Do we have I don't see any members of the public present?

Do we have any messages or comments from the public?

No.

Okay.

Next order of business is approval of the minutes from the March 19th, 2026 meeting, which was the last time we met.

Do I have a motion to approve?

Amen.

Second from Jennifer.

And any discussion.

Amen.

Wonderful minutes.

Thank you.

I mean, there are Sarah Schulenberg production.

So yes, they will always be good.

We missed you on Tuesday.

Don't tell Andy we said that.

I I saw a photo that I was there in spirit.

So yeah.

All right.

Uh motion to uh all in favor of approving the minutes from the March 19th, 2026 minutes, please indicate by raising your hand.

Any abstentions.

All right.

Meeting minutes of the March 19, 2026 uh meeting uh uh is approved or approved.

Uh moving on to unfinished business, the draft plan update for publication.

Uh so I shared um, I believe sometime over the weekend, um, the uh nearly ready for uh for prime time uh um uh uh strategic plan update.

Um the primary author uh is not was not AI.

We did not use AI to write this.

Uh primary author was uh was Ramona uh with uh some uh edits for myself and a very helpful uh uh final review by Brandy.

Um and um I'm curious as to what uh what thoughts people have about around what uh what we shared.

Amy first uh I will say that um I really like this report.

Um I think it captures a lot of the essence of what at least I heard um through the involvement with the um the committee and seeing the um spreadsheets or you know, whatever.

So I think it was translated well of uh having said that now I'll uh after this compliment, I'll I'll dive into my uh uh is this other thought, I guess.

So I do think um I believe it's called a poop sandwich, Aiden.

Go ahead.

We're getting to this.

Yes, yeah, something like that.

Yes.

So I I like the wording around goal three, foster a thriving economic ecosystem.

Um more so, I'll say, than I than I like the language of the economics section under the findings.

And just so I can you know quickly summarize this.

Under the findings, it it mentions that um that residents are strapped for cash, cost of living continues to increase, um, property taxes remain notable concern.

Um, the goal three foster a thriving economic ecosystem.

It mentions the library as as being a financial equalizer, which I think is isn't a really important point to make.

So I would actually perhaps lift that point of the library being a um a financial equalizer above to to that section that um and and not to maybe just take it out of here, but maybe put it in both spots to say that um that you know residents are concerned about costs, but they also are concerned with value and they're concerned with with with getting services in in Middletown.

Um so I think that that point, you know, one has if one continues to read the entire document, then that'll come across.

But I do think that maybe there should be reference made up up there to not just the rising taxes and the most immediate conclusion from someone who sees like something about rising taxes would be okay.

I I do not want to invest in in the library.

I think is like one one conclusion that one can draw from this if they don't read the entire document.

So hopefully this makes sense to everyone.

So I'm just typing in some suggestions in the document as you talk, Aamon.

So I'm in the economics section of the findings, and you know, under the findings, just so we're all on the same page.

Um the findings are the observations after speaking with the community about where they're at um landscape-wise.

So they're not specifically, you know, um related just to the library, you know, in terms of being a good um economic equalizer or whatever.

That's why that's kind of down below under goal number three, but I can certainly put something in the findings about you know, residents are are looking for good value and return on their investment in services or I'm I'm typing as I talk here, but um does it does that make sense in terms of where you're going with that?

We wanted to keep that finding section based on or focused on what people were saying about the community, the kind of community they want to live in and what challenges and you know, just those general community-based things, and then putting the specific um objectives related to the library down below under each of the four categories or each of the four goals.

Yeah, no, I think well, first I'll say that it's it's it um it's helpful.

I wish I knew that I um I could have added a comment before um for review, but um really not now.

Sorry about that.

Um yeah, no, I think that I think that's helpful, and I I do think that it would be like for example, I I you know, in the trustee, you know, in the board meeting the other day, I mentioned that I was talking resident of a different town who complained about you know the complete lack of any city services, and that that's something that you know, I think our findings show that people in Middletown, I don't I don't think complain about the the lack of services.

So, you know, that that's so I think it is true that they find value in in the taxes.