County board actions

county board actions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Carolyn Marinan, Communications, 612-348-5969


Hennepin County COVID-19 preparedness plan

The board approved a Hennepin County COVID-19 preparedness plan to keep people safe as the county brings more staff back to physical locations to serve residents.

The plan requires employees to do self-screening at home before coming to work and requires worksite training for all employees. The plan also requires all employees and visitors to wear face coverings in all county facilities. The face coverings must cover both mouth and nose, as well as be secured to the head with ties or ear loops. The county will provide face coverings to employees and visitors who do not have them.

The face covering requirement takes effect Thursday, May 21. Other plan elements will be in place beginning the week of May 25. The county’s plan will be reviewed regularly and updated as needed.

The county continues to take a phased approach to bringing back in-person services at county facilities. Many services continue to be offered online and by phone, mail, drop-off, and fax. For the latest service updates, go to https://www.hennepin.us/covid-19.


Federal CARES Act allotment

The board approved a $2.5 million federal CARES Act allotment for emergency relief and recovery. The allotment supports private non-profits and community organizations impacted by COVID-19 that serve county-involved individuals, families, and youth.

Funding will support facility adaptations, technology, supplies, and personal protective equipment that the providers need to safely carry out services during the COVID-19 crisis. Additionally, the funding will support the county’s disparity reduction work and those entities that deliver services to disadvantaged individuals and communities.


New Hennepin County Library director appointed

The board appointed Chad Helton to serve as director of the Hennepin County Library, effective August 24, 2020. This appointment follows an extensive national recruitment effort and recommendations by the county administrator and Library Board. 

Helton brings extensive experience to Hennepin County. In his most recent position, as director of branch libraries for the City of Los Angeles, Helton has demonstrated his ability to provide executive-level leadership and direction by managing 72 branch libraries while building partnerships with staff and community stakeholders.  

Helton is experienced in project management, policy creation and implementation, budget management, library operations, collection management through analytics, copyright compliance, reference, e-resources, collaboration and leadership. 


Housing and community development plans

The board approved the Hennepin County five-year plan and 2020 action plan for housing and community development. These plans will guide the use of approximately $30 million in federal funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in suburban Hennepin County cities over the next five years. More than 2,000 Hennepin County residents offered input into the plans through in-person and online engagement activities.

Learn more about housing plans and accomplishments


Current and archival board meetings, agendas and minutes are available at hennepin.us/boardmeetings.

Look for more news on the Hennepin County website at hennepin.us/news.

Discover how we're making a difference in our communities at hennepin.us/stories.