November 13, 2026 Board of Commissioners Work Session

The miOttawa Board of Commissioners held a work session on November 13, 2026. The board received presentations on the 2026 citizen survey, conducted by Epic MRA, and the employee engagement survey, conducted with Gallagher. Discussion focused on residents’ concerns about taxes, financial management, transparency, housing affordability, and groundwater, as well as improvements in employee engagement since 2024. Staff described potential follow-up actions involving clearer public communication and employee action planning; no related spending decisions were made.

The main procurement discussion concerned the Sheriff’s Office’s proposed ten-year Axon contract, valued at approximately $14.6 million, covering records management and related equipment and services. In response to concerns about surveillance and oversight, staff presented revised contract language stating that Axon may not deliver or install Outpost fixed license-plate-reader devices without formal approval by the Board of Commissioners. The sheriff said the contract’s pricing would not decrease if those devices were removed, and staff explained that future contract amendments would return through the county’s approval process. Commissioners discussed pricing, data ownership, implementation, and potential funding through the Insurance Authority for some equipment; staff agreed to raise that funding possibility. No vote was taken on the Axon contract at the work session, and further consideration was expected at the November 17 board meeting.