Board of County Commissioners - Regular Meeting

Okay, good afternoon. Welcome to the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners meeting for this Tuesday, June 23rd, 2026. It is 2.02 p.m. My name is Ty Mentzer, Chair of the Board. To my right, Vice Chair Commissioner Wayne Fournier, Commissioner Carolina Mejia. To my left, Commissioner Rachel Grant, Commissioner Emily Klaus, County Manager Leonard Hernandez, Assistant County Manager Jennifer Walker, and Clerk of the Board is Amy Davis. This meeting is being live streamed to the Thurston County YouTube channel. And written public comment may be received up to two hours in advance of the meeting and distributed to the board. Action, of course, will be taken at this meeting. So calling things to order, we are going to begin with the Pledge of Allegiance to be led by Commissioner Ferrier. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands,

Thank you. Next up is land acknowledgement. We'd also like to start today with a land acknowledgement. We would like to acknowledge and thank the indigenous Salish peoples whose elders and ancestors have lived on and stewarded the lands and waterways of this country county with great care and who continue as sovereign nations today, specifically the Squaxin, Nisqually and Chehalis people. Truth and acknowledgement are critical to building mutual respect and connection across all barriers of heritage and difference. The purpose of this acknowledgement is to disrupt ongoing erasure of injustices done and to remember history as a stepping stone towards healing. We commit to working together to honor our past and build our future with trust.

Thank you. We have proposed agendas. Is there a motion to approve? I move to approve the agenda as presented. Second. Motion and second to approve the agenda. Any discussion? Call for the vote. Say aye. Aye. Motion carries. Next up is presentation section, and today we have art contest awards, and we have Taylor Rome, Matt, to tell us what we're doing.

Good afternoon, commissioners. I'm Matthew Roundsley, executive assistant to Commissioner Fournier.

Taylor Rome, executive assistant to Carolina Mejia.

Today we are pleased to recognize the talented artists who participated in this year's Thurston County Art Contest. This year's entries showcased an incredible range of creativity, skill, and perspective from artists across our community. With 81 submissions from every zip code in the county, we are very excited with the turnout this year. Before announcing the winners, we'd like to explain the three recognition categories.

The first category is gallery voting. And for a couple days in this very room, the art that we got was displayed amongst tables and 3D printed brackets. And both county staff and members of the public who were here for the regular business were able to come in and vote for who they wanted to win the art contest. The second category is the People's Choice Awards. These are determined through online voting on our Facebook page, and community members showed their support by engaging with the artwork and voting through Facebook likes. Finally, the commissioners honorable mentions recognized pieces that stood out to the board for their creativity, their technical skill, storytelling, or unique perspective. These selections allow us to highlight exceptional works beyond those that receive the highest vote totals.

We would like to congratulate the following award winners. In the gallery voting awards, over 150 people voted. We actually had a tie in the youth division with her piece titled Dairy Air, Elise Plowman. with her piece, Perfect Patchwork, Autumn Meyer. In the adult division, with her piece titled, Do You Dechutes, Pam Stoltenberg. In the staff division, we have, let me do this one for you, We have Where the Wild Things Call Home by Taylor Rome. And then every individual who came in was able to vote for an overall. And the overall winner for the gallery voting is Sweet Stroll by Pam Stoltenberg.

Our next category was People's Choice Awards. Again, this is our online voting with over 2,000 votes. Our youth division winner was T90 Quarry by Isabel Taylor. Our adult division was Witnessing Change by Isra Walker. think i'd be better at this part uh there we go as he hands that one out our staff division winner was held by laura takarski she's probably working right now and then our overall people's choice winner was t90 corey by isabel taylor

All right, and now our commissioner honorable mentions. Again, these are those that had a significant creativity, technical skill, storytelling, or unique perspective. First, we have Willing the Clouds to Disappear by Sandra Bennett.

We're out of order now. There you go. There you go. We have Urban Growth Area 2070 by Kim Walter.

And then we have Thurston for a Pup Cup by Pam Stoltenberg.

We have A Day in Thurston County by Kimmy Sanchez.

And then one of our favorites from our own member of staff, we have Sunday Afternoon by Olivia Studebaker.

Before we wrap up, we wanted to introduce one of our winners who is here to shed some light on the impact of this art contest and a big winner. I want to introduce Pam Stoutenberg.

The certificates, Pam. I'm like, you have all the certificates.

So first of all, before I forget, because I know I will, I want to thank Matt and Taylor again, because I know how the logistics that must have gone behind this. And also when you put your art out there, you feel a little vulnerable and you want to know it's taken care of and I think I observed that when I came in to see the gallery pieces a couple Fridays ago that our art was very thoughtfully taken care of which I appreciate so thank you guys and for doing all the work so taylor and i chatted when i came in a couple weeks ago to view everything in person because that's really the way to view art the online the photo taking we talked about that and you know um the struggle they had with the lighting and everything being behind glass it's really hard to photograph but i shared with taylor then i think that's why she won what she wanted me to share today that um so so i haven't been painting that long i've been i've been creating art for about three years and i had my first really bad artist block or slump or whatever you want to call it over the winter last fall and winter I and my family just went through some really really hard things and I lost my desire to paint my husband can attest the fact that my wonderful husband Matt I threatened to pack up my whole paint studio at home and Pack it away and say, well, maybe I'll feel like painting again someday. I didn't do that. He wasn't a fan of that idea. And I didn't ultimately do that. But I just didn't feel like creating, even though it's a big stress reliever. I just, it just wasn't there for me. But I remembered how fun. that Thurston County Art Contest was last year. So that was something I was kind of looking forward to. And it ended up being the thing that re-sparked me and re-energized my artistic brain. And I waited patiently, well not so patiently, for the theme to come out. I think I even emailed you guys about a week before the contest saying, are you doing that again this year? Because I'm kind of waiting on it. And then once the theme was announced, It just sparked something in me. I do love Thurston County. I've lived here 36 years. I think it's a beautiful place to live, and so the theme just got me to generate some really nice ideas, and I started to paint, and the paint just flowed. you know, not to be too punny. But that's my story. I mean, it was something I looked forward to this year and pulled me out of a slump. And I would really, really like to see this contest grow. It is hard to put your art out there, especially if you haven't done it before. I've entered a few contests. But it's... it's not for everyone but i think it could be for more people and i think this is a really good opportunity for local artists to take that first jump you know there's no it's very accessible there's no entry fee and you are really competing against great artists in your own community and there's that's impactful and really meaningful so that's it thank you and thank you for this

Alrighty, thank you so much to Pam. Could not let her go away without saying a few words. On behalf of the Thurston County Board of County Commissioners, congratulations to all of our winners and participants. Thank you for sharing your creativity, your talent, and your unique perspectives with our community. Your artwork helps tell the story of Thurston County and reminds us of the many ways people experience and call this place home. Can we get another round of applause for all the winners?

Now, if you would entertain a 10-minute recess for us to take some photos with the winners, we would happily do that out on the stairs.

On the stairs. Okay, so 214 will be in recess to 225. Perfect. Thank you.

Recording stopped.

Okay. It's 2 23 and we are back to item three on the agenda, which is a gender related public comment. Let me go through the advisements. Board of County Commissioners welcomes comment from the public. There are guidelines governing such comments to ensure they're appropriate. When called, introduce yourself and your area of the county you reside. State the agenda item you're speaking to. Address the board, not audience or staff. Silence your cell phones. The board does not respond directly to public comment, but the county manager may follow up with specific items on an as needed basis. Speakers will have three minutes to address. The board may not donate any of that time to other speakers. Be respectful. The board reserves the right to restrict a person's opportunity to address a meeting for good cause. comments that are lewd offensive inflammatory hateful defamatory or discriminatory in nature no outbursts of any kind comments that are commercial in nature such as promotion of a for-profit business no electioneering or remarks about pending land use permits or similar matters that could come before the board on appeal Finally, all written materials provided to the county may be considered public record and subject to public release upon request pursuant to the Public Records Act Chapter 42.56 of the Revised Code of Washington. So with those advisements, we will start with the list. If anyone didn't sign up, I'll call for your name and we'll go to folks online until we've got everybody covered. First up is John Pettit. Okay, then we'll go to the second item, Linda Burt. Stephanie Scott on deck.

Pardon?

Oh, I said next up is Stephanie Scott.

Oh, okay. I'm going to grab a minute because you gave a minute, okay? I want you to know I'm Ms. Linda. You all got a letter from me. I want you to know before I begin that this project comes from deep grief. My sister and brother were murdered in gun violence a couple of years ago. It has taken me years to stand back up and now I present you with that come back. Good afternoon commissioners. For the record, my name is Ms. Linda. I was given this name when I taught on Saipan. I live in Tumwater. Yesterday I sent a project brief to your computers. I am not here today to ask you to spend more money. I am here to show you how to spend your existing funds smarter, faster, and with a lasting legacy. Right now, Thurston County is facing an unyielding demographic reality. By 2030, just four years from now, more residents in our state will be over 65 than under 18. We have 4,300 seniors in our county right now. As ARP Advocacy Director Kathy McCall warns, we are in a quiet crisis of aging into poverty and homelessness. The data from the American Health Ranking Analyzer is clear. Fixed incomes are losing the battle against inflation, and the dignity of our elders is being degraded nationwide. but I did my homework. I know this board doesn't want to build traditional institutional warehouses for human beings. I know you want to expand unique alternative pocket neighborhoods, micro communities with creative architecture, clustered models, and shared dignity. You already have division. I am here to give you the prototype. We all know the county's housing funds are facing complex structural pauses. But a pause is an opportunity to pivot toward what actually works. Traditional affordable housing projects take millions of dollars and years of bureaucratic delays before a single door opens. Pocket neighborhoods do the exact opposite. BECAUSE THEY UTILIZE SMALLER FOOTPRINTS, CREATIVE ARCHITECTURE, AND SHARED INFRASTRUCTURE, THEY CAN BE DEPLOYED RAPIDLY, COST EFFECTIVELY, AND BEAUTIFULLY. THEY MAXIMIZE EVERY SINGLE DOLLAR BY TRANSFORMING UNDERUTILIZED LAND INTO THRIVING, SELF-SUPPORTING MICRO COMMUNITIES. by funding a pocket neighborhood pilot program for low-income seniors this commission won't just be filling a temporary gap in homeless services you will be building a model that the rest of washington state will copy and study You will be proving that fiscal responsibility and human dignity can live under the same roof. Don't just release the PAWS housing funds to repeat the models of the past. Earmark a portion of these funds to launch a senior pocket neighborhood pilot. Let's work with the regional housing council, clear the structural hurdles, and build something we can all be proud of. Let's protect the dignity of our elders, solve our housing bottleneck, and show the state what innovative leadership looks like. Thank you.

Thank you. Stephanie Scott.

Good afternoon. My name is Stephanie Scott Sheher. I am a Lacey resident in District 1, and I'm a community member who contributes much of my personal time and resources supporting housing insecure neighbors here in Thurston County. And it's from that perspective that I'm here today. Thank you to Commissioners Klaus and Grant. RHC MEMBERS AND STAFF FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND WORK TO ELEVATE THE CRITICAL URGENCY OF THE HOMELESS SERVICES CONTRACTS AND YOUR DILIGENCE TO HOLD AN EMERGENCY RHC MEETING SO THAT THE CONTRACT APPROVALS COULD BE ADDED TO THIS MEETING AGENDA TODAY. I'M HERE TODAY TO ASK YOU ALL TO APPROVE THE HOMELESS SERVICES CONTRACTS BEFORE YOUR THREE WEEK RECESS RATHER THAN DELAYING ACTION UNTIL YOUR RETURN. These contracts are not administrative details. They fund eviction prevention, rental assistance, shelter, outreach, housing support, and other essential services that help people housed and alive. If funding is delayed, the consequences will not be delayed. While this body is in recess, individuals, families, and elderly people would face eviction and lack of rental assistance and shelter and outreach services would be interrupted. The people affected by this decision cannot put their lives on hold for three weeks. I agree that we have processes that need improvement, government accountability, contractor accountability, and stronger regional collaboration are all important conversations. But the moment the people these programs serve are expected to bear the consequences of those improvements, we have failed. Over the last week, nonprofits have been forced into contingency planning not unlike planning for a government shutdown or the flurry of activity when SNAP benefits were in jeopardy last year. Providers have been preparing for service interruptions, staff uncertainty, and difficult conversations with the people they serve. Community members like myself have begun organizing emergency solutions to fill potential gaps. Trust has been damaged. Valuable energy has been diverted from helping people to managing uncertainty. The damage is not only operational, it is relational. Trust has been weakened among providers, community partners, and most importantly, and I cannot emphasize this enough, the people who rely on these services to survive. Housing, safety, and survival are among the most basic obligations of a functioning community, a social contract that has become increasingly precarious as government budgets shrink and poverty is painted as a personal failure rather than a societal issue that we must address. I urge you to approve these contracts before recess and ensure continuity of these essential services. Thank you in advance for your accountability to the most vulnerable members of our community. And since I still have some time left, I want to say that as a member of the LGBTQIA plus community, I am appalled that you have voted to delay contracts that serve trans youth in this community with one breath and then issued a proclamation celebrating them with the next. Please do better.

OTHER FOLKS IN THE BOARD ROOM WHO DIDN'T GET A CHANCE TO SIGN UP FOR AN AGENDA-RELATED PUBLIC COMMENT? MR. SAAR.

I ONLY RECENTLY LEARNED ABOUT THIS VOTE, AND SO I DIDN'T REALLY HAVE A CHANCE TO PREPARE ANY COMMENTS, BUT JUST HAVING READ THE ARTICLE IN THE OLYMPIAN AND LISTENING TO WHAT'S GOING ON, I HAVE TO SAY I WAS KIND OF SHOCKED. I MEAN, WE'RE IN A HOUSING HOMELESSNESS EMERGENCY. If you've gone by the jungle lately, you know what I mean. I mean, we're in a bad situation. So in the context of that, to hold up this funding seems honestly just incomprehensible. I really don't understand it. I heard or read the comments from Ms. Dahlhoff And okay, have the conversation, do the research, get more transparency going forward. Those are all reasonable things to do. I would support that. I like transparency too. And if she's feeling like she needs that, she should get that. But to hold up the vote, you know, in this kind of, in the context that we're currently living in this housing emergency in which we're living, that'd be like holding up flood relief in the middle of a flood. That is preposterous, honestly. I find it shocking that this would even be on the table. So thank you very much.

Anyone else in the boardroom? Ms. Berrientes, I see your hand, so you've got three minutes.

I didn't really even prepare anything. I so I don't know the article that everybody is referring to or anything but from being a non-voting member on the Regional Housing Council as the LESC chair I am also very appalled at the fact that funding have been held up. I want to compliment Commissioner Klaus on diligently fighting for things to go through because it is very important that these programs get their funding to help people with life-saving services, especially with the heat that is here now and the record-breaking summer we're supposed to be having. Like it is imperative that this goes through. I am worried about the constituents that are in need of these services. So I am strongly urging that the funding goes through that everybody gets on the same page. And I do want to say thank you to everybody who scrambled to do emergency meetings and get everything in alignment so that things can hopefully move forward.

You can't, but we will have another public comment period at the tail end of the meeting, and you would be at the end of the meeting, toward the end of the meeting. I think you would have an opportunity. Is there anyone else online who would like to give public comment on an agenda-related item? Okay, thank you. And we will move to County Manager's Update.

Thank you so much, Chair. We just learned that the National Association of Counties has awarded Thurston County with 30 Achievement Awards for 2026, 11 more than we received last year. Despite our ongoing budget challenges, staff across the county continue to go above and beyond to provide essential programs and services for our community. This year's awards are focused on emergency services, public health, community planning, smart infrastructure, safe, secure, and accessible elections, and being responsible stewards of the funds we've received from our hardworking community. Our public health and social services team received 10 of the 30 awards across the county and we're excited that they'll be sharing their 2026 health equity report next week. Thank you to the board for your commitment to these important priorities and for supporting the work of our public servants across the county.

Thank you, County Manager. Appreciate that. Congratulations to those departments. We have a consent agenda of one through 13, is there a motion to approve? So moved.

Second.

Motion second to approve consent items one through 13. Non-available motion, I'll call for the vote. All in favor say aye. Aye. Any opposed? Motion carries. Okay, we'll go to department item. I see a hand on line if you're there. We will have a public comment period. COMING UP JUST SHORTLY. I'LL GET YOU AT THAT POINT IF THAT'S WHAT IT'S RELATED TO. ITEM SIX IS COMMUNITY PLANNING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING ON ORDINANCE FOR MORATORIUM ON DETENTION FACILITIES.

GOOD AFTERNOON, COMMISSIONERS. MY NAME IS ANDREW BOND, CPEDS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MANAGER. THE ITEM FOR YOU TODAY IS TO SET A PUBLIC HEARING FOR AUGUST 5th, 2026 TO ACCEPT AND CONSIDER PUBLIC COMMENTS on the moratorium for detention facilities adopted by the board last Tuesday. This moratorium prohibits the sitting, expansion, and establishment of certain correctional detention centers and facilities involving involuntary confinement. This moratorium is valid for one year and applies to all zoning designations within unincorporated Thurston County. STATE LAW REQUIRES THE BOARD TO HOLD A PUBLIC HEARING WITHIN 60 DAYS OF ADOPTION LAST TUESDAY. AS MENTIONED, THIS IS SET FOR THE PUBLIC HEARING ON WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5TH. FOLLOWING THE PUBLIC HEARING, STAFF WILL DEVELOP CODE PROVISION SPECIFIC TO DETENTION FACILITIES AS PART OF THE NEW USES AND RELATED STANDARDS WITHIN THE DEVELOPMENT CODE DOCKET. AND THE BOARD WILL REVIEW THOSE AMENDMENTS IN 2027. THANK YOU. HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

ANY QUESTIONS FOR ANDREW?

I move to set a public hearing for August 5th, 2026 at 3.30 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard at 3000 Pacific Avenue Southeast, room 110, Olympia 98501, to accept and consider public comments on the ordinance for a moratorium on detention facilities with the option to extend the moratorium.

Second. Motion is second to set a public hearing for August 5th, 2026 regarding this ordinance on moratorium on detention facilities. Any discussion on the motion?

Thank you. Even though the moratorium is already, the board took that action last week. This is just an important step to kind of listen from the community on this. This is something that, for me, it's very near and dear to my heart, and this is the reason why I brought it in front of the board, and I am really grateful to staff for really working through this and working with other jurisdictions as well and finding kind of the path for this. So I look forward towards this other step in the process on August 5th. I think it's an important one. But just a huge thank you.

Any other discussion? Or, yeah, we have discussion. Okay, call for the vote. All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye. Thank you. Next up is Public Health and Social Services Affordable Housing Funding Awards. Dr. Freyheit to brief the board.

Yes, thank you, Dr. Freyheit, Director of Public Health and Social Services. Thank you. This is a request of the board to move to approve the Affordable Housing Capital Funding Awards to fund nine projects for a combined total estimate amount of $6,971,826.98. This is in relation to the briefing that was brought before the Board of County Commissioners on May 19, 2026. And in summary, on January 6th, 2026, the Board of County Commissioners approved issuing a request for proposals to solicit applications for capital affordable housing projects. The RFP was issued on January 23rd and closed on March 6th. Funding available under this RFP comes from both the Local Home Fund and the Home Investment Partnership Act. Nine applications were submitted and the Thurston Affordable Housing Advisory Board looked over these and came with their determinations on March 26th, brought those forward to the Regional Housing Council on April 22nd, who unanimously approved to bring those forward here today. SO I'LL JUST QUICKLY GO OVER THOSE NINE ENTITIES. TWO MILLION FOR SOUTH PUGET SOUND HABITAT FOR HUMANITY, AND I WILL STATE THE UNITS THAT ARE EITHER CREATED OR REHABBED FOR EACH OF THESE, AND THAT'S AT 112. 300,000 FOR REBUILDING TOGETHER THURSTON COUNTY FOR CRITICAL HOME REPAIR, 15 UNITS. 180,000 for Thurston Housing Land Trust, two units. Homes First Recovery Housing, one unit at 500,000. 396,952 for Homes First Domestic Violence Housing, two units. Foundation for the Challenged at 200,000, two units. South Puget Sound Habitat for Humanity Critical Home Repair, 45 units at 300,000. VITAL HOUSING COURTSIDE PRESERVATION, 3,210,000 UNITS, AND INTERFAITH WORKS SUPPORTIVE SHELTER REPAIRS, 94,874. THIS FUNDING IS EXPECTED TO SUPPORT THE CREATION OF 112 NEW UNITS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND MAINTAIN APPROXIMATELY 277 UNITS OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AND ONCE THIS PROJECT IS FULLY FUNDED AND HAS MET ALL OF THE PRE-CONTRACT REQUIREMENTS, The Office of Housing and Homeless Prevention will come back to the Board of County Commissioners to request authorization to sign the contract for each award. I'm happy to answer any questions. Questions? Motion.

I move to approve the Affordable Housing Capital Funding Awards to fund nine projects for a combined total estimated amount of $6,971,826.98 and authorize Public Health and Social Services to issue funding award letters. Second.

Second to approve affordable housing capital funding awards any discussion on the motion From the board Hearing none I'll call for the vote all in favor say aye aye any opposed motion carries Thank you. Let's stick with public health and social services for item to renew homeless service contracts. I

YES, THANK YOU. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR THE BOARD TO MOVE TO APPROVE THE HOMELESS SERVICES CONTRACTS AND CONTRACT AMENDMENTS WITH 17 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND 49 CONTRACTS FOR A TOTAL AMOUNT OF $15,290,037 FOR THE 2026-2027 PROGRAM YEAR. PUBLIC HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES PROVIDED A BRIEFING ON THIS AS WELL ON THE MAY 19TH BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S WORK SESSION REGARDING THE ENCAMPMENT RESOLUTION PROGRAM. And in summary, on July 15, 2025, the Board of County Commissioners approved contracts for homeless services for a total amount of over $14.5 million. These were two-year awards with one year of funding. A second year of funding may be approved if funding is available and performance was satisfactory. Funding sources for these contracts are through the following entities. Consolidated Homeless Grant, Housing and Essential Needs, Eviction Prevention Rent Assistance, Emergency Housing Fund, Human Services Fund, HB 5386, and local home funds. The Homeless Services Advisory Board that reviewed that sufficient funding was projected to renew all contracts and provided progress reports on each contract. The Homeless Services Advisory Board met on March 16th to make recommendations for the second year of funding and then brought that forward to the Regional Housing Council on April 22nd, who at that time had voted unanimously to bring these forward. JUST AS RECENTLY AS LAST WEEK, THERE WERE QUESTIONS FROM A MUNICIPALITY, IN WHICH CASE THERE WAS A FOLLOW-UP MEETING YESTERDAY OF THE REGIONAL HOUSING COUNCIL, WHO AGAIN REVIEWED AND THEN IS BRINGING THESE BACK FORWARD. ALL AMENDMENTS WILL EXTEND TO THE PERIOD OF THE PERFORMANCE FOR THE ONE YEAR OF JULY 1, 2026 THROUGH JUNE 30, 2027, AND PROVIDE FUNDING FOR JUST THAT ONE YEAR. SO THESE ARE ALL LISTED WITHIN THE PACKET, THE 17 DIFFERENT AND THE 49 DIFFERENT PROGRAMS, AND HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

Dr. Frey, thank you. So we all know that last week it was asked that we pause this decision so that some more questions can be answered by one of the municipalities. It's been alleged that that has interrupted funding for anyone. Is that true or is that not the case? Has there been any funding interruptions for anyone in the community because we took a moment to get some questions answered by one of the municipalities?

There was no funding interruption, but the preparing for the July 1st potential of not having funding was there, but there was no funding interruption.

Okay. And if action is taken today, there will be no interruption. Is that correct? Okay.

So contracts quickly.

So we all need to stop saying that there are no funding interruptions and you know, it, I voted to pause because I know how prepared you are. I got that briefing on May 19th on this package. I knew that you were prepared to provide that information to anybody and there would be no interruptions in anything. And the responsible action, in my opinion, is to preserve the integrity of the RHC and make sure that all the partners in the ILA feel heard and have an opportunity The funding recommendation came to us, I believe, like a month late. And this isn't on you. So it came from the RHC a month late. That doesn't change. I don't know why I'm not talking to you. I'm just talking to the world. That doesn't change the work that we have to do once it comes to us. We can't be a rubber stamp. There shouldn't be anything that ever comes to us where it has to be an immediate yes, because we have to do our job too. And when a jurisdiction comes to us and said, hey, we've got some questions, we have to respect them and we have to give them an opportunity to get them heard. And as you said, no one was harmed. No funding was delayed. And to put that out there like it is, is, is not, it's not fair. It's not cool. it seems almost like emotionally manipulative to shame people into coming and asking questions. And yeah, it's so, but here we are. And thank you for getting that work done. And thank you for being responsive to Tumwater. Other questions. Is there a motion? I'll make a motion. I moved to approve homeless services, contracts and contract amendments with 17 nonprofit organizations and 49 contracts for a total amount of $15,290,037 for the 2026-2027 program year and authorize the Director of Public Health and Social Services to execute the amendments and any future amendments that do not change the approved dollar amount or duration for each contract by more than 10%. Motion and second to approve homeless services contracts.

of the 2026-27 program year. Discussion on the motion? Commissioner Claus.

Yes, thank you, Chair. Thank you, Dr. Farhat, for presenting this and being a sounding board for some political differences that the board might have, even though that's not staff's role. So thank you. I want to say today we are approving to move forward with the same contracts that were ready last week, the same organizations, the same communities, and the same July 1st start date that we were always trying to hit, and I believe that's the right outcome. I'm glad that Mayor Dahlhoff was at the table yesterday for RHC. I'm glad we are where we are today. And I want to be honest that the people who bore the cost of this week were not in this room. They were in shelters and nonprofit offices and transitional housing units and in the jungle and on the streets around Thurston County, wondering whether their programs would survive the summer. And we owe it to them to learn from this. So I'm going to be voting yes, and I'm glad we're finally here. But I also have some comments in response to Commissioner Fournier's statement. I want to correct the framing directly that I don't appreciate Tumwater's questions. I said last week, and I'll say it again, the questions Tumwater is asking are legitimate questions. The housing ecosystem is complex. It's constantly shifting, and transparency in how these dollars move is worth pursuing. My frustration was never with the questions, nor was that the frustration of many of the stakeholders I've spoken with over the last week. It was the moment chosen to raise them and the harm that timing caused to organizations and people who had done nothing wrong and were simply waiting for a vote on work they had already completed. Some of the questions being asked could take years to answer fully. That's not evasion. And you know, it's an honest reality of the system that's very layered and multifaceted and complex. And the right response to that is building better ongoing structures, not pausing contracts, which I'm glad that we are here today to vote on this because the harm was caused in the uncertainty. And for someone to sit here and say, There was no harm caused because the funding will probably move forward if we vote yes is out of touch. The harm was caused in the frantic trying to piece things together by nonprofits in the organization, people having panic attacks, people wondering if their funding is going to come through so that they can protect elderly residents from being evicted from their homes or protect trans youth who are on the streets. because they got kicked out of their homes because they're trans. There are so many people who are recipients of these services. And as a service provider, if you don't know if that funding is going to come through, you have to scramble to figure out if you're going to pause your program, if you're going to have to lay off staff. There is a lot of harm caused. And I'm glad that the harm doesn't deepen by delaying this further. So I'm glad that we are where we're at today, and I'll be voting yes.

Any discussion? Commissioner Mejia?

Yeah, thank you, Chair. So before we vote, I wanted to acknowledge that the pause in this process served an important purpose. It gave us an opportunity to have additional conversations with our regional partners, including Mayor Liata Dahlhoff and the City of Tumwater, and I believe those conversations are valuable. I appreciate everyone who took the time to engage in good faith, listen to one another, and work through concerns. To me, that is exactly what regional partnership is supposed to look like. The issue to pause was not taken lightly. I take it to heart as I have personally worked with so many of these organizations and I know the impact to the people receiving the services. However, when we do have a partner jurisdiction coming to us, we listen and we pause. And we have done this before because of other jurisdictions from the city of Lacey and issues that they had with an organization from the county and CAC to the city of Olympia and ERP contracts and commerce contracts where we had to pause. And we usually have that time to pause and kick it back to RHC or to give staff that time to work through these different issues. This time around, though, our time is compressed because the RHC board took a month longer than what is usually brought before the board. So our vote... was never meant to be a rubber stamp. That is not what we do, but kind of an opportunity to press pause if needed and send something back. That is part of the process that is clearly written out. And unfortunately, just because of the compression of everything, it did not allow for that. I also want to be clear that asking questions and seeking clarification and discussing process improvements definitely are not a criticism of our staff. Our staff have worked incredibly hard on this and I know Jackie and Alex are here and Jen, thank you all so much for everything that you have done and really grateful for your dedication and your expertise during this time. The conversations have happened and the concerns have been heard. I know that I spent multiple hours with the city of Tumwater and multiple members of the council as well as the mayor having conversations and walking through different issues. And I had a... call at like I think it was 7.59, county manager with you just to kind of fill you in on how those conversations were going just that way the RHC could be prepared for that and asking for it to be added back to the agenda just based on the conversations I had with Tom Water. So I appreciate kind of the nimbleness of staff and the county manager because I know he had multiple conversations as well. So... JUST HAVING, GOING THROUGH THAT PROCESS, I BELIEVE WE'RE READY TO MOVE FORWARD AND I WILL BE SUPPORTING THIS ITEM TODAY BECAUSE IT WAS NEVER ABOUT THE CONTRACTS ITSELF. IT WAS ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT WE SUSTAIN THOSE RELATIONSHIPS MOVING FORWARD WITH THE REST OF OUR JURISDICTIONS.

I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT ON SOMETHING. HARM AND UNCERTAINTY BEING CAUSED did not occur because the jurisdiction came in and said, we have some questions, and we said, okay, that'll take a couple days. It's not going to threaten any funding. Harm and uncertainty and panic were caused when a commissioner yelled fire in a crowded theater. When you step up and you say people are going to die, which I believe was said, that is irresponsible, and that causes panic, that causes uncertainty, that harms people. It is a very simple request when a jurisdiction comes in and says, hey, can we take a minute to meet with staff? And staff say, yeah, we can accommodate that. No problem. We'll get on that. That's easy to do. And that's it. That could have been it. But instead, it was alleged that people are going to die and that none of us care. And that's irresponsible. And that's what caused harm. here we are a couple of days later, nothing happened. No funding was hurt. No, no nonprofits were hurt, but there was language that was used. It was infamatory and irresponsible. And that caused harm to this organization, to the city of Tumwater. It caused anxiety amongst nonprofits. It was absolutely unnecessary and it's unacceptable. And we, we've got an opportunity a couple of days later to just, keep it moving, and everything's fine, that's it.

Any other discussion on this motion, Commissioner Krause?

Yeah, thank you. So I know you really want me to be the one that caused harm, Commissioner Fournier. I know. I get it. But yelling fire in a theater, come on. Let's be realistic here. To say nothing happened when we just heard from Commissioner Mejia that so many conversations have happened over the last week, a lot of staff work has gone into this, I have a spreadsheet that's like literally three giant pieces of paper that my executive had to tape together because it's such a huge spreadsheet with every single question that Tumwater asked and the answer about every single program, every single contract. This is all information that was already available. And again, I want to directly address because it keeps coming up, the framing about the questions. I've continued to say that Tumwater has had great questions. There's no problem with that. So let's... close the door on that conversation. I never questioned Tumwater's right to raise concerns. What I did question and I still question is the timing. But Mayor Dahlhoff herself said at yesterday's RHC meeting that her actions, that the process by which they went about this caused harm. The mayor came forward and said that herself. And she talked about rebuilding trust and the need to rebuild trust based on this process. I take her at her word and I respect her for saying that. I don't think it helps anyone for us to now try to reframe what happened as though there was no harm. And as far as the compressed timeline, you may be able to speak to this, but it might be a Tom question, but the compressed timeline that we're hearing about, I believe that, so I looked back at the timeline. We found out that the funding was available for this year in February. Then it went to the HSAB in March. They had their meeting. They came to the April RHC meeting with the recommendations. and then the RHC brought this forward to the board, and so was there a month delay, and if so, was it to allow for additional conversations with jurisdictions, or do we know why there was a month delay, if there was?

I'll have to get back to you on that.

That's okay, yeah, that's okay, because I looked at the calendar, and I'm trying to figure out where this comment is coming from, because I've heard from community members that they've also heard this same narrative in the community about the month delay, And I know that this year we've had about a 90% turnover in RHC. I'm the only person on RHC this year that was on RHC last year. So every other jurisdiction has a new representative. And that means there will be questions, and that's reasonable. And we've allowed for additional time. Staff have also met with Tumwater's representative to answer these questions. And we're here now approving the same contracts, and a lot of the questions still have to be answered. Like, I don't really understand what all of this was for. So. Sorry. Sorry. That was a bit distracting. But, you know, I just want to make sure, like, that we're really clear on this because I acted with urgency last week because. This deserves urgency, 17 organizations and the people they serve and the staff who built those recommendations and the Homeless Services Advisory Board that built those recommendations over months long period of time. This is a situation that did require urgency and I will always be direct when I believe people are at risk. I'm not going to hold back when that happens and these are life or death services and if we were to go to summer recess without Thank God that RHC was able to meet yesterday. That's a miracle we got that many people at the table in less than a week. Because if that didn't happen, we may not be here today. And the fact that that was able to be pulled together is great. It's awesome. I'm so glad that we're here approving this. If that weren't to happen, I would still stand by my comment that people could die if they don't have these services. We're going into record heat, record days of heat. The day that we actually decided to pause this for more questions was after the two hottest days of the year. And people die. I don't know why that's hard to understand. I don't understand that. Okay, because it seems like that is being taken as some sort of unnecessary inflammatory remark, but it's the truth. So do you want to help me understand that? Where you're coming from?

I don't want to mansplain. I don't want to be accused of that. But what I'm saying is it was a temporary pause so that some questions could be answered. It was less than a week.

We didn't know that it was going to be less than a week.

I was confident that this would get back on here before. And Ty even gave that commitment. He gave the commitment that he wasn't going to let this delay. That was said. And so this was not going to harm any funding streams. This was not ever going to do anything like that. And so what I'm saying is if somebody that that community really respects, like you, hears you saying people are going to die, places are going to lose their funding, the sky is going to fall, that is what causes panic. Not Tumwater saying, hey, can I get some time with Dr. Freiheit? And us going, yeah, sure, we can accommodate that and we'll get right back to this. Cause this is important to all of us, not just one commissioner. This is important to every single one of us. That's respecting Tumwater. That's respecting your, your, your fellow board members. But, but standing up and saying that people are going to die is inflammatory and that causes harm and panic. That is yelling fire in a crowded theater.

I, I just, I'm not, most of this, I don't, I think it's being said. And we've said, I just, one thing I did want to say was that, uh, the process by which I don't know if there was an RHC delay by a month. I do know it was the first point where that came to the board and there has to be like, and maybe this wasn't, I said this at the last meeting, but I'll say it again. Maybe this wasn't, you know, but what if there was real flaws from any commissioner's perspective in the recommendations? I remember a time on TST where you, you were new to the board and you were fighting, shifted from one of the recommendations from the committee toward, I think, interfaith works. And I supported you on that. And I don't know if anything was delayed, contracts or anything. Maybe not. I don't want to say if it was. But I know we had several additional work sessions following. So that had to be like, you know, that's part of the process that the board gets to see the recommendations and then adjust, whether it's Tom Water asking or whether one of the commissioners just felt like there needed to be some further discussion. There has to be something built in there. And this was the first time that the board had had action. And it's definitely a deeply flawed process. If $15 million goes out the board with a rubber stamp of the board with us, no time to have any. We're accountable to our constituents. And there has to be ability. And I think everybody moved fast and was going to move fast. And I agree with you. it wasn't clear we were going to get all this done by yesterday. You guys were right about that. But, um, you know, I was, my commitment was it does not going to go past the next scheduled board meeting. That was my personal feeling about it. Two weeks too late. But, um, anyway, I just wanted to make that point that from a process perspective, there has to be the ability of the board for, for legitimate reasons to, uh, to not just be forced to approve this magnitude of funding. And it's happened before in multiple contexts. And I remember that one that you were advocating for on TST where a very strong set of recommendations vetted by a very robust advisory committee came forward and you weren't comfortable with it. And we had several follow-up work sessions and those contracts didn't get approved that day.

Children were done.

They got approved. And those were very important service contracts. But, you know, I felt that it was very reasonable for you to exercise your discretion as commissioner to bring that forward. So in this case, if there was a two, we got to build in just a little bit of time, you know, so that we have that.

I can speak to that. I think the context about the timeframe the RGC had, the RGC has been working on a lot of process improvement. And I commend Tom, who is on a well-deserved vacation right now. working to get a different sequence with the RHCs so that rather than information come to them in the same meeting where the decision is made, information would come to them, a meeting ahead of time, and then the next meeting, a decision would be made. Also, in recalling the way this sequence has moved forward, the Board did request a work session on some of the recommendations that went to RHC So we are all working together partly because there are so many new RHC members. And we do know that the RHC has requested more process improvement. So the process is being engineered and staff are working hard to accommodate the different needs of the different members of the jurisdictions. And I think in this situation, considering all those factors, it's not unusual that a jurisdiction who has a new mayor, a new council member, that are looking at this, a new city administrator, all relatively new, are coming forward and saying, hey, we need some time.

I think this is a great learning opportunity for us to say, we'll make sure that we work backwards so that before the start of a contract, we have at least a meeting or two with the board and we can ensure that there's time in case there are questions, knowing that the board has the ability to up or down and send back to the RHC as designed with the ILA specifically.

HELPFUL.

YEAH. I ALSO WANTED TO SAY, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF PROCESS, OF COURSE PROCESS IS IMPORTANT. AND THE PROCESS FOR THIS PARTICULAR POOL OF FUNDING GOES THROUGH THE HOMELESS SERVICES ADVISORY BOARD. AND SO THAT PROCESS IS ALREADY, LIKE, ESTABLISHED. IT'S ALREADY BEEN APPROVED BY THE RHC. THIS HOMELESS SERVICE ADVISORY BOARD HAS BEEN STOOD UP BY PEOPLE WITH EXPERIENCE IN THIS FIELD OR LIVED EXPERIENCE WITH and they're giving us their recommendations, similar to what the TST Advisory Board does, and then the Regional Housing Council talks about it. It received a yes vote in April from the RHC, and Tom Water was at that meeting, and the recommendations came forward to the Board of County Commissioners, and we get as much time with it as we get with everything else, and sometimes it's only two weeks, unfortunately, but with this particular one, The staff came, Tom and his team came forward and gave us that great presentation that you referred to earlier. And we've been asking questions. Everyone's asking questions. They're good questions. We're having good conversations. We all want to do the right thing. We all want to have a fiscally responsible answer to this. And I just wanted to make sure that... as we're talking about process, we're not rubber stamping things. We have advisory board members going through this. We have the RHC going through this. We have staff looking at it. We have tech team from each jurisdiction looking at it. Staff have been spending considerable time with new members to get them up to speed. And as the county manager mentioned, we're working on process improvements so that people do feel they have enough time. And so I guess what we have to talk about moving forward is like who gets the additional time because like we don't get the fiscal year ends June 30th. And so if we give the RHC members additional time to talk to jurisdictions, it might come to us on a compressed timeline. But if we get more time as the Board of County Commissioners, someone else has to compress their timeline because it's just the way that the funding cycle is working. So it's something to consider.

Commissioner Mejia. Yeah, and the financial responsibility lies within the Board. And we're the ones, right? So for us to have that time is important. And You mentioned the RHC model, but the TST one was exactly the same. THE TST IS MADE UP OF PEOPLE WITH LIVED EXPERIENCE AND THERE WERE A LOT OF DELAYS FOR THAT. IT WAS GOING TO BE BACK IN DECEMBER. IT GOT SWITCHED OVER TO JANUARY AND THE FUNDING GOT CHANGED AND FOR THAT ONE WE TOOK FUNDING AWAY FROM THE VOTE FROM THE BOARD WAS TO TAKE FUNDING AWAY FOR CHILDREN HAVING child abuse exams like that was that was the vote that we took was to harm children basically so i mean for talking about acknowledging harm right like there's there's been different criteria so i i think that you know chair we've reached kind of the end of the discussion i'll ask for you to call the vote

You have an opportunity during public comment periods only. This is a debate amongst the Board of County Commissioners. Sorry. No, nothing's off track. You spoke during the agenda related. We have another public comment period that you have a chance to speak, but this is not. There's no public debate during the context of a Board of County Commissioners legislative action. So I'll call for the vote. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion carries. for item three, which is 2627, a local agreement with Thurston Mason Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organization for TST funds.

Yes, thank you. This is a request to approve the interlocal agreement with the Thurston Mason Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organization for a total of $6,719,648 in treatment sales tax funds for the period of January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027. The reason for the delay and why it started January 1st is because there were some delays in the contract finalization. But this was a part of the biennium budget last year when we found the additional dollars to help make the BHASO whole. And so this is a funding for the agreement was approved as part of that 2026-2027 county's biennium budget process. And just for awareness, this program serves both youth and adults. And yeah, happy to answer any questions.

I move to approve the interlocal agreement with the Thurston Mason Behavioral Health Administrative Services Organization for a total of $6,719,648 in treatment sales tax funds for the period of January 1st, 2026 to December 31st, 2027, and to authorize the Director of Public Health and Social Services to sign the agreement and any amendments that do not exceed 10%. Second.

Motion and second to approve the interlocal agreement with the BHASO. Any discussion on the motion?

Definitely a thumbs up for me.

Okay, very good. You're one of our representatives. Then I'll call for the vote. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion carries. Finally with public health is the 2627 pooled opioid settlement funding awards.

Yes, thank you. This is a request of the board to move to approve the Thurston County Opioid Abatement Council's funding recommendations for pooled opioid settlement funds for a combined total of $2,814,000 for the period of July 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027. PHSS or Thurston County's Public Health and Social Services solicited proposals for a one-time funding to provide services related to opioid abatement strategies in the one Washington Memorandum of Understanding and align with the strategies of the 2026-2027 Thurston County Opioid Response Plan. And again, this is pooled funding from Thurston County, City of Olympia, City of Lacey, and City of Tumwater. 14 proposals were submitted and then reviewed at the June 3 Opioid Abatement Council meeting. And the proposed items coming forward to you are sevenfold. So it is the Catholic Community Services Peer Outreach and Response Team Report for $443,035. The National Association of Mental Illness for Stigma Reduction at $150,000. INTERFAITH WORKS PEER NAVIGATION SERVICES FOR $371,304. PEERWA, THE PEER COACH TRAINING FOR $75,000 FOR THREE RECOVERY COACH ACADEMY COURSES. Pack Mountain for reentry, stabilization, and recovery coordination at $465,125. Capital Recovery Center for underserved mental health services expansion at $181,350. And Medic One pre-hospital opioid response at $315,000 to strengthen pre-hospital overdose response. And then approval will be bringing the contracts back forward to the Board of County Commissioners. Yeah, happy to answer any questions on that.

Questions on the opioid settlement funding awards? Ready for a motion.

I move to approve the Thurston County Opioid Abatement Council's funding recommendations for pooled opioid settlement funds for a combined total of $2,814,000 for the period of July 1st, 2026 to December 31st, 2027 in the following amounts. Catholic Community Services for $443,035.00. NAMI for $150,000, Interfaith Works for $371,304, Pierwaugh for $75,000, Pack Mountain for $465,125, Capital Recovery Center for $181,350, and Medic One for $315,000, and authorize the Director of Public Health and Social Services to execute the contracts and amendments that do not exceed 10%. Second.

Just for a correction, it's $2,814,000. Not $814,000.

Those zeros threw me off. I was like, oh, no zeros.

Okay, with that correction, any second to motion? Okay, any discussion on that motion?

Sure. Yeah, you know, I'm just absolutely ecstatic that this, you know, approval is happening and we're getting the money out the door. This is representing years of work. you know, on behalf of Katie and her team and all of the people working behind the scenes to figure out how to get some more money out into our community to save lives. I'm really, I'll just say a couple more things. I'm especially proud of the regional collaboration that happened in the opioid group and all of the jurisdictions were in 100% backing around all of these different projects. And these investments are going to expand prevention and treatment and recovery and outreach and even work for people who are living with substance use disorder. So it's a real difference, it's meaningful, and I'm just really excited. So thanks to everybody who made this happen.

which includes the state of Washington's Attorney General's office.

Yes, yes, and the AGO. So we could go on and on about who made this happen, but yeah, but really important, critical dollars saving lives. So I just, yes.

Yeah, thank you. And you already gave a big thank you to Katie. So thank you, Katie, for all of your work, because I know it's been years. But also thank you to Commissioner Grant. You serve as our representative on there, and so I know your voice has been very important in these conversations and how this funding gets used. And I know this is a very strong passion area for you, and you're a very strong advocate for it. So just thank you for your work, and we're very excited to kind of see these recommendations come through.

I'll just say, you know, there's nothing that hasn't already been said that, you know, I could really add to this conversation. So I just want to echo the thank yous. I know that a lot of hard work's gone into this, a lot of back and forth about what the money should go to, should we commit it or, you know, ourselves, or should we enter into this like collaborative process with the region? And I'm glad we did the latter. And I'm really grateful that we have Katie and the whole team who worked really hard on this. So thank you everyone. And this is super exciting to finally get it across the finish line.

Yeah, this goes all the way back to when the county created an emergency declaration and created Katie's position. It was before I was on the It was the previous board, and then it was just getting going, the opioid task force, and I was able to attend for a couple of years, first couple of years on the board. I attended those meetings and subcommittee stuff, and it was great, and then to not know, you know, but then to have the resources, you know, it's been a step-by-step piece, so this is really exciting to be able to do this. All right, so with all that, we have a motion and a second, right? So just calling for the vote, all in favor say aye. Aye.

Aye.

carries thank you okay the last department item is Public Works amendment number one to interlocal agreement with inner-city transit for bicycle donation space at the waste and recovery center or work as we like to call it Karen we director of Public Works to brief the board

Thank you, Commissioners Kerr and Weiss. Public Works is requesting an amendment to an interlocal agreement approved in 2025 with InterCity Transit. The agreement established an initial one-year pilot bicycle donation program to support InterCity Transit's walk and roll program, their bike rescue project. Under this agreement, Thurston County Solid Waste provides a donation space in the recycling area at the work, the Waste and Recovery Center in Hawkes Prairie for adult bicycles. Community members can donate used adult bicycles that are refurbished by volunteers and then given back to the community through inner city transit walk and roll programs in which bikes are given to people living in Thurston County who are experiencing barriers to transportation. We're proud to partner with Inner City Transit on this minimal cost program, which not only provides bikes to people who need them, but also diverts bikes from the landfill. Since July 1st of last year, 458 adult bikes were donated, with 115 of these, which is about 25%, able to be reused, which is resulting in an excellent diversion rate for this type of program. This amendment to the ILA will extend the partnership with Inner City Transit for an additional year through July 1st of 2027. Any questions?

And they teach people how to fix bikes in the process of refurbishing them to give to other people. It's just such a cool.

This is a really cool program. Move to approve amendment number one to the interlocal agreement between inner city transit and Thurston County for a one-year extension through July 1st, 2027 for bicycle donation space at the Waste and Recovery Center.

Second.

Motion and second to approve amendment number one to the ILA between IT and Thurston County. Any discussion on the motion?

It's the IT rep. We're very grateful for this partnership and it's been very exciting to kind of see it from our end of things.

Yeah, and I'll add too from the Solid Waste Advisory Committee perspective, it's been really exciting. I love talking about different ways that we can make sure we're not adding to landfills. And when I toured the work a couple times, I remember specifically going by the bicycle donation part and seeing just like talking about, oh, this is a pilot program, you know, it's kind of small right now, but we're hoping to expand it in the future. And I'm really excited about it. And I know that people who are experiencing barriers to transportation are also very grateful. I've actually heard from some who have benefited from this program and have had tears in their eyes telling me like how much it's helped them. Someone actually who had their bike stolen and was only able to recover a new one through this program. And so it's really helping people and it's keeping people junk out of the landfills, you know, one man's trash is another man's treasure, right? So this has just been a really great program, and I appreciate that we're gonna keep doing it, so thank you.

Any other discussion? Call for the vote, all in favor say aye. Aye. All right, now we have public comment related to general matters, and first on my list is Stephanie Scott.

I've been sitting here reflecting on whether to follow what I wrote and prepared for today. And I just really hope that this can be taken with good faith intent. chair menser i really appreciate you briefly sort of correcting the record i really encourage you all to go back and watch the meeting last week when the decision was made to delay this vote because myself as a community member and many of the non-profits that watched it afterwards heard the chair say that This would need to go back to the Regional Housing Council on July 21st and that a vote could take place by this body on July 22nd. It's on the record. And that is what this community responded to. And I see you nodding. You know that. And that is what we responded to. And I'm not part of a nonprofit. I am somebody that's part of a group of community members that goes out as myself, as an individual, pooling resources with community members to take care of the most vulnerable people in this community. That meant taking ice and Gatorade and water to the jungle last night. It meant searching my car for moleskin for a friend who was trying to help someone whose feet were very injured. It meant helping a family that was swept at a Tom Water camp sweep six weeks ago without being offered housing. A community group kept them housed for six weeks until they could finally be offered housing last week. It means sending money to trans youth who need help staying housed. The timeline that you communicated, Chairman Sir, was real. It was real because a three-week recess does mean death for many people in this community. And I mean this with all of the good intent in the world. I am not trying to be facetious here. I really would like to see you go back and watch the previous meetings and listen to the fact that many of you don't once bring up housing insecure people in this community. You bring up the regional partnership, you bring up jurisdictional partners, and that matters. I have spent most of my career building partnerships professionally. It's what I've done for a living. I understand all of the complexities of that work. But if we are not founded on a collective goal of centering the people who are at risk of eviction, who are living in tents with their children, who are being shoved into the jungle because all of the other camps have been closed. That regional partnership doesn't matter. And if we are not all on the same page with all of the jurisdictions agreeing on their goal of what they want to accomplish in that regional housing council, there is not all of the discussion and the voting in the world that can align on decisions. If the vision and the mission of the Regional Housing Council doesn't align with jurisdictional leadership wants to see happen, there's no amount of votes here that can change that. But please listen back to the meetings and just assess whether you're proud with how you showed up. Thank you.

Well, you already know I'm kind of mad. Did you read what I sent you yesterday, Emily?

I have not seen it, no.

Did you read what I just said?

I haven't seen it. I looked up your name after you spoke, and I couldn't find it. So I'm having my executive aide pull it and find it for me.

It was forwarded by Amy to everyone. It was sent to everybody from Amy, and it said, everyone read this. Okay.

I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE FACT THAT PEOPLE LOOK AT ME AS THOUGH THEY'RE LISTENING, LIKE MY CLASSES WOULD DO, BUT NOT LISTENING. because I came after $3 million of that 15 million, but I didn't see that on the list. Seniors, we, me, I'm on the list to be evicted cruelly. Commissioners, we are funding a system that manages homelessness instead of honoring human life. Right now, your budget only protects existing traditional shelters. This approach completely ignores seniors and it completely ignores imagination. People who are nowhere near the end of their life are making decisions for me. You don't understand. You are building boxes without asking us what we need, what we want. That is exactly where dignity is missing. True dignity means having direct input into where we live and what our community looks like. The village of Mad Hatters It's the goal of Tumwater. It's the goal of me. I want to be partners with you on this new facility that doesn't look like anything else. We do not need more copy pasted status quo. We need to fund something new, something creative and explicitly designed for seniors. I am here to introduce the village of Mad Hatters. Think of it as a wonderland for seniors, a vibrant co-designed community built with the direct creative input of the elders who will live there. This is not a standard shelter. It is not space for imagination. It is a space where imagination meets infrastructure. Seniors face unique physical, medical, and emotional challenges that traditional revolving door shelters simply cannot handle. By shifting from a model of warehousing people, which is apartments, To a community like the village of Mad Hatters, we create lasting safety. We drastically reduce the strain on our local emergency rooms and paramedic services. I'm mad, so I'm shaking.

I do need you to wrap up.

I know. I understand that Thurston County is already exploring alternatives. At least that's what I read. I read that you want to do something different. I hear nothing different. Nothing. You're focusing on homelessness? I understand that. I understand the jungles look bad. You don't see us. We are tucked away in bad places and we need your help and I would like to join as a partner to make this for me and my daughter who's handicapped and the seniors that I represent in Tumwater and elsewhere.

Okay, thank you. Anyone else in the boardroom who didn't get a chance to get from coming? Online, I'll go to Ms. Barrientos, followed by Ms. McCorry.

Hi. Thank you, Commissioners, for passing the vote for the funding of the 49 programs. The discussion, however, that happened afterwards, I didn't appreciate some of that. Being a person of lived experience, and I do want this on the record because I did say it in the last meeting when the vote was put off, that people will die. I do have lived experience of multiple summers. I have been out there myself. I have watched people go through it. So to sit there and gaslight me, belittle me, downplay my comment, and just also only blame Commissioner Klaus, because I said it as well, that is completely unethical of you. That is so wrong on so many different levels to downplay my experience. And it's not just a disrespectful thing to say towards me who said it. which I also have a constitutional right to speak that. And the County has put together the LESC specifically to voice these things. I am educating you on lived experience. So to say those things, that is not okay to me or to all the other people who have lived it or are going through it. It is not right. I expect a public apology. Thank you.

Thank you. Kylie McCorry, you have three minutes.

Can you hear me?

Yes.

Okay. Ready, set, go. I'm Kylie McQuarrie from Olympia. I was here to talk about other stuff too. But I would also like to join Heidi's demand in calling for a public apology. That was wild. Thank you very much for approving the funding for homelessness services. Thank you specifically to Commissioner Klaus for actually knowing what she's talking about. And thank you to Commissioner Klaus specifically for responding directly to Commissioner Fournier when he was berating her specifically and the wider public generally for being, as he said, not cool. I was just here to listen and say thank you and talk about the library for a second, but that was one of the most embarrassing displays I've ever seen at a political meeting, which is an insane thing to say. And I find it wild that you felt okay expressing all of that on camera. I could not agree more that it isn't true that no harm was caused. There was an insane amount of direct harm that was caused in the last few days. I agree with Commissioner Klaus, but I don't understand what all of this is for, and I especially don't understand what all of your yelling was about. So thank you to Commissioner Claus for that, and I'm grateful for her listening to community concerns about the actual literal truth that people would have died and will die. I could not agree more with the commenter who encouraged you, especially Mr. Fortier and Mr. Menser, I think it was, to go back and listen to the prior meeting and count every time that you were wrong in this meeting today and then do what she said and consider whether you're proud of yourselves. Thank you for voting yes. But the amount of harm that was just caused with you deciding to break Ms. Klaus specifically and the rest of us generally, the amount of trust you just broke in this meeting was disgusting to watch. I don't know why you seem to be trying to score points in a political arena, but it was embarrassing. Act like an adult. Please do the bare minimum to ensure you're right on the facts before throwing a fit in public. And I guess the last thing I'll say is it was good to hear from Mr. Mentzer that it's a problem if $15 million goes out the door without us looking through it. It was good to hear from Mr. Fournier that the Board of Commissioners doesn't rubber stamp All of this is news to me as someone who's been actively pushing for this board to do anything about the egregious misuse of our tax dollars by the library trustees for six calendar months. So I will say thank you for finally taking action to be with the other boards. Thank you to the commissioners who have been responsive. And I especially appreciate Mr. Mentzer that you got them to understand that they should take an interest in the other county's appointees. That sounds like that was a good and productive meeting. I would also like to encourage this board to make an effort to hold community meetings where you meet with stakeholders to understand the concerns about the library. because it is bothersome to me to hear that you were able to meet with Mary Beth. I'm glad that you were able to. I'm glad she talks to somebody, but she will not interact with the rest of us. And it is hard to convey the facts and to get on board with supporting a levy lift if our own representative to the Board of County Commissioners will not engage with the public. So, or sorry, to the Board of Trustees. I had other stuff say that just made me so upset. So yeah, I hope you do think about it and apologize because I've been in a lot of political meetings and that was the wildest thing I've ever seen. So thank you.

Anyone else online that wanted to give public comment on general matters? Okay. Thank you. Then we are at community reports. We're also time for our public hearings. Do commissioners want to give brief community reports or hold them until after the public hearings? That's our choice.

I'm good with either one. Brief? I would say let's move on to the public hearings. Go back?

Yeah. Okay. Then we will hold community reports. We are in recess for the commission meeting. We're going to jump to our scheduled public hearings. We have two of them scheduled for 3.30. It's 3.32 p.m. And we're gonna begin with an ordinance amending Thurston County Code 207010 regarding Board of Health Composition. The purpose of this public hearing is to consider and accept public testimony on the proposed ordinance amending Thurston County Code Section 207010, Board of Health Composition, to align with RCW 7005030 as it pertains to tribal membership. This is a hybrid public hearing. Those wishing to testify have joined by Zoom. emailed in comment, or mailed in comment. If you wish to testify, please visit the Thurston County homepage online and select BOCC meetings, hearings, and work session agendas. The information to join this public hearing remotely is posted there. If you are not providing testimony but would like to follow along, please visit the Thurston County YouTube channel. Dr. Jen Fry, High Director of Public Health and Social Services, will provide background information on this topic. Assuming those on Zoom wish to testify, your name will be read aloud. You have three minutes. Time may not be given to another person. When you are called on, please state your name and address for the record. Public hearing is now open. Dr. Freiheit or Director Freiheit will now present background information, written comments, and provide any additional information requested by the board.

Yes, thank you. Dr. Jen Freyheit, Director of Public Health and Social Services. This is in relation to the RCW 70.05.030, as amended by the Engrossed Substitute House Bill 1946 last year, which became effective on July 27, 2025, and it clarifies and directs tribal membership on local boards of health. The Board of County Commissioners discussed the updated Board of Health configuration during their November 5, 2025 meeting, board work session, which included a change in the overall number of members, as well as expansion in the number of tribal representative seats within the Board of Health. This update is in the best interest of the public through expanded inclusion and representation of Thurston County communities. This amendment also allows the growth of partnerships that will improve public health disparities within Thurston County. And I'm happy to answer any questions.

Questions for Dr. Farah? IS THERE ANYONE HERE IN THE BOARD ROOM TO GIVE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THIS ITEM? IS THERE ANYONE ONLINE WHO IS HERE TO GIVE PUBLIC COMMENT? GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE. OKAY. THEN I WOULD ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING. MOVE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.

I entertain a motion to make the change. I move to approve the ordinance amending Thurston County Code Section 2.07.010 Board of Health Composition to align with RCW 70.05.030 as it pertains to tribal membership.

Second. Motion and second to amend the ordinance to align with state law obligating tribal membership. All in favor say aye. Aye. Motion carries. All right, let's go to our second public hearing, which is regarding the fiscal year 2026 HUD Act and Action Plan. Are we on different?

Seeing Zoom.

There's no point in me reading all that introductory material again. Okay, so same advisements occur in terms of what this is about and how to join and kind of what the process will be. So I am going to open this public hearing, and Dr. Freiheit, give us some background on this one, and we'll go forward.

YES, THANK YOU. THIS IS A REQUEST TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AFTER AND MOVE TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE FISCAL YEAR 2026 HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT OR HUD ANNUAL ACTION PLAN AND AUTHORIZE THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS TO EXECUTE THE HUD FORMS IN APPLICABLE program certification, and approved submission of the plan to HUD. In summary, Thurston County receives Home Investment Partnership Program, or Home Funds, and Community Development Block Grant, or CDBG, program funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to provide a variety of activities that serve low-income households and individuals. This funding is contingent upon a five-year consolidated plan, which sets policy direction for the county's HUD-funded activities during the five-year period. The amount of funds available in this program year for 2026 for the home program is $782,891.60. And the amount of CDBG program funds available is $911,107. The City of Tumwater has selected projects to receive CDBG program funds for this particular year. The Regional Housing Council has selected projects to receive the home funds. And projects were solicited for both programs through a request for proposals. So the recommended CDBG projects included four public service projects, three affordable housing projects, and two affordable housing projects for Home First. That was the RHC-developed ones, the two there. And I can go into more details about those specific amounts, and happy to answer any questions if you like.

Questions on this item? Okay, let's go to public testimony. Is there anyone in person who would like to give public testimony on the HUD annual action plan. Anyone online who is here to give public comment on the HUD annual action plan? Okay. That I would entertain a motion to close the public hearing. I move to close the public hearing.

Second.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Public hearing is closed. I move to approve resolution adopting the fiscal year 2026 Housing and Urban Development Annual Action Plan and authorize the Chair of the Board of County Commissioners to execute the HUD Form SF-424-424-B and applicable program certifications and approve submission of the plan to HUD.

Second.

Motion and second.

DISCUSSION ON THAT MOTION.

YES.

GO AHEAD, COMMISSIONER MEEHAN.

THANK YOU. HUGE THANK YOU TO STAFF, ALEX. I KNOW THIS TAKES A WHOLE LOT OF WORK TO, LIKE, PUT TOGETHER, AND I KNOW TOM'S NOT HERE, BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE'S For it to get to this point, there's a lot of work behind the scenes and trying, especially with this administration, and try to fit different things through. So just thank you all for the work that you do, because this is very essential. And we're not hearing public comment about this, but I just wanna acknowledge that a lot of the work that goes behind the scenes to make this possible and for us to get this funding.

Okay, is there any other discussion? to the vote all in favor say aye aye all right we're going to go back into our board of county commissioners meeting just one additional item which is commissioner's community reports commissioner you want to start

Yes. Besides having a lot of conversations in regards to the topic that was discussed previously, attended a webinar on the from concept to impact how counties are successfully calculating how to use AI. And it was really interesting just how different counties are implementing and using their systems, how what precautions other counties are taking. And so it was just a very good mix of counties and kind of what they're doing. Attended different community events for Juneteenth. Attended the Partnership Council on Juvenile Justice Legislative Steering Committee. And besides that, just was around town and just on, I feel like I was on the phone quite a bit last week. So having multiple conversations from the Timberland Regional Library and to housing, to just different topics from immigration, so.

Okay, Commissioner Fournier, my week has been Or my last two weeks have been pretty crazy. I've been doing a lot of family stuff. So my daughter graduated from a very emotional time for me and then I went and got married. So that was cool too. In addition to that, I went and spoke on the food policy forum. It was something that was held with like was done USDA. And myself, Eric Klein from the Colvin Ranch, Representative Peter Abarno from the 20th, and Aslan Mead went and spoke with all of the attendees of the forum, and we talked about how to move ideas forward, how to collaborate regionally and move ideas in the food policy realm. And other than that, I think I've pretty much covered most of it. But yes.

Sure. I attended the Thurston Mason BHO board meeting, which is our behavioral health administrative services organization. One thing that happened at that meeting, which I just want to mention today, is that it was announced that we're getting ready to launch the local version of the 988 program. with the soft launch, and I'm gonna say that because I've said it, the soft launch, there's been a lot of coordination, but it's gonna start on July 1st. And what's really cool about that is that when someone calls 988, right now they call 988 and someone in another county or even, I mean, it goes all the way to New York and then it comes back and then somebody sits and tries to figure out resources for whomever is, you know, But now the place that actually coordinates all those resources will be the one coordinating the response. And this is going to be a game changer for our community. So 988 is really just something that we want to keep talking about. And if someone is in crisis, any crisis, call 988. And then I attended the FIFA fan zone with Commissioner Menser. It was nuts. It was hot. And I had a baby in a baby stroller. And it was just, it was really cool because my son and his two friends who were in their 20s all attended with me and they had a great time. I left them down there when I gave up on, you know, but it was really cool to see our community come together It was quite the event, and I'm really grateful to all those people who worked so hard to put it together. It was really cool. We got swag bags, and it was really nice. Also participated in something called the South Sound Values Networking Event. They had a drag into business, and I went there, and I was there with another commissioner, so Mason County Commissioner, and the Mason County Commissioner paid money to charity to get me to go up on the stage and do a lip sync. And so I did it. And because it was for charity, so I was like, you know, script. And so it was really, it was quite fun. But that South Sound Values networking event is, you know, brings together business and community leaders from all over the place to create a more inclusive economic future for our region.

And so there was a bunch of small businesses that were there, all networking and tabling. So it was really cool.

I also had an opportunity to speak at the Association of, oh, that's not right, the Administrative Office of the Courts, ADA Coordinators Meeting, along with Commissioner Klaus. And we both went and shared our lived experience of being a person who deals with a disability in a courtroom setting. And it was great, and it was an honor to contribute to that conversation. I talked quite a bit about what it's like to show up in a courtroom when you're dealing with depression, when you're dealing with substance use disorder, when you're dealing with ADHD, and what kind of things can impact someone's participation within court settings and juvenile and justice impact settings. So it was really cool. Also had a bunch of constituent meetings, just a ton of them. And then today I attended the state auditor the SAO finance exit conference and that was really great. I was really excited to see that we were doing really well there. And then the last thing I just wanna mention, I'm just gonna do a shout out to my husband. This meeting has been so emotional today because as a person of lived experience, the number of programs that we fund make such an impact. I just was thinking about this, that the Thurston Mason BHO funded, gave capital funding to a treatment center that is local. My husband attended that, lived on the street behind a WinCo a little over 10 years ago, houseless, needing the services that we talked about today, homeless services. Attended a Thurston Mason BHO-funded treatment center. Received funding from TST to help live in an Oxford house. Went back, got his SUD, and now runs that treatment center. And is celebrating 10 years clean today. So... It's just really cool to know that the work I'm doing is impacting the people who are really working hard to build their life. And congrats, Jeff, on 10 years.

Congratulations, Jeff. Yeah, that's really cool. So that's it for me. awesome update yeah congratulations to Jeff that's really awesome so I just had a couple we met last week so not a lot has happened but I did attend the no hate in Washington State kickoff last week in Seattle that was a great and very well attended event so I'm looking forward to seeing more from that that campaign I also attended the direct to housing encampment response training or it was hosted by built for zero and clutch counseling focused on the direct-to-housing encampment response model, where the group learned about strategies for rapidly connecting unsheltered individuals living in encampments to housing and supportive services, discussed leadership structures, incident command systems, and cross-sector partnerships needed to successfully implement the model, and a lot more. So that was a really, I'm really grateful for the groups that organized that. I also, with Commissioner Grant, spoke at the ADA coordinator retreat. It was an all-day retreat held at the administrative office of the courts. And we both were able to share our personal experiences navigating the court system. Like Commissioner Grant said, as an individual with a disability, I got to talk through some of the health conditions that I dealt with after multiple TBIs when I was deployed in the Middle East and then came home and went through some personal stuff that ended up resulting in like family court and having to go through that process shortly after having brain injuries was very challenging so being able to share that story is not something that I really get to do very often so that was a really nice experience and I had many of the attendees come up to me afterwards and talked to me about some of the things that they've either dealt with personally or on a professional level and I really felt like the group listened to us and asked good questions about like how do we actually make people aware that we exist because we're ADA coordinators and you're telling us that we need people to know. The whole point is people need to understand that these services exist, so how do we make that happen? And we had some pretty good conversations about some simple ways that people could be made aware of the services that exist. And a lot of people might not identify as someone with a disability, even if they do have either a physical or emotional or mental handicap. And I know that's been true for me as I've had various different disabilities at different parts of my life. And sometimes I'll use a resource and think like, man, this resource is for people who actually need it, not realizing that I actually do need it. And that's why I use that resource. And so having those conversations about like, how do you get resources to people who might not even seek them because they don't know that they need them? So that was interesting conversations. And I felt like it was really valuable. I also had conversations, of course, about the housing funding and also the Timberland Regional Library. And this morning, just for the purposes of the public, this morning I presented the board with a draft letter that I wrote that we'll be discussing in more depth tomorrow. And I'm hoping that if the Board of County Commissioners chooses not to sign on to the letter, that's okay. I plan on RELEASING A STATEMENT OF MY OWN ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE TIMBERLAND REGIONAL LIBRARY. WE'VE WATCHED OVER THIS LAST YEAR A LOT OF BLOWS TO THE TRL STAFF AND PATRONS, YOU KNOW, BASED ON A LOT OF BUDGET SHORTFALLS. AND THAT'S BEEN HARD TO WATCH. BUT MOST RECENTLY, THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES PRESIDENT, BRIAN MITCH, IS THAT HOW YOU SAY HIS LAST NAME? MITCHIE. MITCHIE, THANK YOU. He handed library leadership a list of desired outcomes, calling for the removal of LGBTQ plus materials from children's sections, the elimination of pride displays, the effective exclusion of unhoused patrons, and in his own words, the directive to be beige, not rainbow. This is, you know, happening during Pride Month is especially offensive, but it would be harmful regardless of what time of year it was presented, and... you know, it's shameful and I'm feeling like standing on the sidelines of this as a commissioner is not helping the situation in any way. And I just kind of, I'm getting ready to like, we have to say something. That's how I'm feeling. I'm feeling like there's a sense of urgency to say something. And I know that we don't have like authority over the board of trustees, but I'm deeply concerned about this narrative that's being constructed and the fact that it completely counters the ALA, the American Library Association's Bill of Rights, which has been adopted by TRL as their own policy that talks about how every person should be served. The library is a public service. And so for this exclusionary document to come out by the Board of Trustees president is very scary to a lot of members of the public and to staff. And so I will kind of hold some of my comments. I know that the board will be talking about this tomorrow in terms of the letter that I wrote, but just on a personal note, I'm listening to the TRL staff who are still currently employed or who have been laid off or who have quit. seeing what they're going through has been pretty devastating and um we i just feel like we really do need to stand in solidarity with the people who have been impacted by this and it's it's truly harmful to be pushing a narrative like this especially at a time where uh hatred is just everywhere we see it everywhere and um so this is not helping uh the situation in any way and so um After the board talks through whether or not we want to send a letter, I have more comments that I'll probably make once we get back from recess, because I really would like to urge the TRL Board of Trustees to take action, but I respect, Commissioner Minter has actually had some pretty productive conversations, I think, and I don't want to get in the way of those conversations or potentially cause harm to what's going on there, because I know your efforts are getting, I think they're getting us somewhere. I think that the work you're doing with them, with the other counties, I hope will get us to a point where the TRL system can function for everybody. And I don't want to interfere with that process. But at the same time, I'm standing on the sidelines watching this as a person who is part of the LGBTQ community and seeing this and imagining what it would feel like for me if I was a child and all of those things that represented me were gone. And so it's just hard to watch. So I'll kind of leave it at that for now.

Thank you. I guess I'll just start there real quick because some of my time last week has been meeting with the chairs of the other counties regarding TRL. We're working on issues of alignment and then communicating those to our trustees. I had a meeting with our trustee. We only have one still. A good part of the meeting I can share was about how to surmount that vacancy issue that we have with the Mason and Thurston County seats being empty. I can say to Commissioner Claus' point that our trustee is firmly behind the value. This is something that we talk about with every applicant who comes to interview for one of our trustee positions because this is not the first time these issues have come up. they come up before and previous trustees have had to address them. So I'm always making sure that I kind of touch on that when we do our interviews. And our trustee in this case is very firmly behind us and we'll be making a statement. She informed me a very strong statement tomorrow, tomorrow's meeting. So folks are interested. They can hear that. And then we'll discuss this as a board tomorrow. But so that's all been part of my, I've been kind of deluged like some of the others of you with family members from family issues, Friday being graduation party for my daughter, Sunday being sending my son to Europe on a study abroad by himself for the first time, and then Monday being my wife's birthday. So it's been really difficult to manage all of these different priorities, but it's been a very busy weekend as I was also fighting a cold, which you can hear my voice.

Where in Europe is he going?

He's in London. that's cool yeah watching england play in the world cup this afternoon at a british pub thursday all day was a ride along with the olympia fire department and um yeah that was really really cool to do um so i really appreciate what a great group of of uh of professionals that the um has in their fire department. They made me feel really welcome, very informative. I got to go on all sorts of calls and also see a training exercise at their really cool training facility. So the whole day was really worthwhile, and I appreciated that. The exit conference, as Commissioner Grant mentioned, was good news, I think, all around for Thurston County and our financial practices. And then the Fan Zone was a huge success. Just to say a little more about that, there's three more. Tomorrow is Half Price Day with a former U.S. National... team player coming to meet fans. Thursday night is, of course, USA in action again, which I think will be a big game for us against Turkey. And then Friday is the final fan zone. And so I'm sure and they have special guests, I think, lined up every day this week. So it was really exciting to see that come together in the way that we hoped that it would.

It seems like it was an overwhelming success so far. The information that I got back from the Visitor Convention Bureau said that there was like an additional 2,500 hotel stays related to that event, which is absolutely incredible. Yeah, they had 3,500 tickets sold. They had to turn people away at a certain point because of the fire department. And even the people outside that didn't get in had the ability to sit in their chairs they brought with a separate screen and watch for free, which is fantastic. That's what I heard. I mean, that's what I was told.

I got there early because I knew. And then I was hearing that, like, and there were really long lines. So I hate long lines in general. But in this particular instance, I was pretty happy to hear that there were long lines because it meant there was a lot of interest in what we put together.

I got there late, so I saw it.

I'm sure Mejia saw the long lines. Yeah, I saw her later. So anyway, go support it. I think you'll have fun. And the U.S. team is looking really strong, so. commissioners who are in recess, that does not mean we are not all working just for the public's benefit. It means we're not in collective sessions so that commissioners can have a window of time in which they can maybe take a week off or maybe deal with other matters. But we're basically all around, at least most of us are, and the next board meeting is in the middle of July.