MY AYES HAVE IT. [00:00:01] ALL RIGHT. WE'LL MOVE RIGHT INTO OUR REGULAR MEETING. ARE THERE ANY ADDITIONAL COMMISSIONER COMMENTS? RIGHT. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES FOR OUR JULY 25TH, 2023 MINUTES AND THE SPECIAL MEETING THAT WAS FOR AUGUST 1ST, 2023 SPECIAL MEETING [APPROVAL OF MINUTES] MINUTES. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ABOVE LISTED MINUTES? IS THERE A SECOND. OR YOU CAN JUST ABSTAIN FROM ONE. YOU CAN PULL THAT ONE. IS IT JUST ONE? YES. YES, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AT A MEETING TO VOTE ON THE MINUTES. YOU JUST NEED TO REVIEW THEM. SHE WANTED A SEPARATE VOTE. THAT'S WHAT SHE'S ASKING. NO, NO, I'M JUST SAYING, THOUGH, JUST FOR THE RECORD. YEAH, THAT'S OKAY. SO THERE WAS A MOTION. THERE WAS NO SECOND. SO IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES FOR JULY 25TH, 2023 MEETING MOTION. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. ROLL CALL, PLEASE. COMMISSIONER DRAKE. ABSTENTION FROM THE JULY 25TH MEETING MINUTES NOTED. COMMISSIONER MARANO. YES. COMMISSIONER SOOY. DEPUTY DIRECTOR SINGLETERRY. YES. DIRECTOR ROBINSON. YES. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE ABOVE LISTED MINUTES FOR AUGUST 1ST, 2023 SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES. SO MOVED. ROLL CALL, PLEASE. COMMISSIONER DRAKE. YES. COMMISSIONER MARANO. ABSTENTION FROM AUGUST 1ST. MINUTES NOTED. COMMISSIONER SOOY. YES. DEPUTY DIRECTOR SINGLETERRY. YES. DIRECTOR ROBINSON. YES. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE RESOLUTIONS 23-1500 THROUGH 23-1506. [CONSENT AGENDA] ROLL CALL, PLEASE. COMMISSIONER DRAKE. YES. COMMISSIONER MARANO. YES. COMMISSIONER SOOY. YES. DEPUTY DIRECTOR SINGLETERRY. YES. DIRECTOR ROBINSON. YES. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE RESOLUTIONS 23-1507 THROUGH 20 3-1523. [AWARD OF CONTRACTS] SO MOVE. SECOND. ROLL CALL, PLEASE. COMMISSIONER DRAKE? YES. COMMISSIONER MARANO. YES. COMMISSIONER SOOY? YES. DEPUTY DIRECTOR SINGLETERRY. YES. DIRECTOR ROBINSON. YES. IS THERE A MOTION TO APPROVE RESOLUTIONS 23-1524 THROUGH 23-1555. [FINANCE] ROLL CALL, PLEASE. COMMISSIONER DRAKE? YES. COMMISSIONER MARANO? YES. COMMISSIONER SOOY. YES. DEPUTY DIRECTOR SINGLETERRY. YES. DIRECTOR ROBINSON. YES. AND MOTION TO APPROVE RESOLUTIONS 23-1556 THROUGH 23-1562. [ITEMS TO BE ADDED FROM THE AUGUST 8, 2023 WORK SESSION TO BE ADOPTED TONIGHT] ROLL CALL, PLEASE. COMMISSIONER DRAKE? YES. COMMISSIONER MARANO? YES. COMMISSIONER SOOY. YES. DEPUTY DIRECTOR SINGLETERRY. YES. DIRECTOR ROBINSON. YES. IS THERE A MOTION TO OPEN THE PUBLIC PORTION OF THIS MEETING? [PUBLIC] MOTION. IS THERE A SECOND? ALL IN FAVOR? AYE, AYE. THERE ARE NO NEW COMMENTS OR EMAILS OR MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. I AM TRYING FOR THE SECOND TIME. HELLO. HARRY, HOW ARE YOU? ALL RIGHT. SO, YES, THIS IS THE PUBLIC PORTION OF THE SOMERSET COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MEETING. DID YOU WANT TO SPEAK. OKAY. IT'S HARRY [INAUDIBLE] FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP, SOMERSET COUNTY. I'M A VETERAN, AND I KEEP AN EYE ON WHAT'S GOING ON IN THIS COUNTRY. AND ANYWAY, I NOTICED THAT ALL THESE HERE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES, THAT'S THE IRS, FBI, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, ALL THESE AGENCIES SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. IT SEEMS LIKE THEY'RE ALL CORRUPTED AND WE HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON THIS STUFF. THESE PEOPLE ARE OUT OF CONTROL TODAY. AND I DON'T THINK THEY CAN BE TRUSTED ANYMORE IN A FREE COUNTRY. AND ALSO, I WANT TO MENTION, I MADE SOME NOTES HERE. WHAT DID I MAKE A NOTE ON? HOLD ON A SECOND. I GOTTA PUT MY GLASSES ON HERE. I TOOK MY GLASSES OFF FOR A SECOND. YEAH, I WANT TO MENTION THAT THERE'S 11 WARSHIPS OFF THE COAST OF ALASKA. THEY WERE CHINESE AND RUSSIAN MILITARY WARSHIPS AND WE HAD ONLY TWO DESTROYERS TO PUT UP AGAINST THEM AND THEY OUTNUMBER US 4 TO 1. AND YOU KNOW, I WANT TO MENTION THAT SECRETARY OF ENERGY THERE, WHAT'S HER NAME? [00:05:06] GRANHOLM. SHE, WAS TALKING TO THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY AND IF WE SHOULD, UH, REFILL UP OUR STRATEGIC OIL RESERVES OR IF WE SHOULD DRILL, I'M THINKING, WHAT IS SHE TALKING TO THE CHINESE COMMUNIST PARTY TO FIND OUT WHAT THEY THINK THEY'RE OUR ENEMY REALLY. AND, I CAN POINT OUT THAT ALSO THE CHINESE HAVE SENT OVER SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS THAT LOOK INTO OUR GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CORN AND SOYBEANS, AND THAT'S VERY DANGEROUS. NOW, THEY FIGURED OUT ALL OUR GENETIC STUFF. I GUESS WE GAVE IT TO THEM. AND NOW, ONE LADY FROM IOWA, I THINK SHE WAS A FARMER OUT THERE, SAID, WELL, SHE SAYS THEY CAN USE THEM AGAINST US. T HEY CAN USE BIO WARFARE AGAINST US. AND, UH, WELL, I JUST WANT TO MENTION THAT ALSO REPORTS OF CHINESE. THE CHINESE SEND CHINESE TROOPS OVER HERE SO THEY CAN THEY CAN COME IN THROUGH THE SOUTHERN BORDER. I MEAN, IT'S JUST MIND BOGGLING SOME OF THIS STUFF. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT. ACTUALLY. I THOUGHT I RAN INTO TWO CHINESE TROOPS IN IOWA RECENTLY ON ROUTE 27. THEY GOT AWAY FROM ME BECAUSE I HAD ONE OF MY VETERANS HAT ON THERE. I DON'T THINK THEY WANT ME TO RECOGNIZE THEM THAT GOOD. BUT I HAVE TALKED TO ONE FELLOW FROM BURGER KING THAT HE SAID HIM AND THIS OTHER ONE FELLOW WAS FROM HONG KONG AND THE OTHER ONE WAS FROM CHINA, AND HE WAS IN CHINESE MILITARY. AND HE TOLD ME HOW EVIL THEY WERE OVER IN CHINA. AND IT'S JUST KIND OF OUTRAGEOUS SOME OF THE STUFF THAT'S GOING ON. AND I THINK THIS ALL SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. WHY IS OUR GOVERNMENT DOING WHAT IT'S DOING? WELL, UNFORTUNATELY, HARRY, THAT'S NOT THE ROLE OF THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT. SO WE HAVE NO AUTHORITY TO INVESTIGATE. WELL IT'S THE IDEA THAT THEY MAY INVADE SOMERSET COUNTY. HOW DO YOU KNOW? I GOT YOU BUT WE DON'T HAVE A STANDING ARMY IN SOMERSET COUNTY. WELL. IT'S GOOD TO BE WISE THAN DUMB. THAT IS TRUE, MY FRIEND. ALL RIGHT. YOU HAVE A GOOD NIGHT. HAVE A GOOD NIGHT. YOU TOO. BYE. AND THERE ARE NO OTHER MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC. IS THERE A MOTION TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC PORTION OF THIS MEETING? OKAY. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYES HAVE IT. WE WILL ADJOURN INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION. [Executive Session] CORRECT. WE DO NEED TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION TO DISCUSS A MATTER REGARDING POTENTIAL LITIGATION, CONTRACT NEGOTIATION, LAND PURCHASES RELATED TO MITIGATION, BLUE ACRES. SO IF THERE'S A MOTION TO GO INTO EXECUTIVE SESSION, WE WILL ADJOURN DIRECTLY FROM EXECUTIVE SESSION. NO PUBLIC ACTION WILL BE TAKEN. SO MOVED. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE, AYE. AYES HAVE IT. GOOD NIGHT. BE WELL. * This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.