[I. CALL TO ORDER]
          [00:00:10]
          MINNESOTA. GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. AT THIS TIME, I'D LIKE TO CALL TO ORDER THE STILLWATER CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 15TH, 2026. WITH THAT, BETH ROLL CALL, PLEASE. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER. COLLINS HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER. BELLIN HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER. ODEBRECHT. 
          HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY, ABBY. WE MISS YOU. GO, CATS! SO HERE. COUNCIL MEMBER. PAULINA. HOW CAN I TOP THAT? HERE. MAYOR KOZLOWSKI HERE. AND WITH THAT, IF EVERYBODY RISE AND JOIN US ON THE PLEDGE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS. ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. THANK YOU EVERYONE. FIRST ITEM ON OUR AGENDA THIS EVENING IS A 
          [1. Proclamation for United Way of Washington County East]
PROCLAMATION FOR UNITED WAY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY EAST. KRISTEN, IF YOU GUYS IF ALL THREE OF YOU WANT TO JOIN US UP FRONT. I THINK THE KANSAS. THAT'S MY OTHER ONE. COME ON UP. YEAH. 
          STAND. STAND HERE. BUT I'LL INTRODUCE YOU. AND THEN IF YOU WANT TO SAY A FEW WORDS LIKE. 
          YEAH. TO SWOOP IN. THIS IS THIS. THIS YOUNG LADY HAS BEEN TO MORE COUNCIL MEETINGS THAN ANY OTHER KID HER AGE. AND ALL OF STILLWATER. I SWEAR, I'VE SEEN HER AT EVERY STAGE SO FAR. I FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE. RIGHT? BIGGEST SUPPORTER, BIG SUPPORTER. SO WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO LET KRISTIN, OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF UNITED WAY, WASHINGTON COUNTY. YOU SAY A FEW WORDS AND THEN I'LL READ THE PROCLAMATION. OH, PERFECT. SAY A FEW WORDS. SO DO YOU WANT ME TO SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT UNITED WAY? YES. OKAY. WELL, IT ALL STARTED BACK IN 1949. OKAY, I WILL JUST BRIEFLY SAY WE ARE YOUR LOCAL UNITED WAY. WE'RE UNITED WAY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY EAST. WE'RE BASED RIGHT HERE IN STILLWATER, ALTHOUGH WE SERVE ALL OF WASHINGTON COUNTY. ONE FACT THAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT FOR THE COUNCIL AND ALL GATHERED HERE TO KNOW IS THAT ABOUT 28% OF WASHINGTON COUNTY RESIDENTS DON'T EARN ENOUGH INCOME TO MEET A BASIC NEEDS BUDGET. SO THAT'S ONE OF THE PLACES THAT UNITED WAY COMES IN TO HELP AND SUPPORT THROUGH VARIOUS DIFFERENT PROGRAMS IN THE COMMUNITY. AND I JUST ALSO WANT TO REALLY RECOGNIZE THE CITY OF STILLWATER. AND THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM. CHIEF MUELLER IS ON OUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS. MAYOR KOZLOWSKI, IT'S KIND OF A FAMILY AFFAIR, THE WAY THAT YOU SUPPORT US THROUGH KIDS AND RACHEL, COUNCIL MEMBER BELLAND IS ON A COMMITTEE FOR US RIGHT NOW AND DOING A TON OF WORK FOR US. COUNCIL MEMBER PAULINA HAS BEEN INVOLVED FOR A LONG TIME. SO JUST REALLY WANT TO APPRECIATE THIS ROOM BECAUSE WE'RE VERY GRATEFUL. AWESOME. WELL THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. WITH THAT, IT IS WASHINGTON UNITED WAY. AND SPECIFICALLY OUR GROUP LOCALLY IS IS AMAZING. I HAD NO IDEA WHAT UNITED WAY DID UNTIL I WAS ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF OUR LOCAL FOOD SHELF VALLEY OUTREACH WHEN I FIRST MOVED BACK TO STILLWATER. AND, AND WE RELIED ON FUNDING FROM UNITED WAY TO MEET OUR GOALS AND TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY AND TO SERVE THE PEOPLE IN NEED OF FOOD AND CLOTHING. AND I KIND OF SAW WHAT, LIKE ALL OF THE THINGS UNITED WAY TOUCHES. AND WE'VE GOT SUCH A STRONG NONPROFIT COMMUNITY HERE IN STILLWATER AND THE SAINT CROIX RIVER VALLEY, THEY'RE KIND OF THE BEST UMBRELLA OF ALL OF THOSE THINGS AND HELP PRETTY MUCH EVERYWHERE. THEY ALSO HAVE GREAT YOUTH PROGRAMING. BOTH MY DAUGHTERS DO THIS THING CALLED YOUTH UNITED WAY OR YOUTH UNITED, WHICH AGAIN, THEY KIND OF THEY'RE BOTH EXCITED ABOUT DOING IT, BUT THEY DIDN'T REALLY UNDERSTAND LIKE HOW MUCH EFFORT WENT INTO IT. AND THEY ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS. SO IF YOU HAVE KIDS THAT ARE LOOKING TO GIVE BACK AND BE A PART OF SOMETHING IN THE COMMUNITY THAT REALLY TOUCHES A LOT OF DIFFERENT NONPROFITS, THE YOUTH UNITED PROGRAM IS AMAZING. AND THANK YOU, KRISTEN, FOR THAT. LIKE IT'S SHAPED MY DAUGHTERS IN A VERY SPECIAL WAY. SO JUST, I CAN'T APPRECIATE, I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE YOU ALL. YOU DO SUCH AWESOME THINGS. AND THEY HAVE A WONDERFUL EVENT EVERY YEAR. THEY MADE ME SPEAK AT IT LAST YEAR AND I HAD TO CRY. IT'S TERRIBLE, BUT I THINK WE RAISED SOME MONEY. WE DID OKAY, GOOD. 
          SO, YOU KNOW, AS LONG AS THE TEARS ARE WORTH IT WITH THAT. WHEREAS THE CITIZENS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY RECEIVE GREAT BENEFITS FROM THE MANY PROGRAMS PROVIDED BY ITS HEALTH, YOUTH, YOUTH, BASIC NEEDS AND SELF-SUFFICIENCY, SERVICE AGENCIES. AND WHEREAS, UNITED WAY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY EAST BRINGS TOGETHER BUSINESSES, GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, AND INDIVIDUALS IN A UNITED EFFORT TO FUND WASHINGTON COUNTY HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES FOR THOSE IN NEED. AND WHEREAS, UNITED WAY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY EAST FOR THE PAST 77 YEARS HAS MADE AVAILABLE THIS FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM ITS ANNUAL FALL GIVING CAMPAIGN. WHEREAS, UNITED WAY FUNDS RAISED IN WASHINGTON COUNTY SUPPORT LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS AND CHARITIES FOR THE BENEFITS OF ITS CITIZENS AND THE IMPROVEMENT OF THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE. WHEREAS, UNITED WAY OF WASHINGTON COUNTY EAST MISSION IS TO UNITE OUR COMMUNITY AND LOCAL RESOURCES TO GIVE EACH PERSON THE OPPORTUNITY TO BUILD A BETTER LIFE. NOW, THEREFORE, I, TED KOZLOWSKI, BY VIRTUE OF THE AUTHORITY VESTED IN ME AS MAYOR OF THE CITY OF STILLWATER, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM OCTOBER 5TH THROUGH THE 11TH AS UNITED WAY WEEK THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND ENCOURAGE ALL OF OUR CITIZENS. EXCUSE ME TO SUPPORT 
          [00:05:04]
FINANCIALLY THROUGH UNITED WAY, THE MANY LOCAL COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THAT PROVIDE INVALUABLE SERVICES FOR OUR SENIORS, FAMILIES AND YOUTH IN WASHINGTON COUNTY. SO CONGRATULATIONS, HAPPY UNITED WAY WEEK. WHAT DO YOU HAVE GOING ON THIS WEEK? WHAT DO WE HAVE GOING ON? OH MY GOSH, WE HAVE SO MANY THINGS. OKAY. WE HAVE SO MANY THINGS. BUT MAYBE TWO THINGS I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO HIGHLIGHT IS TUESDAY MORNING AT 9:00 AT DARN IT. ANYWAY, IT'S CALLED DARN IT DONUTS. SO WE'RE JUST GONNA HAVE A REALLY WELCOMING. IT'S A GREAT NAME, RIGHT? WE'RE GONNA HAVE A REALLY WELCOMING MORNING MEETING AT 9:00. DARN IT. 
          DONUTS. AND THEN WEDNESDAY, WE'RE STARTING SOMETHING NEW. HONEY, DO YOU WANT TO HELP ME? WEDNESDAY, WE'RE GOING TO DO SOMETHING REALLY EXCITING. WE'RE GOING TO ALL WEAR BLUE. 
          EVERYBODY. BLUE. BLUE ON ONE BLUE. ON WEDNESDAY, WE'LL BE MAKING VIDEOS AND, YOU KNOW, BROADCASTING IT TO REMIND EVERYBODY. AND THIS IS OCTOBER 7TH. THIS IS OCTOBER 7TH. 
          WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7TH. YOU COULD START PREPPING NOW. EVERY WEDNESDAY YOU CAN JUST WEAR IT. 
          OKAY, SO WE'RE NOT HONEY, THIS IS. YEAH. OKAY. SO WEDNESDAYS WEAR BLUE AND IT'S JUST A REALLY AWESOME WAY TO SHOW YOUR SUPPORT. EVERYONE HAS BLUE IN THEIR CLOSET AND IT'S JUST, IT HEIGHTENS AND RAISES AWARENESS. ENGAGEMENT. SO WEAR BLUE. WELL, LET US KNOW ABOUT THAT. MAKE SURE YOU GET AN EMAIL. DO YOU WANT TO SAY HI TO EVERYBODY. HI. SAY HI. HI PRESCHOOL. HI PRESCHOOL. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU GUYS. THANK YOU. THANK. ALL RIGHT. THAT'S AWESOME. THANK 
          [2. Proclamation for Valley Climate Action Week]
YOU KRISTEN. THANK YOU GUYS. THAT'S SO GREAT. ALL RIGHT. NEXT ON OUR LIST THIS EVENING IS A PROCLAMATION FOR OUR VALLEY CLIMATE ACTION WEEK AND SUSTAINABLE STILLWATER. ANDY, COME ON UP. SO GOOD TO SEE YOU. YOU BROUGHT A TREE. I DID. SO ANDY IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABLE STILLWATER, WHICH HAS REALLY I MEAN, IT'S IT'S GROWN TREMENDOUSLY IN SCOPE AND IN SIZE IN TERMS OF WHAT THEY DO. I CAN'T UNDERSCORE ENOUGH HOW MUCH THEY'RE A PART OF THE CITY. THE CITY OF STILLWATER DOESN'T HAVE A TON OF STAFF. WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, VERY LIMITED RESOURCES, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES. AND THIS ORGANIZATION TOOK THE BALL AND RAN WITH IT AND HAS MADE LASTING, IMPACTFUL CHANGE IN OUR COMMUNITY. IN THE SHORT TIME THAT YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN AROUND HAS BEEN ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. SO WITH THAT, I'M GOING TO OPEN UP TO ANDY TO SAY A FEW WORDS ABOUT CLIMATE ACTION WEEK. AND THEN I HAVE A PROCLAMATION FOR ANDY AS WELL. DO YOU WANT ME TO HOLD YOUR TREAT? SURE. YES. I WILL OFFICIALLY GIVE YOU THE TREAT. THIS IS A TREE FOR ME. IT IS A TREE FOR THE CITY, FOR THE CITY. SO COME ON. SO WHAT THIS TREE IS ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO SYMBOLIZE IS IT'S SUPPOSED TO REMIND YOU OF THE PROVERB, A SOCIETY GROWS GREAT WHEN PEOPLE PLANT TREES WHOSE SHADE THEY KNOW THEY SHALL NEVER SIT IN. SO MAY THIS TREE SYMBOLIZE THE CHOICES WE MAKE TODAY TO CREATE A HEALTHIER, MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR THE GENERATIONS TO COME. SO WE ARE VERY THANKFUL. AND IT IS I LOOK IT IS A BLACK SPRUCE, BLACK SPRUCE, AND I DIDN'T BRING A REALLY BIG TREE AND I DIDN'T WANT TO DRAG THAT AROUND. WE HAVE A VERY BUSY WEEK THIS WEEK, SO WE'LL HAVE ONE DOWN AT CHESTNUT STREET PLAZA HERE IN DECEMBER. SO MAY YOU FIND A NICE SPOT FOR THAT. WELL, AWESOME. WELL THANK YOU. AND THIS YEAR WE ACTUALLY FOR VALLEY CLIMATE ACTION WEEK. ANDREW COYNE ON THE CITY SIDE. HE'S ONE OF OUR HONOREES FOR SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP. AND HE GIVES TREES AWAY AT A LOT OF OUR EVENTS. SO THAT IS FANTASTIC. WE GOT ONE BACK. YOU GOT ONE BACK. SO WE'RE GIVING GIVING TREES BACK. BUT YES, THIS IS OUR FIRST YEAR EVER FOR TRYING VALLEY CLIMATE ACTION WEEK. IT'S THE INAUGURAL TIME. 
          SO IT'S THIS WEEK. WE'RE IN IT. WE HAVE OVER 16 DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES TODAY ALONE. I'VE ALREADY DONE A RAIN GARDEN TOUR WITH ANGIE HONG AND SOME PEOPLE TOURED SOME OF THE. AND THE CITY HAS DONE SUCH A GREAT JOB OF PUTTING IN ALL THESE AMAZING RAIN GARDENS. WE'VE ALREADY DONE A TRASH DASH. WE PICKED UP A TON OF TRASH AROUND THE COMMUNITY AND I ACTUALLY JUST LEFT. WE'RE DOING TRIVIA, THE LIFT BRIDGE BREWERY TONIGHT, AND I'M GOING TO RUN BACK OVER THERE TO FINISH THAT UP AND HAVE SOME OF THAT. BUT THE REST OF THE WEEK, THERE'S STILL MANY THINGS TO COME, AND WE HAVE MANY SPEAKERS AND EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES AND THINGS THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE WEEK. SO CHECK IT OUT ON OUR WEBSITE AND EVERYTHING'S FREE AND ACCESSIBLE AND WE'RE TRYING TO JUST PROVIDE A SERVICE FOR. THERE YOU GO, SEAN. WE GOT A GOOD SPOT FOR THIS. WE'LL FIND ONE. WE GOTTA FIND A SPECIAL SPOT. THANK YOU. WELL, ANDY, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND AGAIN, I'D BE REMISS IF MY DAUGHTERS ARE ALSO OR MY ONE DAUGHTER IS VERY INVOLVED IN THIS. SHE'S ACTUALLY ON THEIR BOARD OF DIRECTORS AS THEIR YOUTH 
          [00:10:02]
REPRESENTATIVE. SO VERY FAMILIAR. BUT DO CHECK OUT THE WEBSITE. THERE ARE LOADS OF THINGS LIKE I HAVE ACCESS TO MY DAUGHTER'S CALENDAR, AND I NEVER THOUGHT A HIGH SCHOOL KID COULD BE SO BUSY. HER SCHEDULE IS MORE BOOKED THAN MINE AT THIS POINT THIS WEEK. THERE ARE SO MANY DIFFERENT SUSTAINABILITY RELATED EVENTS GOING ON THIS WEEK IN STILLWATER, SO IF YOU HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY, THE WEATHER LOOKS PRETTY GOOD. THE MAIN EVENT. WE HAVE AN EVENT ON THURSDAY NIGHT, THURSDAY NIGHT AND TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE. TICKETS ARE STILL AVAILABLE AND THAT'S GOING TO BE REALLY FUN. THAT'S AT THE LOFT DOWN AT J X RIGHT HERE ON MAIN STREET. SO CHECK THAT OUT. IT'S A REALLY GOOD GROUP OF PEOPLE. WE'VE GOT SOME GREAT SPEAKERS. THEY'RE GOING TO GIVE OUT SOME AWARDS. YEP. THERE'S PAUL DOUGLAS, MARK SEELEY, PAUL DOUGLAS. YEAH. WHERE'S PAUL HUTNER, MAN? THAT'S MY GUY. YOU KNOW, PAUL DOUGLAS IS GOOD STUFF. SO YEAH, DEFINITELY CHECK THAT OUT IF YOU'RE IN TOWN. SO WITH THAT, WHEREAS THE HEALTH AND VITALITY OF STILLWATER DEPEND UPON CLEAN AIR AND WATER PROTECTED NATURAL RESOURCES, A THRIVING LOCAL ECONOMY, AND A STRONG CONNECTED COMMUNITY. AND WHEREAS VALLEY CLIMATE ACTION WEEK IS A COMMUNITY WIDE CELEBRATION OF THE PEOPLE, PARTNERSHIPS AND PROJECTS, CREATING A HEALTHIER AND MORE SUSTAINABLE SAINT CROIX VALLEY. AND. WHEREAS, HOSTED BY SUSTAINABLE STILLWATER, MINNESOTA, THIS COLLABORATIVE EFFORT DEMONSTRATES HOW CLIMATE SOLUTIONS HAPPEN LOCALLY THROUGH NEIGHBORS, HELPING NEIGHBORS AND ORGANIZATIONS WORKING TOGETHER TOWARDS A SHARED FUTURE. WHEREAS, RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES, NONPROFITS, SCHOOLS, AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS ARE INVITED TO LEARN, VOLUNTEER, CONNECT AND TAKE MEANINGFUL ACTION THROUGHOUT THIS WEEK. WHEREAS, SUSTAINABLE STILLWATER, MINNESOTA SERVES AS A REGIONAL CONNECTOR, STRENGTHENING RELATIONSHIPS AMONG BUSINESSES, RESIDENTS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND LOCAL LEADERS WORKING TOWARDS A MORE SUSTAINABLE FUTURE. WHEREAS, SCIENCE BASED SOLUTIONS AND THOUGHTFUL COLLABORATION CAN HELP OUR ECONOMY, ENVIRONMENT AND COMMUNITY THRIVE TOGETHER WHILE PROTECTING THE HEALTH OF CURRENT AND FUTURE GENERATIONS. AND WHEREAS, VALLEY CLIMATE ACTION WEEK WELCOMES PEOPLE OF ALL AGES, BACKGROUNDS AND INTERESTS, WHETHER THEY ATTEND ONE EVENT OR PARTICIPATE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE WEEK. NOW THEREFORE, I TOOK GUZLOWSKI BY VIRTUE OF THE AUTHORITY OF ME AS MAYOR OF THE CITY OF STILLWATER, DO HEREBY PROCLAIM SEPTEMBER 14TH THROUGH 19TH AS VALLEY CLIMATE ACTION WEEK IN THE CITY OF STILLWATER. AND I ENCOURAGE ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS, BUSINESSES, SCHOOLS, ORGANIZATIONS, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS TO PARTICIPATE, CELEBRATE LOCAL LEADERSHIP, AND HELP BUILD A HEALTHY, THRIVING, SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR STILLWATER AND THE VALLEY. SO HAPPY CLIMATE ACTION WEEK, ANDY. 
          THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND THANK YOU FOR THE TREE. THE TREE IS AMAZING. WE'LL LET YOU KNOW WHEN WE DECIDE WHEN WE FIND A PLACE TO PUT IT. SOUNDS GOOD. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU 
          [V. OPEN FORUM – Public may address Council on non-agenda items. Please limit remarks to 5 minutes or less.]
ALL. MOVING ON TO OUR OPEN FORUM. THIS IS A PARTY MEETING WHERE THE PUBLIC MAY ADDRESS COUNCIL ON NON-AGENDA ITEMS. PLEASE LIMIT YOUR REMARKS TO THREE MINUTES OR LESS. IS THERE ANYBODY THAT WISHES TO SPEAK ON A NON AGENDA ITEM. OH, HOW ARE YOU DOING? WELL, I'M DOING OKAY. 
          HOW ABOUT YOU? WE'RE GOOD. YEAH. DID YOU GUYS GET YOUR FLAVORS ALL STRAIGHTENED OUT UP THERE? I HAD TO HIDE MINE FROM MIKE, SO. THANK YOU. OKAY. I WAS JUST COMING UP ONCE AGAIN TO TELL YOU GUYS HOW I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT YOU DO FOR OUR TOWN. I APPRECIATE EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU. EVEN THAT BRIAN MUELLER OVER THERE. ALL OF YOU. YOU GUYS DO SUCH A GOOD JOB HERE. I JUST I REALLY CAN'T BELIEVE IT. BUT YOU KNOW, I LEARNED ABOUT THOSE THINGS BECAUSE I COME TO CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS. THAT'S RIGHT. I LEARNED PRETTY MUCH ALL OF THEM. WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING A PROCLAMATION FOR YOU PRETTY SOON. THE STORY, HOW YOU ENDED UP COMING TO COUNCIL MEETINGS IS GREAT. SHE THOUGHT I HAD A SON THAT WAS DOING GRAFFITI IN THE PARKING RAMP. 
          WHAT DID WE DECIDE? HIS NAME WAS PETER BECAUSE HE WAS TAGGING PK, AND HE BASICALLY SAID SOMETHING LIKE, YOU KNOW, F OFF, MY DAD'S THE MAYOR OR SOMETHING. SOUNDS LIKE SOMETHING I WOULD HAVE SAID, FRANKLY, WHEN I WAS A, YOU KNOW, KIND OF A YOUTH. I WASN'T THE MOST WELL-ADJUSTED TEENAGER. TURNS OUT I ONLY HAVE TWO DAUGHTERS. SO IT WAS CERTAINLY NOT IT WASN'T HIM. IT WASN'T IT WASN'T HIM. AND I ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT PK STANDS FOR. AND I CAN'T SAY IT ON LIVE. OKAY. YES, EXACTLY, I THOUGHT SO. BUT THEN YOU STARTED COMING TO COUNCIL MEETINGS AND YOU STARTED SEEING WHAT WE DO, AND YOU'VE BEEN COMING EVER SINCE. IT'S BEEN AWESOME. REMARKABLE. I'M INTERESTED IN WHAT GOES ON IN TOWN. AND MY DAUGHTER SAYS, HELLO, BY THE WAY. OH, YES. TELL HER HELLO BACK. I'VE JUST LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT THE TOWN AND WHAT GOES ON AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND I JUST REALLY LOVE LIVING HERE. SO. YEAH. 
          WHICH I SHOULD TALK TO SEAN ABOUT A COUPLE OF THINGS THAT ARE GOING ON. HE'S GOT A TREE, IF YOU NEED ONE, THAT THE MANAGER WANTED ME TO ASK HIM ABOUT. BUT ANYWAY, I JUST COME UP TO TELL YOU GUYS, THANKS A BUNCH FOR WHAT YOU DO. I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU ALL VERY MUCH. 
          SO. WELL THANK YOU. TAKE CARE. I'LL LET SOMEBODY ELSE COME UP AND GUIDE YOU HERE FOR A BIT. 
          [00:15:02]
AND YOU GUYS HAVE A GOOD EVENING. AWESOME. THANKS, LOVE. HAVE A GOOD EVENING. GOOD SEEING YOU. SO OUR PRIOR RESIDENTS ALLOWED TO. ABSOLUTELY. ESPECIALLY YOU. ALL RIGHT. I MEAN, I ABOUT HAD A HEART ATTACK SEEING YOU IN THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS. SO MY NAME MY NAME IS TOM LINEHAM. I LIVED FOR MANY YEARS UP ON NORTH FOURTH STREET. AND I'M HERE TONIGHT ON KIND OF A SAD, TRAGIC NOTE, ALTHOUGH THE PREVIOUS SPEAKER IS A GREAT SEGUE INTO WHAT I WANTED TO TALK ABOUT TONIGHT. AND THAT IS THE PASSING OF LONGTIME RESIDENT MICHAEL WILLIAM ROBINSON. OH, MIKE. NO. YEAH. BACK ON JULY 28TH, I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL EARLY IN THE MORNING AND MIKE WAS CALLING FROM HIS. HE HAD JUST GOTTEN A BOAT AND HE WAS SOUTH OF PRESCOTT. AND I WAS KIND OF RIBBING HIM ABOUT KIND OF A MODERN DAY, YOU KNOW, HUCKLEBERRY FINN ADVENTURE. AND WE CHATTED FOR ABOUT FIVE MINUTES AND A. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, HE FELL FROM HIS BOAT AND DROWNED IN THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. MIKE WAS A CHARACTER. YEAH. YOU KNOW, HE'S ONE OF THESE PEOPLE WHERE YOU YOU HEAR THESE STORIES AND YOU THINK THEY CAN'T BE TRUE. BUT THEN THEY'RE SO STRANGE AND UNIQUE, YOU BEGIN TO REALIZE THEY PROBABLY ARE TRUE. I'M GOING TO SHARE ONE WITH YOU. I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE THE TIMING OF THIS. I THINK IT'S LATE 90S, EARLY 2000, AND IT WAS IN THE SUMMER LUMBERJACK DAYS. AND MIKE WAS IRRITATED ALREADY BECAUSE THE THEN PROMOTER OF LUMBERJACK DAYS WAS USING LOWELL PARK, WHICH IN MY OPINION, IS ONE OF THE NICEST PIECES OF REAL ESTATE IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA. AND MIKE DID SOME DIGGING AROUND, AS HE WAS. HE OFTEN DID. AND HE FOUND OUT, YOU KNOW, HE WAS PAYING, I DON'T KNOW, $100 TO RENT LOWELL PARK. MIKE THOUGHT THAT WAS CRAZY. AND THE MONDAY FOLLOWING LUMBERJACK DAYS, HE WENT DOWNTOWN AND HE STARTED GOING THROUGH LOWELL PARK. WELL, THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW, HE'S GOT A FIVE GALLON BUCKET OUT THERE AND HE'S COLLECTING CIGARETTE BUTTS. AND BY THE TIME THE TUESDAY COUNCIL MEETING ROLLS AROUND, HE'S IN A FULL LATHER. I'VE HEARD THIS STORY AND HE CAME IN AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT WAS SAID, BUT HE AT THE END OF HIS PRESENTATION, HE DUMPED THE CIGARETTE BUTTS OUT ON THE FLOOR AND STORMED OFF. THAT LADIES STAND OVER THERE. WERE YOU HERE FOR THAT MEETING? THAT. 
          LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I'VE HEARD THIS STORY FROM A FEW DIFFERENT. YEAH. THAT'S HOW YOU GAIN A REPUTATION AS AN IRASCIBLE MALCONTENT. BUT I'M GOING TO SUGGEST THERE WAS ANOTHER SIDE TO MIKE. WHEN I THINK BACK ON ON HIS INVOLVEMENT AND THE MANY TIMES HE CAME UP TO THIS PODIUM, YOU KNOW, HE TALKED ABOUT HE HAD A DIRECT HAND IN THE LODGING TAX. 
          HE HAD A DIRECT HAND IN THE SHORT TERM HOME RENTAL. YEP. ONE TIME HE WENT DOWNTOWN. HE WAS IRRITATED BY THE THE TRASH IN THE ALLEYS. AND I THINK THAT ULTIMATELY RESULTED IN CLOSING. 
          THEY HAD THE YOU HAD TRASH ENCLOSURES. YEP. SO HE, HE WAS INVOLVED IN A LOT OF THESE TYPES OF THINGS. AND IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, THESE WERE ALL COMMON GOOD ARGUMENTS. 
          ABSOLUTELY. WHEN I WENT BACK AND I THOUGHT ABOUT MIKE, MIKE NEVER CAME UP HERE LOOKING FOR A GRANT OR A PROPERTY TAX ABATEMENT OR AN EASEMENT OR ANY OF THOSE TYPES OF THINGS. HE WAS ALWAYS UP HERE MAKING ARGUMENTS FOR GREATER GOOD. QUITE A GUY. SO. FOR ME, I'M GOING TO GO DOWNTOWN HERE IN A FEW MINUTES AND I'M GOING TO RAISE A GLASS AT CHARLIE'S IRISH PUB OF HIS FAVORITE CANADIAN CLUB, CANADIAN CLUB. BUT I WISH YOU GUYS SUCCESS WITH YOUR MEETING TONIGHT. AND I WISH YOU SUCCESS AS YOU GO FORWARD, BECAUSE THIS IS WHAT COMMUNITY IS ALL ABOUT IN IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE AN ELECTION. AND, AND I WOULD SAY THAT I THINK PEOPLE NOWADAYS, THEY GET THEY GET FOCUSED ON THE WRONG ELECTIONS. 
          IF YOU WANT TO MAKE CHANGE, YOU MAKE CHANGE IN YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY. TONIGHT AS I CAME IN, THERE WERE SOME YOUNG PEOPLE WITH SIGNS. I DON'T KNOW IF I AGREE WITH THEM OR IF I DISAGREE WITH THEM, BUT IT'S GREAT THAT THEY'RE HERE. SO I THANK YOU FOR YOUR WORK. I KNOW YOU'RE HERE TO MAKE THIS A BETTER COMMUNITY AND I WISH YOU ALL THE SUCCESS. THANKS. HEY, TOM, GOOD TO SEE YOU. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR, FOR, FOR COMING UP AND SPEAKING. I MEAN, MIKE WAS SUCH A CHARACTER. I DIDN'T KNOW WHO HE WAS UNTIL I GOT ON COUNCIL. AND LIKE, PAULINA DIDN'T GIVE ME A HEADS UP AT ALL. RIGHT, SO THIS GUY COMES UP AND STARTS TALKING ABOUT MOTORCYCLE NOISE, AND THEN HE'S LIKE, GOT THE PAPERS AND THE STATS AND LIKE, AND HE, 
          [00:20:04]
I'M LIKE, WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW? LIKE, I MEAN, AND HE, BUT HE WAS LIKE, AND, YOU KNOW, THERE WAS, THERE WAS THE, THE SIDE OF HIM THAT WOULD COME UP TO THE, YOU KNOW, COME UP TO THE PODIUM AND, AND SPEAK. AND THEN HE, HE INVITED ME TO COME OVER AND HAVE COFFEE WITH HIM AND RITA AND, AND JUST LOVELY, LIKE ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING PEOPLE I'VE EVER MET. AND, AND HE JUST GENUINELY CARED SO MUCH ABOUT THIS TOWN. WELL, I KNOW TIL THE DAY I DIE WHEN I HEAR A LOUD MOTORCYCLE WITH PROBABLY ILLEGAL STRAIGHT PIPES. I'LL THINK OF MIKE. 
          ABSOLUTELY. THANKS, FOLKS. THANKS, TOM. ALL RIGHT. ANYBODY ELSE? COME ON UP. TIMOTHY PRESS, 34 YEAR RESIDENT OF STILLWATER. I'M ALREADY WEARING BLUE FOR UNITED WAY, JUST SO YOU KNOW. 
          PERFECT. SO I'M AHEAD OF THE CURVE. I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK ALL OF YOU DO, TOO. YOU'RE YOU'RE REALLY. YOU PUT IN A LOT OF EFFORT AND YOU ALL HAVE JOBS. AND I KNOW IT'S NOT EASY, AND I DO. I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO SPEAK IN AN OPEN FORUM LIKE THIS. I SHOULD DO IT MORE OFTEN. SOME OF YOU MIGHT NOT THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA, BUT I THINK IT'S GREAT. YEAH. THESE MEETINGS CAN GET A LITTLE MUNDANE, AND I THINK WHAT I'M GOING TO COVER PROBABLY COVERS A LOT OF WHAT RESIDENTS ARE THINKING REGARDING WHAT I'M GOING TO DO IS REALLY ADDRESS SOME BUDGET ITEMS. OKAY. I THINK IT'S TIMELY BECAUSE IT'S BUDGET TIME. 
          AND THE LAST TIME I WAS HERE WAS ACTUALLY DURING TRUTH AND TAXATION IN DECEMBER. AND AT THAT TIME, I ASKED A QUESTION OF COUNCIL REGARDING WHAT SPECIFIC PLANS THE CITY MIGHT HAVE IN PLACE OR CONSIDERING TO PUT IN PLACE TO MAYBE BE A LITTLE MORE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE. SO HERE WE ARE NINE MONTHS LATER. WE HAVE A NEW BUDGET. AND SO THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO KIND OF FILL ME IN A LITTLE BIT ON MAYBE WHAT THE COUNCIL'S BEEN DOING ALONG THOSE LINES. AND I THINK THAT TAXPAYERS WOULD BE HAPPY TO HEAR THIS IF THEY LOOK AT COUNCIL MEETINGS OR READ THE MINUTES. I READ THE MINUTES EVERY WEEK, EVERY SINGLE WEEK. 
          AND I KNOW ALL THE DECISIONS YOU HAVE TO MAKE. AND I KNOW IT'S NOT EASY. SO ANYWAY, I JUST WANT TO ADDRESS A COUPLE OF THINGS REAL QUICK. I DON'T WANT TO TAKE UP TOO MUCH TIME, BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT. AND I'M GOING TO I KNOW SOME OF THE QUESTIONS I'LL ASK. THEY'RE NOT EASY ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS, BUT I THINK THEY SHOULD BE ASKED. AND I THINK TAXPAYERS SHOULD REALLY BE MORE INVOLVED WHEN IT COMES TO BUDGETS. THE FIRST THING THAT I THINK SOME PEOPLE WOULD LIKE TO SEE IS MAYBE EVEN SEE THE CITY HOLD THE LINE ON SOME BUDGET ITEMS AND NOT SEE INCREASES ON EVERY SINGLE LINE ITEM, WHICH I THINK HAPPENED IN THIS BUDGET. I THINK THERE WAS ONE THAT WENT DOWN A LITTLE BIT, BUT IN GENERALLY, EVERY SINGLE LINE ITEM INCREASED, THERE ARE TWO ITEMS IN THE BUDGET WHICH ARE LABELED AS MISCELLANEOUS AND UNALLOCATED, WHICH, ACCORDING TO MY MATH, SHOW A COMBINED DECREASE OF ABOUT $1.3 MILLION. 
          I DON'T THINK THAT WAS A DECREASE IN SPENDING. IT WAS A SHIFT IN SPENDING OUT OF THOSE CATEGORIES. SO WHEN I LOOK AT A BUDGET AND I SEE THOSE KIND OF NUMBERS, I'M NOT QUITE SURE HOW THAT WORKS. AND I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THERE IS A MEMBER ON COUNCIL WHO'S HELPED ME OUT QUITE A BIT IN ANSWERING SOME OF MY QUESTIONS, AND I APPRECIATE THEIR THEIR FEEDBACK. 
          YOU'VE HAD PHENOMENAL QUESTIONS. I APPRECIATED EVERYTHING YOU'VE SENT TO ME. I WAS GOING TO SAY, AND HIS FIRST NAME RHYMES WITH LARRY. SO BUT ANYWAY, I MENTIONED THESE CONCERNS BECAUSE THE SINGLE LINE ITEM IN MY TAX BILL CONSISTENTLY YEAR OVER YEAR THAT INCREASES MORE THAN ANY OTHER LINE ITEM, IS THE CITY OF STILLWATER. EVERY YEAR. THAT'S A LINE ITEM THAT INCREASES THE MOST. I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S COMMON WITH EVERY TAXPAYER, BUT IT IS WITH ME. I THINK IT'S MORE TIMELY NOW AFTER SEEING THE MOST RECENT BUDGET INCREASES. I WANT TO JUST CITE A COUPLE OF LINE ITEMS REAL QUICK. AND AGAIN, I DON'T NEED SPECIFIC ANSWERS. 
          I'M THE KIND OF GUY THAT LIKES TO DIG AND FIND OUT SORT OF WHY THINGS HAPPEN. AND I THINK EVERYBODY SHOULD DO THAT TO SOME DEGREE. I SAW MANY LINE ITEMS THAT WENT UP 5 TO 6%. I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHY. WHEN I SEE THAT THAT PERCENTAGE LIKE LINE AFTER LINE, IT ALMOST SEEMS KIND OF LIKE A RUBBER STAMP INCREASE TO ME. IT MAY NOT HAVE BEEN, IT PROBABLY WASN'T, AND I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHY I SEE THOSE AMOUNTS ACROSS MORE THAN ONE LINE ITEM. I MEAN, ISN'T 
          [00:25:01]
THAT REAL QUICK, LIKE NOT TO TURN THIS INTO A Q&A? NO, NO, NO, IT'S OKAY. IF I CAN JUST CONTINUE, THAT'D BE GREAT. I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT. I KNOW THE LINE ITEMS DO GO UP, BUT IF I CAN JUST SAY SOME OTHER THINGS, WELL, SPECIFICALLY ADMIN, THAT LINE ITEM WAS UP 15%. ADMIN. I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHAT JUSTIFIES A 15% INCREASE IN THE IN THE ADMIN BUDGET, I DON'T KNOW. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WAS UP 9%, CITY ATTORNEY WAS UP 10%. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE WHAT THE REASONS ARE BEHIND THE INCREASES. I ALSO THINK I'VE SEEN NEW POSITIONS BEING ADDED IN THE BUDGET AS WELL. WHEN IT SAYS NEW POSITIONS, I'M ASSUMING THESE ARE CREATIVE CREATED NEW POSITIONS. WOULD THAT BE RIGHT AND NOT BACKFILLS? I DON'T WANT TO INTERRUPT YOU. YEAH, THERE'S THREE NEW POSITIONS, RIGHT? ONE FIREFIGHTER, ONE POLICE OFFICER. 
          AND WE'RE GOING TO ADDRESS THIS LATER. THE PARKS. WELL, I'LL BE HONEST WITH YOU, WHEN I WHEN I SEE A LINE ITEM LIKE EVENTS COORDINATOR AND A BUDGETED AMOUNT OF $134,000 FOR AN EVENTS COORDINATOR, THAT'S WHEN I STARTED THINKING ABOUT EXPENSES IN GENERAL AND CREATION OF NEW POSITIONS WITH THESE TYPES OF TITLES. I'M JUST BEING HONEST WITH YOU. YEAH, THE GENERAL TAX, THE GENERAL TAX LEVY IN. I'M GOING TO THE 2027 PROPOSED LEVY HAS INCREASED 62% IN FIVE YEARS. THE GENERAL LEVY, THE PROPERTY TAX LEVY IS UP 50% IN FIVE YEARS. THAT'S A PRETTY GOOD INCREASE. I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW IN COMPARATIVELY TO OTHER CITIES, I'M NOT QUITE SURE. AT ANY RATE, SOME SPECIFIC EXAMPLES REAL QUICK JUST TO JUMP TO I'M SORRY. I GOT AN INVITATION TO ATTEND THE EDA MEETING AND I MISSED IT. 
          SOMETHING CAME UP. BUT I THINK THERE'S ALSO DISCUSSION OF CREATING A NEW LEVY FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. RIGHT. WHICH COULD RESULT IN ABOUT WELL, IT COULD RESULT IN A POSSIBLE TAX INCREASE OF 0.5%. IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY IN A BUDGET? I KNOW THESE AGAIN, I KNOW THESE ARE TOUGH QUESTIONS AND IT'S REALLY SPECIFIC. IT'S NOT A TOUGH QUESTION. IT'S A TOUGH EXPLANATION BECAUSE WHAT I KNOW YOU READ THE MINUTES, YOU MIGHT WANT TO ACTUALLY SEE IF YOU CAN GET THE RECORDING FROM THE MEETING. WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT THERE WAS LARGELY OPPORTUNITIES. WE HAVE TO DO PROJECTS WITHOUT ACTUALLY HITTING YOUR TAX PIECE INSIDE THERE. SOME OF THOSE MECHANICS JUST DON'T TRANSLATE WELL TO THIS FORUM. BUT I WILL TELL YOU WHAT EXCITED US ALL ABOUT THAT MEETING IS THE NUMBER OF OPPORTUNITIES WE SEE WITHOUT HAVING TO RAISE TAXES RIGHT NOW. GREAT. THAT ADD TO THE I'M SORRY I MISSED THE MEETING THAT ADD TO THE. YEAH, THAT'S A FAIR POINT ACTUALLY. NET RIGHT. 
          BRING THE TAX BASE UP. RIGHT. SO WE HAVE TO LEVY LESS. RIGHT. I THINK YEAH, OVERALL TO I'M GOING TO JUMP AHEAD A LITTLE BIT. I THINK THERE'S A THERE'S A LOT OF TOUGH QUESTIONS. THE CITY IS REALLY GOING TO HAVE TO ADDRESS OVER THE NEXT 2 TO 3 YEARS BECAUSE AND I ADDRESS THIS IN MY COMMUNICATION TO LARRY, TOO. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SEE ASSESSMENTS INCREASE THE WAY THEY DID OVER THE PAST 3 OR 4 YEARS. YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A LITTLE BIT. YOU'RE GOING TO SEE A DECREASE, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY THERE GEOGRAPHIC EXPANSION. I DON'T THINK, YOU KNOW, REALLY, IT'S NOT GOING TO ADD A WHOLE BUNCH TO YOUR TAX BASE. THE HOSPITAL IS NONPROFIT, RIGHT? RIGHT. THEY'RE NOT GOING TO ENTER YOUR TAX BASE. SO TAKING ALL THE AND I, I'M SURE YOU DO THIS, BUT IT'S JUST IN MY MIND, TAKING ALL THESE THINGS INTO CONSIDERATION AND KNOWING HOW THIS AFFECTS SPENDING. CAN I GIVE YOU ONE EXAMPLE FROM THAT? WE LEARNED THAT JUST SHOCKED ME. WE LOOKED IN WAS IT 2017 AT PUTTING THE GARAGE IN? FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY NOT BE FROM STILLWATER, THE WAY TO DESCRIBE WHERE A PLACE IS IN STILLWATER IS WHAT USED TO BE THERE, RIGHT? SO WE'RE SHORTY'S USED TO BE RIGHT. THAT WAS 10 MILLION AND CHANGE TO DO THAT IN 2017. THAT SAME PROJECT IS OVER 20 MILLION FOR US. NOW I WAS GOING TO MENTION THAT INFLATIONARY WITH THE CONSTRUCTION STUFF IS JUST KILLING US. IT'S A IT LOOKS LIKE A HUGE IT LOOKS LIKE A PRETTY BIG STRUCTURE FROM WHAT I CAN SEE, AT LEAST FROM THE ARTIST'S RENDERING. SO I MEAN $20 MILLION. BY THE WAY, WE HAVE NO PLANS TO SPEND $20 MILLION ON A PARKING GARAGE RIGHT NOW. IT'S NOT IN OUR BUDGET, I GET IT, BUT, YOU KNOW, BUT WHEN YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, 20 MILLION HERE, 20 MILLION THERE, PRETTY SOON YOU'RE TALKING REAL MONEY, RIGHT? THANK YOU YOGI. AND WE'RE ALSO ABOUT TEN MINUTES RIGHT NOW ALREADY. SO 
          [00:30:02]
YEAH. BUT ANYWAY, I APPRECIATE THE TIME. I HONESTLY DO. AND I DO HOPE ON A PARTING NOTE THAT THE CITY REALLY DOES FROM THE STRATEGIC PLAN ADDRESS THE RESIDENT VERSUS TOURIST BALANCE. 
          I THINK IT'S VITALLY IMPORTANT AND IT'S IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN. SO I HOPE THAT CARRIES A LOT OF WEIGHT. ANYWAY, I APPRECIATE IT. THANKS VERY MUCH. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. BECAUSE THAT BRINGS ON WHAT I WANT TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT TOO, WHICH IS RESIDENT VERSUS TOURIST. AGAIN, I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING EVERYONE DOES. I'VE SPOKEN OUT BEFORE ABOUT THE FLOCK SAFETY CAMERAS, A P R OR A PRS. ANYWAY, I DO NOT LIKE SURVEILLANCE. I'VE SENT MOST PEOPLE AN EMAIL COVERING SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE DISCOVERED. I HAVE A LIFE. I SPEND MAYBE AN HOUR ON THIS KIND OF STUFF. SO IF IT'S COMING ACROSS TO ME JUST KIND OF NONCHALANTLY, IF I STARTED DIGGING OR Y'ALL STARTED DIGGING, THERE'D BE A LOT MORE INFORMATION ON THAT. BUT THE TOURIST VERSUS RESIDENT, I STILL AM UNCLEAR HOW THOSE FLOCK CAMERAS, IF I UNDERSTAND, ARE IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA ALONG MAIN STREET, THAT AREA. AND THEN WHAT I'LL SAY IS LIKE WASHINGTON STREET IN THAT FRONTAGE ROAD BY 36 DOESN'T NECESSARILY MAKE US FEEL SAFER OUT, YOU KNOW, ON LINDEN, DOWN BY LAKE MCKUSICK, THINGS LIKE THAT. NOT THAT I'M LOBBYING FOR CAMERAS DOWN THERE EITHER, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE IT'S FOR THOSE TOURIST EVENTS. AND IF I RECALL THE PRESENTATION THAT I WAS IN, IT'S BECAUSE THOSE SPECIAL EVENTS DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS, SAINT PAUL HAS MORE BOOTS ON THE GROUND. PEOPLE THAT THEY CAN CALL IN. SO THERE'S MORE LAW ENFORCEMENT PER INDIVIDUALS. IS THERE A WAY THAT WITH THE FLOCK CAMERAS, WE JUST TURN THEM ON FOR THOSE SPECIAL EVENTS AND TURN THEM OFF AFTERWARDS? WOULD THAT BE A COMPROMISE THAT COULD WORK? SO THROW THAT IN YOUR HEAD. AND I CAN'T REMEMBER THE OTHER THING BECAUSE, GEE, THAT HAPPENS SOMETIMES IN LIFE. SO I WANT TO LEAVE YOU WITH AN IMAGE BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN HERE BEFORE AND THERE DOESN'T EVEN SEEM TO BE A PAUSE ON LET'S THINK ABOUT THIS MORE DEEPLY, BUT PICTURE BEATING YOUR HEAD AGAINST A DEAD HORSE. SINCE THE F WORD WAS MENTIONED. MY NAME IS BRANT MEYER. I LIVE AT 115 HARRIET STREET, NORTH. I'D JUST LIKE TO TAKE A MINUTE TO THANK ALL OF YOU FOR THE CONTINUED DIALOG ON THE TOPIC OF THE FLOCK CAMERAS, SPECIFICALLY COUNCIL MEMBER COLLINS, COUNCIL MEMBER ODEBRECHT, AND MR. COLEMAN FOR THE KIND, TRANSPARENT AND TIMELY RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS OVER EMAIL. YOUR ENGAGEMENT IS WHAT TRUE COMMUNITY DOES LOOK LIKE. MY WIFE, DAUGHTER AND I MOVED HERE SIX YEARS AGO IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PANDEMIC BECAUSE WE WANTED LIFE TO SLOW DOWN A LITTLE BIT. STILLWATER WAS THE PERFECT FIT, CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE CITY WHEN WE WANTED IT FAR ENOUGH AWAY, WHEN WE DIDN'T. 
          THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. BIGGER THAN SMALL, BUT SMALLER THAN BIG. AS SOMEONE WHO GREW UP IN A SMALL TOURIST TOWN, LANESBORO, MINNESOTA, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. IT FELT VERY FAMILIAR FROM MY WIFE WHO GREW UP HERE. IT WAS A HOMECOMING THAT COINCIDED WITH HER CHILDHOOD BEST FRIEND MOVING BACK AT THE EXACT SAME TIME WE DID. AND FOR OUR DAUGHTER, IT WAS AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXCEL IN A TOP SCHOOL SYSTEM WHERE SHE GRADUATED WITH HONORS AND WAS DIRECTLY ADMITTED TO THE NURSING PROGRAM AT WINONA STATE. THIS YEAR, I FIRST BECAME AWARE OF FLOCK CAMERAS A FEW YEARS AGO WHEN A CONTEMPORARY OF MINE, BEN JORDAN, STARTED TALKING ABOUT THEM ON HIS YOUTUBE CHANNEL. I BECAME CONCERNED ABOUT THEM WHEN I SAW THE FIRST ONES GO UP IN STILLWATER. I WAS SHOCKED, BUT ODDLY UNDERSTANDING AT THE TIME. AS NOTED, WE'RE A TOWN THAT'S BUILT ON TOURISM. THE RETURNS ON THE INVESTMENTS WE MAKE IN OUR 155 YEAR OLD HOUSE ON THE BLUFF, AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE ARE PARTIALLY DRIVEN BY THAT TOURISM. OUR DOWNTOWN AND OUR COMMUNITY ARE ASSETS THAT WE WANT TO PROTECT. MONITORING THOSE ASSETS MADE SENSE TO ME. THAT LOGIC STARTED TO ERODE RATHER QUICKLY AS STORY AFTER STORY OF MISUSE, ABUSE, QUESTIONABLE DATA PRACTICES AND BREACHES OF COMMUNITY TRUST TOOK HOLD IN OUR NEWS FEEDS. THAT LOGIC EVAPORATED ENTIRELY WHEN THE REPORTED NUMBER OF CAMERAS IN STILLWATER APPEARED TO REACH A COMICAL NUMBER GIVEN THE COMMUNITY'S SIZE, ACCORDING TO 
          [00:35:02]
THE STILLWATER WEBSITE. WE HAVE 45 CAMERAS, 37, I BELIEVE, THAT ARE CURRENTLY INSTALLED, EIGHT THAT ARE PENDING IN INSTALLATION. TO PUT THAT IN PERSPECTIVE, ROCHESTER, MINNESOTA OUR STATE'S THIRD MOST POPULOUS CITY, IS REPORTED TO HAVE FOUR. WINONA, A PRETTY GOOD ANALOG TO STILLWATER. AND WHERE I MAY HAVE JUST MENTIONED THAT MY DAUGHTER WAS DIRECTLY ADMITTED TO THE NURSING PROGRAM, HAD EIGHT A FACT AND NUMBER. OUR WHOLE COUNTRY IS NOW AWARE OF. ONCE YOU SEE THE CAMERAS, YOU CAN'T UNSEE THEM. THE SOLAR PANELS ATOP SHORT POLES, ON CORNERS AND IN THE MIDDLE OF BOULEVARDS FEEL WOEFULLY OUT OF PLACE IN A TOWN THAT SELLS ITSELF ON QUAINT, HISTORIC CHARM. FLOCK. BIG TECH, AI, AND SURVEILLANCE ARE TOPICS THAT ARE CURRENTLY IN THE PUBLIC'S ATTENTION. AWARENESS IS HIGH, AND AS THAT AWARENESS GOES, I GROWS. EXCUSE ME. I BELIEVE THE LEVEL OF SURVEILLANCE THAT'S BEEN ESTABLISHED HERE WILL START TO HAVE A VERY NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITY THAT GOES BEYOND THE DAMAGE ALREADY DONE TO THE PUBLIC'S TRUST. THERE ARE RESTAURANTS, RIVERFRONTS, FESTIVALS AND ICE CREAM SHOPS IN TOWNS JUST LIKE OURS THAT HAVE ALREADY DECIDED THAT THESE CAMERAS WEREN'T A GOOD IDEA AFTER ALL. BIGGER THAN SMALL, SMALLER THAN BIG, BUT MAYBE NOT AS SMALL AS IT ONCE WAS, AND MAYBE NOT AS SMALL AS ITS RESIDENTS. RECENT TRANSPLANTS AND GENERATIONAL ALIKE WOULD LIKE IT TO BE. IN MANY WAYS, I THINK THE PUSHBACK ON FLOCK CAMERAS ALSO REPRESENTS SOMETHING BIGGER A DESIRE TO ENSURE THAT STILLWATER DOESN'T BECOME SOMETHING ITS RESIDENTS NO LONGER RECOGNIZE. AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, I GREW UP IN A SMALL TOWN ALSO BUILT ON TOURISM. AND WHILE LANESBORO DID NOT OPERATE ON THE SCALE OF STILLWATER, IT ALWAYS MADE SURE TO STRIKE THE RIGHT BALANCE OF WHAT WAS RIGHT FOR ITS VISITORS AND ITS RESIDENTS WHEN ITS POPULATION TRIPLED EVERY SUMMER. THESE ARE SOME OF THE OPEN QUESTIONS I HAVE REGARDING THESE CAMERAS IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND I DON'T EXPECT RESPONSES HERE TODAY. I KNOW THIS ISN'T THE PLACE. I KNOW THAT THERE IS AN EMAIL THAT I CAN SEND THIS TO, AND EVERYBODY WILL TAKE A LOOK AT IT, BUT THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE THINGS I'D LIKE TO SAY OUT LOUD BEFORE I SEND THAT. WHAT PROBLEM WERE WE TRYING TO SOLVE WITH THE INSTALLATION OF THESE CAMERAS OR OTHER SOLUTIONS TO THAT PROBLEM EXPLORED? HAVE THESE CAMERAS MADE SOMETHING THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY IMPOSSIBLE POSSIBLE? WE'VE HEARD ANECDOTES ABOUT CRIMES THAT WERE SOLVED USING THESE CAMERAS IN THE MEETING A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. WHAT IMPACT, IF ANY, HAVE THEY HAD ON CRIME RATES AT A MACRO LEVEL, HOW MANY CAMERAS DOES SLASH WILL STILLWATER ACTUALLY HAVE? AS I MENTIONED, EMAIL CORRESPONDENCE, THE CITY WEBSITE AND FLOCKS TRANSPARENCY PORTAL ALL SHARE SOMETIMES DRASTICALLY VERY DIFFERENT NUMBERS. WHAT IS OUR ACTUAL DATA RETENTION POLICY? THE DOCUMENTED 30 DAYS ON THE STILLWATER WEBSITE IS IN CONFLICT WITH FLOCK'S LATEST SEVEN DAY POLICY IS THAT THEY ANNOUNCED A FEW WEEKS AGO IN RESPONSE TO PUBLIC PUSHBACK. SOME RESIDENTS ARE IN AN UNFORTUNATE POSITION WHERE THEY HAVE CAMERAS POINTED DIRECTLY AT THEIR HOMES. IS THAT NECESSARY? THE CAMERAS ON MYRTLE AND THE ONES NEAR NELSON'S COME TO MIND. LASTLY, AND I THINK, LARRY, YOU ANSWERED THIS QUESTION TO ME IN AN EMAIL, BUT HOW LONG DO WE INTEND FOR THE EMAIL FEEDBACK PERIOD TO BE OPEN, AND WHERE SHOULD PEOPLE LOOK FOR AN ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING A RESPONSE TO THAT FEEDBACK? THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR TIME. I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING THAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING. I APPRECIATE YOU FOR LISTENING, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO LEARNING WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. BRAD. I'LL SAY AS FAR AS THE. THAT WAS GREAT. AS FAR AS THE EMAIL, I MEAN, THAT'S THAT NEVER STOPS, RIGHT? I MEAN, ANY OF OUR CITIZENS, IF THEY WANT TO MEET WITH US, EMAIL US, CALL US, TALK TO US, ANSWER QUESTIONS. THAT'S ALWAYS OPEN. YEAH, I THINK I'M SPEAKING SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THE ONE THAT WAS SET UP TO GATHER FEEDBACK AND ONLY FLOCK FEEDBACK. YEAH, I HAVE NO IDEA. 
          I CAN'T IMAGINE IT GOING AWAY EVER. RIGHT. THAT'S, THAT'LL THAT'LL BE THERE AS LONG AS WE HAVE THESE TYPES OF CAMERAS, I WOULD IMAGINE. BUT I WOULD. WELL, BECAUSE YOU BROUGHT UP SOME REALLY GOOD POINTS, I WOULD STILL ENCOURAGE EVERYBODY LIKE THE CONVERSATION NEEDS TO CONTINUE. I WANT TO KEEP TALKING TO PEOPLE AND HEARING FROM PEOPLE. I HAD AN AMAZING NUMBER OF CONVERSATIONS OVER THE WEEKEND. I PROBABLY SPOKE TO 200 PEOPLE ABOUT FLOCK CAMERAS, AND IT WAS VERY INSIGHTFUL AND I LEARNED A LOT FROM IT. SO I WANT TO OBVIOUSLY CONTINUE THOSE TYPES OF CONVERSATIONS, AND I WANT TO PUT IT OUT THERE THAT IF THERE'S ANY GROUPS OR PEOPLE THAT WANT TO MEET OR CHAT WITH ME INDIVIDUALLY, I THINK THE CONVERSATIONS I HAD THIS WEEKEND WITH PEOPLE ONE ON ONE OR IN A SMALL GROUP WERE GREAT, RIGHT? THIS FORUM, AS WE ALL KNOW, SUCKS FOR THIS. IT CAN'T BE A FIVE HOUR Q&A RIGHT NOW, RIGHT? BUT I DO WANT TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT, AND WE'RE GOING TO TALK TO ADMINISTRATOR COLEMAN ABOUT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO HAVE SOME COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS, TO DO SOMETHING, A FOCUS GROUP, SOMETHING. I WANT TO SEE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON THIS AND HOW 
          [00:40:02]
THE COMMUNITY FEELS. AND SO WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO TRY AND DO THAT. BUT IN THE INTERIM, WHILE WE SORT THAT OUT, I'VE I'VE YET TO FIND AN EXAMPLE. IF ANYONE HAS ONE OF A COMMUNITY OUTSIDE OF STILLWATER THAT'S DONE THIS WELL IN COMMUNICATING THIS AND HAVING COMMUNITY DISCUSSION, PLEASE EMAIL ME THAT OR CALL ME WITH THAT. EVERYTHING I'VE SEEN TURNS INTO KIND OF A SHOUTING MATCH AND IT'S NOT VERY PRODUCTIVE. AND I DEFINITELY WANT TO AVOID THAT BECAUSE NO ONE HAS THE TIME FOR IT. SO IF ANYONE HAS ANY IDEAS. BUT WITH THAT, WE ARE GOING TO ASK OUR CITY ADMINISTRATOR TO TRY AND FIGURE OUT A WAY TO DO SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES. 
          BUT AGAIN, IN THE INTERIM, IF ANYBODY WANTS TO CHAT WITH ME OR MEET FOR COFFEE, A GROUP OF PEOPLE, WHATEVER, LIKE I'M ABSOLUTELY OPEN TO DO THAT. I'M SURE MOST COUNCIL IS AS WELL AS SCHEDULES PERMIT. SO JUST PLEASE DO THAT BECAUSE THE ONE ON ONE CONVERSATIONS THAT I'VE HAD OVER THE LAST 4 OR 5 DAYS HAVE BEEN AMAZING. SO SUPER HELPFUL. SO THANK YOU. YOU HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF HAVING COFFEE WITH PEOPLE WHO HAVE LIVED IN THIS COMMUNITY FOR SOME LONGER THAN I'VE BEEN ALIVE ON A BIWEEKLY BASIS IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. YOU ARE WELCOME TO COME TO THAT COFFEE DATE ANYTIME. I'LL SEND YOU AN INVITATION. PLEASE DO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ONE OTHER POINT. WELL, TWO POINTS. I'LL SAY THAT I LOVE LANESBORO BECAUSE IT'S A COOL TOWN. IT IS, I DO THINK, WONDERFUL PLACE TO GROW UP. A TOWN HAS DONE A BETTER JOB WITH RAILS TO TRAILS, AND I THINK ANY CITY IN THE NATION BY MILES ONE POINT. AND LYNN, YOU HIT ON THIS TOO. I'M GOING TO QUOTE A FORMER COUNCIL MEMBER, DAVE JUNKER, ON SOMETHING. WE DON'T MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON TOURISM. I'VE NEVER MADE A DECISION BASED ON TOURISM. IT'S GREAT THAT WE HAVE OUR BUSINESSES, AND I'M NOT SAYING TOURISM IS NOT IMPORTANT TO THEM. WE ARE WELL PAST THE POINT WHERE I MAKE A DECISION ON ANYTHING BASED ON DRIVING TOURISM INTO THIS TOWN, AND I THINK THAT'S KIND OF THE ETHOS OF THIS COUNCIL RIGHT NOW. SO HURT ON THAT, AND I APPRECIATE THAT YOU'RE KIND OF GOING OUT OF YOUR WAY TO SAY THAT. I JUST WANT TO LIKE, GET ON THE RECORD WITH THAT BECAUSE WE DON'T MAKE DECISIONS FOR THAT. WE MOVE TO A WARD SYSTEM YEARS AGO SPECIFICALLY SO THAT THERE WOULDN'T BE A CONCENTRATION OF COUNCIL MEMBERS IN DOWNTOWN. WE HAVE ONE COUNCIL MEMBER FROM DOWNTOWN. THE REST OF US REPRESENT NEIGHBORHOODS UP HERE, AND I THINK THAT WAS A GOOD DECISION. RIGHT ON TO SAY YOU MUST HAVE A SMART DAUGHTER. I GRADUATED FROM WINONA, AND I KNOW HOW HARD. I KNOW HOW HARD THAT NURSING PROGRAM IS. 10% OF KIDS GET DIRECTLY ADMITTED TO THAT PROGRAM. I KNOW A LOT OF KIDS THAT GOT TURNED DOWN. SO MY, MY, MY, SHE'S NOT MY DAUGHTER, BUT SHE'S MY DAUGHTER, IF YOU GET IT. SHE WENT THROUGH THE NURSING SCHOOL OVER ONE HOUR AND I ENDED UP AT MAYO AND NOW SHE'S DOING SOME MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING. AND IT'S, IT'S, IT'S A COOL CAREER. I'D LOVE TO CHAT ABOUT IT. YEAH. COOL. THANKS. YOU GUYS APPRECIATE IT. LYNN HOFFMAN. 
          SECOND TIME. I DID NOT PLAN ON TALKING. ONE THING I WAS KNOW WAS CIRCULATING AMONGST PEOPLE THAT WERE TALKING WAS THERE IS A DOCUMENT SAYING THAT THERE WERE THREE QUOTES RECEIVED IN TOTAL FOR THIS TO MAKE THIS DECISION. AND I DON'T KNOW THAT THE DOCUMENT INDICATES WHAT THE COMPETITIVE QUOTES WERE OR IF THERE'S ANY INFORMATION ON THAT, IF THAT'S A WAY TO FIND OUT THAT AT SOME POINT, SEND IT TO THE FLOCK EMAIL AND WE'LL CHASE IT DOWN, OKAY. AND COPY ME OR SEND IT TO ME LIKE, OKAY, GREAT. AND THE OTHER THING I JUST WANT TO MENTION, THERE'S BEEN A DIALOG ONLINE ON FACEBOOK AND YOU MENTIONED ABOUT IT BEING HACKED BECAUSE THAT WAS ONE OF THE MANY THINGS THAT GOT BROUGHT UP LAST TIME. I DON'T KNOW IF ANYONE CAN EVER GUARANTEE THAT IT'S NOT GOING TO GET HACKED. THE IT WORLD FAMILIAR WITH IT, I DON'T. WE HEAR CONSTANTLY ABOUT DATA BREACHES, DATA BEING OUT THERE, SO I CAN'T IMAGINE ANYONE BEING COMFORTABLE WITH ANY INFORMATION OF SOMEONE TRYING TO GUARANTEE THAT IT'S NOT HACKABLE, BECAUSE I THINK EVERYTHING IS HACKABLE, EVERYTHING'S HACKABLE. I DID DATA GOVERNANCE FOR A COMPANY THAT DOES 98% OF THE E-PRESCRIPTIONS IN THE NATION. 
          SO ALL THE E-PRESCRIPTIONS, THEY WERE HACKED WHEN SOLARWINDS WENT DOWN. ANYBODY WHO TELLS YOU SOMETHING CAN'T BE HACKED IS LYING. WELL, I THINK AND THAT DISCUSSION BACK AND FORTH YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT LOOKING INTO IF IT WAS HACKABLE AND TO FIND OUT IN ONE OF THE FACEBOOK AND I HAD RESPONDED, AND THAT WAS THE POINT. I THOUGHT YOU WERE TRYING TO SAY THAT WE'LL FIND OUT IF IT'S ABLE TO BE HACKED OR NOT. AND I DON'T I DON'T THINK ANYONE'S GOING TO EVER BELIEVE THAT. IT'S MY CONTENTION THAT I SAID THAT I APOLOGIZE. I BASICALLY OPERATE UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT EVERYTHING CAN BE HACKED. RIGHT. 
          AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE MAIN CONCERNS. THAT WAS ONE OF PLETHORA OF WHAT PEOPLE BROUGHT UP WITH SAFETY. I DON'T THINK ANYONE'S GOING TO FEEL SECURE, THAT NO ONE'S GOING TO BE ABLE TO ACCESS IT. AND AGAIN, JUST PEOPLE COMING AND GOING AND LIVING LIVES IS NOT PURSUANT TO OTHER PEOPLE'S BUSINESS, BUT. SO THAT'S IT. THANKS. THANK YOU. HI. SO MY HUSBAND AND I, WE JUST RECENTLY MOVED BACK. HE'S ACTUALLY STILL ACTIVE DUTY. HE'S ATTACHED HERE FOR 
          [00:45:02]
COMPASSIONATE REASSIGNMENT BECAUSE OF MY MEDICAL CARE. SO OFTENTIMES I KIND OF SPEAK FOR HIM BECAUSE HE CAN'T. BUT I DO HAVE A COUPLE QUESTIONS. I JUST WANTED TO PUT ON THE RECORD. 
          AND FIRST IS THE SEPTEMBER 2026 ALPR AUDIT THAT WAS RECENTLY FILED WITH THE MINNESOTA LEGISLATIVE REFERENCE LIBRARY. I THINK THAT YOU GUYS RECENTLY SPOKE ABOUT IS THAT THE SAME AUDIT THE CITY WEBSITE STILL SAYS IS DUE IN OCTOBER? BECAUSE I WAS A LITTLE CONFUSED ABOUT THAT. SECOND, THAT AUDIT APPEARS TO ADDRESS THE 17 ALPR CAMERAS, BUT THE CITY ALSO HAS 22 CAMERAS. THE, YOU KNOW, PIVOT, TILT ZOOM CAMERAS AND ANOTHER EIGHT PENDING INSTALLATIONS. SO WHAT INDEPENDENT AUDIT AND ACCESS CONTROLS APPLY TO THOSE CAMERAS? AND THEN THIRD, BEFORE THOSE ADDITIONAL CAMERAS ARE INSTALLED, WILL COUNCIL PUBLICLY REVIEW THEIR LOCATIONS, PURPOSE RETENTION RULES AND OPERATOR LOGS AND OVERSIGHT? I'M ACTUALLY JUST ASKING FOR CLARITY ABOUT LIKE WHAT'S BEEN AUDITED AND WHAT HAS NOT, BECAUSE THE STILLWATER POLICE DEPARTMENT HAVE. THEY DID LIKE A REALLY NARROW AUDIT RECENTLY. 
          THAT ONE THAT I'M SPEAKING ABOUT, AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S A REALLY NARROW SAMPLING IN SOME AREAS, BUT IT'S NOT LIKE A LINE BY LINE AUDIT ON EVERYTHING THAT GOES THROUGH THAT. SO THAT WAS MY QUESTION ABOUT THAT. ALSO, I'M JUST WONDERING IF THERE'S EVER BEEN ANY IDENTIFIED OR INVESTIGATED, DISCIPLINED OR IMPROPER UNAUTHORIZED USE OF ALPR SYSTEM. 
          AND IF SO, LIKE, WHAT IS YOUR DISCIPLINING ON THAT? SO THAT'S JUST WHAT I'M WANTING TO PUT INTO THE RECORD. AND ALSO, IF, AGAIN, IF YOU HAVE AN EMAIL THAT TO ONE OF US ALREADY, THAT WOULD BE SUPER HELPFUL. I DID EMAIL MR. BROCK AND HE WAS ACTUALLY AMAZING IN GETTING BACK TO ME PRETTY QUICKLY. UNFORTUNATELY, I DIDN'T GET BACK TO YOU. YEAH, SEND ME SEND ME THAT LIST. SORRY. SEND ME THAT LIST. IT'S A GOOD LIST. I KNOW SOME OF THE ANSWERS. I DON'T KNOW ALL THE ANSWERS. I ACTUALLY JUST SPENT OUR MEETING. PREVIOUS MEETING ENDED AT 530, AND COUNCIL MEMBER BELAN AND I JUST SPENT THE LAST HOUR AND A HALF LOOKING AT THE SYSTEM WITH ONE OF OUR CAPTAINS. SO I'VE GOT SOME OF THAT. I DON'T HAVE ALL OF IT. SEND IT TO ME. COPY THAT, FLOCK EMAIL. WE'LL FIGURE IT OUT. IT'S A GREAT LIST OF QUESTIONS, AND I PROBABLY WILL REACH OUT TO YOU GUYS. AND MR. COLEMAN TO MEET WITH YOU WITH MY HUSBAND, SINCE HE CAN'T SPEAK PUBLICLY. BUT SINCE HE DOES DO THIS AS A JOB FOR THE ARMY, HE DOES HAVE A LOT OF INSIGHT ON HOW THESE THINGS WORK. IT WOULD BE A GOOD CONVERSATION. OKAY. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. HI THERE. YOU CAN CALL ME MR. GEORGIE. I'VE LIVED HERE FOR 12 YEARS. I'VE OWNED A HOME FOR EIGHT YEARS. HERE I FEEL RIGHT AT HOME HERE. AND I KIND OF JUST WANT TO TOUCH. ON THE DAY AFTER OUR MEETING LAST TIME, WHERE WE HAD, WHAT, 30 DIFFERENT RESIDENTS COME UP AND GIVE WELL ARTICULATED SPEECHES, YOU, MR. KOZLOWSKI, SAID THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A CONVERSATION BASED IN REALITY, ASSUMING THAT OUR TALKING POINTS WEREN'T BASED IN REALITY IS WHAT I TOOK FROM THAT. AND WHAT I HAVE TO SAY BACK IS WE HAD TWO INDUSTRY LEADERS, LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. ONE JUST SPOKE VERIFYING THE CONCERNS THAT WE HAD AND ALSO GIVING YOU AN ULTERIOR OPTION THAT WE MAY BE MORE COMFORTABLE WITH. THE OTHER THING THAT KIND OF RUBBED ME THE WRONG WAY WAS YOUR CLOSING STATEMENTS. YOU SAID SOMETHING ALONG THE LINES OF, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE A DECISION, AND THEN THE COUNCIL IS GOING TO DECIDE WHETHER WE KEEP THESE THINGS OR NOT, WHETHER OR NOT IT'S WHAT THE COMMUNITY WANTS. AND I JUST KIND OF WANT TO ASK YOU, DO YOU REPRESENT YOUR COMMUNITY? BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO ASK THAT QUESTION BECAUSE OF THAT COMMENT. YEAH. THAT'S STRANGE. I DON'T REMEMBER SAYING THAT. I DON'T THINK IT WAS PRINTED THAT WAY. BUT THE COUNCIL WILL MAKE A DECISION AND THERE WILL BE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY WHERE THAT DECISION ISN'T WHAT THEY WANT, I THINK, IS WHAT I MEANT TO SAY, LIKE, WHATEVER DECISION WE MAKE IS GOING TO OFFEND SOMEBODY, I WOULD IMAGINE. YEAH, NO, I GUESS WAS THE POINT. BUT YOU'LL MAKE A DECISION 
          [00:50:01]
REPRESENTATIVE OF WHAT THE COMMUNITY WANTS, NOT WHAT THE COUNCIL WANTS IS WHAT I'M ASKING. YES. I MEAN, THAT'S ALL OF OUR INTENT HERE, ALL RIGHT. FOR SURE. BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE DID THE DOOR KNOCKING VOLUNTARILY. YOU KNOW, I SPENT A COUPLE HOURS. MANY OF US SPENT SEVERAL HOURS. MANY OF US SPENT A WEEK OR MORE PUTTING TOGETHER A 12 PAGE REPORT WITH WELL CITED SOURCES AND HANDED YOU PAPER COPIES AND SENT YOU A DIGITAL COPY. AND I'M CURIOUS, DID ANY OF YOU FIND TIME TO READ THAT? YEAH, I'VE READ IT. YOU'VE READ THE WHOLE THING AND OKAY. BECAUSE I THINK WHAT YOU WOULD FIND IF YOU DID READ THAT AND YOU DID ACTUALLY LISTEN TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS, YOUR COMMUNITY IS THAT WE ARE TALKING BASED IN REALITY. AND IT SEEMS LIKE TO US THAT YOU'RE NOT IN REALITY AND YOU'RE LISTENING TO A SALESPERSON WHOSE JOB IS TO WHOSE JOB IS TO WORK AROUND OBJECTIONS. AND AS SOMEBODY WHO'S WORKED IN SALES FOR SIX YEARS, MADE MULTIPLE SIX FIGURES DOING DOOR TO DOOR SALES, I UNDERSTAND THAT ROLE, AND I KNOW THE TRICKS AND TACTICS TO GET AROUND THESE OBJECTIONS. NOW, I HAVE FOUR DIFFERENT PERSONALITY TYPES THAT I LIKE TO TALK TO A BULL, A SHEEP, A TIGER, AND AN OWL. 
          AND WHAT I'LL TELL YOU RIGHT NOW IS OWLS DIG DEEP. THEY DO THE RESEARCH, THEY READ EVERYTHING, AND THEY WILL FIND EVERY LITTLE THING. AND WHAT YOU HAD PUT TOGETHER THAT DOCUMENT AND WHAT YOU HAD COME AND SPEAK TO YOU IS OWLS. AND YOU HAD A COUPLE OF BULLS, AND YOU HAD A COUPLE OF SHEEP COME UP HERE WHO GOT CONFIDENT OVER TIME TO SPEAK UP. BUT 750 SIGNATURES, 500 OF THEM WERE CONSTITUENTS AT A 75% SIGN RATE, LIKE IN DOOR TO DOOR STORM RESTORATION. WE WOULD TAKE A TEN BY TEN SQUARE OF THE ROOF AND WE WOULD DETERMINE, HEY, IS THERE ENOUGH HAIL DAMAGE HERE TO SAY THAT THIS PLANE HAS ENOUGH DAMAGE? AND WE WOULD EXTRAPOLATE THAT ACROSS THE REST OF THE ROOF. AND SO WHAT I THINK IS THAT YOU COULD TAKE THE DATA THAT WE DID VOLUNTARILY ON OUR ON YOUR BEHALF, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD HAVE PAID SOMEBODY TO GO DO THE DOOR KNOCKING, BUT WE WENT AND DID IT. YOU COULD EXTRAPOLATE THAT DATA AND SEE THAT MAJORITY OF THE COMMUNITY DOES NOT WANT THESE CAMERAS. 
          AND ONE OF THE LAST SPEAKERS SAID THAT IF YOU WANTED TO SHOW US RESPECT AND SHOW US SOME TRUST AND REBUILD THAT, BECAUSE TO BE HONEST, YOU'VE LOST IT IN A LOT OF YOUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS. 
          NOW, YOU WOULD BEG THOSE CAMERAS AND THEN SCHEDULE A MEETING TO CONTINUE THOSE CONVERSATIONS. YOU SAID TONIGHT THAT YOU'RE OPEN TO HAVING THAT CONVERSATION, AND I THINK THAT WE SHOULD HAVE IT SCHEDULED. BUT IN ORDER TO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN RESPECTFUL, WE'VE BEEN PATIENT. WE'VE SHOWN UP A COUPLE OF TIMES. I THINK IT WOULD JUST BE RIGHT TO BEG THE CAMERAS AND SHOW US SOME RESPECT AND STOP DISRESPECTING US. SO THANK YOU. AND THEN ALSO LIKE A BUNCH OF AI TECH BROS AND AI EXECUTIVES ARE COMING OUT SAYING THAT THIS STUFF'S GOING TO KILL US IN THE NEXT 5 TO 10 YEARS, AND WE'RE GOING AND THERE'S A ROGUE AI OUT THERE THAT ARE JUST OUT THERE. THEY'RE MAKING MONEY. THEY'RE HAVING CONVERSATIONS THAT WE CAN'T UNDERSTAND. WE HAVE TO HAVE AI BREAK DOWN WHAT THE HECK THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT. AND THAT JUST SEEMS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. AND THEIR EXECUTIVES ARE SAYING THAT IN THE NEXT 5 TO 10 YEARS, IT'S GOING TO KILL US. YOU KNOW, ELON MUSK HAS SAID IT. PEOPLE WHO WORKED WITH PALANTIR HAVE SAID IT LIKE REALLY REPUTABLE SOURCES HAVE SAID THAT. AND YOU GUYS ARE PUTTING UP THE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR IT TO WATCH ALL OF US MAP WHERE WE ALL GO, I CAN TAKE THIS PHONE AND I CAN THROW IT ON THE GROUND AND I CAN BREAK IT. I CAN'T GO AND BREAK YOUR CAMERAS. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I WENT AND BROKE YOUR CAMERAS? I WOULD BE ARRESTED, BUT I CAN LEAVE THAT BEHIND. IF AI WENT ROGUE, I COULD LEAVE MY PHONE BEHIND. BUT I GOT TO DRIVE PAST YOUR CAMERAS. AND IF IT'S GOT THOSE DRONES, IF IT'S GOT THOSE CRAZY ROBOT DOGS AND SHIT, LIKE IT'S GOING TO COME AFTER US AND LIKE, I'M SORRY, LIKE IT'S A REALITY. THEY SAID IT'S 10% AND THEY'RE PROBABLY UNDERVALUING THAT NUMBER. SO IT'S DANGEROUS IF IT FALLS INTO THE WRONG HANDS. WE DON'T WANT IT TO EVEN HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT. HI THERE. HOW ARE YOU? MY NAME IS MORGAN BARTON, 580 EAGLE RIDGE TRAIL. I SPOKE LAST TIME AS WELL. TED, THE THINGS THAT YOU SAID ABOUT US NOT HAVING THIS CONVERSATION IN REALITY WERE RECORDED IN THE PIONEER PRESS. AND I CAN'T DICTATE IN A 45 MINUTE CONVERSATION WITH A REPORTER, I CAN'T REALLY DICTATE WHAT SHE PULLS FROM THAT. YEAH. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF SHE PULLED THIS SPECIFIC 
          [00:55:05]
QUOTE FROM EVERYTHING THAT YOU SAID. IT WAS NOT MY INTENTION TO SAY. EVERYTHING EVERYBODY SAID IN THIS ROOM WASN'T BASED IN REALITY. SO I JUST WANT TO MAKE CLEAR, A LOT OF PEOPLE BROUGHT UP SOME REALLY GOOD POINTS. THERE WERE A LOT OF POINTS THAT WERE NOT BASED IN REALITY. SO THAT'S THAT'S WHAT I MEANT TO SAY. I SUPPOSE IT WASN'T TO GENERALIZE EVERYTHING EVERYBODY SAID IN THAT MEETING. SO APOLOGIES IF THAT'S HOW IT CAME ACROSS IN A NEWS STORY. 
          THAT'S A NON-APOLOGY. AND I'M GLAD THAT YOU PUT THAT ON THE RECORD. YEAH, PERFECT. THANK YOU. BUT THE OTHER THING THAT I THE OTHER CONCERN THAT NEVER GOT BROUGHT UP THE LAST TIME IS HAVE YOU DONE AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT ON THE USE OF AI? BECAUSE THE UN HAS PUT OUT LOTS OF DIFFERENT STATEMENTS, BUT IN ONE OF THEIR MOST RECENT STATEMENTS, THEY STATE BY 2030, EYES WATER USE WILL MATCH THE NEEDS OF 1.3 BILLION PEOPLE, WHILE ITS POWER USE TRIPLES THAT OF 650 MILLION. THIS IS CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY WEEK, RIGHT? YOU KNOW, HOW DOES THAT HOW DOES HOW DOES THAT STAT HOW DOES THAT LINE UP WITH OUR CLIMATE SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS IN THIS CITY? YAY! WOO. I DON'T THINK IT DOES. AND I'M GOING TO SAY TO I'VE SEEN BOTH OF YOUR FACEBOOK POSTS, I'VE READ THEM, I'VE READ ALL THE COMMENTS. I THINK THE LAST TIME I READ THEM ON YOUR POST, SPECIFICALLY, TED, THERE WAS 235 COMMENTS. MAJORITY OF THEM WERE AGAINST FLACK. SO IF YOU GUYS ACTUALLY THINK THAT WE BELIEVE THAT YOU BELIEVE THAT YOU REPRESENT US, I DON'T THAT THAT IT'S JUST I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND. I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND. IT WASN'T AN EYE ROLL. I WAS TRYING TO DO THE MATH ON ME. BELIEVE YOU BELIEVES AND WHATEVER. IT WASN'T LIKE I WAS MENTALLY TRYING TO FIGURE THAT OUT. BUT GO AHEAD. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW YOU CAN CONTINUE TO SAY THAT YOU WANT TO HAVE A CONVERSATION WHEN MULTIPLE TIMES OUR GROUP, WHO HAS DONE THE RESEARCH AND SUBMITTED THE REPORT, HAVE TRIED TO SCHEDULE A MEETING WITH YOU. I'VE NEVER HAD AN INVITE TO MEET. WE'VE TRIED TO SCHEDULE MULTIPLE MEETINGS WITH YOU, WITH THE COUNCIL. THAT'S THAT'S NEWS TO ME. IS IT IS IT? I NEVER HAD ANYONE REACH OUT TO ME TO MEET. WELL, AT ANY RATE, EVEN IF IT'S NOT TRUE, EVEN IF MY GROUP MEMBERS ARE SOMEHOW MISREMEMBERING SOMETHING, THIS IS, I THINK, THE FOURTH MEETING WHERE FLACK HAS BEEN BROUGHT UP. AND I UNDERSTAND THE FIRST MEETING WAS MAYBE ONE LONE VOICE. THE SECOND MEETING WAS MULTIPLE VOICES IN A STANDALONE ROOM, OR IT'S, OR IT WAS MAYBE LIKE 15 OR 10 OR 15 VOICES. THE THIRD ONE WAS THE STANDALONE, YOU KNOW, STANDING ROOM ONLY. 
          AND THEN THIS ONE IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE STILL HERE AND WE'RE GOING TO KEEP COMING AND WE'RE GOING TO KEEP ASKING BECAUSE TO BE FRANK, THE LET'S HAVE A CONVERSATION ISN'T GOOD ENOUGH. 
          IT'S JUST NOT. THANK YOU. ANYBODY ELSE? COME ON UP. DON'T BE SHY. CONNOR, 703 LINDEN STREET. SOME TOUGH ACTS TO FOLLOW TONIGHT. I DON'T REALLY HAVE A STATEMENT PREPARED. I DO WANT TO SPEAK ON THE FLOCK CAMERAS THAT I THINK THEY ARE JUST BLATANTLY WARRANTLESS SURVEILLANCE WITHOUT ANY PROBABLE CAUSE, WITHOUT ANY REASONABLE SUSPICION. OUR LOCATION IS CAPTURED AND THEN TRACKED ON A MAP FROM EVERY OTHER FLOCK CAMERA THAT WE MAY DRIVE BY ON OUR WAY TO WORK OR THROUGHOUT GOING THROUGH LIFE. THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. I HOPE YOU RECONSIDER. I THINK IMMEDIATELY PUTTING BAGS OVER THOSE CAMERAS, AS OTHER CITIES HAVE DONE, WOULD BE THE APPROPRIATE THING TO DO. THANK YOU, THANK YOU. TYLER LANIER, 98, 1080 THIRD STREET NORTH IN GRANT. I WANT TO SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT A STILLWATER RESIDENT TECHNICALLY, BUT I WENT TO HIGH SCHOOL. I LIVED HERE MOST OF MY LIFE, AND STILLWATER IS THE PLACE YOU GO TO BUY STUFF, YOU NEED STUFF, YOU GO TO STILLWATER. SO THIS REALLY DOES AFFECT MORE THAN JUST STILLWATER RESIDENTS. THIS IS KIND OF A NO SAINT CROIX VALLEY ISSUE. WE GET A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO ARE UPSET ABOUT IT. AND THOSE 250 PEOPLE IN OUR IN OUR PETITION REALLY DO MATTER BECAUSE STILLWATER DRAWS FROM FROM MORE THAN JUST THE CITY ITSELF. WHEN I GO THROUGH STILLWATER AND I GO ABOUT MY ERRANDS, I REALLY GET DISGUSTED SEEING THESE CAMERAS, ESPECIALLY AFTER IT'S BEEN MONTHS OF, OF TRYING TO WORK THIS OUT WITH YOU GUYS. AND I WOULD HOPE THAT YOU CAN HELP US TO CONTINUE THIS CONVERSATION 
          [01:00:06]
IN A MORE PRODUCTIVE MANNER. SO I'D LIKE TO ASK IF THERE'S A WHAT'S THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY FOR US TO MEET WITH YOU ALL? I KNOW THERE'S A RULES AGAINST HAVING THE WHOLE CITY COUNCIL TOGETHER IN ONE MEETING, BUT I'D LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT. WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE WHEN WE WHEN WE DO THAT, JUST EMAIL. OKAY, SO EMAIL TO SET UP A DATE. I TALKED TO RESIDENTS ALL THE TIME. I MEET WITH PEOPLE FOR COFFEE. WE'D LIKE TO GET AS MANY PEOPLE TOGETHER AS POSSIBLE. WE HAVE MULTIPLE MEETINGS WITH WHOM SHOULD WE HAVE LIKE TWO PEOPLE AT A TIME? OR I MEAN, I THINK INDIVIDUALS IS THE BEST WAY TO GO. PERSONALLY, I PREFER JUST LIKE ONE ON ONE, BUT SO WE'D LIKE TO REACH OUT TO YOU. IS THERE A IS THERE A DAY OR TIME THAT WORKS BEST FOR, FOR MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL THAT WE CAN GET? MY WEEKS ARE DIFFERENT. EVERY EVERY SINGLE WEEK IS DIFFERENT FROM THE LAST. SO. WELL, YOU CAN. WE YOU'VE BEEN HEARING US FOR FOR MULTIPLE MONTHS AND YOU'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO HEAR ABOUT US. SO WE'LL, WE'LL COME OUT AND HAVE A CHAT WITH YOU. THANK YOU. YEAH, THAT WOULD BE BEST. ANYBODY ELSE? HI. 
          MY NAME IS CHRISTINA. SO EVERYBODY HERE READ THE 12 PAGE REPORT. SO YOU HAVE A GREAT UNDERSTANDING THEN THAT THE REAL PRODUCT IS THE DATA. YOU HAVE THE UNDERSTANDING THAT YOU WERE SOLD SAFETY, BUT IT'S PATENTED AS SURVEILLANCE. AND THE REAL PRODUCT IS NOT WHAT YOU GET. IT'S WHAT THE AI DATA CENTERS GET. AND THAT IS THEN SOLD. SO WE'RE NOT THE ONLY ONES BEING SCREWED OVER HERE. AS RESIDENTS. YOU GUYS PAID TO GIVE THEM THE PRODUCT THAT THEY WILL MAKE BILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON. CONSIDER THAT. ANYBODY ELSE. GOOD EVENING, JOHN VAN Z 308 WILLIAM STREET NORTH. I THINK THE LAST TIME I WAS AT THIS PODIUM, I WAS HOLDING UP SOME STICKERS THAT I PULLED OFF OF SIGNS DOWNTOWN. THEY WERE FOR THE. I REMEMBER THAT I HAD THEM ON A PIECE OF PLASTIC. RIGHT? YEAH, THEY'RE FROM THE PATRIOT FRONT, WHICH IS A, I MEAN, A SELF-AVOWED NEO-NAZI ORGANIZATION. RIGHT. THAT WAS NOVEMBER. I'M SORRY. FEBRUARY 6TH, 2024. YEAH. I WAS TOLD AT THE TIME THAT THERE WAS NO THERE WERE NO OPERABLE OPERATING CAMERAS IN THAT AREA TO CAPTURE ANYTHING. FAST FORWARD TO NOVEMBER OF THAT YEAR. CHIEF MUELLER PRESENTED FOR APPROVAL AT THE CONSENT AGENDA A THE INITIAL PROPOSAL FOR FLOCK CAMERAS. IT WAS COUCHED IN TERMS OF. WE NOW HAVE AN ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT, AND THIS IS THE ONLY SYSTEM SUITABLE FOR THE. THE THE SCOPE OF WORK HERE. 14 FALCONS. TWO COMBOS, NOW 24 CONDORS. THE CONDORS ARE THE PAN TILT ZOOM. THIS WASN'T IN THE ORIGINAL. 
          THIS IS IN THE CURRENT. AND I UNDERSTAND THERE ARE EIGHT WAITING TO COME ONLINE. 17 ALPERS. AS OF TODAY. 24 PAN TILT ZOOM CAMERAS. THE PAN TILT ZOOM CAMERAS ARE THE ONES THAT CAN LOOK INSIDE YOUR WINDOW. SO. WHEN THE MAYOR, I THINK, DISMISSED THE CONCERNS OF FOR THAT, I WAS I THOUGHT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT ALPR AS WELL. AND I THINK I THINK THAT IS A POINT OF CONFUSION THAT I'VE HEARD BEFORE. I, I TRUST THAT SOME OF THE COMMENTS THAT I'VE HEARD REPEATED. ARE THE RESULT OF A CONFUSION BETWEEN WHAT ALPR DO AND WHAT THE PTZ IS. THERE'S A TON OF IT. YES, THERE MAY BE CONFUSION IN THIS ROOM. YOU KNOW. THIRD AND MYRTLE HAS BOTH A PTZ AND AN ALPR HELPFULLY, MAPS ARE AVAILABLE. I FOUND THE MAPS ON THE CITY WEBSITE TODAY. 
          I WAS LOOKING FOR THE AUDIT FILES ON THE WEBSITE. THOSE. UNFORTUNATELY, I WASN'T ABLE TO 
          [01:05:07]
DOWNLOAD, SO IT COULD BE A BROWSER INCOMPATIBILITY THING. I TRUST PEOPLE ARE ACTING IN GOOD FAITH, I GET IT. YEAH, IT SHOULD BE UP. YEAH, THEY THEY SURE WEREN'T WORKING FOR ME THIS AFTERNOON. SO WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT. OF COURSE. I MEAN, I CAN IF YOU EMAIL ME, I CAN JUST EMAIL IT TO YOU. SURE, SURE. SO SOMETHING THAT I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT. DECEMBER 16TH, 2025 WAS PROBABLY PRIOR TO THE LAST MEETING, THE LAST TIME THIS ROOM WAS ESPECIALLY FULL. THAT WAS TO TALK ABOUT 287 G'S. 287 G'S. CASS COUNTY, CROW WING COUNTY, FREEBORN COUNTY, INTERNATIONAL FALLS, THE CITY OF THE CITY OF ISLE, ITASCA, KANDIYOHI, MILLE LACS, SHERBURNE ALL SIGNED 287 G'S. STILLWATER DIDN'T I KNOW, MR. MAYOR, YOU WERE LOOKING TO. 
          LET'S SEE HERE FROM THE STATE HAVE HAVE KIND OF OTHER INTERESTED PARTIES WEIGH IN ON THAT. CROW WING COUNTY, ITASCA COUNTY, MILLE LACS COUNTY HAVE ALL ASSESSED STILLWATER'S ALPR DATABASE. IN EFFECT, WE ARE PARTICIPATING IN THOSE ACTIVITIES. IS THAT FAIR TO SAY? I'M NOT. TELL ME HOW. IT'S NOT. I'M NOT. I'M NOT SURE. I DON'T KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE IN CROW WING COUNTY ARE ALLOWING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO USE THEIR USERNAMES AND PASSWORDS TO SEARCH FOR A LICENSE PLATE THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE IN STILLWATER. SO I COULDN'T TELL YOU ONE WAY OR ANOTHER FROM. THEY DO WORK ON BEHALF OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT THROUGH THOSE 287 GS AGREEMENTS MILLE LACS COUNTY, CROW WING, COUNTY, ITASCA COUNTY, ALL OF WHOM HAVE ACCESS TO STILLWATER'S. RIGHT. THE STAR TRIBUNE DID A GREAT STORY ON IT. YEAH, IT WAS IT WAS GOOD AGAIN. AND I AND I THINK THOSE ARE THINGS THAT ARE BASED IN REALITY 100%. I AM AFRAID OF SOMETHING THAT IS REAL. RIGHT? ANOTHER QUOTE AGAIN, I, I, I TRUST THE JOURNALISTS OF THE, THE PIONEER PRESS ARE GOING TO GET THINGS WRONG NOW AND THEN. BUT THAT WAS ANOTHER QUOTE I LIKE, I LIKE TO THINK I AM AFRAID OF SOMETHING THAT'S REAL HERE. I DON'T WANT TO RUN, RUN OUT OF TIME HERE. ALPR SEEM TO BE THE. THE POINT OF CONTENTION WAS IT WAS SOMETHING. MR. MAYOR, YOU MENTIONED. I'M AS LEAST AS CONCERNED ABOUT PTZ. OKAY, WE HAVE 28 PTZ. WE HAD 0 IN 20 24 OR 0 OPERATING ONES IN THE, SAY LOWELL PARK AREA, RIVERFRONT AREA. I KNOW THIS SYSTEM WAS A BARGAIN. 139 K, BUT I THINK AS ANYONE WHO HAS, I DON'T KNOW, EVER PAID FOR SOMETHING ON ONLINE, PAID FOR A SERVICE, KNOWS WHEN A PRODUCT IS CHEAP. WE'RE THE PRODUCT. OUR DATA IS THE PRODUCT. AND. AND AGAIN, JUST TO, TO WRAP UP, I'VE HEARD OF MEETINGS TAKING PLACE WITH CONSTITUENTS. I DON'T KNOW HOW THESE MEETINGS WERE SCHEDULED. I DON'T KNOW WHO WAS INVITED TO THESE MEETINGS. THESE MEETINGS WEREN'T PUBLIC. I KNOW IN STILLWATER A LOT OF THINGS HAPPEN OVER PHONE CALLS. YOU KNOW, WE WE KEEP KEEP THAT OFF THE RECORD, SO TO SPEAK. HOW DO WE GET SOMETHING ON THE AGENDA WHEN CITIES LIKE WEST SAINT PAUL, COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, SAINT PAUL, SHERBURNE COUNTY, NORTH BRANCH, WINONA, DULUTH, ISANTI COUNTY, BROOKLYN PARK, SHOREWOOD, CRYSTAL, THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA. I DON'T KNOW THAT THESE ARE ALL PREMIER COMMUNITIES UNDERSTAND, BUT WHEN THEY HAVE RESPONDED TO WHAT I BELIEVE ARE OUR CONSTITUENT CONCERNS MADE IN GOOD FAITH, HOW DO WE BRING THOSE CONCERNS TO THE COUNCIL? HOW DO WE BRING THEM TO THE MAYOR? HOW DO WE BRING THEM TO THE POLICE? WHAT DO WE DO? WHAT ARE THE LEVERS WE NEED TO PULL? BECAUSE RIGHT NOW, I FEEL LIKE I'M PULLING A LEVER THAT ISN'T CONNECTED TO ANYTHING, RIGHT? YEAH. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME, FOLKS. I APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU DO. THANK YOU. JUST ON THE HEELS OF THAT, ONE LAST COMMENT, AS WE'RE SITTING HERE TALKING, IT FEELS LIKE JUST EMAIL ME. IT FEELS LIKE WE'RE JUST GOING TO CONTINUOUSLY KEEP KICKING THIS DOWN THE ROAD. AND YOU JUST WANT PEOPLE TO SHOW UP AND EVENTUALLY GET TIRED OF THE FIGHT AND JUST NOT SHOW UP. THAT'S REALLY WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO SAY, OH, WE HAVE THE 
          [01:10:04]
EMAIL OPEN AS LONG AS WE HAVE CAMERAS, WELL GUESS WHAT? WE DON'T WANT THEM. AND I KNOW IN RESPONSE TO HIS QUESTION, WHY ARE WE GOING TO SEND AN EMAIL? WHY ARE WE GOING TO MEET ONE ON ONE? YOU SAID YOU HAD MAYBE TEN EMAILS BEFORE AND A TEXT, AND YOU DIDN'T KNOW THIS WAS AN ISSUE. PEOPLE SHOWED UP TO TELL YOU IT'S AN ISSUE. PEOPLE HAVE SAID ON FACEBOOK, THEY'VE SAID ON THE PETITIONS, PEOPLE HAVE TOLD YOU HOW THEY FEEL IN THE CITY. WHY IS IT ANY OF THESE OTHER CITIES CAN CANCEL THEM? AND WHY ARE WE STILL SITTING HERE? HOW LONG ARE WE GOING TO SIT HERE A YEAR FROM NOW. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE COUNCIL CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, THE COUNCIL CAN PUBLISH IN ADVANCE THAT THE COUNCIL MAY BE TOGETHER, WHICH IS A QUORUM, AND THAT NOTIFICATION SUFFICES. YOU COULD SCHEDULE A SPECIAL MEETING. A TOWN HALL WOULD BE GREAT AND LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT YOU'LL ALL BE PRESENT. MY UNDERSTANDING IS YOU DO THIS FOR HARVEST FEST AND THE VETERANS CRUISE FOR TWO EXAMPLES. PEOPLE WANT ACTION. 
          WE DON'T WANT TO MEET ONE ON ONE. WE DON'T WANT TO EMAIL AND GET A GENERIC RESPONSE. WE DON'T WANT TO BE SITTING HERE GETTING THIS KICKED DOWN THE ROAD BECAUSE HONESTLY, THAT'S ABOUT AS DISINGENUOUS AS YOU CAN GET. WE NEED A TIMELINE WITH ACTION WHEN PEOPLE CAN EXPECT THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE ADDRESSED AND DEALT WITH, AND YOU DESERVE THAT TO THE PEOPLE THAT SHOW UP, YOU DESERVE THAT. TO THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE MADE THEIR VOICES HEARD, BECAUSE YOU DO REPRESENT THE PEOPLE OF THIS CITY. AND I THINK PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN. SO PEOPLE ARE GOING TO REQUEST SOME ACTION AND SOME RESPONSE AND NOT, WE BETTER NOT BE HERE SIX MONTHS OR A YEAR FROM NOW. THANKS. ANYBODY ELSE? GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE. ALL RIGHT. WE'LL CLOSE THE OPEN 
          [3. Assistant City Administrator]
FORUM, MOVE ON TO STAFF REPORTS. THANK YOU EVERYBODY. ASSISTANT CITY ADMINISTRATOR. GOOD EVENING MAYOR. I HAVE A FEW UPDATES ON OUR PROJECTS. FIRST ONE IS TODAY THEY WERE PAVING THE FINAL LAYER OF ASPHALT ON OUR CURVE CREST BOULEVARD, WHERE THE ROUNDABOUT IS BY THE LAKEVIEW HOSPITAL. AND WE'RE STILL ON TRACK FOR THAT OPENING OF THAT ROADWAY TO BE AROUND THE FIRST PART OF OCTOBER. ON OUR LEAD SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT. TO DATE, WE'VE GOT 93 SERVICES DONE OUT OF THE 105 COMPLETED. SO I THINK THAT PROJECT WILL BE WRAPPING UP FOR FOR THE YEAR HERE IN THE NEXT WEEK OR SO. AND THE CITY IS APPLYING FOR MORE GRANT MONEY TO CONTINUE WITH THIS PROGRAM IN 2027, PROBABLY SHOOTING AROUND ANOTHER 100 MORE SERVICES FOR FOR NEXT YEAR. OUR CONSULTANT WHO WAS WORKING ON OUR LILY LAKE ICE ARENA FACILITY ASSESSMENT AND SOME CONCEPT PLANS, HAS COMPLETED THAT REPORT. THEY PLAN ON BEING AT THE COUNCIL MEETING 430 MEETING ON OCTOBER 6TH TO GIVE AN UPDATE ON THAT PROJECT. AND LASTLY, JUST A REMINDER THAT OCTOBER 6TH, ALSO, WE HAVE ASSESSMENT HEARINGS ON THREE PROJECTS OUR SIDEWALK PROJECT, THE COUNTY'S OLIVE STREET PROJECT, AND OUR 2026 IMPROVEMENT PROJECT. THANK YOU. AWESOME. THANK YOU, SEAN. AND HEY, FOR THE TREE THAT WE JUST GOT, LIKE, CAN WE PUT THAT SOMEWHERE, GET IT LIKE A LITTLE BIT BIGGER AND THEN MAYBE PUT IT SOMEWHERE IN PIONEER PARK WHERE IT COULD MAYBE BECOME THE CHRISTMAS TREE THAT WE USE EVERY YEAR. WE SURE CAN TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, RIGHT? YEAH. WE WON'T HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, CHOP ONE DOWN AND STICK IT IN A MANHOLE COVER. I KIND OF LIKE THAT. AWESOME. THANKS, SEAN. 
          YOU'RE WELCOME. POLICE CHIEF. BETTER MAKE SURE YOU HONOR THAT, SEAN. THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR AND COUNCIL, JUST A COUPLE OF QUICK UPDATES. WE'RE IN THE MIDDLE OF OFFICER INTERVIEWS NOW, AND WE HAVE A FEW THAT WILL BE PUSHING FORWARD. SO WE'RE HOPEFUL TO FIND THE NEXT OFFICERS TO SERVE THIS GREAT COMMUNITY THAT'LL BE HAPPENING. FINISHING UP TODAY AND THEN MOVING FORWARD IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. AND THEN ALSO WE'RE JUST GEARING UP FOR EVENTS. WE GOT OUR TRICK OR TREAT EVENT, WHICH IS A LARGE DRAW DOWNTOWN AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, OUR FALL EVENTS THAT ARE COMING UP AS WELL. AND THEN JUST LASTLY, IT WAS SPOKEN ABOUT EARLIER, NOT MY TIME TO RESPOND, BUT WE DID COMPLETE OUR BIENNIAL AUDIT, OUR FIRST BIENNIAL AUDIT. YES, IT WAS DUE IN OCTOBER. WE DID IT EARLY, WHICH IS WHY IT'S POSTED FOR SEPTEMBER AND NOT OCTOBER. AND THIS WAS COMPLETED BY THE MINNESOTA SECURITY CONSORTIUM OR NSAC. AND JUST VERY SIMPLY STATED THAT WE DEMONSTRATED SECURITY, PUBLIC ACCOUNTABILITY AND ADMINISTRATION OF OUR PROGRAM FOLLOWING MINNESOTA STATUTE, WHICH IS CHAPTER 13, SECTION 13.824 IN RESPONSE. AND THIS IS JUST FOR THE MINNESOTA STATE OF MINNESOTA, REQUIRES BIENNIAL AUDITS OF AUTOMATIC LICENSE PLATE READERS, NOT OF OUR NOT OF JUST CAMERA SYSTEMS. SO THAT'S WHY THIS IS ONLY DONE WITH LPRS. WE ALSO RECEIVED CERTIFICATION FROM THE STATE THAT WE'RE. STILLWATER POLICE DEPARTMENT COMPLIES WITH MINNESOTA STATUTES. AGAIN, SAME SECTION 13.824. THIS IS AN AUDIT. DOESN'T LOOK AT EVERY SINGLE RECORD, WHETHER THE STATE OR THE THIRD PARTY 
          [01:15:03]
INDIVIDUALS CONDUCT AUDITS. IT'S NOT IT'S A IT'S A SAMPLING OF THE DATA. IT'S NOT EVERY SINGLE DATA POINT WITHIN THE SYSTEM. I KNOW THAT WAS BROUGHT UP. THIS IS AROUND RECORD RETENTION, DATA SECURITY AND ACCESS CONTROL, DATA CLASSIFICATION, SHARING WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, PUBLIC LOG OF USE, BCA NOTIFICATION, AND OTHER POLICIES THAT WE HAVE. AND SO AGAIN, THE STATE HAS CERTIFIED THAT WE'RE IN COMPLIANCE WITH MINNESOTA STATUTES. A COUPLE OF THINGS. WE ARE AT 30 DAYS. AND THE DATA RETENTION, WHICH IS TWICE AS RESTRICTIVE AS THE STATE OF MINNESOTA, REQUIRES, STATE OF MINNESOTA BEING ONE OF THE MOST RESTRICTIVE STATES IN TERMS OF DATA PRACTICES IN THE COUNTRY. IT'S NOT A POLICY THAT FLOCK RELEASE OR SEVEN DAY. YOU HEARD THAT MENTIONED. IT'S NOT A POLICY BY FLOCK. THEY JUST SAID YOU CAN AND HERE'S AN AUTOMATIC SWITCH. BUT WE CAN SET OUR DATA TO ANYWHERE. AND WE'RE WE'RE IN ALIGNMENT WITH A LOT OF THE. THERE'S STILL MANY, MANY CITIES WITHIN THE STATE THAT UTILIZE THIS SYSTEM. AND AGAIN, WE ARE TWICE AS RESTRICTIVE AS THE STATE OF MINNESOTA REQUIRES. SO WITH THAT, I'LL STAND FOR ANY QUESTIONS. AWESOME. THANK YOU 
          [5. Fire Chief]
CHIEF. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT, FIRE CHIEF. EVENING, MAYOR. COUNCIL COUPLE UPDATES. CREWS HAVE BEEN TRAINING ALL WEEK AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK WITH NEW JAWS OF LIFE TOOL. 
          WE'VE SWITCHED TO BATTERY OPERATED TOOL. SO A LITTLE LESS EQUIPMENT, A LITTLE LESS SPACE ON THE TRUCK, BUT STILL GET THE HYDRAULIC OR SOMETHING. OR ELECTRIC. YEP, IT'S A HYDRAULIC JAWS OF LIFE, BUT IT JUST RUNS NOW ON A LARGE BATTERY. INSTEAD OF HAVING THE PORTABLE GAS ENGINE WITH THE HOSES. RIGHT. SO THAT'S OUR FIRST ONE OF THOSE. SO JUST PUTTING IT THROUGH ITS PACES NOW TO MAKE SURE THAT IT MEETS ALL THE STANDARDS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR TOMORROW. WE HAVE TESTING FOR THE FULL TIME POSITION. WE HAVE 15 APPLICANTS THAT WILL BE TESTING FOR THAT. ANOTHER UPDATE ON GRANTS. WE HAD STATION ALERTING BUDGETED FOR THIS YEAR. WE WERE GOING TO HOLD OFF ON THAT UNTIL NEXT YEAR. WE HAVE ALL OF OUR NEIGHBORING DEPARTMENTS ARE INTERESTED IN THAT AS WELL. SO WE'RE GOING TO SUBMIT FOR A REGIONAL AFG GRANT, WHICH IS SIMILAR TO THE SAFER GRANT FOR THAT NEXT SPRING. SO HOPEFULLY WE'LL HAVE SOMETHING ON THAT IN THE SUMMER. AND THEN CREWS HAVE CONDUCTED MULTI-AGENCY TRAINING WITH BAYPORT. THEY DID SOME TRAINING DOWN AT THE KING PLANT YESTERDAY FOR DRILL. AND THEN JUST A REMINDER THAT OCTOBER 6TH BETWEEN THE COUNCIL MEETINGS IS THE FIRE PREVENTION DINNER AT THE STATION. AWESOME. COOL. THANK YOU, CHIEF FINANCE. HI. SO LATER ON THE AGENDA 
          [6. Finance Director]
UNDER NEW BUSINESS WE'VE GOT THE TO SET THE PRELIMINARY BUDGET OR PRELIMINARY LEVY. AND THEN ALSO I JUST WANTED TO BRING UP EARLIER TONIGHT AT THE EDA MEETING, THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION ABOUT THE LOCAL OPTION SALES TAX. SO I JUST KIND OF WANTED TO BRING YOU UP TO DATE WITH SOME OF THE NUMBERS. AND SO FAR WE'VE RECEIVED 15 MONTHLY PAYMENTS FROM THE STATE. AND WE ARE WE'VE CLEARED ABOUT 2,850,000. AND WHAT WAS THE TOTAL THAT WE. 
          SEVEN I GOT THAT HERE TOO. WE WERE OUR TOTAL P AND I IS 7,000,667 626. SO, YOU KNOW, AND IF YOU PAY THAT OFF A LITTLE BIT EARLY, OBVIOUSLY THE INTEREST WOULDN'T BE AS HIGH. 
          BUT SO YEAH, WE'RE PROBABLY A THIRD OF THE WAY THERE. WOW. COOKING I LOVE IT. WHERE'S TIM. 
          [7. Community Development Director]
YEAH. RIGHT. I HAVE TO EMAIL THIS NOW. OKAY. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MAYOR COUNCIL, TWO UPDATES FOR YOU RELATED TO THE COMP PLAN. THE FIRST IS THAT ELIZABETH AND I ARE GOING TO START DOING SOME POP UP ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES. YOU'LL SEE US AT FARMER'S MARKET, HARVEST FEST, ART FESTIVAL, THE TRUNK OR TREAT EVENT AT PUBLIC WORKS BUILDING. AND THEN WE'RE HOLDING A OPEN HOUSE HERE AT CITY HALL IN LATE OCTOBER. WE'LL MAKE SURE YOU GET INFORMATION ABOUT THAT. BUT THE GOOD NEWS IS WE'LL BE ADVERTISING OUR COMP PLAN WEBSITE, WHICH IS NOW LAUNCHED AND LIVE. AS OF TODAY, PEOPLE GO THERE. THERE ARE LINKS ON OUR WEBSITE. WE'LL HAVE QR CODES GOING OUT, SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE NEWSLETTER. AND WHEN PEOPLE THERE ARE REALLY THREE ACTIVITIES THEY CAN DO TO HELP KIND OF PROVIDE THIS INITIAL INPUT. THERE'S A SURVEY AROUND KIND OF WHAT PEOPLE ENJOY ABOUT STILLWATER, WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE PRESERVED. THERE'S AN INTERACTIVE MAP WHERE PEOPLE CAN DROP PINS AND LEAVE COMMENTS ABOUT THINGS THEY WANT TO SEE MODIFIED OR CHANGED. AND THERE'S A FUN EXERCISE, YOU KNOW, FILL OUT YOUR OWN WIKIPEDIA ENTRY FOR STILLWATER IN THE YEAR 2050 AND GIVE YOUR IDEAS ABOUT VARIOUS VARIOUS ASPECTS OF THE CITY. SO THIS IS ALL PART OF OUR INITIAL PUSH TO KIND OF CREATE THAT VISION FOR STILLWATER IN THE YEAR 2050, TO FUEL THAT COMP PLAN. AWESOME. 
          [8. Administrative Services Director]
GREAT. THANK YOU. JASON. ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES. EVENING, MAYOR AND COUNCIL LOTS GOING ON. SO CONTINUING TO SUPPORT ALL THOSE COMMUNICATION INITIATIVES. WE'RE STAYING BUSY DOING ALL OF THAT. OUR WEBSITE PROJECT CONTINUES TO MOVE FORWARD. WE'RE TRAINING STAFF ON HOW TO DO THE BACK END AND ADD THOSE PAGES IN. NOW, CONTINUING ON SCHEDULE TO BE MAYBE ACTIVE BY THE END OF OCTOBER, EARLY NOVEMBER. AND THEN MY FAVORITE NEWS IS WE 
          [01:20:02]
HAVE AN HR MANAGER. SHE STARTED ON MONDAY. SO ALLISON, WE'RE TRAINING HER, GETTING HER ONBOARDED, GIVING HER THE LAY OF THE LAND. SO I'M VERY EXCITED TO HAVE HER ON BOARD. 
          [9. City Clerk]
VERY COOL. THAT'S AWESOME. NICE JOB. THAT'S ALL I GOT. ALL RIGHT. CITY CLERK. GOOD EVENING. 
          JUST ONE QUICK NOTE. THE FALL NEWSLETTER IS AT THE PRINTERS AND WILL COME OUT TO THE RESIDENTS AT THE END OF THE MONTH. IT'S REALLY NICE NEWSLETTER AGAIN. ALWAYS. YEAH. 
          [10. City Attorney]
ALWAYS IS. THANK YOU, BETH AND CITY ATTORNEY, YOUR HONOR, TONIGHT I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THE BUDGET PRESENTATION. I'M GOING TO YIELD MY TIME. OKAY, PERFECT. THANK YOU. AND CITY 
          [11. City Administrator]
ADMINISTRATOR, MAYOR AND COUNCIL, WE'RE GOING TO NEED THAT TIME BECAUSE THIS IS A LONG PRESENTATION. BUT KATINA SAID WE HAVE THE STATE BONDING REQUEST COMING IN THE NEXT WORKSHOP TO COINCIDE WITH OUR LILY LAKE BUILDING REPORT. SO YOU CAN READ INTO THAT HOW YOU WILL, BUT WE WILL BE BRINGING THAT TO THE OCTOBER 6TH WORKSHOP. AND THEN I DO HAVE SOME PEER GROUP MEETINGS OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. I WILL TALK ABOUT THEM AND HOW THEY'VE ENGAGED THE PUBLIC ON SOME CERTAIN HOT TOPICS THAT ARE GOING ON AROUND THE METRO. AND I WILL TRY AND GIVE YOU THE FEEDBACK THAT I GET FROM OUR PEERS. YEAH. WE NEED I MEAN, AGAIN, I STRUGGLE. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, THE, SOME OF THE PEOPLE ARE ONE OF THE SPEAKERS WAS ASKING FOR A TOWN HALL AND LIKE, AND I GUESS MY HESITANCE TO DO THAT WAS EVERY EXAMPLE THAT I FOUND OF COMMUNITIES DOING A TOWN HALL JUST DESCENDED INTO CHAOS. LIKE IT DIDN'T SEEM VERY PRODUCTIVE, WHICH IS WHY I THOUGHT I. AND I GUESS MY SUGGESTION WASN'T WELL RECEIVED, THAT, YOU KNOW, WE TRY AND TALK INDIVIDUALLY AS BEST WE CAN OR IN SMALL GROUPS OR WHATEVER, JUST TO GET A SENSE OF THEIR, THEIR FEELINGS. THE OTHER ISSUE THAT I'M HAVING IS, YOU KNOW, OVER THE LAST, YOU KNOW, SINCE FRIDAY WHEN I KIND OF PUT OUT MY FEELINGS ON, ON THE ALPERS. 
          I MEAN, I'VE, I'VE SPOKEN TO MANY, MANY PEOPLE THAT ARE IN SUPPORT OF THESE TOOLS, BUT THEY'RE SUPER AFRAID TO SAY ANY OF THAT PUBLICLY. RIGHT. AND, AND I THINK WHAT, WHERE I STRUGGLE PERSONALLY WITH THESE THINGS IS, IS TRYING TO GAUGE, YOU KNOW, WHO WANTS WHAT, FRANKLY. AND, YOU KNOW, I AND SO IF THERE'S ANY WAY, YOU KNOW, TO, TO SAY THAT EVERYBODY IN STILLWATER, 75% OF PEOPLE DON'T WANT THESE. LIKE, I DON'T BELIEVE THAT TO BE TRUE FROM MY PERSONAL INTERACTIONS, I COULD BE WRONG, BUT I, I, WE NEED, I THINK THE WHOLE COUNCIL NEEDS A SENSE OF WHAT THE REALITY OF THAT IS, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE WE'VE HAD SOME PASSIONATE PEOPLE SPEAK AND THAT'S GREAT. AND IF EVEN IF YOU EXTRAPOLATE THE NUMBERS FROM THE FROM THE SURVEY OR THE THE DOOR KNOCKING, THEY DID, THAT'S GREAT, BUT IT STILL DOESN'T GET US ANYWHERE NEAR 2000 PEOPLE. RIGHT. AND I KNOW AS A SMALL COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, SURVEYS ARE TOUGH AND THINGS LIKE THIS ARE TOUGH, BUT I'M GOING TO CONTINUE. AND YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GOING TO I GUESS THE PEOPLE WILL SAY I'M DRAGGING MY FEET. BUT THIS IMPACTS PUBLIC SAFETY. AND I AM GOING TO PERSONALLY TAKE AS MUCH TIME AS I NEED TO FEEL COMFORTABLE ABOUT A DECISION ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, FOR THESE PARTICULAR TOOLS THAT ARE POLICE DEPARTMENT USES. AND SO I NEED HELP. I THINK COUNCIL NEEDS HELP IN HOW TO CONTINUE THESE CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE THAT ARE FOR AND AGAINST. AND IN THE MIDDLE, I, A LOT OF THE PEOPLE I SPOKE WITH OVER THE WEEKEND, THEY FRANKLY JUST DIDN'T REALLY CARE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, THEY, THEY TRUST OUR POLICE DEPARTMENT. THEY TRUST THE CITY. YOU KNOW, AND I, I'M SURE PEOPLE WOULD SAY THAT'S FOOLISH, BUT I, I DIDN'T GET THE SAME SENSE THAT WE SAW IN OUR COUNCIL CHAMBERS THIS EVENING OR IN OUR LAST MEETING WHEN I WAS OUT IN THE COMMUNITY TALKING TO PEOPLE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE A DECISION ON THIS, I JUST THINK IT NEEDS TO BE WELL INFORMED AND VERY CONSIDERATE AND, AND WELL THOUGHT OUT. AND I FRANKLY JUST DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET THERE WITH THIS. SO WHATEVER YOU CAN MUSTER TO COME UP WITH SOME OPTIONS. I MEAN, I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE Q&A STUFF HAS BEEN REALLY HELPFUL. I'VE HAD A TON OF PEOPLE REACH OUT WITH LIKE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW WE DO THINGS. AND I'VE ANSWERED AND IT SEEMS TO SATISFY THOSE PEOPLE. YOU KNOW, I BUT I DON'T KNOW THAT WE NEED LIKE, I JUST, I JUST DON'T REALLY KNOW. MECHANICALLY, WE HAVEN'T REALLY BEEN FACED WITH ANYTHING LIKE THIS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, YEAH, PLEASE TALK TO YOUR PEERS IN OTHER CITIES AND, AND SEE WHAT IDEAS WE HAVE. BECAUSE AGAIN, I DO WANT TO KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING. I WANT TO GET A SENSE OF HOW THE COMMUNITY FEELS SO WE CAN MAKE MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION ON THESE THINGS MOVING FORWARD. SO THAT'S IT. SO WHATEVER YOU CAN DO, PLEASE SAY, TED, I TOTALLY AGREE WITH YOU. I'M, I'M HEARING FROM MORE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN FAVOR OF IT. YEAH. I'M GETTING I MEAN, THAT'S IT. I DON'T WANT TO SAY THAT I'LL GET JUMPED ALL OVER. I MEAN, I KNOW THAT'S WHY I KEPT MY MOUTH SHUT. IT'S I'M HEARING FROM MORE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN FAVOR OF IT. 
          AND OUR JOB IS TO PROTECT THE COMMUNITY. AND THAT'S WHERE I'M I'M STRUGGLING WITH THIS. AND I KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS THAN PROBABLY A LOT OF PEOPLE. RIGHT. AND IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, I REFERRED HUNTER TO TALK TO THE ONE GUY IN MY WARD THAT WAS TOTALLY OPPOSED TO IT. NOW HE'S IN FAVOR OF IT BECAUSE I'M AND HE HAS SENT AN EMAIL TO ME WITH SOME REALLY GOOD SUGGESTIONS ON, 
          [01:25:01]
ON SOME STUFF, YOU KNOW, LIKE I SAID, I, I GOT INVOLVED IN THE LARGEST TORT CLAIM IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA HISTORY BACK IN 1990. AND IT WAS SOMETHING WE DIDN'T EVEN DO, BUT WE GOT SUED. 
          SO WE PULLED THIS WHOLE SYSTEM OUT AND SOME KID GOES DISAPPEARING. WE DON'T HAVE THAT SYSTEM TO FIND HIM ANYMORE. THAT WE DID HAVE IT. WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN? I MEAN, FRANKLY, WE GOT TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS SOMEHOW. THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN, UNFORTUNATELY, BETWEEN US AND AND THE PEOPLE THAT ARE OPPOSED TO THIS IS NONE OF THEM ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PUBLIC SAFETY OF STILLWATER. WE ARE. THAT'S RIGHT. RIGHT. SO AGAIN, I, YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S EASY TO SAY THESE SUCK AND WE DON'T WANT THEM AND PUT A BAG OVER THEM. BUT IT'S NOT EASY FOR ME TO GET TO THAT SAME PLACE. IF SOME KID WAS DISAPPEARED AND WE HAD NO MECHANISM TO TRY TO FIND THAT KID, I WOULD BE I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'D DO IF IT WAS MY GRANDCHILD WAS STOLEN OR I, I WOULD, I'D BE DEVASTATED. AND I CAN IMAGINE SOME OF THESE PEOPLE THAT SHOWED UP AND WERE COMPLAINING IF THEIR KIDS WERE DISAPPEARED, THEY'RE GOING TO SAY, WHY DID YOU GET RID OF THAT SYSTEM? THAT'S WHERE I'M THAT'S WHERE I'M STRUGGLING. 
          YES. WE JUST NEED A FRAMEWORK FOR HOW TO MAKE A DECISION, YOU KNOW, AND THE COMMUNITY ON THE COMMUNICATIONS FRONT. ELIZABETH, SORRY, I SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT UP IN YOUR REPORT. YOU KNOW, WE HAD SOME FEEDBACK, YOU KNOW, AND I DON'T KNOW HOW WE DO THIS. THIS MIGHT BE MORE OF A QUERY. 
          AND ELIZABETH QUESTION, WE DON'T HAVE TO ANSWER IT NOW. BUT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR A SINGULAR STATEMENT FROM THE CITY. AND I KNOW THAT'S CHALLENGING BECAUSE WE COULD ALL FEEL VERY DIFFERENTLY ABOUT THIS. AND SO I GUESS MECHANICALLY FOR THAT, LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE THAT ARE LIKE, I GUESS NOT UPSET, BUT KIND OF CONFUSED BECAUSE I PUT OUT HOW I FELT ABOUT THESE THINGS AND THEY'RE LIKE, WHY ISN'T THAT COMING FROM THE CITY? I'M LIKE, WELL, I CAN'T REALLY SPEAK FOR THE CITY COUNCIL WITHOUT A VOTE. I JUST WANT TO, YOU KNOW, SO I, I THINK WE, I NEED TO BE ABLE TO COMMUNICATE LIKE HOW WE COMMUNICATE, RIGHT? AND HOW THAT WORKS, RIGHT? KIND OF THING. LIKE I COULD USE SOME HELP ON THAT FRONT AS WELL. WE GOT TO COME TO, WE GOT TO COME TO AN ANSWER SOMEHOW. I JUST YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. I DON'T WANT TO KEEP ANY OF THE PEOPLE WITH FOR OR AGAINST OR WHATEVER. I DON'T WANT TO KEEP EVERYBODY HANGING ON JUST WAITING FOR US TO DO SOMETHING. I KNOW I ALSO WANT IT TO BE DELIBERATE TOO. AND, AND I WANT TO TRY AND TALK TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE AND GET OPINIONS AND WHATNOT. BUT I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW, AT THE END OF THE DAY, ROBOT DOGS ARE GOING TO KILL ALL OF US. SO WHAT DOES IT MATTER AT THIS POINT? I GUESS, IF WE'VE GOT LICENSE PLATE READERS. BUT ALL RIGHT, WITH THAT, IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE FOR OUR CITY ADMINISTRATOR, THAT'S IT. NO. WE'RE GOOD. ALL RIGHT. LET'S MOVE ON TO THE CONSENT AGENDA COUNCIL. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE OR ANYBODY WISH TO SPEAK TO ANY OF THESE INDIVIDUAL ITEMS? I, I, I IF HE WANTS LARRY WANTS ME TO TALK ABOUT IT. I JUST UPPER LILY LAKE BALL FIELD. THE FENCE IS THERE, BUT IT'S ALL IT'S VERY, VERY OLD AND IT'S NOT SAFE. 
          IT'S FALLING APART. AND SOME KIDS ARE GOING TO GET CAUGHT ON THAT FENCE AND CUT THEIR LEGS AND OR, YOU KNOW, GET HURT REALLY BAD. SO IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. SOUNDS GOOD. I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE. SECOND. MAYOR, WE'VE GOT A MOTION, A SECOND COUNCIL. IF THERE'S NO FURTHER DISCUSSION. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? AND THAT PASSES WITH 
          [25. 2027 Preliminary Budget]
FIVE VOTES. MOVING ON TO NEW BUSINESS. WE'VE GOT THE 2027 PRELIMINARY BUDGET. TAKE IT AWAY. MAYOR AND COUNCIL, I'M HAPPY TO REPORT TO YOU THE 2027 PROPOSED BUDGET. AS FINANCE DIRECTOR PROVOST MENTIONED EARLIER, WE HAVE TO SET THE PRELIMINARY LEVY BY SEPTEMBER 30TH. SO IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS. HOPING TO DO THAT TONIGHT. SO SOME OF THE BUDGET PRESSURES WE HAD PUTTING THIS TOGETHER FOR 2027 WERE HEALTH INSURANCE PREMIUMS, FUEL AND ENERGY COSTS, STAFFING AND CAPITAL REQUESTS. I AM HAPPY TO REPORT THAT WE'VE MOVED ALL OF THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AID FROM THE OPERATING FUND INTO THE CAPITAL FUND, SO THAT WILL MAKE US FAR MORE RESILIENT GOING FORWARD. IF THERE'S ANY CUT IN FUNDING AT THE STATE LEVEL, HERE'S AN OVERVIEW AND BACKGROUND OF THE BUDGET. THIS BUDGET RESULTS IN A 3.887% LEVY INCREASE SPREAD ACROSS THE CITY. SOME OF THE STRATEGIC BUDGET ELEMENTS WERE LIKE STATED BEFORE, MOVING ALL THE LGA INTO CAPITAL, UTILIZING THE PUBLIC SAFETY FUNDS TO OFFSET HALF THE COST OF OUR POLICE AND FIREFIGHTER POSITIONS THAT ARE PROPOSED IN HERE, UTILIZING FUND BALANCE FOR INSPECTIONS AT THE HOSPITAL. IN SHORT, WE TOOK IN A LOT OF REVENUE FOR INSPECTING THE HOSPITAL OR BUILDING PERMITS. WE'RE GOING TO USE SOME OF THAT REVENUE TO FUND THE INSPECTIONS FOR 2027, AND THEN A REDUCTION IN OVERALL CAPITAL BORROWING GOING FORWARD, LARGELY BECAUSE OF THE TIF DISTRICT AND THE UNALLOCATED AND MISCELLANEOUS LINE ITEMS THAT WERE CITED EARLIER BY A MEMBER FROM THE PUBLIC. YEAH, AND THAT WAS WHAT I WAS GOING TO BRING UP, IS THAT THAT'S THE OFFSET, RIGHT? IS WE'RE USING SOME OF THOSE. THEY'RE FALLING UNDER UNALLOCATED BECAUSE WE WEREN'T ANTICIPATING. BUT INSPECTORS ARE INCREDIBLY HARD TO FIND. SO WE'RE HAVING TO FIND CONTRACT LABOR TO GET THERE. CORRECT. AND WE'RE USING THE DOLLARS. I DON'T WANT TO SAY REVENUE, THE DOLLARS FROM THE INSPECTIONS WE'VE ALREADY DONE TO FUND FUTURE. IT OVERLY EXPENSIVE INSPECTIONS THROUGH THAT. OKAY. THANK YOU. AND JUST TO GIVE A QUICK OVERVIEW, UNALLOCATED IS KIND OF LIKE IT CAN'T BE ALLOCATED. IT'S IN THE GENERAL 
          [01:30:03]
FUND, BUT IT'S NOT ALLOCATED TO A SPECIFIC DEPARTMENT. SO IF YOU THINK RETIREES INSURANCE PAYMENTS TO SOME OF OUR LIKE VALLEY OUTREACH, THEY'RE NOT, IT'S NOT MONEY THAT CAN BE TECHNICALLY ALLOCATED. AND SO WE CALL IT UNALLOCATED. BUT THERE ARE LINE ITEMS. WE DID HAVE SOME CONTINGENCY MONEY IN THERE LAST YEAR UNDER YOUR DESK. YEAH. SO WE DID HAVE SOME CONTINGENCY IN OUR LAST YEAR. AWESOME. THANK YOU. SO HERE'S AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROPERTY TAX LEVY AGAIN 2026 VERSUS 2027. AGAIN A 3.887% INCREASE. DO WE KNOW WHAT THE SCHOOL IS COMING IN AT? I KNOW WASHINGTON COUNTY IS GOING TO COME MUCH HIGHER THAN US, BUT IS THE SCHOOL I DO NOT. GOOD QUESTION. OKAY, NOT OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD. DO THEY HAVE TO THEY HAVE TO DO THIS AT THE SAME TIME, MORE OR LESS, DON'T THEY? YEAH, I THINK SO. I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHAT THEIR PROCESS IS. BUT IN TERMS OF LIKE WHAT TIM WAS TALKING ABOUT, ABOUT THE AMOUNT I FEEL, WHAT YOU FEEL IS THE COMBINED THREE ENTITIES. OKAY. THANK YOU. WE WILL TRY TO GET THAT INFORMATION OUT AS SOON AS WE CAN, AS SOON AS IT'S AVAILABLE. HERE'S AN OVERVIEW OF THE GENERAL FUND OPERATING REVENUES. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE RELY HEAVILY ON PROPERTY TAXES. ALMOST 80% OF THE GENERAL FUND IS FUNDED THROUGH PROPERTY TAXES. HERE'S AN OVERVIEW OF GENERAL FUND OPERATING EXPENDITURES. I'LL JUST TOUCH ON A FEW OF THEM. POLICE AND FIRE HAVE THE LARGEST INCREASES, PRIMARILY BECAUSE THEY ARE PERSONNEL DRIVEN. AND THEN WE'RE ADDING A POSITION IN EACH ONE OF THOSE DEPARTMENTS AS PROPOSED HERE TONIGHT. AND THEN THE INSPECTIONS. AS MENTIONED EARLIER, WE'RE GOING TO BE USING CONTRACT CONTRACTED SERVICES TO INSPECT THE HOSPITAL, BUT THAT IS FUNDED THROUGH PERMIT REVENUES THAT THEY HAVE PULLED EARLIER. WHY DON'T YOU EXPLAIN THE POLICE AND FIRE WHAT THE NEW EMPLOYEES? THIS ISN'T JUST DONE NILLY, WILLY TO ADD SOMEBODY. IT WAS A REASON FOR IT. YEAH. SO WE DID A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF BOTH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE FIRE DEPARTMENT IN 2022, AND THEY RECOMMENDED A NUMBER OF POSITIONS FOR EACH DEPARTMENT. AND WE ARE WORKING ON PHASING THOSE POSITIONS IN. AND WE ARE NEAR THE END WITH THE POLICE DEPARTMENT WITH THIS ADDITION. 
          AND THEN WE WILL HAVE ONE MORE IN THE FIRE DEPARTMENT FOR 2028 TO POTENTIALLY CONSIDER. AND THEN THOSE REPORTS, STAFFING REPORTS WILL BE FULLY IMPLEMENTED. DO YOU WANT TO HIT THE PARKS EVENT COORDINATOR ROLE WHILE YOU'RE AT IT? SURE. SO RIGHT NOW, CURRENTLY, OUR PARK SUPERINTENDENT OVERSEES THE MAINTENANCE AND EVERYTHING THAT GOES ON IN 40 PARKS THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF STILLWATER, WHILE TRYING TO BALANCE THE PERMITTING AND OVERSIGHT OF CLOSE TO ABOUT 80 EVENTS THAT WE HAVE HERE EVERY YEAR. AND HE'S DOING BOTH JOBS. 
          SO WE'RE SPLITTING UP THE EVENT PORTION, WHICH WILL ALLOW US THAT NEW POSITION TO ALSO WORK IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE DOWN AT THE IDAHO HOUSE AND WILD RIVER AND SCHEDULING ALL THAT. SO IT'LL BE SCHEDULING THE WHOLE COMMUNITY. SO IT'S MORE THAN CORRECT. YEAH. I THINK OUR CURRENT PARKS SUPERINTENDENT HAS A LOT OF WORK ON HIS PLATE WITH ALL THE EVENTS AND MANAGING ALL THE PARKS. SO THIS WILL BE A LITTLE BIT OF RELIEF FOR HIM AS WELL. THANK YOU. AND JUST AS AN ASIDE, CURRENTLY THAT THAT POSITION IS BUDGETED IN THE PARKS DEPARTMENT AS WE GO THROUGH THIS BUDGET, IT MAY MOVE INTO THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT AS WE GO FORWARD. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE WORKING ON INTERNALLY. 
          HERE'S THE PROPERTY TAX RATE. IT IS DECREASING SLIGHTLY AT 1.227%. WHY DON'T YOU GO BACK A SLIDE, EXPLAIN THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL BECAUSE THAT ONE BUGS ME EVERY EVERY YEAR. EVERY YEAR. 
          THAT'S NOT RIGHT. IT'S NOT. WE AREN'T MAKING BIG MONEY UP HERE MAKING TOLD YOU THIS WOULD COME UP. I DIDN'T EVEN ASK IT THIS TIME. I ASKED THE LAST TIME. IT'S JUST. IT'S MISLEADING. SO YEAH. SO WE FUND LIKE OUR LOBBYIST SOME OF THE PRODUCTION OF THE MEETINGS HERE, SOME THINGS LIKE THAT COME OUT OF THIS LINE ITEM. SO IT IS NOT SALARIES FOR THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL. THOSE ARE VERY, VERY LOW. I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GUYS WANT TO. I MEAN, TED MAKES A BUNCH OF MONEY BECAUSE HE MAKES, WHAT, A THOUSAND MORE THAN THE REST OF US A YEAR OR SOMETHING. 
          YEAH, YEAH, THEY'RE TOTALLY WORTH IT, BY THE WAY. YEAH. PART TIME JOB. WE ALL GET ABOUT $500 A MONTH TO DO THIS AS A STIPEND OFFSET, MAYBE SOME EXPENSES. YEAH. BUT YEAH, NO, THAT THERE'S JUST A LOT OF THINGS THAT GO ON TO THE FUNCTIONS OF THE CITY THAT ARE CODED PER ACCOUNTING STANDARDS TO THAT SECTION. SO IT'S JUST AN ACCOUNTING METHOD. IT'S NOT. 
          THE MAYOR AND COUNCIL ARE NOT RECEIVING ANYWHERE NEAR THAT TYPE OF MONEY. SO EVERYBODY IT JUST LOOKS BAD. PROPERTY TAX RATE. HERE IS A HISTORY OF THE PROPERTY TAX RATE. AS YOU CAN SEE IT KIND OF GOES UP AND DOWN OVER TIME DEPENDING ON VALUATION. THE IMPACT TO A RESIDENTIAL HOMEOWNER IN STILLWATER WITH THIS BUDGET. SO THE TOP LINE THERE IS GOING TO BE YOUR MEDIAN VALUED HOMEOWNER IN STILLWATER. THAT'S GOING TO BE VALUED AT $430,800. AND SO 
          [01:35:08]
THIS WOULD BE AN ANNUAL INCREASE TO THE MEDIAN HOME OWNER OF $73.85, AND A MONTHLY INCREASE TO THE MEDIAN HOMEOWNER OF $6.15. AND THEN THERE'S SOME OTHER VALUES ON THE LEFT HAND SIDE THERE THAT YOU CAN LINE UP AND SEE THE IMPACT THAT THAT WOULD HAVE TO THEIR PROPERTY TAXES AS WELL. SO HERE IS A BREAKDOWN OF A PROPERTY TAX, WHICH SERVICE LEVEL THAT YOU WOULD GET FOR A MEDIAN VALUE HOMEOWNER. WE'RE GOING TO GET INTO THIS A LITTLE BIT FURTHER AS WE GO THROUGH THE PRESENTATION. BUT THE MEDIAN VALUE HOMEOWNER WOULD PAY $2,318 A YEAR AND THEN BROKEN DOWN MONTHLY BY SERVICE LEVEL, ABOUT $193.21 A MONTH. 
          AND THEN YOU CAN SEE IT'S BROKEN DOWN INTO THE CATEGORIES CORRESPONDING TO THE BUDGET. 
          HERE'S AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROPERTY TAX LEVY, WHICH INCLUDES ALL THE DEBT SERVICE THAT THE CITY HAS. SO IT HAS THE DEBT SERVICE DETAIL ON THERE. THESE ARE THE THREE NEW POSITIONS WE MENTIONED. THE EVENTS PARKS COORDINATOR, THE POLICE SERGEANT AND THE FIREFIGHTER ENGINEER, AND AGAIN, THE POLICE SERGEANT AND FIREFIGHTER ENGINEER ARE. THOSE TWO POSITIONS ARE FROM STAFFING STUDIES THAT WE DID IN 2022. AND THE CITY HAS BEEN IMPLEMENTING THEM OVER TIME, A COUPLE PROBABLY A COUPLE POSITIONS A YEAR TO EITHER THE POLICE DEPARTMENT OR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. BUT THAT IS NEARING COMPLETION, AND THAT WILL ALLEVIATE A LOT OF THE STAFFING CONCERNS OR INITIATIVES THAT WE HAVE HERE IN THE STILLWATER. 
          HERE'S A BREAKDOWN OF YOUR PROPERTY TAX DOLLAR TO WHERE IT GOES. PUBLIC SAFETY. SO POLICE FIRE BUILDING INSPECTIONS IS AT $0.40 ON THE DOLLAR. DEBT SERVICE AND CAPITAL IS 17. THAT ABOUT FIVE PRESENTATIONS AGO WAS NEAR 24, IF I RECALL CORRECTLY. SO IT'S COME DOWN QUITE A BIT. THE CITY HAS AGGRESSIVELY TRIED TO WEAN DOWN ON DEBT USAGE FOR CAPITAL PURCHASES AND GENERAL GOVERNMENT PARKS, PUBLIC WORKS AND LIBRARY. SO ON THE PUBLIC SAFETY LINE ITEM FOR THE MEDIAN VALUE HOME AT 7792 PER MONTH, WHAT DO YOU GET FOR THAT? 247365. POLICE AND FIRE SERVICES, WHICH IS FIRE SUPPRESSION, BASIC LIFE SUPPORT, MEDICAL CALLS, FIRE PREVENTION, PATROL INVESTIGATIONS, SECURITY, EMERGENCY RESPONSE AND PARKING MANAGEMENT. AND I THINK IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAD OVER 16,000 CALLS IN 2025. SO THEY ARE CERTAINLY BUSY HERE IN STILLWATER. CAPITAL OUTLAY DEBT $32.60 PER MONTH. SO THIS GOES TO CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS FOR PARKS AND TRAILS. SO LIKE I MENTIONED BEFORE, THERE'S ABOUT 40 PARKS AND 26 MILES OF TRAILS, 18 PLAYGROUNDS, 13 BALL FIELDS, 12 TENNIS COURTS AND SIX BATHROOMS, STREET IMPROVEMENTS, 96 MILE STREET NETWORK IN THE CITY, BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS AND REPAIRS TO THE VARIOUS CITY BUILDINGS AND THEN CAPITAL EQUIPMENT, WHICH IS LIKE IT INFRASTRUCTURE, FIRE TRUCKS, PLOW TRUCKS, THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          GENERAL GOVERNMENT GOES TO ABOUT 100 PLUS BOARDS AND COMMISSION MEETINGS, MANAGEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF APPROXIMATELY A $40 MILLION BUDGET MANAGEMENT AND HR FOR OVER 100 POSITIONS WITHIN THE CITY. BUSINESS LICENSING AND ELECTIONS, MAINTENANCE OF ALL THE IT INFRASTRUCTURE, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, AUDITING, LEGAL SERVICES, BILLING ACCOUNTS PAYABLE AND ASSESSING SERVICES. JOE, IF I MAY, ONE OF THE ONES WE'VE BEEN REALLY BEHIND ON AND WE'RE THERE'S A LOT THAT THIS COUNCIL HAS HAD TO CATCH UP OVER THE LAST 25 YEARS OR SO, BUT ONE OF THEM THAT IT INFRASTRUCTURE IS A LITTLE HIGH THIS YEAR FOR GOOD REASON. THERE'S SOME JUST A LOT OF WHAT'S TECHNICALLY CONSIDERED TECH DEBT, JUST I T THAT NEEDS TO BE LIFTED. IF I WAS ABLE TO DESIGN THE INTERNET, I WOULDN'T DESIGN IT THIS WAY BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, OUR TEAM IS UNFORTUNATELY, WITH EVERY OTHER TEAM IN THIS STATE HAVING TO FEND OFF ATTACKS FROM OVERSEAS AND ALL SORTS OF OTHER THINGS, AS WELL AS KEEP OUR COMPUTERS UP AND RUNNING, KEEP THE LIBRARY GOING. I WENT REALLY DEEP ON THIS A COUPLE YEARS AGO. 
          WE HIRED A NEW IT PERSON. HE'S DOING THE RIGHT STUFF. HE'S GIVING US THE NETWORK WE NEED, BUT IT'S A WHOLE WE GOT TO DIG OUT OF, AND I THINK WE'RE DOING IT THE RIGHT WAY. HE SAVED US A LOT OF MONEY ALONG THE WAY, WHICH IS GREAT. BUT IT'S IT'S A WHOLE WE HAD A DAY OUT OF. 
          CORRECT. AND WE WE HAVE A PROFICIENT I.T. MANAGER. ONE OF THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS IS DOING A FANTASTIC JOB STREAMLINING ALL OF THAT. PUBLIC WORKS, THE MAINTENANCE 
          [01:40:05]
OF THE 96 MILE MILE ROAD NETWORK IN THE CITY, SNOW AND ICE REMOVAL, TREE TRIMMING, CRACK CEILING AND SEAL COATING, THINGS LIKE THAT JUST TO MAKE THE ROADS IN WORKABLE ORDER. 
          PARKS MAINTAIN TRAILS AND PARKS, LIKE I MENTIONED, 40 PARKS, 26 MILES OF TRAIL. SO THIS INCLUDES CLEARING TRAILS, MOWING PARKS, EVENT PERMITTING, AND REVIEWING AND THEN MAINTAINING ALL THE PARK EQUIPMENT, BENCHES, BATHROOMS, THINGS LIKE THAT ON A DAILY BASIS TO MAKE SURE IT'S ALL IN WORKING ORDER FOR PEOPLE TO ENJOY THE LIBRARY, WHICH IS BY FAR ONE OF OUR MOST POPULAR BUILDINGS. BASED ON THE NUMBERS, WE HAVE 118,000 LIBRARY VISITS AND ALMOST HALF A MILLION ITEMS BORROWED IN 2025. THOSE ARE STAGGERING NUMBERS, VERY POPULAR PROGRAMING. JUST ABOUT EVERY DAY IN THE SUMMER, YOU CAN LOOK ACROSS THE LIBRARY AND JUST SEE IT PACKED WITH CARS AND PEOPLE SITTING ON THE LAWN, KIDS SITTING ON THE LAWN GETTING STORIES READ TO THEM. IT'S A VERY COOL FEATURE OF STILLWATER. HERE'S A BREAKDOWN OF OUR CAPITAL OUTLAY, KIND OF BY CATEGORY. SO THIS INCLUDES SOME OF THE THINGS I HAD MENTIONED EARLIER, LIKE FIRE TRUCKS AND BUILDING REPAIRS AND TECHNOLOGY, THINGS LIKE THAT. 
          WE CAN'T CAUGHT UP ON THE ROADS NOW, I CAN'T REMEMBER THE ROADS FOR 20 YEARS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT TO KEEP THE. THAT WAS BEFORE I WAS ON THE COUNCIL. WE PRETTY GETTING PRETTY MUCH CAUGHT UP NOW AS FAR AS LIKE ROAD RECONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, WE PROBABLY GOT A GOOD FIVE SIX YEARS TO COMPLETE ROAD RECONSTRUCTIONS. THEN AFTER THAT I'LL BE STRICTLY MENTAL OVERLAYS AND PARTIAL RECONSTRUCTION. SO WE'RE GETTING THERE SLOWLY. THE COST COST OF DO IMPROVEMENTS IS GOING UP FASTER THAN WHAT WE'RE FUNDING THEM, OR WE'RE DOING LESS AND LESS EACH YEAR BECAUSE OF THAT. SO I WOULD THINK, LIKE I SAID, 5 OR 6 MORE YEARS. SO THEY ALL KNOW THERE WAS LIKE A 20 YEAR SPAN WHEN THE CITY DID ABSOLUTELY NO ROAD MAINTENANCE. 
          YEAH. AND WE WERE WAY BEHIND ON GETTING THINGS RECONSTRUCTED. AND WE'RE STILL CATCHING UP NOW. 
          WE'RE LIKE FIVE YEARS. LIKE IT WAS 20. NOW WE'RE FIVE. YEAH. RIGHT. YEAH, WE'RE 20 YEARS BEHIND. SO AND IT SHOWS LIKE YOU CAN SEE HOW IT'S SO MUCH BETTER AROUND THIS TOWN. I MEAN, IT'S NIGHT AND DAY. IT WAS 15 YEARS AGO. WE GET MYRTLE IN WASHINGTON DONE. MYRTLE. YEAH. 
          IN WASHINGTON 100%. MYRTLE IS GOING TO BE THE BIG ONE. SEAN. I CANNOT WAIT FOR THAT. WHAT ARE WE DOING THAT AGAIN NEXT YEAR? THAT'S RIGHT. WHEN DO WE CUT A RIBBON? AT THE BEGINNING AND THE END IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT THING. YEAH. LIKE, SEAN, WE'RE GOING TO THROW YOU UP IN THE SKY AND YOU'RE GONNA BURST INTO SUNSHINE, RIGHT? I WANT TO HAVE A PARADE. LIKE. I MEAN, WE'RE DOING THE WHOLE THING FOR MYRTLE STREET, MAN, FOR MYRTLE. I HATE THAT STREET. MYRTLE. 
          YEAH, IT'S A PERFECT SEGUE. HERE'S OUR PERMANENT IMPROVEMENTS FOR NEXT YEAR. 
          MYRTLE STREET IS ON THE SECOND LINE THERE. IF YOU'RE CURIOUS AS TO WHERE ALL THE FUNDING COMES FROM TO DO A PROJECT LIKE THAT MUNICIPAL STATE AID, STATE AID GRANT, SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS AND ENTERPRISE FUNDS ARE GOING TO MAKE UP THE FUNDING FOR THAT PROJECT. IT'S WORTH SAYING, AGAIN, THAT ROAD IS SO BEHIND THAT. IF WE WERE TO APPLY OUR NORMAL ASSESSMENT CRITERIA THAT WE WOULD HAVE ON MY STREET OR MIKE STREET OR SOMETHING, WE FIGURED IT WAS LIKE 30 FOLKS ON MYRTLE. WE WOULD WE WOULD BANKRUPT THE ENTIRE ROAD. SO GETTING THIS STATE AID AND YOU'VE HAD A BIG HAND IN IT, YOU'VE HAD A BIG HAND IN IT IS JUST ABSOLUTELY CRITICAL FOR FOR THAT ROAD TO GET DONE. YES. THANK YOU, KAREN AND JOSIAH FOR YOUR HELP WITH THAT. THAT'S HUGE. WE HAVE GREAT RELATIONS WITH OUR STATE PARTNERS AND AN AWESOME PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT AS WELL. SO IT'S IT'S JUST BEEN FANTASTIC TO PUT THAT TOGETHER. IT'S A NUMBER OF YEARS IN THE MAKING, BUT THOSE ARE THE MAJOR PERMANENT IMPROVEMENTS THAT WE HAVE SCHEDULED FOR 2027 AND JUST A FEW PROJECTS WORTH HIGHLIGHTING. JUST KIND OF PEOPLE THAT JUST KIND OF TUNE IN BRIDGEVIEW PARK THAT IS NOT IN THIS BUDGET, BUT THAT CONSTRUCTION WILL LARGELY BE COMPLETED IN 2027. MYRTLE STREET, LIKE WE JUST TALKED ABOUT, WILL BE COMPLETED IN 2027. THE SKATEBOARD PARK IS NOT IN THIS BUDGET, BUT SHOULD BE CONSTRUCTED AND COMPLETED NEXT YEAR. AND THEN THE CURVE CREST REHABILITATION. THIS IS THE EASTERLY PORTION OF CURVE CREST BOULEVARD, BASICALLY GREELY TO OR HOSPITAL. GREELY TO THE HOSPITAL. YEP. HOSPITAL. 
          YEAH. SOLER BOULEVARD. RIGHT. OKAY. SO SO IT'LL BE A BRAND NEW ROAD GOING ALL THE WAY TO MANNING AVENUE. SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTS AND PROJECTS COMING UP AND WHAT TO EXPECT. AND WITH THAT, I'LL TRY AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS IF YOU HAVE ANY. LOOKS GOOD. SO I MEAN MORE OR LESS NOTHING HAS CHANGED FROM LAST TIME WE SAW ALL OF THIS, CORRECT? WE JUST HAD THE FANCY MEDIAN VALUE HOME SLIDES ADDED IN THERE. GOTCHA. THE BUDGET. YEAH. PERFECT. WELL THANK YOU EVERYBODY. I KNOW THIS IS ALWAYS A BIG LIFT FOR EVERYBODY IN THE DEPARTMENT. 
          I'M CERTAINLY HAPPY WITH THE NUMBER. AT THE END OF THE DAY. I THINK FOR ANYBODY WATCHING, YOU KNOW, IN OUR STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION THIS YEAR WHERE WE BASICALLY SPEND A 
          [01:45:05]
MORNING TOGETHER, A DAY TOGETHER WITH A FACILITATOR AND WE TALK ABOUT PRIORITIES. ONE THAT WAS PRETTY UNIVERSAL WAS WE'VE HAD SO MANY BIG TICKET EXPENSES AND THINGS THAT WE NEEDED TO CATCH UP ON AS A CITY THAT HAD BEEN NEGLECTED. AND THEN WE ALSO HAD THINGS THAT WERE KIND OF INTENTIONALLY NEGLECTED AS A RESULT OF THE SAINT CROIX CROSSING PROJECT AND PARK INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE HADN'T DONE ANYTHING WITH. LIKE WE HAD JUST, WE'VE HAD A WHOLE HOST OF REALLY BIG TICKET ITEMS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF NEW AMENITIES AND MAINTENANCE THAT HAS BUILT UP AND HAS, HAS COST US MONEY, FRANKLY, TO DO ALL THESE THINGS. AND THAT REALLY HAS, IT'S DONE AT THIS POINT. LIKE WE'RE DONE WITH THE BIG PARKS AND THE BIG PROJECTS AND THE BIG THINGS. I MEAN, THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE MAINTENANCE. AND SO ONE OF THE, THE CONSISTENT THEMES WAS LIKE, NOW IT'S TIME TO MAINTAIN THIS AS BEST AS POSSIBLE. NO BIG NEW PROJECTS THAT ARE ON THE BACKS OF OUR PROPERTY TAXPAYERS. AND, AND THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR OF THAT. AND THE RESULTS SHOW WE'VE GOT A THREE SOME PERCENT INCREASE, WHICH IS HUGE. THE THESE ARE THE TYPES OF THINGS THAT OTHER CITY MAYORS AND THINGS. THEY SEND ME A LITTLE NASTY TEXT MESSAGES LIKE, HOW DID YOU GUYS DO THAT? WE'RE GOING TO WE'RE LOOKING AT A 12% INCREASE YEAR OVER YEAR. 
          SO I'M VERY PROUD OF THE WORK YOU ALL DID AND, AND ALL OF OUR DEPARTMENT HEADS AND EVERYBODY IN GETTING THIS AND ACTUALLY DOING ALL THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO DO TO OPERATE A PREMIER CITY. SO THANK YOU. WITH THAT, IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE, IS THERE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE TAX LEVY, THE BUDGET, AND SET THE TRUTH AND TAXATION MEETING DATE? SO MOVED. SECOND, IF THERE'S NO FURTHER DISCUSSION. ROLL CALL PLEASE. COUNCIL MEMBER. COLLINS. YES. COUNCIL MEMBER. ALLEN. YES. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER. YES. COUNCIL MEMBER. PAULINA. YES. MAYOR. KOZLOWSKI. YES. AND THAT PASSES WITH FIVE VOTES. THANK YOU EVERYBODY. IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE THIS EVENING ANYBODY WISHES TO TALK ABOUT VIKINGS GAME. VIKINGS MINNESOTA VIKINGS. I DO NOT WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE OHIO STATE GAME. I TELL YOU THAT YEAH DUDE I WASN'T GOING TO BRING IT UP MAN. I HAVE ONE THING. YES MAYOR. THAT WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN. LARRY. YEAH. ALL RIGHT. WITH THAT, IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? SO MOVED. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR, SAY AYE. AYE. AND W
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.