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Jan Callison
Commissioner
6th District
612-348-7886
Cassi Holmstrom
Administrative Assistant/
scheduling
612-348-3168
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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Southwest light rail
Understanding your property tax
Excelsior Library Public Art Event
 Hennepin County Library – Excelsior has now been open for about a month. The new library space includes a refreshed collection, new self-checkout stations, new public art, and places to read, play, study and gather together.
On Saturday, Oct 25 there was a celebration of the library’s new public art. Just as we worked together to get this library built, we worked together with artist Greg Preslicka to create the library’s new murals.
911 Facility ribbon cutting
 On Friday, October 3 the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) and Hennepin County hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the construction of the new 911 Emer-gency Communications Facility (911 ECF) in Plymouth.
The 911 ECF is one of the largest consolidated dispatch centers in the Upper Midwest. It
will handle approximately 600,000 telephone calls annually, which includes calls from 911, law
enforcement information requests, and other calls. It will provide dispatch services in 37 com-munities, 23 law enforce-ment agencies, 21 fire departments, and four EMS providers.
A-GRAD
Youth voice
Tyrone Hite, a recent graduate from Cooper High School and a participant in A-GRAD’s May graduation ceremony, is saving money to enroll next semester at Minneapolis Community and Technical College.
He’s also building a new track record after making some poor choices. Tyrone attended four different high schools in five years, including a stint in the County Home School after being convicted at age sixteen of aiding and abetting a robbery.
To learn more about Tyrone and A-GRAD, visit Accelerating Graduation by Reducing Achievement Disparities (A-GRAD) is Hennepin County’s 20-year commitment to setting policy, improving practice and making strategic investments to ensure that youth graduate from high school, with special attention to children and youth that access county services.
A-GRAD is not a direct service provider. It’s an initiative to direct educational supports to the 3,600 kids served by Hennepin County’s teen parent programs, courts and probation, and foster care in 22 school districts.
Read A success story from Hennepin County youth.
Sign up for the newsletter.
 Ebola risk remains low
From the Public Health Department: Even with a first U.S. case of Ebola having been identified in Texas, our risk of exposure in Hennepin County and across the nation remains extremely low.
But response plans are in place, just in case.
Hennepin County and the State of Minnesota have plans in place to protect residents from emerging diseases — including plans for the unlikely emergence of Ebola. Hennepin County is closely monitoring the current Ebola situation with the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and stands ready to take appropriate precautions if or when they are necessary. Again, no such precautions are currently warranted.
Detection and containment
Assurances and updates are available from the Centers for Disease Control and locally by the Minnesota Department of Health and area hospitals .
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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 newsletters and notifications available by email or text message. To explore the many opportunities to 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
October 14, 2014
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.
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.
October 28, 2014
County to recover 400 additional tons of metal from HERC ash
The board approved a contract to recycle ferrous metals from the Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (HERC), increasing metal recycling by 400 tons per year and reducing costs for ash disposal. Recycling these additional materials will provide $250,000 in annual revenue and save $150,000 per year in ash disposal. SKB Environmental, Inc. will install new equipment to recover more metal from the ash. More than 11,000 tons of scrap metal is recovered from HERC ash each year – more than double the amount of metal collected in curbside recycling programs in the county.
Board appoints new chair of Minnesota Ballpark Authority
The board appointed Margaret Anderson Kelliher to serve as chair of the Minnesota Ballpark Authority, effective January 1, 2015. Kelliher is the president and CEO of the Minnesota High Tech Association and served in the Minnesota legislature, including two terms as Speaker of the House of Representatives. She will replace Steve Cramer, who has served as chair of the authority since its inception in 2006. Cramer saw the ballpark project through design and construction, presided over current operations, and made pivotal contributions to the vitality of Hennepin County through his role leading the authority.
County receives grant funding to help homeless families find permanent housing
The county will receive $503,868 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care Program in 2015 for rapid rehousing services for homeless families. In 2013, 915 households consisting of 1,135 adults with 1,639 children were served by a previous grant in this program, and 71 percent of households served that year successfully transitioned into permanent housing. The grant funds will be used to assist families locate and access housing while they are in shelter. Once in housing, families receive supportive services to help maintain housing stability, increase their incomes, and access community-based resources.
The county will contract with St. Stephen’s Human Services to provide these services. There is a 25 percent cash match for this grant that will be provided through Minnesota Housing’s Housing Trust Fund subsidies, Minnesota Family Investment Program funds, state group residential housing funding, and chemical dependency and other services.
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.
October 2, 2014
The board discussed three topics:
Bike Plan—Staff reviewed draft plans for expanding the bicycling system, including system performance targets, system gaps and planned system corridors. Meetings will be scheduled to share this information with the public and to receive feedback.
Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Prevention Aid—Last session, the state legislature authorized Minnesota counties to develop plans to fight AIS and provided funds for implementation. Hennepin County is expected to received $140,000 in 2014 and $325,000 in 2015. Staff’s plan to use these funds includes construction of one or more permanent decontamination stations. It also proposes using funds in other program areas such as investigating the spread of AIS through alternative pathways, increasing public awareness, increasing AIS enforcement and so on.
Organics Recycling—Staff updated the board on the status of organics recycling as well as summarizing proposed future actions. It recommends allocating additional SCORE monies to cities to incentivize curbside organics collections and requiring all cities to provide curbside organics collection by December 31, 2018. These steps are in response to legislation setting recycling goals.
October 30, 2014
The board briefing focused on two topics:
HSPHD Eligibility Customer Service Improvements—Staff described on-going work to improve customer service in the Human Services Public Health Department. Customer service challenges in this area include long wait time on phones, confusing notices from the State, lost applications and documentation, and perceived lack of response by teams. Improvements include changes to the telephone system, enhanced employee training and development, movement from teams to program expertise, assigning complex cases to specialized units and others. Additional initiatives include more self-service opportunities for clients and taking advantage of the new satellite and hub system to create a “warm handoff” of clients to employment service providers.
Hennepin County Child Protection Services—Responding to recent news reports about issues with the child protection system in Minnesota, staff provided an overview of how child protection operates in Hennepin County. Information included the process for responding to child protection reports, a description of family assessment services, and a review of worker caseloads.
November 4, 2014
Election Day
Voting in elections is your opportunity to be heard, hold elected officials accountable, and have a say in important issues that affect your community. Visit the Hennepin County Elections Division website for more information. Use this link to access county election results.
November 5, 2014
Photo courtesy of Associated Press/St. Paul Pioneer Press
2040 Bicycle Transportation Plan
Hennepin County and Three Rivers Park District have worked together on updating a county-wide bicycle plan that reflects the growing use of cycling in the region. The Hennepin County 2040 Bicycle Transportation Plan emphasizes a safe and comfortable system that encourages "interested but concerned" bicyclists to bike for everyday trips. The draft plan would add 536 miles of bike lanes, protected bike lanes, cycle tracks, trails and shoulders to the existing 651-mile system. It reflects input gathered from more than 2,700 people, as well as cities and other stakeholders.
Now the county and park district are seeking public comments on the plan before a revised version is brought before the county board of commissioners for approval early next year. The public comment period began Monday, October 6 and runs through Friday, December 5.
There are several options for reviewing and providing comments on the Hennepin County 2040 Bicycle Transportation Plan. It is posted at hennepin.us/bikeplan, where copies can also be downloaded, and printed copies are available at all 41 locations within the Hennepin County library system.
The plan will be presented at an open house in Wayzata on Wednesday, November 5, at the Wayzata Library from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
November 13, 2014
Grand Opening of newly expanded human services and public health office in Hopkins
Please join us to celebrate the grand opening of the newly expanded human services and public health office in Hopkins. The event will be held on Thursday, November 13, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Wells Fargo building, 1011 First Street South.
Tour the facility. Learn about Hennepin County and our onsite partner ResourceWest, and the services we provide.
2015 Budget hearings open to the public
The board launched a series of 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, 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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