All right.

Well, welcome everybody.

First, I want to just take a minute to recognize our new city manager today, Janine Jordan, doing her first work session.

So we just want to welcome Janine.

Very excited.

And here about a little over a week, I guess, right?

Week and a half almost.

Yep, absolutely.

So just want to welcome her.

So all right, let's go ahead and just jump in.

Meeting follow-up.

Does anybody have anything they wanted?

What was a couple weeks ago?

No.

Pat, Mike, you guys have anything for the last meeting?

I do not.

Okay, thank you.

All right, let's go ahead and move into the seminal pump storage I'm gonna throw that to you.

Janine.

Thank you.

Um, Council, this project has been in the works for a few years.

Um, I've learned a lot about it the last week and um had the benefit of uh speaking with your city attorney about it, who had a lot of background information.

Um he and I briefed on it last week.

We've also um read information, everything that we can find available around the project, and uh with Eric's help, prepare the material in your packet, which we hope is a fairly succinct um summary of about a thousand pages of documents related to this project.

Um, Eric did prepare that, so I want to acknowledge and thank him for doing that, and he will lead off um covering the material that he prepared for you tonight.

And if you have any questions for me, I'm happy to take those, otherwise, I'll turn it over to Eric.

Great.

Thank you, uh, Madam City Manager Mayor.

I think I'm gonna go to the podium just because it seems a little more natural.

Yeah.

So thank you for the opportunity to uh speak to you about a pump storage project uh often referred to as a seminar seminal pump storage uh project uh by R Plus Hydro, uh, which is a corporation based out of Salt Lake City.

Um in addition to the memo in your packet, I did uh attach uh both a presentation from R Plus Hydro that they gave to the Carbon County Commissioners as well as the Carbon County uh commissioners' uh comments uh on the project.

Um this this project is located in Carbon County, um, but um based on the proposal uh does appear to potentially uh have some impacts uh downstream uh on the North Platte River and potentially uh on the City of Casper's interests.

And so I'll kind of briefly walk you through what the project is, um of uh what the uh company has proposed as benefits, um, and then I'll walk you through uh what some of the concerns and comments have been.

Um just to kind of get to the punchline.

What staff would recommend um is that uh council give thumbs to staff preparing a comment letter to be submitted on behalf of the city.

Um that deadline is January 2nd, which is this uh Friday.

Um, so it's pretty short uh turnaround.

I did also include kind of a draft letter of comment that more or less incorporates the position of Carbon County.

Um after speaking uh with uh city manager Jordan.

Um I think there's probably additional information that we would include in there, and so you know, yeah, with your blessing, it would be probably a little bit more robust.

Um but with that outline uh I'll I'll just start a little bit um with regard to what what the project is.

And so if you're familiar with that area out by semino and Pathfinder, there's there's quite a bit of renewable energy wind farms, and so that ties into the grid and is shot off to all points west into Utah, Nevada, um California.

Um the problem with renewable energy is that it's great when the wind is blowing, which is often the case in Wyoming, but there are actually are times when the wind stops blowing and there's no electricity being produced.

And so storage of that electricity is always kind of been the bugaboo.

And what this uh project um portends to do is to develop a storage system for electricity.

And it's a fairly simple concept on some levels.

Um, what the company is proposing is to develop an upper reservoir uh above seminal, and these uh wind turbines would generate electricity, which would then power pumps, and they would pump water up into this upper reservoir that would be be stored.

And then in times of downtimes when there's no wind or electricity being generated by the turbines, this water can then be let out of that upper reservoir, thereby turning electrical generators, generating electricity, which would then be pumped into the grid and then shipped all points west.

And I think it's it's fairly common knowledge that some of Western states, West Coast states specifically have certain carbon mandates, and so they rely on renewable energy from Wyoming to meet these emission standards, and so this would help to even out that flow of electricity west and help them meet those those goals.

And so the upper reservoir itself is anticipated to encompass approximately 120 acres of land, have a capacity of 13,000 acre feet of water, which if you compare that to the overall storage of seminal, that's about one percent of the seminal volume.

It would occupy a fair uh number of acres.

Um prior to the latest permutation, uh it appeared that there'd be about a thousand twenty-five acres of Bureau of Rec land management property that would be dedicated to this project, uh, 77 acres of Bureau of REC land and about 830 acres of private land as well.

And so this federal land being involved triggers certain federal requirements.

Um in addition to the FERC requirements and the requirement for a major permit.

Um, before you can even get to that, you have to comply with the environmental uh NEPA and to do an environmental impact uh assessment or statement.

And so that's um that draft document has been released and is now in the common period.

So based on what R plus Hydro presented, um they would be investing three to four billion dollars.

Um it would generate uh nine million dollars annually in property tax uh for carbon county is what they estimate.

Um there would be a fair number of temporary construction jobs, uh, but then permanently about 30 to 35 jobs.

Um you look at the location of the project, it's about 35 miles, I think, north east or northwest of Rollins, so it's it's hard to say that uh any of those jobs would be located here in Casper.

So they did uh start this process with an application for an original major license to construct the project back in January of 2023 with FERC.

Um they've supplemented that filing numerous times over the years, most recently in April of 25.

And so FERC in their draft EIS statement has identified several primary issues, including soil disturbance and vegetation removal, uh, potential changes in water quality, uh including uh downstream river reach uh that supports a blue ribbon trout fishery, which we all know to be the Miracle Mile.

Uh potential entrainment and loss of fish.

I'm not a fisheries biologist, nor am I an engineer, I'm just a lawyer.

Um, but uh what I understand entrainment to to result in is the potential um destruction of tens of thousands, if not more of walleye uh and seminal in addition to potential changes to the water temperature and uh clarity that that could impact the trout fisheries, so um potential uh significant impacts on these fisheries.

Um loss of wildlife habitat and noise effects on wildlife.

Uh so this area that is uh earmarked for this project contains what I think is often uh seen to be the healthiest bighorn sheep population and herd in the state of Wyoming.

Um apparently has zero cases of uh a type of pneumonia that riddles other uh herds.

Um this would uh apparently affect uh their their habitat quite impactfully uh both during construction and operation, and so some of what you see in in the EIS are uh potential seasonal restrictions around construction, those types of things.

Um, and then finally uh FERC identified potential effects uh on recreation.

So in the EIS uh there's there's several alternatives that are typically uh presented, and FERC recommended licensing under their staff alternative, which does take into account some of the certain modifications and uh additional measures recommended by stakeholders.

One concept, and again, I I'm starting to speak out a little bit outside of my wheelhouse.

And so if there's questions, I have to phone a friend.

But this I'm understanding is this is not a closed system, and so this will continually recycle into the river and into the reservoir.

And so it had it been a closed system, a lot of this could be ameliorated, but that is not a proposal on any of the alternatives.

And because of that, you're seeing a lot of potential impacts that are coming up.

So why did I I start by looking at Carbon County and the letter that the Carbon County Commissioners provided?

Well, uh, they are a cooperating agency pursuant to NEPA, and so pursuant to NEPA and Wyoming statute, uh the county is deemed in this case to have special expertise in these matters affecting their residents.

Um they have a special status in the process and uh filling that role.

Uh they carbon county commissioners um raised a number of concerns in their written comments, and I've I listed several bullet points, and I I probably won't go through all of those because you all can read the memo.

Um, but but a lot of what they really honed in on was just insufficient um uh study of a lot of the potential impacts, and as I've looked at a number of different uh comments that have been made by by various uh entities, agencies, individuals, I mean, that is a very common theme, I think, is that that just didn't give enough um uh time and study to to some of these these impacts, and certainly I think what I have not seen in really any of this, um, and that's so that's not to say that it doesn't exist, but I have not seen it, is really an analysis of the downstream effects.

Um, it's all what's going to happen to Semino, uh, what's gonna happen to that that herd, but but how is the the blue ribbon trout uh fishery going to be impacted?

What are those economic uh impacts that that might be felt uh by Casper and Tronic County?

I just haven't seen that that level of analysis.

Um the other thing I would say is that there is a group of Casper-based uh businesses, nonprofit organizations and individuals primarily in the guiding um industry that have uh established friends of the North Platte.

Um memo contains a link to their website.

Um, as best I could tell, this group was brought together primarily uh for the purpose of protecting the river, but specifically to oppose uh this project.

Um and so they have uh present lots of information, um presented lots of comments, um very concerned about uh the the miracle mile.

Um kind of moving beyond the memo, uh, a couple things that I would point out is December 15th of this year, um, so just mere two weeks ago, the developer has presented alternative D, which is a another alternative way to uh proceed.

Um it's a fairly lengthy document.

Um you can find it on the FERC website, um, but I did uh you know receive a couple of synopsis of what that alternative contains.

I I thought kind of importantly, um, it would relocate parts of the project to Bureau of Reclamation lands.

Um that's the groups are looking at that somewhat with a critical eye because they believe that's done to evade some some additional mitigating measures that uh it's still not responding to the concerns of the fishery.

Um finally um it's just kind of a last-minute modification uh prior to the deadline, and there just isn't enough time for the public to fully analyze uh what that alternative would consist of.

Um so with that I I wanted to just briefly walk you through a couple of additional uh letters that I think are potentially uh uh pertinent to to the decision of council and and kind of our concerns.

Um so Mr.

Tim Dolan submitted um comments uh to FERC, he's a retired um uh engineer with uh Bureau of Reclamation, and he had voiced very technical concerns uh with the effect on the seminal dam.

I mean he started getting into the properties of concrete and all kinds of stuff.

Um but the gist of what what he submitted is that this could have a very deleterious effect on uh the integrity of the dam, uh, which of that is of course the case could have very uh catastrophic downstream uh ramifications for for the Trona County and Casper.

Um the Wyoming Water Development uh commission submitted um uh comments uh basically indicating that uh the project had not secured sufficient water rights to fill the upper reservoir, um so they can't just dig a hole and siphon off water, and so they've they've raised this as a fundamental uh issue with their ability to proceed.

Um the uh wild sheep foundation uh presented a multi-page uh comment on the uh specific effects on the wild sheep herd there.

Uh Trout Unlimited um did something very similar uh with regard to the effects on the fisheries, and again, uh much more technical and beyond uh uh my expertise uh, but suffice it to say that they believe that uh a lot of these um effects uh would be very negative uh on the fisheries.

Uh on November 6th of this year at the Joint Travel Recreation Wildlife and Cultural Resources uh legislative committee meeting, uh Representative Elisa Campbell uh asked the game and fish director uh specifically if Game and Fish was aware um and if they had any thoughts uh about the project.

Um the director um uh at about an hour and 42 minutes in uh did address this and I'll just read this quote.

Quote there will be impacts from the project to sage grouse and mule deer, I believe we can mitigate for those.

However, there will also be impacts to the local bighorn sheep population, which I don't believe we can sufficiently mitigate impacts for those sheep that sheep herd there as well as the fisheries and the miracle mile.

I don't believe we can come up with a mitigation proposal that would be sufficient in that case, end quote.

So that um was a public comment from the game and fish commission uh director.

Um and finally, uh I would note that uh the city of Casper um recently engaged in a uh Casper Recreation Master Plan, and the uh last bullet um under Section 5 River Development Experiences states as a goal to protect and preserve the river from future negative disruptions, monitor potential projects that may affect the river, uh, water flows, water quality, etc., and advocate on behalf of the integrity of the river and fisheries flowing through Netrona County.

Um mayor and council, uh, just to kind of get to the point, we we uh as staff feel that this uh potentially could have some very negative impacts on uh Casper's economy, um our quality of life and recreational opportunities, um, not advocating that council take a stand either for or against the project, uh, but we certainly uh are asking for thumbs to uh submit a letter expressing some of the um concerns that we have uh about these impacts from the project.

And so uh with that uh mayor, I would certainly stand for any any questions that I might might answer.

Questions from council.

Anyone have any questions?

Scott, do you have a question?

I do.

So um I didn't see uh the letter attached um that the county uh neutrona county I believe sent a letter also.

Uh have you been privy to that, Eric?

Yeah, uh Mayor Counselor, I I have um essentially their letter was um very similar to the draft letter I put together.

Uh they just referenced the Carbon County letter and said we we concur in the concerns that the Carbon County Commissioners raised and additionally uh have concerns uh regarding the the North Platte fishery.

Um it was one-page letter, um, didn't go into any technical discussion, but just incorporated by reference other other comments.

Follow up, Mayor.

So I mean um do you think this suffice?

I mean in comparison to Carbon County, and uh of course they're right in the midst of it.

So um, but if this is adequate.

Um I think it's it's it's good.

Uh mayor, counselor, so certainly I think staff's position is that it's important for the city of Casper to be on the record, um voicing our concerns, whether that's independently or incorporating other comments by reference.

I think in conversation with City Manager Jordan today, um, we would probably want to incorporate a little more substantive points um rather than just incorporating um other other letters.

Um we can certainly do that by the Friday deadline.

It's an online submission process, so um that that's pretty pretty quick.

Um the one thing I did omit was to say that this will not be the only bite at the apple, I think that the city would have.

So this is the draft EIS.

Um the comment period closes on the second.

Um sometime probably second quarter, we could expect uh a final EIS to be issued.

Um there there could be other opportunities for hearings and testimony.

Um certainly they'll need to be a record of decision then uh entered.

Uh there's additional FERC uh permits that need to be um obtained and ultimately it'll have to go through industrial siting, um, which as some of you know is uh typically a bifurcated process.

Um the city typically only participates in the second part, which is the impact mitigation or impact assistance funding portion.

Um that does not uh not to say that if the city felt strongly enough at that point, we could uh certainly petition to be part of the permit issuing uh part um that's that's held first and become a party to that proceeding.

So so there's other opportunities to weigh in.

Um I think it's uh staff's opinion that it's just important that that we be on the record voicing some of these concerns on on behalf of our constituents.

Thank you.

Jenna is it um too late to ask them to come and talk to us about it or because I saw that they did some in November, like open helic community town halls on the subject.

Um is it too late to request that they come and explain it more in depth to us what's happening or uh mayor counselor, uh no, absolutely not.

I think it's it's probably too late um to have them come before we have to submit comments on Friday.

Right, but it's a long way from being uh a done deal.

Um when you look at the town halls that were held.

I think it was um down in Rollins and it was all carved in Cheyenne, yeah.

Um so there hasn't to my knowledge town hall or any any presentations uh done here in Trona County, and that's certainly if council uh desires, we can reach out and see if we can get them to come up.

Well, I mean, I would I would show up if they came and did a a town hall just to educate myself on actually what the process is.

I know it's gonna have some effects, like I read the letter and all of that.

However, um I think it would be maybe beneficial to constituents too to hear and understand from them what they're trying to do, and then they can form their own perspective as well and stand up for game fish or our blue ribbon tourism for trout, you know, and I see ugly bugs here.

And I mean it's you know, it's a it's a big tourism draw.

So if we can hear it from them down the road, but as long as I'm in support of the letter that I saw that here that Ray wrote up and you um because I think it does, it draws, you know, brings up all those points.

And I just think if they're here and they're facing the music and giving us a face-to-face interaction about what they want to do, I think we didn't need beneficial.

I agree.

Right.

Yeah, like a town hall.

Companies here.

No question.

Uh I do like the concept of pump water storage, just theoretically, I think uh there's a lot of merits to it, but totally agree with all of the concerns that have been brought up by all the other stakeholders and and totally supportive of this letter that uh you've drafted, Eric.

Uh I mean, like Counselor Jensen mentioned, I think I went to like probably five or six town halls for radio nuclear, and the fact that we haven't had a single opportunity to connect with anyone in regards to this project definitely to me is uh a stark contrast.

So I just think there needs to be a lot more transparency, a lot more opportunity for the public to learn more about this technology and the people involved, and uh so for that reason totally supportive of this letter.

Others uh mayor, I had a just uh I don't know if it's it not so much a question but a comment kind of along the the same lines as as uh uh uh councillor Gamro I think and uh counselor Jensen.

But I think either it was in your letter, uh Eric, or in one of the documents you included in the packet that you know the the the uh the uh the impacts of this are you know there's lots of impact but little very little benefit.

Or that was generally the gist of of the comment in the in the memo or the the what I read, which I agree with, and I thought it was when I saw that there was a public uh town hall in Rollins and in Cheyenne.

Well, Cheyenne's not gonna get impacted by this as much as as Casper.

And so I thought it was a very uh uh cowardly way of getting around that situation because I think Casper stands to have the the most impact and perhaps the least benefit of all this of all this.

So I think I'm I'm in 100% agreement that I think we gotta insist on a town hall because I think they ought to hear from the local folks about the impact this is gonna have and take that testimony um along into the into consideration, um, along with you know any information that we send along.

So that's that's my thought.

Any other comments or questions?

The city manager for Eric.

Okay.

So direction requested by um the staff is for us to support this letter.

And then I do I think tentatively also I agree with Councillor Jensen and Councillor Gamroth, and um at some point they're gonna have to come here to speak to us um and speak to the community.

Um so I don't know how we can put pressure on them to to come here to be a little bit more transparent, like you said.

I think it's important.

I did hear that they're really nice guys.

Maybe they will thank you, Eric.

Appreciate it.

All right, on to firehouse subs grant.

Madam City Manager.

Uh thank you, Council.

We do have Chief Flack here with us this evening, and he will walk you through the detail of the firehouse subs grant, which will purchase some essential um and needed equipment uh if awarded for the fire department.

And um, if you have any questions for me, I'm happy to take those in the meantime.

I'll invite Chief Black to come and address you.

And am I speaking loudly enough?

No.

Okay.

That's my I'm uh underneath this blower that blows in, so it is really hard to hear.

And then also I know that they cannot hear on okay, the web.

Thank you.

Dennis Steel's lend is on there.

Mayor counselors, good to see you tonight.

Thank you for allowing me to request your permission to apply for subs grant.

Um the application opens on January 8th.

So I'm trying to get ahead of them all and request your permission to make the application.

This is for uh the replacement of our chainsaw complement.

Uh many of our units throughout the Casper Fire EMS are over 20 years old.

And so they're they're pushing their life cycles right now.

We've done a really good job at maintenance and taking care of them.

But it is a critical piece of equipment on the fire ground, and it's something that we don't need to be jamming up when we're trying to cut through a house and a roof and and access things that we gotta get to.

Uh there's no match required, it's for the amount of 37,726 and 49 cents.

And after that, it'll just be typical maintenance and repair that we're already doing with our current components.

So with that, I would open up to any questions.

Thanks, Chief.

Um I'm sure you've done your diligence in this regard.

I I know they anticipate building here.

Um, but I haven't seen any permits pulled or anything.

I take it we're well within eligibility guidelines uh for this grant with them not having a physical presence.

Yes.

We've looked at all the the grant requirements and what they're good to on their cycle.

And the chainsaw equipment does fall within those grant cycles.

Cool.

Well, I am excited for the equipment.

Um equally excited for the hoagies.

They make like the best subs ever.

Any questions for the chief?

Okay.

Council okay with oh, yeah, go ahead, Pat.

Sorry.

Mayor, I was just gonna put a plug in uh for the fire department.

Um I think when uh poor boys roof caught on fire.

I don't know how many uh saws uh they they went through.

I know the canisters of the oxygen tanks were lined down the street, uh, but uh didn't help it was a 98 degree day to fight that fire, but um I don't know how many years ago that was, but it's probably the same chainsaw.

So mayor counselor, yes, that fire fight was extremely long, and it it had to have been close to 20 years ago now.

Yeah, but I do know it lasted a good you know 12, 14, 16 hours.

We went through multiple saws, and we went through everything, all the chains.

It was very difficult to breach that roof.

So in a situation like that, you want to have good equipment, ready to rock, be able to take care of it.

Thankfully, my backhoe was closed.

Yes, yes.

Well that saved the day.

Then I took down the back wall for them.

So thanks, Pat.

All right, council is good with pursuing this.

Absolutely.

Awesome.

Thank you.

Appreciate it.

All right.

Anyone have anything that would like to discuss before I hand it over to the city manager to see if there's anything we want to discuss?

Anything oh yeah, go ahead, Kyle.

Thank you.

I don't know if we if I am clear on this uh based on our conversation before the meeting, but uh the establishment of the tribunal's paper record, I would roll on that off the consent next week, right?

Certainly can do that if the council would like to discuss it.

Absolutely.

Okay, I would like to discuss it.

So I would like to put the work less.

And I know I did I did ask, um, I think uh Pat did as well to pull off the Eagle Belly um replat uh resolution.

Uh so I did ask for that to be pulled off for you at that.

Okay.

Anything else?

Anything you'd like to run up by us?

Um Mayor and Council, I will say no, I have nothing uh to bring to you this evening.

Pretty low-key meeting for you.

Um we're preparing, of course, material for your next meeting, which you've just covered, and looking at um ongoing work session schedules that I a little bit better back there, Chad.

No, but no, okay.

I'm leaning in.

Um helping Pat.

I don't know.

When he's sitting here, he's gonna have problems too if we switch it.

I will project that um nothing um that we need to cover this evening, Mayor.

Thank you.

Great.

All right, any questions for the future agendas?

Other than what we just brought.

Okay, awesome.

All right, let's go ahead and do council round the table for anything I know.

It's been a couple weeks.

Umber, do you care if we start with you?

Um I don't care.

And I don't think I can't I do care about around the table.

Um, I don't I don't think I have anything since the last one.

Yeah, you have anything tonight?

Mike Ballon, do you have anything you want to table tonight?

I don't, Mayor, other than to just wish everyone a happy new year.

Thanks, Mike.

Yep.

Um, no quiet um last few weeks.

Um, so nothing's ringing a bell except for I got into town too late and forgot that I had a meeting yesterday that I forgot, but hopefully Kyle made it.

No, maybe not.

So I apologize, but missed that one.

Ryan, do you have anything?

Um yeah, also don't remember anything, but I did want to ask if we could get an update from Bill Phil regarding yes.

Yes.

I was supposed to remind you about that.

I know, right?

But I was like something.

But now I when you started talking, I knew it.

So the bill pass bill fill passes.

Is that right?

Yep.

I would like an update on that because I sent a child kit of mine to the bail fill, and they no longer take that letter I couldn't find online.

So I don't know what we're doing, and I would just like to know what we're doing, how we're doing, and is it working?

Yeah, please thank you.

Is Council okay with putting this ultimately to talk about?

Is that okay?

Absolutely.

Even a pre-meeting meeting.

Sure.

Or a regular usually sometimes what we'll do is those pre-meetings will put something up in the back of this stuff.

All right.

Pat, do you have anything you'd like to talk about tonight?

Um, I wasn't planning on being here, but I didn't want to miss uh the first meeting with our new city manager.

Welcome.

Excited to work with you and uh um well, I think so.

So but um uh um and then um Mayor, if I could ask how long do you being where ahead is scheduled?

How long do you think uh the executive session would last?

Probably about a half hour, Pat.

Okay.

Depending upon how much you can talk.

Yeah, depending on you, Pat.

Yeah, thank you right.

If you keep it to five minutes, then we're good.

No, probably about a half an hour, Pat.

Okay.

And then maybe send me an invite.

I may have to bug out.

Um I'm currently packing, well, not currently, but packing to drive to Pittsburgh tomorrow morning.

So if I can.

Okay, thank you.

That's Councilor Jensen.

Uh slide.

We had a OID meeting yesterday.

I also missed it.

Um, so apologies to Liz.

Didn't even give her notice or nothing.

Um, but I heard it was great.

Established today for the Midwest ribbon cutting ceremony, which has been pushed a few different times for various reasons, but hoping to finally get done a ribbon cutting ceremony for the completion of the last phase of that street.

We are having a joint downtown meeting between the DCBA, the downtown development authority, the OID to visit Casper and David Street on January 26th.

This is kind of a I think we usually do it biannually, maybe quarterly, but just trying to make sure that we get all those folks in the same room occasionally to talk about shared goals and shared efforts and uh making sure we're all coordinating as you know effectively as we can.

Uh so I appreciate the fact that we're having those meetings now.

And then it sounds like Liz got some good feedback from the OID group regarding the parade, so she'll be reaching out to share um all those things we missed.

Uh and then uh lastly, I did just want to also welcome uh Janine as our city manager.

I'm really looking forward to working with you and hope you're settling in.

Um right, and I also wanted to I appreciate the mayor offering the comments last week.

I was caught off guard.

I didn't get to say anything publicly about uh Zoo Lima who served as our interim.

And so um here you are.

Um I kind of caught you after the meeting, I think, but uh just wanted to be on the record.

Uh make sure you're aware I very much appreciated your tenure as interim manager.

I think you uh fulfilled the office with dignity and respect and everything uh that we'd be looking for and just really appreciate you and uh John.

So thank you.

That's all I got.

Do you know what time that meeting is on the 26th?

Uh no, I will check.

Yeah, I'll check my inbox and make sure you get email though.

Thank you.

Yes, sir.

Uh nothing for me.

Uh I don't have a whole lot either.

Uh very nice break.

Um, I do want to give everybody a heads up uh for next year boards um and committees and commissions are coming up.

So um a couple different things.

I've already had a couple people reach out asking and making requests about um uh maybe switching off for a while if they've been on something for a little bit.

And so if you're interested in that, please send me an email and I'll start working on that and going through those boards of commissions to see what we need to do.

If one's kind of been tough for you for myself, I'm on about 14, and so I'm gonna kind of pare down just a little bit um for this next year.

Uh but other than that, kind of take a look at it.

Um I can have them set to counselors.

Um we'll send this to you to see where you're at.

Like I said, I've had a couple of you ask me to be um take off be off of off of a board or two.

So please let me know any requests that you have.

If you're happy with where you're at, um, that's great.

But if you want to try to do something different, that'd be great too.

So that will be something in the next week or two that we'll be focusing it on.

I think that's all I got.

And happy new year to everybody.

All right.

We do have a special meeting and a executive session.

I now call the December 30th, 2025 special council meeting to order.

All members are present.

Um, please note that counselor bond and counselor Sweeney are meeting with us remotely.

Um let's see, moving on, sorry, folks.

Under this date and during this meeting was given.

We have matters to discuss regarding personnel matters, therefore, the chair entertained a motion to adjourn to an executive session and at the conclusion of that executive session to reconvene the special meeting solely for the purposes of adjournment of the special meeting.

So moved.

Moved by the vice mayor, seconded by Haskins.

There are a majority of pre members present, and a motion to adjourn to an executive session has been moved and seconded.

This motion requires a two-thirds majority of the council present.

Any abstentions or nay votes?

All voting aye.

I motion passes a greater than two-thirds majority of the council present.

Voted in favor of the motion.

We are hereby adjourned to an executive session.