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Jan Callison
Commissioner
6th District
612-348-7886
Dave Nuckols
Principal Aide
612-348-6885
Cassi Holmstrom,
Administrative Assistant & Scheduling
612-348-3168
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners consists of one commissioner from each of the seven districts. I am proud to represent Deephaven, northern Eden Prairie, Edina, Excelsior, Greenwood, Hopkins, Long Lake, Minnetonka, Minnetonka Beach, Orono, Shorewood, Tonka Bay, Wayzata and Woodland.
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View new map and list of cities served
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Southwest light rail
Understanding your property tax
Precinct 1 in Shorewood had the highest turnout at 94 percent.
Many precincts in Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Edina, Golden Valley, Greenwood, Minnetonka, Minnetrista, Plymouth and St. Louis Park had turnouts of more than 90 percent.
11 percent of residents – 72,000 – voted absentee.
19 percent – 130,000 – registered to vote on Election Day.
For election results visit the Secretary of State's Office website.
This news release has more information about the November elections.
 Photo by Lisa Fleming
Volunteers Sought for County Citizen Advisory Boards
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners is seeking applicants from the community to fill positions on seven citizen advisory boards. The County Board appoints some or all of the members of each board.
The deadline to apply for citizen advisory board vacancies is Dec. 31, 2012. Interviews will be held in January.
Current openings
To apply online, www.hennepin.us/advisoryboards.
More Information Now Available On-line About Your Property Taxes
Hennepin County taxpayers will now be able to find more details about their property taxes online – including how their property tax is broken out, by jurisdiction, and what part of their property tax is coming from which taxing authority. In most cases, the online version will provide even more information than what is provided in the paper property-tax statements taxpayers receive in the mail.
The county’s interactive online tool enables taxpayers to search for information on their property by entering an address or property ID number. That information now includes a new drop-down menu that explains all of the components of the property tax, which jurisdiction (county, city, school district, etc.) each portion comes from, and how much it is. Previously the information contained only the total property tax – not broken down by jurisdiction.
“Your property tax really is several property taxes from several jurisdictions, rolled into one statement,” said Mark Chapin, director of county Taxpayer Services. “The new information we have added better enables people to see where their property taxes are being used. It’s another way the county is working to be more transparent about how your property taxes are calculated.”
Taxpayers can go to the site, and when the information on their property appears, click on a drop-down menu –“Expand for details” under the “Value and tax summary/total net tax” section.
The property information search feature on the Hennepin website is the most popular page on the web, with more than 100,000 “hits” a month.
 File photo by Bill Klotz
SW LRT DEIS Comment Period Extended
It was announced at the final public hearing on Thursday, Nov. 29 that the Federal Transit Administration has decided to extend the DEIS comment deadline from December 11 to December 31, 2012. No additional public hearings will be held.
As a reminder, information on where to find the document and how to comment is below:
The Draft EIS and supporting Technical Memoranda and Reports are available here .
Hard copies of the Draft EIS may be found in Hennepin County Regional Railroad Authority and Metropolitan Council’s offices and in public libraries and city halls. Please click here for locations.
Written comments should be sent to: Hennepin County Housing, Community Works & Transit
Attention: Southwest Transitway
701 Fourth Avenue South, Suite 400
Minneapolis, MN 55415 or on-line to swcorridor@co.hennepin.mn.us
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Greetings,
I hope you are enjoying my electronic newsletters, and find them interesting and informative about county activities. 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
November 13, 2012
 Interchange Final Design-build Agreement Approved
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners approved the Interchange project notice to proceed and final design-build agreement with Knutson Construction.
This approval means that the budget for the project has been set at $72 million, and work on the final project design and construction can continue so the Interchange will be ready to open before the METRO Green Line (Central Corridor) opens in 2014, and the July 2014 All-Star game at Target Field.
 Funding Approved for Underwater Remote-operated Vehicle to Rescue Drowning Victims
The Board approved an agreement with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Homeland Security and Emergency Management for $145,000 in grant funding to purchase an underwater remote-operated vehicle (ROV) and dive-team training and equipment for the Sheriff’s Office.
The ROV would be owned, operated and maintained by the Sheriff’s Office. It would be used in murky or deep-water recoveries (such as the 100-foot depths found in Lake Minnetonka), in combination with sonar equipment the Sheriff’s Office already uses to recover drowning victims and evidence needed in criminal investigations.
The ROV will allow for quicker recovery of drowning victims and greater safety for the dive team.
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 2013 Special Levies Set For Bassett Creek And West Mississippi Watersheds
A special levy of $986,000 was set for the Bassett Creek Watershed Management Organization to finance the Northwood Lake Improvement and Lakeview Park Pond projects in Plymouth and Golden Valley.
The first project calls for construction of two new water quality treatment ponds and restores an eroding stream channel in Plymouth. The goal is to improve the water quality in Northwood Lake (located in New Hope), which is classified as impaired water.
The second project constructs a storm water pond in Golden Valley to improve the quality of runoff prior to discharge into Medicine Lake in Plymouth.
A special levy of $125,000 was set for the West Mississippi Watershed Management Organization to finance a stream stabilization project for the City of Champlin that involves restoration work along the stream edge below the Mill Pond Dam.
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Greater detail about these agenda items and other board action taken on November 13, 2012 can be found here or by calling Carolyn Marinan (612-348-5969), or Carol Allis (612-348-8536).
November 20, 2012
 Meet The New Commissioner From District 2
Linda Higgins won a special election on November 6 and took the Oath of Office on November 20 to fill the vacancy created in June when former Commissioner Mark Stenglein left to become president and CEO of the Minneapolis Downtown Council.
Congratulations and welcome to the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners.
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November 27, 2012
Agreements Approved For South Minneapolis And South Suburban Human Services “Hubs”
Agreements for two county Human Services and Public Health Department (HSPHD) “hubs” or regional human services centers in south Minneapolis and Bloomington were approved.
The hubs are part of HSPHD’s efforts to locate direct services closer to clients in community-based sites throughout the county. These services are now located primarily in downtown sites, including Century Plaza.
Six regional centers – one already built – and a number of smaller satellite offices are planned. The hubs will improve access to HSPHD services and other services with community partners. Eventually these regional centers will allow closing Century Plaza.
Greater detail about this agenda item and other board action taken on November 27, 2012 can be found here or by calling Carolyn Marinan (612-348-5969), or Carol Allis (612-348-8536).
Look for more news at www.hennepin.us/news
November 1, 2012
The Board was briefed on the water governance legislative proposal developed by Commissioner Jeff Johnson. This proposal was prepared after a prior briefing on the topic by Steve Kelley of the University of Minnesota’s Center for Science, Technology and Public Policy. It would reduce the number of watersheds in Hennepin County to four, change the governance structure to include only elected city officials and give each watershed taxing authority, among other changes. Commissioners will be seeking comment from cities and watersheds.
Library News
 'Minnesotans in the Civil War' Series Begins December 3
Author Brian Leehan will discuss “Pale Horse at Plum Run," his Minnesota Book Award-winning history of the First Minnesota regiment’s heroic contributions at the Battle of Gettysburg, the most significant battle of the Civil War.
Mr. Leehan will be at the Wayzata Library - 620 Rice Street - on Monday, December 3, 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Registration is required. Register online or call 612-543-6150.
For more information about the series, visit Hennepin County Library's newsroom or contact Carla Biermaier at 612-543-8593 or cbiermaier@hclib.org.
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Meet Four Authors in December at Hennepin County Libraries
Meet novelist Lorna Landvik, historian James Carl Nelson, journalist and humorist Calvin Trillin and Civil War historian Wayne Jorgenson at Hennepin County libraries in December. All programs are free.
Who: Lorna Landvik - Join Landvik, bestselling author of nine novels, as she talks about the creative process, inspiration and the changing world of publishing. Her fun, new novel is "Mayor of the Universe." Books will be available for purchase and signing.
When: Monday, December 3, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: Maple Grove Library - 8001 Main Street N., Maple Grove, 612-543-6450
Who: James Carl Nelson - Critically-acclaimed local author and historian Nelson will read from his new book, “Five Lieutenants,” a work lauded as "outstanding" by Booklist and praised in Publisher's Weekly as being written "with great knowledge of and sensitivity for his subject." Books will be available for purchase and signing.
When: Monday, December 3, at 7 p.m.
Where: Ridgedale Library - 12601 Ridgedale Drive, Minnetonka, 612-543-8800
Who: Calvin Trillin - Journalist, humorist, food writer, poet, novelist and author of 20-plus books, Trillin will present “Quite Enough of Calvin Trillin: Forty Years of His Funny Stuff” (a humorous collection of excerpts from his writing career) and the newly released “Dogfight: An Occasionally Interrupted Narrative Poem About the Presidential Campaign” (a roast to the 2012 presidential election). Books will be available for purchase and signing. Seating is first-come, first-served. Doors open at 6:15 p.m.
When: Thursday, December 6, at 7 p.m.
Where: Minneapolis Central Library - 300 Nicollet Mall, Minneapolis, 612-543-8000
Who: Wayne Jorgenson - Civil War collector and historian on the First Minnesota Infantry, Jorgenson will discuss his hot-off-the-press “Every Man Did His Duty,” which includes war-time stories and images of men who served in the First Minnesota Infantry. Books will be available for purchase.
When: Saturday, December 15, at 11 a.m.
Where: Brookdale Library - 6125 Shingle Creek Parkway, Brooklyn Center, 612-543-5600
Tax-forfeited Land Auction on Friday, Dec. 7
Hennepin County Taxpayer Services will hold a public auction of tax-forfeited land on Friday, December 7, at 9 a.m. in the A Level Auditorium of the Hennepin County Government Center at 300 S. Sixth St. in downtown Minneapolis.
Information on the auction and all properties for sale is available on the website: www.hennepin.us/tflauctions or contact Taxpayer Services at 612-348-3734, or come to the offices on the sixth floor of the Administrative Tower in the Hennepin County Government Center between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on week days
Details on the properties include virtual tours, so you can see what the homes look like, what condition they are in, special features, etc. Read the news release for more details.
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