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WELCOME[CALL TO ORDER]
EVERYONE TO THE MONDAY, OCTOBER 16TH BOARD OF SUPERVISORS REGULAR MEETING.YOU'RE STUCK WITH ME TONIGHT, BILL STARLING, OUR CHAIR IS ON VACATION, SO, UM, LET'S STAND.
ALL RIGHT, HAS EVERYONE HAD THE
[MOTION TO APPROVE BOARD AGENDA]
OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK AT THE BOARD AGENDA? IF SO, I'LL PROPOSE A MOTION.I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE TONIGHT'S AGENDA.
DO I HAVE A FIR? UH, FIRST AND A SECOND.
[SPECIAL PRESENTATION]
PRESENTATION FROM NAN FANG HO ON THE VIETNAM WAR MEMORIAL.WE'RE GIVING LIKE 15 MINUTES PRESENTATION ON IT.
HI, I'M SUPPOSED TO INTRODUCE IAN FANG HO, BUT I'M GONNA ACTUALLY LET MY HUSBAND SCOTT JOHNSON DO THAT BECAUSE HE'S MUCH MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE IAN FONG HALL THAN I'M, BECAUSE I HAVEN'T MET HER YET.
AND SHE'S ONE OF OUR CONSTITUENTS THERE.
AND SO I'VE GOTTEN TO KNOW HER VERY WELL OVER THE LAST COUPLE YEARS EXCEPT FOR THAT COVID PART.
AND I'M PLEASURE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO TIAN FONG HO, AND SHARE AND MAKE A PRESENTATION ON THE ARTIST.
UM, THANKS FOR HAVING ME HERE TONIGHT.
I AM, I WAS TELLING SCOTT HOW EXCITED I AM BECAUSE I RARELY GET A CHANCE TO SHARE MY SCHOLARSHIP OUTSIDE OF ACADEMIA.
SO THIS IS JUST, IT'S EVERYTHING TO BE, SO, I'M STARTING WITH THIS FIRST SLIDE.
THIS IS JUST, UM, AN ACTUAL RENDERING BY MYELIN HERSELF WHEN SHE ENTERED THE COMPETITION FOR THE MEMORIAL DESIGN.
UM, AND THERE ACTUALLY WAS A COMPETITION WITH WHAT WE WILL TALK ABOUT.
I'M DEDICATING MY TALK TO MY GRANDFATHER.
HIS NAME IS, UM, HE WAS A COLONEL IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR, UM, WITH CHIANG KAI-SHEK.
HE WAS A PILOT IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR, AND HE FLEW THE HUMP.
AND SOME OF YOU MAY KNOW ABOUT THE HUMP.
IT WAS WHEN THE CHINA BURMA ROAD WAS BOMBED OUT BY JAPAN AND CHINA NO LONGER HAD ANY ACCESS TO SUPPLIES.
AND, UM, ACTUALLY JAPAN, THEY WERE FLYING THEIR FIGHTERS FROM HANOI VIE, UH, IN VIETNAM, ACTUALLY.
AND, UM, THEY WERE BEING ATTACKED BY THE FLYING TIGERS.
AND HE WAS ONE OF THE, UH, THE PILOTS THAT, UH, CAME IN AND, UM, WAS TRAINED ON ACTUALLY AMERICAN, UM, AIRPLANES.
AND HE NEVER BOUGHT A JAPANESE CAR IN HIS ENTIRE LIFE,
UM, BUT HE'S A BELOVED IN OUR FAMILY.
AND, UM, SO VETERANS ARE VERY IMPORTANT TO ME, AND THEY, THEY HOLD A VERY SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART.
AND THIS IS ONE OF MY VERY CLOSE FRIENDS, UM, VU KIM, TWO OR TWO.
WE WERE BOTH AT THE SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO.
AND, UM, WE ACTUALLY JUST RECONNECTED VERY RECENTLY.
SHE WAS AT A RESIDENCY IN CONNECTICUT.
SHE JUST CAME FROM HER HOME IN HANOI AND SPENT SOME TIME IN THE US AND I GOT TO SPEND QUITE A BIT OF TIME WITH HER NEXT, UM, SO I'M STARTING OUT WITH A QUOTE.
HE WAS THE COMMANDER OF THE PACIFIC FLEET, CHAIRMAN OF THE US JOINTS, CHIEFS OF STAFF DURING THE VIETNAM WAR.
UM, AND THIS WAS HIS COMMENT ABOUT THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL.
HE SAYS, I VISITED THE VIETNAM MEMORIAL, AND I'VE MIXED EMOTIONS ABOUT IT.
I WOULD'VE NEVER BUILT A MEMORIAL LIKE THAT.
I DON'T LIKE THE IDEA THAT IT WAS NOT DESIGNED BY AN AMERICAN.
SO MY COMMENT HERE IS, UM, I, I PICKED MY LAND FOR MY DISSERTATION TOPIC IN GRADUATE SCHOOL BECAUSE I REALLY RELATED TO THIS.
UM, I FOUND OUT THAT, YOU KNOW, MOORE HAD MADE THIS COMMENT.
AND, UM, SO SHE DEFINITELY WAS A US CITIZEN, BORN IN OHIO.
I WAS RAISED MOST, ALMOST MY ENTIRE CHILDHOOD IN OHIO, BORN IN LAWRENCE, KANSAS.
WE'RE BOTH MIDWESTERNERS AND I JUST FELT AN AFFINITY TO HER.
UM, SO I CHOSE HER FOR MY, FOR, UM, MY DISSERTATION TOPIC.
UM, SO A COUPLE THINGS ABOUT THE VIETNAM WAR.
IT WAS THE LONGEST WAR IN AMERICAN HISTORY UNTIL AFGHANISTAN.
UM, THERE'S CONFUSION ABOUT THE REASON WHY AMERICA EVEN BECAME
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INVOLVED.SO, UH, YOU KNOW, WAS THIS A NOBLE STRUGGLE AGAINST COMMUNIST AGGRESSION, UM, IN EXTENSION OF THE COLD WAR, SO TO SPEAK? OR WAS THIS, UM, ABOUT THESE IMPERIALIST FORCES THAT WERE CRUSHING A PEOPLE'S FIGHT FOR INDEPENDENCE? UM, AND WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE, IT, IT CERTAINLY LEFT A MASSIVE IMPACT ON AMERICAN NATIONAL IDENTITY AND PUBLIC MEMORY, AND THAT CONTINUES TODAY.
IS THIS WORKING IF I JUST SAY NEXT? YEAH, THAT'S FINE.
I'M THE ONE PUSHING THE BUTTON BACK HERE.
SO, UH, ALRIGHT, SO WE GET BEYOND THIS ONE.
SO THESE ARE COMMENTS BY LYNDON B JOHNSON, L B J.
UM, HE HIMSELF, YOU KNOW, HAD THIS KIND OF, UM, DIFFERENT MESSAGING.
HE SAYS, THE FIRST REALITY IS THAT NORTH VIETNAM HAS ATTACKED THE INDEPENDENT NATION OF SOUTH VIETNAM.
SO WE SHOULD GO IN AND, AND DEFEND, UM, THE NATION OF SOUTH VIETNAM.
UM, AND THEN HE ALSO SAID THE WAR IN SOUTH VIETNAM IS NOT AN ISOLATED LO LOCAL CONFLICT, IRRELEVANT TO AMERICAN NATIONAL IDENT SECURITY, BUT INSEPARABLE FROM THE NATION'S HIGHEST PRIORITY OF THE COLD WAR STRUGGLE TO CONTAIN COMMUNISM AROUND THE GLOBE.
UM, AND THERE WAS THIS THEORY AT THE TIME, UM, CALLED THE DOMINO THEORY.
AND THE IDEA WAS THAT IF VIETNAM FELL, THEN THE ENTIRETY OF ASIA WOULD FALL TO COMMUNISM.
AND, UH, THIS WAS TO, YOU KNOW, CIRCUMVENT THAT, PREVENT THAT FROM HAPPENING.
THE GOAL OF US INVOLVEMENT IN VIETNAM THEN WAS TO PUSH BACK AGAINST SOVIET INFLUENCE IN ASIA.
UM, AND I SHOULD MENTION HERE ALSO THAT, UM, CHINA, WE THINK NOW IS BEING A, A POWERFUL COMMUNIST COUNTRY.
UM, BUT IN THE CASE OF, OF FAMILIES LIKE MY OWN AND, AND MAYLIN, WE WERE MY FAM, MY FAMILY WAS EXILED FROM CHINA BY MAO.
SO, BECAUSE WE WERE NATIONALISTS.
SO WE ENDED UP IN TAIWAN AND THEN CAME TO THE US.
SO THERE ARE PLENTY OF CHINESE HERE THAT WERE VERY MUCH, UM, YOU KNOW, VICTIMS OF COMMUNISM AND WERE FORCED OUT OF THEIR COUNTRY BECAUSE OF, BECAUSE OF COMMUNISM, UM, WHICH WAS THE CASE WITH MILAN'S FAMILY AS WELL.
OKAY, NEXT, ROBERT MCNAMARA, UM, DEFENSE SECRETARY FOR BOTH KENNEDY AND JOHNSON.
HE RENOUNCED WARTIME CLAIMS USED TO JUSTIFY THE WAR, FOR WHICH HE WAS A KEY ARCHITECT.
HE PUBLISHED TWO BOOKS, UM, AND HE, HE SAID, IF ONLY HE HAD UNDERSTOOD THE FERVOR OF VIETNAM, UH, NATIONALISM, THEIR DETERMINATION FOR SELF-DETERMINATION TO BECOME THEIR OWN UNITED SOVEREIGN PEOPLE.
AND THAT HANOI WAS NOT UPON OF BEIJING OR MOSCOW.
NEXT, UH, THIS IS MI LAI, ALSO KNOWN AS SOMI.
I VISITED THIS, UH, THE SITE 2002.
AND, UM, AT THE SITE THEY HAD LETTERS THAT HO CHI MINH HAD WRITTEN TO OUR U US PRESIDENTS QUOTING ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO RECALL THAT THIS WAS A CIVIL WAR.
THE VIETNAMESE FELT THAT THIS WAS A CIVIL WAR BETWEEN NORTH VIETNAM AND SOUTH VIETNAM.
JUST AS IN THE US WE HAD OUR OWN AMERICAN, US CIVIL WAR BETWEEN THE NORTH, WHICH WAS VERY INDUSTRIAL AND AGRICULTURAL SOUTH.
AND IT WOULD JUST IMAGINE, YOU KNOW, TODAY, MAYBE CHINA COMING IN AND THEN BACKING UP THE CONFEDERACY.
THAT IS HOW CONFUSING IT WAS FOR THEM TO HAVE THE US COME IN AND, YOU KNOW, SIDE WITH, WITH, WITH SOUTH VIETNAM, UM, BECAUSE THEY FELT LIKE WE'RE FIGHTING OUR OWN CIVIL WAR HERE.
UM, CONFUSION BETWEEN PERPETRATOR VERSUS VICTIM, YOU KNOW, HARD TO TELL THEM APART.
SO DIFFICULT, LOTS OF DIFFICULT, CONTROVERSIAL TOPICS.
UM, AGENT ORANGE, I WANTED TO MENTION, UM, IF WE GO BACK TO THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, I CAN SAY A SOMETHING ABOUT THIS.
THIS IS, THIS WAS NAPALM THAT WAS BEING USED TO, IT'S BASICALLY LIKE GASOLINE TURNED TO MOLASSES, RIGHT? IT WOULD STICK TO THINGS AND JUST BURN EVERYTHING.
UM, THIS WAS A VERY FAMOUS PHOTO TAKEN DURING THE SEC DURING VIETNAM.
NAPALM WAS USED TO DEFOLIATE TREES BECAUSE IT WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO DO ANY KIND OF BOMBING WHEN YOU COULDN'T SEE THE GROUND.
SO THIS IS MY FRIEND TOO, WITH HER FRIEND WHO BROUGHT, WHO WAS THE FIRST ONE, THE GENTLEMAN TO FIRST BRING HER TO THE US.
HE'S AN AMERICAN, UM, ART HISTORY PROFESSOR, AND ALSO A, A VICTIM OF, UM, AGENT ORANGE.
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HE NOW HAS, UM, NEURAL, UM, DEGENERATE KINDS OF, UH, NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES THAT HAVE COME AS YOU KNOW, THAT HE'S, HE'S BEEN VICTIMIZED BY SINCE HE HAS GOTTEN OLDER.UM, AND SO AGENT ORANGE CONTINUES TO BE AN ISSUE.
UM, HE HAS PARKINSON'S, SO NOW HE'S CONCERNED FOR HIS CHILDREN.
SO THERE, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT LIKE VIETNAM, THE WAR'S LONG GONE.
IT'S LIKE THERE STILL ARE THINGS THAT KEEP, UM, HAPPENING TO OUR VIC, UH, TO OUR VETERANS.
THESE, UH, THESE WERE THE VICTIMS OF THE KENT STATE MASSACRE.
UM, I DIDN'T WANNA FORGET DEAN COLOR.
HE, HE SURVIVED, BUT HE WAS, UH, BECAME A PARAPLEGIC.
THEY RECEIVED ANOTHER KIND OF TRAUMA WHEN THEY CAME HOME.
THEY DID NOT GET THE TICK OR TAPE PARADES THAT ARE, UM, THAT OUR SOLDIERS RECEIVED WHEN THEY CAME BACK FROM THE SECOND WORLD WAR.
THEY'RE TREATED VERY, VERY DIFFERENTLY.
UM, AGAIN, SOME FILMS THAT SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE SEEN ABOUT THESE TOPICS, P T S D, UM, THESE VERY KIND OF MASCULINE STORIES, BUT, UM, WITH EX WITH A LOT OF EMOTIONAL, UM, MEANING BEHIND THEM.
UH, THERE WERE PROBLEMS WITH MONUMENTS IN GENERAL BECAUSE THEY WERE FIGURATIVE.
AND SO HERE'S ONE CALLED CIVIC VIRTUE, WHERE CIVIC VIRTUE, CIVIC VIRTUE IS REPRESENTED BY A MALE FIGURE.
UM, AND VICE AND CORRUPTION ARE REPRESENTED BY FEMALE FIGURES.
SO THIS WAS A MUCH MALIGNED SCULPTURE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
NO ONE REALLY SEEMS TO KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH IT.
UM, YOU CAN LOOK AT THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO PEOPLE WERE NOT HAPPY WITH THIS KIND OF SCULPTURE WHERE WOMEN WERE BEING USED TO ALLEGORIZE, UM, VICE AND CORRUPTION.
ALL RIGHT, NEXT, AND WE CAN SKIP THIS TITLE.
UM, I WANTED TO POINT THIS PARTICULAR MONUMENT OUT.
MOST OF US MAY KNOW OF IT AS THE IWO JIMA MEMORIAL.
UM, IT WAS MY FAVORITE WHEN I FIRST VISITED, UM, DC AND I WANTED TO POINT IT OUT BECAUSE I, IN MY DISSERTATION, I TALK ABOUT THIS AS A PRIVILEGED MOMENT.
BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE YOU, WHEN YOU HAVE, UH, AN ENTIRE WAR, UM, THERE ARE MANY, MANY STORIES IN THAT WAR.
AND IF YOU WANNA REPRESENT THAT WHOLE WAR IN A SINGLE MONUMENT, YOU HAVE TO PICK OUT ONE MOMENT OUT OF ALL OF THOSE STORIES TO REPRESENT THAT WAR.
AND SO THIS WAS A VERY POWERFUL MONUMENT TO ME, TO SEE, YOU KNOW, THESE GUYS LIKE GETTING THAT FLAG INTO THE GROUND.
UM, AND, AND THAT KIND OF PHYSICAL STRUGGLE.
UM, BUT IT WAS ONLY ONE MOMENT.
SO I, I CALL THIS, UM, A PRIVILEGED MOMENT, RIGHT? 'CAUSE WE PRIVILEGED THAT ONE MOMENT OUT OF SO MANY IN THE WAR TO REPRESENT.
THIS IS THOMAS BALL'S EMANCIPATION GROUP.
AND I JUST WANTED TO POINT THIS OUT AS ANOTHER FIGURATIVE MONUMENT THAT PEOPLE HAD ISSUES WITH.
IF YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
AND THE REASON IS, IS BECAUSE IT SORT OF COPIES THIS VERY WELL-KNOWN TROPE OF, UM, OF CHRIST AND MARY MAGDALENE.
YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT ONE AND THE NEXT, AND YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS, IT, IT, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WERE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH THIS, WITH THIS KIND OF, UM, TREATMENT OF LINCOLN WITH A, WITH A EMANCIPATED SLAVE.
ALRIGHT, I THINK WE CAN GO THROUGH THESE NEXT, UM, AND JUST IF WE CAN PASS, YEAH.
THESE ARE MONUMENTS THAT, THAT I JUST WANTED YOU TO BE AWARE OF, THAT ARE ACTUALLY IN VIETNAM.
AND VIETNAM HAS, HAS ITS OWN MONUMENTS TO THE WAR.
AND SOME OF THESE ARE I VISITED, AND THIS WAS, THIS WAS THE MONUMENT.
UM, IT'S LIKE TURNED INTO A MONUMENT BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE THE TET OFFENSIVE TOOK PLACE, WHERE THE SOLDIERS HAD TO, YOU KNOW, GO BLOCK BY BLOCK AND, UM, DESTROY THE WHOLE CITY.
BASICALLY, THERE'S A MONUMENT TO JOHN SIDNEY MCCAIN.
UM, HE PARACHUTED DOWN INTO THIS LAKE, AND THERE'S ACTUALLY MONUMENT THERE FOR HIM.
UM, THIS IS, UH, JAN SCRUGGS AT 18 YEARS OLD, HE WENT AND VOLUNTEERED TO ENLIST IN THE ARMY.
AND HE'S VERY IMPORTANT IN THE STORY BECAUSE HE IS THE ONE WHO FOUNDED THE, UH, VIETNAM VETERANS FUND TO FUND THE MONUMENT.
UM, AND HE, HE HAD A VERY SIMPLE CONCEPT FOR THIS MONUMENT.
HE SAID, WE NEED TO HONOR THE WARRIOR AND NOT THE WAR.
UH, AND EVERYBODY CAN SORT OF UNDERSTAND THAT IF YOU THINK ABOUT ALL THE STUFF THAT I JUST TALKED ABOUT IN TERMS OF, OF, OF THE WAR, UM, WHY THAT WOULD BE IMPORTANT.
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UM, THE STORY THAT JAN TELLS IN HIS MEMOIR IS THAT HE HAD GONE TO SEE DEER HUNTER WITH HIS WIFE, AND THAT TRIGGERED HIS MEMORY.AND THEN HE BEGAN TO RE RECALL, UM, EVENTS IN THE WAR, ONE OF THOSE BEING 12 OF HIS CLOSE FRIENDS THAT WERE KILLED BY A MORTAR BOMB IN A TRUCK.
UM, AND HE DECIDED THAT, YOU KNOW, WHY DON'T WE HAVE A MEMORIAL? WHY DON'T THE VIETNAM VETS HAVE A MEMORIAL? SO HE STARTED, YOU KNOW, THROWING THIS IDEA AROUND.
HE ENLISTED GOLD STAR MOTHERS, UM, AND THEN EVENTUALLY GOT THE BALL ROLLING FOR THIS, UM, MEMORIAL FUND.
UM, HE INITIALLY DID NOT WANT, HE WASN'T THINKING ABOUT A NATIONAL MONUMENT AT ALL.
HE JUST WANTED AN BOLUS, 30 FEET HIGH WITH THE NAMES OF THE DEAD, UM, WRITTEN ON IT.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT THERE WERE HALF OF THE, UM, THEY DECIDED THAT THEY WOULD HOLD A COMPETITION.
AND THE, THE JURY THAT THEY HAD, THAT THEY SELECTED WERE, UM, THERE, IT WAS AN EIGHT MEMBER JURY, AND HALF OF THEM WERE VETERANS.
SO HALF OF THEM HAD FOUGHT IN WARS THEMSELVES WHEN THEY MET THE, UM, THE VIETNAM VETERAN.
UM, WHEN THEY MET THE VETS THEMSELVES, THE VETS WERE VERY IMPRESSED.
THEY WERE LIKE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE LIKE US.
THEY DO THINGS THE SAME THINGS THAT WE DO.
AND, AND THEY WERE REALLY HAPPY WITH THEM.
SO THEY OPENED THE, THE COMPETITION FOR A NATIONAL, IT WAS A NATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION FOR THE MONUMENT.
ANYBODY OVER THE AGE OF 18 COULD PARTICIPATE AND HAD A DEADLINE OF MARCH IN 1981.
THERE WERE SO MANY SUBMISSIONS, THEY HAD TO PUT ALL OF THE SUBMISSIONS IN THE, UH, ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE HANGAR TO DISPLAY THEM BECAUSE THERE WERE SO MANY.
UM, AND THE JURY JUST, YOU KNOW, WALKED AROUND.
AND EVENTUALLY THEY SLOWLY, UM, NARROWED DOWN THEIR CHOICES AND CAME TO A, UM, AGREEMENT ON ENTRY NUMBER 10 26.
AND THE REASON WAS, IT WAS AN ELOQUENT PLACE WHERE THE SIMPLE MEETING OF EARTH, SKY AND REMEMBERED NAMES CONTAINS MESSAGES FOR ALL.
ALRIGHT, NEXT, AND HERE'S WHAT, UM, LYNN'S SUBMISSION ACTUALLY LOOKED LIKE NEXT.
SHE, UM, ACTUALLY, THE REASON WHY SHE SUBMITTED ANYTHING FOR THIS COMPETITION WAS BECAUSE EVERYBODY IN HER CLASS SUBMITTED SOMETHING.
UM, THEY HAD PUT TOGETHER A INDEPENDENT STUDY WITH ONE OF THEIR PROFESSORS ON ARY ARCHITECTURE.
UM, SHE HAD GOTTEN A B IN HER CLASS, I BELIEVE HER PROFESSOR ALSO SUBMITTED, UM, UH, SOMETHING TO THE COMPETITION.
UM, SO WHEN THE PEOPLE CAME TO TELL HER THAT SHE HAD WON THIS COMPETITION, UM, SHE WAS VERY, EVERYBODY WAS SURPRISED.
UM, THERE'S A FILM, IF YOU WANNA KNOW A, A LOT MORE OF THE DETAILS ABOUT THIS.
IT'S, UM, THERE'S A DOCUMENTARY, MAYA AND A STRONG CLEAR VISION DIRECTED BY FREE LEE MOCK, WHICH CAME OUT IN 94, AND IT WON THE ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY THAT YEAR.
SO, AND SO HERE SHE IS, UM, SHE WAS BORN IN ATHENS, OHIO.
HER DAD WAS A, UM, CERAMICS, POTTERY PROFESSOR IN THE ART DEPARTMENT AT OHIO UNIVERSITY, AND SHE'S GOT TWO KIDS.
UM, SHE ALSO DESIGNED THE CIVIL RIGHTS, UM, MEMORIAL, AND THE, THAT IS IN THIS, UH, SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER IN MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA.
AND SHE QUOTES, UM, MARTIN LUTHER KING AND, UM, UNTIL JUSTICE, YOU KNOW, FLOWS LIKE A MIGHTY STREAM, RIGHT? SO SHE INCLUDED WATER IN THIS, IN THIS PIECE.
UM, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S A WHOLE NOTHER STORY WE COULD TALK ABOUT.
SO GROWING UP IN OHIO, I RELATED TO THIS IMMEDIATELY BECAUSE SHE TALKS ABOUT THESE, THESE, UM, GIANT MOUNDS.
SO THERE ARE NATIVE AMERICANS THAT LIVED IN OHIO THAT WERE MOUND BUILDERS, AND THEY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S A, THERE'S, UM, AN, AN ALLIGATOR MOUND THERE.
YOU KNOW, THEY LOOK LIKE ANIMALS.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE LIKE THESE, UM, ANIMAL SHAPED GIGANTIC MOUNDS.
SO WHEN YOU'RE WALKING AROUND THE MOUNDS, YOU HAVE NO IDEA THE SHAPE OF THE MOUND ITSELF.
YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO GET INTO A HELICOPTER AND GET A BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT TO ACTUALLY KNOW WHAT, UM, WHAT THE ACTUAL FORM IS.
BUT SHE TALKS ABOUT THESE MOUNDS AS BEING QUITE INFLUENTIAL.
UM, SO IN HER MODERN, IN HER, IN HER CLASS, IN ARY ARCHITECTURE, SHE WOULD'VE ENCOUNTERED, SHE WOULD'VE BEEN SHOWN, UM, YOU KNOW, AT N LOUIS B B'S DRAWINGS OR MONUMENTS, RIGHT? HE HAD THESE, UM, IMAGES THAT HE HAD VERY, YOU KNOW, WELL-KNOWN HISTORICALLY, UM, IN FRANCE, THESE IMAGES THAT HE RENDERED, UM,
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WHICH WERE NEVER ACTUALLY BUILT.SO THIS ONE IS A CTA THAT HE HAD DESIGNED, HONORING SIR ISAAC NEWTON BACK IN 1784.
AND SHE WOULD'VE SEEN THIS IN HER ARY ARCHITECTURE CLASS, UM, BECAUSE I SH I DID WHEN I WAS TAING A CLASS WITH A PROFESSOR WHO TAUGHT THE MODERN, UM, HISTORY OF MODERN ARCHITECTURE AT YALE.
SHE ALSO TAUGHT IT AT BRINMAR.
SO I KNOW THAT THIS WAS IN, IN THEIR, UM, CURRICULUM.
AND THIS THING WAS, YOU KNOW, 500 FEET ACROSS.
IT WAS MEANT TO LIKE, EVOKE SOMETHING, PLANETARY, SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, SUBLIME AND, AND, GREAT.
ALRIGHT, WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT ONE.
UM, WE HAVE LIKE FIVE MORE MINUTES.
IS THAT OKAY? YEAH, THAT'S GOOD.
UM, SO THIS WAS ANOTHER ONE BY BOOLE.
AND YOU CAN SEE IT LOOKS, YOU KNOW, UM, THERE'S, IT SORT OF RE REFERS TO SOMETHING MUCH GREATER UNDERGROUND.
UM, AND THERE ARE ARCHITECTS THAT ENDED UP BEING INFLUENCED BY, BY BOOLE, UM, DURING MILAN'S, YOU KNOW, TIME WHEN SHE WAS DESIGNING.
SO THIS IS, I PAYS, UM, IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN TO THE LOUVRE, THIS IS THE ENTRANCE TO THE LOUVRE COST OF PYRAMID.
YOU HAVE THESE GIANT PYRAMIDS THERE.
AND NEXT, HERE'S ANOTHER PICTURE OF THE SAME THING.
IF ANYONE'S BEEN TO THE NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART, SAME THING.
I AM PAY, UM, CHINESE BORN US AMERICAN ARCHITECT.
SO HE ALSO DESIGNED THIS, THIS WOULD'VE JUST OPENED WHEN MAYLIN WENT TO SEE THE SITE IN DC OKAY? NEXT, UM, THE BARCELONA PAVILION BY ME, VANDERAU, UM, THIS KIND OF MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE, THESE SLEEK LINES, YOU CAN SEE THE INFLUENCES COMING FROM, FROM, UM, UH, BUILT PIECES LIKE THIS.
I JUST WANTED TO SHOW YOU HOW THE, YOU KNOW, JUST THE CORNER OF WHERE THESE LONG WALLS WOULD MEET.
UM, AND AMUSE VRO HAS SOME TALKS ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HE NAMED THE ARCHITECTURAL PROMENADE, WHERE AS YOU'RE MOVING THROUGH THE SPACE, THE SCENERY CHANGES, RIGHT? YOU HAVE ALL THESE SNAPSHOTS THAT KEEP CHANGING AS YOU'RE, AS YOU'RE WALKING THROUGH A SPACE.
AND THAT KIND OF, UM, EMBODIED EXPERIENCE, UM, IS SOMETHING THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT IN LYNN'S MONUMENT.
SO HERE'S A PICTURE OF HER SCALE MODEL WITH THE ON SCRUGGS ON THE LEFT GO.
UM, THIS WAS ACTUALLY OUT OF THE WASHINGTON POST, UM, REFERRING TO THE GREAT WALL OF CHINA.
SO AGAIN, BRINGING, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE UNAVOIDABLE CONNECTION TO COMMUNISM IN CHINA.
UM, AND THEN ALSO THE COLOR OF THE MONUMENT WAS A BIG PROBLEM BECAUSE IT WAS BLACK.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, TOM CARHARTT WAS VERY UPSET WITH THE COLOR.
HE SAID IT WAS THE UNIVERSAL COLOR OF SHAME AND SORROW AND DEGRADATION.
AND THAT WAS, THAT BECAME, UM, A MAJOR ISSUE.
UM, AND THEY, THEY ENDED UP RECONCILING THE PE THE, THE PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T DISLIKE THE, THE DESIGN BY PUTTING UP THESE, UM, A FIGURATIVE MONUMENT THAT IS LIKE OFF, SORT OF IN THE DISTANCE.
I DON'T KNOW IF PEOPLE ACTUALLY GONE TO THE VIETNAM VENTURE MEMORIAL, BUT, SO YOU HAVE THE FIGURATIVE MONUMENT THERE, LIKE THE, YOU KNOW, THE GUYS ARE COMING OUT, THE GIS ARE COMING OUT, AND THEY CAN KIND OF, YOU KNOW, AS IF THEY'RE COMING OUT INTO THE, INTO THE OPEN, COMING OUTTA THE FOREST RIGHT NEXT.
YOU CAN SEE THERE'S PANELS GOING WEST, PANELS GOING EAST, AND THEY POINT TO WASHINGTON MONUMENT, UM, IN THE EAST, WHICH IS THE BIG OBELISK.
AND THEN YOU HAVE THE LINCOLN MONUMENT, UM, ON THE WEST END.
AND SO WE'LL GO ON AND TO THE NEXT ONE.
HERE'S HOW SHE DESCRIBES HOW ONE SHOULD EXPERIENCE THIS MONUMENT.
SO THE MEMORIALS COMPOSED NOT AS AN UNCHANGING MONUMENT, BUT AS A MOVING COMPOSITION TO BE UNDERSTOOD AS WE MOVE INTO AND OUT OF IT.
THE PASSAGE ITSELF IS GRADUAL, THE DESCENT TO THE ORIGINS LOW.
BUT IT IS AT THE ORIGIN THAT THE MEANING OF THIS MEMORIAL IS TO BE FULLY UNDERSTOOD.
AND SO HERE'S HOW IT LOOKS, AND IT'S A QUIET PLACE.
IT'S SORT OF, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE DOWN LOW, THE WALL IS UP PRETTY HIGH, YOU KNOW, YOU, YOU'VE CUT OUT ANY KIND OF VISUAL LINES TO ANY KIND OF TRAFFIC AND HUBBUB THAT'S AROUND IT.
AND SHE SAYS, AT THE INTERSECTION OF THESE WALLS ON THE RIGHT SIDE, AT THIS WALL'S TOP IS CARVED THE DATE OF THE FIRST DEATH, TIME OF DEATH.
SO THIS IS WHAT, UM, I CALL MY DISSERTATION ANY INSTANT, WHATEVER.
AND I'M TAKING THIS TERM FROM A FILM THEORIST NAMED JILL DE LIZ, WHO'S FRENCH.
AND SO THE INTERESTING THING IS THAT MAYLIN, THE WAY THAT SHE ORDERS THE NAMES, SHE DOESN'T DO IT ALPHABETICALLY.
SHE DOESN'T DO IT ACCORDING TO, YOU KNOW, LET'S PUT THE JEWS FIRST, AND THEN THIS CHRISTIANS AND THEN ISLAM.
SHE DOESN'T PUT THE MOST DECORATED
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GENERALS FIRST.IT'S NOT BY WHAT RANK, YOU KNOW, WHAT THEIR RANK WAS OR EVEN WHEN THEY JOINED.
IT'S THE ONE THING EVERY MAN DIES HIS OWN DEATH, RIGHT? UM, IT'S, IT'S A TIME.
IT'S A, IT'S SOMETHING THAT BELONGS TO THAT PERSON, THAT PERSON ONLY.
AND SO THIS IS WHY I CALL IT THE UNPRIVILEGED MOMENT.
SO IT HONORS THE WHO AND NOT THE WHAT.
AND WHAT I MEAN BY THAT, AND WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE IS, ALRIGHT, SO HERE'S MY GRANDFATHER.
UM, AND WHEN HE PASSED, I DIDN'T CARE THAT HE WAS A COLONEL.
I DIDN'T CARE WHAT HIS DEGREES WERE OR WHERE HE WAS BORN, UM, HOW MUCH HE SPENT ON HIS HOUSE OR HIS HOME.
I, IT'S, IT WAS ABOUT NEVER SEEING HIS FACE AGAIN, NEVER HAVING HIS ARMS AROUND ME.
UM, AND LOSING THAT PERSON FOR WHO HE WAS AND NOT WHAT HE WAS.
RIGHT? IT'S, IT'S, IT'S LIKE YOU LOVE PEOPLE, SOMEBODY IN SPITE OF THE WHAT, RIGHT? UM, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT, THAT IS, UM, RATIONALIZED, I GUESS, RIGHT? SO, AND THIS IS HOW, WHAT MAYLIN DOES IN HER MONUMENT IS THAT SHE TRIES, IT'S ABOUT THE PRECIOUSNESS OF EACH NAME.
UM, AND SHE WRITES, IT'S, IT IS FOLLOWED BY THE NAMES OF THOSE WHO HAVE DIED IN THE WAR IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER.
THESE NAMES CONTINUE ON THIS WALL APPEARING TO RECEDE INTO THE EARTH OF THE WALLS END AND GO ON TO THE NEXT ONE.
UM, AND SHE TALKS ABOUT IT, YOU KNOW, WALKING INTO THE LIGHT.
THE NAMES RESUME ON THE LEFT WALL AS THE WALL EMERGES FROM THE EARTH, CONTINUING BACK TO THE ORIGIN WHERE THE DATE OF THE LAST DEATH IS CARVED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS WALL IN 1975.
UM, THUS THE WAR IS BEGINNING AND END.
UH, MEET THE WAR IS COMPLETE COMING FULL CIRCLE, YET BROKEN BY THE EARTH.
THAT BOUNDS THE ANGLES OPEN SIDE AND CONTAINED WITHIN THE EARTH ITSELF.
AS WE TURN TO LEAVE, WE SEE THOSE WALLS STRETCHING INTO THE DISTANCE DIRECTING TO THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT TO THE LEFT, THE LINCOLN MO MEMORIAL TO THE RIGHT.
THUS BRINGING THE VIETNAM MEMORIAL INTO HISTORIC CONTEXT.
SO, UM, IF YOU START AT THE VERTEX, RIGHT, IF WE THINK OF THIS AS LIKE A CHEVRON OR A V, JUST GO TO WHERE THE POINT IS.
AND THEN YOU WALK TO THE RIGHT, YOU SEE THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT, THEN YOU ACTUALLY CIRCLE BACK, YOU DOUBLE BACK, YOU COME BACK TO THE, TO THE, UM, THE OTHER END, RIGHT? THE END THAT'S POINTING TO THE LINCOLN MONUMENT.
AND YOU GO DOWN, UM, THAT PATHWAY.
AND THE IDEA IS THAT YOU ARE PARTICIPATING IN THE TURNING OF THE EARTH, RIGHT? THIS KIND OF ROTATIONAL, UM, SUNRISE AND SUNSET.
AND IN DOING SO, YOU'RE PARTICIPATING, UH, WITH HISTORY, AND YOU HAVE THIS MONUMENT THAT HAS, THAT IS CONTEXTUALIZED WITHIN HISTORY BETWEEN THESE OTHER MONUMENTS.
YOU HAVE A CIRCULAR, KIND OF A, UM, A PATHWAY THAT YOU FOLLOW TO REMIND YOU OF THAT AND ALLOW YOU TO CONTEMPLATE.
UM, AND YOU CAN THINK ABOUT THESE SOLDIERS AND THEIR NAMES AND WHERE THEY BELONG IN HISTORY, UM, UH, WHERE THEY BELONG.
UM, YOU KNOW, BETWEEN 1958 AND 19, UH, 75 AND, AND BEYOND, WHERE THEY FIT IN BETWEEN THESE, UM, THESE MONUMENTS ON, ON THE MALL.
AND, UM, OKAY, WE CAN GO TO, THIS IS THE LAST SLIDE.
SO, UM, BROUGHT TO A SHARP AWARENESS OF SUCH A LOSS.
IT IS UP TO EACH INDIVIDUAL TO RESOLVE OR COME TO TERMS WITH THIS LOSS FOR DEATH.
THAT'S, IN THE END, A PERSONAL AND PRIVATE MATTER.
AND THE AREA CONTAINED WITHIN THIS MEMORIAL IS A QUIET PLACE MEANT FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION AND PRIVATE RECKONING.
SO, UM, THAT'S BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE THIS KIND OF BALANCE BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, RIGHT? YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S PERSONAL AND PRIVATE, BUT IT'S ALSO SOMETHING VERY PUBLIC AT THE SAME TIME, AND PART OF AMERICAN HISTORY, WORLD HISTORY AT THE SAME TIME.
AND I'D LIKE, LIKE, LIKE TO SAY FOR ONE THING, OR MAYBE ONE OR TWO THINGS, I DON'T, I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW OF A VET THAT HASN'T BEEN DOWN TO THE ONE IN WASHINGTON DC THAT IT, IT HASN'T EMOTIONALLY, THEY HAVEN'T COME AWAY VERY EMOTIONAL ABOUT IT.
AND WE ARE, WE ARE HOSTING THE WALL, THAT HEELS AND THAT LAST SLIDE THAT YOU MENTIONED TALKS ABOUT THE REVERENCE WITHIN THAT CHEVRON, THAT THAT'S, AND THE V V M F STILL PROMOTES THAT PART OF IT, YOU KNOW, THAT THIS IS A VERY SACRED AREA.
UM, THE, UM, WHAT WAS I ALSO GONNA SAY? I DO KNOW A LOT OF VETERANS THAT GO DOWN TO WASHINGTON DC TO SEE THIS, THAT DON'T GO IN BECAUSE IT'S TOO EMOTIONAL FOR THEM TO GO IN AND, AND ACTUALLY BE A PART OF THAT,
[00:30:01]
THAT VISIT OR WHATEVER, WHATEVER THEIR, THEIR ISSUE IS WITH THE WAR OR PERSONAL, LIKE YOU MENTIONED IN THAT LAST SLIDE.IT'S LIKE, IT'S A VERY, IT'S, IT'S VERY EMOTIONAL.
THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS TO OUR ATTENTION.
AND, AND I HOPE PEOPLE COME TO SEE THE WALL.
UH, IT'S COMING HERE ABOUT A LITTLE, LITTLE OVER A WEEK, SO THANK YOU AGAIN.
ALRIGHT, NOW, TIME FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
[PUBLIC COMMENT]
UM, I THINK EVERYONE KNOWS THE DRILL.COME FORWARD TO THE LECTERN AND GIVE US YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
I THINK IT'S HARD TO FOLLOW UP ON THAT
UH, AND SOMEBODY TOLD ME THAT I COULD SHOW UP IF I WANTED TO REQUEST SOMETHING.
IS THAT POSSIBLE? YOUR NAME AND YOUR EYES? ELIZABETH NICOLO SOME.
SO MY ONLY REQUEST IS, WOULD IT BE POSSIBLE OR WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO GET A, UM, SIDEWALK ALONG EGYPT ROAD SO THAT PEOPLE COULD WALK DOWN THE EGYPT ROAD INTO PHOENIXVILLE? THAT'S MY REQUEST.
I RECEIVED AN EMAIL FROM MS. NICOLO, UM, NICOLO NICOLO, I'M SORRY, UM, FRIDAY, I THINK.
AND I SUGGESTED SHE COME IN HERE.
'CAUSE IT, IT'S NOT A, IT'S A FAIRLY LARGE PROJECT.
IT'S NOT ONE THAT'S REALLY BEEN ON OUR RADAR PIECES AND PARTS OF IT HAVE ALONG EGYPT ROAD.
AND I SAID THAT IT'D BE SOMETHING THAT IF, IF SHE WANTED TO COME REQUEST WITH THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, IF THEY WERE INTERESTED, THEY COULD DIRECT US TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT AND MAYBE MOVE SOME THINGS FORWARD OR GET AN IDEA OF WHAT THAT SCOPE WOULD BE IN THE BUDGET PROCESS.
I THINK IT'S PROBABLY A LITTLE LATE IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET 'CAUSE IT'S ABOUT TO BE PRESENTED IN ABOUT 10 MINUTES.
BUT IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD, YOU KNOW, COULD HAVE IF YOU, IF THE BOARD FELT TO HELP SOME CLIENT TO DIRECT US TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE FEASIBILITY OF THAT DOWN THE ROAD.
IT'S SOMETHING WE CAN KEEP ON OUR RADAR.
SIDEWALKS ALONG A LOT OF OUR ROADS, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE THAT'S WHEN WE WERE LACKING A LOT OF CONNECTIVITY.
NO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO REPORT ON.
[APPROVAL OF BILL LIST]
THE BILL LIST.HAS EVERYONE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO LOOK THAT OVER? YEAH, I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE SEPTEMBER 1ST, THE SEPTEMBER 30TH, 2023 BILL LIST AND THE AMOUNT OF $1,473,658 AND 81 CENTS.
ALL THOSE IMPOSED MOTION CARRIES.
ALRIGHT, AND THEN THE APPROVAL
[APPROVAL OF MINUTES]
OF THE MINUTES IS NEXT.I MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2023 BOARD OF SUPERVISORS REGULAR MEETING MINUTES.
[OLD BUSINESS (ACTION/DISCUSSION ITEMS)]
BUSINESS.SO NOW WE'RE ON TO THE OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGET FOR 2024.
SO I GUESS WE'RE GONNA BE DISCUSSING THIS.
THEY'RE ALREADY ON A LOT OF THIS WE'VE ALREADY REVIEWED IN DETAIL, UM, IN OUR WORKSHOPS.
SO I'M NOT GONNA TRY, I'M GOING TO TRY TO AVOID A LOT OF REDUNDANCY AND JUST GIVE A, A GENERAL, UH, HIGHLIGHT OF THE VARIOUS, UH, DEPARTMENTS.
JUST TO TELL YOU WHERE WE ARE ON THE BUDGET TIMELINE.
UH, WE'RE TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT WE GIVE THE, UH, UH, THE OFFICIAL PRELIMINARY BUDGET FOR ADVERTISEMENT, UM, AFTER TONIGHT.
AND IF THE BOARD'S SO INCLINED TO HAVE THIS ADVERTISED.
UM, THIS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE FOR PUBLIC REVIEW AND PUBLIC POSTING, UH, TOMORROW, UM, ON OUR WEBSITE.
UM, AND IT WILL BE ON DISPLAY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AND REVIEW FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL WEEKS.
AND WE'RE LOOKING AT A FINAL BUDGET RESOLUTION, UH, UH, SCHEDULED FOR THE FIRST MONDAY IN, UH, DECEMBER, WHICH I BELIEVE IS DECEMBER 4TH.
UM, BUDGET PIE, UH, CURRENTLY INCLUDES ABOUT $15.3 MILLION IN CAPITAL EXPENSES.
UH, OPERATING EXPENSES, WHICH INCLUDES OUR GENERAL FUND AND SEWER OPERATING FUND IS ABOUT $23.5 MILLION BREAKDOWN.
[00:35:01]
A LITTLE BIT FROM OUR WORKSHOPS, BUT I'LL JUST GO OVER, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT $19.1 MILLION IN GENERAL FUND 4.3 IN THE SEWER ENTERPRISE FUND.ALL OF OUR CAPITAL BUDGET SUBTOTALS IS ABOUT 15.3 MILLION, WHICH INCLUDES CAPITAL ASSESSMENTS, UH, FROM THE GENERAL FUND, UM, INTERNAL SERVICE FUND, UM, ASSESSMENTS, UM, CAPITAL EXPENDITURE FUND.
UH, WE HAVE THE STATE LIQUID FUELS AT 1.1 MILLION.
AND OUR SEWER CAPITAL FUND AT 2.2.
UM, $240,000, UH, BUDGETED FOR STORMWATER.
AND THEN WE'RE LOOKING AT A SPECIAL, UH, FINANCING FOR OUR ROADS, UH, AT $5 MILLION.
AND WE HAVE ABOUT 661,000 PLANNED, UH, FOR OUR PARK AND OPEN SPACE AND ABOUT 1.8 IN, UH, IN, UH, GRANT APPLICATIONS THAT WE HAVE OR ANTICIPATE BEING FILED.
GENERAL FUND REVENUES, I'M NOT GONNA GO THROUGH EACH LINE ITEM.
UH, STEVE DID THAT AT THE MEETINGS, BUT, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE, WE HAVEN'T MADE TOO MANY TWEAKS.
WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT $22.7 MILLION IN REVENUES.
WE'RE NOT LOOKING AT ANY CHANGES AT ALL IN THE REAL ESTATE TAX THAT STAYS THE SAME EARNED INCOME TAX.
WE EXPECT TO STAY LEVEL AROUND $12 MILLION.
UM, AND SO THAT'S ABOUT 22 POINT 22.7 MILLION FOR OUR, UH, EXPENDITURES.
UH, AS WE EXPLAINED AT THE WORKSHOPS, UH, WE, WE, UM, SEGREGATED OUT FINANCE AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES AS THEIR SEPARATE COST CENTERS.
SO WE'LL HAVE THAT, THOSE WILL BE SEPARATE COST CENTERS, UH, THIS YEAR AND NEXT YEAR.
UM, AND RIGHT NOW THE REVENUES AND EXPENDITURES ARE IN BALANCE.
OPERATING REVENUES, UM, PRETTY MUCH STAYS THE SAME AT $4.3 MILLION.
IF THERE'S BEEN NO MAJOR DIFFERENCE IN ACT MAJOR, NO MAJOR DIFFERENCE IN ACT IN ACTIVITY FROM THE LOWER, UH, FROM THE LOWER PERMAN REGIONAL VALLEY SEWER AUTHORITY AT, UH, RATES ARE REMAINING STEADY THERE.
WE HAVE NO ADDITIONAL PASS THROUGH COSTS, SO RATE OUR RATES WILL STAY THE SAME FOR NEXT YEAR.
JUST TO COMMENTARY, OUR RATES ARE STILL AMONG THE LOWEST IN, UH, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, AS IS OUR REAL ESTATE TAX RATE.
UM, SEWER, UH, PUBLIC POLICE SERVICE, POLICE SERVICES.
AND I'M GOING TO KIND OF, UH, THIS GOES IN TANDEM WITH THE, UM, BUDGET, UH, SHEET THAT WAS PASSED OUT TO THE BOARD, UH, LATE LAST NIGHT.
AND I'LL REFERENCE THE PAGES AS I GO THROUGH.
UH, AND THIS WILL BE, LIKE I SAID, THIS WILL BE MADE AVAILABLE ON OUR WEBSITE THIS TOMORROW.
BUT FOR POLICE SERVICES, WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT $7.2 MILLION.
UM, THAT'S THE LION'S SHARE OF OUR BUDGET AND MAJOR CAPITAL COSTS, UM, UM, ARE, ARE, UH, DIVIDED UP BETWEEN, UM, ANNUAL PAYGO STATEMENTS, UM, INTERNAL SERVICE ASSESSMENTS, CAPITAL FINANCING AND GRANTS.
SOME OF THE HIGHLIGHTED PROGRAMS, UH, IS, UH, THE, THE DOG CANINE PROGRAM.
YOU CAN MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
UM, WE, THE, UH, STATION OF VEHICLE COMPUTER PROGRAMS. UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT REPLACING THREE, UH, THREE PATROL CARS AND IMPLEMENTING A LICENSE PLATE CAMERA PROGRAM, BODY CAMERAS AND, UM, UM, ARE, UH, COMPLETING THE PLATE PAYMENT ON TWO LEASE PURCHASES FOR THE POLICE DEPARTMENT.
THAT'S ON PAGE 11 OF ALL OF THE BUDGET.
MOVING ON TO FIRE AND AMBULANCE, FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES, WE'RE LOOKING AT $4.5 MILLION IN TOTAL, UM, ALLOCATIONS FOR THE CAPITAL, WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT $120,000 IN PEGO COSTS FOR MOBILE RADIOS, UM, UH, FIT TESTING MACHINES.
UM, THE RESCUE BOAT TRAILER AND PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT.
UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE REPLACE, UH, UH, REPLACEMENT AND UPFITTING OF TWO, UH, PICKUP TRUCKS FOR THE, UH, COMMAND STAFF.
UH, WE TAKE OUR DEBT SERVICE FOR OUR NEW BUILDING OUT OF THAT ACCOUNT.
UH, WE WE'RE, WE'LL BE DOING, UH, OUR THIRD YEAR OF A 10 YEAR DEBT SERVICE PAYMENT FOR THE NEW FIRE STATION AT $893,000.
MOVING ON TO, UM, THIS IS JUST SOME ITEMS OF SOME PICTURES THAT WE'LL BE GETTING AS THE NEW, UH, WATER RESCUE BOAT TRAILER, UM, TOWNSHIP ADMINISTRATION.
UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS, WHICH IS THE OPERATING COLUMN.
WE'RE LOOKING AT $232,000 IN APPROPRIATIONS.
AND FOR TOWNSHIP, UH, ADMINISTRATION OPERATIONS, WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT $1.18 MILLION AND INC.
UH, THIS INCLUDES SOME CAPITAL ITEMS FOR TOWNSHIP ADMINISTRATION,
[00:40:01]
UH, FOR A POOLED ADMINISTRATION, VEHICLE REPLACEMENT AND SECURITY ACCESS UPGRADES.UH, FOR TOWN TOWNSHIP FINANCE OPERATIONS, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT $477,000.
UM, THAT CURRENTLY IS A CONTRACTED, UH, POSITION.
UM, INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT, UH, $467,000, UM, AND VARIOUS COSTS AND SOME ASSESSMENTS FOR CAPITAL EQUIPMENT.
SOME OF THOSE CAPITAL EQUIPMENT INCLUDES, UM, TOWNSHIP NETWORK UPGRADES AND CLOUD-BASED ACCESS CODES.
ELECTED, UH, TAX COLLECTOR OPERATIONS REMAIN STEADY AT $201,000.
LEGAL SERVICES, WE'RE LOOKING AT AROUND $127,500.
UH, TABLE 15 FOR PLANNING AND ZONING.
WE'RE LOOKING AT $808,000 FOR, UM, OPERATIONS.
WE'RE LOOKING AT TWO ADDITIONAL CAPITAL ITEMS IN PLANNING AND ZONING FOR G I S DATA MIGRATION AND G I S SOFTWARE LICENSING AND UPGRADES, WHICH WE DISCUSSED AT OUR WORKSHOPS.
UH, FOR PUBLIC WORKS GENERAL OPERATIONS TABLE, UH, 17, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT $4.1 MILLION IN, UM, IN THE TOTAL ALLOCATION FOR, UH, FOR PUBLIC WORKS.
THAT ALSO INCLUDES, UM, MONIES FOR OUR ROAD IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM AND OUR CAPITAL REPLACEMENT, UH, FOR OUR BUILDING OPERATIONS.
AS WE INDICATED AT THE WORKSHOP, UH, OUR COSTS HAVE GONE UP, UM, UM, UH, SIGNIFICANT INCREASE BECAUSE OF THE NEW, UH, OPERATING COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FIREHOUSE, AS WELL AS, UM, JUST GENERAL INCREASES IN UTILITY COSTS AND, UH, AND INSURANCE ADJUSTMENTS.
SO WE, WE EXPECT THAT TO STABILIZE THIS YEAR.
BUT, UM, THAT'S AT ABOUT $1.4 MILLION.
GENERAL CAPITAL, I WON'T GO OVER EVERY ITEM THAT WE'RE PURCHASING, BUT, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT REPLACEMENTS OF SEVERAL PIECES OF EQUIPMENT.
UM, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT DOING SOME OF THE EARLY ENGINEERING DESIGN FOR THE PUBLIC WORKS BUILDING AND, UH, AND THE PUBLIC WORKS SALT SHED.
UH, JUST FOR THE PUBLIC'S, UM, INTEREST, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE LOOKING AT RELOCATING THE CURRENT PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY ACROSS THE STREET AND TO TRY TO PUT THIS MORE IN A PARKS RELATED, UM, SETTING FOR THE NEXT FEW YEARS.
AND WE'RE GONNA BE TRYING TO PURSUE SOME GRANTS, UH, FOR THAT.
THE STORM SEWER, STORMWATER CAPITAL.
UM, THIS IS JUST SOME HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME OF THE ROADS THAT WE'RE DOING FOR PROJECT A AND PROJECT B.
UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT 1.75 MILES OF ROAD FROM PROJECT A.
UM, THAT INCLUDES, UM, ROADS, IOI DRIVE, KEOKUK ROAD, LITTLE TURTLE CIRCLE, UM, RED CLOUD CIRCLE.
AND I THINK I NEED MORE POWERFUL GLASSES TO READ.
UM, PROJECT PA, PROJECT B WOULD BE NOLL DRIVE, MENNONITE ROAD, VISTA DRIVE.
UM, AND THEN PROJECT C, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, DOING ONE ENTIRE, UH, DEVELOPMENT, UM, THAT WE TALKED ABOUT IN THE, UM, IN THE WORKSHOP.
THIS WILL BE WHAT WE CALL CONSIDER PROJECT C, APPROXIMATELY ABOUT $4 MILLION IN ROADS, WHICH INCLUDES THE NEIGHBORHOODS OF THE, THE ESTATES OF PROVIDENCE RESERVE.
UH, THE WOODS AT PROVIDENCE MEADOWS AT PROVIDENCE AND STARFIELD.
ALL THESE DEVELOPMENTS WERE BUILT AT THE SAME TIME.
AND SO WE'RE, WE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BEST FOR, UH, TO GET ALL THESE ROADS DONE, UH, SO THAT WE AREN'T DOING RE MOBILIZATION EVERY YEAR IN THAT VICINITY.
UM, MOVING ON TO OUR STORE, UH, PUBLIC WORKS AND, UH, SEWER AND STORMWATER CAPITAL.
LOOKING AT ABOUT $2.2 MILLION IN SEWER CAPITAL PROJECTS AND ABOUT $240,000 IN UN-DESIGNATED SYSTEM-WIDE STORMWATER REPAIRS.
UM, WE DID NOT UNTIL THE WESTCHESTER LAWSUIT IS, UH, SETTLED, WE HAVE NOT PUT IN ANY STORMWATER FEE.
UM, WE'LL BE FOLLOWING THAT LITIGATION THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.
WE MAY LOOK AT PUTTING SOMETHING IN FOR NEXT YEAR PARKS AND RECREATION.
WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, UH, ABOUT 956,000 FOR, UH, FOR, UH, SALARIES, BENEFITS AND PROGRAMS AND SPECIAL EVENTS AND CONTRACTED SERVICES, WHICH INCLUDES THE MANAGEMENT OF THE, UH, COMMUNITY CENTER.
SOME OF OUR CAPITAL ACCOUNTS, UH, CAPITAL PROJECTS THAT WE DISCUSSED IN OUR WORKSHOP IS ABOUT $200,000 FOR IMPROVEMENTS AT TAYLOR PARK.
UM, ENGINEERING AND DESIGN FOR THE ROUTE ONE 13 TRAIL.
UM, AND H V A C CONTROL SYSTEM.
THE ANDERSON PARK, UH, TRAIL AND HASSMAN.
[00:45:01]
THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT GETTING, UH, 50% GRANT FUNDING FROM RECITING OF SOME OF OUR P PAVILIONS AND RESTROOMS. AND THEN GENERAL UN-DESIGNATED PARK IMPROVEMENTS, REPAIRS AND GENERAL GRANTS PLANNING.UH, WE PUT IN ABOUT A HUNDRED THOUSAND, SO THAT'S ABOUT $534,000.
AND ALL THAT COMES FROM OUR, UH, PARK AND OPEN SPACE FUND.
LASTLY IS OUR SEWER OPERATING REVENUES.
THIS WOULD BE TABLE 21 AND EXCUSE ME, TABLE 23 AND TABLE 24, WHICH JUST SHOWS THE BREAKDOWN OF THE TAPPING FEES.
THE USER CHARGES, THE E D U CHARGES THAT WE BRING IN FOR REVENUES AND THE EXPENSES OUT TO THE REGIONAL SEWER AUTHORITY, UM, AND COLLEGEVILLE TRAP.
AND WE CHARGE A CERTAIN GEN A CERTAIN ASSESSMENT TO THE GENERAL FUND FOR THE WORK THAT THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES DO IN, UM, IN THE SEWER SEWER DEPARTMENT OF THE SEWER ASPECT OF THE PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT.
AND THEN WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT CONTRIBUTING ABOUT A MILLION DOLLARS TO THE SEWER CAPITAL FUND THAT KIND OF ROUNDS OUT, UH, THE BUDGET.
UH, I WANTED TO JUST END ON SOME OF THE GRANTS PROJECT PLANNING THAT WE'RE DOING.
WE DISCUSSED AT OUR WORKSHOP, UM, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UH, PUTTING IN AN APPLICATION FOR BY NOVEMBER 13TH.
UM, THAT'S A COUPLE OF WEEKS FOR, UH, THE MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION FUND.
UH, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, THE, UH, HELP ME HERE, THE DRIVER BUS ROUTE, UH, SECOND AVENUE, UM, AND ONE 13 ROUND, UH, ROUNDABOUT NEAR THE PARK HOUSE PROPERTY.
WE'RE LOOKING AT FOUR POINT, UH, FOUR POINT ROUNDABOUT ON THAT IS OUR RECOMMENDATION.
THE NEXT ITEM, UH, THIS IS A KIND OF A GENERAL LAYOUT OF THE, UH, ROUNDABOUT.
ANTHONY, NOT TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT, BUT I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN WORKING ON TRYING TO GET SOME OF THE PRELIMINARIES UP TO DELTA.
UH, AND THAT'S MAKE WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS YES.
UH, THE OTHER ONE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS THE LOCAL SHARE, LOCAL SHARE GRANT, WHICH HAS A DEADLINE OF NOVEMBER 30TH.
WE'RE LOOKING AT, UM, UM, OF THE THREE AREAS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
WE'RE LOOKING AT THE FUELING FUELING STATION AT ABOUT $350,000.
WE ACTUALLY PUT IN A LITTLE BIT MORE.
I THINK IT'S, UH, 'CAUSE WE CAN GO UPWARDS TO A MILLION, BUT I THINK WE'RE PUTTING IN AROUND 500,000, WHICH WILL INCLUDE SOME OF THE SITE WORK AND PLANNING.
SO, UM, THAT HAS A NOVEMBER 30TH DEADLINE AND THAT'LL BE GOING ACROSS THE STREET.
NEXT GRANT APPLICATION THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS, UM, IT HASN'T OPENED YET, BUT IT'S THE NEXT R A C P GRANT.
UM, AS YOU KNOW, WE GOT $2 MILLION FOR, UH, FOR THE FIREHOUSE.
WE'RE LOOKING AT TRYING TO GET A SIMILAR GRANT TO HELP WITH THE RELOCATION OF THE PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY.
AND THAT COMES WITH A REQUIRED MATCH OF ABOUT 50%.
THERE'S A GRANT AWARD RANGE OF A MILLION DOLLARS MINIMUM.
SO WE'RE GONNA BE TRYING TO, UM, MATCH THIS WITH ALSO SOME FEDERAL OFFSETS.
DO YOU WANNA GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE? UM, COMMUNITY, UH, THERE'S A COMMUNITY PROJECT FUND.
THIS IS CALLED THE FEDERAL EARMARKS.
WE'VE NEVER HISTORICALLY EVER GONE AFTER FEDERAL EARMARKS.
THESE ARE, THESE ARE PROGRAMS THAT COME THROUGH.
SENATOR, UH, CASEY'S AND SENATOR FETTERMAN'S OFFICE.
UH, WE CAN USE, UH, WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT 25% EARMARK, UH, FOR THAT.
AND THAT ALSO CAN BE USED AS TO SUPPORT SOME OF THE LOCAL MATCH ON THE PUBLIC WORKS FACILITY.
WE'RE HOPING BETWEEN THE FEDERAL EARMARKS AND THE R A C P AND THE L SS A THAT WITH, WE PLAY OUR CARDS RIGHT, WE CAN GET A GOOD CHUNK OF THE FUNDING FOR THE PUBLIC WORKS RELOCATION PROJECT DONE.
IT'S GONNA TAKE A LITTLE PATIENCE, BUT THAT'S OUR PLAN.
THIS IS READY FOR ADVERTISEMENT.
IT'LL BE PUT ON THE PUBLIC, UM, WEBSITE TOMORROW.
I ACTUALLY HAVE SOME EXTRA COPIES IF ANYBODY IN THE AUDIENCE WOULD LIKE SOME TAKE THEM HOME.
AND, UM, WE'LL BE BETWEEN NOW AND, UM, DECEMBER 1ST.
WE MAY GET SOME MORE INFORMATION ON HEALTH INSURANCE.
WE JUST FOUND OUT TODAY OUR HEALTH INSURANCE IS ONLY GOING UP AT 4.2%, WHICH IS, UH, PRETTY GOOD FOR HEALTH, HEALTH INSURANCE.
AND WE'LL SLOWLY BE GETTING MORE, UM, MORE, UM, INSURANCE RENEWABLES THAT WILL BE FACTORING IN.
AND PROBABLY BY THE TIME OF DECEMBER BUDGET COMES AROUND, WE'LL HAVE A MORE ACCURATE BUDGET.
SO MAYBE SOME PUT A FEW MORE PUTS AND TAKES, BUT GENERALLY I THINK IT'S GOOD TO GO.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR YOU DON'T ENTERTAIN A MOTION?
[00:50:02]
I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO ADOPT.MOTION TO AUTHORIZE ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE PRELIMINARY 2024 OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGET.
ALRIGHT, NOW ON TO NEW BUSINESS.
[NEW BUSINESS (ACTION/DISCUSSION ITEMS)]
UM, WE NEED TO CONSIDER ADOPTING RESOLUTION 2023 DASH 37 AUTHORIZING THE SUBMISSION OF PENN MULTI FOR THE ROUTE ONE 13 DRIVEWAY, THIS ROAD AND SECOND AVENUE ROUNDABOUT.I THINK WE JUST MENTIONED THAT IN THE BUDGET.
UM, TALK, I'LL MAKE THE MOTION, I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 2023 DASH 37 AUTHORIZING THE SUBMISSION OF PENN MULTIMODAL GRANT.
ONE 13 DRIVELESS ROAD, SECOND AVENUE ROUNDABOUT.
OKAY, I HAVE A MOTION AND A SECOND.
ALL THOSE OPPOSED? MOTION CARRIES.
NEXT ONE IS, UM, TO CONSIDER ADOPTING RESOLUTION 2023 TO DASH 38, UH, AUTHORIZING THE SUBMISSION OF LOCAL SHARE ACCOUNTING GRANT FOR THE PUBLIC WORKS FUELING STATION.
I THINK WE JUST LOOKED AT THAT ONE TOO.
I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO ADOPT, EXCUSE ME, RESOLUTION 2023 DASH 38 AUTHORIZING THE SUBMISSION OF A LOCAL SHARE ACCOUNT GRANT FOR THE PUBLIC WORKS FUELING STATION.
NEXT ONE DOWN IS CONSIDER AUTHORIZING THE SOLICITOR TO EXECUTE TWO STIPULATIONS TO SETTLE PERTAINING TO BOARD OF ASSESSMENT APPEALS ACTIONS FILED BY MH TWO HIGHVIEW FOR 200 AND 400 CAMPUS DRIVE.
I HAVE A QUESTION ON THAT ONE.
I, I LOOKED AT THESE AND THE, THE ASSESSMENT, THEY DROPPED THE ONE IN HALF, IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH, I WAS GONNA MENTION THAT FROM LIKE EIGHT TO 4 MILLION.
THEY ALWAYS ARE PRETTY AGGRESSIVE IN TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT THE NUMBER IS JUSTIFIABLE.
AND, UH, MOST OF THEIR, THEIR NUMBERS HAVE, YOU KNOW, BEEN TRUE WHEN I HAVE CHALLENGED THEM.
UH, I THINK IT'S, WE HAVE SEEN SOME OTHER ALMOST AS BIG REDUCTIONS OVER IN THAT PART OF, OFF OF, UH, ARCOLA.
UM, BUT I DON'T KNOW SPECIFIC DETAILS ABOUT IT.
YEAH, I, I THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, I, I'VE SEEN MANY OF THESE THINGS COME IN FRONT OF ME OVER THE YEARS AND I EXPECT THAT PEOPLE ARE GONNA LOOK AT THEIR PROPERTIES AND GO, OKAY, WELL I'M PAYING A LITTLE BIT MORE IN TAXES AND LET ME DO SOME RESEARCH ON THIS AND FIND IT OUT.
BUT WHEN SOMETHING COMES IN FRONT OF ME THAT'S GOING MORE THAN 50% I HAVE TO GO, IS THIS RIGHT? YOU KNOW, SO IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND DOING THAT, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S NOT GONNA BE, IT'S NOT GONNA DISADVANTAGE THE APPLICATION I I OR THE APPLICANT.
I WOULD ASSUME THAT HE'LL GET CREDIT FOR WHATEVER TIME THAT NO, IT'S JUST A MATTER.
UM, THEY CAN'T IMPLEMENT THE SETTLEMENT STIPULATION UNTIL ALL PARTIES ARE ON BOARD AND YOU, YOU ARE A PARTY, WE'RE A NON-PARTICIPATING PARTY, BUT THEY CAN'T RESOLVE IT WITHOUT YOU.
SO NORMALLY THE JUDGE LOOKS FOR THESE WE'RE ALWAYS THE LAST ONE TO SUBMIT OURS, THE OTHERS ALL SIGN IT RIGHT AWAY 'CAUSE THEY'VE BEEN ACTIVELY INVOLVED.
AND THEN WE BRING OURS UP LAST AND THEN NORMALLY THERE'S NO QUESTION, BUT SO I MEAN, IT MIGHT HOLD UP THEIR INTENDED SUBMISSION DATE TO THE COURT, BUT THAT'S NOT A REASON TO DO IT IF YOU'RE NOT COMFORTABLE.
UM, THAT, THAT'S HOW I FEEL ABOUT IT, GUYS.
I MEAN, IT'S UP TO YOU IF YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD AND, YOU KNOW, VOTE ON THIS TONIGHT.
SO WHAT WOULD BE THE STEPS, JOE, YOU WOULD GO BACK TO THEM OR WHO THE I'LL I'LL GO BACK TO, TO EITHER THE SCHOOL, THE DISTRICT SOLICITOR OR THE BOARD OF ASSESSMENT SOLICITOR.
I, I MEAN I KNOW THE, AND I CAN ASK THEM FOR SOME OF THE DETAILS ON WHAT DROVE THAT NUMBER DOWN, UM, AND WHY THEY SETTLED FOR THAT NUMBER.
BECAUSE THEY ALREADY SETTLED AND OF COURSE IT SETTLED.
THEY DON'T WANNA SETTLE EITHER.
SO I'M SURE THEY CROSSED THAT T DOT THAT OPTION.
SO THEY ALL SETTLE THROUGH A PROCESSING COURT WHERE THEY GO TO SETTLEMENT CONFERENCES.
WE NEVER GO BECAUSE THE DISTRICT ALWAYS TAKES THE LABORING WAR ON THIS BECAUSE THEY GET SO MUCH MORE OF THE TAX MONEY THAN THE MUNICIPALITY.
SO, BUT THE MUNICIPALITY TECHNICALLY IS A PARTY.
YOU DO RECEIVE SOME OF THE TAX MONEY, SO YOU DO HAVE TO AGREE TO IT OR IT'S JAMMED UP.
SO THEY ALL HAVE A DEAL THEY'RE WAITING FOR THE TOWNSHIP.
BUT THAT, I MEAN, IF ANYONE'S NOT COMFORTABLE, I'M, I'LL GO GET THE, YOU KNOW, I'LL GET MORE DETAIL.
I DON'T, WE WERE, I'M DOING THE MATH IN MY HEAD.
I THINK IT'S LIKE A $40,000 DIFFERENCE OR SOMETHING.
THE SCHOOL SCHOOL DISTRICT DIFFERENT, BUT FOR US, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT 40,000 BUCKS.
[00:55:01]
WELL, YEAH, MAYBE HALF A TRUCK THESE DAYS.
EVERYBODY IS IN THE CENSUS THINKS, DO YOU WANT TO WAIT AND DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE AND THROW IT ON IT NEXT MONTH? I DON'T THINK IT'S GONNA HURT ANYTHING.
IF, IF JOE GOES AND HE LOOKS AT THIS, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU GO BACK TO THE BOARD ASSESSMENT, WELL MAYBE SOMEBODY MADE A MISTAKE OR SOMETHING.
IT'S LIKE, NOT THAT THEY HAVEN'T, YOU KNOW, I'M, I I JUST, I JUST THINK IT, IT'S BE NICE TO KNOW THE WHY MORE VOTE, YOU KNOW, EIGHT TO FOUR MILLION'S A BIG, IT'S ABSOLUTELY.
THE WHY I'LL, I'LL GET, I'LL GET DETAILS.
SO DO WE HAVE TO MAKE A MOTION TO TABLE IT? NO, NO, YOU'RE GONNA OH, YEAH.
FOR ONE WITH I MAKE A MOTION TO TABLE THAT.
I'LL, I HAVE A MOTION IN A SECOND.
NEXT ONE IS A MOTION TO AUTHORIZE THE SOLICITOR TO EXECUTE.
IT'S DIFFERENT STIPULATION TO SETTLE PERTAINING TO A BOARD ASSESSMENT APPEALS FILED BY BRADLEY'S FOR SEVEN 11 HOLLOW ROAD.
THIS IS NOT AS DRAMATIC, BUT A DECREASE 1.3 TO HIGH EIGHTS TO NINE.
AND I GET THIS, AND THAT'S WHY I QUESTIONED THE FIRST ONE THAT WE JUST VOTED THE TABLE BECAUSE IT'S LIKE, OKAY, WELL THEN WHY DIDN'T THEY GIVE THAT GUY MORE OF HIS MONEY BACK? IT'S LIKE, WHAT'S GOING ON THERE? IT'S LIKE, UH, MAYBE, MAYBE SOMEBODY CHANGED, MAYBE SOMEBODY'S NEW AT THE JOB OR SOMETHING.
BUT YOU'LL FIND OUT HOW DOES IT EVEN WORK, JOE? IT'S JUST ALL COURT DRIVEN.
THEY DECIDE THE, WELL, YOU, YOU, THE BOARD OF ASSESSMENT DECIDES YOUR ANNUAL ASSESSMENT.
YOU FILE A CHALLENGE TO THE BOARD OF ASSESSMENTS DETERMINATION, THERE'S A HEARING BEFORE THE BOARD OF ASSESSMENT AND THAT GETS APPEALED TO COMMON PLEA FOR A NON-JURY TRIAL BEFORE A JUDGE.
AND THEN MOST OF THE TIME IT GETS SETTLED BEFORE THE TRIAL.
THESE ARE REALLY A NUMBERS GAME.
UM, AT THE BIGGER NUMBERS, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT COMPETING EXPERT REPORTS.
THE PROPERTY OWNER GETS AN EXPERT REPORT.
THEY'LL BE, THEY'LL BRING PEOPLE IN.
I'VE HAD CASES WHERE THEY'VE BROUGHT 'EM IN FROM, YOU KNOW, DALLAS TO, YOU KNOW, TO DO VALUATIONS WHERE IT'S A BIG ENOUGH JOB.
UM, AND THEN YOU GET TO THE SETTLEMENT CONFERENCE AND YOU SAY, THIS GUY IN HIS REPORT KNOWS THIS, THIS GUY THAT, AND THE JUDGE STARTS HELPING YOU HASH OUT WHAT'S, WHAT'S LEGIT AND WHAT'S NOT IN THOSE REPORTS.
NOT, NOT THAT I'M LOOKING FOR THE COUNTY TO DO THIS, BUT I I I'M UNDER THE IMPRESSION THAT IT'S BEEN 30 YEARS SINCE THE COUNTY DID A COUNTYWIDE REASSESSMENT.
23 AND I 20, HAS IT BEEN 23 YEARS? HAS IT.
SO IT'S LIKE WHEN THESE THINGS COME IN FRONT OF ME, I GO, OH WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE, UH, WE'RE STARTING TO LOSE REVENUE ON THESE THINGS.
AND MAYBE IF THE COUNTY WENT IN, AND I'M JUST GUESSING AT THIS, IF THE COUNTY WENT IN AND REASSESSED PROPERTIES, WOULD WE BE LOSING MONEY OR WOULD WE BE GAINING MONEY ON THIS DAY? YEAH.
AND FOR THOSE WHO DON'T KNOW, THERE'S A, UH, STATE TAX EQUALIZATION BOARD NUMBER THAT'S ASSIGNED EVERY YEAR FOR EVERY COUNTY TO TRY TO KEEP YOUR ASSESSMENT NUMBER RELEVANT IN THE CURRENT DAY.
SO IN OTHER WORDS, YOUR, IF YOUR HOUSE WAS WORTH $200,000 AT THE 2000 ASSESSMENT, THEN THEY ASSIGN THIS MULTIPLIER FOR EACH COUNTY FOR EACH YEAR, YOU KNOW, TIMES 2.2.
SO YOU'D MULTIPLY THAT BY YOUR ORIGINAL NUMBER THAT'S SUPPOSED TO TELL YOU YOUR CURRENT VALUE, BUT THE LONGER OUT YOU GET, IT GETS MORE AND MORE WOBBLY.
SO DO WE GAIN OR DO WE LOSE BY UH, UH, A COUNTYWIDE ASSESSMENT? WELL, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE GROWTH, THE END, THE FINAL NUMBER IS, BUT SOME PEOPLE WIN AND SOME PEOPLE LOSE WHERE THAT WINDS UP IN THE BALLOTS.
NOT THAT I'M LOOKING TO HAVE MY TAXES RAISED, BUT YOU KNOW, IT'S, UH, THAT'S WHERE, YOU KNOW, WE GET OUR MONEY FROM.
I, I, MAYBE I SHOULD SHUT UP BEFORE I OPEN A CAN OF WORMS HERE.
YOU WANNA MAKE A MOTION? JOHN? DO I WANNA MAKE A MOTION? I'LL MAKE A MOTION AND I MAKE A MOTION TO AUTHORIZE THE SOLICITOR TO EXECUTE A STIPULATION TO SETTLE PERTAINING TO A BOARD OF ASSESSMENT APPEALS ACTION FILED BY THE BRADLEYS FOR SEVEN 11 HOLLOW ROAD.
ALRIGHT, I HAVE A MOTION A SECOND.
ALRIGHT, NOW WE'RE DOWN TO THE MANAGER AND DEPARTMENT HEAD
[MANAGER AND DEPARTMENT HEAD REPORTS]
REPORTS ENGINEERING AND CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT.ALL I HAVE THIS MONTH IS A QUICK UPDATE ON THE, UM, INFRASTRUCTURE TO SUPPORT THE RESTROOM AND THE TRAIL IMPROVEMENTS OUT HERE.
SO IT'S SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETE AT THIS POINT.
UM, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT OF AREA FOR CONCRETE ONCE THE RESTROOM BUILDING IS DELIVERED, AND THAT SHOULD BE IN THE NEXT COUPLE WEEKS.
SO, UM, SO WHEN'S THE FINAL, WHEN'S THE, LIKE GO LIVE? WHEN IS IT, IS IT IN A COUPLE WEEKS THAT IT'S FULLY FUNCTIONING OR? THE BUILDING WILL BE BROUGHT ONTO THE SITE AND THEN IT'LL BE CONNECTED TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE INSTALLED.
[01:00:02]
OKAY.MOTION TO NEXT ONE IS MOTION TO APPROVE THE MONTHLY DEVELOPER IMPROVEMENT GUARANTEE REDUCTION LIST AS FOLLOWS.
THERE'S ROT TILL AND FOUNDERS ESTATE ESTATE.
DO WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS OR A LOOK FOR A MOTION? IT'S FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD.
I MEAN, THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WITH THIS ONE IS THE 14 FIVE IS HALF OF A CASH ESCROW WE HAVE.
THAT'S REALLY THE ONLY DIFFERENCE OF THIS.
I'LL MAKE THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE MONTHLY DEVELOPER IMPROVEMENT GUARANTEE REDUCTION.
THIS TEST FOLLOWS ROT UNTIL RELEASE OF 14,500 AND FOUND OF THE STATE RELEASE FOR 257,480 $80 AND 60 CENTS.
[SUPERVISORS COMMENTS]
COMMENTS? YEAH, A COUPLE.UM, ONE IS I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE, UM, I GUESS PARKS RECREATION.
WE HAD TO CANCEL THE, UH, COMMUNITY FALL FEST.
EVERYBODY WENT, YOU KNOW, DID A HECK OF A LOT OF WORK TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN AND THEN HAD TO CANCEL THE LAST MINUTE.
UH, THE OTHER IS I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT, UM, TO RECOGNIZE THE WAR GOING ON IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND JUST, IT WAS JUST AWFUL.
IT WAS JUST AWFUL AND KILLING ON BOTH SIDES.
AND I JUST WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO PUBLICLY THANK THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH THIS WALL THAT HEALS.
UM, I, I, I'D LIKE TO THANK TIM FOR HIS HELP.
I'D LIKE TO THANK BRIAN FOR HIS HELP.
I'D LIKE TO THANK EVERYBODY THAT IS INVOLVED WITH THIS THING FOR THEIR HELP.
I, TOO MANY PEOPLE TO MENTION THE PEER, BUT I'D LIKE TO MAKE A PUBLIC THANK YOU TO THESE INDIVIDUALS.
I THANK MOST OF 'EM PERSONALLY, BUT I WANTED TO, I WANTED TO DO IT PUBLICLY.
ALSO REMIND PEOPLE THAT, UH, NOT THIS COMING WEEK, BUT THE FOLLOWING WEEK IS THE WALL THAT HEALS.
IT'LL BE HERE, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT IT FOR PROBABLY THE PAST YEAR,
UM, WE ARE A WEEK AWAY, A LITTLE OVER A WEEK AWAY, AND WE ARE STILL SHORT SOME, SOME, UH, VOLUNTEERS.
SO IF ANYBODY WOULD LIKE TO VOLUNTEER.
HAVE, BY THE WAY, HAVE YOU GUYS SIGNED UP TO VOLUNTEER? ANYBODY ON THIS BOARD? DID YOU? YES.
DID YOU SIGN UP? DID DID YOU GUYS SIGN UP? I'LL BE OUT OF THE COUNTRY.
SO, UM, I'M PUTTING YOU GUYS ALL ON THIS.
AND, AND THANK YOU FOR SIGNING
I'M PUTTING YOU GUYS ALL ON THE SPOT.
I NEED A COUPLE MORE VOLUNTEERS, BUT THANK, THANK YOU.
UM, I WANTED TO SAY A FEW THINGS I WANTED TO GIVE BRIAN, PUT YOU ON THE SPOT.
BRIAN, CAN YOU GIVE US A LITTLE UPDATE ON FEMA? I SAW IT IN THE MANAGER'S
WITHIN THE LAST TWO WEEKS, WE'VE SUBMITTED, UM, WHAT FEMA TERMS ADVANCED DEPOSIT REQUESTS, UH, UP TO THE STATE, TO THE TUNE OF, UM, $9.1 MILLION.
THAT REPRESENTS 50% OF WHAT WE EXPECT TO RECEIVE OVERALL IN BUYOUT FUNDING FROM FEMA.
UH, AND THAT SHOULD HIT OUR ACCOUNTS WITHIN FOUR TO SIX WEEKS.
UM, WHEN I TAKE OFF DAYS ON THE CALENDAR, THAT PUTS US AT, UH, SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE SECOND AND THE 16TH OF NOVEMBER.
THAT MONEY WILL BE IN THE, IN OUR ACCOUNT HERE AT THE TOWNSHIP.
UH, AND SUSAN ELLI AND HER HUSBAND MATT, WHO IS, UH, NO LONGER WORKING OUTSIDE THE HOME, HE'S WORKING FULL TIME FOR SUSAN
UH, THEY'VE BEEN FIRING OFF EMAILS, UM, FRANTICALLY TRYING TO GET ALL THE PAPERWORK IN ORDER, UM, RECEIPTS FROM, FROM PEOPLE, FEMA, UH, I'M SORRY, UH, INSURANCE PAYMENTS THAT WERE MADE, UH, RECONCILE ALL THOSE EXPENDITURES SO THAT WE CAN GO TO SETTLEMENT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
UM, WE DO STILL ANTICIPATE THAT WE'LL BE GOING TO SETTLEMENT IN NOVEMBER, LATE NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER FOR PEOPLE THAT WANT TO GO AS SOON AS THEY CAN.
ARE THE PEOPLE EXCITED? DO THEY FEEL LIKE THEY'VE BEEN OVER TWO YEARS? THEY, THEY DID NOT HESITATE TO REPLY.
UH, I WAS COPIED ON MANY OF THE RESPONSES AND THEY'RE SHOOTING PAPERWORK BACK TO MATT AND SUSAN JUST AS FAST AS THEY CAN.
I'D LIKE TO MAKE A COMMENT ABOUT THAT.
AND, UM, UM, I HAD A CONVERSATION WITH BRIAN THIS AFTERNOON AND, AND THESE PEOPLE LOST THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS JUST BY HAVING TO WAIT TWO YEARS FOR THIS THING TO COME, ALL COMING ABOUT.
AND, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M NOT ONE TO BITE THE HAND THAT'S FEEDING ME RIGHT NOW, BUT WHEN THIS THING IS ALL OVER AND SAID AND DONE WITH, I'D LIKE TO SEND A REAL NASTY LETTER OFF TO FEMA ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE, THEIR PROCESS FOR WHAT THEY'VE PUT US THROUGH AND, AND FOR THE LENGTH OF, AND FOR WHAT THEY PUT THE RESIDENTS
[01:05:01]
OF OUR TOWNSHIP THROUGH.UM, UH, SOME, FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, SOME OF THE OTHER MUNICIPALITIES NEARBY HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED THEIR MONIES THAT I, I, I DON'T KNOW FOR A FACT, BUT I HAVE HEARD, UM, AND YOU KNOW, MEAN THAT'S WHERE I STAY ON THIS.
WELL, I THINK IT WAS THE SHEER NUMBER, UH, WAS THAT, WHAT WAS THE HITCH AND THEN IT WAS THE HISTORIC THING AND WE HAD TO RECORD IT.
I MEAN, THERE JUST SEEMED TO BE ONE HURDLE AFTER ANOTHER THAT IT, IT'S ALL THOSE THINGS CAME TOGETHER.
THE HISTORIC DISTRICT THAT FEMA RECOGNIZED IN PORT PROVIDENCE AND WE HAD TO PUT TOGETHER MEASURES THAT IN THEIR EYES WOULD OFFSET THE, THE, UM, IMPACT ON THE HISTORIC DISTRICT.
UM, I I THINK OF A LOT OF IT IS JUST 40 HOMES IN ONE BUYOUT APPLICATION IS MORE THAN FEMA TYPICALLY SEES.
YOU KNOW, THERE WERE A HANDFUL IN COLLEGEVILLE, A HANDFUL IN PERAN, UM, MAYBE FIVE OR EIGHT IN LOWER PROVIDENCE.
AND EVEN IF YOU LOOK AT APPLICATIONS THAT THE STATE COBBLES TOGETHER FROM MUNICIPALITIES IN THE STATE, ANY GIVEN YEAR, A TOWN OR, OR A, UM, A TOWNSHIP SUBMITS ONE OR TWO OR THREE, BUT, UM, 40 IS KIND OF, I DON'T WANNA SAY UNPRECEDENTED, BUT WHEN I TALKED TO TOM HUGHES SHORTLY AFTER IDA AND I SAID, YOU KNOW, WE MAY HAVE UPWARDS OF 20, 30, MAYBE 40 PEOPLE THAT ARE INTERESTED IN THE BUYOUT PROGRAM.
UM, YOU KNOW, HE WAS KIND OF TAKEN BACK AND, AND SET ASIDE TWO PEOPLE ON HIS TEAM TO BE DEDICATED TO INTERACTING WITH US AND PRIMARILY SUSAN ELLI.
UM, AND WE'VE HAD THEIR ATTENTION.
BUT IT IS A VERY BUREAUCRATIC PROCESS AND IT JUST STEP BY STEP BY STEP ONE, FEDERAL REVIEW AFTER THE NEXT CLEAN WATER, CLEAN AIR, UM, ANY FEDERAL AGENCY YOU CAN THINK OF PROBABLY PUT THEIR HANDS ON THIS THING AT ONE POINT OR ANOTHER.
BRIAN, DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY HOMES WERE, UH, AFFECTED IN BRIDGEPORT? I THINK BRIDGEPORT WAS AFFECTED HEAVILY TOO, WASN'T IT? THEY WERE AFFECTED.
I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE, UH, HOW MANY OWNERS IN BRIDGEPORT OPTED FOR A BUYOUT OR NOT, THOUGH? OKAY.
HOW MANY IN OUR BUYOUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, NOW THAT WE'RE THROUGH THIS, HOW MANY? I THINK THERE WERE 46 ORIGINALLY ACTUALLY SUBMITTED A, A COMPLETE APPLICATION AND I THINK WE'RE DOWN TO 38 OR 39 RIGHT NOW.
SOME HAVE SOLD, SOME HAVE ELEVATED ON THEIR OWN.
UM, SOME WE JUST HAD NOT HEARD BACK FROM.
STILL TRYING TO CHASE ONE DOWN.
AND I WANNA SAY WHEN IT FIRST STARTED, I REMEMBER SUSAN SAYING IT WILL BE 18 MONTHS TO TWO YEARS.
I REMEMBER HER TELLING US THAT.
IT JUST FEELS LIKE IT'S FOUR YEARS OR SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, IT'S BEEN OVER TWO YEARS.
IT'S LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, THESE PEOPLE, THESE PEOPLE NEED TO BE MADE WHOLE AGAIN.
AND, AND I, I, I'M SORRY, BUT I'M A LITTLE BIT, I'M GONNA RE I'M GONNA REGRET SAYING SOMETHING
LET THE MONEY HIT OUR ACCOUNT FIRST.
I'M TRYING, I'LL, I'LL SHUT UP.
CHERYL IS SHAKING HER HEAD AT YOU.
AND ONE OTHER, ONE OTHER LITTLE SHOUT OUT TOO.
I, WE TOO, THE THURSDAY WE HAD A, UM, REGIONAL ROUND TABLE HERE IN THIS ROOM AND UM, TOM JOINED ME AND THERE WAS ABOUT 30 SOME HIGH THIRTIES PEOPLE.
THERE WAS ELECTED OFFICIALS AND OUR NEIGHBORING TOWNSHIPS IN BURROWS, PHOENIXVILLE CAME, UM, TRAP COLLEGEVILLE PER GILMAN, BILL REUTERS, FORD, WE ALL MET HERE.
AND REALLY WE TALKED ABOUT HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER TO SAVE COSTS AND JUST MAKE GOVERNMENT MORE EFFICIENT.
AND IT WAS AN AWESOME MEETING AND I WANT TO GIVE A BIG SHOUT OUT TO TIM 'CAUSE HE ORGANIZED IT ALL AND IT'S NOT AN EASY THING TO GET THAT MANY PEOPLE TOGETHER.
THANKS TO CHERYL TOO FOR HELPING ME WITH.
UM, ANYTHING ELSE? ALRIGHT, LET
[UPCOMING EVENTS]
ME RUN THROUGH THESE UPCOMING EVENTS.UH, BOARD OF SUPERVISORS MEETING.
WE HAVE A NOVEMBER SEC OR 20TH, DECEMBER 4TH AND DECEMBER 11TH, ALL AT 7:00 PM THE 11TH IS ONLY IF WE NEED IT.
IF WE DON'T, IS THAT WHY THAT'S ON THERE IF NEEDED, SAYS IF IT'S NEEDED.
UM, PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING.
THERE'S AGENDA ITEMS IS TOLL, FULLY FINAL PLANS AND RESIDENCES AT P T C, FINAL PLANS.
AND THEN THERE'S A NUMBER NOVEMBER 15TH, UH, AT 7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL ADVISORY COUNCIL IS NOVEMBER 15TH.
THAT'S AT SIX WORKS AND RECREATION COMMITTEE.
MEETING SCHEDULE IS NOVEMBER 8TH AT SIX O'CLOCK.
A MUNICIPAL AUTHORITY MEETING IS AT DECEMBER 7TH AT SEVEN O'CLOCK.
A ZONING HEARING, BOARD MEETING SCHEDULED.
ANYTHING ELSE? WE WILL CALL FOR ADJOURNMENT.
MAKE MOTION TO ADJOURN A SECOND.