Supervisors unanimously adopted Resolution No. 34 to update the county's rural functional classification map, a FHWA-required review that affects eligibility for federal transportation funding programs.

St. Croix County received a $150,000 grant to conduct PFAS testing across St. Croix, Polk and Pierce counties, with about 150 wells to be sampled to determine regional groundwater PFAS levels.

St. Croix County said its highway department secured a $4,700,000 "Safer Streets for All" grant that will fund safety projects including a roundabout at County Highways A and U and other corridor improvements.

The board approved the 2027 budget and tax levy (Resolution No. 33) by a 16-2 vote after a brief hearing; County Administrator Witt highlighted a 4% COLA, staffing changes and a projected $10.8 million debt in 2027.

County legal counsel summarized Chapter 51 involuntary commitment standards, court timelines and initiation routes, and warned that local capacity is limited so counties often rely on state facility Winnebago at high daily cost, creating budget and transport challenges.

Public health surveillance shows a 12% increase in suicide and self-harm ER visits among roughly ages 14-25 from 2023 to 2025; the department has made youth mental health a five-year priority in the community health improvement plan and is promoting upstream programs like Empower Youth and 988/211 coordination.

St. Croix County's attorney summarized Chapter 51 involuntary-commitment criteria, three ways to initiate detention, and operational challenges: medical-clearance delays, few contracted beds locally and high costs at state facility Winnebago (~$2,000/day plus initial charges).

The Administration Committee voted unanimously Oct. 13 to adopt the county's 2027 budget and set the tax levy; the budget uses $160,000 of fund balance for Resource, Land and Water clean-water programs and preserves a $500,000 multi-year allocation under review by the Community Development Committee.

The Saint Croix County Board approved an initial resolution authorizing up to $20,000,000 in general obligation promissory notes to finance a multi‑phase upgrade of the county 9‑1‑1 communications system, including two new towers, replacement radios and dual‑band equipment; the vote was 19‑0.

The St. Croix County Board approved an initial resolution (Res. No. 29) setting a $20 million borrowing cap to modernize the county's 9‑1‑1 communications system — the first formal step toward building new towers, replacing radios and moving to a dual‑band system. Vote: 19–0.

A county staff member said the plan to relocate and build new radio towers will be executed in phases: nine months to prepare bid packages and roughly two years for construction and equipment deployment; portable radios were estimated at about $11,000 each and county inventory numbers were provided.

The board voted 4-1 to form an ad hoc committee to analyze a proposed $20,000,000 jail expansion and report back by May 2027 after amending language on the chair's replacement; some supervisors warned the committee could delay the project.

The St. Croix County Board of Adjustment approved variances allowing Joseph and Natalie Weber to rebuild a fire‑destroyed house at 1488 Twin Springs Road with limited additions, but excluded a 4.5‑foot lateral expansion beyond a former shed footprint and required mitigation and later conditional permits aligned with National Park Service recommendations.

After rescinding earlier approval of a drawdown application, the county is coordinating an informational meeting with DNR staff planned for Jan–Feb to explain the regulatory role in drawdowns. Supervisors urged pre‑meetings of dam owners, fact sheets, and a neutral facilitator to clarify dam ownership responsibilities, maintenance liabilities and watershed solutions including upstream phosphorus reductions.

The St. Croix County administration committee voted to advance an initial resolution authorizing up to $20 million in general obligation promissory notes to the general committee for further consideration; staff outlined a two-tranche, bank-qualified strategy and a target financing timeline in mid-2027.

County staff told supervisors that after reviewing department requests and projected revenues the preliminary budget shows a $760,000 deficit, and pledged revisions ahead of the October Committee of the Whole meeting.

Staff said 911 operating costs rose by roughly $55,000 driven mainly by software/subscription increases and higher repair and maintenance at tower sites; the county has already included a $20 million EMS/system upgrade in its capital plan.

Staff said jail costs rose about $400,000 year-over-year, pointing to higher wages and a large increase in 'other professional services' attributed to the jail medical contract; Southern Health Partners was named as the contractor that provides prescriber services and medications.

Supervisors unanimously approved the 2027–2031 Capital Improvements Plan but deleted language authorizing 2028 debt issuance for a proposed jail expansion, postponing the larger debt decision and retaining a $20M 2027 communications project. The vote on the plan as amended was 18–0.

The county board amended Chapter 15 of the zoning code to add definitions and a 12‑month moratorium on medium and large-scale data centers, adopted technical clarifications and self-storage restrictions, and tasked the Community Development Committee with drafting regulatory language during the pause. Vote: 18–0.

Public commenters pressed the board to strengthen funding and planning for watershed and groundwater improvements; the board amended the county administrator's work plan to broaden a Lake Malalu reference to "surface water quality of all water bodies within the county," adopting the amendment 16–2 and the work plan 18–0.

Administrator Ken Witt summarized Ehlers' advice to issue two bank‑qualified issues of $10M (2027 and 2028) and a right‑sized final issue in 2029 to broaden bidder interest, smooth taxpayer impact and potentially lower long‑term interest costs despite higher up‑front issuance expenses.

The committee adopted multiple Chapter 15 zoning updates on definitions, ADU thresholds and permitted uses, and a 12‑month moratorium on medium and large data centers (with committee edits to permitted‑use language to avoid capturing farm or in‑building server rooms). The vote was unanimous.

The medical examiner reported recent CT scanner repairs resolved recurring errors, enabled local scans that avoided forensic autopsies and estimated substantial per-case savings versus autopsy; one outside-lab cost figure in the transcript appears garbled and is noted as not specified.

Rhonda Braun told the St. Croix County HHS Board that federal and state FoodShare quality‑control rules require counties to implement pre‑certification reviews; she asked the committee to endorse a supervisor position that would be 50% funded by the Great Rivers Consortium and would carry an estimated county share of about $120,000.