County Council - Regular Meeting

going on and the way that it would be it would be there's no question what people would be there's no question about that but would they u would the number of people have knowledge about I don't think that percentage would be if I That's my

I don't know. Yeah, they don't listen to us very much up there. Yeah,

that's fine. Hey there.

They're moving Steves. No. Okay. Did you put the city on yours?

Make sure you got your mic.

We'll we'll be done with most of it by the time they get in here. They're more important.

He's here. Why didn't

Well, good evening everybody. Welcome to the Monday, March 30th, 2026 St. Charles County Council meeting. I will tell you ahead of time, we are going to move around in this agenda tonight cuz I know a lot of you are here for things that are further down in the agenda. So, to try and make sure that this room doesn't get super hot and you get super uncomfortable, we are going to after public comment, we're going to amend some stuff, move some bills up, that way we can vote, be done. You're welcome to stay if you want. County government is super exciting. So, you're welcome to stay for that, but otherwise, if you want to leave, you're welcome to leave at that time. I just wanted to tell you as we get started. So, what are we doing? We are doing the invocation from Chaplain Mark Harsten, who is here from St. Charles County Police Department, and Councilman Tim Baker is going to lead us on the pledge of allegiance after that. Before we start, could we just have a moment of uh silent prayer for Sheriff Near who passed away last Friday? Just a moment. Let us pray. Heavenly Father, we come before you tonight acknowledging your holy presence among us. We ask for your divine presence to fill this room and bless the county council. May the Holy Spirit guide the thoughts, the words, and the actions of each person here and bring glory to the name of Jesus. We ask these blessed things to protect our military, first responders, and God bless United States of America. Thank you. Amen.

Amen. I aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. You may be seated. Please call the role. Councilman Swanson here, ma'am. Councilman Brazzle here. Councilman Hammond here. Councilman Elim here. Councilman Hollander here. Councilwoman York here. Councilman Baker here.

First on our agenda tonight are conditional use permits. Um both of these have already had their public hearing, so we will just be voting on these as we go through. We will start with bill number 5470, which is CUP10. Bill number 5470, an ordinance granting a conditional use permit CUP25-07 for a kennel to Glennon McCreary, property owner and K9 Consulting and Training LLC applicant. Any questions or comments? Seeing none, please call the role.

Bill number 5470, an ordinance granting a conditional use permit CUP25-07 for a kennel to Glenn and McCreary Property Owner and K9 Consulting and Training LLC applicant. Councilman Swanson. No, ma'am. Councilman Brazzle, no. Councilman Hammond, no. Councilman Elim, yes. Councilman Hollander, no. Councilwoman York, yes. Councilman Baker, yes.

Bill 5474 fails. That gets us to bill 5471. Bill number 5471, an ordinance granting conditional use permit CUP25-13 for a private club to ACJ LLC property owner. Question or comment? Please call the RO. Bill number 5471, an ordinance granting conditional use permit CU25-13 for a private club to ACLJ LLC property owner. Councilman Brazzle. No. Councilman Hammond, yes. Councilman Elim, no. Councilman Hollander, no. Councilwoman York, no. Councilman Baker,

no. Councilman Swanson, no. Uh, bill 5471 fails. Um, with that, I would entertain a motion to move the county executive report. Motion to uh move the oral report from the county executive uh up to the this point in the meeting. Second. Second. So motion and second to amend the agenda and move the county executive up. All those in favor say I. I. All those opposed. Uh the agenda is amended. That gives us to the oral report from the county executive.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I I would like to invite uh Chief Frisz up to the mic and and we're going to do a team a team event here and uh I'm going to give you a little bit of the history of of the problems we've had in the past. Uh I think Councilman Brazzle is the only one that goes back to 2003 with when we first had a problem with this uh and it's been a recurring problem and that is undocumented workers uh in the city. 2003 we had an incident. 2007 got a lot of publicity because it was Missouri Housing Commission actually was subsidizing an apartment complex and the contractor brought people up from across the border to do the work and um we had to deal with that then and that's what prompted um myself and and Sheriff Near, God rest his soul, uh who was the sheriff at the time, uh we went down and met with ICE because there was something called 286 7G. That's section 287 of the what the naturalization and immigration uh act. Uh and it was a program that the highway patrol had been in then and uh we were interested in getting into it. We found out everything about it. We were all ready. We brought the uh uh resolution to the council which passed unanimously. We were ready to get into it and then I don't know what happened in Washington DC. they defunded it or we were told basically that it wasn't it wasn't going to go forward and uh then fast forward to 2021. In 2021, we had an incident. Again, happened to be in Alen. Again, it was apartments. Uh had people call me and and say that they had actually observed um they had observed uh men who had been brought up in vans uh from outside the country.

They were working Oh, they were violating every labor law that we have. uh they were working too many hours. They were uh getting paid in cash. They weren't paying any taxes. Their uh employer was not paying any uh FICA or all and they weren't covered by by workers comp. Uh they actually said that while they were watching them, they saw one of them that fell from a scaffold and instead of calling an ambulance, they threw him in the back of the van and took off for who knows where. So anyway, we looked into that and we called ICE. We called ICE in 2021 and ICE basically did nothing. So, um, we I called the chief and he sent some people out there. Uh, they they followed these folks. Uh, they followed these folks. Um, and they, you know, their their car didn't swerve or anything. Uh, they get to their hotel, they checked in. Uh, they they basically didn't break any law and we were powerless to do anything about it. So, uh, they they basically left the next day, but, uh, but it was a very frustrating experience. I testified in front of a Senate interim committee up in Jeff City, uh, trying to told this story and tried to get something done. Um, of course, now we have a new situation in terms of of of ISIS's ICE and what they do. And uh this came up because again while the state highway patrol has been in this program for over a year. Okay. They've just in the last what two months chief began offering it to uh to others. I [clears throat] will tell you uh that before we brought it to you, we met with the chief and several of his uh uh captains uh and and and staff uh got their opinion. Uh they gave us the

go-ahad. I think you met with ICE, right? Uh at your office and then we all met again here and I know we I know that we had two other conversations on the phone. So, we didn't bring this to you until we felt that we understood exactly what this was and uh also what it isn't. So, I'm going to go ahead and turn it over to uh the chief right now. Our most recent our most recent example of dealing with this was last September. remember the Golden Apple restaurant. And uh the interesting thing about that, we were called and we investigated a a report that there were 10 people uh 10 unrelated people living in the same house. And that's basically what got our police department involved in that. And the chief can go ahead and tell you the rest of the story. And

that came to our attention at an HOA meeting, a concerned citizen. They thought it was actually in excess of 10 living in the in one house and uh we started looking into it and uh the further we got into it, we realized it's probably an immigration issue. We notified uh ICE and they did their investigation and they ultimately uh went and did a search warrant on the residents and they asked for our assistance and our assistance is merely to provide a perimeter for safety and that's exactly what we did. St. Charles County Police, we've had a long-standing practice of assisting any law enforcement agency request our assistance, federal, state, or local. And that includes ICE, and we've worked with ICE many, many times over the years. And uh so that nothing has changed there. What this what thisOU does do for us, it provides training for a number of our officers to because day in and day out through the tour of their duty, they run into these immigration issues, whether it's on a domestic disturbance, a vehicle crash, or a traffic stop where immigration status becomes part of the question. uh this gives them direct access to uh expedite the process. Right now when we get in these situations, it's taking our officers multiple hours to deal with it and get back in service. This is going to expedite that process to get our officers back in service to continue their patrol work uh in our community. So um that that and that's all this agreement does. I've talked to agencies such as the highway patrol, Jefferson County Sheriff's Department, and several others are have been in this agreement and it's exactly that. They said the practice in it and the way it's executed is exactly that. The one thing it does not do, it doesn't take our officer discretion away from them. If they're on a traffic stop and uh and they for speeding and they don't want to check immigration status when they suspect it might be something, they don't have to. They don't need to do that unless it's part of the a situation that's going to resolve a bigger issue. So, uh, our officers never lose discretion in all of this.

Mr. Baker, first chief, I got a quick question for you. this legislation in your opinion and you're probably the most qualified in this room. Do you think this legislation makes St. Charles County more safe or less safe? More safe. Definitely. Thank you,

Mr. Hey folks, I'm let I'm letting you know early on we are not going to do this, right? We're going to go through this meeting in an orderly fashion and we're going to get through this as grown adults. Please silence your phones. Sorry for getting called out on that, but please silence your phones so we can get through this as quickly as possible. With that, Mr. Brazie, some of the things we had some conversations the last couple days and u just to be clear here, you see all these signs, abolish ice, abolish this, you don't want ICE in here. They're not going to be here. It's not ICE. These training classes are online training classes with St. Charles County Police on how to be efficient and effective on this process when they're doing their job anyway. they're going to do if there's they're not going to go out bounty hunting. They're not going to go out looking for people who they may think be it's not that that's not what we're doing. We're trying to make it more efficient for the police officers to get back in service so they're not spending three and four hours. There's not going to be ice running out here with ice jackets on. That's not going to happen. So really everything we're doing is the same, but it's making it more efficient and putting them back on the streets. Right.

Yeah. There is no ICE operation. There's no county police officers working handinand uh side by side with ICE agents. uh only if they call us for theirs for to assist them on a uniform for uniform presence, we'll do that. But day in and day out, we're not patrolling around looking for someone that might be illegal. That's not what we do. It's not what we've ever done and uh and we will not do that. Correct. Chief, you might want to talk about the language that doesn't require us to do anything that's not in our own procedures.

Yeah. Obviously, this doesn't this doesn't put us under ICE control. It doesn't make us follow things that are outside our procedures, but our eyes procedures. It's not that at all. We follow our our officers will follow our policies and procedures. You know, we're an internationally accredited agency. We do things at the highest level and we follow the highest standards and we'll continue to do that. This changes nothing. Any other questions for chief or county executive?

Let me just add one one other thing too. And again, if if for some reason, God forbid, that they do ask us to do something that we do not feel is proper, we have the ability to to uh to basically get out of this on the spot. We simply say we we we resign. Uh so there's nothing uh going to bind us. Uh and uh all of our police officers where body cameras

where the body cameras. So um you know, it's a situation where and here's here's the deal. I know we're going to get a bunch of people come up here and and talk about how they don't like the policy, how they don't like the law, how they don't like what's going on and so forth. And that's that's that's fine except we have separation of powers in this country and [laughter]

ma'am not interactive. Thank you. And when all of us and me and chief and every elected official who is in this room when we take an oath and raise their hand, we take an oath to uphold the Constitution and laws of the United States of America as well as the state of Missouri in our local ordinances. All right? So, our police department doesn't get to choose which ones they like and which ones they don't like. Uh, and those of us who like what we've got are are happy with it. those who do not the their remedy is to go to Congress and get the law changed. Okay? And uh if they if they want don't like the law, that's what they should do. But we are the uh chief, myself, everybody over here, we're the executive branch. We simply are enforcing the law that's on the books. And u if we don't do it correctly, then we have to answer to the third branch of government, which is the judiciary. So, there are all kinds of checks and balances here and if you don't think they're sufficient, then we're just going to ask you to trust the chief and his people and me and my staff. [clears throat] Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. With that, that'll move us on to public comment. Now, normally with our rules, our rules are three forward and three against on every issue, but tonight obviously there's a lot of you who have strong feelings about particular topics. So, we're expanding that out to do six and six on each issue. So, we're doubling that tonight. You know what? I could let everybody speak and there'd still be people who weren't happy. So, we're going to go with that. Lori is going to call out the names. When she calls your name, please come up. Regarding bill number 5474, Jose Lardabo from St. Charles, Missouri.

Another thing to remind you, so the clock in front of Mr. Swanson is going to go to 3 minutes. You have 3 minutes in which to say your comments. After your 3 minutes, a buzzer will sound, the alarm will sound. I'll thank you for your comments. Invite you to step down and we will have the next speaker come up and speak. Welcome back. Hi, good evening everyone. My name is Jose Samoto Zabal and I live in St. Charles City [gasps] and I lost my glasses. If you found a set of glasses and yellow casing, uh those are mine. Now, I am here to in front of you to speak against this um uh bill to invite ICE to to work with our law enforcement to train them because I've seen what ICE has done. Now, I firmly believe that the chief and uh Mr. Elman actually are honest in what they said. I trust them. I just don't trust, you know, ICE because there have been countless incidents over the past few years of them not, you know, not um living up to their deals. For example, in Florida, the infamous alligator Alcatra, I don't know if you've heard, but they did not get reimbursed for it. They are on the hook for $1 billion to run that facility. And as for the incidents that he mentioned with the uh the company, the unnamed company that hired those undocumented immigrants as well as the Golden Apple, I must ask why was there anything done to the unnamed company that hired those undocumented immigrants to work here? Why is the Golden Apple still open if they broke the law? Like imagine if I sold counterfeit purses on the sidewalk and you arrested all of my customers but didn't arrest me. I mean would it not be more efficient to take out the one selling the counterfeit things? For the record, I don't sell counterfeit things. Also, there was an incident in Troy, Missouri, where this um this grandmother

who was born in Ireland and has Irish citizenship um she bounced a check worth $25 about 11 years ago and she paid for it. She did her time and she was arrested and she spent about I believe five or 6 months in a facility in Kentucky. It was only with the intervention of some of our local politicians that she was able to go back home to Troy, Missouri. So, yeah, while I do believe that Mr. Elman and the chief are acting in good faith. I don't trust the cold ones to reciprocate. And since there's a lot of people here, I will just edit here. Thanks. Thank you, [applause] [cheering]

KEN. Ken grew. [applause] Ken, bill number 5474. Ken,

thanks for letting me speak. My name's Ken Guru Jr. I do not trust ICE or anything to do with our leader right now. I trust God and please keep politics out of it. We're all children of God. We should act like it. We shouldn't act like I don't want to get into what I'm going to say, but I'm saying it anyway. He said he wish he had generals like Hitler had. Now, did he not say that? If not, I'll kiss your ass on Grant and Olive. So, please, no ice for the dead and the living. [applause] [cheering] Monica [applause] Monica Balisteri from St. Charles.

Good evening. My name is Monica Balisteri, candidate for St. Charles County Council, District 7. I support our local law enforcement. I've worked in public safety and I know our officers do difficult, dangerous, and essential work every single day. They deserve our respect, our trust, and the resources they need to do their jobs well. And that's exactly why I'm opposed to Bill 5474. This agreement doesn't strengthen our police department. It burdens it. When police are tasked with enforcing federal immigration law, it pulls them away from protecting this community. We don't need this agreement to communicate with ICE. The communication, information sharing, and cooperation with federal authorities already exists. What this agreement does is go a step further. It shifts responsibility, cost, and liability onto our county and officers. And that's a line we don't need to cross to maintain effective coordination. The county has stated that they will not accept federal reimbursement funding. That means that every dollar, including salaries, overtime, training, travel, and administrative costs, would eventually come from you, [clears throat] me, and everyone in this room, the taxpayers. In Harris County, Texas, the program costs at least 675 uh,000 annually before it was ended. Some jurisdictions have had to reallocate funds, cut services, or use their reserves. These are real outcomes communities have faced by signing this agreement. Even more concerning, the federal government does not guarantee legal protection for local officers. If something goes wrong, our county and potentially our officers will be left holding the liability. That's not supporting our police. That's putting them at risk. We have to be honest about the reality officers are working in today. In a time when trust and law enforcement is already strained, adding responsibilities that tie local police to federal immigration enforcement risks deepening that divide. When people fear

police interactions could lead to deportation, they stop reporting crimes and stop cooperating cooperating, which leaves communities less safe and places even more pressure on the officers we're asking to serve our community. Our officers should be seen as protectors, not as a pipeline to federal immigration enforcement. I support our police by asking them to do what they do best. Serve and protect this community, not act as agents of a federal immigration agenda that they didn't sign up for and that we cannot afford. So, I urge this council to take a step back and ask a few simple questions. Does this agreement make our community safer? Does it strengthen our police department or does it ask them to do more with less at a greater cost, a greater risk, and with less trust? THANK YOU.

[applause] [applause]

ANGELICA MITCHELL from St. Charles regarding bill number 5474. Good evening. I am a proud resident of St. Charles. So happy to be here. I am a daughter of immigrant parents, a proud Mexican-American, and also a concerned educator. I have the honor and delight of supporting our multilingual and immigrant families. And I stand here today with my privilege to speak on behalf of my immigrant neighbors and the community I love. I am concerned about the impact the task force model of 287G will have on our neighbors. Over the last year, I have seen the impact ICE has had on our students and families. Families have been torn apart. Lives have been disrupted. Our immigrant community is living a different reality. Their ordinary day-to-day activities have become risks. going to the store, going to work, driving to school, uncertain who they can trust, uncertain if the police are for them or against them, uncertain if they will be given a fair chance. There is increasing fear, anxiety, and instability for our students and families. Families are being separated, and there's increasing economic instability for our families due to detentions and deportations. Many asking, "How could this be? I did all the things. I kept my immigration appointments. I never received a court date. It's disorienting. Their growing trauma is heavy and suffocating. Many of my colleagues see this, feel

this, hold this with care and great concern. The suffering of our community impacts us, too. Our immigrant neighbors deserve to feel safe and to feel a sense of belonging in a community where they too make substantial contributions and where they too deserve an opportunity to thrive. They are not dispensable services that we only welcome when it's time to change a roof, our siding, or when we need cooks and dishwashers and our grass cut. Immigrant neighbors have stories. They have dreams. They have a hope for a better future. And they want a fair chance. council. We cannot allow othering to permeate our communities. We cannot let faulty narratives dehumanize our neighbors. We cannot ignore the criminalization of our neighbors. We cannot remain unbothered by the aggressive bounty hunting of our brothers and sisters in Christ who are image bearsers. Signing a task force model 287G agreement will turn our law local law enforcement into a show me your papers force.

Thank you, ma'am. Thank you. [applause] [cheering] [applause] [applause] John Mangas of St. Charles regarding bill number 5474.

Okay. Like I said, my name is John Mangles. I've been a resident of St. Charles County for 30 years. First off, I'd like to say I have nothing against the police, Border Patrol, or ICE if they're doing their jobs correctly. with what I've seen in the news of citizens being illegally arrested, detained with no access to an attorney or their family to let them know where they are or what's happened to them. Some citizens being humiliated, beaten, and worse, Alex Prey and Nicole Good in Minnesota, for instance. ICE needs to be reigned in and held accountable. They need to be properly trained, which from what I've seen, they're not properly trained. Do we want ICE working with our county police? Answer, no. Why would the county police need them on our streets? If the police need more help, hire more police officers and train them accordingly. Do we have an illegal immigrant problem in St. Charles County? If so, I'd like to know where. If so far the only thing I've seen is immigrants and here I am seeing someone that doesn't look like me and assuming they're immigrants. They're working on roofs in the heat and the cold. Immigrants digging ditches, doing lawn care, working in restaurants, washing cars, the work a lot of people don't like to do because it doesn't pay well. But they're working and they're trying to support a family whether here in the States or across the border. It's one thing to be in this country on a visa or a green card and working towards citizenship, but a whole other issue being illegal. If an immigrant is seriously breaking the law, robbery, murder, rape, child molestation, and on and on, that's where ICE needs to be working. My personal opinion of ICE in our county

is we don't need them. Why can't the county police make arrest then if there's a genuine problem then contact ICE? Another issue with ICE working our streets is what we've seen in the news where their presence affects businesses in that workers may not show up for their job because of the fear of being profiled as illegals and possibly being illegally detained thereby causing businesses to leave or close down or patrons not using their services causing monetary issues to those businesses. If you want to keep St. Charles, a nice place to live. Ice does not belong in St. CHARLES. [applause] [applause]

Joseph Pazulo. Good evening. Sorry for the doctor handwriting. Last name is Panzilla. Uh I live right down the street right by the Ammerristar Casino. I've been here for about 2 and 1/2 years. Uh I went to college in uh Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Um born and raised in Webster Groves. Wanted to move back to use the talents that I got in college to give back to my community. I like to think that I do that through the work that I do and the volunteer work that I do in my spare time. When I was up there, I made many friends. Uh, one of them, I'll change her name for the sake of this uh, testimony. Her name is uh, Ashley. Her mother was a nurse. She immigrated here, I believe, in the 1970s from the Philippines. At the time, the Philippines was ruled by a US backed dictator named Ferdinand Marcos. Uh, the regime that she lived under uh, disappeared people in the middle of the night. There weren't civil liberties and people were killed in the thousands. Ashley is a good friend of mine. She plays music in her spare time. She uh works at a little comic book store. A good friend of mine. And when Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis was occurring, her mother said that she felt the same terror that she felt in Minneapolis, the home that she had chosen and lived in for decades, that she felt under a USbacked dictator from the Philippines. I think it's outrageous that we want to partner with people that would ever make any of my friends feel that way at any time. I have other friends, too. I I have many friends from the local community. I like to think I'm a popular guy. I'll change his name, too. Larry, he's a plumber from the United Kingdom. He had his family by in the last year. Uh they visited all over. Uh apparently they liked American fast food and they

stopped by the Ammerrist Star Casino. Um there's a funny story about that, but I have limited time. So when his family talks about coming here, I worry that he'll be asking me about Rebecca Burke. I don't know if any of you know who that is, but you can Google her name. Rebecca Burke. She's from the United Kingdom. 28-year-old graphic designer. She was backpacking through the Pacific Northwest. And in her spare time, she would work an odd job to in exchange for a for a bed to stay at at night. Um, after seeing stories of people being detained, she decided to try to go to Canada and when she crossed over the border because she listed that she was there on a tourist visa and not on a working visa because again she did overnight work. She was sent back to the United States and promptly detained. She spent 3 weeks in a detention center in the United States for the crime of putting down a wrong check box on a form. If I have friends who want to come here and enjoy the wonderful amenities that St. Charles can offer to the community. I cannot in good conscience recommend that they come here if there is a partnership with the people that have terrorized my friends and have terrorized other people in this country. I cannot do that. And I'm asking you, even if you don't believe that this is an issue of human conscience, at least look at your pocketbooks and see that this is not in your interest. [applause]

[applause]

Um, the next speaker is Paul Rena regarding bill number 5467. Hello, council. My name is Paul Rena. The last item on the agenda tonight is CUP25-10, uh, the Defiance Ridge Vineyards. Um, I live 400 ft from the proposed Defiance Ridge Event Center and parking lot. My wife and I with our Defiance neighbors moved to the county for a reason. Most of us most of us moved here when the 42 acres was a farm before it was wine country Gardens and now Defiance Ridge Vineyards. We pay taxes and hope the council will consider to protect our quality of life. Projects like this will change the relative peace and rustic nature forever. I suspect most of you here tonight would not want to live next to this proposed expansion and the noise it will bring or put up with its construction. The proposed concessions Defiance Defiance Ridge Vineyard stated they are willing to make are to move the new parking lot about 140 ft southwest and construct 100 ft 6ft sight proof fence along our shared property line. Per planning and zoning conditions, it states a six-foot sight fence proof fence shall be installed along the northern edge of the proposed parking area to minimize visual land use impacts on adjoining properties. If you approve this expansion, moving the parking lot about 140 ft farther away from the northern edge of the property is great, but I would ask this applicant to remain open to the possibility of increasing the length of the fence once the location of the parking lot is defined. The goal is to

eliminate the headlights shining towards our house and the beehives to block more of the event center and the parking lot. Um, there's also something that I'd like to get a confirmation in the conditions uh for this proposal that the two-lane road and the parking lot use clean 6-in dustfree rock. If this expansion is approved, what will keep other wineries from wanting to commercialize and change the rustic nature of the area? There are seven other wineries listed in the Augusta Defiance zip codes. Four of those eight wineries are Hoffmanowned and we know Hoffman wanted a Nap Valley scenario that didn't play out. I still remain opposed to this disruption and disper disturbance this expansion will cause to the enjoyment and value of my property and my neighbors. The county is already receiving enough tax money from business. How much is enough? Thank you for your time.

Thank you, Renee Rena. Bill number 5467.

Good evening. My name is Renee Rena. My husband and I live 400 ft from the proposed DRV event center and we are even closer to where the car lot will be. I won't repeat our concerns and issues that are listed in our letter to the council dated February 3rd. Per the PNZ staff recommendation analysis dated December 10th of 25. Quote, "The nearest homes are approximately 400 feet and 600 feet from the proposed building, and this proximity raises potential land use impacts. My husband and I own both of these homes. Per the established conditional use permit criteria within the unified development ordinance. Quote, "The conditional use will not be injurous to the use and enjoyment of other property in the immediate vicinity for the purposes already permitted or to the aesthetic and or scenic values of the vicinity. The conditional use permit shall not substantially diminish and appear property values within the neighborhood." End of quote. When our family bought our property in 1993, 2711 South Highway 94 was a 42 acre farm. In 2018, during the Defiance Ridge Vineyard's first cup 17-14 request, Mr. Weber's PowerPoint slide titled quote protection from noise assured PNZ that the protection from noise issue was buffered by trees and the closest residence from the patio to the north was about 1,000 ft from their current venue. Therefore, our residents at 85 Holden Road wouldn't hear the music from their outside patio. Our house is 1,000 ft from DRV's current restaurant patio now. And we do hear the music and the car noises and the fireworks. Imagine if you owned and lived in our house, which will be only

400 feet from the proposed event center and even closer to the car lot. What would you hope and pray this council would do? We are zoned agriculture and so is Defiance Ridge. This proposal is a transitional change to our life and to many of our Defiance neighbors. The requested amended cup goes way beyond the applicant's use and representations and findings for why the current cup 1714 was granted in 2018. This amended cup significantly departs from the factors that lead to approving the original cup in 2018. In summary, the amended cup proposal is opposite of what the conditional use permit criteria states within the UDO. We respectively ask the council to prioritize responsible land use by not allowing expansion, protect public safety, and to preserve what makes Defiance unique. We hope this council would avoid approving a cup that forces the neighbors to retreat or be burdened by preventable impacts. Thankful. Thank you for your thoughtful consideration this evening.

Thank you,

Russell Henderson, bill number 5467. Uh good evening. Uh my name is Russell Henderson. I'm here on behalf of my parents and my family uh to object to conditional use permit 2510. Uh it seeks to construct a 6800 foot event center and 160 vehicle parking lot at Defian Ridge Wineries. My parents and I have been in defiance since 1980 and they are cons we are concerned that approval of the cup will negatively impact the tranquility, safety and character of the community. First 2510 will harm the existing tranquility via the noise and light emitted from the event center. The applicant market the applicants market their project as a party venue. With that comes the loud amplification of music, sound systems, and racket, and the bright incandesence of fireworks and lamps. The planning and zoning commission agrees such issues will arise by requiring the applicants to construct noise and light mitigations. However, no landscape buffer, privacy fence, or dark sky bulb can fully moderate the cumulative amount of clamor and glare that will arise with the addition of five more alcohol infused business hours, 18 light stands, 160 cars, and the 400 patrons the amended cup envisions. In our view, it imperils the quiet environs and the starry skies that drew us to defiance over 40 years ago. Second, the party venue poses a safety issue by significantly increasing the amount of traffic on Highway 94 and surrounding roads. Area residents know uh those roads around Defiance are a challenge. Their twisty ribbons with slim shoulders and many blind spots. Over the years, we have seen and county statistics confirm a steady climb in

auto accidents and fatalities around Defiance, especially on weekends. We have experienced the driving dangers when unsober tourists attempt to navigate the unfamiliar dicey roads. 2510 proposes to put hundreds more such drivers onto those very roads. We shudder at the hazards that will arise with the density of alcohol impaired motorists attempting to drive away from the party venue on difficult roads in the rain, in the snow, and in the dark. In our view, the elevated threats to public highway safety posed by seed of the CUP are simply too great for the local road network and volunteer emergency services that bear. To be clear, we wish Defiance Ridge well. Uh over the years, we have seen that property evolve from Chip Energy's farm to a nursery to their winery. We believe, however, that constructing a 6800 ft building and 160 car parking lot is out of character for the community. Simply the party venue will indelibly wreck the serenity and security we moved out of St. Louis to obtain and have labored over 40 years of our defiance neighbors to sustain. We humbly request that the light, noise, and traffic implications of CUP 2510 be compreh comprehensively studied before the council takes action.

Thank you. Thank you for our attention. [applause] Michael Michael W. on bill number 5467.

Hey, good evening. This is the fourth time I've come to this building to speak about this uh particular item. So, um and what I'd like to say tonight is that the Defiance Ridge Winery is zoned agriculture. Okay. We made some adjustments, cup conditional use permits. We allowed them to put in some things like serving food, like having different events and so on. Uh on the weekends, all of the wineries in that area, there's three that are very close to Ridge and Sugar Creek and uh the other one that's uh located there, too. And they have music from 1:00 in the afternoon until 400 p.m. And that, you know, that's okay. That's fine. It's not disturbing too many people. Although we do hear the music and when I'm out mowing grass, I can actually sing along. But uh there's a lot of events and as a matter of fact, this current cup or they want to adjust says that they want to build an event center and that's where I'm coming from. They have too many events. During the last few months, they have trivia nights, $25 per team. Okay. Does a win or the other wineries charge money? No. It's an event. It's a commercial event. Okay. They have bingo night. Once again, a commercial event. It's not agricultural. What they're doing now, you know, is changing from agricultural to commercial. Now, with that in mind, they have rock band concerts. They have fireworks displays. So, there's a lot of different things occurring on this winery that don't really fit with what the original intent of this was about. Now, to top it all off, on their website, from May 1st

until August 31st, they're going to have on Friday nights bands. These bands are local, regional, and national bands. Admission is $20 per person. Okay? Doesn't sound like once again an agricultural thing to me, but $20 per person. Four in May, four in June, five in July, four in August, and capped off, this is on the website, by a fireworks display at 9:00. Now, they've had fireworks displays in the past. And by doing some checking the last meeting, I think you heard that from 2022 to 2025, when they have fireworks events, they didn't bother to get a permit. Okay. So, if there's conditions, they don't, you know, enforce them. They don't they ignore them. But once again, I go back to this, especially this thing, paying money to go to the events that is commercial. It's not agricultural. So, please keep that in mind. We don't need a commercial venue in that town. Thank you.

Thank you. [applause] and that CV on resolution 2604. I hope I can see from here. Um, good evening council members. Um, my name is Annette Sean. I live in defiance. I'm speaking in favor of resolution 26-04 supporting the Missouri Senate Bill 100002 concerning the date of school board elections. I believe moving schoolboard elections from April to November would do the following. First, create higher voter turnout. Currently, schoolboard elections are in April and the average turnout is about 40 14%. November elections draw voters um draw more voters between 52 and 75% depending on the election races. More voter involvement leads school boards um that better reflect the broader community, not just highly engaged or organized groups. With more voters watching, candidates will feel greater pressure to communicate clearly, participate in debates, and be transparent about their positions. Second, lower election costs. Running an April election costs about $600,000 for staffing, equipment, and administration. Combining elections will reduce the cost for all of St. Charles County. Third, increase public awareness. November elections receive more media coverage,

advertising, and public attention. This helps voters become more informed about schoolboard candidates while they receive little attention during the April elections. Next, simplify public awareness. More election dates or more election dates make the process more confusing for our voters. Fewer election dates will help people plan ahead and vote more consistently. Finally, align with broader policy issues. Education policy is al is often connected with state and national debates. Placing school board elections in November will help voters think about education as part of a bigger picture of community issues. I hope you will join me in supporting this important resolution. Thank you for your consideration. [applause]

Maggie Binthal, resolution 2604. Thank you for having me. I am a St. Charles County resident of 42 years, a parent of two Wentzville School District students, a wife of a teacher in this county for 20 years who also happens to be a school board member. I'm here speaking in my own capacity, not in my husband's capacity on the school board. Um, I'm here to register my opposition to resolution 2604. I'm a St. Charles County public school product. I went to FHC and after that Slooh decided that I did so well that they'd give me a full academic scholarship to undergrad and law school. So I think our schools are great. As a family attorney, I frequently evaluate our schools and compare them to other schools in many other counties and across our state. Our schools are doing excellent. They are ranked very well compared to schools in the rest of our state. If it isn't broke, it doesn't need fixing. Right? you're supporting taking away local control from our school boards. If our school boards or our school districts need an election date change, they should be here talking about why. It should not be that you are here deciding that we're going to support our legislators who say, "Well, we haven't won enough elections in the school board recently, so we need to move them to a November date." Keeping school board elections in April keeps them from becoming partisan and allows candidates and voters to focus on the only issue that should could should concern our schoolboard candidates, which is our children. I want schoolboard members who care about my children, their class sizes, their special needs, and how they're met. I want school board members who see their volunteer role not as a political stepping stone, and not as the ability to control what my children are exposed to as they learn. I want school board members who are not touting conservative values or moms for liberty endorsements, but who tout their experiences with and their love for

public education and how they stand out of politics. I also want to say I grew up in a house in a tiny town in Cotville that was numbered 5474. So I have to register my opposition to 5474 as well. As a former immigration attorney, I know that immigrants make America great. As a career defense attorney, I can understand how underserved police departments sign up for 287G because they need the money to get more officers. My question is, is our county police department so flushed with cash and FTE that we can spare the officers from investigating crime in our communities and instead put them into asking people for their papers? I don't think so. Um, I've asked I've practiced immigration law in four different administrations. Now, each presidential administration sets its own priorities for who ICE is allowed to detain and who ICE is allowed to remove. Um, that's going to change when this administration ends, and it will end in three years. It's going to be an ongoing use of our tax dollars to retrain our police officers as to who ICE can remove. Otherwise, people like me will be suing our police department for holding people unlawfully against the government's priorities. So, I think we need to consider that as well. Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate the chance to speak WITH YOU. [applause]

[applause] [cheering] GRAYSON [applause] Grayson Grayson Jose's resolution 2604.

You have a fan club. [gasps]

Hello. Um, I'm here to talk about two items. One, I'm against resolution 2604 for the third time because two reasons. One is that we I believe that this resolution is a result of a tanter tantrums of a certain political group that doesn't like the results of the election that they wanted to wanted. And speaking of certain political groups, that leads to number two, which which is they think that the school board candidates should be based on political views instead of a being aolitical. The reason for the switch from April to November is because they want to know what board members political views are as to November is because they want to know what board political views are noted in the Senate bill. So no uh vote no for the resolution and keep the elections as they are cuz this will impact every school district in St. Charles. I'm against bill 5474 because the police shouldn't have an agreement with the secret police known as ICE as two unarmed citizens who are shot and killed by two different ICE agents and many more uh legal immigrants in these concentration camps almost killing a uh a minor child. Plus, the so-called administration sent the secret police at airports so they can do their jobs kidnapping Americans. We haven't have any uh any updates on the two ICE agents that kill Rene Nicole Good and Alex Peretti. Again, Renee Nicole Good and Alex Petti. Vote no on the bill on this bill 5474. So to recap, MAGA Republicans are throwing tantrums because schoolboard elections results don't want so they want to change the date and the agreement and an agreement to the secret police known as ICE so they can track down more POC adults, children, and elderly uh legal and illegally. Vote no

on resolution 2604, bill 5474. Thank you. Vote no for Prop RT, amendment three to protect all women's rights and abolish ICE. Thank you, [applause] [cheering] Jamie M. on resolution 2604. Jamie,

good evening. Thank you for allowing me to speak. I am an education researcher and I'm here to talk about this resolution because I think rationale and the u motivation behind policies matter. This county has spoken for the last three years in a row very clearly that we are tired of politicizing our school board elections. We are tired of political division and we are sick of partisanship. This resolution was created in order to allow folks to run as a slate next to Republicans by our conservative legislators. Our lawmakers are do not have our best interests in mind in St. Charles County. They're not looking to improve our children's education. They're not looking to make our elections more fair. What they're looking to do is benefit from party lines, and we don't want that, right? The next thing I'd like to talk about is the 5474. I also am opposed to this um policy. Look, I think we would be fools to think that the folks who we are cooperating with are trained or professional. We've seen very clearly that they are not. We can be assured as well that there will be no cost associated with this and and to our officers which I I'm reading in the news. But that really is confusing to me because unrest isn't uh free and um training isn't free. Learning to do new tasks isn't free. So there's no way that we would avoid cost on this policy. I'd like to tell you a very short story. About 10 years ago, I lived in Austin, Texas, and a young man, a very sweet young man that I knew, was shot and killed by police. The police officer who killed him was black. The young man was black. The police officer who killed him was a very good officer by all accounts. He was a kind man, and he was good at his job. I learned an important lesson that day. [sighs] I learned that fear is a lot more

dangerous than hate. And right now there is a lot of fear being stirred up about people who look a certain way or sound a certain way. I believe our officers when they tell me that they want to do their jobs and they want to do them well. But I'm going to tell you a second story. Little over a week ago, there was an incident on my street, Opel Drive in St. Charles, and police responded, and I was grateful that they came. A young man was very hurt. Uh some teenagers were doing things they didn't have any business doing. When the officer came into my home, I wanted to give him every detail that I could, anything that I could remember, and I wanted to be helpful. But the only question the police officer asked me was, "What color were the people who were beating up the boy?" He could have asked me how tall they were. He could have asked me what their builds were. He could have asked me if I heard anyone's name, but he didn't. Thank you. [cheering] [applause]

[applause]

Karen O'Harn regarding Proposition RT. Good evening. My name is Karen O'Harn, longtime St. Charles residents. Um, St. Charles County is facing huge funding cuts to the St. Charles Fire, EMS services, public libraries, disability services, St. Charles Community College, and especially public schools. If Proposition RT passes, this is only on the ballot for political reasons, which we keep hearing over and over again tonight. This is not a problem that needed to be solved. We need tax reform. This doesn't reform taxes. This just pulls the revenue stream away from the people who really need it who live in St. Charles County. They did not provide a plan for replacing the resulting uh revenue flow for these public services and it will result in an onslaught of sales taxes and tax levies that probably will not pass. These funding reductions will certainly result result in a reduction of services, larger classroom sizes, fewer bus routes, fewer libraries for our community to use, and they are used in St. Charles County. I go to meetings, I go to all kinds of events at the library. Our county leaders have failed to speak out against Proposition RT. Some have said that it does not impact the county, just the municipalities and public schools. Public schools can just get out there and raise some more money. I can tell you as a board member, I'm not here speaking as a board member,

but I know it's not so easy to pass tax levies anywhere. Property taxes are equitable. Sales taxes are not. Sales taxes are a um tax that hits the middle income and the lower income the hardest. We need to make sure that Propert does not pass in order to keep the citizens of St. Charles County safe and educated. Sales taxes are regressive. Property taxes are more equitable. Some leaders have said that sales taxes are paid by outsiders or tourists. I am not a tourist, but 95% of my purchases are made right here in St. Charles County. Those sales taxes will hit my family hard if they pass. So, please vote no on April 7th and take just a little time before election day, next Tuesday, to voice your opinion. Some of you maybe already have came out against Prop RT. It's a politically motivated proposition that is not well planned. Vote no. [applause] Jen Olsen. Jen Olsen. Regarding elections, Hello, I'm Jen Olsson. I'm speaking on resolution 2604 supporting the urge in urging the passage of bill 100002 in the Senate. Here are some reasons to support moving schoolboard elections to the

August or November ballot. One, campaign time and weather. As school board, as a school board member, I have a larger constituency than all of you. There are five school districts in the county and seven county council districts, not to mention Winsville, Francis How, and Fort Zumwald districts make up about 75 to 80% of the county. Candidates for other offices on the April ballot only need to target anywhere from 500 to 2,000 homes. Schoolboard candidates for the three large districts have to target close to 40,000 homes in about 6 weeks. We need more time. Number two, the will of the people. Holding these elections in April when there is less than 15% of voter turnout creates major discrepancies in the will of the community and the political and ideological makeup of the board of education. There's no better example than this of this than the 2024 schoolboard elections where the NEA candidates won almost every single schoolboard race statewide. In November of 2024, over 75% of St. Charles County voted to elect Donald J. Trump, a man who ran against defunding the Department of Education and breaking up with the or breaking up the NEA. You would have to be a fool to believe that those same people turned around 5 months later and voted overwhelming me overwhelmingly for schoolboard candidates who want to protect the bureaucracy and are endorsed by the NEA. The math doesn't math. We need more time to reach our electorate. Number three, the NEA. NEA endorsed candidates don't even have to run a campaign. They have the backing of the most powerful lobby in our country and their statewide sweeps and complete takeover of our public education system is proof of the power how powerful they are. This puts parents up against a beast and to add insult to injury, we only have six weeks to campaign during the coldest time of the year. We need more time. Four, community climate. The political and ideological imbalance of school boards is the driving force behind the drama and discontent between parents and the and their school districts. This is a distraction from the duty that the school boards have to the taxpayers to provide excellence in education. Parents spend countless hours begging for change and they're met with inaction, hate, and told to go to a private school if they don't like it.

That's not what the American people had in mind when they got on board with public education in the 1970s. Not even a little bit. Number five, the Missouri Republican platform. Every one of you has an R after their name on the ballot. Here's a few key points taken from the most recent Missouri Republican Party platform that you were elected to uphold. One, require informed consent from parents before providing health, mental health, or substance abuse treatments or services to students. Two, guaranteeing quality instruction. Three, reducing bullying. Four, bodily privacy of our students in sex specific restrooms and locker rooms. Five, educating, not socially engineering our students. All of these are policydriven. With every district in this county being led by a majority liberal school board, do you think our majority conservative population is accurately represented? Do you think the values of our community will be enacted through our school boards? The answer is no. We need to move our school board elections. [applause]

Arie Dino regarding agenda and non-aggenda item. Could you please turn on the uh opaque in the back?

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, members of the uh count county council. My name is RNC acino uh county public advocate. I'm running for college trustee on April uh 7th in the fallen city council. I first want to start off by saying county offices, our county charter officers, which are the full-time elected officers and county council members of four districts. The uh um uh odd numbers are up this election season. State offices are 12 house members um are up uh this year. Township committeemen and township committee women are up for the August primary. Tomorrow at 4:59 p.m. is the deadline to file. Uh the county offices are filed at the county election authority on Turner Boulevard off of Missouri Highway 79. If you want to file for state office, you have to go to the Missouri Secretary of State on North Main Street in downtown Jefferson City uh on the third floor, the election division. Contact me uh if you need help filing. Uh my cell phone is 314-449000 or Arie Dino Die NF at m.com. The municipal and special elections which is the sheet that's uh on the overhead. Um there's a handout that was prepared by our county election authority. I just wanted to say that's coming up very shortly. We're into the twoe period. Early no excuse voting until April the 6th. Voting day is April the 7th between 6:00 a.m. and 700 p.m. There will be a lot of sales tax issues, questions, and the uh uh the property tax freeze for all districts of our county assessed valuation on personal real estate. On the agenda tonight, on the consent agenda, $3.3 million is being spent on the consent agenda uh

bills, which you really gloss right over. Ones that I have concerns are the community development, Habitat for Humanity in the amount of $400,000. I'd like to hear some uh better questions about community development block grant funding. And then the forestry bucket truck in the amount of $217,000 which we're buying out of our county. The purchase of 12 county vehicles of $510,000 to St. Louis city not supporting our economy here locally in our own county. And the purchase of another nine vehicles from Broadway Ford in the city of St. Louis and not supporting our economy. the parks division professional services in the amount of $192,000 for the heritage museum assessment. Why are we not doing that in house with the current city staff? In the appointment to the road board, the three members, I have uh some um ethical questions about their business field and their relationship to uh the road board and if they're making a living off of our road board and the contract.

Thank you, Mr. Dino. And finally, I'd like to say to Kurt Frizz, I know you took some punches tonight, but I support you and I trust my life with you. Thank you, final speaker. That's going to wrap up our public comment for tonight. With that, I would entertain a motion to agend amend the agenda to move up uh bill 5474. So moved. Second. Motion and a second. All those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? The agenda is amended. So that will move us to bill number 5474.

Bill number 5474. An ordinance authorizing the county executive to enter into a memorandum of agreement between the county of St. Charles on behalf of the police department and the Department of Homeland Security to exercise certain powers as authorized by Congress in 8 USC section 1357G. Any questions or comments about this bill? Nope. Seeing none, please call the role.

Bill number 5474, an ordinance authorizing the county executive to enter into a memorandum of agreement between the county of St. Charles on behalf of the police department and the Department of Homeland Security to exercise certain powers is authorized by Congress in 8 USC section 1357G. Councilman Hammond, yes. Councilman Elim, yes. Councilman Hollander, yes. Councilwoman York, yes. Councilman Baker, yes. Councilman Swanson, yes, ma'am. Councilman Brazzle, yes. Bill number 5474 passes. AND [screaming] [applause] OKAY, so with that,

we'll take five while people calm down and leave the room. When the election comes up, WE'LL VOTE EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU OUT. was a VA. I killed Alex. I killed Alex and you're going to break it on here in our county. Why? Why are YOU DOING THIS? WHY ARE YOU GOING TO ALLOW THIS TO HAPPEN IN OUR COUNTY? WHAT IS wrong with you? What is wrong with you, Republicans? Do you not care about do not care about care stay? [cheering]

ALL OF YOU ARE NOT every single one of you. All of you need to BE REPLACED. YOU DON'T CARE. Read Matthew 25. Okay. Read Matthew 25. When you go home today, civil rights violations, ILLEGAL every single ONE OF YOUR HEAD. EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOUR FOUR. EVERY SINGLE ONE. BROOKLYN.

There will be a record of this forever. Who you sided with? When American democracy was at stake, we know what side you are on. It's Joe. You do not care about freedom for the people in America. I get to finish my video. Shame. Children in detention are What happened to his dress? Huh? What happened to his dress? Seriously. All right. So, with that, I would uh make a

remember this. Hang on a second. Thought we were done. Thanks for your service. All right. So, with that, I would entertain a motion to amend the agenda and move our tabled bill uh 5467 up in the agenda. Motion. Second. Have a motion and a second. All those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Which

the agenda is amended. So we have moved up to tabled bill. Do you need to read the table bill before we make a motion on it? Bill number 5467, an ordinance amending ordinance number 18-018 granting conditional use permit CUP 17-14 for one, a winery and two, building structures or open spaces for conducting weddings and/or wedding receptions or other private parties to Defiance Ren Ridge Vineyards LLC property owner and Chuck Gillantine applicant. So with that, I would entertain a motion to take up tabled bill. Motion to take up table bill. Second. Second motion and second. All those in favor.

I I with that I will go to Miss York.

Yes. I know. Um Oh, what I was going to say a lot of people have come up with some some good ideas and I don't know. One of the things that we do need to do is we need to look at this area and decide what we do want to do in the future. Do we do we want to keep adding? I think what started as a, you know, charming little wine country is starting to get a little bit larger. Um, and I'm not against that. I just think we need some direction on what we want to do in the future with some of these. Um, the noise abatement, fireworks, I, you know, I don't know that I don't know what our laws are here in, uh, the county, you know, can people do it every weekend? Uh those are some of the questions. Maybe not on this one, but I think in the future we certainly need to be looking at some of that stuff. What time they're finished, you know, uh do they close at 10:00 or can it go till 2:00 in the morning like a uh a restaurant or a bar, that kind of thing. So um I think we need to look at this in the future.

Any other comments? Um yeah, just uh Mr. Most most wers close at stop at 5 with their music and um and then they if they have a wedding it's I think it's 10:00 but the bands stop at 9 and um

so on as far as traffic real quickly um the when Hoffman bought uh four or five of the wineries the traffic was much more greater than it is today cuz those wineries are dead basically and so it really hurt the fiance the businesses in town. So the traffic count is way lower and it's actually bankrupt in Augusta because they don't get any sales tax anymore because there's no business in the winers and it's been a problem for them. So the try the traffic cap count is way down. Um as far as um Drew did uh just come come up here real quick question on the change. We met with the neighbors went over some of the concerns they had about the headlights and the parking lot. You have added it added as an additional condition. Is that added or do do I need to make a motion on that?

Um, I'll defer to the county staff, but I think you need to make Where's Can Mike come out back? Dave, uh, Steve, Mike, are you available? Yeah, he's in the bag. We have some to go back there.

They're all hiding. Just so everybody knows, we knew the room was going to be full tonight. So, we asked our council department heads if they would wait out back. That way, citizens could have a seats and so we've got them confined behind us. And [cough] so, thanks [clears throat] Mike for coming out. Um, Mike, uh, Drew, I just want to make sure we we removed that parking lot and added a privacy fence. Is that is that in that's in the language, correct? So, or what are you guys?

Well, they there's nothing in the language. It's the it's the site the concept plan has been amended. So, it's part of the record though. Yes. So, that's what I want to make sure. If you approve it, you will be approving the changes that were being made that Okay. Yeah. Okay. That's what I want to make sure. Yeah. Taking away. You said it took away a We removed a We removed a parking lot that's by the property, somebody's property owner. Moved it. Do you want to moved it down? Not removed it, but moved it. Moved it away. Yeah. Right. Moved it 140 ft south. I think it was it it it shrank the size of the parking lot. It's It's now instead of 180 spaces, it's um see that far, but

it's 136. So it it is moved away from the neighbor's property line. It moves to the south. I think it's the same. I think it's the same one. Okay. And just to remind the council, as far as the lighting goes, it's all they did a light engineer. It's all down. No shadow lights. Um no no pollution. No light pollution. They they also reduced because of the lots parking lot being reduced size. They now have 14 parking uh lights instead of 18, so there's less light standards. Any other questions, comments?

Did you increase the the fence line or from before? Yes. So, there's a fence now proposed 250. Uh there's a fence proposed along the north of the parking lot. Um and so there there's still trees. I know there's a prior discussion about doing a fence along the hor northern boundary line, but then you'd have to remove the trees, which is probably not better for the neighbors. So now the fence, all the trees remain and the fence is right at the northern boundary line of the parking lot and that little drive up there.

This is like a 50ft buffer of trees. However, I believe the owner of the winer did agree that um he would meet with the residents and place it exactly where they wanted after they see where the parking lot was. Any other questions or comments? Yes, ma'am. Yes. I'm sorry. Um the Friday nights they they're allowed to do that now that they can have the fireworks, they can uh have bands and stuff like that, but what's the time? What time did that have to end? So,

oh, sorry. Uh so, the there's an in the uh conditions to the conditional use permit, there's an ending time now for outdoor music. Uh so and for indoor music actually I think it's at 10 o'clock. Uh so that's what time they'll end. Um and I just you want to clarify some of the residents are talking about you know new use or expanded use. It's just a different building. We're doing the same thing. I mean nothing's changing other than it's a new building designed to be more competitive with other uh wineries, but it's it's just a new building. The same types of events that are there right now be the same type of events. So right now they can be there till 10:00 at night.

Right. Right now in the main building you have the same type of events. Okay. Thank you. Plus one of the build the main buildings are not four season not fourseason rooms. That's true. They're canopies and they they put vinyl up so it doesn't service them very well when it's cold. Right. Yeah. Any other questions or comments? Seeing none. Thank you both. Thank you. uh would ask you to uh read the bill and call the role.

Bill number 5467, an ordinance amending ordinance number 18-018 granting conditional use permit cup 17-14 for a winery and building structures or open spaces for condu conducting weddings and or wedding receptions or other private parties to Defiance Ridge Vineyards LLC property owner and Chuck Gillantine applicant. Councilman Elum, yes. Councilman Hollander, yes. Councilwoman York, yes. Councilman Baker, yes. Councilman Swanson, no. Councilman Brazzle, yes. Councilman Hammond, yes.

Bill number 5467 passes. That wraps up conditional use permits that we have. And now we should be back to the agenda as originally written, which gets us to the consent agenda. Any items to be removed from the consent agenda? Motion to approve. Motion to approve. Do I have a second? Second. All those in favor say I. I. Any oppose. Consent agenda is approved. That gets us to resolutions. We have three tonight. Uh first one is resolution 2605. Is Michelle in the audience? Michelle still. Michelle. Oh yes. Here she is.

Thanks for your patience. I know it's been a big one. I'll read it. I have some things. Can I hand to you? Yeah, go ahead.

I will start to read the ordinance. Our resolution resolution 26-05 sponsored by council as a whole. A resolution for the county of St. Charles, Missouri to recognize the month of April as child abuse awareness month. Whereas, April is nationally recognized as child abuse awareness month, providing an opportunity to educate the public, strengthen community partnerships, and reaffirm our collective commitment to protecting children. And whereas the Child Advocacy Center of Northeast Missouri is a notfor-profit organization whose mission is to deliver excellence in child abuse response, offer a path toward healing, and educate the community. And whereas child abuse and neglect affect children of all ages, backgrounds, and communities and have lasting impact on physical, emotional, and mental well-being. And whereas preventing child abuse and neglect is a shared community responsibility that requires the collaboration of family, schools, law enforcement, healthc care providers, social service agencies, faith communities, and civic leaders. And whereas children who experience abuse or neglect are at an increased risk for long-term challenges including academic difficulties, mental health concerns, and involvement with the criminal justice system. And whereas raising public awareness about the signs of child abuse and neglect, as well as available prevention and intervention resources, is essential to ensuring the safety and well-being of children in our community. And whereas child advocacy centers and other child serving organizations work tirelessly to provide coordinated child- centered responses to allegations of of abuse, support healing for children and families, and promote pens prevention through education and outreach. Now therefore, be it resolved by the County Council of St. Charles County, Missouri, as follows. The St. Charles County Council hereby recognizes the month of April as Child Abuse

Awareness Month in St. Charles County, Missouri, and all residents are encouraged to support efforts that promote the safety, dignity, and well-being of children. Michelle reached out um a couple of months ago and brought this up and ask about coming to speak. So, Michelle, would you please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about uh child abuse awareness month?

Yes. My name is Michelle Stilly and I'm the director of forensic services at the Child Advocacy Center of Northeast Missouri. We say CAC for short and we are a nonprofit organization located in Wville, Missouri. We've been there since um the year 2000 and we provide services to children who have either made allegations of abuse or children who are suspected to be victims of abuse or witnesses to basically any type of crime. And we are very fortunate to work very closely with um investigative professionals such as law enforcement to um work with a common goal to bring children to our center as soon as possible um after they've made a disclosure of abuse or someone's worried about them where they talk with a forensic interviewer one-on-one. Our interviews are recorded. Law enforcement, children's division, prosecuting attorneys, and juvenile juvenile officers observe those interviews live through closed circuit television. So the whole goal is that kids only have to talk about the experiences that they've had one time in detail. We then go to court and testify and work really closely with the prosecutor's office as well. Um but in addition to that, we provide advocacy for the caregivers. They're usually their world has been turned upside down. We have advocates that connect them with resources so they can be in a place where they can provide support to their children through their healing process. Uh and we also have therapy. We offer therapy to every single child and all of their non-offending caregivers that come through our door and even if they deny it at the time of their interview, that's open to them forever. And all of our services are provided at no cost to children and families. But in addition, we also have a prevention education program that goes into all of the schools, most of them in St. Charles County, um to teach kids uh child abuse prevention lessons, body safety, um all kinds of all kinds of really great programs that I just can't think. and but as well as um pro programs for professionals on mandated reporting and handling of disclosures so they know what to do if a child does make a

disclosure to them or if they're worried about a child. Um so in a nutshell that's the child advocacy center. We've been there for a long time. We have tours. We would love to have anybody come out. I also handed each of you a brochure that has all that information as well as a little invitation. Because April is child abuse awareness month. We always hold what we call a pinwheel ceremony and you each also have a pin. that is the national symbol for child abuse awareness. Um it's a our ceremony is just a really great great time where we again like work to educate the community but also recognize individuals within St. Charles County primarily that have just gone above and beyond in that year to protect kids. So you're all welcome. There may be a location change if the weather um is is not on our side but um if you if you are interested and you are SVP you'll get notification of if there is a location change. So,

thank you, Mr. Baker. Michelle, I just want to say thank you for what you do. I I can't think of many jobs that would be more difficult to to to be involved with in child abuse. So, thank you and your organization. So, you're here. It's It's great to have people like you and our county doing the things that you're doing. So, it's a privilege. We wish we didn't have to be there, but it truly is a privilege. It's a shame that you do, but we appreciate you and your staff for what you do. Any other Mr. Sponsor? I've been your facility numerous times. Um, one of my former students is one of their counselors. Oh, great.

And having known her since fifth grade and seen her what she does today, I cannot imagine the stories. And that's why you're pretty much my number one charity that I donate to because of it. And if you ever get a chance to go to their big banquet, be ready to hear some stories that will change your life. Well, and thank you for that. And in that brochure that I handed out, we also have some really great tax credits for donations that really do help a lot. So, yes. Any other questions? Any other questions or comments? Thank you. Thank you. Michelle, would you please uh read the resolution and we'll make it official.

Resolution number 26-05 sponsored by council as a whole. A resolution for the county of St. Charles, Missouri to recognize the month of April as child abuse awareness month. Councilman Hollander. Oh, definitely. Yes. Councilwoman York. Yes. Councilman Baker. Yes. Councilman Swanson. Yes, ma'am. Councilman Brazzle, yes. Councilman Hammond, yes. Councilman Elum, yes. Thank you, Michelle. Thank you very much. That gets [applause] us.

That will get us to resolution 260. Resolution number 2606 sponsored by Mike Elim requested by Steve Elman. A resolution authorizing the non-binding projected tax rates of the county for the general revenue fund and for various special funds of and for the county of St. Charles, Missouri for the year 2026 in order to develop the notice of projected tax liability to accompany the assessor's notice of assessed value. All is mandated by Senate Bill 711 2008. It's county executive.

Yeah, Mr. Chairman, um it's Senate Bill 711 was passed by our the senator who's now our lobbyist, Mike Gibbons, in 2008, and it was a real effort to try to deal with the whole property tax uh issue. And of course, we know they're that's a big issue up in Jefferson City again this year. And uh and hopefully they'll they'll come up with something better than what we've got. But under this uh and we've been doing it since 2008, we simply are saying here's what we'd like to do and it's non-binding. And of course for the last uh 10 years we've not we've set our real property rate of the money that comes only to us at zero. So we've done that for 10 years. We still get a little bit uh we still uh about 5.6% 6% of our budget comes from um the road and bridge tax and the uh

dispatch and alarm. Yeah. Uh so on road and bridge, we only get to keep half of that. And on the uh alarm and dispatch, we're only one of about 10 agencies that that use that. So, what what I'm suggesting is we're going to do everything we can to go ahead and eliminate the personal property tax on those two remaining things that uh uh that we do have a a tax on. Now, again, that's the goal. I would tell you right now, you know, 63% of our budget is is is sales tax

is sales tax. So, if we go into a recession or, you know, some sort of economic catastrophe, you know, we may not be able to make it. But this this is the goal I'm going to set and and hopefully I can present a a good argument to you in September when you have to make the final decision about what to do on this. Any questions or comments on this? Just so everybody's clear, we are rolling that tax rate back. So, we're in fact going back to zero. uh on this is the same one that that we froze for the last 3 years. Yeah. And if if if if we get through to September looking good, it'll just zero it out.

So it basically rolls your county portion of those tax to zero. Um we don't have authority over any other political subdivisions tax rate to be clear. So whatever your schools are, libraries, ambulance, fire, all that stuff, county cannot set rates for other political subdivisions. We can only set rates for county, just so everybody's clear on that. And we are rolling that back to zero um for the projected tax year. So with that, I would ask you to read the resolution. Resolution number 260, a resolution authorizing the nine the non-binding pro projected tax rates of the county for the general revenue fund and for various special funds of and for the county of St. Charles, Missouri for the year 2026 in order to develop the notice of projected tax liability to accompany the assessor's notice of assessed value. All is mandated by Senate Bill 711 2008. Councilwoman York,

yes. Councilman Baker, yes. Councilman Swanson, yes, ma'am. Councilman Brazzle, yes. Councilman Hammond, yes. Councilman Elim, yes. Councilman Hollander, yes. Resolution 2606 passes. That gets us to resolution 2607.

Resolution 2607 sponsored by Tim Baker and Joe Brazzle. a resolution expressing opposition to Missouri Senate Bill 1065 2026 relating to the reimbursement of non- rate regulated utility providers for facility relocation costs whereas the Missouri General Assembly is considering Senate Bill 1065 which would require counties cities incorporated towns and villages to reimburse certain non- rate regulated utility providers for labor costs associated with relocating facilities within public rights of way due to road maintenance or construction projects. And whereas local governments have long relied upon established principles governing public rights of way, including the expectation that utilities occupying such rights of way do not do so subject to the obligation to relocate their facilities at their own expense when necessary for public infrastructure improvements. And whereas Senate Bill 1065 would would represent a significant departure from this long-standing framework by shifting financial responsibility from private utility providers to local taxpayers. And whereas the imposition of mandatory reimbursement obligations would increase the cost of essential transportation projects, thereby reducing the number of scope scope and road improvements that local governments can undertake with limited public funds. And whereas Senate Bill 1065 would create an unfunded mandate on local governments by requiring reimbursement of private utility relocation costs without providing a dedicated and sufficient revenue source to offset these new expenditures. And whereas Senate Bill 1065's requirement that local governments notify utility providers and coordinate relocation schedules within prescribed time frames introduces additional administrative administrative burdens that may delay critical infrastructure projects. Now therefore be resolved by the county council of St. Charles County, Missouri

as follows. The county council hereby formally opposes Senate Bill 1065 and any similar legislation that shifts the cost of utility relocation from private providers to local governments and taxpayers. Councilwoman York. Yes. I want to thank these two gentlemen for bringing this forward. Uh it is an unfunded mandate. No two ways about it. I wouldn't mind having my name put on the resolution, too. Who is the Senate Who is the senator sponsoring this bill? I I don't know who this I just know it's sponsored through the Senate. This we've been opposing this for how many how many years? Do they bring it up every year? Is it

for a long time? So our lobbyists have been working against this uh for several years or [clears throat] continuing to. Uh this one obviously does really impact us. So 100%. I think it's something you should uh be beard. Absolutely. Mr. Baker.

Yeah. As Patty said, this is a this is an a a basically a tax on the residents of St. Charles County. You know, when these private utilities come into the county, they have the choice of getting easements outside the road right away, but they don't do that because of the cost. And then when they're in our public rightway, we have to have them relocate. They want to charge us. I mean, there are just so many uh negatives about this bill and I hope it stops now, but uh hope that uh the council does its part and supports this resolution. Any other questions or comment? Seeing none, please call the role.

Resolution 26-07, a resolution expressing opposition to Missouri Senate Bill 1065 2026 relating to the reimbursement of non rate regulated utility providers for facility relocation costs. Councilman Baker, yes. Councilman Swanson, yes, ma'am. Councilman Brazzle, yes. Councilman Hammond, yes. Councilman Elim, yes. Councilman Hollander, yes. Councilwoman York, yes. Resolution 2607 passes. That brings us to tabled resolution 2604. Any action to happen on the tabled bill? Yeah, I'd like to make a motion to remove it from the table. Second. We have a motion and a second. All those in favor say I. I. Any opposed? Claire, would you please read the bill?

Resolution. Resolution 2604 resolution supporting the efforts of the Missouri legislature and urging the passage of Senate Bill 10002 2026 concerning the date of school board elections. Any questions or comments about this bill?

I got I was just going to say that some of the probably comments were on on this bill that uh we don't want to politicize. I realize that the council I was thinking what I'm hoping is in order to uh compromise that we took out the partisanship out of the resolution to uh make it more compatible with some of the other council members. However, um some of the comments made by the people in the crowd saying that the uh we don't want to politicize our school boards. Well, that's ridiculous because the school boards been politicized for years, especially since the NEA got involved with their Marxist leftist ideals, that they're throwing stuff on on these schools that have nothing to do with academics and education on all these policies and it's just ridiculous. So, the NEA did start it to be partisanship. They did start it with their politics. So, um this is important. That's one part of it. But the real part of it, if in fact 15% of the people are only voting about something like that, is it 12 to 15 and in a general election you got 50 to 60? Why wouldn't you want more participation? That doesn't make any sense at all. And I read the Post Dispatch today and um Kurt Bar made some comments in there saying that it would it would fatigue the voters if we had school board elections during the general election. meaning if there's in every district if there's three or four more people you would have to vote for it's going to fatigue the voters which is the most ridiculous thing I ever heard. Um that's what his comments were and me and Bob they were quoting it for comments as well but um I'm just saying that and I'm not saying I want to quote the post disgrace. I'm just making a point. Um but I just think that um this is important for the people and for the schools to have more involvement. I think that's a major plus. So, I don't know why anybody opposed this. And um anyway, that's that.

With all due respect to the great Post reporters who cover us. So, there you go, Mr. Baker.

Yeah, I agree with everything. Joe took the words out of my mouth. I mean, uh the last two general elections I went to, I had to wait in line and if I recall one time it was kind of sleet or snowing. So, if I can just do it one time and knock out all the elections in November, I'd be happy. But, uh, the the goal in in in sponsoring this legisl or this this resolution was to just get more people involved. I mean, it's not and I don't want partisanship in it, but it's in there. But I just want our the county to that that comes out and represents the general election. I want them to also speak their mind on the school board, which I think is, if not one of the most important elections in this county, the most important. So, uh, I ask all you guys to please support this.

Mr. Ellen, yeah, I don't have a vote, but for whatever it's worth, when I was in, uh, in Jefferson City, uh, 20 years ago, uh, 23 years ago, uh, the school boards weren't as, what should I say, as controversial as they are now. But what I supported back then, and what I still think is what what what you need is tax increases need to be on the November ballot. Yes.

Okay. I I can live, you know, I mean, okay, yeah, we got the school board making a lot of important decisions and and I'm not not against, you know, changing that, but I really think if I was in Jeff City, I think it's much more important that we get the elections. Uh, anytime you want to raise taxes, get those things on have to go on the November ballot. Uh, a good example, I did some research, actually Bob, you did it several years ago, uh, where we looked at, uh, at St. Louis County and St. Charles County, and in both counties, 37% of proposed tax increases passed. All right? So, we basically passed tax increases here at the same as a conservative county at the same rate that they passed them in St. Louisis County, which is much more liberal. Okay. And I think one of the reasons for that is because most of them are voted on in April and we don't have as many people show up. So, uh, if if you want to if if any of my people in Jeff City ask me my opinion on this, I'm going to say we need to have the elections in November for sure.

Any other questions or comments, Mr. Swanson?

Yeah, just two points here. Fear of the unknown is something that happens. And I don't know how all of you guys are going to vote on this, but when you look at how many states are currently doing this, it's about half of them. And you're hearing no issues from these other states about moving schoolboard elections to November. So, it is the fear of the unknown. And the other part that we bring up, schools take the majority of our tax dollars. When you look at how much you're paying in and when we have such a few number of people who are showing up to vote in these April elections and those school boards are making these massive decisions of new buildings and everything else, who are we putting in? Are we putting in the best of the best? I would hope so. But if more people show up to vote, we can guarantee we are getting the best of what the community wants to represent.

That's all I have to say. Great.

Any other questions or comments about this bill? So, couple notes that I would make. A, I would echo Mr. Elman. I I would rather us have a bill that would put all tax increases on November. And that's the only time you can go for a tax increase because to Mr. Brown's point, that's when you're going to see people I mean, in our county, when you get to presidential elections, we're generally in the 70% ratio of of where we come out and vote. Our folks generally come out and vote. Not horrible in August in presidential years, not great in years like this, but we get folks to come out there. This only moves um schoolboard elections to November. It does not move municipal or fireboards or any of that other stuff. It's only moving that. It also doesn't do the tax increases. So hopefully we can talk to Senator Schmelting about that. This bill is Senator Schmelting's bill. So we originally talked about Senator Suroy's bill. In Senator Serero's bill, it did make the election, it did move it to November, but it made it partisan. Senator Schmelting's bill is not partisan. So it moves them, but it still leaves them nonpartisan. So it at least that part is clear. And he is a St. Charles County Senator and his bill was voted out of committee already. It is uh on the calendar to go to the full Senate. So the other bills, I think there were three of these this term uh this session that were there. The others have not made it through. Senator Schnelings has made it through. So I would say of all the bills that are moving April elections, this is the one that has the best chance to pass the Senate. God knows what will happen with it in the house. But hey, it's Jeff City. There's all kinds of crazy stuff that happens. So with that, I would ask you to read the resolution and call the

role. Resolution number 24 26-04, a resolution supporting the efforts of the Missouri legislature and urging the passage of Senate Bill 10002 concerning the date of school board elections. Councilman Swanson. Yes, ma'am. Councilman Brazzle. Yes. Councilman Hammond. Yes. Councilman Elim. Yes. Councilman Hollander. No. Councilwoman York. No. Councilman Baker. Yes. So, resolution 2604 passes. That gets us to actual bills for final passage. Um, we're actually doing that tonight. Starting with bill 5472.

Bill number 5472 requested by John Lions, sponsored by Matt Swanson. an ordinance approving an intergovernmental agreement for project cost reimbursement between St. Charles County, Missouri, and the city of Ofallen, Missouri. Any questions or comments about this bill? Seeing none, please call the role. Bill number 5472, an ordinance approving an intergovernmental agreement for project cost reimbursement between St. Charles County, Missouri, and the city of Ofallen, Missouri. Councilman Brazzle, yes. Councilman Hammond, yes. Councilman Elim, yes. Councilman Hollander, yes. Councilwoman York, yes. Councilman Baker, yes. Councilman Swanson, yes, ma'am.

5472 passes. That's gets us to 5473. Bill number 5473 requested by John Lions, sponsored by Matt Swanson. An ordinance approving an intergovernmental agreement for project [clears throat] cost reimbursement between St. Charles County, Missouri, and the city of Wville, Missouri. Any questions or comments about this bill? Seeing none, please call the role. Bill number 5473, an ordinance approving an intergovernmental agreement for project cost reimbursement between St. Charles County, Missouri, and the city of Wentzville, Missouri. Councilman Hammond, yes. Councilman Elim, yes. Councilman Hollander, yes. Councilwoman York, yes. Councilman Baker, yes. Councilman Swanson, yes, ma'am. Councilman Brazzle,

yes. Bill 5473 passes. We've already taken action on 5474 in the amended agenda, so that will get us to bill 5475. Bill number 5475 requested by Matt Swanson and Mikey Elum sponsored by council as a whole an ordinance amending section 237.200 of the ordinances of St. Charles County, Missouri to further regulate businesses engaged in the sale ofratom and related substances. Any questions or comments about this bill? Yeah, I got a comment. I just want to thank uh Councilman Swanson for bringing this up and and kind of spearheading this. So, thank you. I I agree. This was something that

started a long time ago and then just kind of disappeared for five or six years and now it's back and it needs to be needs to be back. Yeah, we did that with bath salts and what a bunch of whole bunch of stuff that they were doing. Yeah, Mr. responsive and I have received numerous emails for some of the individuals who are professionals selling this and what they do and I don't know if you guys receive those emails as well and just how much they are thankful that they're going to get rid of the bad stuff because it gives them a bad name too of the high quality stuff that's out there that's helping individuals.

Excellent. Any other comments? Seeing none, please call the role. Bill number 5475, an ordinance amending section 237.200 of the ordinances of St. Charles County, Missouri to further regulate businesses engaged in the sale ofratom and related substances. Councilman Elim, yes. Councilman Hollander, yes. Councilwoman York, yes. Councilman Baker, yes. Councilman Swanson, yes, ma'am. Councilman Brazzle, yes. Councilman Hammond, yes. U bill 5475 passes. That wraps up uh bills for final passage gets us to bills for introduction starting with 5476.

Bill number 5476 requested by Mike Carlbert, sponsored by council council as a whole, an ordinance authorizing the county executive to execute an amendment to the 2017 agreement entered into between St. Charles County and the St. Charles County Soil and Water Conservation District. Any questions or comments about this bill? Seeing none, moves on to 5477. Bill number 5477, requested by Amanda Brower, sponsored by Matt Swanson, an ordinance approving a first amendment to the intergovernmental agreement with the city of Flint Hill for Highway P and Mexico intersection improvements. Any questions or comments about this bill? Seeing none, please call the role. No,

I'm sorry. My bad. [laughter] Sometimes you get a little too quick. So that moves us to 5478. Bill number 5478 requested by Kurt Frizz, sponsored by Mike Elim, an ordinance authorizing the county executive to execute a contract between St. Louis County for and on behalf of St. Louis County and Municipal Police Academy Board of Managers and the St. Charles County Police Department for purpose of providing a basic training and continuing law enforcement education to police officers throughout St. Louis County. Questions or comments about this bill? Seeing none, that gets us to 5479.

Bill number 5479 requested by Samantha Shadrich, sponsored by Mike Elim, an ordinance amending section 130.110 of the ordinances of St. Charles County, Missouri, regarding the employee benefit of the Educational Assistance Program. Any questions or comments on this bill? Seeing no, that gets us to our last bill for introduction. 5480. Bill number 5480 requested by Samantha Shadrich, sponsored by Mike Elim, an ordinance amending section 115.335 of the ordinances of St. Charles County, Missouri regarding the county employee employee career development program. Any questions or comments?

Seeing none, that'll wrap up bills for introduction. That gets us to announcements and miscellaneous. Any announcements or miscellaneous from anybody? I'll just throw this out there. Uh thanks for staff. There's so many roads that are being fixed out in western St. Charles County. A lot of the residents are seeing the signs. They know it's going to be some trouble out there, but we're progressing. If you haven't been through the I70 interchange area, um a lot of movement going on. You start seeing dirt move very quickly. So, MDOT's been doing a great job moving that along at a very rapid pace. So, I appreciate all that and can't wait for the final four. There you go. Let's go, Illinois.

Yeah. I I just want to uh I received notification tonight and I think Councilman Brazzle did also that uh the state has has repealed the uh I voted to repeal the emissions testing in St. Charles County. So, I don't know if that's uh I don't know what the next step is. The governor has to sign it or has to veto it. But I think we're one step closer to to getting rid of that legislation that penalizes I believe it's only three counties in the state, St. Charles, Jackson, and St. Louis. But I may be incorrect on that. But I just want Jefferson County. Jefferson County also. Okay. So I just want to pass the word on to the voters of St. Charles County. Anything else with

Yes, Mr. County. I apologize for all of you having to deal with the crowd tonight. Hey, you uh what we signed up for. I know. I know. I know. I know. But uh you all don't you don't get paid enough to help. No, we don't. [laughter] So I'm I do so I can I can I can handle it.

I got one more thing before we get out of here. We started the meeting uh with this. Our chaplain uh recognized our former sheriff Tom Near who passed away. Um and I just wanted to take a couple of minutes before we get out of here just to recognize him. Uh Tom started his career in 1974 as a patrol duty officer with the sheriff's department. He advanced to uh sergeant, lieutenant, captain, and then of course he became our sheriff. Uh he was appointed the interim sheriff in 2004. He was elected 2005 and he served until 2014. Um which I think is when Sheriff Lewis came on after that. He served 18 years on the SWAT team, including the SWAT commander, co-founded and led the bomb disposal unit, and he served on that for over 20 years. Uh just some of the recognition that he got, Medal of Valor, meritorious service medal, Optimus Club, outstanding law enforcement officer, uh served on [clears throat] the state and regional task force boards. Um 40 years of service in law enforcement. He was a resident of Defiance, married to Peggy for 46 years, one son, at least one grandson. Uh Tom was great. Uh excellent law enforcement officer. He's the kind of folk that um we should like to have as law enforcement. He was actually the guy who promoted the fact that we should have a police force. And that idea of having a professional police force came from Tom while he was still sheriff, which a lot of people would say, why would that guy want something that competes with what he does? But he talked about the fact of being the third largest county in the state of Missouri. You get to a point where you need a professional police force to be able to do these things. So

he was definitely a guy who was a great leader for us. His service is this Saturday at Bowie Cave Springs. Um, starts at 10:30 with visitation, goes until 1:30, and then the chapel service is at 1:30. So, thanks to Rob for helping me with all the points there. Um, Tom had a great life. That's a lot to roll into just a couple of minutes. Um, but didn't realize that he would been fighting cancer, so I missed that part. Um he was here not that long ago, maybe a couple of months ago, Tom was here in the audience who was visiting with us. Did you have something you wanted to add?

Just that, you know, before before uh before he suggested with the with the police department, I mean over the the what 30 years that he was involved, especially the later years when he was was the leader. I mean, he turned our sheriff's department into a very professional organization, which it wasn't always like that. You know, as we got all bigger and more sophisticated, uh, and and the challenges got greater, uh, he kept up with them. Like I said, he was he he was the one that wanted to go down and and and talk about this 287g back in 2007. So, we'll miss him. he was actively involved in um uh Sergeant Bush in renaming the range uh for Sergeant Bush as well. So, just wanted to recognize Tom's great career for the county. Um give the best to Peggy and the family as they're going through a tough time. Again, his service starts at uh visitation starts at 10:30 at Bowie Cave Springs and then services at 1:00. So, thank you, Tom. So, with that, I would entertain a motion to adjurnn. Motion.

Second. Second. All in favor? I have a great evening. Um, I was I didn't know