County Board News

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MAY 2013


CONTACT INFO

Jan Callison
Commissioner
6th District
612-348-7886 

Dave Nuckols
Principal Aide
612-348-6885 

Cassi Holmstrom Administrative Assistant & Scheduling
612-348-3168


ABOUT THE 6th DISTRICT

The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners consists of one commissioner from each of seven districts. I am proud to represent part of Chanhassen, Deephaven, northern Eden Prairie, Edina, Excelsior, Greenwood, Hopkins, Long Lake, Minnetonka, Minnetonka Beach, northern Mound, Orono, Shorewood, Spring Park, Tonka Bay, Wayzata and Woodland.

Callison 2013 district map

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Southwest light rail

Understanding your property tax


Billboards to Give Drivers Tornado Warnings

Tornado warning system


Motorists driving into a tornado warning in Hennepin and Ramsey counties will receive roadside alerts, thanks to a new collaboration between county emergency management divisions, ClearChannel Outdoor and the National Weather Service. 

A new system, tested in downtown Minneapolis, will make use of ClearChannel Outdoor commercial digital billboards to notify drivers of a tornado warning in their vicinity. The goal of the partnership is to offer early warning and new training to drivers, who may be unable to hear tornado sirens inside their cars, or who may not be listening to radio stations that would warn them of a safety threat. The concept takes advantage of drivers’ natural conditioning to absorb the content on roadside signs.

The news release has more detail.

Photo courtesy of Hennepin County Public Affairs


Recycling Increases to 43 Percent in 2012

Hennepin County residents increased their recycling and composting rate to 43 percent in 2012 thanks to significant improvements in waste reduction and recycling programs. Last year, the county adopted the Solid Waste Management Master Plan that outlined the county’s strategies to meet ambitious new recycling and composting goals of 48 percent by 2015 and 65 percent by 2030.

Visit the County's main recycling page for ideas and drop-off locations.  Click here for our Recycling Guide.

The news release has more detail.


Get Notices About Surplus Equipment Auctions

Auction Notices
 


Hennepin County auctions items and property through live and online auctions, which are conducted by contracted third-party vendors.  Items offered for auction may include vehicles, furniture, office items, tools and professional-grade items such as ambulances, snow plows and road maintenance equipment.

The news release has more detail.

Photo courtesy of Hennepin County Public Affairs


Volunteer Sought for Vacancy on Human Resources Board

This seven-member board establishes rules for the county’s classified workers and provides a compensation plan for non-organized employees, subject to approval by the County Board. The board also hears appeals within its jurisdiction.

A description of the position is available here.

Deadline for applications is June 6.

For more information about this vacancy or other advisory board appointments, and to apply online, visit the Hennepin County website at http://www.hennepin.us/advisoryboards


Mark Twain Photo Exhibit Opens Saturday, May 4

MTwain

What:  Revisiting Twain's Mississippi: Photos by Chris Faust
Where:  Minneapolis Central Library
              Cargill Hall
When:   May 4–June 22

See the river’s immense grandeur in prints of Henry Bosse’s spectacular 19th century blue cyanotype photos of Mississippi River sites associated with Mark Twain. The prints are matted alongside prints of modern-day photos of the same sites by St. Paul photographer Chris Faust.

Read the Hennepin County Library news release for more detail. 


County Internships Available for College Students

Hennepin County currently has a number of internship openings in a variety of departments, including IT, Corrections and the Library. If you know a college student looking to gain some valuable experience direct them to our internship listings.


First Somali American Deputy Sworn-In

Sheriff's logo

Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek conducted a swearing-in ceremony for 27 new detention deputies and 30 new Deputy Sheriffs. Among those who will receive their badge is Deputy Haissan Hussein. He is the first Somali American to be sworn-in as a Deputy Sheriff in Hennepin County.

“We want Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office personnel to reflect the communities we serve and Deputy Hussein is an asset to public safety and our efforts to work in partnership with the Somali American community in Hennepin County,” said Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek.

Hennepin County is home to the largest Somali American community in the U.S. For several years, the Sheriff’s Office has been conducting outreach to Somali American elders, women’s groups, youth and leadership committees.

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


Board Meeting News

April 9, 2013

Hennepin-Carver Workforce Investment Board Partners with Ramsey and Scott Counties; Regional Economic Gardening Agreement Approved

Economic Gardening targets second-stage companies with 10-99 employees. These companies are beyond the start-up stage and have the intent and capacity to grow jobs.

Since 2011 Hennepin County and Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HCHRA) have operated a pilot program with funding from the Hennepin-Carver Workforce Investment Board, HCHRA and the Edward R. Lowe Foundation for Economic Gardening.

With this recent agreement, businesses in Scott County and Ramsey County Housing and Redevlopment Authority will join the Economic Gardening Program.

Hough Appointed County Administrator

David J. Hough had been acting county administrator since the retirement of Richard P. Johnson in December 2012. Hough served in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office from 1982 to 2008, when he left as manager of the office’s civil division to become deputy county administrator. Hough holds a law degree from William Mitchell College of Law, St. Paul.

Library Materials Handling Systems Approved

The Board approved the purchase of two Ultra-Sort Automatic Materials Handling Machines for the Ridgedale and Minneapolis Central libraries. The machines will be manufactured by Tech Logic in White Bear Lake, MN. 

The current Ridgedale Library processing system was installed in 1999 and is unable to keep up with the volume of new material (730,000 items/year) and the re-routing of over 400,000 items to libraries within the system.

April 23, 2013

Grube Re-appointed County Highway Engineer

The Board formally appointed James N. Grube as County Engineer.  Grube was initially appointed as County Engineer in 2004 and has served as the Transportation Department Director since 1994 where he has been responsible for design, construction and maintenance of the county's highway system.

Community Works Corridor Planning Funds Approved for Downtown Rogers Master Plan

The Board authorized negotiations with the City of Rogers to create a Downtown Rogers Master Plan.  The plan will include preferred land use scenarios and market research elements will guide decisions about the downtown area.  Hennepin County recently re-aligned County Roads 81 and 150.

Negotiations to Purchase New Voting Systems Authorized

The County Administrator was authorized to negotiate an agreement with Election Systems & Software, LLC. to purchase new voting systems equipment for a not-to-exceed amount of $5.0 million as well as software and maintenance services for a term of up to five years.

The actions of the Hennepin County Board, including a record of how individual commissioners voted are posted under Hennepin County Meetings and Agendas. Visit here for County Board Action news.


Board Briefings

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 Boardroom on the 24th floor of the Hennepin County Government Center and are open to the public.

April 11, 2013

Three briefings took place:

  • Emergency Operations Center—Staff provided an overview of systems used to “identify, track, respond to and recover from disasters in Hennepin County,” (with an emphasis on systems at Government Center) and described their status.
  • Family Shelter Utilization—This briefing described county shelter policy, tracked trends in family shelter use and discussed implications for the 2013 budget.  Family shelter use is nearing 2000 levels and, if it grows as projected, will require an additional allocation of funds this year.
  • The InterchangeInformation regarding design/construction activities at the Interchange was presented as well as updated budget information.  To date, the project is on schedule and within budget.  You can learn more about the project and see the work progress via web-cam at www.theinterchange.net.

April 25, 2013

  • Phone stipend—Staff presented proposed changes to the county’s mobile phone program.  Currently, the county provides and maintains mobile phones for certain employees for work purposes.  Under the proposed changes, qualifying employees would be able to use their personal phones for work.  These employees would receive a monthly stipend from the county, but the county would no longer be responsible for providing nor maintaining their phones.

County Calendar

First Half of Property Taxes Are Due May 15

Make it easy on yourself to pay current or prior year tax payments! Property tax payments are much more convenient with our automated online services:


Project Homeless Connect - Volunteers Needed

What: Project Homeless Connect brings together service providers to deliver care to people experiencing homelessness. 
When: Monday, May 20, from 10:30 to 4:00 p.m.
Where: Minneapolis Convention Center

Volunteers are needed to make this a success. To volunteer for May 20, please click here or go the web site www.homelessconnectminneapolis.org. Click on the bar in the heading that says, "Please join us as a volunteer." That will take you directly to the volunteer registration page.

All volunteers must register on-line and volunteers must be at least 18 years of age.

A 90 minute training for Project Homeless Connect is required for everyone except those who trained and volunteered for a previous event. At this training, Project Homeless Connect staff will orient the volunteers and answer questions about the event. 


Southwest LRT Open Houses

What:  The Southwest Project Office will be hosting a series of open houses to receive feedback about potential locations for a maintenance facility. Information about all potential locations for the maintenance facility will be presented at each of the meetings.

The maintenance facility will house 180 permanent operator and maintenance jobs and is where light rail vehicles will be cleaned, stored and undergo light maintenance.

When:  Monday, May 13 
            5 p.m. to 7 p.m. 
Where: Eden Prairie City Center, Heritage Rooms
            8080 Mitchell Rd., Eden Prairie
***This open house is being held concurrently with Hennepin County’s Transitional Station Area Action Plan (TSAAP) meeting at the same location. For details about the county meeting, see: http://www.southwesttransitway.org/

When:  Wednesday, May 22
            4:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Where: Hopkins Center for the Arts, Jaycee Studio
            1111 Main Street, Hopkins           


Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events 

What: Collection events for residents to safely dispose of unwanted chemicals.  The county will accept many hazardous wastes including household, lawn and garden products; items containing mercury; electronics; and fuel wastes. Only household waste will be accepted..

When:  Thursday, May 2 through Saturday, May 4
             9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where:  City of Shorewood - Public Works Department
              24200 Smithtown Road, Shorewood

When: Thursday, May 16 through Saturday, May 18
             9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Where: City of Minnetonka - Public Works Department
              11522 Minnetonka Blvd., Minnetonka 

Visit the Hennepin County webpage for more information about disposing of unwanted hazardous waste.