News release: County board actions for October 14

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oct. 14, 2014

Contact: 
Kayla Bromelkamp, public affairs, 612-348-8536

News release

County board actions for October 14

County to provide outreach to victims of domestic abuse in East African communities

The board approved a contract with the Voice of East African Women to provide culturally specific advocacy to victims of domestic abuse and harassment in East African communities. These services will be part of the Hennepin County Domestic Abuse Service Center, which provides centrally located services to victims of domestic abuse and harassment, including advocacy at order for protection hearings and criminal hearings as appropriate. They will also provide information, referrals, safety planning, financial planning, coordination with other community agencies and information about the criminal justice system. This is a program of the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

 

New pollution control equipment at HERC to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxides

The board approved a plan to install new pollution control equipment at the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC). The new $1.5 million system will reduce emissions of the air pollutant nitrogen oxide (NOx) by about 25 percent. 

In Hennepin County, 38,000 tons of NOx are released annually. Only 1.5 percent comes from waste incineration at HERC. About 80 percent comes from transportation sources. The amount of NOx released into the atmosphere in Minnesota has decreased by nearly 20 percent in the past decade.

NOx contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone, commonly known as smog.  Smog can aggravate asthma and other respiratory conditions. The county has contributed to the reduction of NOx by improving energy efficiency in county buildings and its fleet, and by promoting public transportation and bicycle use. Every reduction of NOx contributes to protecting human and environmental health.

The new system injects a nontoxic urea solution into the boilers, which reduces NOx levels. This technology has been tested for effectiveness and efficiency at other waste-to-energy facilities. The cost of installation and maintenance of the process will be paid out of the Solid Waste Enterprise Fund, which comes from tipping fees paid by waste haulers delivering garbage to HERC. For more information see the news release.

 

Support of funding commitment for Orange Line BRT

The board, acting as the Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority, voted in support of the Metropolitan Council’s request for project development funding from the Counties Transit Improvement Board (CTIB) for the Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. Approval of CTIB funding will move the project forward in order to be granted entry into Federal Transit Administration Small Starts project development phase.

The funding commitment request of CTIB is for $6 million -- $3 million for 2015 and $3 million for 2016. It represents 60 percent of estimated project development costs and will be matched by previously-awarded state bond and Metropolitan Council funds (40 percent or $4 million) for a total estimated project development cost of $10 million.

CTIB requires formal support from host counties (Hennepin and Dakota) prior to granting a funding commitment.

 

Commissioners appointed to Blue Line Extension Corridor Management Committee

Commissioner Mike Opat and Commissioner Linda Higgins will serve on the Blue Line Extension (Bottineau) Corridor Management Committee, which will advise the Chair of the Metropolitan Council on the design and construction of the proposed light rail line. Committee members will play an important role in identifying issues and discussing potential solutions. Issues the committee will address include environmental review, preliminary engineering, final design, overall project cost, transit connections, construction issues and business mitigation strategies. Commissioner Peter McLaughlin will serve as an alternate.

 

Budget public hearings and meetings

The board will launched a series of budget hearings to discuss the budget and gather public input. Meetings can be viewed live on Metro Cable Network/Channel 6 or online at www.hennepin.us/boardmeetings.

All budget meetings are held in the Board Room on the 24th floor of the Hennepin County Government Center, 300 S. Sixth St. in downtown Minneapolis and are open to the public.

Upcoming meetings:

Tuesday, Oct. 21 
Public hearing for operations and library budget from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Thursday, Oct. 23
Public hearing for the county’s 2014-2018 capital improvements budget at 9:30 a.m.
Public hearing on proposed changes to fees for county services at 10 a.m.

Monday, Oct. 27
Public hearing on public works budget from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Nov. 4
Public hearing on Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority levy and budget beginning at 1:30 p.m.

Thursday, Nov. 13
Public hearing on human services and public health budget from 10 a.m. to noon

Friday, Nov. 14
Public hearing on public safety budget from 10 a.m. to noon

Tuesday, Dec. 2 
Public meeting on the proposed budget and levies at 6 p.m. (Truth in Taxation meeting)

Tuesday, Dec. 16
The final county, Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority and Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority budgets and tax levies will be adopted beginning at 1:30 p.m.

For more information, see the budget news release.

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