Doug Anschutz

The agenda for the meeting included standard procedural items such as roll call, public comments, and agenda approval. The Consent Calendar items covered appointments to the Mental Health Advisory Council and Brown's Creek Watershed District, restructuring of personnel positions, contract amendments with Corrie's House, Inc., accepting a donation from The Fred C. & Katherine B. Andersen Foundation, and renewal of several liquor licenses. Further consent items involved resolutions concerning Board of Water and Soil Resources (BWSR) funding, grant applications for chloride reduction and trail stabilization, easement and agreement approvals with the City of Cottage Grove for the Park Grove Library Project, cooperative agreements with the City of Scandia regarding County Road 52, rejecting bids for agricultural land lease in Big Marine Park Reserve while approving a lease agreement for St. Croix Bluffs Regional Park, and an agreement regarding Agricultural Water Quality Certification. Under Public Works, approval was sought for thirteen specific contracts totaling significant amounts for various construction components of the Park Grove Library Project. Other scheduled topics included Commissioner Reports and a review of the 2026-2030 Capital Equipment and Fleet (CEFP) and Technology Plans.

The document details the upcoming joint meeting of the Washington County Board of Adjustment & Appeals and the Planning Advisory Commission, scheduled for February 24, 2026. Key agenda items for the Board of Adjustments & Appeals include a variance request for the Lauenstein property concerning lake setback requirements (148.1 feet requested vs. 200 feet required) and a variance request for the Jensen property related to bluff setback and septic system placement due to steep slopes. The Board also reviewed the request for the Francis property seeking a bluff line setback variance from 100 feet to 50 feet. The Planning Advisory Commission agenda centers on the Amrize Conditional Use Permit (CUP) renewal for the Larson Quarry in Grey Cloud Island Township for the 2025-2030 term. Discussions regarding the CUP involved operations (mining, processing, stockpiling), compliance with County vs. Township setbacks (including a 500-foot setback from residences requested by the Township), hours of operation, dust control, blasting monitoring, groundwater monitoring, and the associated reclamation plan.

The Washington County Board of Commissioners meeting included the approval of the agenda and several consent calendar items. These approvals involved accepting a donation from Tracinda Yaw for a commemorative bench at Lake Elmo Park Reserve and authorizing the Sheriff's Office to accept $7,500 from the USPCA AKC Reunite K9 Grant Program. The Human Resources section saw the proclamation of February 2026 as Black History Month, with an appreciation extended to the organizing employee resource groups. In Public Works, the Board approved a contract with TKDA Associates for final design services for the CSAH 5, CR 55, and CSAH 96 Intersection Improvement Project, alongside a resolution to acquire necessary right-of-way. A budget amendment was also approved for this project. The Sheriff's Office secured approval for a five-year contract not to exceed $4,761,161 with CentralSquare Technologies LLC for migrating the public safety system to the cloud. In General Administration, an update on federal legislation was provided, noting that $1,031,000 was secured for the Body Worn and Squad Fleet Camera Integration Project, and outlining funding possibilities for other county projects dependent on pending appropriations bills. The session concluded with the adjournment of the meeting and a subsequent workshop introducing the County Transportation Sales Tax financial analysis.

The Washington County Board of Commissioners convened for a regular session. Key actions included approving the meeting agenda. Under the Consent Calendar, the Board approved resolutions to delegate authority for electronic funds transfers, to set aside 20 percent of net revenue from tax forfeited land sales for county parks, and to approve the public auction sale procedures for a specific tax forfeited parcel. Further consent actions approved a grant agreement with the Washington Conservation District for prairie enhancement and a Purchase Order for fleet vehicles. The Sheriff's Office introduced Penny, a new therapy dog. The Board recognized James Honsvall for his service on the Audit Advisory Committee and accepted the 2025 fourth quarter donations. Discussions were held regarding a draft letter to the Federal Delegation concerning ICE operations, and an update was provided on a water pipe break in the Government Center. The meeting concluded with commissioner reports and adjournment, followed by two separate board workshops concerning Board of Water and Soil Resources funding and a review of Washington County's 2026 Mandates & Core Functions.

The meeting agenda for the Board of Commissioners included public comments, approval of the agenda, and a substantial Consent Calendar. Consent items involved the approval of Amendment No. 3 with HM Cragg Co for UPS maintenance rates, adopting resolutions to approve a raffle permit for Disabled Veterans Rest Camp Inc., and adopting resolutions in support of BUILD program grant applications from both the City of Cottage Grove (for the CR 19A Realignment Project) and Chisago County (for the US Highway 8 Reconstruction Project). General Administration included a discussion on fraud prevention and program integrity safeguards in human services, especially concerning federal funding actions impacting SNAP, CCAP, and Medicaid. Commissioners were scheduled to provide committee reports, and an Executive (Closed) Session was planned to discuss labor relations strategy. Workshops covered a Federal Legislative Workshop to plan for the NACo Legislative Conference and discussions on proposed Congressionally Directed Spending requests for FY2027, including transportation projects in Woodbury and Cottage Grove, and fiber optic expansion for public safety.