News release: Hennepin County positions for the future with 2015 budget

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 9, 2014

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

News release

Hennepin County positions for the future with 2015 budget

Average homeowners will see increases in property values with modest increases in 2015 property taxes.

Hennepin County Administrator David Hough today proposed to the Board of Commissioners a 2015 budget of $1.8 billion -- an increase of $4.9 million, or 0.27 percent, from the adjusted 2014 budget. The proposed net property tax levy is $699.9 million, an increase of $18.7 million, or 2.75 percent, from the adjusted 2014 budget. The operating portion of the budget decreased $39.0 million to $1.6 billion from the adjusted 2014 budget.

“State revenues are expected to be stable with few increases,” said Hough, “this leaves the county more reliant on the property tax levy.”

In 2014, the median home value in Hennepin County was $202,500 and that median amount is increasing by 8.4 percent to $219,600 in 2015. The impact of the proposed maximum property tax levy, along with the proposed property tax levies for the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority and Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority, result in an approximate increase in property taxes of $36 or 3.8 percent for a median valued home.

“The proposed budget is designed to position Hennepin County as an organization that can address future needs in a cost effective manner,” said Hough.

The proposed 2015 budget includes the equivalent of 7,656 full-time employees with the addition of 120 employees. The new positions are targeted to address emerging needs and critical staffing shortages. Although these numbers are up from 2014, it is still fewer employees than the county had in 2008. During the same period the county experienced caseload increases of nearly 50 percent.

“In our human services we area we are proposing to add direct line staff including child protection social workers, public health nurses, child support officers and case management assistants,” said Hough.  “We are also looking at adding adult probation officers and expanding the electronic home monitoring program.”

The 2015 budget includes funding for new initiatives to expand county efficiency and effectiveness, provide new resources for workforce development, and continue support for early childhood and pre-K learning.

The capital portion of the budget totals $242.1 million and includes $18.5 million in continued funding for the reconstruction of the Franklin Avenue Bridge and $18.5 million for the reconstruction of Flying Cloud Drive (County Road 61). It also includes $46.9 million to purchase and develop the South Minneapolis regional service center and the final $9.2 million needed for the new Brooklyn Park library.

Hough concluded by thanking “all Hennepin County employees and volunteers that serve our residents with dedication and creativity, and who manage our resources in a cost-effective manner.”

The Board of Commissioners will set a maximum property tax levy for 2015 at a meeting beginning at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 11. 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 at Thursday’s meeting.

The board will hold a series of public hearings on the proposed 2015 budget beginning Thursday, Oct. 9, at 9:30 a.m. in the County Board Room of the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis.

Hennepin County will hold a public meeting on the proposed 2015 budget and property tax levy – commonly called the Truth in Taxation meeting – on Tuesday, December 2, at 6 p.m., also in the County Board Room.

The board will approve the budget and property tax levy on Tuesday, Dec. 16, beginning at 1:30 p.m. All the meetings can be viewed:

  • Live on Metro Cable Network/Channel 6, with replay on Fridays at 8 p.m.
  • Live streamed and on demand on the Hennepin County website at Board Meeting Videos.

See www.hennepin.us/boardmeetings for additional board meeting information.

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