Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting

Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you.

I'd like to call to order the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners, roll call.

Jebin Singh.

Here.

McGuire. Here. McMurtry. Here. Miller. Here. Moran. Here. Zong. Here. And Ortega.

Could we stand for the pledge of allegiance? Land Acknowledgement, Commissioner Jean.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Every community owes its existence and vitality to generations from around the world who contributed their hopes, dreams, and energy to making the history that led to this moment. Some were brought here against their will, some were drawn to leave their distant homes in hope of a better life, and some have lived on this land since time immemorial. Truth and acknowledgement are critical to building mutual respect and connection across all barriers of heritage and difference. We are standing on the ancestral lands of the Dakota people. We want to acknowledge the Ojibwe, the Ho-Chunk, and the other nations of people who also call this place home. We pay respects to their elders past and present. Please take a moment to consider the treaties made by the tribal nations that entitle non-native people to live and work on traditional native lands. Consider the many legacies of violence, displacement, migration, and settlement that brings us together here today. And please, join us in uncovering such truths at any and all public events.

Thank you. Thank you. I'll entertain a motion on the agenda of July 14, 2026, as presented. So moved. Second. Seeing no discussion, roll call.

Xiong?

Aye.

Jebin Singh?

Aye.

McGuire? Aye. McMurtry? Aye. Miller? Aye. Moran? Aye. And Ortega?

Aye. We'll entertain a motion on the minutes of July 7, 2026, as presented.

So moved. Second.

Seeing no further discussion, we'll call.

Xiong?

Aye.

Jebin Singh?

Aye.

McGuire? Aye. McMurtry? Aye. Miller? Aye. Moran? Aye. And Ortega?

Aye. We now have a proclamation. Commissioner McMurtry.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

All right. All our corrections, community corrections friends, come along. This week, we were celebrating National Pretrial Probation and Patrol Supervision Week. So having our amazing team of community corrections join me up here. I'm excited to present this proclamation to the Community Corrections Department in recognition of National Pretrial Probation and Patrol Supervision Week. The Ramsey County Community Corrections Department provides community supervision of justice-involved residents, helping clients to meet the conditions of their court-ordered probation. The department also operates the Juvenile Detention Center and the Ramsey County Correctional Facility. Department staff serve clients in the community, offering support and guidance to help them reach their supervision goals, connecting them to services ranging from mental health to employment training. Probation officers don't just serve the clients within the community. They also work at the Ramsey County Correctional Facility and the Juvenile Detention Center, preparing residents to return to our communities. And so now I will read the proclamation and then... All right. Whereas Ramsey County recognizes the community corrections is an essential part of the justice system employing more than 450 community corrections professionals. And whereas since 1999, the American Probation and Patrol Association has designated one week in July as pre-trial probation and patrol supervision week. to honor those who serve as community probation officers, assistant probation officers, and correction program workers. And whereas community corrections professionals uphold the law with integrity and dignity while working to safeguard communities and protect the public from criminal activity, And whereas community corrections professionals provide a breadth of services in the interest of public safety, including supervising adult and juvenile offenders in the community and promoting positive behavior change and healthy development by clients. And whereas Ramsey County Community Corrections staff continue to form meaningful partnerships in the community to advance racial and health equity, for clients and advocate for more community, less confinement. And whereas community corrections professionals work in partnership with community agencies and groups to promote prevention, intervention, and advocacy. And whereas community corrections professionals are a driving force for positive change in communities, playing a critical role in advancing Ramsey County's justice transformation goals by restoring trust and creating hope. Now, therefore, be it proclaimed, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners declares July 19 through 25, 2026 as Pretrial Probation and Patrol Supervision Week in Ramsey County. And be it further proclaimed, the Ramsey County Board of Commissioners encourages all Ramsey County residents to join in honoring community corrections professionals and recognizing their invaluable public service and dedication to protecting public safety.

Good morning. Hi, I'm Liz Reitz, Deputy Director of Field Services, so I oversee juvenile and adult probation. Chair Ortega, County Manager Becker, and Commissioners, good morning. Today, as we recognize National Pretrial, Probation, and Parole Supervision Week, I'd like to take a moment to recognize the exceptional staff of Community Corrections. This past year has required our team to navigate in an extraordinary complex and rapidly changing environment while Operation Metro Surge had a heavy presence in Minnesota. Our departments used to change, but this was a situation so unexpected and new to us, Probation had to do our best to adapt to the situation. Despite anxiety and fear about some of our PO's own safety in the community, our staff continued to carry out their responsibilities with professionalism, compassion, and commitment to their clients, who are also existing in fear and uncertainty. For many of our clients during that time, their probation officer was a significant resource and a source of stability and support. Our POs worked through this unchartered territory and maintained the integrity of our organization under difficult circumstances. And even amidst chaos and even amidst the normal days, our staff make decisions rooted in evidence-based practices. They assess risk, identify individual needs, and tailor supervision and interventions to help reduce recidivism. This work requires sound judgment, empathy, and the ability to adapt as policies and community needs continue to evolve. Community corrections is often one of the least visible parts of the justice system, yet its impact is felt throughout our community and within our facilities. The dedication of our staff helps create safer neighborhoods, facilities, and strengthens families and provides individuals with meaningful opportunities to make positive changes. So thank you for the recognition today. We appreciate it.

Thank you.

I'll say one thing.

I have had a chance to visit both the correctional facility and the JDC many times, and it is Amazing just to see this staff and the work that they do on a day-to-day basis, really building trust and building relationships with so many folks in these facilities and ensuring that they're also treated with dignity and with respect. And so I really appreciate the work that you all have done and continue to do for our community to ensure that those who are within our care are also set up for success once they leave. So really thank you again for it.

I just want to say congratulations and thank you for the work that you do every single day. As I was listening to your presentation, I really enjoyed hearing language like evidence-based practices. You're working to strengthen families. And you're looking at the whole family, not just the individuals, to get great outcomes and reduce recidivism. And I think that's really, really important. So I just want to say thank you for the work that you do and how you do the work that you do. It makes a difference. Thank you.

Commissioner McGuire.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Yeah, I'm going to add my thanks and gratitude for all the work that you do. You know, in Minnesota, we have three different systems that you can administer corrections, and we choose the community corrections model, which we think is the best, because these amazing people, they do work in the community, and they really work to keep our residents from ending up back in our facilities, and just all the great work that you do, and we're gonna continue to fight for resources for you to do that, because I think you do do it best, because you're closest to them. In the other systems, the state may do the corrections, I just think we do it the best way here, and so thank you for all of that. You've heard me talk about it many times. I get to spend some time with some of these amazing people at a conference on community corrections, and it's where I'm most inspired by all the great prevention work that you do, the intervention work, and all the great innovative and creative ways that you work in our system. And so I just want to thank you for that and for giving me hope in the system. So thank you.

THANK YOU. I'm getting signals from Garrison. I want to thank you for all the work you do. You are a critical linchpin to the services that we provide to many of our folks who are coming back to be productive members of our community. So I want to thank you for all your work. It is crucial, and we acknowledge that. Thank you. Can we get the photographer, and as you leave, could you go to the dais and give us your name?

Yeah, good idea.

And where you work.

Good morning. My name is Ronel Naidoo. I work with the Community Alternatives Unit with the Mental Health Court.

Good morning. My name is Erin Bednark. I work with Ramsey County Community Corrections. I also work in the Community Alternative Unit in the Adult Drug Court. Thank you.

Good morning. My name Kataya Longs, and I work in Community Alternatives Unit.

Good morning. I'm with Probation Service East in Adult.

Good morning. Heather Graham, Community Alternatives Unit, and I work as the probation officer for the DWI treatment court. Thank you.

Good morning. I'm Maggie Heller. I'm with our Adult Intake Unit and Court Unit. Thanks.

Good morning. My name is Allie Bang. I am the supervisor in the Probation Service Center.

Good morning, commissioners. My name is Jim Hawkins. I also work at the Probation Service Center.

Hi, good morning. John Miller, Assistant Division Director, Field Services.

Hi, everyone. Justin Featherstone, Assistant Superintendent of the JDC.

Good morning, everyone. My name is Gloria Lanphier. I'm supervisor in intake. Juvenile.

Good morning, Commissioners Corey Gruing, Planning Manager and Administrative Division.

Good morning, Jamie Brish, Deputy Director of Facilities. Good morning, Michaela Conroy, I work juvenile probation and EHM and conditional release. Good morning, Valeria Darusha, I work in administration.

Good morning, Steve Horgan, Assistant Superintendent at RCCF.

Good morning, commissioners. Melvin Robinson, supervisor, juvenile field probation and electronic home monitoring unit.

Good morning. Tim Vasquez, superintendent at RCCF. Thank you, sir.

And lastly, Monica Long, the humble and very proud director of community corrections. Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you all. Okay, now we have Administrative Agenda Commissioner Xiong.

Let's see. Mr. Chair, I'd like to move item number four, the grant agreement with the state of Minnesota Department of Health for Ramsey County Medical Examiner's Office to improve and increase illicit drug toxicology testing and surveillance. Item number five, the amendment to the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Master Plan. I'd like to pull that. Item number six, the proposed changes in additions to the public health fees. Item number seven, which is the grant agreements with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety for community crime intervention and prevention programs. I'd actually like to pull that. Item number eight, the joint powers agreement with the State of Minnesota Department of Public Safety Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to utilize the Minnesota Criminal Justice Data Communications Network. And then finally, item number nine, the proposed Ramsey County Sheriff's Office fee schedule update.

May I get a second? Second. Thank you.

Any further discussion? Roll call.

Zong.

Aye.

Jeven Singh.

Aye.

McGuire. Aye. McMurtry. Aye. Miller. Aye. Moran. Aye. And Ortega.

Aye. Now we have Tyra, item number five, is it?

I would like to move item number five, amendment to the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant Master Plan. Second. And just to make a brief statement that these modifications that are discussed and that we're approving today were already discussed at several JDA meetings. They've already been approved by the city. of Arden Hills, and that this is part of the progress of completing designs, moving to site prep this fall, and construction, fingers crossed, all goes well this spring and summer, next spring and summer. It's all really exciting, and it's building on the momentum of some of the construction in Outlot A, and it's a demonstration of Ramsey County's commitment to building stronger together. So I just want to thank our staff for all of the detail work that's gone into continuing to progress this project.

Thank you. Any further discussion? Roll call.

Zong.

Aye.

Jevenson. Aye. McGuire. Aye. McMurtry. Aye. Miller. Aye. Moran. Aye. And Ortega.

Aye. Item number seven, I believe. Commissioner Zong.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'd like to move item number seven, grant agreements with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety for community crime intervention and prevention programs for discussion.

Second. Great.

Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Chair. I know that my office had a lengthy conversation with Kyle, too. So may you come and present just a little bit more about this? And then some of the questions that I had was just around specifically the staffing of the community engagement unit and whether this was in the budget where you were anticipating this revenue source or if it's new revenue that we're putting in today to accepting this grant.

Great questions. Good morning. Kyle Meston, Undersheriff, Chief of Staff, joined by Daryl Gillette, who's an inspector with our office, leading youth services, does a lot of work in community with our grants. I think I tracked most of your questions. So we have received the community crime prevention grants now for several years in a row. These two grants were not included in the 2026-2027 operating budget, which is why they're here today for approval.

Okay.

So it's additional revenue to the county.

Okay, and that's great too. So then are there any savings from the levy that this generates at all? Or any savings within your budget?

We would continue the delivery of community-based services and programming charged to the grant. Otherwise, had we not received the grant, those services would stop.

Mm-hmm. Oh, and then my question is just more around the staffing, though. Because most of the grant is to go towards staffing. Correct. So then was the original plan then to just use the levy to pay for the community engagement staff if this grant had not come in?

No. So the positions stay vacant. So back in 2024, we were here and got another set of community crime prevention grants. Those grants have since expired. We applied for grants this cycle. There was a little bit of a delay in getting all of the documentation, the grant agreement, all that finalized by the state. So it's starting now. So the two FTEs that are assigned to community crime prevention grants were previously approved by the board in 2024. So that's why we're not asking for additional staff, because we already have those positions in our complement. But we don't turn them on until the grants kick in, because you've got to be careful with supplanting, supplementing, and all the different rules that everyone hears me talk about.

Okay, great. Well, great job getting the grant. My only other question is just around the community partners, since it's specific to the current communities, but then also the contract. I just wasn't sure how the conversations panned out and also the reach and depth to the current community.

So thank you.

And if this is set with what's provided in the grant.

Pardon me?

And if the community partner is identified and set in the grant here.

So we did see that when we put out for grants. We put out for several of them. We didn't get all of them. With that, this was one of the partners that put in to support our work in the community. After receiving the Caring Grant, we are working with organizations such as KOM to deliver services that are more culturally based on the population that we are serving. We are talking with the state. They are aware that this might not be the best fit for the people that we are looking to serve, so we are actually not signing that contract with them to look at other agencies such as the KOM and other local organizations that could do more for the people that we are looking to serve that's more culturally based.

I had some really good feedback to commission.

Yeah You know another organization that have worked with youth to they kind of spun off of KOM What is urban village on the east side? So they they also work with a simple police department as well who some of them are mentors there who basically just committed and dedicated a lot of time to just Working with the youth there weekly Yeah, just like outside of their profession. So just as an example.

Oh, I'm sorry. I believe they are at Humboldt, and we were doing some work with them too. So we're trying to create that connection so we're all on the same page, speaking the same language, to be able to serve the youth in our community, but also the parents and the elders as well.

Great. Thank you. Thank you. I have Garrison, then Nina, then Kelly.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. To follow up from that, I know that one of the grants, there was the naming of the Korean Community Youth Outreach. And the second one, it was the, please correct me on pronunciation, NABAD? NABAD. NABAD, the peace program? Yes. So can you speak more to that? Because I tried to look up this organization. I believe they focus on Somali youth in particular. But I wasn't able to find anything. Can you speak more to this organization and why this one in particular was selected?

Are you referring to the name of the last grant we had? Yes. It was the Nabat Peace Program. As we started doing more work with the East African community, we decided to expand that so instead of just going with strictly somali we now uh try to interact with or serve aromo um somali eritrean um just so we have a broader scope of who we can serve so it doesn't seem like we are cutting off certain um certain communities doing the work that we do gotcha and this is this an organization we've worked with in the past or is this a new

I think what we're referencing, Commissioner, is the name of the grant.

Yes. Oh, that's the name of the grant.

The state grant forms are not the most easy to digest. That's the internal name that we call the grant.

Got you. OK. I was confused as to, because I know in the previous one we mentioned there was the Korean Community Youth Outreach. I don't know if that was a specific organization or just the name of the grant as well.

So KOM is a community provider. Yes. Like Urban Village, I think you work with two. Yes. And then we call this one the Peace Program Internally. Got you. And it does look like, now that you say that, it does look like a community provider.

Yep. Yep. So, no, I appreciate that clarification. I was confused there with if this was a direct organization that we are working with, but that's the name of the internal program that is helpful. Okay. Thank you.

I think you're mentioning acronyms that I have no idea what they are, like the KON. I don't know what that is. So maybe you can share that and maybe a little bit more about the organization and the list of organizations that you're going to partner with. Are these organizations that you have some history with, or are you connected with the community and they suggested these organizations that are engaged in those diverse communities.

So the Caring Organization of Minnesota is based on Rice Street. We have worked with them in the past. We've done, I believe it was a law enforcement domestic course with them. They asked us to help present with that. And we've also met them through Washington Magnet School. With that, it helps us to go into the schools and interact with the kids but also come out in the community so we've done presentations at their center um it just gives the overall in school and out of school so it's the community feel with them um and We currently are looking to have one of our Karen deputies do more programming with their board. There's a large Karen population at the Como Place apartment, so we'd like to get in there and have them feel like that we are a resource for them. And our deputy's been doing that. It starts off with something small as handing out Johnny Pops every week and the kids come out and join them. So it builds a trust with the kids, builds a trust with the adults so they can come and ask for services and we can direct them to other county services as needed.

So that's interesting, because I'm hearing you getting trusted relationships, right? Yes. And that doesn't always happen with law enforcement. Correct. So how did you build that connection?

For me, it's a special thing for me. I had great SROs when I was in school, so I just wanted to carry that on as I developed in my career. Looking at it from a cultural perspective, for a lot of African Americans, a lot of people come in and they go. So I try to look at it like in a position that I am. And what we do in the community, we're always going to be there. Our phones are on 24-7. So how do we create that staple to where they feel like they can always come back to us? Will it always be good? No. But even if it's not in a... good way it's still i'm here to help you afterwards so i try to just continue that with every population every community that we come across i try to put the right people in that space to um continue those relationships we don't always agree with our family members but we love them and we'll help them however we can and i look at our community in ramsay county as that So we're not always going to be happy with what our brother does, but we'll do our best to try to help them through it, just like with community corrections. I worked in corrections for over 12 years. It's not a job for everybody, but the ones that do have that heart to do that, they are an integral part of making all this work.

Thank you. Awesome.

I just had a couple questions. I know it says in our packet, but you also mentioned that this grant has been a grant that you've received for multiple years. I'm just curious on the outcomes that you guys have seen from previous years to this year and to carry those on, because I did notice in the budget, too, that there was no dollars for evaluation, and I just want to encourage you to maybe consider that for future years, that evaluation is an important piece of work.

Yes. Commissioner Miller, thank you. We were able to work with the state to bring the evaluation components in-house. Oh, okay. So a few of us have some academic credentials that are helpful for research and evaluation. Yep. And so we were able to do some of that in-house, which saved a little bit more money for programming.

Good.

And then the state does come out. They do onsite visits. We submit quarterly reports. They review everything we do on a regular basis, even now with more scrutiny. So we have quite a few site visits. They're on site. We did an evaluative report. Veronica Jackson, who's our Racial Health Equity Administrator, has some feedback in that space, too. I know you work with her quite a bit. And so we calibrate the natural metrics to make sure we're achieving prevention and intervention goals, that long-term recidivism gets reduced, that crime tends to decrease, all the successful benchmarks we look for for community safety and well-being. I'm glad to hear that.

Thank you. And it's a lot of also quality over quantity. A lot of the kids are asking now, we try to do more nature-based stuff, and we have the kids coming back asking, are we going to camp again? So we're trying to listen to, I think it's important to listen to what the community is asking for, and the kids will tell us what they want.

There's youth surveys you do, there's parental surveys, school provider surveys, there's some good metrics there that are objective that help us gauge programmatic measures both in terms of outcomes but also making sure we're right-sizing the program responsive to what the community expects or needs.

So just a quick follow up on that. Do you also use these grant dollars in the work that you're doing with the capital improvement that capital, please correct me if I'm wrong.

Capital, capital commons. Yes, the capital common dollars. The capital vitality projects.

Yes, so you're kind of pooling all your resources to,

So we have to keep them separate. Yes, we keep them separate. So with everything we do within Youth Services, we keep grant tracking measures, even though we're not in a direct grant cycle. So we can track the dollars and where allocating resources. So if there's something happening in Capitol Commons, we'll note it as happening in Capitol Commons. But if it's Capitol Vitality dollars, that's what it'll be listed as for the people in the Capitol Vitality area. If we're doing something with the NABAD peace program, that's more of a Somali soccer-based, like they asked us to come out, then we will make sure that we label that as for the peace program.

Yes, there's a lot of internal documents in terms of like how we code timesheets and everyone hears the conversation from me about it. We don't want us to replant, we can supplement, we follow the guidelines. There's routine audits our finance staff do with programmatic staff line by line by line to make sure the right cost center is being charged and there's a lot of back end stuff we do on the grant front in general.

Well, thank you for this work. I know prevention and preventative work is not always something you see right away, and it's outcomes that you don't get within six months, seven months. It takes time to build those relationships, so I appreciate the work you guys are doing.

There's some outdoor. We just got a, on the subject of grants in general, no child left indoors.

That's correct. So we're going to expand our fishing program a little bit more on White Bear Lake, so come and join us. I'd like to get some... protective gear for the kids. So it's more of a not just a once a day thing. They can take the stuff that we've given them and go out and do it when we're not.

Water safety is a component to prevention of drowning, water-related incidents. You know, we would.

Yes. So I will say that I understand that what we receive in our packets is, you know, very high level. These grant applications are pretty dense. So I'm going to ask a question that seems, you know, needs more information. So when I'm looking at the NABOD Peace Program, it has the personnel community ambassador salary for one FTE. And I believe this runs through, you said you will fill this position, and then it goes to the end of 2027. So a year to maybe 18 months, depending on when you hire this person. Am I understanding that right? Because it says $250,000 for that plus $100,000 for payroll taxes and fringe benefits. Does it really require $350,000 to have a person of this type of role in this position for that length of time?

Let me find that document here that you're referring to.

I think it's page 44. It's page 44 in our packet.

44, okay.

And like I said, it's such a skeleton thing that I'm assuming there's more to it. So I just wanted you to have the opportunity to give us more information on that.

So the 1.0 FTE would cover salary, benefits, fringe, health insurance, dental, OPEB, retirement contributions, overtime, all the costs that are associated with a position.

Yeah, and so my question is, is that really $350,000 for a community outreach worker in this? Is that how much it costs to staff, one person?

For a two-year period. So the grant budget reflects a two-year period.

From the grant documentation, it said it ended in 2027, and you said these are positions that are open, so that you would need to turn them back on. So do you already have somebody in this position? I mean, how long of a time period is this dollar amount for?

So the grant funds will expire at the end of 2027. So we would bill salary and benefit costs through it. And then through the first quarter reporting period, second, we would right-size it. And if there's anticipated savings in personnel, we can offset it with program supplies.

Let me ask even really simply. So how long of a time period does this cover? Is this a year, two years, three years? I'm just trying to get a sense of how long this time covers in real time.

A two-year period.

A two-year period.

Yeah.

That's helpful. It looked as if it was a one-year period, and I thought that that seemed like a lot for one person. I thought maybe there were more staff that just weren't indicated in the skeleton. So thank you for that. And then I guess the question I have, too, is with that, there's $75,000 that's indicated for programming dollars. And I really appreciate what you all have explained in the narrative, that you're going to be working with community groups that are cultural-specific, and listening to what might actually be beneficial for the kids in outreach. Because listed on here, I know it's generic, but just making sure. Like you said, fishing is different than taking someone to a baseball game. One group, that might be exactly a way to bond. And another group, they're like, That's not really cool. That's not what I'm interested in. So I appreciate that you'll be working with different groups. The only other question I just have is between the two grants, this is $600,000 or something like that. That's quite a chunk of change that you've brought in on the idea of youth crime prevention and positive development in our community. I know that our sheriff has raised concerns over youth public safety. How do you see this fitting into addressing the issues as he's portrayed them?

Should we do it together? I think any time we can leverage funding to help on the prevention and intervention front is a good strategy. I think leveraging community providers like we talked about is another important piece of looking at addressing any sort of public safety crime concerns in general. I think the work Daryl does, especially in community, is monumental to those objectives and those goals. The prevention piece is so key and critical.

I think also with the Coming with the prevention piece, sometimes it's just showing up. I know there's been the teen takeovers, things of that nature, and sometimes it's just showing up. So when we show up with a hot dog trailer, a bunch of hot dogs and some bags, that's creating a relationship, that's creating a bond. Whether they want to be there or not, we're keeping that space open so it's not, hey, you have to leave here, but just know that we are present and that we're not going to let anything go wrong. Everybody should feel safe where they're at. So we'll feed you, we'll hang out, we'll have that discussion, and if you have any issues hopefully come to us with that and we can look at different ways of solving whatever is going on within that within that community or beef or whatever is going on in that space.

I think on the prevention piece, too, school supplies have been a real emerging need. Rather, you know, in the contract cities, we're gearing up for night two, night or national night out. We do a school supply drive there, but also as part of our grant funds, we do cover basic school supplies to help get folks more comfortable. Kids get to school, get structured, get learning. I think that's been a real immediate need, too, we've seen, just in terms of general trends the last couple grant cycles.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thanks, both of you, for being here and for answering these questions. I think the one thing I would ask that maybe we do as we go forward is you have new partnerships. I know the KOM one is something you've been working on. We could run a report for you of other county departments that actually have a relationship with KOM. And why I think that's important is to see if there is the case. And I do think there's a couple departments that are working with them in different areas, whether it's something in the corrections department, maybe it's the workforce department. I mean, I just think there's an opportunity while you're touching these kids to then understand, like, hey, we have families that are involved in our county systems, and maybe those kids could even be further involved. sort of supported as we wrap around the family, if that makes sense. So I think going forward, as you build your partnerships, and I said this to the county attorney too, because both of you are very good at getting unique grants that sometimes the county isn't maybe appropriate for the county to get, but you are much better to be the recipient. But I would ask that you consider sort of that deeper partnership for both both the investment that the county can make maybe in that family through some of our programs, but also to show that to the organization that they're not really working with so many multiple silos. Really, we want the same positive outcome not only for that young person, but really for that family. All those kids belong to a family is what I'm kind of saying. So if you're hearing what you need from the young person, we should try to figure out how to give it to the family too.

Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. No further discussion? No call.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I have a few things. I know we're trying to keep it a little short so we can make our closed session. I just wanted to acknowledge our staff and also community members. Last night we had a African-American Family Preservation and Child Welfare Disproportionate Act Advisory Committee. And as all of you know, these are long days. It's hot outside. Lots of people, community and staff showed up. Thank you to our county attorney. It's not always easy to do a 5 to 7.30 meeting in the middle of summer like that. And the commitment to the work is just really significant. We were able to hear from community elders. One of the community elders actually moderated the meeting. I'm so grateful for their ongoing engagement and both dedication to the families in Ramsey County, but to helping us as a county do better. Just as a reminder, Commissioners, Ramsey County along with Hennepin County were pilot counties working in close partnership with Department of Children, Youth, and Families on this act and the implementation of it. There's going to be a board workshop in August where we're going to provide some additional updates. But again, I just wanted to just tell all those folks that showed up that it was really impactful and folks were really engaged, despite probably a lot of distractions going on everywhere. So speaking of hot, I wanted to just call out our heat team. Thank you to Deputy County Manager Reyes and lots of other departments who've been leading the effort. We are going to be continuing to move into a pretty significant heat event here. Today the heat index is scheduled to be 101, tomorrow 100, Thursday 97, Friday 97. So our departments, we have a heat team that's been activated based on our criteria. And departments have activated their kind of internal responses and I sent you all an update last night of some of the different things that different departments are doing. We also are in connection with Salvation Army, Red Cross. The Sheriff's Office is bringing around water, too. I talked to them yesterday. So I mostly wanted to call out on our county web page, on the front page, there's an upper banner that you can click on to see where the cooling spaces are. And there are a lot of cooling spaces. Certainly people can come into our own county facilities during the day. And then also there's a lot of community locations available as well. And so I just want to make sure to thank the team for their work. They actually met over the weekend in anticipation. A lot of times recently these weather events have been kind of started on a Monday. So I've been encouraging them to get a little bit of a head start so we don't start Monday a little bit behind. And they've stepped up to that. And so I want to thank them for that especially. And then I wanted to just make a comment about the encampment closures that the mayor has decided upon. As you all know, the city made a decision to close encampments, and Ramsey County is fully engaged in supporting those residents. The presence of encampments is a clear sign that too many people are falling through gaps in lots of systems that are not adequately meeting the needs of our community. No single level of government can solve these issues alone. Ramsey County has a responsibility to act where we can make a difference. We are working across teams and community partners to connect people to housing, health care, behavioral health services, financial assistance, and other supports, while continuing to advocate for the investments needed to address the root causes of homelessness. Over the past several years, we've advocated to the legislature around many, many things around homelessness and that continuum, and we will continue to do so. Although the county does not determine whether encampments remain open, we do have a clear responsibility as a service provider to respond. That means meeting people where they are, building trust, coordinating intensive outreach efforts, and helping residents navigate pathways to either shelter, housing, or other alternatives. And so as a result of the city's action, I have mobilized within our county what's called the Community Wellness and Response Initiative. It works collaboratively across the organization. We have brought multiple teams together to work with the residents that are at the encampments, helping them connect to those things that I mentioned. In addition, those outreach teams are also bringing basic necessities. Our care vans have been there with wound care and food, water, essential supplies, really as a way to build trust with the people that are there to talk to us and to connect to services. Please note, we don't do this work alone. One example is our mental health staff have been on site, but we work in partnership with Radius Health conducting on-site assessments. There have been well over a dozen community organizations and churches boots on the ground out there as well. And so in addition, we work very closely with the city. They have a heart team, which is their homeless action response team. And we have partnered up with them to be really a coordinated single team as we are doing some of the work on the ground with the city. So I want to thank the deputy county managers, Karen Francois, Nadir Abdi, Gloria Reyes, Chief of Staff Maria Sarabia. They've been leading the effort from their roles. But also many people in social services, financial assistance, housing stability, public health, chief of staff, and all the internal operations. Sometimes we just have to call our finance department to help us do something faster. We are really mobilizing the organization, knowing that time is ticking. for the situation. And we understand that behind each situation, there's a human being. There is a person who is struggling with what to do next and their situation. And it's a lot for our staff, too. So both of those things can be true. We need to keep at the forefront the respect and dignity of the people who live at the encampments, as well as the wellness of our staff going out to care for them. So thank you to all of you for your support. I'll continue to provide updates. I continue to stay in touch with the mayor's office. But I wanted to be very clear today about the role of the county in this effort. So thank you.

Excuse me, Commissioner McMurtry. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and Accountant Manager Becker, thanks for that update. I really appreciate the steady communication that you've provided to us on the encampments and a better understanding of, you know, this is, although it was not the decision that we made, it is something that we are heavily involved in to ensure that folks are getting the resources and the services they need as they transition, hopefully, to more stable housing. One question I had about the encampment piece is, knowing that this is going to be the first of a few closures, how far in advance have we been working with the mayor's office for the future closures to start preparation, to start outreach to those individuals now? beginning that, or what does that timeline look like?

Yeah, thank you for that question. I think there's a couple of things I want to share about that. While the encampments are a current crisis of a situation that we have to deal with and the ongoing rolling closures, I have, I think, shared with some of you, and if not, we'll share it more broadly, around our holistic services strategic priority that we are ready for the next iteration as a county. Some of you may have been around when we provided most of our services in person only at the East Building, for example, on the fourth floor. We've evolved from that through the pandemic. We started to do more virtual services. Then we started to think about welcoming spaces, places that are trauma-informed in our service centers, making sure that we were embedding those service centers in partnership with other locations and thoughtfully around our community. We are not a large, large county like Ramsey County that needs dozens of service centers, but we've been very strategic about placing them within our libraries, for example, within Maplewood Mall, the proximity to transit, where people we know are on county programs live and need to get to. And certainly, that evolution of the in-person services, the virtual services, is something that's staying because we've invested in those models. The next iteration that's before us is really where this community wellness and response is going to take us. It is not just a response to the encampment. This is a way we're going to change the work we do in the county. We need to be more ready to be boots on the ground. I remember Commissioner Ortega, I think it was a few months ago in a board meeting, talking about the original origins of public health. And really, it was about being out in the community and community public health. But it's not just public health. And I think it's the combination of these integrated teams, That's why we've tried to break down the silos. One, Ramsey County. People need a composite wraparound of what the county can bring. You need us to check your Medicaid. You need us to check your SNAP. You need us to help you get work. You need us to help get mental health. You need the public health response. So it's all of that. And so the county has to show up in a different way. We don't want people to go to eight buildings for different services. That was a model of the past. We don't even want you to have to make eight calls. Right? And we don't want you to have to come eight times. And so we've been fortunate enough to have some of these mobile vans. I know you guys have been pushing us to use them strategically. I think they're going to be an asset. To me, we need to have a mobile service center, a mobile model, where we are moving to where people need us each day. And it might be different places at different seasons of the year and week. And so I know it first kind of dawned on me when we had the fire over at the Skyline Towers. When we had to mobilize a team, it felt a little bit like, gosh, we don't have enough muscle here to pull everything. And so I'll just say that one of my goals is to iterate to this next vision of service delivery. And this encampment is that first muscle building for us to do it. And our DCMs are very engaged to help take on those learnings and figure out what we're going to need. And you're going to see us discuss that as we move into future budgets and conversations. But also thinking about how we show up just on a corner where people have a need on a given day. It doesn't have to be a crisis like a news crisis, I guess is what I'm saying, whether it's a public emergency. But we see that there's people that need us. in a lot of spaces that they may not come to us. So does that help a little bit? It's more of the bigger picture of it. And that's where I think the short answer is our response isn't going away with the rolling closures.

Yes.

Go ahead. I gleaned something different from your question.

Yeah, so all that was extremely helpful. I was more so thinking, you know, knowing that August 5th is just the first of a few upcoming closures, are we starting outreach to those encampments that we know are, you know, coming?

And can I add to that, Garrison? Do we have a schedule by the city of how they're going to proceed so we can track that?

Mm-hmm.

We've been in touch with the city, and I have not seen a date. What they have said publicly is that they will be rolling closures. And that's absolutely correct, that we need to be thinking about the other two large encampments or larger encampments. in St. Paul. But our first priority, especially this first week and 10 days, is we got to get kind of this effort really mobilized at Pigs Eye Park.

No, and I appreciate that because Pigs Eye has upwards of 250 people that are there. So of course, that's going to be But hopefully we'll get more information soon from the city so we can, as we wind down the services at Pigs Eye, that we can then focus on those others instead of it happening, getting notice a week or so before we have some leeway so we can start reaching out to those folks. The other quick question I had, going back to the extreme heat, do we at all collaborate with the city on any cooling locations that they have? Do we promote that on our website as well so that folks know of not only the Ramsey County locations, but also other city municipalities throughout the county that also offer different spaces where people can stay cool in this heat?

Yeah, I believe that our cooling spaces do involve other organizations, but I can double check that. But I know Gloria and her team are, so basically there's like a response heat team in the city and one in the county. And I know we were in touch with Roseville too this week. So we try to coordinate and talk about, you know, different things that we're doing. So I know that that's happening.

Thank you. Any further questions? I'm done. OK. Let's begin. I'm going to ask everybody to sort of keep it tight, because I'd like to have enough time in our next meeting to talk about it. It's a very important issue regarding elections. Let's start with Mary Jo. OK.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. We had a great event in Lauderdale last week, Lauderdale Day in the Park. And I was really excited. They actually had a cake honoring the Eustis Street development, which Ramsey County did. And so it was a really nice little celebration for the Ramsey County-Lauderdale partnership in renovating a road there. And it's a really important road in Lauderdale. Many thanks to our Public Works Department for the work they did and for the celebration on Eustis Street there. And a little fact that I used to have a paper route on Eustis Street. And then also their sustainability committee was handing out food scraps bins. So they're very excited about the food scraps that will be coming to Lauderdale in December. But they're all excited about... people gathering food scraps and bringing them to drop-off centers now. And of course, we'll be starting the outreach on them being able to be part of our food scraps program starting in December. But kudos to Lauderdale. And then last night, Little Canada had a 35E, or Little Canada and our Public Works Department had a 35E groundbreaking. So that's another really important, it's a 35E project, so it's the road over 35E. And just the great partnership that our Public Works has with our different communities, and that was with Little Canada. And then because next week we will be celebrating be at a conference. I just want to say that next Saturday, Do Good Roseville is doing a poverty simulation event at the Roseville Area Middle School designed to help community leaders gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by individuals in poverty. So kudos to Do Good Roseville on the poverty simulation event. Thank you.

Yeah, so I was able to meet, as many of you have, with Beacon Interfaith and get an update on their supportive housing. And one of the things that I think is something for all of us to continue to consider and be concerned about and do what we can around is the changing federal policies are impacting existing supportive housing and some of the programs that they can do and some of those wraparound services. And I think that this is really important given our conversation around the encampment closings, that the very places where we are looking to help support our neighbors find more stable housing are in a challenging place financially and policy-wise as well. So this is an ongoing issue. This was also an issue that came up at the NAMI Ramsey County annual strategy session. They have three goals this coming year. One is for continue to educate themselves and to learn about and advocate for more supportive housing for folks living with severe mental illness in Ramsey County and surrounding areas. to help the clubhouse find a more financial stable model. And that's more of a legislative ask, but I'm sure that there will be an ask for the county as well if there's any role for us. And then also to revitalize some of their family support groups. So those are the three tops for them. And then I also just want to say thank you to everybody who came out to the District 1 picnic. We had close to 100 people there. Great food from our local restaurant, Red Luna. Thanks to our Vadnais Heights Green team. in our Ramsey and Washington County recycling group who helped us with all of the composting and the food scraps and being able to put all of that out. I have a community intern who I've known since she was a little who comes back from college to help me in the summers. And so Lila Ammon was able to help with that. And then just a special shout out to Alexis Warner, my principal aide. This was her last big event, as Friday was her last day at the county. And I'm just thrilled to say that she'll be working in community still in the area and so still be mixing it up in community and being able to work side by side. So wishing her all the best in her next endeavor.

Thank you. Garrison.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I just wanted to highlight one meeting that I had last week with Antonio Espinoza, who is the founder of Art From the Inside. They're an organization that works to empower incarcerated artists to really experience personal transformation and restoration. And he's been doing this work for some time now. I've had a chance to visit and attend a number of his galleries. And it was just great to hear more about the work that they're doing and how they're trying to expand some of the ideas that he has in regards to incorporating housing for those who were formerly incarcerated, who also has a space to showcase their art and to be with community. So looking forward to just continuing that conversation with him and to see ways that if there could be potential partnership between the work that he does and the work uh of the county especially when it comes to our correctional facility our jdc i think there's potential for a lot of overlap there and so uh looking forward to getting him connected with our team and seeing if if there's um uh potential for um for working together so just wanted to highlight that meeting with antonio and the work that he's doing with with his organization Thank you. Kelly?

Yes. Last Wednesday, I attended the MESB full board meeting. So we, at the full board, we approved the 2027, the 2031 joint powers agreement. So that will be coming to the counties for signature. We approved the 27 operating budget and the 27... a 2031 capital needs forecast. Later that day, I attended a Northeast Youth and Family Services Governance Committee meeting, where we reviewed and updated the executive leadership succession plan. And then my fun day. Let me tell you. On Thursday, we celebrated the grand reopening of the Battle Creek Water Works. The excitement was incredible. So families started lining up about 45 minutes before 11 AM opening. And by the time the gates opened, there were more than 800 people waiting to get in. Within minutes, the water park reached capacity, which is at approximately 450 guests, with another 400 still waiting outside. For families who couldn't stay, the Parks and Rec staff handed out coupons so they could come back at a later date. By the end of the day, more than 1,400 people had enjoyed the water park, and hundreds received coupons to come back. I will say I brought my kids, and I did go down that water slide a couple times. It does pick up speed, so I encourage you all to bring your kids or just go and have a fun pool day because it was fun. We enjoyed the water slide, the music, there was food trucks, and then we had to get home. So we were only there for a couple hours, but it was still a great time. So thank you to the Parks and Rec staff for making that fun and having it. It was a great day. And that is it.

My son started his life-guard career at Battle Creek.

I mean, there's a lot of great young people that are working there. It was great. I mean, it was busy. It was full. Once they do the water break, that's your perfect time to leave as parents, just so you know. They do a water break, and that's your cue. Oh, the pool's closed. We've got to go. Got to let other people in. So it's great.

Good.

Thank you.

Rena? Great place to be.

So I did a few things last week. I'm going to talk about one. that I participated in on Saturday. So Ramson County hosted a bounce-back three-on-three basketball tournament at Jimmy Lee Preparation Center. So I was able to be there along with the city, myself, and others to speak and open it up. But what I find so... And I'm so proud to be a part of a county that continues to show up in the community. And we do that in partnership with other community-based organizations. And that is really the spirit. As you was talking about, Link, earlier, the need to be more present in the community. It's not like being in the building. or meeting to meet to meet, another meeting. But to really get out and engage people, especially around something that is about mental health. And to do that through an activity with basketball and men who are often sometimes may feel a weakness or I need to be strong and don't take care of that mental health piece of who they are. And it was an opportunity to make that coalition between the two and have them present and to talk about that. And so I just want to say for Ramsey County staff who continue to know sometimes life is not a nine to five. And sometimes we have to show up outside of those hours. Sometimes we got to go beyond our comfort zone. and to really engage in the community, continue to do that, because when we show up, you know, someone may see us there and say, no, I don't want to, I'm not going to say anything. It may be a second time they don't say no, but maybe that third time they just feel like, this is safe, this is okay, and so I'm going to make those connections. And so I just feel such a big pride to see us continue to do that and staff show up to be a part of those community engagements.

Thank you.

Mr. Chair, I will keep it very brief, but would just like to highlight that coming up this week, July 16th, is the Disability Pride Festival, Advocating for Change Together at the Capitol. So it's from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and I would extend the invitation to county folks and also to the board here. We will be presenting a proclamation at 12 o'clock.

What day? The 16th, so Thursday. Thursday.

Yeah. Yeah. Thank you.

Okay. Thank you. We'll take a five-minute break when we go downstairs, and then we'll – is that good? I don't know. Oh, we're too early.

Jason, we can start any time, right, since it's a closed session? Yes.

Okay. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Well, let's take a ten-minute break. How's that?

Fifteen. No, I'm kidding.

Do you want to negotiate?

I mean, we're just early voting. We're never early.

Do you want to negotiate in public? Let's take a 10 to 15-minute break, and then we'll get together. We have a closed meeting to the public regarding elections. Thank you very much. We are adjourned.