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Dear District 6 neighbors,
Happy Thanksgiving! In this season of giving thanks, I’m grateful for the opportunity and honor of serving the people of District 6 for the next four years. Here to all the positive work we can do in that time!
Our District spans 16 cities and has some of the best locally owned shops to get holiday gifts - I hope you will check out several of the shops for small business Saturday on November 30th!
Here are a few highlights and events to check out across District 6 organized by local chambers, shops and businesses:
Wayzata: Light Up the Lake Celebration - Nov. 29, 4:30pm
Edina: 50th & France + Tree Lighting - Nov. 30, 3:00pm, Edina Art Center Up North Gift Gallery - Nov. 30, 9:00am
Hopkins: Holiday in Hopkins - Nov. 30, 11:00am
Excelsior: Excelsior Christkindlsmarkt - Nov. 29-30, 10:00am-5:00pm
Minnetonka: General Store of Minnetonka
At the County, we’ve been finalizing the 2025 County Budget with Commissioner and Administrator amendments, after hearing presentations from our various departments for the past several weeks. It’s been exciting to be a part of my first County budget process, and I believe that together we have constructed a budget that will put Hennepin County residents first, improve our services which reduce disparities and eliminate inequities, and create opportunity for all.
To help ensure that our budget best represents our residents, Hennepin County will be holding a public meeting on the proposed 2025 budget and property tax levy – commonly called the “truth in taxation” meeting – on Tuesday, December 3 at 6 p.m. You can learn more about the meeting here: https://www.hennepin.us/TNT
First, thank you to everyone that joined us this morning for our Coffee with Commissioner at the Edina Senior Center last month! We were able to discuss the work of Hennepin County and the 2025 proposed budget.
My office had a great time volunteering recently with Jim, Bridget and The Friends of the Eden Prairie Parks removing buckthorn– an invasive species– from Edenvale Park!
Our District 6 Office (well done Cole for finding this opportunity) is volunteering every month all throughout the 16 cities! If you know of a volunteering opportunity, please let us know!
I loved having my sons Sam and Caleb join - they reported having lots of fun and enjoying the community!
It was an honor to attend a great Diwali event organized by community members of the Edina Asian American Alliance! Also, I loved seeing our Hennepin County Sheriff Deputies and outreach team in attendance as well!
Thank you to Edina Public Schools Superintendent Stanley, School Board Members Dan Arom and Cheryl Barry, Principals, teachers, and students for the tour of Creek Valley Elementary School, Valley View Middle School and Edina High School, and the discussion on how County and State officials can partner to improve school safety!
My office's high school Internship for Day is BACK...no longer at the Capitol but now at the County!
This internship is open to high school students of all grades that live or attend school in District 6!
Please encourage students to apply - this will be a great experience for students to learn the inner workings of County government and also how it interacts with State and Federal government!
This internship will be offered in January, February and March - dates and details can be found in the application.
Please share with students to apply on the link below:
2025 Application for Intern for a Day with Hennepin County Commissioner Heather Edelson (google.com)
Share your voice and help shape local government policies
Hennepin County now accepting applications for community advisory boards
The Hennepin County Board is recruiting volunteers for 43 advisory and watershed district board positions through its annual open appointment process.
Each fall, the board accepts applications from residents interested in volunteer service positions on advisory boards, commissions, councils and special task forces. Board members will advise commissioners and help set policy on a variety of topics important to the county.
Community advisory board openings:
- Adult Mental Health Local Advisory Council
- County Extension Committee, U of M Extension
- Human Resources Board
- Library Board
- Racial Equity Advisory Council
- Special Board of Appeal and Equalization
- Three Rivers Park District Board of Commissioners
- Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act Board
Watershed board openings:
- Minnehaha Creek Watershed District
Application process
- Now through December 31 – apply at hennepin.us/advisoryboards.
- Starting January 2025 – the county board will conduct interviews.
- First quarter of 2025 – the county board will appoint volunteers to the positions.
New Hennepin County Library App
Carry your library card anywhere with the new Hennepin County Library app, available for Apple and Android devices. Use the Hennepin County Library app to discover new titles, plan your next visit, and browse recommendations. You can also:
- Instantly access your library card barcode
- Search the collection
- Place and manage holds
- Manage multiple accounts
- Check library hours and locations
- Discover library events
Whether you’re browsing from home or scanning your barcode in-person at the library, the new app makes it even easier to connect and explore.
Download the free app by searching “Hennepin County Library” in the App Store or Google Play.
Love Local businesses this holiday season
Hennepin County works to support the local business community with no-cost consulting and group-learning in Elevate Hennepin. It also invests in business districts in cities and towns across the county by supporting affordable commercial real estate, beautification, and access via transit, bike, and walking.
Check out a video of Hennepin County’s wholistic approach to supporting local businesses.
As some of our passionate Hennepin County staff and partners noted, this holiday shopping season is the ideal time to celebrate all the local business community gives back to us as residents.
Mark your calendars, November 30, 2024, is Small Business Saturday and we’re celebrating everything local business owners do with the annual Love Local campaign.
Share your favorite local business, business district with Hennepin County and inspire your neighbors to shop local by using the hashtag #LoveLocalHC all from Small Business Saturday through this season.
A catalyst for community
Hennepin County has invested in transit-oriented communities (TOC) for over 20 years. The understanding of TOC, and what the Hennepin County program has funded has evolved over this time. Since 2020, the county has placed greater emphasis on supporting a range of projects that contribute to vibrant, walkable, mixed-use, and human-centered communities. These projects include community institutions providing critical services and programming, and developments that offer affordable commercial space for local small businesses.
In 2022, the county created a one-time program dedicated to funding such efforts, the Community Investment Initiative (CII). CII was designed to advance economic recovery and increase long-term economic opportunity in Hennepin County communities most significantly impacted by the pandemic.
Through the CII program, the county invested $6.88 million in 13 projects across Hennepin County, with 85% of that funding awarded to projects in communities that have historically faced disinvestment. Combined, the projects will include 496 affordable commercial spaces. Housing and Economic Development staff designed the CII program to be a flexible approach to developing affordable commercial space via business incubators, commercial ownership, land trusts, cooperatives, or lower rents. While the CII program was made possible through one-time pandemic recovery funding, the county will continue to prioritize investments in neighborhood-serving small business, cultural, and community assets.
Five community-driven development projects embodying these goals have broken ground in recent weeks: the Indigenous Peoples Task Force’s new arts and wellness center Mikwanedun Audisookon, Artspace’s NKB Lofts, Pillsbury Creative Commons, the Unity Project and NEON's Collective Kitchens.
Read more about the county’s investments.
Survey: you can help set priorities for federal housing funds in Hennepin County
Each year, Hennepin County receives around $5 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for suburban housing and development projects and services.
To guide the use of the funds, Hennepin County works with cities, residents, and other partners to set goals and priorities for affordable housing and community development in suburban communities as part of a five-year plan. These priorities also help shape broader affordable housing efforts by the county and partner cities.
The next five-year plan is now under development. You can help us understand your personal housing experiences and priorities by taking a quick online survey.
Take the survey now
Read more about the county's federal funding for housing on our webpage.
Opioid Summit 2024
Hennepin County along with the cities of Minnetonka, Eden Prairie, Edina, Hopkins, and St. Louis Park, are hosting an Opioid Summit. Residents will learn about opioids and resources to keep their families and community safe. The event is intended for residents of those cities, but anyone is welcome to attend.
Naloxone training will be provided. There is no cost to attend, and lunch will be provided.
Thursday, December 5, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Minnetonka Community Center 14600 Minnetonka Blvd Minnetonka, MN 55345
RSVP: Registration (optional) Registration is not required but will help us plan.
Accessibility: To request an accommodation or for questions about accessibility, please contact Michelle.Kellogg@hennepin.us.
You may be eligible for MinnesotaCare
You may now be eligible for MinnesotaCare. Your immigration status does not matter. You may qualify even if you are undocumented.
It’s a good idea to have health insurance because you and your family can save money on medical bills. You should apply if you:
- Live in Minnesota.
- Don’t have other health insurance options.
- Meet income limits.
Apply for MinnesotaCare
Find a MNsure Navigator for help on your MinnesotaCare application
Hennepin Health podcast helps Minnesotans navigate Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare
Hennepin Health is a health plan that provides health coverage for residents who are eligible for Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare. Throughout his career, Hennepin Health Chief Medical Officer Krishan Subrahmanian (Dr. Krish) has seen the importance of health insurance. But he also understands how confusing health insurance can be. It can be especially complex for those who are eligible for Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare.
Dr. Krish and his Hennepin Health colleagues recently developed a 4-part podcast that helps Minnesotans understand and navigate Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare.
In the podcast Dr. Krish answers basic questions like who is eligible for Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare, what the benefits are, and how to sign up and switch plans. He talks to community members who’ve used the programs, and interviews experts like Dr. Nathan Chomilo, Minnesota Department of Human Services medical director for Medicaid and Medical Assistance.
“We want everyone to understand how Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare help our neighbors reclaim health and benefit our community,” says Dr. Krish. “Finding, choosing, enrolling, and switching health insurance plans is easy and we can help.”
Watch the “Demystifying Medicaid with Dr. Krish” podcast
hennepinhealth.org/podcasts
Hennepin Health community engagement
Hennepin Health is a health plan owned by Hennepin County that providers health coverage for residents who are eligible for Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare. One thing that makes Hennepin Health unique is its investment in staff who engage people in community, over the phone, and at the Hennepin Health Member Service Center.
Watch this video about Hennepin Health Outreach Coordinator Chaltu Omar.
Grants available from Hennepin County to prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species
Grant funding can be used to address pathways of aquatic invasive species introduction, provide education, promote behavior change, implement early detection and rapid response efforts, and pursue other ideas that prevent the introduction or limit the spread of aquatic invasive species.
Review the grant flyer (PDF) for more details. Applications are due by Thursday, January 14, 2025. Learn more and apply.
For more information, contact Tony Brough at tony.brough@hennepin.us or 612-348-4378.
Holidazzle Festival 2024
Celebrate the magic of the holiday season in downtown Minneapolis! Join your neighbors at Holidazzle on December 18th - December 22nd and experience live entertainment, food trucks, holiday lighting, rollerskating, holiday shopping, visits with Santa and more! Holidazzle is taking place on Nicollet Mall from 6th Street to 11th Street, and is bringing free and festive fun to the heart of downtown.
Learn more here: https://www.holidazzle.com/
We want to ensure that our residents are as informed as they can be with County business. To that end, you can view our County Board and Committee meetings here, as well as view past meetings. Please reach out if you have any questions about viewing meetings online or in-person. As always, I encourage you to reach out to me with any other questions or feedback you’d like to share at heather.edelson@hennepin.us or 612-248-6885. You can also follow me on my official Facebook page for updates.
Sincerely,
Heather Edelson
County Commissioner - District 6
The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners consists of one commissioner from each of seven districts. I am proud to represent Deephaven, north Eden Prairie, Edina, Excelsior, Greenwood, Hopkins, Long Lake, Minnetonka, Minnetonka Beach, northern Mound, Orono, Shorewood, Spring Park, Tonka Bay, Wayzata and Woodland.
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Heather Edelson
Commissioner
6th District
Daniel Dodge
Sr. Policy Aide
612-348-3168
Cole Roepke
Jr. Policy Aide & Scheduler
612-248-6885
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