Olmsted County Board of Commissioners - Regular Meeting

It is 6.51 p.m., a quorum is present, and we'll start with the Pledge of Allegiance.

To the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Okay, our first item on our agenda is to approve a text amendment. It's 02026-002EA. We all know what that means because we read our packet, but the public, we're going to have our planning director, I think, come forward and introduce herself, and she's going to explain to us what this is all about.

Good evening, commissioners.

I'm Allison Sosa, planning director. Do you have a presentation?

All right, I'm here this evening to introduce a text amendment. Oh, 2026-002-TA. So this is a text amendment to the county's floodplain and shoreland ordinance.

You can forward it for me, thank you.

Okay, the direction tonight from FEMA is pretty simple. They're asking that Homestead County delete one section of our ordinance and add a second section to our ordinance. I've got future slides that are gonna talk about those in just a little bit more detail, but the deadline they have given us is August 21st, which is Friday, and we are recommending approval of this ordinance. Alright, so the section to be deleted is section 3.07, which is part of our permit process. This is essentially a piece of code that says that there are certain types of developments that are so minor they are excluded from the floodplain development permit process. This used to be language that was found in Minnesota's, in the DNR's model ordinance. So when we adopted Our ordinance was part of the model ordinance. It has since been removed, and FEMA is now going to multiple jurisdictions that still have this language, and they're asking that it be removed. The impact is pretty minor. I don't get too many calls about mailboxes or about flagpoles or gardens. We'll still look at this as part of larger applications that come in if there's a house or something else. We'll look at this and we'll follow the rules, but I expect this to be relatively minor, so minor impact. And then the section to be added is again in Section 307, Permit Processing. This is a section that FEMA is requesting that's just about some record keeping. There's really no impact to us here. This is something that we already do in the planning office, so it's good that we're going to have it codified. But again, no real impact. We already keep all the documentations as part of the applications in perpetuity. Like this. When you're looking at text amendments, really you're looking at a couple different things, but the really most important one is typically is it in the public interest? But secondly, you're looking at when we're talking floodplain shoreland, we're talking about whether this is consistent with FEMA, FEMA's rules and DNR's rules. This language is coming directly from FEMA, so it's pretty easy finding to make that this is going to be consistent with FEMA's requirements. At the county level, we are required to We can be more restrictive than the state and the federal government. We can't be less restrictive. So if we do not pass this tonight, FEMA is going to view that as us being inconsistent with their rules. And the ramification for that would be suspension from the National Floodplain Insurance Program, which we don't want to do. So I do have a draft motion for us. I'm here to answer any questions. There is a public hearing tonight. But at the end of that public hearing, we are going to ask that you vote. I make a motion to approve this text amendment.

Thank you. Any questions of the planning director? None. This is a public hearing. I think we usually typically open with a motion. Is there a motion to open a public hearing? So moved.

Second.

Motion and second. All in favor say aye. Aye. Okay. We're in the public hearing now. Are there any members or is there a member of the public that wants to speak to this? Any member wants to speak to the issue before us? One more time, any member sensing none, is there a motion to close the public hearing?

Motion to close the public hearing.

Okay, we've got a motion and a second, and all in favor say aye. Aye. Okay, it passes. Now is there a motion on the matter before us?

I make a motion to approve the text amendment.

Okay, we've got a motion and a second to approve the text amendment as suggested. Any further discussion? Sensing none, all in favor say aye. Aye. Aye, and opposed nay, and the text amendment is approved. I bet you wish they were all that easy. Okay, moving on, we have the consent agenda before us, and I'll just read about six or seven items here. For the consent agenda, any member can pull any one of these if they wish. First, to approve the board minutes of August 4th. to approve a low-voltage systems vendor contract award, approve Olmstead County public facing fees, enter into a detour agreement with MnDOT, enter into a second detour amendment with MnDOT. I'm not going to give you all initials. And lastly, to set the truth in taxation dates for the 2027 budget. Is there a motion to approve or anybody want to... pull any of those items.

Move to approve the consent agenda.

Moved and second to approve the consent agenda as presented. All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed nay, and it is approved. So we move into informational items, and we have an informational item tonight dealing with transforming trash. And we're going to have a new artist presented to us, I believe. Maybe, yes, at least one or two. And so Our good friend from Environmental Services is going to speak to the body about it. Please introduce yourself and introduce your guests.

Yeah, great. Thank you. I'm Kathy Holland, the Environmental Resources Director. And I'm here tonight to introduce our second transforming trash artist, Jory Jory. She's a multidiscipline artist with a background in film, costuming, and live performance, specifically in circus arts, theater, and stand-up comedy. They currently work mostly in three-dimensional medium, focusing on mask work and mixed-media self-sculptures. These sculptural pieces have been included in various juried solo, duo, and group shows in Canada, in the U.S., and Japan, winning five awards in the last two years. Jory has also had a piece on permanent display in Niagara Falls at the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum.

I love the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum.

Yeah.

I don't know how many I drug my dad to as a kid, so I'll have to get up to Niagara Falls. The artist works entirely secondhand, donated and found objects, finding materials that have more life in them and keeping them out of landfills. Something near and dear to my heart. The work explores mythology, the representations of gender, body, and self, and how we are connected and disconnected from the natural world. There is an additional focus on the creation of worship objects, our relationship to these objects, and what realness means. So the artist hails from Gulf Island in the Salish Sea in Canada, but now lives in the foothills of Northern California, drawing inspiration from and being an active member of both communities. So with that, I'm going to turn it over to Joy Joy.

Welcome.

Hello. Hi, everybody. stand that up a tiny bit um thank you so much for having me it's an absolute delight and honor to be your artist in resident um i've had such a beautiful time in rochester so far i'm gonna make sure i see everybody hello thank you all for having me everybody has been wonderful incredibly kind i've met so many like interesting people on my day-to-day i've been biking everywhere laurel let me bike so it's been really wonderful kind of exploring the area I'm working on a piece for you guys I'm really excited about. I'm using textile, recycled textile. It's been from some donations. We've got a little bit from the trash place. The recycling center. Thank you. I needed your eyes to tell me what that was. From the place where trash goes and from donations from the community. So I've been working on that. It's going to be really exciting and I'm looking forward to sharing it with you guys. I always think it's really important to have a little bit of a conversation about textile waste. It's not something we really think about, but ever since we shifted from going from tailored clothing that was being made specifically for you to kind of the world of fast fashion that we're in, clothing and textile waste is just an immense contributor to pollution kind of across the United States and across the world. So I'm hoping that the piece will evoke a little bit of conversation around that. And yeah, I'm just super happy to be here.

Welcome. Yeah. Thank you so much.

Appreciate it.

If I might. When Jessalyn, I think you all know, but some of you in the audience might not know, Jessalyn Finch, she is the executive director of Olmstead County's Transforming Trash Artist in Residence program, along with Kathy Hall, who is our environmental resources director. The three of us head up this program. And when Jessalyn and I thought of this idea, A year ago, a year and a half ago, I couldn't have imagined that we would get an artist like you, Jory. I mean, just meeting you and knowing you and seeing your process and little sneak peeks of what you're up to, I sometimes lose sleep awaiting what this creation will be like. And the reception for the work that you're creating will be in our atrium, our rotunda, like right outside these doors. So it'll be right here in the government center. And I think, Jessalyn, maybe you'll give us a few more details about that date and time. And so personally, I... I just want to fill the world with art. And I think there's too much stuff and trash and discarded things around. And I would much prefer that these turn into permanent, beautiful pieces of art in the world. And I am just overcome. I'm just overcome with gratitude, Jory, Jory, that you made the journey that you applied, that you made the journey from California, and that you are helping fill our community with beautiful art made exclusively from reclaimed materials. That your work, your efforts, your inspiration, your phenomenal talents will ripple out through our community for generations, and I'm so grateful. to have you here. Thank you.

Really appreciate that.

Anyone else? Well, we appreciate this. And for the benefit of the public, transforming trash is all about getting us as a society to think differently about waste and that wastes are often treasures and we should not waste them. So we look forward to your work. And if I'm, we're all looking at one on the screen as well. And I mean, it's just unbelievable. and I want to see it in person. Okay, anyone, do you want to please comment?

I was just going to pitch the exhibition opening is August 28th, so it's the last Friday of August. I'm looking around at everybody who's going to come. 4 to 7 p.m., and we will have an artist talk with Jory around 5.30 that day right outside at the Rotunda. Thank you.

Thank you. Great, thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. You're welcome. Okay, that concludes our informational items. So we're into the board and committee reports. Are there any reports tonight? Commissioner Tyne?

No report.

Commissioner Wright? No report. Commissioner Mueller? No report. Commissioner Hopkins? No report. And Commissioner O'Donkey-Smith?

No report.

And Commissioner St. John has none either. And so with that, I'd entertain a motion to adjourn. Second. We have a motion and a second to adjourn. All in favor, say aye. Aye. Opposed, nay. And we are adjourned at 7.05.