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Marion Greene Commissioner, 3rd District 612-348-7883 @MarionGreene
Ray Hoover Principal Aide 612-348-7125
Pam Fahlstrom Administrative Assistant 612-348-0863
OFFICE HOURS
Unfortunately, there will not be office hours in October. I’ll be attending Railvolution, a conference that showcases
the link between land use, transportation and development. Office hours will continue in November, but in the meantime If you'd like to meet with me, use the contact information above. For more information on Railvolution, click here.
The 3rd District serves
the city of St.
Louis Park, and parts of west and downtown Minneapolis.
View larger map
2016 Budget Hearing Schedule
In September, the board is held a series of public hearings on the proposed 2016 budget. The process continues in November.
Monday, November 2 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Capital Budgeting Task Force (CBTF) Report/Capital Presentation/Fees
Tuesday, December 1 6 p.m. Board holds Truth-in-Taxation public meeting
Thursday, December 10 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Budget Amendments
Friday, December 11 10 a.m. to noon Budget Amendments
Friday, December 11 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (if needed). Budget Amendments
Tuesday, December 15 1:30 p.m.
County Board approves the 2016 budget and levy at its regularly scheduled board meeting.
All meetings happen in the County Board Room of the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis.
County departments, agencies & other entities
Hennepin County libraries
Hennepin County Medical Center
Hennepin volunteers
Online services
Phone directory
Service Center information
Southwest Light Rail
Understanding your property tax
City of Minneapolis
City of St. Louis Park
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Greetings!
I hope you enjoy this month's District 3 newsletter. Visit our website to find more ways to connect with the county.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I value your opinions.
My best,
Hennepin County programs get recognition from national association
The National Association of Counties recently gave top honors to 10 innovative county programs, and during our meeting on September 22, we presented those awards to staff. Here I am with Kelly Clausen, who organized GEO:CODE, the county's first code-a-thon. For details and a full list of awards, click here.
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Child Protection Oversight Committee appointed
The County Board authorized creation of
the Child Protection Oversight committee in July to provide direction and oversight for implementation of
improvements in the Child Protection system in Hennepin County. These
system changes are the result of recommendations from the Casey Family Programs
study of county practices and new requirements issued by the state legislature
and Department of Human Services. Committee members will include:
- Ann Ahlstrom, Hennepin County
Human Services (co-chair)
- Mike Opat, Hennepin County
Commissioner (co-chair)
- Janis Callison, Hennepin County
Board chair
- Craig Enevoldsen, Brooklyn Park
Police Chief
- Eric Fenner, Casey Family
Programs
- Anne Gearity, University of
Minnesota School of Social Work
- Jim Koppel, Minnesota
Department of Human Services, Children and Family Services
- Judge Anne McKeig, Fourth
Judicial District Court
- Dr. Alice Swenson, Children's
Hospital and Clinics
- Darrell Thompson, Bolder
Options youth development
- Noya Woodrich, Greater
Minneapolis Council of Churches
- Tim Zuell, Hennepin County Attorney's
Office
To help describe all that the Oversight Committee has been
tasked with, here is my statement from the time of its creation. As chair of the Board’s Health and Human Services committee, I look forward to
the short and long-term recommendations generated by the Oversight Committee.
Pilot connects Midtown
Greenway and nearby destinations
Colorful signage and other temporary design
experiments have been attracting the attention of bicyclists and pedestrians at
four key access points on the Midtown Greenway.
Developed by the urban design team at the City of
Minneapolis in collaboration with staff from Hennepin County, the Midtown
Greenway Coalition and the Lake Street Council, the pop-up improvements
include creative wayfinding signage on
fences and bridges over the greenway, painted icons and other designs
on the pavement, bike racks, and a variety of seating and games.
The installations, which went up in August and September, are
designed to point greenway users to destinations along Lake Street and in
nearby neighborhoods. The main goal is to build on the success of the Greenway, which has more than 1.5 million users annually, in order to
enhance and strengthen nearby residential and business communities.
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YouthLink holds Night of Hope to support homeless youth
On the evening of Sunday, September 27, I joined Twin Cities business leaders and public officials for YouthLink's Night of Hope. I slept outside to honor, raise awareness and raise money to support homeless youth.
The next night I was able to return to my bed at home, and felt in a deeper way how lucky I am to have one.
Last year, YouthLink helped thousands of young adults get access to basic needs, like a place to sleep, clothes, food, and medical attention. Check out YouthLink's website here.
In January 2016 the State Office to End Homelessness will announce a plan to end youth homelessness in Minnesota. I look forward to being a strong partner in that plan for Hennepin County.
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Juvenile Service Center tour
This week I had the opportunity to tour Juvenile Services Centers in Hastings and Red Wing. Seeing the facilities was important to me as it relates to my work on Hennepin County's No Wrong Door initiative, as well as my interest in Hennepin County's Girls Continuum of Care, which ensures that young women receive services that are female and culturally responsive, trauma-informed and trauma recovery focused in order to lead successful lives.
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Joyce Preschool visit
In September I had the opportunity to read to children at Joyce Preschool. Joyce operates a Spanish-English dual immersion program to prepare children for kindergarten, and maintains a balance of children from Spanish and English speaking families. I was excited to visit because of my own interest in early childhood development. Investing in children in their earliest years gives them the best chance at success in later life. To learn more about Joyce, click here.
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To share more about the work of Hennepin County, we profile a county employee who lives in District 3. Each month spotlights a person from varying departments and occupations.
Joe Scala
Joe Scala is a resident of the Loring Park neighborhood, and is a Planning Analyst in the Community Works Department
Click here to find out how Joe makes Hennepin County tick.
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2016 draft budget includes
child protection system changes, election upgrades
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners voted to
approve a draft budget that would improve
the safety of children, modernize the county’s elections system and support
self-sufficiency and workforce initiatives.
This budget reflects county administration recommendations. The board will finalize the budget and levy, after consideration and amendments, on December 15. The maximum property tax levy represents an increase of
$31.2 million or 4.48 percent from last year’s adjusted levy.
The board is
required by state law to adopt a maximum property tax levy in September.
Commissioners may later approve a property tax levy that is lower than the
approved maximum, but they cannot set it higher than the maximum adopted the September 10 meeting. In November, property owners will receive a notice that
shows the impact of the county maximum levy on their properties, as well as the
impact of taxes proposed by other local units of government, such as cities and
school districts. The full budget is up for approval December 15.
Some elements of the proposed 2016 budget include:
Child protection
A plan to improve the safety of children in the county includes
increasing critical staff and reexamining current work practices.
Elections
In preparation for national and local elections in 2016, the county is updating voting equipment.
Self-sufficiency and workforce initiatives
As Baby Boomer employees retire, the Career Connections program identifies,
trains and hires qualified candidates for gateway county positions with
opportunities for additional education and advancement.
Board approves
preliminary design plans for Green Line Extension project
The Hennepin County Board voted to approve the revised
preliminary design plans for the Green Line Extension (Southwest LRT) project.
The vote follows a joint public hearing held by the Metropolitan Council, the
Hennepin County Board and the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority
(HCRRA) on August 27 to receive public comment.
The revised plans were approved by the Metropolitan Council in
July. They reduce the estimated cost of the project by approximately $250
million and include design changes in several areas along the proposed LRT
route. The Metropolitan Council has
received municipal consent from the cities along the route.
Pilot youth sports program
fund to improve access to swimming lessons
The board approved a proposal to dedicate $35,000 of the 2016 Youth Sports Program funding
for a pilot project to improve access to swimming lessons for youth and
communities who are underserved in Hennepin County. The resolution noted that
during the first eight months of 2015, the Sheriff’s Office responded to 11
drownings and 16 near-drownings, and that nationwide, drowning rates for
African American children are triple the rate for white children in the same
age range. The Youth Sports Program is an initiative that awards grants to
improve youth sports and recreation facilities in Hennepin County.
You're invited! In addition to our regularly scheduled board meetings, the County Board often meets for updates on Thursday mornings. These are informal opportunities to discuss emerging issues. No decisions are made, and the topics are subject to change. Board briefings occur in the board room on the 24th floor of the Hennepin County Government Center and are open to the public.
October 8 Vendor Compliance
October 22 Trail and Excess Land Review
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