I'M DESCRIBING, BUT THE RACE, REALLY, THE SPRINT THAT WE'RE IN NOW IS WHOEVER WINS THE SPRINT WRITES THE RULES FOR THE FUTURE. 
          AND THAT'S WHAT, THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SEEING WITH CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES SPARRING WITH ONE ANOTHER. 
          UM, THE, THE FIGHT OVER DATA CENTERS IS, IS SO MINUSCULE IN COMPARISON TO THIS LARGER, MUCH, MUCH LARGER RACE. 
          BUT HOW DOES IT APPLY TO US? SO I THINK WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO START WITH IS WHAT WE ALWAYS START WITH. 
          START WITH WHY SIMON SINEK'S BOOK. 
          UM, WE ALREADY HAVE THESE THINGS. 
          NONE, NONE OF THIS CHANGES WHO WE ARE, WHERE WE'RE GOING, WHY WE EXIST, HOW WE DO THINGS. 
          UM, WHAT CHANGES IS WHAT, WHAT ARE WE DOING? HOW DOES IT APPLY TO THIS? UM, THERE'S TWO ARTICLES THAT WE SHARED WITH YOU, UM, THAT I'D ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ ONCE, ONCE YOU LEAVE HERE. 
          ONE IS AN ARTICLE FROM THIS LAST WEEK IN THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER, UM, BY DOMINIC GREEN. 
          HE'S A COLUMNIST ALMOST EVERY WEEK. 
          UM, REALLY INTERESTING PIECE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF MAINTAINING COGNITIVE ABILITY. 
          I'LL TALK ABOUT THAT IN A FEW MINUTES. 
          AND THE OTHER ONE IS ACTUALLY FROM THE POPE. 
          UH, I'M NOT CATHOLIC. 
          UM, BUT THIS, THIS PIECE THAT HE WROTE IS A WHITE PAPER. 
          UM, I THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN THE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY, BUT IT'S CALLED MAGNIFICA, HUMAN HUMANITAS. 
          UM, AND HIS ENTIRE PREMISE IS AI CAN EITHER BE, UM, GOOD OR IT CAN BE EVIL. 
          IT CAN EITHER BE THE TOWER OF BABEL AND WE DESTROY OURSELVES, OR IT CAN BE NEHEMIAH REBUILDING JERUSALEM, ALL OF US TOGETHER. 
          UH, IT'S, IT'S EXTREMELY POWERFUL AND I ENCOURAGE YOU TO READ IT, ESPECIALLY IF YOU'RE CATHOLIC. 
          UM, BUT EVEN IF YOU'RE NOT, UM, BUT THE POINT IS, I THINK THE PULE RECOGNIZES THE POWER THAT THIS TOOL COULD BE THE BEST ANALOGY THAT I WALKED AWAY WITH. 
          AND WE TALKED ABOUT ALL KINDS OF THEM. 
          IS THIS LIKE THE INTERNET 30 YEARS AGO? IS THIS LIKE THE NUCLEAR RACE? 80 YEARS AGO? UH, I THOUGHT THE BEST ONE WAS A PROFESSOR WHO SAID, THIS IS LIKE NONE OF THAT. 
          THIS IS LIKE ELECTRICITY FOR THE FIRST TIME. 
          IMAGINE WE'RE HERE IN THE LATE 18 HUNDREDS, EARLY 19 HUNDREDS, AND EVERYTHING IS POWERED BY CREEKS. 
          SOME OF YOU HAVE PROBABLY VISITED RICHFIELD, UH, AT, AT THE, THE GRIST MILL IN RICHFIELD IS POWERED BY THE CREEK THAT WENT THROUGH. 
          UM, IMAGINE BEING THAT GRISTMILL AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, THREE MILES DOWN THE ROAD, A NEW ONE OPENS UP WITH AN ELECTRIC POWERED GENERATOR, AND YOU'RE WAITING FOR WATER TO COME FLOWING THROUGH A CREEK. 
          AND THAT GUY'S OPERATING 24 HOURS A DAY WITH ELECTRIC GENERATION. 
          HOW LONG DO YOU THINK YOU LAST? THAT'S WHAT AI'S GONNA BE LIKE IF YOU AREN'T TAPPING INTO 
          [01:20:01]
THAT ENERGY SOURCE. 
          IF YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO USE IT, YOU'RE GONNA END UP LIKE THE GRISTMILL, WHICH THANK GOD THEY SAVED IN RICHFIELD, BUT IT'S ONE OF VERY FEW, RIGHT? IT'S A RELIC. 
          SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR, FOR HOW THIS APPLIES TO ALL OF US? WELL, IT'S, IT'S THE WHAT, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? WHAT DOES JANUARY LOOK LIKE WHEN WE SIT DOWN TOGETHER AS COUNTY LEADERS GUIDING THE FUTURE OF THIS COUNTY? AND I THINK IT'S THOSE THINGS THAT I TALKED ABOUT, UH, IN THIS PRESENTATION. 
          I'M STILL CONVINCED THE COMMUNITIES THAT WIN THE RACE FOR PEOPLE IN A DECLINING POPULATION ARE GOING TO BE THE PLACES THAT WIN. 
          BUT YOU HAVE TO PUT THAT IN TANDEM WITH THE ONES WHO FIGURE OUT HOW TO HARNESS POWER. 
          AND I MEAN, LITERAL ELECTRICITY. 
          BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK THE RACE EVEN FOR THE DATA CENTERS, IS HOW THE HELL DO WE GET THE POWER TO POWER THESE THINGS? THAT ONE DATA CENTER IN PORT WASHINGTON, IF YOU HAVEN'T HEARD ME SAY THIS BEFORE, THAT'S 1800 ACRES. 
          IT'S, IT'S A MONSTROSITY. 
          BUT TO POWER IT WITH SOLAR PANELS, WHICH IS OUR STRATEGY RIGHT NOW, WOULD TAKE 60,000 ACRES OF SOLAR PANELS. 
          ANYBODY WHO COULD FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET ENOUGH ENERGY FAST ENOUGH IN A SMALL SPACE TO POWER THAT THING IS GONNA WIN THE RACE. 
          WHY WOULDN'T, WHY SHOULDN'T WASHINGTON COUNTY BE IN FRONT OF THAT LINE? I THINK WE OUGHT TO BE, BUT WE HAVE TO COMPLETELY CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK AND HOW WE FUND AND WHAT WE OPERATE AND WHERE THINGS ARE GOING. 
          IF WE'RE GONNA START DOING THINGS LIKE THAT, IF WE'RE GONNA POSITION WASHINGTON COUNTY FOR THAT SAME THING EXISTS FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUPPLY CHAIN, WE HAVE A HUGE ADVANTAGE. 
          'CAUSE WE GOT TWO OF THESE MONSTROSITIES IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO US. 
          AND THERE WILL BE MORE. 
          THERE'S NO QUESTION IN MY MIND, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS MADE IT TOO SIMPLE. 
          IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN. 
          HOW DO WE POSITION OUR COUNTY FOR ALL OF THAT? BUT ASIDE FROM THAT, WHAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO START WITH IS PEOPLE IN THIS ORGANIZATION AND IN THIS COUNTY, PEOPLE ARE SCARED 'CAUSE THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND IT. 
          THE BEAUTY OF THAT VIDEO THAT YOU JUST SAW IT, THESE PRESENTATIONS THAT I'VE GIVEN YOU IN THE PAST. 
          TYPICALLY I SIT IN MY OFFICE ALL DAY ON A SUNDAY BY MYSELF WORKING ON THEM CUMULATIVELY PROBABLY. 
          AND, AND I'M NOT EXAGGERATING, PROBABLY 20 HOURS OF MY TIME. 
          THAT VIDEO IN THIS PRESENTATION TOOK ME PERSONALLY, MAYBE FOUR, MAYBE CHACHI PT WORKED FOR PROBABLY 36. 
          I WOULD GIVE IT IN. 
          I'D LITERALLY HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH IT LIKE I'M HAVING WITH YOU, DESCRIBING WHAT I WANT AND GIVING IT THE FILES AND ACCESS TO ALL THE INFORMATION THAT I'VE LEARNED IN TWO WEEKS. 
          AND A LOT OF THE VIDEOS THAT YOU SAW ARE CLIPS FROM STUFF WE'VE DONE IN THE PAST. 
          I'D LITERALLY PULL 'EM AND GIVE 'EM THAT INFORMATION. 
          AND IT BUILT IT. 
          THE POWER OF THIS TOOL IS, IS ASTOUNDING. 
          BUT PEOPLE ARE INTIMIDATED OFTENTIMES 'CAUSE THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START. 
          THIS ISN'T LIKE A GOOGLE SEARCH. 
          PEOPLE ARE USING IT LIKE THAT. 
          BUT IT'S MORE LIKE A CONVERSATION. 
          THE KEY IS TO RETAIN OWNERSHIP. 
          YOU, YOU ARE THE THOUGHT PARTNER. 
          YOU ARE THE LEADER. 
          IT IS JUST HELPING YOU. 
          THE MINUTE YOU LET IT RUN YOUR LIFE FOR YOU, IT IT WILL, IT WILL, IT'LL TAKE OVER. 
          AND BAD THINGS TEND TO HAPPEN. 
          'CAUSE YOU GIVE IT SILLY INSTRUCTIONS THAT YOU MAY NOT UNDERSTAND. 
          WE HAVE TO EMPOWER ALL OF OUR PEOPLE TO, TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO MAKE IT A BETTER THEM. 
          HOW TO HELP LEVERAGE WHATEVER THEIR SKILLSET IS. 
          STARTING WITH OUR CITIZENS. 
          I, I BELIEVE WE HAVE A LOT OF RESPONSIBILITIES TO 'EM, BUT I THINK IT'S GONNA TAKE A WHOLE, UM, ARRAY OF, OF US TO WORK TOGETHER, OUR HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, US AS THE COUNTY. 
          UH, THE EXAMPLE WE USED EARLIER WITH KIOSKI KIDS, I THINK IS A PERFECT ONE. 
          IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE EVERYBODY GOING OUT TO MIT OR EVERYBODY GOING TO MSOE. 
          WE CAN BRING SOME OF THAT HERE. 
          UH, SIMPLE LESSONS. 
          MPTC HOSTED A FORUM LAST SPRING, UM, THAT STARTED THIS CONVERSATION. 
          I THINK WE SHOULD HELP LEAD MAKING SURE MORE AND MORE OF THAT IS HAPPENING. 
          AND AS WE DO IT, I THINK WE NEED TO BE FERVENT ABOUT MAKING SURE WE'RE STRENGTHENING RELATIONSHIPS WITH ONE ANOTHER, WHETHER IT'S WITH THOSE TECHNICAL COLLEGES OR WITH OUR LOCAL MUNICIPALITIES, OR JUST WITH PEOPLE IN GENERAL. 
          UH, THAT IS TO ME, WHAT IS GOING TO BE KEY MOVING FORWARD FOR OUR EMPLOYEES. 
          UH, I I CAME TO YOU AND GAVE THE PRESENTATION. 
          I GAVE THEM THEM AT OUR TOWN HALL MEETINGS. 
          WE DO TWO OF THOSE PER YEAR. 
          UM, YOU MAY REMEMBER I TOLD ALL OF OUR EMPLOYEES, AND I TOLD YOU, I CAN'T PROMISE ANYBODY IN THIS ROOM OR ANYBODY WHO WORKS FOR THIS COUNTY THAT FIVE YEARS FROM NOW, THEIR JOB'S GONNA BE HERE. 
          THAT'S NOT REAL. 
          I, I WOULDN'T MAKE A PROMISE. 
          I CAN'T KEEP, AND I CAN'T KEEP THAT PROMISE. 
          BUT WHAT I CAN PROMISE THEM IS THEY'RE GONNA UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE THIS. 
          AND HERE'S WHY I FEEL MORE CONFIDENT THAN EVER. 
          NOT BECAUSE I WENT TO MIT, BUT BECAUSE WHEN I WAS ON THE FLIGHT ON MY WAY HOME FROM MITI DOWNLOADED THE VIDEO THAT SOME OF YOU WERE ACTUALLY PRESENT AT THE PRESENTATION AT WCA TALKING ABOUT AI. 
          AND I GOTTA TELL YOU SOMETHING, THAT WAS THE MOST PATHETIC THING I'VE EVER WATCHED. 
          AND IT'S NOT BECAUSE THE INDIVIDUAL GIVING IT WAS BAD. 
          AND IT'S NOT BECAUSE, UH, OF NECESSARILY HIS BELIEF. 
          BUT I CAN TELL YOU THIS, 
          [01:25:01]
IT'S THE ANTITHESIS OF WHAT I JUST HEARD AT MIT LITERALLY ON DAY ONE, IN HOUR ONE, EVERYBODY WAS MAKING JOKES ABOUT HOW TERRIBLE COPILOT IS. 
          DON'T USE IT. 
          IT CAN'T DO ANYTHING THAT AI HAS THE CAPABILITY TO DO. 
          WHAT WAS THE FIRST THING THAT WAS SAID AT THE WCA CONFERENCE? EVERYBODY NEEDS TO STAY SAFE. 
          AND YOU USE COPILOT. 
          I MEAN, GOVERNMENT SUCKS. 
          AND I'VE KNOW HE'S KNOWN THAT, BUT OH MY GOD, I ALMOST FELL OUTTA MY AIRPLANE CHAIR LISTENING. 
          WE HAVE TO ARM PEOPLE WITH THE ABILITY AND BUILD THE GUARDRAILS SO THAT THEY DON'T DO THINGS THEY WOULDN'T EVEN KNOW THAT THEY'RE DOING. 
          IT'S NOT DIFFERENT THAN MANY OTHER TECHNOLOGIES THAT WE HAVE. 
          WE HAVE TO PROTECT HIPAA DATA. 
          YEAH, NO KIDDING. 
          WE HAVE TO PROTECT OPEN REP RECORDS. 
          YES. 
          NO KIDDING. 
          YOU THINK THE FINANCIAL SERVICES PEOPLE, WHICH IS PROBABLY 50% OF THE FOLKS I WAS WITH AT MIT DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT PROTECTING PEOPLE'S FINANCIAL DATA. 
          YEAH. 
          LIKE THEIR WHOLE BUSINESS WILL GO DOWN. 
          WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GIVE ARMED PEOPLE WITH THE INFORMATION THAT CAN CREATE AUTONOMY, MASTERING PURPOSE, AND DO IT IN A WAY THAT PROTECTS COUNTY'S INFORMATION AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, OUR CITIZENS. 
          SO HERE'S HOW WE'LL DO THAT. 
          WE WANNA CREATE PILOT PROGRAMS INTERNALLY WITHIN THE ORGANIZATION THAT START TO TEST WHERE IT MAKES SENSE TO START EXPLORING WITH SOME OF THESE TECHNOLOGIES. 
          YOU'LL REMEMBER WHEN WE RESTRUCTURED THE ORGANIZATION AND PUT AARON IN A BRAND NEW ROLE AS CIO, IT WAS ALL ORIENTED TO STARTING THIS, THIS WORK. 
          UM, HELPING CREATE A, A KIND OF A SUPER USER GROUP TO START WITH THAT BEGINS TO TEST WHAT PLATFORMS MAKE SENSE FOR US. 
          HOW DO WE PUT GUARDRAILS IN PLACE? BUT I THINK WE ALSO NEED TO EM EMPOWER EMPLOYEES. 
          THE VIDEO THAT YOU SAW THAT SIDEKICK AI FUNNY LITTLE VIDEO WE DID, WE ACTUALLY BUILT AN APP THAT FUNCTIONS JUST LIKE A CHAT GPT, BUT ISN'T CONNECTED OUT TO THE INTERNET. 
          IT'S GOT ALL THE SAME CAPABILITIES 'CAUSE IT'S A LARGE LANGUAGE MODEL. 
          UM, BUT IT ALSO REWARDS EMPLOYEES FOR USING AI MORE AND MORE. 
          AND IT KEEPS TRACK OF HOW MUCH THIS WOULD'VE COST IF YOU WOULD'VE BEEN ON A TRADITIONAL PLATFORM LIKE CHAT, GPT OR CLAUDE. 
          UM, THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT NEED, I THINK WE NEED TO HELP TRAIN EMPLOYEES ON SO THAT IF THERE IS A TIME, FIVE YEARS FROM NOW WHERE THEIR JOB DOESN'T EXIST, MAYBE THE STATE DOESN'T FUND THAT ANYMORE. 
          THEY HAVE A AI DATA CENTER THAT TAKES ALL THE CALLS THAT THEY HAVE THE TOOLS TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE, AND THEY KNOW HOW, HOW TO FUNCTION WITH AI AND WHATEVER THAT NEW ROLE IS. 
          UM, I I STILL BELIEVE FIRMLY HOME OWNERSHIP. 
          IT, IT SOUNDS STRANGE IN THE WORLD IN A CONTEXT OF AI. 
          UM, BUT IF YOU DON'T HAVE STRONG COMMUNITIES, UH, YOU DON'T HAVE AI THAT'S USEFUL. 
          IT'S ONLY AS USEFUL AS THE PEOPLE THAT UTILIZE IT. 
          AND THE INFORMATION THAT'S BUILT INTO IT IS FORMULATED BY ALL OF US. 
          I THOUGHT ONE OF THE MOST, UM, OBNOXIOUS PRESENTATIONS, UH, WAS ABOUT BIAS. 
          UH, I WAS AT A HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION AND THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT BIAS. 
          YOU CAN IMAGINE THE DIRECTION IT WAS GOING. 
          THIS IS MY LEFT, YOUR RIGHT. 
          UM, BUT I THOUGHT THE ONE FASCINATING COMMENT THAT THAT PROFESSOR MADE AMONGST OTHERS WAS, WHAT YOU HAVE TO REMEMBER ABOUT SUPER INTELLIGENCE IS IT'S A COMBINATION OF ALL HUMAN INTELLIGENCE AND WE'RE ALL BIASED. 
          ALL OUR BIASES ARE BUILT INTO THOSE LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS. 
          'CAUSE IT'S JUST US TALKING IN THE COLLECTIVE. 
          YOU HA YOU GOTTA CONSTANTLY REMIND YOURSELF THAT AT THE END, IT IS ALL HUMAN DRIVEN. 
          IF IT'S USED FOR EVIL, IT WILL DO EVIL. 
          IF IT'S USED FOR GOOD, IT WILL DO GOOD. 
          BUILDING UP OUR COMMUNITY AND THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT MAKE US STRONG IS AS IMPORTANT AS EVER. 
          I I WENT IN VERY BIASED. 
          I GREW UP IN KEWANEE COUNTY IN MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL. 
          I LIVED NEXT TO ONE OF THE NUCLEAR NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS. 
          I KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE CAN EMPLOY, I KNOW HOW MANY HOMES IT CAN POWER. 
          I BELIEVE THE RACE TO FUSION TECHNOLOGY IS ONE THAT WASHINGTON COUNTY SHOULD FIGURE OUT A WAY TO GET TO THE FRONT OF. 
          UM, I, I DON'T KNOW HOW WE DO THAT. 
          I'M COUNTING ON ALL OF YOU TO HELP AND PROBABLY CHAT GPT TWO. 
          UM, OUR RELATIONSHIP AND OUR CONNECTIONS. 
          JOSH, DID YOU SAY FUSION TECHNOLOGY? UH, FISSION TECHNOLOGY. 
          FISSION TECHNOLOGY, YES. 
          SORRY. 
          THANK YOU. 
          UM, OUR CONNECTIONS TALL ORDER. 
          PARDON? THAT'S A TALL ORDER TOO, BUT IT, THEY'RE ALL TALL ORDERS. 
          IT'S DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT. 
          HOW ABOUT NUCLEAR? YES. 
          NUCLEAR FI AND TECHNOLOGY. 
          YEAH. 
          YES. 
          YEAH. 
          I MEANT JUST PLAIN OLD, RIGHT? NO, THERE'S, OKAY. 
          YES, WE, THIS DEBATE, THIS DEBATE HAS TO HAPPEN, NOT JUST HERE, BUT IT'S GONNA HAPPEN EVERYWHERE. 
          MY ONLY POINT IS WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT HOW WE GET OURSELVES INTO A POSITION WHERE WE'RE NET ENERGY EXPORTERS. 
          AND RIGHT NOW WE'RE NOWHERE IN THAT BALLPARK. 
          UM, HOW, HOW 
          [01:30:01]
THAT CONVERSATION HAPPENS. 
          I HOPE WE BEGIN THIS DISCUSSION IN JANUARY. 
          I HOPE IT'S A PART OF A SMART GOAL THAT BUILDS A PLAN THAT WE ALL CONTRIBUTE TO IN THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS. 
          UH, BUT THE, THE FUTURE BELONGS TO THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT GET THAT FIGURED OUT. 
          UH, SAME THING WITH SUPPLY CHAIN. 
          I TOUCHED ON THIS EARLIER, I WON'T HARP ON IT. 
          WE'VE ALREADY HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH, UH, EDWC ABOUT WHAT THAT REVOLVING LOAN F FUND LOOKS LIKE. 
          YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE SEGMENTS OF THAT FUND THAT ARE FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES. 
          UM, THAT COULD BE A CONCEPT THAT WE APPLY SPECIFICALLY TO AI SUPPLY CHAIN. 
          SO HERE, HERE'S WHERE OUR SPRINT STARTS. 
          UM, WE HAVE LISTENING SESSIONS ALREADY STARTING NEXT WEEK. 
          I'LL CERTAINLY BE GIVING UPDATES ON FIRE AND EMS, UM, PARTICULARLY WITH SUCH AN OVERWHELMING VOTE. 
          UM, BUT I WANNA SPEND MOST OF THE TIME WITH OUR CONSTITUENTS TALKING ABOUT WHAT DO YOU ALREADY KNOW? WHAT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO HELP YOU LEARN AND HELP THE WHOLE COMMUNITY LEARN? WHO SHOULD WE BE PARTNERING WITH? UM, WHERE, WHERE ARE THE RESOURCES THAT MAYBE MEMBERS OF OUR COMMUNITY KNOW ABOUT THAT I DON'T KNOW ABOUT? UM, THOSE CONVERSATIONS START NOW, UM, UTILIZING AARON AND THAT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TEAM TO START FACILITATING ROUND TABLE DISCUSSIONS AND SPEAKER SERIES AND MAYBE SOME OF OUR PARTNERS AT TECHNICAL COLLEGES AND MSOE AND ELSEWHERE. 
          UM, BUT REALLY BEGINNING TO BUILD, WHAT WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY? AS I MENTIONED, THIS IS AN EARLY SPRINT. 
          I EXPECT THIS SPRINT IS GOING TO BE THE NEXT FIVE TO 10 YEARS, AND AFTER THAT, IT'LL BECOME AS COMMON AS FLIPPING THAT SWITCH ON TO TURN THE LIGHTS ON. 
          UM, IF YOU DON'T THINK YOU ARE ALREADY USING AI, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOOK THE NEXT TIME YOU DO A GOOGLE SEARCH ON THIS THING, THE FIRST ANSWER IT GIVES YOU IS ALWAYS AI. 
          AND THEN WHEN YOU START TALKING TO THAT, THAT YOU ARE UTILIZING AI, BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT YOU PUT IN THERE. 
          UM, THIS RACE IS GOING TO BE A RACE TO, FOR ALL OF US TO BECOME COMPETENT IN IT. 
          UM, THE, THE TROUBLE, THE CHALLENGE AND WHY ALL THE ARTICLES WE'VE BEEN GIVING YOU ARE ORIENT AROUND IT IS TO KEEP IT, KEEP IT PEOPLE FOCUSED. 
          UH, DON'T ALLOW THE AI, THE TECHNOLOGY, THE MACHINES, UH, TO TAKE OVER. 
          MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE STAY AT THE CENTER AND PEOPLE STAY AT THE CENTER OF DECISIONS. 
          SO WITH THAT, I TURN IT BACK TO YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN, HAPPY TO TAKE ANY QUESTIONS OR SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP IF YOU'D LIKE OR YOU EXCEEDED YOUR 15 MINUTES, SIR. 
           AND SUPERVISOR KEL HAS COMMENTS, BUT I THINK I'LL SPEAK FOR ALL OF US WHEN I ASK YOU TO. 
          PLEASE BE SUCCINCT. 
          THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. 
          UM, AND FIRST OF ALL, I KNOW YOU HAVE A BIG, VERY THICK PRINTED, UH, ENCYCLICAL IN FRONT OF YOU. 
          I HAVE THE ABRIDGED VERSION, SO, UH, WE WILL GO THROUGH THIS QUICKLY. 
          UM, AN ENCYCLICAL IS A PAPAL, UH, LETTER. 
          IT'S WRITTEN BY THE POPE, OFTEN ADDRESSED NOT ONLY BISHOPS AND ALL CATHOLICS, BUT MANY TIMES ADDRESSED TO PEOPLE OF GOODWILL, UH, IN THIS CASE, MAGNIFICA HUMANIS. 
          UM, THEY ADDRESS CONTEMPORARY ISSUES AND CONCERNS BOTH WITHIN THE CHURCH, THE WORLD, AND THE LIGHT OF CHURCH TEACHINGS. 
          UM, AND I KNOW A LOT OF PEOPLE MAY NOT, UH, BE RELIGIOUS OR, OR AGREE WITH MAYBE CATHOLICISM, MAYBE A LUTHERAN, WHATEVER. 
          THE POINT IS, IS THESE TEACHINGS DO COME OUT A LOT. 
          THEY ARE USED BY SEVERAL DIFFERENT GROUPS, UH, TO, TO FIND A MORAL IDEAL, UH, FOR HUMANITY. 
          UM, AND I SAY THAT, UH, EXPLAIN THE ENCYCLICAL BECAUSE IT IS NOT A PAPAL EDICT, WHICH IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT THING. 
          UM, WHEN IT COMES TO AI, THE POPE, UH, IS VERY EXCITED FOR WHAT AI CAN BRING TO HUMANITY. 
          SO, UH, THE TECHNOLOGY CAN CERTAINLY CREATE LEAPS AND BOUNDS IN HEALTHCARE AND, AND ALL KINDS OF THINGS. 
          UH, SO I THINK THE FIRST THING THAT I LEARNED OFF THIS LETTER IS THAT HE'S VERY EXCITED FOR IT. 
          HE'S NOT AGAINST AI IN ANY WAY. 
          HOWEVER, HE DOES UNDERSTAND THE SAFEGUARDS THAT NEED TO BE IN PLACE. 
          SO, UM, I'LL JUST READ BASICALLY THE HEADLINES AND THEY'LL MAKE A LOT OF SENSE. 
          AI HAS THE POTENTIAL TO ENHANCE HUMAN LIFE OR RUPTURE THE HUMAN, THE HUMAN COMMUNITY, AND THE COMMON GOOD. 
          THE DIGNITY AND PRIMACY OF THE HUMAN PERSON MUST REMAIN AT THE CENTER OF TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENT. 
          JUST LIKE, UH, EXECUTIVE SHOWMAN JUST SAID, AI CAN NEVER BE MORALLY NEUTRAL. 
          I THINK THAT'S IMPORTANT. 
          AND INTELLIGENCE IS NOT WISDOM. 
          UH, THE DIGNITY OF HUMAN WORK MUST NOT BE REDUCED TO THE TECHNOCRATIC 
          [01:35:01]
PARADIGM. 
          AND THE LIMITS OF HUMAN LIFE ARE NOT DEFECTS, BUT THE VERY WAY WE GROW AND MATURE AS HUMAN PERSONS. 
          SO ALL THESE ARE COVERED A LITTLE BIT MORE IN, IN THE GUIDE THAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU. 
          BUT THE LONG AND THE SHORT OF IT IS THIS, THAT AI, WHILE IT IS A TOOL, MUCH LIKE THE INTERNET, IS A TOOL AND HAS BECOME SOMETHING THAT HAS BEEN VERY WELL SERVING TO MANKIND, WE ALSO KNOW THAT THE INTERNET HAS NOT BEEN COMPLETELY GREAT FOR MANKIND IN MANY WAYS. 
          UH, MORALITY AND SOCIAL SOCIALIZATION, UH, THEFT, UH, ALL THE THINGS THAT WE SEE ARE OCCURRING ONLINE ARE PRECISELY WHY YOU NEED GUARDRAILS IN THINGS LIKE THIS. 
          AND THE AI GUARDRAIL THAT THE POPE IS MOST CONCERNED ABOUT IS THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE, THE HUMAN PERSON. 
          SO BASICALLY STATING THAT YOU COULD PERCEIVE A FUTURE WHERE AI MIGHT BE MAKING DECISIONS THAT WOULD AFFECT WHETHER OR NOT HUMAN WOULD BE DETERMINED TO BE WORTHY OF LIVING OR DYING, WHETHER THEY DESERVE TREATMENT OR NOT. 
          UH, TH THAT'S A LITTLE BIT OUT THERE, BUT UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN IT COMES TO THE HUMAN CONDITION, THE PULPS POSITION IS THAT HUMANS SHOULD BE THE ONES DETERMINING THAT. 
          SO YOU CAN READ UP THAT A A LITTLE BIT MORE IN, IN THAT ENCYCLICAL, UM, AND UNDERSTAND IT A LITTLE BIT FURTHER. 
          THAT'S WHY IT'S PRINTED OUT FOR YOU. 
          UM, I TOO BELIEVE THAT THAT IS THE RIGHT MOVE. 
          UM, I WAS VERY EXCITED TO HEAR IT WHEN I WAS AT A SEMINAR AT MY CHURCH REGARDING THIS TOPIC. 
          UM, I DO STRONGLY BELIEVE THAT EVERYTHING WE DO IN THE SOVEREIGNTY OF THIS BODY MUST BE PRESERVED BY THIS BODY AND NOT TAKEN OVER. 
          AND THAT GOES FOR THE BUREAUCRACY, THE COUNTY BOARD, AS WELL AS THE EXECUTIVE'S OFFICE, THAT WE AS HUMAN BEINGS HAVE THE INTELLECT, THE WISDOM TO MAKE THESE DETERMINATIONS FOR OUR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS. 
          AND WE SHOULD NEVER RELINQUISH THAT TO AI. 
          SO IN THE NEXT COMING MONTHS, I WILL BE WORKING WITH, UH, CHIEF OF STAFF, MIKE, AND, UH, ALSO WITH BRAD. 
          UM, AND PROBABLY IT WHAT I IMAGINE AND DEFINITELY WANT TO TALK TO AARON DAHL. 
          UM, AND CRAFTING HOPEFULLY A RESOLUTION THAT WOULD CODIFY, UH, THAT HUMANS CONTINUE TO STAY THE FINAL WORD HERE IN OUR COUNTY AS TO, UH, WHAT PROGRAMS AND WHAT THINGS HAPPEN WHEN IT COMES TO THE HUMAN EXPERIENCE AND NOT BE TAKEN OVER BY AI. 
          UM, ALSO, IF THAT WERE TO PASS SIDE BY SIDE, I WOULD LIKE TO ALSO OFFER A RESOLUTION AT THAT TIME, UH, FOR AN ADVISORY RESOLUTION FOR THE STATE THAT, UH, WILL HOPEFULLY USE OUR RESOLUTION THAT WE COME UP WITH AS A FRAMEWORK TO PASS ON TO THE STATE. 
          SO THAT'S AT A FUTURE DATE, UH, THAT IS WHAT I'M, I PLAN ON WORKING ON. 
          AND I HOPE YOU AGREE WITH ME THAT WE AS THE VOTING BODY OF THIS MUNICIPALITY, OF, OF THE, OF OUR COUNTY MUST ALWAYS BE THE ONES TO MAKE THE FINAL DECISIONS AS WELL AS THE BUREAUCRACY AND, AND THE WAY WE RUN THIS COUNTY. 
          IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE THE HUMAN BEING, THE HUMAN COMPASSION, AND THE HUMAN ABILITY OF WISDOM TO MAKE THE FINAL DECISIONS. 
          SO THAT'S WHAT I HAVE FOR YOU TONIGHT. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          PLEASE TAKE A, TAKE A LOOK AT THAT IF YOU COULD. 
          AND, UH, IF YOU'RE NOT RELIGIOUS, PLEASE TAKE OUT THE RELIGIOUS PART. 
          IT'S STILL A GOOD MORAL FRAMEWORK FOR HOW WE SHOULD TREAT AI. 
          WE SHOULD BE EXCITED ABOUT IT, WE SHOULD WORK ON IT, BUT WE SHOULD ALSO BE MINDFUL OF IT AS WELL AS JOSH SHOWMAN HAS SAID. 
          THANK YOU VERY MUCH. 
          THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR BOSER. 
          THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. 
          UM, SO OUR COUNTY EXECUTIVE ME MENTIONED THE CLASSES AT MARIN PAR PARK HELD. 
          I ATTENDED THREE OF THE FOUR CLASSES IN THAT SERIES. 
          THEY WERE FREE, THEY WERE VERY WELL ATTENDED, THEY WERE VERY WELL DONE. 
          THEY WERE MORE AT AN INTRODUCTORY LEVEL. 
          I THINK WE NEED MORE CLASSES LIKE THAT, AND I THINK WE NEED TO START LOOKING AT MORE ADVANCED CLASSES AS WELL FOR THE COMMUNITY SO WE CAN SUPPORT OUR KNOWLEDGE WITH THESE EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES. 
          UM, THE OTHER THOUGHT I WANNA SHARE BRIEFLY, I AM A, I DO REPRESENT THIS FULL BOARD ON THE WISCONSIN COUNTY UTILITY TAX ADVISORY BOARD. 
          WE'VE BEEN LOOKING A LOT AT THE ENERGY NEEDS BECAUSE THAT DOES IMPACT UTILITIES AND WITH DATA CENTERS, UH, OUR COUNTY EXECUTIVE HIT IT RIGHT ON THE HEAD. 
          THERE'S A MASSIVE POWER NEED COMING, AND SOLAR AND WIND ARE NOT GONNA MEET THAT NEED. 
          YOU KNOW, SOLAR, WE'RE PUTTING IT IN THE WRONG PLACES OR CHEWING UP LOTS OF FARMLAND 
          [01:40:01]
WHEN WE COULD PUT IT ON THE ROOFTOPS OF WAREHOUSES OR OVER PARKING STRUCTURES TO PROVIDE SHADE FOR CARS. 
          BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT NUCLEAR POWER, IT'S KIND OF TRICKY BECAUSE WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT THE PUBLIC AWARENESS IS OF HOW IT'S CHANGED. 
          BUT NUCLEAR POWER IS THE MOST EFFICIENT PER LAND ACRE OF ANY POWER SOURCE. 
          YOU'LL FIND SAFETY'S EVOLVED A LOT OVER THE LAST 20 YEARS. 
          I THINK THERE IS A STRONG NEED FOR PUBLIC INPUT IN ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT NUCLEAR POWER, BUT I THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT BECAUSE WITH HOW FAST THESE DATA CENTERS ARE COMING IN AND HOW THEIR POWER NEEDS ARE GROWING, WE HAVE TO MEET THAT NEED. 
          SO THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS ON WHAT WE NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT. 
          THANK YOU, MR. CHAIRMAN. 
          THANK YOU. 
          DOES ANYONE ELSE WISH TO SPEAK? COMMENT? OKAY, WE WILL MOVE ON. 
          UM, WE HAD PLANNED A CLOSED SESSION, BUT, UM, ACTUALLY WE DON'T NEED TO GO AND CLOSE SESSION PROBABLY, SO. 
          OH, YOU THINK WE DO? SHOULD WE START WITH OPEN COMMENTS AND THEN GO? OKAY. 
          SO I'LL TURN THE MICROPHONE OVER TO ATTORNEY STERN. 
          ALRIGHT, AND GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. 
          UH, I WANTED TO JUST TAKE A FEW MOMENTS AND OPEN SESSION BEFORE I ASK, UH, THE, THE BOARD TO CONSIDER GOING INTO CLOSED SESSION TO BRING YOU UP TO SPEED ON CURRENT DEVELOPMENTS WITH SEWER PACK. 
          UH, BY WAY OF SOME CONTEXT, THE BOARD WILL RECALL THAT ON DECEMBER 10TH OF LAST YEAR, UH, YOU PASSED, UH, A RESOLUTION THAT, UH, ESSENTIALLY INDICATED WE WERE GONNA WITHDRAW FROM SEWER PACK, THE REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION, UM, BY STATUTE. 
          WHAT THAT EFFECT HAD WAS TO ESSENTIALLY KEEP US IN SEWER PACK, UH, FOR THE YEAR 2026. 
          AND, UM, THE, THE DEFECTIVE DATE OF OUR WITHDRAWAL WOULD BE JANUARY 1ST, 2027. 
          THE REASON FOR THAT IS BECAUSE WHAT THE STATUTE SAYS IS WHEN THE BOARD ADOPTS A RESOLUTION TO WITHDRAW, IT'S NOT EFFECTIVE UNLESS THE VOTE IS TAKEN AT LEAST SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE END OF A FISCAL YEAR. 
          OUR FISCAL YEAR IS THE CALENDAR YEAR BY LAW. 
          THAT RESOLUTION WAS ADOPTED, UH, IN ON DECEMBER 10TH, 2025. 
          THAT'S LESS THAN SIX MONTHS BEFORE THE END OF OUR FISCAL YEAR, WHICH WOULD'VE BEEN DECEMBER 31ST, 2025. 
          THEREFORE, WE'RE IN UNTIL WE, UH, ARE OUT, WHICH WOULD BE, UH, JANUARY 1ST. 
          DESPITE THAT FACT, UH, THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF 2026, SEWER PAC HAS WITHHELD SERVICES FROM THE COUNTY, UH, HAS TAKEN STEPS TO REMOVE OUR COMMISSIONERS FROM THE COMMISSION. 
          ASKED ONE OF OUR COMMISSIONERS TO RESIGN, QUITE FRANKLY, AGAINST HIS WILL. 
          UH, AND HE STEPPED DOWN. 
          AND, UH, AND SO WE'RE AT A POINT NOW WHERE, UH, ONE OF THE, I GUESS, STRAWS THAT BREAKS THE CAMEL'S BACK IN MY MIND WAS THEY WENT SO FAR AS TO REMOVE OR LABEL AS DELINQUENT, UH, SEVERAL COUNTY TRANSPORTATION, UM, UH, PROJECTS FROM THE TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, WHICH IS A REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN THAT, UM, ESSENTIALLY GOES OFF TO DOT, UH, AND FUNDS LOCAL PROGRAMS. THEY WERE PULLING OUR PROGRAMS OUT OF THERE. 
          SO OUR PROGRAMS WOULD NOT BE FUNDED. 
          WE WOULD NOT GET THOSE, UH, SERVICES AND SO ON. 
          IN RESPONSE TO THAT LAST WEEK, UH, WASHINGTON COUNTY FILED SUIT AGAINST SEWER PAC AND, UH, WE ALSO, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THAT LAWSUIT, FILED A REQUEST FOR A RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST SEWER PAC. 
          THE, THE BASIS FOR THE LAWSUIT IS THAT WE WANT THE COURT TO DECLARE THAT WASHINGTON COUNTY IS A PARTICIPATING COUNTY AND A FULL MEMBER OF SEWER PAC UNTIL WE ARE NOT. 
          AND WHILE WE ARE A FULL PARTICIPATING MEMBER COUNTY, WE ARE ENTITLED TO ALL OF THE, UH, PRIVILEGES OF MEMBERSHIP AND THOSE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN WITHHELD FROM US. 
          I'VE BROUGHT A RESTRAINING ORDER ACTION IN, UH, IN THE WASHINGTON COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT BEFORE JUDGE KENNET AND I MADE THIS ARGUMENT TO HIM, AND HE AGREED THAT WE ARE A MEMBER COUNTY UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR. 
          AND IN THIS FOLDER RIGHT NOW, I HAVE BEFORE YOU THE RESTRAINING ORDER THAT THE JUDGE GRANTED INDICATING AND RESTORING ALL OF OUR RIGHTS AS A MEMBERSHIP, UH, IN SEWER PAC IN A PARTICIPATING COUNTY, UM, SEWER PAC. 
          UH, I, WE HAD A SCHEDULING CONFERENCE EARLIER THIS AFTERNOON. 
          THEY FILED A LETTER AFTER THE FACT, UM, ASKING ESSENTIALLY TO BE HEARD BY THE COURT ON THIS TOPIC. 
          THE COURT HELD A HEARING TODAY AND IS SCHEDULED FURTHER PROCEEDINGS ON OCTOBER 23RD. 
          BUT AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE BEEN RESTORED OUR RIGHTS OF PARTICIPATION, OUR RIGHTS OF MEMBERSHIP THAT SEWER PACK TRIED TO UNLAWFULLY DEPRIVE US OF EARLIER THIS YEAR. 
          THAT'S WHERE THINGS STAND AS OF RIGHT NOW. 
          BUT I WOULD ASK, UH, THE, THE, UH, BOARD TO TAKE US IN THE CLOSED SESSION FOR A VERY BRIEF, UH, EXPLANATION OF WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT AND TO PERHAPS GET SOME GUIDANCE FROM YOU ON WHAT YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO DO IN THE WAKE OF CERTAIN DEVELOPMENTS. 
          AND I'LL BE AS BRIEF AS I CAN. 
          THERE ISN'T MUCH MORE TO ADD, BUT I DO NEED TO, TO 
          [01:45:01]
TALK TO YOU BEHIND CLOSED DOORS SO THAT WE CAN TALK ABOUT SOME LITIGATION STRATEGY. 
          MOTION TO CONVENE AND CALL SESSION. 
          SECOND, WE HAVE A MOTION BY SUPERVISOR KEL AND A SECOND BY SUPERVISOR BOSSERT. 
          UH, WE'LL TAKE A ROLL CALL VOTE STARTING WITH SUPERVISOR BAILEY. 
          AYE. 
          YES. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          YES. 
          WE WILL GO INTO CLOSED SESSION. 
          [Open Session]
          [02:17:19]
CHAIRMAN, 
          [02:17:19]
I 
          [02:17:19]
MOVE 
          [02:17:19]
TO 
          [02:17:19]
APPOINT 
          [02:17:20]
SUPERVISOR ICK POSITION BACK, UM, REPRESENTATIVE. 
          I WILL SECOND THAT MOTION. 
          YOU ENTHUSIASTIC? THUMBS UP. 
          DO WE HAVE ANY DISCUSSION? 
          [a. Appointment of Ken Mikulec to SEWRPC]
ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE. 
          AYE. 
          AYE. 
          ANYONE A POST ? THAT WAS  THINKING ABOUT IT. 
          OUR NEXT MEETING DATE IS NOVEMBER 11TH, 2026. 
          GOLD BREWERS BEING OFF RUN. 
          WE WE WILL TAKE IT STILL. 
          ONE AND OFF? 
          [a. November 11, 2026]
YES, SIR. 
          WHAT ARE THEY? IN A FOURTH.
* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.