Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting

It's 1.30 with a quorum of commissioners. We can roll the tape. Good afternoon. I'll call to order this meeting of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday, September 9, 2025 at 1.31 p.m. I'm Irene Fernando, Chair of the Board and District 2 Commissioner. I'm joined by District 3 Commissioner Marion Green, District 4 Commissioner Angela Conley, Vice Chair and District 5 Commissioner Debbie Goetel, District 6 Commissioner Heather Edelson, and District 7 Commissioner Kevin Anderson. Hennepin County acknowledges that the magnificent land and vibrant waterways from which our institutions benefit are located upon the cultural, spiritual, and indigenous homeland of the Dakota Oyate. Hennepin County calls attention to the Dakota people's ongoing connection to this special place. Before we begin our meeting today, I want to take a moment to acknowledge the tragic violence that have occurred in our communities over the last few weeks, especially those close to schools. Two mass shootings within a 24-hour period at Cristo Rey and Annunciation. All of Hennepin's children and youth deserve to be safe. The current level of gun violence is simply not acceptable. Hennepin has recognized gun violence as a solvable problem for the last five years through several board resolutions, county initiatives and investments. We've been working to build an ecosystem of community safety through community focused solutions and prevention. In partnership with local officials, community providers, law enforcement and young people, we have built a layered set of resources and responses to meet the needs of the many communities in our county. The community safety infrastructure includes hospital-based responses, a wide array of youth programming, including intensive mentoring for youth with the most challenging situations, trauma supports for recovering families, and long-term prevention plans crafted in tandem with community leaders in neighborhoods across Hennepin. We built a strong structure founded on cooperation and coordination with communities across the county. We are grateful for the partnerships and relationships with those working to prevent violence and we are committed to continuing this work. But we know that this work is not yet enough. Our hearts go out to all of the families impacted with a strong commitment from Hennepin to further prioritize the prevention of violence in our communities. I want to extend our immense gratitude to the first responders and those who are at the scene, medical staff and frontline workers, as well as the teachers, counselors, and social workers who continue to serve our community through this time of crisis. The conditions resulting in gun violence that got us here did not happen overnight, and the recovery is also not going to happen overnight. We are committed to staying the course until every Hennepin child and youth and every Hennepin County resident is safe from fear and violence. With that, I will open the floor should colleagues wish to speak. Dr. Shireen.

Thank you so much, Madam Chair. Thank you for those words and the opportunity to say something today. At this very sad time And truly in an ongoing way because our country has a deadly disease and its commitment to unregulated gun ownership My thoughts are with those most immediately impacted by gun violence in our community we really grieve for lives lost and everybody touched by recent tragedies and With the heaviest of hearts, I reflect on these school shootings, both at Annunciation and Cristo Rey. There aren't words to address the pain that a community feels, and the reverberations of these will be felt for decades to come. Annunciation school is in my district. Cristo Rey is not in my district, but that doesn't matter and I suspect it doesn't matter to any of us. I say with confidence that everybody, every one of us as commissioners and also the county organization views any child loss to gun violence as a shared tragedy. In what has been an especially tragic and violent stretch, I want to challenge all of us not to become numb, nor to accept any of this as the norm. We cannot accept this. And I feel a little bit like those sort of impotent moments that you feel as a parent when you say to your child, this is not acceptable. what can we do to make this absolutely not acceptable? And I know that we and others have asked ourselves that time and time again, but we can't accept this. responsibility as leaders is to mitigate gun violence in any way we can for students workers residents of the county in our region and in that context I want to particularly thank community and first responders health care professionals and when I say that absolutely inclusive of mental health and well-being and law enforcement as well gun violence prevention and adjacent programming as our chair just outlined are not new initiatives for Hennepin County so I pending input today from my colleagues, I'd like to ask administration to pull together a summary of county work, an environmental scan, and proposals for how we can enhance that work and advocacy. Thank you.

Commissioner Conley. Thank you, Madam Chair. First thing I want to call out is on that Thursday at the shooting at Annunciation, I was coming into the office to pick up something. I was actually off that day. And I picked up a folder for an evening commitment, and I ran into staff from our Victim and Witness Services office. And the look of panic on their face, we stopped for a brief hug, and then they were running to the elevator. But I knew what I was thanking them for. I did not know that to this day they would still be at the sides of the families of those impacted. The office that we have in Victim and Witness Services, I cannot praise them enough for the selflessness that they display when they show up to the scenes of these incredibly violent incidences. and to the trauma nurses and the trauma doctors and the staff that had to see what these bullets do to the smallest of bodies. This is completely unacceptable. And, Commissioner Green, you brought up a good point because I don't want us to get complacent. or to think that this isn't solvable, it is. We have conversations with our children after these things happen. And when I talked to my 13-year-old about this, when I learned about what a code red drill is like at a middle school, which is they lock the doors and they either hide or all go into the corner or they go into the closet. But she said, we can't all fit in the closet. Right? And she also, I said, well, how does this make you feel? And she says, I don't know how to feel. This is America. So we have a generation of children who this is all they know is code red drills, active shooters, and the tragedy that we saw just a couple weeks ago here in our own backyards that impact so many families, that impact, my kids are at school right now. Right? that just resonates through our community and it's devastating and solvable. And there's policy positions we can take around guns and magazines and who has access to those, but I also wanna stress the policy positions that we need to take around the people that surround those who are directly impacted. The people that show up, our first responders were mentioned, that show up to the scene first and they see the gore. First, what mental health support do they have when they go back home after everyone has been taken to the hospital? When that EMS worker goes back home and those visions are still there, what mental health supports do we have to wrap around that? That's what I want to see in that environmental scan. That's what I want to know. I want to know that every piece of this disgusting puzzle is that we pay attention to that, right? And when I say disgusting puzzle, it's happening all over the country. It's an epidemic right now, right? We've seen it in so many places. And when it happens at home, you know, I drive around my district, I see the blue and teal ribbons around the trees. Maybe folks here have seen them. That's heartwarming, but it's also a call to action, like real substantive action. I think the direction to staff is a start to that. When I think about what is possible because of what happened, I think about going hard or going home, which is something that I firmly believe in. When we want to do something that will change the lives and save lives of our residents, we go hard or we go home. And I'm looking forward to be able to do that. But my heart is definitely with everyone who's been impacted. There was 24 hours two weeks ago where there were four fatal shootings. that took the lives of young people. Four in 24 hours. That is unreal. That is unreal. Overwhelmingly a reality, but unreal in that short period of time. And the time is right now to do something extraordinary for our residents. And I'm looking forward to that. Thank you for the opportunity to share, Manager.

Commissioner Huddleston.

Thank you to my colleagues for your words. So I live about a mile from Annunciation. Our old house was a block away. And so we have several friends who live in the community. One of my really good friends, Brenda, her daughter is friends or was friends with Harper. So Fletcher and Harper were the two children, eight and 10, that were murdered. We have one of our own colleagues' daughter, Lydia, who was shot, one of the 18 children that were shot. My kids also practiced those drills, Commissioner. And what I was thinking about as we all went to bed thinking about that that night, is there was no drill. There was nothing that they were even able to do. Those two children died being shot through windows, sitting in a pew where they thought they could be safe. And so what I would like our board to do is declare gun violence a public health crisis. I think it is something that we can do. Right now we have legislators, leaders meeting at the Capitol to talk about a special session. And I'M ALL ABOUT NUMBERS. I CAME FROM THE LEGISLATURE. IS THERE THE NUMBERS TO PASS THE GUN VIOLENCE IS WHAT WE ALL SAY. AND WE WOULD GIVE UP HOPE BECAUSE WE WOULD SAY, NO, THERE'S NO WAY. THE MATH DOESN'T MATH HERE. BUT THE REALITY IS, WHERE IS THE HOPE? We're the level of government right now where we can say, yes, we can declare it a public health crisis, because it is. Because in 24 hours, there were multiple shootings in places where people should be safe. The scale, I just want to just put the scale of the amount of gunfire that was shot into enunciation. 116 bullets were found on the ground 116 bullets came flying at children as they were sitting there innocent. I'm livid. I'm livid. I can't tell you the amount of times I've woken up and thought about that. And this was a school shooting. We don't have these very often in the state of Minnesota. The last one was in 2022 in Richfield, right outside of the school. The last one before that was on Red Lake on the reservation. We have to do more. So yes, let's do an environmental study, but let's make it fast. Because as legislative leaders are talking in St. Paul right now, I want them to know that we, as a county board, demand more from them. Every single one of our 45 cities demands more. we're mad and i will say that colorado in 2021 they rolled back the preemption laws they rolled them back and do you know what the counties did boulder county came in and said we are going to say that no more assault rifles denver said as a city we are not going to allow them we need to do something so thank you commissioner goodell i was just going back to thursday

morning to myself and we were supposed to have an HHS finance and operations meeting that morning and I got a call that all the doctors had to be pulled out of the meeting because they all had to go down to HCMC. It's all hands on deck when things like this happen and they never stop or think about anything. They just run from their homes or wherever they're at to go to the to be with these kids to help out the other staff in the emergency response that's happening here. Several of our hospitals did step up, and I want to just say how much I appreciate and thank them. And that afternoon, we had a child well-being, and the first thing I thought is, well, let's call and see if everybody can make it, because I don't know what staff have to be pulled from county, because county responds as well. to all these tragedies. We sent out outreach officers, we sent behavioral health people, other navigators for these folks besides our EMTs and our sheriff's department. All were on staff that day. And then the other cities, Richfield was backing up Minneapolis because all of Minneapolis was responding to this. And there were Richfield residents that had their kids in annunciation that had to go run to go see if their kids were safe too. And it doesn't go without note that we were all impacted. There isn't anybody here who isn't impacted, doesn't know somebody who got hurt in that or somebody who has a neighbor or a friend who isn't impacted by this. And because of this, you know, I've heard that the churches and the schools are responding with updated and more security and even the churches are having more security at their buildings it's reminiscent of the days when we were watching what was happening at our synagogues unfortunately when they were under attack there is not a sacred or safe place and I've actually even asked County to look at some of our public buildings more where we out with our safety features we are very open we are very open and very public buildings we need to make sure that our We can keep the people who come into our building safe. So yes, does there need to be gun control reform? Absolutely, I believe it. I've always supported that. I won't stop supporting that. I'm hopeful that this is close enough to home to enough of our legislators that they will pass a real reform that will really make a difference. And yes, just getting assault rifles off won't solve all the problems, but it is a start. And in other communities where they do this, they have seen results. When we had it before, we saw results. So not doing it is a dereliction of our duty. It really is. And everything we can do within our power, we should be doing. And I know we are as county. But it's just really hard to face this reality when it comes to home. Yes, I do remember the Richfield shooting. I was getting calls all the time about that. And yes, I knew a lot of those kids down at those schools and I visited the schools very regularly. So it's really hard to see what this does to our community and to hear when you stop in stores, because a lot of people stop us commissioners in the stores, they know us all, talking about what happened in the day, you know, how they were impacted, how they felt about it. And it's really time. It's time for us to get serious about this. I'm hoping that the legislature really will be serious about it this time. I know there are very serious legislators that are in there, but we need them all on board to do something and start down a different path. I think the county has done a stupendous job in bringing mental health into our schools. Unfortunately, we don't catch every single kid, right? And we don't get them on the path fast enough. It's taking the stigma out of mental health, which is something we have to do. Now we have to get to some of our other broader communities, because this particular individual in the enunciation was out of school at that point, but had huge mental health issues and didn't find their way to the help that they needed before something tragic like this happened. And so, it was a horrible thing to have happen for everybody involved. And I'm just hoping that we find a real path Forward to doing something that's really impactful for our community.

Thank you Commissioner Anderson Thank You madam chair I Graduated high school in 1999 when Few weeks after the Columbine Massacre I Was starting my family in 2012 when Sandy Hook happened. And now I sit here with another tragedy so much closer to home. And this is not normal. Like, we see it. It has been the reality of my adult life. It is not normal. This cannot continue. And I don't know, honestly, what it will take to convince people outside of this room to do something. Because in the 25 years... that I have been an adultish person, nothing has happened. Not a damn thing. And we have invested in mental health services. We've invested in community support. We have done things and I've seen things happen at the local level to respond to this violence while the source of the violence has been ignored. And we can't pretend like it is okay that assault weapons are just a part of our everyday life. I grew up in central Minnesota. Gun culture was alive and well. Hunting was a part of my upbringing. This is not hunting. This isn't safety. This doesn't keep our community safe, and we can't pretend like it does. Thank you. Yes, we should have a scan done for what we are doing because I think it will show that the county in our response is doing our part to take care of community. And it is legislators and people at the state level and the federal level who are abdicating their duty to keep our people safe and our children safe. It's about goddamn time that they do something. Thank you.

In my opening remarks, I said that in the last five years, this county has done a fair amount. And it's because prior to that time, gun violence was not always seen as part of the county's kind of authority area. And so I'm proud that over the last handful of years, we have sought to bolster that. And so in addition to what my colleagues have shared, and I look forward to very prompt responses from administration on the types of information that is needed for us to make substantive recommendations I do want to also bolster how we support local governments. Local governments, we made difficult decisions financially and policy-wise in order to be prepared to respond. And how our schools, cities, parks, also ensuring that the wraparound services Because it's wraparound services plus regulation in order for us to advance some aspect of this really, really broad sweeping issue. Young people are dying every single day for many reasons and a lot of times at the hands of violence. So this county will continue to expand our role and fight unwaveringly for the regulations and the funding needed to prevent gun violence in the future.

This should not be happening.

With that, colleagues, this was still all at the front of the meeting. This was important to discuss, but onto the actual agenda. The first item is the Pledge of Allegiance. Please join me. Second item is to approve the agenda. May I have a motion, please?

Second.

Thank you, Commissioners Gautel and Conley. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Three is Hennepin Highlights. We have two Hennepin Highlights today. 3A is the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, presented by our very own Ginny Gelms, Elections Director. Welcome.

Thank you, Madam Chair. My name is Ginny Gelms. I'm the Elections Director for Hennepin County, and I'm here today to help celebrate the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Federal Voting Rights Act. This is a little bit of a different topic than what I'm usually here to present. I'm not a historian. I'm an administrator, but I really do welcome the opportunity to look back and reflect on where we've been, how far we've come, and how far we have yet to go in this country and in our community to protect and enhance the franchise for all of our voters. So the Voting Rights Act passed 60 years ago, signed into law on August 6, 1965 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. I just said I'm not a historian, but I do have this picture actually hanging in my office. One of my favorite things about this is just a reminder. We have President Johnson there signing the bill, but you can see Dr. King in the background there and a number of other leaders. from the country, and it's a group effort to pass legislation that expands the franchise. It was a long, hard-fought battle. This Voting Rights Act eliminated discriminatory barriers to voting that included literacy tests and poll taxes, and it led to a dramatic increase in voter registration in our black communities, especially in the South. Next slide, please. And so today we just take a little bit of time to look at Minnesota's voting rights history. We do have, the Voting Rights Act was a piece of federal legislation, but most of what we do in elections in this country is we're on a federated model. So most of the statutes that govern who can participate, where and when, are passed at the state level. So Minnesota's voting rights history, like most of our states in this country, it's a mix. It's one of barriers, but it's also one of progress. When we became a state, the 32nd state, I believe, our Constitution limited voting rights specifically to white men. So it's been a story of progress since then. In 1868, Minnesota did become the first northern state to approve black suffrage by popular vote. And in 1870, the 15th Amendment was ratified nationally, which ended the ability to deny the vote based on race in this country. The state constitution in 1898 was amended to allow voting from abroad. We still have that in the form of the UOCAVA, Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Voting Rights Act. The 19th amendment passed in 1920 brought the national suffrage for women, but Minnesota had edged that out by a year. We made women eligible to vote in presidential elections in 1919. In 1924, Native Americans gained citizenship and voting rights, but there were residency barriers, and those weren't lifted in Minnesota until 1948, which wasn't that long ago. 1965, of course, as we just said, the Federal Voting Rights Act was passed, and we've had a number of progressive piece of legislation since then. In 1974, Minnesota became one of the first states to allow same-day voter registration, which we have to this day. It is one of the key pieces of law that we have in Minnesota that allows such a high amount of voter turnout that we have. You can show up to the polls on Election Day if you have the right identification and register and vote the same day. And we had a number of other developments since then, including increasing accessibility of polling places to voters with disabilities. In 2023, the Restore the Vote Act was passed at the state level, which re-enfranchised over 55,000 Minnesotans with felon history. And we had another law pass, the Minnesota Voting Rights Act in 2024, which strengthened the protections that we already had in place in Minnesota. As I mentioned, we have a strong culture of civic participation and voter engagement in Minnesota. We did, in 2024, have a 74% statewide voter turnout, which was almost the highest in the country. We were usually number one, but we were just edged out by less than a tenth of a percent by Wisconsin this time around. Yeah, so we have a little rivalry going on, so we can see if we can beat them next time around. We are a national leader in turnout. We're also a leader in election administration and election protections for voters, including that election day registration, which is so key, as well as the 46-day absentee voting period in Minnesota. And going forward, one of the programs that we at the county have here that I'm the most proud of in the area of reaching out and engaging all of our eligible voters is our community contract program, where we work with community organizations that work with demographics in our population and communities who have historically faced barriers to voting. We form contracts with these organizations. It's a train the trainer model. We teach these organizations how to, the ins and outs of election day registration, how to navigate that system and all the things that their voters need in order to participate. And those community organizations turn around and work with the communities. This program is really a good way for us to partner with existing local organizations and build trust with our communities. So we're continuing to lead with intention, working to dismantle barriers, especially for communities that have long been marginalized in the election space. And I wanted to include this quote from one of our community partners, Catholic Charities in 2024 was one of our contract organizations. Bringing these resources to people where they're at helped people feel seen and sent the message that their vote matters. And so in closing, as we mark the 60th anniversary of the passage of the Federal Voting Rights Act, we celebrate not only the progress achieved, but also it's important to recommit to safeguarding the right to vote for all of our voters. The legacy of the Voting Rights Act reminds us that democracy thrives when every voice is heard, and that's what we're committed to here at Hennepin County. And I'd be happy to answer any questions. Madam Chair.

I just want to thank you for the presentation. We thought this would be a good highlight to include, especially given the national context. I just want to repeat over and over again, people should be allowed to vote. Women have the right to vote. People This notion that we are going to shrink who is allowed to participate in democracy is not appropriate and This county has really made investments to ensure that we are following the law and expanding those who get to make their voice heard I'll just also note that for women of color for for immigrant families It took until the Voting Rights Act for our access to really come into fruition. Even though 1919 is hallmarked as when women were provided access, women of color were not provided that same access. And so today there continue to be disenfranchised people that local government can and should stand up for. So thank you, Ginny, for the wonderful presentation. Oh, just kidding. Commissioner Conley?

Thank you. Just some comments. Thank you, Madam Chair. Thank you so much for the, I'm a history nerd, so I'm all in. And I really appreciate the historical background and the importance of this anniversary. And just a quick shout out. I know staff from D4 and D5 helped bring this highlight before us today. It was great. I want to go back to that history. Again, for obvious reasons. 1868 is a really important year. I just finished reading a book called The Peculiar Imbalance by William Green. Highly encourage everyone to read it. It talks about the history of racial equality in early Minnesota before Minnesota became a state when it was Minnesota territory. And about that 1868 law, we still had, at that time, intimidation around the polling places. So the reason for that is while we gave suffrage to black Minnesotans at the time in 1868, we prevented them from voting because we didn't want southern vacationers coming to visit the lakes. to be intimidated by black people with rights. And so there was a whole, several chapters about that in that book. So it's an interesting piece of history. But that is telling for the time we're in today because you have southern states right now who are disenfranchising voters by moving where their places of voting are, by taking away polling places in communities of color. by making it an hour drive or a three hour long wait in line to be able to vote. So the fight for voting rights still continues to this day in 2025. And also to call out your office specifically, we have been in a voting in an election year every year for the last decade almost, I don't know. Next year is one too. So I can't just thank you enough for all that you do and that your staff do. to make sure that voting is accessible to all of our residents, easy and convenient for us to do. So thank you.

Commissioner Edelson.

Really quick, just thank you. That was a great presentation. I'm wondering if we can have a copy of the slides. Thank you. Absolutely.

Thank you. We have one more highlight. 3B is the Mighty Mississippi Challenge Award. And we have guests here from Goodhue County to talk about the results. And so I'll welcome Commissioner Flanders and Administrator Arneson. Thank you so much for being here.

Thank you very much. And in light of everything you all are going through, what came across very clearly was your anger, your uh, your pain and your leadership as well. And as a County commissioner, I appreciate that very much. I am here for a more celebratory reason, and that is the Mighty Mississippi Cleanup Challenge. And while I realize that water at the moment might not be at everybody, top of everyone's list, I very strongly believe that the Mississippi River is just incredibly important. When I started this challenge in Goodhue County, It was number six on the most endangered rivers list. It is now number one on the most endangered rivers list. We are the heartland, and the Mississippi River is the lifeblood of the heartland. And economically, recreationally, spiritually, and culturally, it is a very, very important river. From that standpoint, yes, Goodhue County began this Mighty Mississippi challenge. And for the second year, Hennepin County has won the challenge. It's very informal. All you're going to get out of it is a certificate and bragging rights for a year. But I personally want to congratulate absolutely everyone in Hennepin County for what you managed to accomplish this year. Hennepin County alone had 2,800 volunteers out there cleaning up the river during the one month of the challenge. You had over 20, hang on, totally we collected over 21,000 volunteers. of garbage out of the river. And this isn't the runoff from the farms. This isn't the PFAS. This is junk that people truly have put into the river. And when you think of it, in one year that we pulled out, 30,000 pounds is pretty incredible. So I congratulate you immensely. The people that you have had and working on this and the number of events that you had and the people within your county who showed up for it is very, very impressive. And I thank you very much. I'm hoping that you will help challenge your fellow commissioners for next year. I'm sure Commissioner Mary Jo McGuire would have a little bit of a competitive streak in her. And I also want to thank Commissioner Gotel and also Commissioner Mike Slavik, who talked about the river cleanup. at the NACO conference. Thank you very much for doing this. She was on a podcast that we all are able to see. So I have brought you the certificate from Goodhue County. Before long, perhaps we will wallpaper your outside hallway with them if you keep winning. And we have one more thing for you, and I thank you again so very much.

Good afternoon. Again, I'm Scott Arneson, Goodhue County Administrator. Thank you again for all your efforts and congratulations on being a winner. And additionally, I'd like to give you a certificate of recognition from Governor Walz. So, thank you.

We should challenge someone. That's a good idea. I like that. I like that. We ought to challenge them. All right. Four on the agenda are the minutes from the previous meeting. May I have a motion to approve the August 12, 2025 meeting minutes? Second. Thank you, Commissioners Anderson and Green. Any notes or corrections? Seeing none, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Five is referral of correspondence and department communications. 5A through 5D, our correspondence, and 5E to 5V, our department communications. May I have a motion to accept and refer as recommended?

So moved. Second.

Thank you, Commissioners Gotell and Conley. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Six is commendations, for which we have none. Seven is commissioner communications and updates, and we have a few. First is University Extension Master Gardener program offered by Commissioner Gotel.

Thank you, Madam Chair. I'm pleased to report that the 2025 Learning Garden Tour organized by Hennepin County Master Gardener volunteers was a remarkable success. The tour took place July 12th this summer. Ten distinctive home gardens across southwest Hennepin County welcomed the public in a self-guided event highlighting innovative gardening techniques from hydroponic systems to native plant landscaping. I'm sure Commissioner Conley's all over this. This is her wheelhouse, too. Education stations at every stop, along with the popular garden shed and the book nook, engaged community members of all ages. This event not only inspired gardeners across the region, but also generated support for our local extension programs. It exemplifies the strength of our community outreach and the continuing impact of research-based horticulture and education. And urban gardens are really so cool anyway. It's nice to see people doing that. September is now, oh, and that concludes, I guess, the gardens of that. That's it. I'm just so excited because I love gardening. And I know Commissioner Conley's like me. What can we turn into a garden now? We haven't done anything out here in the front.

Oh, wow. We ought to give Commissioner Gotel more appointments. I'm just kidding. I'm joking. That was a joke. Next up for Commissioner Communications is Workforce Development Month offered by myself. That's the next one. Great. September is National Workforce Development Month, and today we're recognizing a few of the programs and services the county provides. Workforce development is essential for connecting people with employment, cultivating an inclusive, diverse, and talented labor force, and driving opportunities and economic development across the state. To give a high-level view of some key impact numbers from January to June of 2025, there were almost... 10,490 total residents were served across all workforce programs, including state, federal, and county funded programs. Residents received employment coaching, one-on-one mentoring, resources and support services, training, and educational workshops. 984 residents were placed in employment in high demand job industries through the work of the county's community partners. Job seekers exiting programs received a medium wage of $20 an hour, and career pathway placements earned an average of $27 an hour. Nearly $13.1 million of funding was invested into the community via RFPs in partnership with our community-based organizations to further advance employment opportunities to upskill and strengthen our workforce. And 35 new community partnerships were established to expand the county's reach with intentional focus on communities of color. Hennepin Go, or Growth and Opportunity, is the county's overarching programmatic strategy to provide residents internships and employment pathways, which play a crucial role in reducing disparities in employment, education, and income. Hennepin Go offers a clear and comprehensive strategy that includes employment pathways, internships, externships, and various programs focused on career readiness, skills-based learning, and targeted services for youth. By working closely with state and community partners, we maximize our impact and create meaningful opportunities for all. In 2024 alone, the county served 3,500 youth across all workforce programs. Youth internships are a vital aspect of the county's talent pipeline strategies, providing youth with the right tools and training, helping young people achieve higher earning potential and a better quality of life, while also strengthening our region's workforce BY REDUCING DISPARITIES IN INCOME AND EMPLOYMENT. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH HUMAN RESOURCES, THE COUNTY'S INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES PROVIDES HANDS-ON LEARNING AND SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN A FIELD OF INTEREST. INTERNSHIP PARTNERS INCLUDE BROOKLINK, STEP UP, URBAN SCHOLARS, AND THE COUNTY CONTINUES TO BUILD NEW COLLABORATIONS. EXTERNSHIP PARTNERS INCLUDE HENNEPIN'S WEST EDUCATION CONSORTIUM, GPS EDUCATION PARTNERS, AND THE HENNEPIN CARVER WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT BOARD. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT WAS fortunate enough to host an intern through Brooklink this summer named Sabrina Kai Yang. She shared, I have learned a lot about myself and built more confidence. She also said that the internship inspired, quote, inspired me to work harder for my future and reminded me that even if I fail, I can always find a path that fits me and makes me happy. In 2025, the county served approximately 200 students through internship and externship opportunities. In addition to serving youth, Hennepin GO also provides career exploration and development opportunities for adults. The county hosted an educator externship on July 29th. Career and technical educational instructors from both K-12 and post-secondary were able to learn about the skills needed for the occupations within Health and Human Services to ensure our youth are well prepared for the future. and that they are aware of the opportunities that exist not only within the sector, but also here at Hennepin County. This was in partnership with North Point Health and Wellness, the Minneapolis Regional Chamber, and the Hennepin West Education Consortium. Upcoming events the county's hosting include a virtual training resource fair on September 17th, A public health Hennepin Go expo that is going to be late October, early November at the Central Library. The date is getting finalized now, which will offer youth the opportunity to connect with many of our public health staff. The annual workforce development employment counselor training on December 3rd at the 65 building. And there's more information on ongoing career training and resource fairs available at hennepin.us slash employment services. This Workforce Development Month, I and my fellow board members are happy to reaffirm our commitment to advancing workforce development efforts in Hennepin County across the continuum. And as we celebrate, let's be vocal about this programming, why it matters, and that the county is committed to reducing and eliminating income and employment disparities through this and other strategies. Thank you to our community partners, city and state collaborators, and to the staff providing quality and effective programs and services day in and day out. The last commissioner communication we have is Black Business Month offered by Commissioner Conley.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Happy to discuss. August was National Black Business Month. And to celebrate, my team and I, as we do each year, or try to, visited some local black-owned businesses in the district. The first stop was a very heart-healthy treat for us. The Dripping Root, which is a heart-healthy black-owned business on Minnehaha Avenue on the south side of Minneapolis, which is one of our favorites. We enjoyed a light lunch and fresh fruit bowls and juices. The Dripping Root is a black-owned juice bar run by a mother-daughter duo, which is incredible. We also visited Mudlock Pottery, which is a black-owned pottery and ceramic studio. I encourage you to sign up for a class. It is relaxing and therapeutic. Um, Mudlock offers creativity, inclusion, and artistic expression, and is a space where artists of all backgrounds really, and skill levels can come together to create beautiful works of art. It's located right on the corner of Lake and Bloomington. I just really want to encourage everyone to take August and other months of the year to support your local Black-owned businesses by learning about how they came to be and purchasing their goods and services. One I want to call out before I'm done here is Cupboard Bakery, which is in D5. I think I told Commissioner Gotel about this one. DoorDash knows me well. It's a black-owned coffee shop and pastry shop which has the best cheese danishes I have ever tasted in my life. It's located in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Bloomington.

Thank you. Thank you. Next, we are at eight on the agenda, which is the claims register. We have four. Eight As for the period ending August 15, 2025, eight B for the period ending August 22, eight C for the period ending August 29, and eight D for the period ending September 5, 2025. May I have a motion for all four claims registers? So moved. Second. Thank you, Commissioners Anderson and Conley. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. 9 is our consent agenda. These are items that would have passed unanimously out of committee. May I have a motion for 9, 8, and 9E, please? So moved. Second. Thank you, Commissioners Cotell and Crean. Any that colleagues would like to highlight prior to voting? Hearing and seeing none, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. 10 are consent items, which would have passed out of committee, but not unanimously. We have two, and my understanding is that both 10A and 10B need to be returned to staff. So I'll move for 10A and 10B to be returned to staff. May I have a second? Second. Thank you, Commissioner Green. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. 11 are progressed items. These are items that would have progressed from committee to board without a vote. 11A is the 2025 Watershed Board Applicants and Appointments for Nine Mile Creek Watershed District Board. There was a very comprehensive memo that we received, and with one vacancy and one appointment. Am I saying this all right? Okay. I think we can do a verbal, a verbal. Go ahead, Commissioner Edelson.

Oops, there we go. I just, just no comment, too long here, but I just will say I want us to figure out how we do a better job getting more people that are applying. This person is requiring a supermajority. And I just, we have, it's just interesting who applies. We have sometimes an abundance of candidates and sometimes just one. So I'm fine with doing a supermajority here, but I do wonder if we should have a conversation with the watershed districts too about making sure that they're doing outreach. I think there's a lot of people that would like to do this work and they just might not know about it. So with that, I'm all done.

Thank you. And I know you've mentioned this and agreed that it is time to kind of revamp and there's process and then there's the results of the process is I think what you're amplifying. So thank you for that. Is there a motion to appoint the applicant to fulfill this position?

I'll move, Larry Olson. Second.

Thank you, Commissioners Gotel and Edelson. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. 11B is accelerating zero waste implementation in Minneapolis. My understanding is that we have an R3, so I will move the R3. May I have a second? Second. Thank you, Commissioner Conley, and I will invite it to Ms. Welland to speak on this.

Chair Fernando, commissioners, the R3 for this item addresses comments made when the resolution was discussed in the committee. Assistant County Administrator for Public Works, Lisa Cerny, will provide a summary of this item.

Thank you miss wetland and chair and commissioners. This item seeks to support advancing our efforts to transform our solid waste system. As discussed, we need Minneapolis to move forward on the PR on the progressive zero waste policies already outlined in their climate equity action or climate equity plan to achieve our shared climate and zero waste goals. Our success depends on alignment across the solid waste system and each partner doing their part. The R3 reflects two key changes to the resolution. First, an updated whereas clause clarifies the data is needed from the commercial, institutional, and multifamily sector. The rate is unknown and waste in the sector makes up 65% of all trash generated in the city. This creates a critical data gap that makes it difficult to evaluate performance and develop new strategies. The city has shared that they don't have this data, so the resolving clause provides an option for the city to report the necessary steps they need to take to collect and report the data. In addition, our subject matter experts will collaborate with the city to help them develop how to collect and report this data using tools they already have. This data will then establish a feedback loop to inform policies, decisions, program adjustments, and the allocation of resources. The second change and additional be it resolve clause clarifies this action is not a direction to close the her prematurely on a timeline that would increase landfilling decisions regarding facility closure will be subject to a separate process with engagement of impacted stakeholders, including all of the cities throughout Hennepin County. It reaffirms the commitment in the style in the 2024 solid waste management plan. to engage in efficient and value-added infrastructure planning and develop plans for large facility closures to abate landfilling as required by state statute. In closing, Hennepin County has made significant investments in zero waste. We've increased our budget We've done more enforcing of our regulatory requirements and we've advanced the actions laid out in our plans. This resolution creates a path for Minneapolis to be a committed and collaborative partner to set targets and develop plans to implement the most impactful strategies to advance climate action and our zero waste goals. I'll stand for questions.

Thank you. Colleagues, we've seen this a couple times. I am certain there's discussion. Anybody like to begin? Commissioner Conley.

Thank you, Madam Chair, and thank you, Ms. Cerny. I know I had a lot of comments the last time that this came before us, and will say that I'm supportive today. One of the things that you and I were able to clarify was that in the background, the I was particularly taken aback by the fact that the city of Minneapolis is evaluating mandatory organics program participation for city services to start in 2040, to start in 2040. But this is all taken from the zero waste plan. So 2040 is way too far away to be starting that. We already know what participation rates is like. We just had a briefing. So I am supportive of this. I think this is a good measure. And if they have a plan in place and have a resolution on the books that wants to see her closure, well, then we've got to get some reporting around what it is you're going to do to get us there. So I'm appreciative of this. I will say again that I don't believe this is any call out to any one municipality, although it's our biggest one who produces the most of what goes into the Herc. And so I want to be able to work with them in a way that's meaningful to get to the earliest possible closure date. I appreciate that the additional resolving clause is there because I don't want to reach a closing date that means that we landfill more. I am vehemently against putting trash in the ground. And putting smoke from trash in the air. There's that. So it's a conundrum. But I believe that we can get there. I believe in our zero waste strategy. I believe that other cities, with our support, we can reach a timeline that's workable. I also appreciate that we are going to get this information, hopefully, on October 20th. and that we will start, it says here, on a biannual basis beginning next year. So I feel like we are doing what our obligation is to do for our biggest city in our county. And with that, thank you for the R3.

Thank you. Further discussion? Commissioner Levine.

Thank You madam chair I just wanted to thank you for this I know that it was very carefully crafted and crafted in partnership with the city of Minneapolis and in many ways and so I'm I'm really glad to see the conversation advancing in this tangible way. Because I mean, the statistic that Commissioner Connolly just pointed out sort of highlights it like we really need to get cracking with some of our business biggest jurisdictions within Hennepin County to to make advances. So thank you for all the thought that went into this and all the sculpting.

Commissioner Goodell.

I just want to say that there are other cities outside of Minneapolis that are following this quite well. I meet with my cities regularly, and they're asking about this, because they saw what we were looking at at the very beginning, and they've been following this all through. And I said, you know, stay tuned. There'll be some updates and everything. They realize the impact of the HERC on their own communities, because many of our cities also deliver to the HERC. But then those cities that do not deliver to the HERC realize that if it closed suddenly, it would raise prices for all communities to go to landfills. And so there's a real concerted effort in what we can really do around this. and i really hope that with our conversations with minneapolis because they are the largest one and they've been the most verbal and outspoken about it that they are a leader because if they craft really great ordinances and put them in into fruition we actually see them instituted in the city they could be a leader to show other cities how to do this because i also i have probably the second largest city bloomington in my community that goes to the herc And so, you know, we all need to be doing this together, but we also need some real leaders in this sphere.

Yes, thank you. I appreciate the updated language.

I do wish I had a little bit more time to look at the changes prior to the meeting. You know, I think some of the things that I worry about, especially as it relates to the entirety of the county, like this was a conversation that I've had with you is that as we are making policies directed to Minneapolis, I understand they're the largest municipality. But they are certainly not the only. And as you pointed out, Commissioner Guttel, if Minneapolis were to divert garbage to landfills, the costs would go up immensely for every community. um and there is a very real possibility that the landfills that we currently utilize won't take that garbage so we need to make sure that we are working collaboratively with the city of minneapolis and all of our communities to make sure that we are hitting the zero waste plan and So I will support this, but knowing that I really want to see how we're doing this because Minneapolis is a third of our county and we have to fix the whole county. So thank you.

And just to that end, this item I think was first introduced at committee like August 5th. And so since then there has been formal communication with city of Minneapolis. We had an in-person meeting with their leaders, including policy makers. I just want to express that we've also, BEEN MEETING WITH SUBURBAN POLICYMAKERS AND ADMINISTRATORS. AND THEN I'LL JUST ALSO NOTE THAT AS WITHIN GENERAL GOVERNMENT FOR AMC, SOLID WASTE HAS CONTINUED TO BE PROMOTED AS A PRIORITY AREA. SO THIS IS CERTAINLY NOT GOING, THIS WILL CERTAINLY BE A PROMINENT TOPIC AND WILL CONTINUE TO. SO I THANK YOU. THE R3 IS BEFORE US. WE'LL PROCEED TO THE VOTE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? Motion carries. 12 is old business, for which we have none. These are items that would have been seen by the Board previously and laid over to today. And 13 is immediate approvals, and we have four of them. 13A is to award a set-aside contract to Generation One Contracting LLC, doing business as Morris Construction for the District Court. PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES EXPANSION PROJECT AT JUST UNDER $1.9 MILLION. MAY I HAVE A MOTION, PLEASE? THANK YOU, COMMISSIONERS EDELSON AND ANDERSON. MS. WELLAND.

CHAIR FERNANDO, COMMISSIONERS, CHRISTIE DUFFY FROM FACILITIES SERVICES IS HERE AND CAN PROVIDE BACKGROUND INFORMATION.

WELCOME.

a construction contract to Generation One Contracting doing business as Morris Construction for the District Court Psychological Services Expansion Project. This project will remodel approximately 11,000 square feet on A5 in the Government Center A Tower. This project will provide space for District Court's growing psychological services program and will include interview rooms, workstations, conference rooms and support spaces. Morris construction was selected using a sheltered market solicitation to emerging small business enterprises who participate in the Department of community corrections and rehabilitations community productive day construction partnership program for proposals were received and Morris was evaluated to provide the best value based on cost written proposal and interview. This project will be delivered by approximately 35 percent minority business enterprise and 9.9 percent women small business enterprise. And I'm happy to answer any questions.

Thank you. Colleagues, any discussion on this item? Thank you. Hearing and seeing none, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed? 13 A's approved. 13 B's to establish 2026 health plan and premium rates for self-insured health care program applicable to employees, eligible dependents, and retirees. I'll move this. May I have a second, please? Thank you, Commissioner Gotel. Ms. Welland.

Chair Fernando, commissioners, you have in front of you a board action requesting immediate approval for the 2026 healthcare plan design. Currently, there are 9,451 employees enrolled in the plan and over 20,000 covered lives. Each year, 17 bargaining unit representatives meet with management officials from labor relations, human resources, and our actuary consultants to review health insurance plan design and premium changes for the coming year. This group is known as the Labor Management Health Care Committee, LMHCC. Between the months of May and August, the LMHCC is tasked with attempting to reach consensus on plan design and premium changes that will impact how much of a total premium increase the employees of Hennepin County will experience for the coming plan year. Some of our largest cost drivers are pharmaceutical. As of July, the county has experienced over a 27% increase in RRX costs year over year. There's been an approximate 12% increase in overall costs in healthcare plan year over year. Overall premium increase was projected to be at 11.2% if there was no change to the plan. The LMHCC evaluated over 30 different proposals which will reduce the overall premium increase through plan design changes. We're pleased to announce that for the first time since 2021, The LMHCC was able to reach consensus on a plan design that reduces the increase of total premium from the 11.2% to the 7.3%. I'd like to express my appreciation for all that have been involved in the LMHCC meetings over these past number of months. Chief Labor Relations Officer Atkinson and Total Rewards Manager Alisa Johnson are available for questions on the LMHCC process or plan design. Thank you.

Thank you. Discussion, colleagues?

Commissioner Reed? Thank you, Madam Chair. Not discussion, just a quick note. Oh, thanks. Not discussion. Thank you. Thanks to everybody involved.

Commissioner Conley. Thank you very much. And yes, that's a great that we have reached consensus on this. I always want to know the dollar amount. So 11% would have been outrageous. So I'm glad that we could bring that down to 7.3%. And that it's something that was amicable for all involved. What would a 7.3% increase look like on a paycheck biweekly? We could do employee plus family. I'm looking at the, it looks like biweekly contribution for 2026. For employee plus FAMI is about $221. For employee only, $16. So can you break that down in terms of what we're paying now versus what this new rate is in dollars and cents?

Thank you. Madam Chair, Commissioner Conley, so if we look at the single plan, the increase is about $1 per pay period, okay? If we look at the family plan, the increase is about $15 per pay period. And I can share, we have two other tiered plans. I can certainly share those changes as well.

Thank you. No, that's fine. So 15 is like the max, the highest with the 7.3 for the families?

For the families, yes. That's the amount of, that's the increase per pay period. That's what they will pay additionally.

Okay. And for the other plans, um, Are they lower than the 15?

Yes, ma'am. So for the employee plus spouse plan, the additional cost for the 7.3% is $14.55 per pay period. And then for the employee plus children plan, the increase in cost is $11.14 per pay period.

Thank you. And Madam Chair, if I may follow up. In terms of what we pay right now, what kind of a jump would that be? Let's just focus on families at $15.00. each paycheck, what are we paying now? Oh, let me see if I have that. If you have that.

Okay, let me see if I have the current rates. Okay, I'm sorry, I don't have the current rate with me.

That's okay. But again, we reached consensus on this with a very well put together team, first time since 2021, so in four years, which is great. So obviously this is amicable, and I can't imagine it'd be too much of a jump than what our premiums currently are. So thank you so much.

I'm sorry, Madam Chair. Commissioner Conley, you want to know the actual premium? Is that what you're asking for?

Yeah. What comes out of our paychecks now? How much for the families? So next year it'll be 15, but what is it now and how much of a jump?

Okay, so I don't have the current amount for 2025, but it's just a $15 per pay period increase, but we can get that information for you. Got it, thank you. Okay, thank you.

Commissioner Olson? Well, congratulations on the group getting a consensus. I just will say that thanks, actually, Commissioner Angela Conley for asking those questions. Those were very good questions. I just would like to reiterate what we have for a county plan, what we cover as the employer is really amazing if you look at compared to what others like the state of Minnesota where I came from before or even before as an outpatient mental health therapist like there were things that just were not covered so we have county employees this is this is a really good coverage and just thankful for that. Commissioner Anderson.

Thank you madam chair, yes, congratulations on reaching consensus no small feat so well done. If I could elaborate on the request from commissioner connelly I could I get a comparison of current like plan design and the 2026 plan design. At some point so supportive of this, but seeing the the side by side, I think, would be helpful.

Chair Fernando, Commissioner Anderson, Commissioner Connolly, yes, we will follow with the data requested.

Thank you.

Further discussion on 13B? Hearing and seeing none, all those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. 13C is the appointment of Elizabeth David to the unclassified position of Interim Assistant County Administrator for Human Services, effective today, September 9, 2025. I'll move this. May I have a second? Thank you, Commissioner Goodell. Ms. Wetland.

Chair Fernando, Commissioners, the bar before you seeks to appoint Ms. Betsy Davis to the unclassified position of Interim Assistant County Administrator for Human Services, effective September 9th, 2025. Ms. David currently serves as the Director of Financial Administration for Health and Human Services, a role she's played since September of 2018. With new structure in county administration as well as current efforts underway to recruit a candidate for the settled position of Assistant County Administrator, We have a need to ensure sufficient leadership capacity over human services, given the state and federal fiscal policy-related headwinds and the breadth and size of the work that occurs in the human services lines of business. Mr. David's extensive experience in management and our financial experience will provide us with a firmer basis to ensure continuity of services and positive impacts on our residents. Ms. David holds a Master's of Healthcare Administration degree from the University of Minnesota and is a certified public accountant. This appointment is set under the County Board Appointments Policy and Minnesota Statute Section 383B.102. Ms. David is currently taking a well-earned vacation right now and sends her regrets for not being in person and her gratitude for your consideration. Thank you.

Thank you. We know Betsy well and so really appreciate seeing this before us. All those in favor of 13C please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries and congratulations to Betsy. The last item on the agenda is 13D declaring September 15 to October 15 as National Hispanic Heritage Month in Hennepin County offered by Commissioner Conley. Would you like to move it? I will move it, Madam Chair. I will second it. Go ahead.

Thank you. So yes, next week is the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated annually from September 16 to October 15. And is time to honor the Latin American and Spanish communities in our country and county. I'll have the clerk read the commendation and then have some comments afterwards.

Whereas the people of Hennepin County and the United States honor the achievements, history, and culture of the Latino community with indigenous roots that were born from this continent as well as descendants from Spain. And whereas Hispanic Heritage Month coincides with the celebrations of Independence Day, in many Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, and Chile. And whereas Hennepin County benefits from the many contributions of employees and residents with Latin American and Hispanic heritage, that makes our county a better and more vibrant place to live and work. Whereas employees of Latin American and Spanish heritage communities and their allies created the Unidos employee resource group Which seeks to foster community visibility and professional development for members and allies and promote a diverse and inclusive workplace Therefore be it resolved that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners hereby proclaims September 15th through October 15th as National Hispanic Heritage Month and acknowledges all of our Latin American and Hispanic residents as well as County employees

Wonderful. Thank you. And the Unidos ERG will be hosting their annual Hispanic Heritage Month celebration for Hennepin County employees this coming Thursday, September 11th. And employees can find out more information about that on SharePoint. I certainly encourage everyone to support your local Hispanic and Latino businesses and consider attending a community celebration over the next month.

Thank you. with this item before us. Any further discussion before we vote? All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries, and we formally declare that time period National Hispanic Heritage Month in Hennepin County. Thank you, Commissioner. With no further business before us, I'll take a motion to adjourn. Thank you, Commissioners Cotell and Anderson. All those in favor, please say aye. Aye. Opposed? We are adjourned. But don't go too far. I will hand the virtual gavel over to Hennepin Rail Authority Chair Green.

Good afternoon, everybody. I'm going to call to order this meeting of the Hennepin County Regional Rail Authority. Today's Tuesday, September 9th, 2025. The first item on our agenda is to approve the agenda. May I have a motion?

So moved.

Second. Motion from Commissioner Anderson and a second from Commissioner Edelson. Oh, I beg your pardon, Commissioner Conley. Any notes or additions? Seeing none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed, the agenda is approved. Item two in our agenda is 2A specifically, the meeting minutes from August 12th, 2025. I will move approval, is there a second?

Second.

Second from Commissioner Fernando. Any notes or corrections? Seeing none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed, the minutes are approved from our last meeting. Item three on our agenda is the claims register, specifically from our last meeting, item 3A, the claims register for the period ending August. I'm sorry, not a claims register for the last meeting. The claims register for this meeting. August 8th, period ending August 8th, 2025. Is there a motion to get this- I'll move it. A motion from Commissioner Gattel and a second from Commissioner Fernando. Any questions? Seeing none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed? That claims register is accepted. We have two items of new business this week. Item 4A is to negotiate an agreement with Hennepin County for a permanent bridge easement, a receivable of $1, to grant temporary construction easement for the period of January 1, 2025 to December 31, 2026. And this is the bridge over Pioneer Trail and Eden Prairie. Is there a motion to approve? So moved. Motion from Commissioner Anderson, seconded from Commissioner Guttel. Let's hear the summary.

Chair Green, Joe Gladke is with us today, and he can provide a little bit more detail around the reconstruction and the property.

Thank you. Welcome, Mr. Gladke.

Good afternoon, Madam Chair, members of the board. Joe Gladke with Transportation Project Delivery. The agreement in front of you today has to do with the reconstruction of the bridge over the Rail Authority's Hopkins to Chaska corridor. along Pioneer Trail. Right now, the existing bridge that is there does not have the necessary property rights, and the rail authority is working in cooperation with Hennepin County so that the proper rights are in place for the new bridge. I'd be happy to answer any additional questions.

Thank you so much. Any questions? Thank you for the map. Seeing no questions, all those in favor say aye. Aye. All those opposed, that item passes. Our second item of new business is item 4B. This is to negotiate two agreements with Hennepin County for permanent easements on Midtown corridor bridges at Cedar Avenue and Portland Avenue in Minneapolis with receivable of $2. Prices are going up.

No, bulk discount I guess I will move approval is there a second second second from Commissioner Conley I'm is it mr. Glad key chair green this one can be pretty quick this this action before you really formalizes the temporary construction and and easements over the between the Midtown Greenway corridor and the Cedar Avenue and and Portland Avenue bridges.

Thank you. Any questions? Seeing none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. All those opposed, that item passes. No items of new business, so I will call us adjourned. Thanks, you all.