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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTribal-County Relations Committee - Minutes - 2/19/2024 Bayfield County Administrator 117 E 5th Street, PO Box 878, Washburn, WI 54891 Ph: 715-373-6181 Fax: 715-373-6153 Mark Abeles-Allison, County Administrator Kristine Kavajecz, Human Resources Director Kim Mattson, Finance Director Gail Reha, Bookkeeper Paige Terry, Clerk III MINUTES OF THE: Bayfield County Tribal Relations Committee Meeting 9:00am, Monday, February 19, 2024 Meeting was held at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), Annex Building, Washburn, WI Members Present: Tribal Chairwoman Nicole Boyd, Supervisor Jeff Silbert, Supervisor Steve Sandstrom, Tribal Vice-Chair Rick Peterson (virtually) Members Excused: Others Present: Red Cliff Tribal Police Chief Jess Hall, Bayfield County Chief Deputy Andy Runice, Bayfield County Sheriff Tony Williams, Bayfield County Board Supervisor Mary Dougherty, Bayfield County Public Health Nurse Holly Weber, Red Cliff Public Health Services Administrator Diane Erickson, Assistant Tribal Attorney Wade Williams, County GIS Technician Carmen Novak, Bayfield County Administrator Mark Abeles- Allison, and Bayfield County Clerk III Paige Terry. Called to order at 9:00 a.m. by Board Supervisor Steve Sandstrom. Introductions: Introductions of committee members and attendees were made. The committee held a moment of silence for the two officers and paramedic that lost their lives during a shooting in Burnsville, Minnesota over the weekend. Sandstrom informed everyone in attendance that it would be Silbert’s last meeting as he will not be running for another term on the County Board. Sandstrom commended Silbert for his work during his term and stated that Silbert has been an inspiration to him during his time on the board and described Silbert’s work as exemplary. Silbert stated it has been an honor to serve on the committee and work with the tribe. Minutes of December 18, 2023, County-Tribal Relations Committee Meeting: Motion by Boyd, seconded by Silbert to approve the minutes of the December 18, 2023, County-Tribal Relations Committee Meeting. Motion carried, 4-0. Public Comment: None. Tribal-County Law Enforcement Agreement, 2025 DOJ Grant Timeline and County / Tribal Law Enforcement Topics: Bayfield County Sheriff, Tony Williams, informed the committee that he would like to set aside some time in late spring/early summer to sit down with Tribal Police Chief, Jess Hall, to discuss the 2025 Cooperative Law Enforcement Agreement/DOJ Grant. Hall stated that she has set aside two weeks in the month of May to work on the grant for 2025. Bayfield County Administrator, Mark Abeles-Allison, asked how collaboration efforts are progressing between the two agencies as the topic is mentioned several times in the agreement. Boyd stated that she would also like to see an evaluation of the goals outlined in the current agreement and the impact they have had. Sandstrom said the evaluation should be conducted before discussions on the new agreement take place. The committee agreed. Silbert asked if the funds for the 2024 grant have been received. Hall replied yes. The committee reviewed all the goals outlined in the current agreement and Boyd stated that the first two goals have been achieved but raised a question regarding the third goal, explaining that she was not sure if it was being achieved or not. T. Williams informed Hall that he would be willing to review the Schedule Anywhere program with her to help with sharing schedules between the two agencies and reviewed the Sheriff’s Office officer coverage breakdown and schedule. Chief Deputy, Andy Runice, suggested that the Red Cliff Police Department’s Sergeant collaborate with one or two of the Sheriff’s Office Sergeants on a Field Operations Plan. Sandstrom and Boyd agreed that the topic should be added to the future agreement as an additional goal. T. Williams encouraged Hall to reach out to the Sheriff’s Office for anything she or the department may need. Hall reported that the police department provides 21-hour a day coverage with officers rotating on 10-hour shifts. Silbert stressed the importance of positive collaborations, stating that they should be the primary focus of the agreement instead of the dollar amount. The committee members discussed the next committee meeting date and agreed to meet again at the end of May. Boyd informed the committee that there will be some variables that will affect the fiscal year 2025 and gave the example of the new Police Station that is being built. Opioid Settlement Fund Plans in the Schools and Health Update: Bayfield County Public Health Nurse, Holly Weber, reported that she has spoken with all the schools in Bayfield County and explained that the Health Department is pursuing the Botvin program as the selected program to administer in the schools. The Bayfield school staff will also be trained on the program through in-person training offered by the county. Boyd asked if the Red Cliff club staff would also be able to participate in the training. Weber explained that the training session could hold a maximum of 20 people, so staff would be able to be trained if there was room available. Weber gave a review of the program curriculum to the committee. Discussion took place regarding the approval and implementation of the program in the schools. Abeles-Allison gave a brief history of the opioid settlement funds to the committee. Red Cliff Public Health Services Administrator, Diane Erickson, reported that the tribe is nearing finalization of its Tribal Action Plan and deepening prevention efforts is one of the goals of the plan and one of the objectives if to choose a curriculum at the school level. The tribe’s wrap around team may recommend an expanded choice which would lead to the tribe stepping in to train staff beyond the 20 spaces the county has available for training. Boyd urged that the Health Department and Red Cliff Public Health look at focusing on a collective effort rather than programs that may overlap and cause confusion. Weber also informed the committee that Essentia Health has funds available to assist with the opioid prevention efforts that can be used for the prevention program start up costs but a budget for the project would need to be prepared and submitted. Erickson stated that the committee can expect to see an updated version of the Tribal Action Plan and explained the goals in the plan did not change. Erickson reviewed the Tribal Action Plan goals with the committee. Bayfield County Health Board: Weber informed the committee that the new Public Health Director is exploring having a designated spot on the Board of Health for tribal representation and was wondering if the tribal representative could be someone nominated by the Tribal-County Relations Committee which would be approved by the board. Boyd stated that she was unsure if the nomination should come from the committee but said she was willing to ask the Tribal Council to recommend an individual to the Board of Health. Bayfield County Board Supervisor, Mary Dougherty, stated that it would be beneficial for Red Cliff to have a designated seat on the board instead of their representation being lumped in with the community members. Discussion took place regarding the appointment process for the board of health. Peterson recommended that the committee take action in the form of support of the appointment before it goes before the Board of Health. The committee agreed to add the item to the next agenda as it was not listed as an action item. Land Records Program Update and Collaborative Opportunities: Bayfield County GIS Technician, Carmen Novak, gave a review of current Land Records projects to the committee, which include; address and road sign inventory, consolidated dispatch and NextGen9-1-1 implementation, modernization plan update, countywide imagery with 2025 being the tentative next collection date, acquiring historic imagery for the whole county for 1938, the UAV program, web map updates, and data sharing. Boyd stated that the tribe would have more information to give to Land Records after the tribal census is conducted. Abeles-Allison informed the committee that there are areas throughout the county in which individuals are able to text 911 and may send pictures and videos to 911. Novak concluded her update stating that there should be LiDAR data available in the next six months and reviewed the UAV program with the committee. Tribal County Lands Discussion: Abeles-Allison explained that tribal lands have been a key focus in the Lands MOU but stated that the county no longer owns any land on the Red Cliff reservation. Abeles-Allison expressed concern stating that private property owners on the reservation lands that do not pay their property taxes may cause the property to default back to Bayfield County. Silbert stated that it is the county’s goal to not obtain anymore land on the reservation and asked if there was any way to prevent the county from getting ownership of these parcels. Assistant Tribal Attorney, Wade Williams, replied that the county would work on a title transfer for the properties that they acquire due to the tax foreclosure process, or the tribe could try to make a deal with the property owners before the county obtains ownership of the property. W. Williams and Abeles- Allison agreed that collaboration is key, and the easiest solution would be if the property did not come back to the county in the first place. Abeles-Allison asked that the Tribal Lands MOU be added to the next agenda as it is due for review and update. The committee agreed. Reports from Committee Members: Silbert stated that he has greatly enjoyed working with and learning from the tribe during his tenure on the committee. Silbert spoke positively on his experience working with Walt Bressette and Joe Rose and stressed the importance of teaching the topics of treaty rights and sovereignty. Sandstrom stated he had spent several years working with Joe Rose at Northland College and agreed that Joe was a very impactful individual. Abeles-Allison reported that the State of Wisconsin has received approximately $1 million in Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) Program funding and stated that Bayfield County has good connectivity, but more steps can be made towards improving connectivity and internet availability. There are five topics that will be addressed over the next year: 1. Underserved Areas 2. Digital Inclusion and Adoption 3. Good Service Quality 4. Economic Development 5. Cyber Security and Privacy Hall gave Abeles-Allison two resources regarding BEAD, one being her spouse Theron with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the other being Jim Stromberg with Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Hall stated that Stromberg would be speaking to the Tribal Council later in the day and invited Abeles-Allison to attend the meeting. Discussion took place regarding the importance of internet access throughout the county. Weber asked for an update on the proposed cell tower in the Town of Russell. Sandstrom stated that he had not heard anything else regarding the tower and all communications appear to have stopped. Boyd reported that the tribal census should be wrapping up this month and informed the committee that the State of the Tribe Address will be held at 10:00 a.m. on February 22, 2024, in Madison. Abeles-Allison what impact the tribal census may have. Boyd replied that she did not have specific examples but stated that it may have a significant financial impact. Discussion regarding the population growth seen throughout the county and its stability. Boyd stated that the tribe is waiting for the weight restrictions to lift so they may continue with some of their large construction projects which include the EMS facility, Cultural Center, and a maintenance building. Abeles-Allison informed the committee that the weight restrictions were temporarily lifted effective February 16, 2024. Abeles-Allison raised a question regarding veteran healthcare and asked if the veterans would be able to be seen by Red Cliff clinic staff for their annual appointment. Erickson stated that she did not have the answer but said that she would work on getting the specific answer to the question and let Abeles-Allison know. Proposed Next Meeting Time and Date and Joint Meeting Date: • Tribal-County Relations Committee Meeting: May 20, 2024 at 9:00 a.m., Legendary Waters • Joint Tribal Council-County Board Meeting: October 29, 2024 at 6:00 p.m., County Board Room Adjournment: There being no further business to discuss, a motion was made by Boyd, seconded by Sandstrom to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried, 4-0. Meeting adjourned at 10:45 a.m. Respectfully Submitted, Paige a. terry, Clerk III, Bayfield County Administrator’s & Clerk’s Offices On behalf of the Bayfield County-Tribal Relations Committee PAT