 Dear Neighbors,
As I walk through our vibrant neighborhoods of District 6, I'm constantly reminded of what makes our community special: our resilience, our diversity, and our commitment to taking care of one another. These values guide my work as your County Commissioner, especially as we face unprecedented challenges to our housing security.
President Trump is planning to propose devastating cuts to federal housing programs that our community relies on, including 100% elimination of Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and HOME Investment Partnerships, along with a 44% reduction in rental assistance programs like Section 8 vouchers and Section 202 housing for seniors. These cuts would convert remaining rental assistance to state block grants with a two-year limit for able-bodied adults, ignoring the realities of our housing market and the ongoing challenges many working families face.
In our latest HRA briefing this week, I learned that in Ramsey County alone, these cuts would affect approximately 17,000 housing units, with many concentrated in our district. This represents a potential $140 million annual loss to our county.
As your HRA Chair, I am working closely with our departments to assess the full scope of impacts, advocate at federal and state levels against these harmful cuts, develop contingency plans to protect our most vulnerable residents, and strengthen local programs like our Critical Corridors initiative to boost economic development and housing options.
However, I again urge you to do your civic duty and reach out to federal lawmakers in effort to protect our community's most vulnerable residents and the critical housing programs they depend on.
In solidarity,
Mai Chong Xiong
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We’ve officially launched our monthly in-person and virtual office hours! |
 Whether you prefer to connect face-to-face or from the comfort of your home, we’re here to meet you where you are. If our scheduled times don’t work for you, feel free to reach out. We’re always happy to find a time that does.
Sign-up here!
 I had the joy of serving as a guest judge at the Teens Cook-Off Challenge, the grand finale of the Cooking Matters course at Humboldt High School! This incredible program, led by Urban Village and the University of Minnesota Extension, brought students together for six weeks of hands-on cooking and nutrition education.
From the moment I walked in, the room was buzzing with creativity, teamwork, and pride. These young chefs wowed us with bold flavors, thoughtful presentations, and dishes that reflected everything they had learned throughout the course!
Programs like this don’t happen by accident. Thanks to the support of the Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy Center, these students had the chance to learn real-life skills while having fun and building connections. Thanks for investing in our youth!
 Every year, the County Board meets to discuss Ramsey County's values, missions, and goals. This year, we received updates to the changing demographics in population, poverty, and needs in services. Our general population is shrinking as it grows more diverse while our senior population is growing, creating a potential in which our future workforce may struggle to keep up with the demands of housing, care, and essential services.
I emphasized the need to protect our tax base and ensure that public investments are aligned with long-term community needs, including affordable housing, workforce development, public infrastructure, and economic opportunity for all residents.
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"I’m just curious about why, in a part of our city where we have some of the highest property values, we would need to amend this TIF district." |
At this week's board meeting, I took the lead to lay over Board Item 2025-159, Amendment to the Minimum Assessment Agreement for the Ford Site TIF District to create more time for discussion of potential effects to taxpayers. The developers require support from the Saint Paul City Council, the Ramsey County Board, and the Saint Paul School Board to move forward with the amendments to the original agreements before beginning construction.
I laid this item over to allow county staff to provide a clearer breakdown of the financial impacts, ensure full transparency on the changes being proposed, and give the public and my colleagues additional time to weigh in on how these amendments could affect our long-term tax base and shared priorities like affordable housing, infrastructure, and education.
The City Council, after assurances that there would be no impact to the levy and with no additional requests of public subsidies from the City, have voted in favor of the amendments. The request for a second amendment of the minimum assessment will return to the County Board next week.
Read the news article here.
As part of my continued efforts to address environmental justice on the East Side amidst the ongoing concerns with Northern Iron, my office has convened a joint discussion with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) and our Public Health Department to improve outreach and engagement with impacted residents.
We focused on coordinating targeted efforts around soil testing, air quality monitoring, and access to lead testing programs. These are critical tools for residents living near industrial sites like Northern Iron, where health risks linked to long-term exposure have gone unaddressed for far too long. Our goal is to ensure families not only have the data they need but also the support to take protective action.
Following that meeting, our Public Health department is leading several upcoming efforts:
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Soil Testing (SoilSHOP): In partnership with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), we are organizing a Soil Screening, Health, Outreach, and Partnership (SoilSHOP) event this summer. Residents will be able to bring soil from their gardens or yards to be tested for lead, free of charge. Event details to come.
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Indoor Soot Advocacy: We are working to advocate for independent third-party indoor soot testing. Many residents have reported black soot entering their homes, and while outdoor contamination has been documented, there has yet to be coordinated testing of indoor exposure. We are initiating conversations with MPCA and continuing to engage MDH on this critical health concern.
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HEPA Vacuum Rentals & Soil Remediation: Through a new partnership with the Minnesota Tool Library, Ramsey County is developing a no-cost HEPA vacuum rental program to help residents reduce indoor lead dust. Additional remediation efforts include raised garden bed support and free food-scrap compost for impacted households.
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Education and Outreach: Ramsey County staff will be present at the SoilSHOP event to deliver in-person education and distribute customized materials about soil contamination, gardening safety, and lead exposure. Public Health is also compiling a full suite of fact sheets and resources in multiple languages to distribute through our outreach team.
More details will be shared as these programs are finalized. In the meantime, our office remains committed to making sure East Side families have access to science-based health protections, multilingual outreach, and meaningful agency accountability.
Payments will be accepted via U.S. mail, at secure form drop-off locations and electronically. Payments must be postmarked on or before May 15 to avoid penalty.
Property taxes are paid in two installments per year, either through escrow from your mortgage provider, or directly by the taxpayer. If you have an escrow account with your mortgage provider, no action is required. If you are unsure, please contact your mortgage provider.
Property tax payments will be accepted via U.S. mail, at secure form drop-off locations and electronically.
Learn more here.
We are excited to announce that the 2025 Housing Development Solicitation is now OPEN!
Eligible projects in the 2025 Solicitation will include:
- The new construction of affordable rental housing
- The acquisition and rehabilitation of rental housing
- The preservation and rehabilitation of existing affordable housing
- The acquisition/rehabilitation or construction of affordable owner-occupied housing.
An online information webinar will be held on May 1, 2025. Applications are due May 29. Learn more at www.ramseycounty.us/housinginvestments.
Please email askCED@co.ramsey.mn.us with any questions!
Seeking Volunteers for Ramsey County Advisory Boards and Committees
The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners is currently seeking individuals to serve on various advisory boards and committees.
Details about these opportunities are listed below. Interested applicants may apply online. View more information and access online application.
Community Health Services Advisory Committee (CHSAC)
Community Health Services Advisory Committee advises the Ramsey County Board and the Saint Paul City Council on public health programs and services, actively participates in policy development, determining community health needs and engages in public health advocacy.
For questions regarding CHSAC, please contact Cathy St.Michel.
Parks and Recreation Commission
The Ramsey County Parks & Recreation Commission advises the Parks & Recreation department and Ramsey County Board of Commissioners on matters relating to the planning, development and operation of the county's parks, trails, open space and recreation facilities.
For questions regarding Parks and Recreation Commission, please contact Angie Marlette or Mark McCabe.
Personnel Review Board
Board members' duties include: to hear disciplinary appeals by veterans relating to discharge or suspension to review other disciplinary appeals after an Administrative Law Judge has heard them to hear non-disciplinary appeals and to review the Human Resources department as directed by the county board.
For questions about the Personnel Review Board, please contact Molly Hoffman.
Ramsey County Charter Commission
- 1 vacancy for each of the following districts: District 2, District 4, District 6, and District 7.
The Charter Commission is a 17-member body responsible for maintaining Ramsey County's Home Rule Charter.
The charter is like the constitution for county government, spelling out its duties and responsibilities. Ramsey County is the only one of Minnesota's 87 counties to be governed by home rule - all others are governed by state laws.
The commission's duty is to periodically review the charter and propose necessary amendments and recommends proposals from the public. The commission has the authority to submit proposed amendments to an election.
For questions about the Ramsey County Charter Commission, please contact Chief Clerk.
Click here to apply today!
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