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Fall is fully upon us! I hope you are enjoying the soft landing to winter that the season is graciously providing us. We have been keeping very busy at Hennepin County this budget season as we look to fund operations, programs, and services through the end of 2024. I am confident that we will land on a document on December 12 (when we seek final approval) that is not only fair to residents and their wallets, but also boldly moves us forward with innovative programming and seamless delivery of essential services that we rely on as Hennepin residents.
A great way to learn more about what areas of county services impact you on a daily basis, and how we as a board are seeking to adapt and adjust these lines of business to growing needs and trends is by tuning into an upcoming budget hearing, or joining our "Truth in Taxation" public hearing:
Monday. October 23, 2023, 12:00 noon
Law, Safety and Justice
Thursday. October 26, 2023, 12:00 noon
Operations and Resident Services
Tuesday, November 28, 2023, 6:00 pm
Truth in Taxation Public Hearing
Tuesday, December 12, 2023 – 1:30 pm
County Board approves 2024 budget / levy at regularly scheduled board meeting
If you have any questions or would like to provide a budget related comment, you can do so and learn more here under "Budget information and hearings". Don't hesitate to reach my office if you would like to share your questions or comments, and you can do so by clicking on mine and my staff's email in the newsletter footer.
In partnership,
Debbie
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What's happening at Hennepin County and across the district:
Make sure to follow me on Twitter! 👉 @HennepinDebbie
This year, the local municipal general election will be taking place on Tuesday, November 7, 2023. There are several elections across the Fifth District, but not all communities will be voting.
These are the elections taking place that will impact Fifth District residents:
- Minneapolis – Council Member Wards 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 (RCV)
- Bloomington – Mayor, Council Member at Large, Council Member Districts I, II, III and IV, and Special Election for Council Member at Large (RCV), 3 ballot questions
- ISD 271 Bloomington – 3 School Board Members
- ISD 280 Richfield – 3 School Board Members, 2 ballot questions
Get prepared to vote:
The county awarded 25 Healthy Tree Canopy grants totaling about $499,700. Grant recipients include 13 cities, two affordable housing properties, five schools, and five nonprofit organizations, including congregations and neighborhood associations. In total, more than 620 trees will be planted through the grant projects.
The grants will:
- Fund the collection of data through tree inventories, which is critical to increasing and diversifying the tree canopy and starting to respond to emerald ash borer.
- Address the impacts of tree pests and pathogens by improving city forestry capacity and treating or replacing and replanting ash trees that are threatened by emerald ash borer. Grantees are required to plant at least one replacement tree for every ash tree removed.
- Educate residents on the benefits of trees and engage them in tree planting efforts.
- Improve livability and reduce disparities by planting trees in neighborhoods throughout the county experiencing disproportionate amounts of economic, environmental, and health inequities.
- Protect people and increase the county’s resilience to climate change – important goals in the county’s Climate Action Plan – by increasing the benefits that trees provide. These benefits include capturing carbon, reducing air pollution, and taking up stormwater, and providing shade to counteract the urban heat island effect.
We are proud to report several awards across the Fifth District:
$45,269 to remove and replace 42 ash trees and create educational emerald ash borer signage for the public.
$40,000 to remove 20 ash trees and plant 24 replacement trees at both Highlands and Penn Place in Bloomington.
- Bloomington Neighbors Nurturing Nature
$10,000 to conduct a tree inventory and create a tree management plan for Bloomington Public Schools
$10,000 to hold an educational event and plant 30 trees at a Bloomington school.
Learn more about the grants awarded.
For more information, contact trees@hennepin.us.
In September, I had the pleasure to meet Vandana and Aadya, two Eden Prairie high schoolers who are fighting for greater mental health awareness. They founded the Youth Equity Project, a local non-profit to reduce stigma around mental health care, and advocate for legislative action and increased service delivery in schools. Thank you, Vandana and Aadya, for your advocacy! Your drive and passion for this important issue inspires action. Keep it up.
Protect yourself against flu and COVID-19. October is a great time to get both flu and COVID-19 shots.
Flu and COVID-19 shots are safe and effective at reducing your risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death by providing immune protection that lasts several months. You can get both shots at the same time.
Check with your health care provider or local pharmacy to schedule appointments today. Or visit Vaccines.gov to find a location near you.
Learn more about how COVID vaccines work on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
We couldn't have asked for a better Richfield- Penn Fest for 2023! THANK YOU to all of our city workers, municipal partners, small business owners and vendors, community advocates, volunteers, and (of course) the attendees and residents — you truly make Richfield a special place to live all year round.
Date: 10/21/2023 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Location: Outdoor Center
13765 Staring Lake Parkway
Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55347
Here are several resources to update yourself and your family on road construction projects happening across the district and the entire metro area.
Hennepin County construction projects
Metropolitan Council weekly construction update
MnDOT- Metro Area State highway and bridge projects
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Hennepin History Museum is pleased to host Peg Meier, longtime and award-winning reporter for the StarTribune, for a talk about the recently released new edition of her beloved book Bring Warm Clothes: Letters and Photos from Minnesota’s Past. Meier’s classic work uses vintage photographs, newspaper clippings, letters, as well as excerpts from secret diaries and personal journals, to give today’s readers a firsthand account of life in those early, challenging days.
In her presentation, Meier will explain how she went about researching these archives and, in doing so, some of the people she encountered – whom she calls “simply amazing.”
The event will include a question-and-answer session and will be followed by a book-signing event.
Copies of the new edition of Bring Warm Clothes are available for purchase at the museum that day.
When: November 11 @ 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm CST | PAY AS YOU CAN
Where: Hennepin History Museum
Image of the cover of new edition of Bring Warm Clothes is courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society.
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Check out events happening at a library near you. Filter for specific areas, age groups, and different types of event to find something unique and specific to you and your family!
Learn more at Hennepin County Library events.
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Whether it's a housing crisis, energy assistance question, or child protection concern, we are here to help you navigate these and other issues.
Please call our office at 612-348-7885 or contact us to seek assistance or ask a question.
Contact
Commissioner Debbie Goettel
Hennepin County District 5
Bloomington | Eden Prairie | Richfield
612-348-7885
Graham Faulkner
Policy Director
612-348-7885
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