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Dear District 6 neighbors,
Spring is such an exciting time in Minnesota - full of new energy and possibilities. As May approaches, I am completing nearly a full year serving as your Hennepin County Commissioner. Transitions can be challenging, and I am learning a lot about how to serve in this new role.
It has been valuable to observe the legislative session from this side of public service. It has taught me a great deal about the importance of all levels of government working together for a greater good, and how at the root of this work, it is always about how we help people. It has also helped me better understand how state-level decisions impact the work we do at the county level.
One pressing issue we are monitoring closely at the Minnesota legislature is proposed cuts to human services waivers. These waivers provide essential support for Minnesotans with disabilities and rely heavily on both state and federal funding. Over the years, counties have shouldered an increasing share of the financial costs. One thing is clear as we work out the details: we need to ensure that this funding is stable and reliable.
We are also keeping a close eye on the uncertainty at the federal level, particularly regarding funding for critical programs that directly affect our residents. Governor Walz has issued a tracker which shows that about $282 million of federal funding has been cut from Minnesota already. There are also looming threats to Minnesota’s Medicaid program. This program costs about $18.5 billion a year, and about two-thirds of that funding comes from the federal government. SNAP (food assistance), TANF (Temporary Assistance for Families in Need), child support enforcement, housing vouchers, public health services, and healthcare coverage are just a few of the vital services Hennepin County receives federal funding to help provide. Additionally, for context, roughly 75% of HCMC patients receive Medical Assistance.
It is a challenging time to serve in government, and my top priority is to make sure our community remains protected and supported. We are working diligently to protect our county and residents.
If you have questions or need assistance navigating an issue - county-related or otherwise - please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office. We are here to help.
Minnesotans have always come together during difficult times, and I’m confident we will do so again.
With Gratitude,
Minneapolis Institute of Art Board Meeting
I attended my first 2025 Board meeting for the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (known as Mia) in my role as a County Commissioner! Mia has been supported by Hennepin County funds since 1911 when the County established the Park Museum Fund through a tax levy. This levy is distributed annually and constitutes a significant portion of Mia’s annual operating budget. This important fund was created to provide stable financial assistance to ensure we have a thriving art museum to provide cultural education and exposure to all Minnesotans. Be sure to check out the new art exhibitions highlighted below:
District 6 Office Spends Day with Hennepin Environmental Health
My office was fortunate enough to spend a day with the Hennepin Environmental Health team! A huge thank you to Paramjit and Perdip, owners of India Palace in Eden Prairie, for giving my office a behind-the-scenes tour of your restaurant and showcasing the strong practices you have in place to protect public health. It was really cool to see how naan is made as well!
We also appreciate Nick at the Eden Prairie Community Center for demonstrating the excellent work being done to maintain clean and safe pools that excel at meeting County safety standards!
The Hennepin County Public Health team is doing an outstanding job ensuring the health and safety of our residents. It’s great to see local businesses and facilities leading by example!
Guest Speaking at the Edina Rotary
It was an honor to speak with Edina Rotarians about the important work Hennepin County does every day, from housing to healthcare to human services. I am grateful for the invitation to address this group and speak with community members!
Presenting to Wayzata and Tonka Bay City Council Meetings
My tour of District 6 city council meetings continues! During the last week of March, I had the honor of giving updates on the work of Hennepin County to Wayzata and Tonka Bay City Councils. Thank you to both of these cities for having me, it was great to speak to city leadership and constituents.
Tour of the People Serving People Shelter in Minneapolis
Thank you to the team at People Serving People for welcoming me, Commissioner Marion Greene, and my team for a tour of your shelter. Your dedication to supporting families holistically is inspiring, and I value your partnership with Hennepin County. I look forward to working together to improve access to stable housing for all residents.
Ride-Along with the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office
I had the great opportunity to ride along with the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office and see the important work done in our community. Thank you to Deputy Saenz for allowing me to ride along with you - I appreciated the chance to see firsthand the dedication, professionalism, and challenges our Hennepin County deputies face every day. I am grateful to you and the patrol teams for your service to keep our community safe.
Final District 6 "Intern for a Day" of 2025
We hosted our final District 6 High School Intern for a Day event for 2025 - and what an incredible run it’s been! Over the past three months, we’ve welcomed bright, engaged students who spent the day with my team learning how county government works from the inside out.
Throughout the program, students had the unique opportunity to:
- Hear from Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt
- Learn from County Attorney Mary Moriarity
- Connect with County Administrator David Hough
- Ask questions of Star Tribune reporter Chris Magan
- Tour the Hennepin County Crime Lab
- Discover how forensic science plays a role in justice
- Enjoy a spirited debate about which cereal should be the official county cereal (Spoiler: Cheerios won - in a tight 4-3 vote!)
It was truly a pleasure to engage with such passionate young leaders. With students like these, I’m confident that the future is in good hands.
Our Intern for a Day program will return in February, March, and April of 2026. If you know a high school student who’d enjoy this unique experience, please encourage them to join us! The link will be sent to all District 6 high schools this fall to sign up!
State Legislative Service Honored with Congressional Record
It was an honor to receive a Congressional Record recognizing my public service in the Minnesota House of Representatives. My deepest thanks to Congresswoman Ilhan Omar for presenting me with this recognition - it meant so much to receive this.
National Library Week and Ridgedale Earth Day Event
What better way to enjoy National Library Week than joining me to celebrate Earth Day at the Ridgedale Earth Day Fair? It will take place at Ridgedale Library on April 19th from 11:00 am - 2:00 pm, and I will be speaking at the beginning of the program.
The Earth Day Fair will focus on climate change causes, impacts, and possible solutions. County officials, community partners, multiple city and county departments, students, teachers, and volunteers will provide resources, demonstrations, activities, and conversations to help us learn about climate change at the multi-station Earth Day Fair.
Stop into the Earth Day Fair to enjoy craft activities, listen to an Earth Day Family Storytime, watch a film showing of The Lorax, take part in a conversation about climate change to win a recycled book, and meet organizations and individuals working on solutions to environmental problems.
News from the Minnesota State Capitol
The legislature recently approved a budget resolution. Total net General Fund expenditures in the 2026-27 biennium will not exceed a hair less than $66.62 billion. A copy of the budget resolution sets the budget reserve account at $3.18 billion and the cash flow account at $350 million with approximately $1.6 billion being left on the bottom line.
“This was the first major test of our ability to work together under this power-sharing agreement and I’m really pleased that we passed that test and delivered a budget resolution on time,” said Rep. Zack Stephenson (DFL-Coon Rapids), who co-chairs the committee with Rep. Paul Torkelson (R-Hanska).
Four non-General Fund expenditure limits are in the resolution: Health Care Access Fund, Workforce Development Fund, Minnesota Forward Fund and the Premium Security Plan Account.
For the Health Care Access Fund, the resolution provides a $25 million increase over the planned spending amount for a health finance bill, thereby allowing that finance committee to spend this amount from the fund over their General Fund target.
For the final three items, the agreement effectively limits their spending to what was planned for the 2026-27 biennium.
The agreement also sets aside $124 million for a potential pensions bill, anticipates $87 million in cancellations of previous allocations, and sets aside $13.3 million for bills that may come through the House Ways and Means Committee aside from the finance budget bills.
You can find more details here.
Real ID Taking Effect
Beginning May 7, 2025, Minnesotans 18 years of age or older will not be able to use their standard driver's license or identification card to board domestic flights or enter certain federal facilities. Instead, they will need one of three options:
- Minnesota REAL ID driver's license or identification card.
- Minnesota Enhanced driver's license or identification card.
- Other federally-approved forms of identification. These include:
- U.S. passport or passport card
- Foreign government-issued passport
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Employment Authorization Card (I-766)
- Permanent resident card
- Border crossing card
- Federally recognized, tribal-issued photo ID
- U.S. Department of Defense ID, including IDs issued to dependents
If you are not sure which license type is right for you, check out the Driver Vehicle Services’ website here.
Join the District 6 Office for Volunteer Opportunities
Our District 6 office team will be working on connecting with the community this spring and summer through service.
If you know of an opportunity, please invite us! Otherwise, please join us for one of the opportunities listed below:
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April 25th from 2:00 - 5:00 pm in Eden Prairie: our District 6 office team (Raina, Clara and I) will unload 500 trees with Tree Trust. Sign up HERE!
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May 10th from 8:00 - 10:00 am in Edina: My family and I will be volunteering to help plant trees in Edina. Sign up to join us HERE!
Find all opportunities to volunteer with Hennepin County HERE.
Be on the lookout for your 2025 property tax statement to come in the mail. It will have the unique enrollment code you can use to sign up for electronic property notices. Learn more here.
Southdale Library Collection Move Complete
The Southdale Library collection has been moved to an offsite storage facility to prepare for the new-build project. While the collection will be closed to the public, materials will remain accessible through the holds process. When the new library opens in approximately three years, the collection will return for public browsing.
Fun facts:
- 179,000 books moved
- Collection weighed 55 tons (equivalent to 28 cars!)
- Books would span 1.56 miles if lined up book-to-book (8,276 linear feet)
Interested in receiving future updates on the project? Subscribe to the Southdale Library email list or visit the Southdale Library building project page.
Stay Connected!
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, Hennepin County District 6
About 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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County Information
Heather Edelson
Commissioner
6th District
Raina Meyer
Policy Director
612-348-3168
Clara Wicklund
Assistant to the Commissioner
612-248-6885
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