 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12/16/2014
Contact: Carolyn Marinan, public affairs, 612-348-5969
News release
The board approves
2015 budgets and property tax levy
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners today approved its 2015 property
tax levy of $695.6 million -- a 2.1 percent increase over 2014. The proposed
budget presented in September called for a property tax levy of just under $700
million. Since then, commissioners trimmed over $4 million during the budget
review process to reduce the property tax levy increase to $695.6 million or
2.10 percent. The approved 2015 budget for Hennepin County is $1,809,790,375. Read
more in the news release about the budget.
Public hearing on electronic
cigarettes
The county will hold a public hearing regarding proposed changes to the
county’s smoke-free ordinance, which currently prohibits smoking in bars and
restaurants in Hennepin County. The proposed changes ban the use of electronic
delivery devices (e-cigarettes) in all facilities in which Minnesota's Clean
Indoor Act prohibits smoking. The hearing will take place during the county
board committee meetings on January 13, 2015, at 1:30 p.m., or as soon
thereafter, at the Hennepin County Government Center in the board room.
Youth Sports grants
awarded
The board approved $1,849,665 in Youth Sports grants for 2015. The Hennepin
Youth Sports Program awards capital grants to build, repair, renovate or expand
youth sports facilities in Hennepin County.
Fourteen projects will receive facilities grants for 2015:
- City of Brooklyn Park for $165,000
for field improvements at Zane Sports Park
- City of Crystal for $65,000 for
playground equipment at Basset Creek Park
- City of Eden Prairie for $40,000
for an accessible playground at True Friends Camp
- City of Golden Valley for $325,000
for athletic facility improvements at Sandburg Learning Center
- City of Maple Grove for $100,000
for a hard-court facility at Maple Grove Junior High Community Gymnasiums
- City of Minnetrista for $100,000
for two new tennis courts and a trail at Lisle Park
- Eden Prairie ISD 272 for $60,000
for additional lights at Turf Field A
- Minneapolis Public Schools for
$172,000 for new fitness centers at Edison and Henry High Schools and $84,600 for
a new fitness center at Southwest High School
- Minneapolis Public Schools for
$59,400 for new playground and athletic fields at Field Middle School
- Minneapolis Parks and Recreation
for $200,000 for a new playground and interpretive history site at Rev. Dr.
Martin Luther King Jr. Park
- Robbinsdale Area Schools ISD 281
for $32,665 for playground equipment at Northport Park
- St. Louis Park ISD 283 for
$121,000 for improvements at St. Louis Park High School Stadium
- Three Rivers Park District for
$325,000 for synthetic surface and jump area improvements for the Bush Lake Ski
Jump
Sixteen small equipment and/or other small capital projects also
received $124,955 in funding. Since the program began in 2009, the county has
awarded $13.2 million to 80 facility projects and 113 small equipment projects.
Chester Cooper
appointed as director of community corrections and rehabilitation
The board appointed Chester Cooper as the director of the Department of Community
Corrections and Rehabilitation. Mr. Cooper has been with the county since 1985
and has many years of leadership experience with the Hennepin County Sherriff’s
Office, as well as with the Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Franklin Avenue bridge
construction contract awarded
The board awarded the construction contract for the Franklin Avenue bridge
(County Road 5) in Minneapolis to Edward Kraemer and Sons, Inc. The company’s
bid was the lowest for the complicated construction project on the historic
bridge. The reconstruction plans for the bridge will require closing the entire
span during construction. The bridge is on the National Register of Historic
Places and is designated a landmark by the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation
Commission. The project includes the replacement of the bridge deck, sidewalks,
railings and repair or replacement of beams and columns as needed. The total
cost of the project is estimated at $50 million.
Weddings to be held
at Government Center on Valentine’s Day Eve
The board approved the use of the Hennepin County Government Center for
marriage ceremonies to be held on Valentine’s Day Eve (February 13, 2015). Up
to 20 judges will volunteer to perform up to 40 marriage ceremonies at no
charge on the skyway level on February 13, 2015 from noon to 1 p.m. This is the
third free marriage ceremony event held in connection with Valentine's Day.
Couples must pre-register and should contact nancy.peters@courts.state.mn.us
for information. District Court will reserve wedding times for the couples and
coordinate ceremonies with participating judges.
Board approves
reconstruction of Minnehaha Avenue in Minneapolis
The county is planning to reconstruct Minnehaha Avenue (County Road 48) in
Minneapolis from 46th Street (County Road 46) to Lake Street (County Road 3). The
project will add enhanced bicycle facilities, bring pedestrian facilities into
compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and replace underground
utilities. The project also includes streetscaping and enhancements identified
through the Minnehaha-Hiawatha community works program. The total estimated cost
of the project is $18,843,160.
The city of Minneapolis has requested that the county include
the reconstruction of Minnehaha Avenue from 46th Street south to Nawadaha
Boulevard and the reconstruction of Nawadaha Boulevard (a city street) from
Minnehaha Avenue west approximately 300 feet. The city will pay $5,734,900 of
the total project costs. The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board will plant
and maintain trees along the corridor after construction is complete. The
county will compensate the park board $40,000. The county is also working with
Metro Transit to make transit infrastructure improvements during
reconstruction. Metro Transit will compensate the county $259,200 for these
improvements.
Board appoints Shannon Mayer as chief executive officer
of Metropolitan Health Plan
The board recently confirmed the appointment of Shannon Mayer to chief
executive officer of Metropolitan Health Plan (MHP). Ms. Mayer holds degrees
from St. Cloud State University, Hamline University and the University of St.
Thomas, and has health plan experience in both operations and management. In
her previous role as MHP’s chief operations officer, Ms. Mayer focused on
health care innovation and implementing operational improvements throughout the
organization.
County Road 101 in Minnetonka
reconstruction to move forward
The county and city of Minnetonka have agreed to reconstruct County Road 101
between Townline Road (County Road 62) and Hutchins Drive and the intersection of
County Road 101 and Excelsior Boulevard (County Road 3). The project includes
improvements to address deteriorating pavement, utility and drainage concerns
and flooding. The project will also provide improvements for pedestrians and
bicyclists. Improvements will also be made to the sanitary sewer, overhead
power lines will be buried, and conduit will be put in place for future installation
of fiber optic cable. The total cost of the project is $25,737,000 and will be
funded with state aid and state turnback funds as well as money from the city and
Metropolitan Council for additional improvements.
County to do
shoreline restoration on Lake Minnetonka
The Lake Minnetonka shoreline adjacent to Shoreline Drive (County Road 15)
in the City of Orono and adjacent to County Road 44 in the City of Minnetrista
was significantly damaged due to heavy rains and resulting high water levels earlier
this year, and repair is needed to prevent further damage. Approximately 150
feet of embankment alongside Shoreline Drive and 500 feet of embankment
alongside County Road 44 require stabilization to prevent additional embankment
from collapsing into the lake. The county will contract with THN Enterprises,
Inc for repair and stabilization work to secure the slope from further collapse
and to reduce exposure to erosion that could lead to additional damage to the
hillside, drainage culverts and county roadways. This project is funded through
emergency funds from the Federal Highway Administration.
Normandale Boulevard
in Bloomington to be reconstructed
The city of Bloomington has received a federal grant for the reconstruction
of Normandale Boulevard (County Road 34) from 94th Street/Poplar Bridge Road to
Nine Mile Creek. The city will be the lead agency on the project and has worked
with the county on an improvement concept to change the road from a four-lane
undivided roadway without turn lanes to a four-lane divided roadway with
protected left turn lanes. The proposed project will provide enhanced
accommodations for pedestrians, bicyclists and other non-motorized
transportation modes via the construction of multi-use trails on both sides of
the roadway at an estimated total cost of $7,250,000. The county will work to acquire
the necessary right of way for the project. A cost participation agreement will
come before the board in early 2016.
Public hearing on the land sale at Lake Street East and
Hiawatha Avenue
The Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HCHRA) will hold a
public hearing regarding the sale to L&H Station Development of residential
land within a redevelopment project at Lake Street East and Hiawatha Avenue in Minneapolis.
The redevelopment project contains residential land that is proposed to be sold
to third parties. The county is planning to build the South Minneapolis
Regional Human Services Center at the location. The hearing will take place
during the first meeting of the HCHRA in February. The date will be confirmed
at the organizational board meeting in January.
County receives grant
to address racial disparities
The county received a grant for nearly $1 million from the Minnesota
Department of Human Services to address racial disparities for families served
by the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP). The county is charged with
developing and implementing subsidized employment strategies and addressing
racial ethnic disparities in employment outcomes for families served by MFIP.
Hennepin County will work with NorthPoint Health & Wellness Center, Incorporated
(NorthPoint) to provide targeted employment and supportive services to African
American families participating in MFIP through an initiative called On Point. On
Point will target 100 African American male and female head of households
participating in MFIP ages 18 and older. On Point clients will be enrolled in
four tracks to advance their success. Each client will be assessed and partner
agencies will utilize their strengths in specific areas to support client
success in each track. The four tracks are credential training (sector-based); GED
completion; career/employment ready; and employability/life skills improvement.
Board approves Hennepin Healthcare System budget and
board of directors
The board approved the 2015 operating and capital budget for Hennepin
Healthcare System (HHS), which oversees Hennepin County Medical Center and
Clinics. Incremental improvements have led to a $1.5 million reduction in
property tax support year-over-year for the health system. The county board
also approved Jacob Gayle; Douglas Brunette, MD; Diana Vance-Bryan; David
Ybarra; and Kris Peterson as new HHS board members and Sharon Sayles Belton and Christopher
Puto to continue their service on the board. They also extended Brian
Ranallo’s term of service.
Discount health
program creates benefits for Hennepin County resident
The board renewed an agreement for a
prescription discount program for county residents through 2016. The no-cost Coast2Coast
Rx card could provide
savings of up to 75 percent on tens of thousands of prescriptions with
additional savings available on health care services including diabetes supplies, lab and imaging diagnostics, and vision, dental and hearing care. The program also offers
discounts on pet prescriptions and some
veterinary care. Each time the card
is used to fill a prescription, $1.25 will be generated for public programs.
Residents can pick up a card from more than 69,000 participating pharmacies
nationwide or print one from the Coast2Coast website, www.coast2coastrx.com/counties/mn/hennepin.
Board approves
legislative platform for 2015
The board approved the 2015 legislative platform. Some of the highlights
include:
Bonding requests for $5 million for the Penn Avenue community
works program; $9.56 million for a project to provide access to I-35W from Lake
Street (County Road 3); and $18 million for the Bottineau corridor.
The county will advocate for several public safety
initiatives including increasing Community Corrections Act funding to assure adequate
state funding for supervision of offenders in the community under a single
statewide allocation formula. The county also supports legislation and
continued funding for offender reentry, including transitional housing, work opportunities
and community-based treatment.
The county supports legislation that promotes streamlined
service coordination and sharing of data across health, education, public
safety and human services organizations.
The county is requesting for the legislature to restore
SCORE funding to its original purpose -- funding county waste reduction,
recycling and composting efforts to meet state solid waste goals by eliminating
the diversion of SCORE revenues to the general fund.
The county board also supports legislation that promotes and
sustains efforts to develop a comprehensive and integrated model of health care
delivery to assure access to county health and human services safety net
providers, as well as quality and cost effective care for low income, uninsured
residents. The county will also pursue investments for early childhood
education and wellness.
The county will ask for funding to be maintained for
homeless prevention, outreach and emergency shelters to meet the goals
established under Heading Home Hennepin.
The county will be asking for the legislature to protect
essential state funding that supports county-mandated services and reduces
reliance on property taxes.
The county will ask for increased funding for regional
training partnerships among employers, MNSCU and community-based organizations
to create demand-driven career pathways into employment.
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Look for more news on the Hennepin County website at www.hennepin.us/news.
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