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Jan Callison
Commissioner
6th District
612-348-7886
Cassi Holmstrom
Administrative Assistant & Scheduling
612-348-3168
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners consists of one commissioner from each of seven districts. I am proud to represent Deephaven, north Eden Prairie, Edina, Excelsior, Greenwood, Hopkins, Long Lake, Minnetonka, Minnetonka Beach, northern Mound, Orono, Shorewood, Spring Park, Tonka Bay, Wayzata and Woodland.
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Understanding your property tax
Hennepin Healthcare System, Inc. (HHS), doing business as Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC), is a public corporation operated as a subsidiary of Hennepin County. Its purpose is to engage in the organization and delivery of health care and related services to the general public, including the indigent as defined by state and federal law as determined by the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners, and to conduct related programs of education and research.
The terms of three sitting members of the Board of Directors of HHS will expire at the end of 2014. There may up to two more appointments made as well.
A process is now under way to review and recommend candidates to fill at least three of these three-year terms on the HHS Board of Directors, beginning in January 2015.
Interested candidates should send a letter and their resume to the Executive Committee by Oct. 9, 2014 to:
Attn: Craig Caldwell-Krizan, S6
Hennepin Health Care System, Inc.,
701 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN 55415-1676,
Read more information about vacancies on the HHS Board.
 Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC) is a waste-to-energy facility that burns garbage to generate steam for the downtown district energy system and electricity that is sold to Xcel. The tour, available for grades 9 and up, will describe the waste hierarchy, engineering alternatives to landfills and preventing pollution. Schedule a tour.
For more information, contact Sarah Goodspeed at sarah.goodspeed@hennepin.us or call 612-348-9850.
 Photo courtesy of sailor.mnsun
Construction on County Road 101/Bushaway Road began September 22. See alternate routes to get to where you need to go and beginning in October for Stage 2 of the project.
The County Road 101 (Bushaway Road) fact sheet has more detail.
Change in my office staff after October 3
 I’m pleased—and sad—to tell you that my Principal Aide Dave Nuckols has accepted the position of No Wrong Door Coordinator for Hennepin County. His last day on my District 6 staff will be October 3.
Dave has been part of my office for six years. His skills, hard work and commitment to Hennepin County residents and businesses have been exceptional. Those same qualities make him the right choice for this position. As coordinator, Dave will work with a multi-disciplinary team to achieve the vision of ending youth sexual exploitation that the county board endorsed last year when it adopted the No Wrong Door Plan. Needless to say, both Cassi and I will miss him and wish him well.
Dave can be reached at dave.nuckols@hennepin.us or his cell 952-210-0155.
Look for an announcement of a new hire in an upcoming newsletter.
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Greetings,
I hope you are enjoying my electronic newsletters, and find them interesting and informative about county activities. In addition to my monthly newsletter, the county sends various
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subscribe or to change your preferences, visit the subscription webpage.
Please feel free to send me your comments through my feedback form on issues that concern you or you would like covered. I value your opinions.
Warm regards,
Jan Callison
September 9, 2014
Board accepts county administrator's proposed 2015 budget and property tax levy
Hennepin County Administrator David Hough proposed 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. The capital portion of the budget totals $242.1 million.
A Truth-in-Taxation hearing will be held on Tuesday, December 2 at 6 p.m. in the board room on the 24th floor of the Government Center - 300 S. 6th St., Minneapolis.
The board will approve the budget and property tax levy on Tuesday, December 16 at 1:30 p.m., also in the board room.
September 11, 2014
Board sets maximum property tax levy
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners approved a maximum property tax levy for 2015 of $699.9 million – 2.75 percent higher than the 2014 levy. Additionally, the proposed maximum property tax levy would increase by $7 million for the Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HCHRA), and by $27 million for the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA).
The combined total amounts to an approximate increase in property taxes of $36 or 3.8 percent for a median-valued home of $219,600.
The board is required by state law to adopt a maximum levy in September. It may later approve a levy that is lower, but cannot set the levy higher than the maximum adopted.
September 30, 2014
County receives additional funding for environmental cleanup
The board approved two agreements that would provide additional funding for clean-up efforts on contaminated lands, also known as brownfields. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provided $450,000 in additional brownfields revolving loan funds to the county making the new total $1.95 million. This will allow the county to make an existing $1 million available to municipalities and developers for the cleanup and redevelopment of brownfield sites through September 30, 2019. The county also received two grants totaling $400,000 to assess eligible brownfield project sites for potential hazardous substance and petroleum contamination located along six transit corridors.
Agendas and minutes of action taken by the
Hennepin County Board are posted under Hennepin County meetings and agendas. For
greater detail on the above agenda items and additional board actions, visit the county news release webpage.
In addition to our regularly scheduled board meetings, the board often meets on Thursday mornings to receive board briefings. These are informal opportunities to discuss emerging issues. No decisions are made. Board briefings occur in the board room on the 24th floor of the Hennepin County Government Center and are open to the public.
September 4, 2014
Max Levy — In preparation for the budget presentation by the county administrator on Sept. 9 and adoption of the maximum property tax levy on Sept. 11, staff presented and reviewed a number of items, including:
- Cumulative change in labor costs, County Program Aid and the property tax levy from 2011 to 2015 (estimated);
- Metro county levy history from 2011 through 2014;
- Changes in Hennepin County tax base, 2014-2015;
- Estimated 2015 tax impact on median residential properties by city.
County administration is recommending an increase of 2.75% in the Hennepin County levy for 2015 and a total increase of 3.07% including Hennepin County, and the Regional Railroad Authority and Housing and Redevelopment Authority.
SWLRT Investment Framework, Transitional Station Area Action Plans and city development perspective — This briefing on SWLRT highlighted two documents produced by SW Community Works: the Investment Framework and the Transitional Station Area Action Plans. These are key planning tools whose purpose is to enhance SWLRT’s success and maximize development potential by identifying both near-term and long-term needs and opportunities at SWLRT stations. In addition, planners from all five cities along the route described development opportunities, challenges and planning that they are already experiencing and/or undertaking at the stations along the SWLRT route.
September 18, 2014
Community Planning for Mentally Ill and Dangerous —County staff reviewed a number of items related to integrating the mentally ill and dangerous into Hennepin County communities including the requirements of the Olmstead decision and Jensen settlement; the meaning of the term “mentally ill and dangerous”; county responses; the availability of financial resources; and so on. Among the issues flagged by staff for future discussion were siting issues, such as the distribution of housing sites across the county and the need for new community based sites, and housing models, including the desirability of identifying new models of housing.
2015 budget hearings
The board will launch a series of budget hearings beginning in October to discuss the budget and gather public input. The meetings, open to the public, will be held in the board room on the 24th floor of the Government Center - 300 S. 6th St., Minneapolis or can be viewed live on Metro Cable Network/ Channel 6 or online at www.hennepin.us/boardmeetings.
Absentee voting opened September 19
Absentee voting for the 2014 general election began on Friday, September 19 and runs through Monday, November 3. Election Day is Tuesday, November 4.
Any eligible voter may vote by absentee ballot for any reason, and absentee ballots can be cast by mail, in person, or by having someone you know pick up and deliver the ballot.
For more information about voting and elections, go to www.hennepin.us/elections or call Hennepin County Elections at 612-348-5151.
Household hazardous waste collection event in Shorewood October 2 - 4, 2014
Hennepin County will host a community collection event at the Shorewood Public Works Department on Thursday, October 2, through Saturday, October 4, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
The county will accept many hazardous wastes including household, lawn and garden products; items containing mercury; and fuel wastes. Hazardous wastes will be accepted from households only; wastes from businesses will not be accepted.
Note: Electronics will NOT be accepted at this collection event.
October 2 – 4
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day
Public Works Department
24200 Smithtown Road
Shorewood, MN 55331
Hennepin County also provides residents with drop-off facilities that are open year-round at 1400 W. 96th St., Bloomington and 8100 Jefferson Highway, Brooklyn Park.
For a complete list of acceptable and unacceptable items or more information on drop-off facilities, call 612-348-3777 or visit www.hennepin.us/collectionevents.
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