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Hennepin Happening
Welcome to the District 5 October newsletter! Scroll down to read more about
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 It is a bitter sweet moment for Hennepin County as Lois Ann Langer Thompson (center) is moving on after serving us for nearly 30 years beginning as an adult and youth services librarian and currently as the library director.
She played pivotal roles in the 2008 consolidation of the Hennepin County Library and the Minneapolis Public Library, expanding the role and capacity of the Friends of the Hennepin County Library creating one robust library system, and overseeing the construction, expansion, or renovations of 18 libraries.
District 5 is in midst of projects at Eden Prairie Library and Oxboro Library, and I cannot recall a single community meeting without Lois in attendance. That passion and leadership has improved the lives of countless people from all walks of life. I wish her nothing but the best in this next stage of her career.
 After thorough consideration and debate, my colleagues and I approved a maximum levy increase of 5.25%, down from the 5.5% proposed by staff. The property tax levy we approve in December
may be lower than the approved maximum, but it cannot exceed the maximum
levy adopted at last Tuesday’s meeting. In November, property owners will
receive a notice that shows the impact of the county’s maximum levy on
their properties, as well as the impact of those taxes proposed by other
local units of government, such as cities and school districts.
The operating portion of this budget totals $1.9 billion dollars, a
decrease of $61.8 million from the adjusted 2018 budget. The capital
portion totals $475 million, an increase of $38 million or 8.7 percent
over the adjusted 2018 amount. This is the beginning of our budget process, and I am counting on all of our community members to provide the feedback necessary to shape a budget that reflects our needs and values.
Here is our 2019 Budget Hearing schedule. These meetings are also broadcast live and archived for later viewing on our website.
Board I would like to draw special attention to the Truth In Taxation meeting on November 27. This is the public hearing for you to provide comments directly to the board.
Tuesday, September
18, 2018 1:30 p.m.
County Administrator
presents proposed 2019 budget to County Board
Thursday, October 4,
2018, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Operations/Library
Thursday, October 18,
2018, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Human Services
Thursday, November
1, 2018, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Capital
Budgeting Task Force (CBTF) / Capital Presentation and Fees
Public
Hearing for Transportation Sales Tax Projects (if needed)
Thursday, November
8, 2018, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Health
Tuesday, November
20, 2018, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon
Public
Safety
Tuesday, November
20, 2018, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Public
Works
Tuesday, November
27, 2018, 6:00 p.m.
Board holds Truth-in-Taxation
public meeting
Thursday, November
29, 2018, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Administrator
and Commissioner Amendments
Wednesday,
December 5, 2018, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Administrator
and Commissioner Amendments
Tuesday, December 11,
2018, 1:30 p.m.
County Board
approves 2019 budget and levy at regularly scheduled board meeting
 The National Association of Counties (NACo) recognized some of Hennepin County's most innovative programs at their summer conference. County staff accepted awards for the following departments and programs:
- Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation for their Pathway to Employment program
- Information Technology for the nuisance property map they developed in conjunction with GIS and the County Attorney's Office
- Information Technology Technology's Document Management and Imaging program
- Public Works' Environment and Energy for their Solid Waste Management Master Plan to reduce waste going to landfills to zero by 2030.
- Work Environment and Energy for their Zero Waste Challenge for domestic households
- Resident and Real Estate Services and Human Service for their Navigator program, which supports homeowner who need help overcome barriers to paying their property taxes
- Adult Detention Initiative team for their work to better understand the impacts of incarceration and diverting people away from the prison system whenever possible
- Hennepin County Attorney's office for their Curfew Diversion program
- Information Technology for modernizing our data center
- Center of Innovation and Excellence for their Continuous Improvement Program
 Voting has begun for the 2018 November election! Here are the key dates and information you need to vote.
- September 21: Absentee voting begins. You can have your ballot mailed directly to you, or you can vote early in person at your local city offices. For more information, you can visit your city's website (Bloomington, Eden Prairie, or Richfield) for more information on their business hours.
- October 16: Pre-registration ends. For rules about registering to vote, here's a quick guide. Remember, the easiest way to register is online right now.
- November 3: city's have extended voting hours from 10am to 3pm on the Saturday before the election.
- November 5: In-person absentee voting for the general election closes at 5pm.
- November 6: Election Day! If you did not vote early, you can go to your polling location 7am-8pm. You can register on Election Day, but you need to bring one of the approved proofs of residence. Remember, you have a number of rights, including the right to take time off work to vote.
Since my last newsletter at the beginning of the month, here are a few highlights from my work...
 Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborative
brought over three hundred people together from dozens of places of worship to support housing for everyone in Minnesota. I was proud to be a part of it.
 Attended Penn Fest with Richfield Council Member Simon Trautmann. Thank you to his wonderful wife, Jennifer Trautmann, for the photo.
 Facilitated a discussion with county employees about green initiatives and environmentalism in Hennepin County at the Millenial Employee Resource Group (MERG) book club meeting. Everyone is welcome to attend future lunch hour events.
October
is Pride History Month
Here are
some staff-recommended titles on local and national LGBTQIA+ historical events
and important people.
Find resources to learn more about Pride History Month.
Stories Together with Drag Performers
Saturday, October 6, 2018
(10:00AM – 10:30AM)
Eden Prairie Library, 565 Prairie Center Dr., Eden Prairie
Celebrate self-expression, dress up, and gender fluidity through
stories, rhymes, music and movement with drag performers from our
community. These events will be a safe, positive, and encouraging space
for children and caregivers to express themselves in an open
environment.
Learn more about this event.
Paranormal Investigations
Saturday, October 6, 2018
(11:00AM – 12:00PM)
Penn Lake Library, 8800 Penn Ave. S., Bloomington
Take an otherworldly journey with Johnsdale Paranormal Group, which
investigates claims of hauntings throughout Minnesota and the Upper
Midwest. Learn about their techniques and equipment for gathering
evidence of spectral activity, and view an AV presentation of their most
fascinating finds. Q&A to follow. Sponsor: Friends of the Penn Lake
Library. Collaborator: Johnsdale Paranormal Group.
Learn more about this event.
Through Our Eyes: The American Dream
Wednesday, October 24, 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Augsburg Park Library, 7100 Nicollet Avenue, Richfield
Continuing the community conversation about immigration
enforcement sparked by the children's art exhibit, "The American Dream:
From the Light to the Darkness," hear from a panel of professionals and
community members addressing immigration from legal, psychological, educational
and personal perspectives.
Learn
more about this community event.
Since the mid-1800s, photography has served to reflect and record with
uncanny accuracy those moments, both historic and mundane, that help to
define our lives, our cultures, our worlds. Hennepin History Museum has a
collection of more than 14,000 photographs visually documenting the
people, places, things, and events that tell the story of this region.
As part of our 80th anniversary celebration, two guest curators spent
several months combing through file drawers and picture boxes to find
images that reveal something about where we have been and perhaps even
where we are going. Please join us for an exhibition of photographs
chosen by Peg Meier, former Star Tribune journalist and author of books
about Minnesota, and Dan Dennehy, Photographer and head of visual
resources at Minneapolis Institiute of Art.
Exhibit opening Thursday, October 18, 6 - 8 p.m.
October 18, 2018 through March 10, 2019
Visiting the museum at this time does require the use of stairs.
Learn more about the Hennepin History Museum.
66th Street in Richfield and Eden Prairie's Flying Cloud Drive are in the midst of major construction projects. Skip the traffic jams and sign up for updates on the projects impacting your commute.
You can also visit the Hennepin County website for updates on road maintenance projects and all other road construction.
Housing crises, energy assistance, child protection, emergency situations; we are here to advocate for you when it comes to navigating local and county services, and we want to help. Please call our office at 612-348-7885 with any questions or for assistance.
Contact
Commissioner Debbie Goettel
Hennepin County District 5
Bloomington | Eden Prairie | Richfield
612-348-7885 | debbie.goettel@hennepin.us
Casey Krolczyk
Principal Aide
612-596-7078 | casey.krolczyk@hennepin.us
Michael Ohama
Policy Director
612-348-7885 | michael.ohama@hennepin.us
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