News release: county board actions for February 11

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.

HC_alltemplatesbanner_2013

For release: February 11, 2014

Contact: Carolyn Marinan, Public Affairs, 612-348-5969

News release

County board actions for February 11

=============

Hennepin moves toward opening GIS data

The board gave the green light for county staff to develop a process to make public geographic information systems (GIS) data free and accessible to the public. The county maintains and develops public GIS data to support various business purposes and currently shares it, but for a fee. The county is looking to follow local and national open data trends to make this data free and open to the public. New technology makes it possible for government to provide this information to the public more freely through the web. The county would retain the ability to charge and collect fees for GIS data provided in other formats and when certain special requests are received. 

=============

Penn Avenue community works planning study launched

The Hennepin County Penn Avenue community works project is in progress and will integrate transportation, land use and economic development in planning for the corridor. The board approved a study of the area from the planned Penn Avenue Station on the METRO Green Line extension (Southwest Light Rail Transit) south of I-394 to the intersection of Osseo Road and 49th Avenue North in Minneapolis.

The next step for the project is to conduct a planning process that will create an integrated community-supported vision and a coordinated, long-term implementation framework for the Penn Avenue Corridor. The framework will outline recommended strategies, potential funding sources, and anticipated outcomes. This work will guide future efforts and investments in multimodal transportation, land use, economic development, housing, and placemaking along the corridor. 

Through a competitive request for proposal process, the team Hoisington Koegler was selected as the consultant to work with the community to create a corridor vision and framework. The team is a diverse group of professionals with connections to North Minneapolis. The $982,500 corridor vision and implementation framework development will be funded with a $170,000 Metro Transit contribution; $100,000 in state aid funding; a $50,000 City of Minneapolis contribution; and $662,500 in county levy funds. 

=============

County withdraws proposal to process additional waste at the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center, plans to focus on increasing organics recycling.

In an effort to meet state waste management goals of increasing recycling and minimizing the landfilling of waste, the board approved new strategies that focus on expanding curbside organics recycling and securing more funding from the state solid waste management tax to support local recycling efforts.

The following strategies were approved:

The county will withdraw its request for a permit modification from the City of Minneapolis and for approval from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to increase the amount of waste processed at the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC).

The board directed changes to the county residential recycling funding policy that will require the City of Minneapolis to provide organics recycling service to its residents by January 1, 2015, and will set a schedule for the remaining cities to add organics recycling. The county also will contract with Specialized Environmental Technologies Inc. and Full Circle Organics LLC to compost organic waste collected in Hennepin County.

The board called upon the Minnesota Legislature and the governor to stop diverting funds collected through the state solid waste management tax to the state general fund and direct these funds to their original purpose – supporting local governments in implementing waste reduction, recycling and organics recovery programs to meet the state waste management goals. In 2013, less than one-quarter of the $70 million collected by the solid waste management tax went to counties and municipalities for recycling programs, making it difficult for local governments to fund new recycling efforts.

=============

Board creates new job  -- Assistant Chief Medical Examiner

The board approved the medical examiner's request to add an assistant chief medical examiner. This position is for a board-certified forensic pathologist who in addition to death investigation and autopsy duties, can act on behalf of the Chief Medical Examiner in his or her absence. This is necessary for the recent growth in the offices responsibilities. The Hennepin County Medical Examiner serves Hennepin, Dakota and Scott counties as well as a few others across the Midwest. 

=============

Grant continues family counseling program

Minnesota Department of Human Services will continue to fund the Family Group Decision Making Program. This voluntary program is an important family engagement strategy used throughout the state and the nation. The grant, more than $600,000, will fund the program through 2015. The program has become an integral part of HSPHD’s efforts to engage families and youth in decisionmaking about safety, permanency and child well-being. It supports families in identifying their own strengths and resources, in addition to accessing agency-based supports. These services are targeted at families with an open child protection case, or other children's services case including children in permanent foster care, transitioning to independent living. Conferences are convened for a variety of reasons including case planning, safety planning so children may safely remain in their family homes or return home with supports in place, permanency planning when children cannot go home and for youth in foster care in order to plan for independent living. The conferences are facilitated by county social workers who have completed the state training for this program. Families are referred to the program through Hennepin County Child Protection and other Hennepin County social workers.

=============

Emergency management receives a nearly $1 million grant

The Emergency Management department received a $990,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety for the 2013 Urban Areas Security Initiative grant program. The initiative is meant to improve Hennepin County cities’ ability to prevent and respond to terrorism and other hazards.

Since 2003, the county has received $25.7 million in funding from this grant program. Major projects funded by the grant include weapons screening at the Hennepin County Government Center, target hardening at Hennepin County Medical Center, a regional Weapons of Mass Destruction Tactical Response Team, a 700 MHz high speed data system, design and equipment for the county's emergency operations center (EOC), and a cyber security project for critical infrastructure protection. 

=============

Public hearing on issuing bonds for Homeward Bound

The Hennepin County board of commissioners established a public hearing for Tuesday, March 18, 2014 at 1:30 p.m. for public comment on behalf of certain cities in the county regarding housing developments and the issuance of revenue obligations by the City of New Hope for the benefit of Homeward Bound, Inc. 

The City of New Hope has agreed to issue bonds on behalf of Homeward Bound to refinance existing debt on existing properties and to finance the acquisition and construction of a new facility. The city will have no obligation to ever repay any amounts due under the transaction. The sole and exclusive source of repayment will come from the ongoing successful operations of Homeward Bound. Each city in which the properties are located is required to conduct a public hearing. The cities of Golden Valley, Crystal, Robbinsdale, Plymouth, Hopkins, Minnetonka, St. Louis Park, Maple Grove, and Brooklyn Park have requested that Hennepin County hold one public hearing on behalf of the cities in which the property is located (as opposed to nine separate hearings). The City of Golden Valley will hold a separate hearing regarding construction of the new facility at 6615 Medicine Lake Road.

Since 1973, Homeward Bound has provided innovative services to support children and adults with disabilities in leading more fulfilling lives. Homeward Bound currently operates 18 residential homes and an in-home program, serving more than 100 people. 

=============

Public hearing on Target Field Station land

The Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority established a public hearing for Tuesday, February 25, 2014 at 1:30 p.m. for comment on the proposed lease and/or sale of Hennepin County land at the Interchange redevelopment site, also known as Target Field Station. The property is located at 419 Fifth Street North in Minneapolis. 

The Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority will hold a special meeting after hearing public comments to consider the options.

=============

                                                             – 30 –

Look for more news on the Hennepin County website at www.hennepin.us/news.