 My son Colin tagged along for my update to the Dayton City Council.
Every year, I visit each city in my district to give the city council an update about how Hennepin County has showed up in their community, whether it be through human services, public works, libraries and more.
I've already visited Plymouth, Rogers, Maple Grove, Dayton, Corcoran and Hanover. If you're interested in joining me at an upcoming council meeting, here is the rest of my visit schedule:
Medina
Tuesday, April 2nd @ 7pm
St. Bonifacius
Wednesday, April 3rd @ 7pm
Loretto
Tuesday, April 9th @ 7pm
Minnetrista
Monday, April 15th @ 7pm
Independence
Tuesday, April 16th @ 6:30pm
Greenfield
Tuesday, April 16th @ 7pm
Maple Plain
Monday, April 22nd @ 7pm
Rockford
Tuesday, April 23rd @ 6pm
Mound
Tuesday, April 23rd @ 7pm
Champlin
Monday, May 13th @ 7pm
 We have one more Coffee with Kevin event happening this month. If you couldn't make any of the prior three, I hope to see you in Rogers on the 29th!
Friday, March 29th @ 9am
Caribou Coffee
13635 Northdale Boulevard, Rogers, MN 55374
 Hennepin has made addressing homelessness among veterans a priority for many years. This month, I had the opportunity to speak with CCX Newsmakers about the county’s efforts to achieve and maintain a designation for functional zero homelessness amongst our Veteran’s. Click here to watch the full interview.
In February, I worked with staff to author a Board Action Request that asks staff to continue their work with local partners to provide the resources needed achieve functional zero homelessness. This was co-authored by Commissioners Conley, Fernando, Goettel, and Lunde and approved unanimously by the board.
This direction includes efforts that have already been undertaken by the county such as providing low-barrier shelter immediately to any Veteran experiencing unsheltered homelessness who wants it, identifying and helping any Veteran who is at risk or who becomes homeless in the future and any Veterans experiencing homelessness are connected to permanent housing in an average of 90 days.
I am also committed to sharing our strategies to ensure that other counties can be successful in this mission. In February, I met with Ramsey County board chair and veteran Trista Martinson, Ramsey County Commissioner District 3 and staff from both counties to share successes, challenges and strategies for improving this work.
I’m so thankful to county staff and our partners who have been working hard to ensure that veteran homelessness is rare, brief, and non-recurring.
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 The month of March has been busy with advocacy on behalf of our residents. I had the opportunity to travel back to Washington DC this month with the board and our Intergovernmental Relations staff to speak with our Minnesota delegation, government agencies and members of the White House about issues impacting Hennepin County.
It was a pleasure to meet with Senator Klobuchar and Representative Omar and the offices of Senator Smith and Representatives Emmer and Phillips about housing and shelter needs as well as human service concerns related to Medicaid waivers for our Safety Net hospital.
Our group was able to meet with the United States Department of Homeland Security and Department of Housing & Urban Development about concerns surrounding new arrivals. We also met with Department of Transportation and the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs about our anti-displacement work and the White House Council on Environmental Quality where we talked about our climate action plan. These were great conversations and I am energized to continue this great work.
We’re about to enter road construction season. And, just like every season, this year's includes a number of projects on county roads.
You will be seeing crews on site across the county working to improve accessibility, provide better safety for people using all modes of transportation, updating infrastructure and making sure our roads and bridges can continue to keep people connected to the places where they live, work, play, learn, shop and take care of themselves.
Check out what’s happening across the county or zoom into your district to see what’s happening closer to you. To learn more about each project, just click on the line or dot on the map.
Applications for spring Youth Activities Grants are available January 18 – April 1, 2024. Details and application materials are available on the Hennepin County Supplier Portal.
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Equipment Grants: awards up $10,000 for youth sports equipment.
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Art and Music Grants: awards up to $25,000 for youth art activities with additional funding available for music instruments.
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Play Spaces Grants: awards up to $100,000 with funding available for playgrounds and small-scale play space projects.
Homebuyers can now qualify for assistance to make a down payment on their first home in Hennepin County.
In collaboration with Hennepin County, NeighborWorks Home Partners launched a down payment assistance program for residents buying homes in Hennepin County. This program started on March 4, and is estimated to be available through 2025.
The Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HCHRA) created and designed the Homebuyer Assistance Program to reduce racial disparities in homeownership. As the program administrator, NeighborWorks Home Partners will provide down payment financing of up to $30,000 to assist buyers interested in purchasing a home to have as their principal place of residence in Hennepin County.
The HCHRA is funding the downpayment assistance program through its first designated fund for homeownership assistance. Find more information at the Homeownership Assistance Program page.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is reminding Minnesotans who rely on a private household well for their drinking water to test regularly for contaminants. Testing is particularly important if babies or pregnant people will be drinking the water.
More than 4 million Minnesotans rely on groundwater for their drinking water, including 1.1 million who rely on a private well. A recent MDH study found that less than 20% of well users test their drinking water as frequently as MDH recommends.
Public water systems are required to meet federal Safe Drinking Water Act standards, which MDH enforces, but private wells do not have those same protections. If groundwater is or becomes contaminated, it can affect the health of those who drink it. MDH therefore recommends testing private wells regularly and using an accredited laboratory for that testing (Search for Accredited Laboratories).
“You cannot taste, smell or see most contaminants, so testing your private well is the only way to know what’s in your drinking water,” said MDH Water Policy Manager Tannie Eshenaur. “The good news is that there are many ways to address water quality issues.”
The five most common contaminants in Minnesota, and their potential health effects, include:
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Nitrate — Test every year. Porous geology in southeast Minnesota and sandy soils in central Minnesota make these areas of the state especially susceptible to nitrate contamination from fertilizer, manure, wastewater and faulty septic systems. Consuming too much nitrate can cause babies to develop methomoglobinemia (also known as blue baby syndrome), which can be fatal.
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Coliform bacteria — Test every year. Coliform bacteria can indicate that other infectious bacteria, viruses or parasites may be in your water. These may cause diarrhea, vomiting, cramps, nausea, headaches, fever and fatigue.
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Arsenic — Test at least once. Arsenic has been detected in about half of private wells constructed since 2008. Drinking water that contains arsenic can increase your risk of cancer and other serious health effects.
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Lead — Test at least once. Lead from pumps or pipes can damage the brain, kidneys and nervous system. It also can slow development or cause learning, behavior and hearing problems.
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Manganese — Test at least once. Manganese can cause problems with memory, attention and motor skills. It can also cause learning and behavior problems in infants and children.
If testing identifies any contaminants, a variety of treatment options are available to improve water quality, depending on the contaminant(s) to be removed. Solutions can include installing point-of-use or whole-home filters such as reverse osmosis or a water softener, repairing cracks where contaminants are entering the well or potentially even building a new well. A limited number of grants and low-interest loans are available to help offset water treatment costs.
More information about well testing, understanding your test results and treatment options can be found on MDH’s website. More information about the quality of water provided by public water systems is shared annually in each community’s Consumer Confidence Report.
The 7th District serves the cities of
Champlin, Corcoran, Dayton, Greenfield, Independence, Loretto, Maple Grove, Maple Plain, Medina, Minnetrista, Southern Mound, Rogers,
St. Bonifacius, Hanover, Northwest Plymouth, and Rockford.
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Contact us
Kevin Anderson
Commissioner, 7th District
Amy Colligan
Policy Director
612-543-1273
Clara Severson
District Director
612-596-9040
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