Committee - Regular Meeting

And thank you, everybody, for coming today. Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the Administration Operations and Budget Committee of Thursday, August 13, 2026. I'll start the meeting with our item one, which is minutes from the previous meeting of July 28, 2026. Do I have a motion?

Move approval.

It's been moved and seconded. Any corrections or changes? All those in favor, signify by aye. Aye. Those opposed? motion have it we're going to move to the open appointments but I'm going to wait till the crowd clears here for the this is for the 2026 watershed board applicants appointments for nine mile creek watershed there are three applicants for this board we do all three have had a recording so as soon as as soon as this quiets down out here we will ask for the staff to play those we'll give it a couple minutes

board of managers.

Can you wait to play these? Can you wait to play? We're still waiting for the crowd to clear and people are coming back in. Okay, I think we can play the recordings. Thank you.

Considering me to fill the at-large position on the Nymel Creek Board of Managers, I have lived in the district since 2004, and I immensely enjoy the diversity of habitats within walking distance of our house near Marsh Lake and Bloomington. In light of my professional career, I feel that I would be a good fit for the board. I believe that stewarding the district's resources leads to a better community by preserving habitat, which in turn provides recreational and educational opportunities for residents and visitors. Before retiring, I spent nearly 34 years as a professional engineer working in various roles focused on water resources management. I experienced ranges from sizing hydraulic bridge openings and storm sewer systems to managing large pond restoration projects. For the last 13 years of my career, I worked in Bloomington Engineering Department's water resources group, where I gained a firsthand insight into the functions of the Nine Mile Creek watershed district. As you may know, Nine Mile Creek flows through Bloomington before it discharges to the Minnesota River and roughly 60% of Bloomington's area drains to the creek. This gave me many opportunities to work collaboratively with the district on improvement projects, public outreach, development reviews, and construction site inspections. I feel that Both the city and the watershed district have done a good job of protecting the creek so that I can be a resource for future generations. It will be up to the board of managers to find creative ways to counter the effects of climate change, foster responsible growth, and continue to be fiscally responsible. I believe that my skills as an administrator and a technical professional will assist in this effort. I thank you for your time.

Emily Johanik leaving my three-minute message about my application for the board of the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District. I am interested in being a board member because I care a lot about the environment. I just finished up a launch to legume grant through the state of Minnesota this summer. I'm generally interested in the natural world. I'm also a member of the Minnesota Mycological Society. I've been brushing up on identifying mushrooms and different kinds of fungus that grow around here. I'm really interested in mentoring and outreach. I'm a founding member of Access Hopkins, which is a group of citizens who lobbies the city for better bike infrastructure and active transportation options. And earlier this year I created a survey I was hoping to post in some businesses in the spring and things got away from me and I wasn't able to, but the city used my ideas to put out their own survey. So that was really great. I was involved in getting the mountain bike trail built at Lone Lake Park in Minnetonka. I went to a lot of city meetings about that. I am a coach for the Hopkins High School mountain bike team. I am a snowboard instructor for Blizzard Ski and Snowboard School. um a while back when i was going to college at normandale i was tutoring in math physics and chemistry so i do have a background in math and science a very analytical mind looking forward to learning more about issues in the watershed i'm an avid reader not afraid to pick up a book to dig a little deeper on topics or you know read articles or watch youtube videos or whatever i need to do to pay my bills i'm an accountant I'm really good with Excel. I love charts and graphs and just generally organizing data into visual form. I really like coming up with creative solutions to problems. I think we've already come up with a few things, talking with Gail down at the watershed. So I'm just really looking forward to continuing to work with her and the rest of the folks down there. The things I'm most excited about are learning for myself and public outreach. Thank you so much for your time.

Greetings Hennepin County Board of Commissioners. My name is Chrisanne Luria and I am here to express my interest in serving a second term as a board member for the Nine Mile Creek Watershed District. During my three years on the board, I have been committed to environmental stewardship and the management and protection of our water, our vital water resources. I have also focused on fostering collaboration between the city of Bloomington, where I reside, and the watershed district. Together, we can promote sustainable practices and initiatives that enhance the community's water resources and conservation efforts. I have a background in natural resources and experience in ecological management, native plant restoration, and volunteer coordination. I've demonstrated my dedication to both environmental stewardship and community engagement. My goal has always been to apply sound scientific principles to ensure the sustainability of our water resources while also safeguarding public health and welfare. I believe my experience and dedication align well with Watershed District's ongoing goals and I am eager to further apply my skills to manage, preserve, and enhance our watershed's water bodies and our natural resources. Thank you for your consideration.

And that concludes our interviews for today. A motion to progress to the next board meeting is in order. So moved. Second. All those in favor signify by aye. Aye. Motion carries. We have a couple of new business, two routine items, but they're very different, so I'm going to read them separately. The first one is item 3A's amendment to an agreement with the Native American Community Development Institute, NACDI, to provide community engagement and the creation of a community garden.

Commissioner Connolly.

With a not to exceed of $12,300 for a new total of $156,530. Do I have a motion? I will move that. Second. Does anyone want any further comments? You just want to make a comment? Go ahead. Thank you, Madam Chair.

I'm just going to sing the praises right quick of NACDI and the work they're doing in the community in and around Little Earth. in the south side of Minneapolis around food access, fresh food access, and preservation of food resources. So they're just an amazing organization, and this work has been going on for quite some time, and it's very, very popular. And I am not biased at all, but the best butternut squash that you have ever had in your life, you will have tasted through NACD in Little Earth. Thank you.

Great seeds. Yeah. All those in favor signify by aye. Aye. Motion carries. Item 3B is to authorize acceptance of additional funding from the CDC for childhood lead poisoning prevention, extending the term to 9-29-27. increasing the receivable by $508,253 for a new total to receive amount of $1.8 million. I'll move this. Second. And I just want to say that this has always been near and dear to my heart, all the lead removal and everything. I just wish we could speed it up and do it faster. But this is the dollars that we have, and we're grateful for the CDC to do this. Any other comments, colleagues? All those in favor signify by aye. Aye. Aye. Motion carries. We have several items for discussion and action. Number 3C is to set Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission 2027 max levy at $2,862,900 for projects to improve water quality. May I have a motion? Move approval. Second. It's been seconded. Mr. Rogan.

Madam Chair, Christopher Gensel is here to speak to this item and to 3C through 3F, so all of them. Okay.

Welcome.

Chair, Commissioners, the resolution before you requests authorization.

You're not on. Your mic's not on. I don't worry, Kenny. There it goes. Thank you.

I'll start again. Madam Chair, Commissioners, the resolution before you requests authorization to set the Bass Creek Watershed Management Commission's 2027 maximum levy at $2,862,900. Bassett Creek is located in the central portion of the county and includes all or parts of the cities of Crystal, Golden Valley, Medicine Lake, Minneapolis, Minnetonka, New Hope, Plymouth, Robbinsdale, and St. Louis Park. The requested special levy will fund five projects benefiting the water quality in Bassett Creek, Plymouth Creek, and in downstream water resources, including the Mississippi River. There will be additional opportunities for discussion of the levy at the county budget and truth and taxation hearings later this year. The special levy is placed only on properties within the Bassett Creek watershed. At this time, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. We also have Laura Jester, the administrator for the watershed, that's also available to answer any specific questions as well.

Any questions?

Please, Commissioner. I don't have any questions. I just want to express gratitude to Laura and the team and to the entire commission. For those watching at home, the watersheds have a kind of independent and interconnected process that we, the county board, get to approve. What is being referenced here are five very vetted projects that have engaged in a multi-year review. And I just want to commend the Bass Creek Watershed Commission for getting quite the spread There's Golden Valley, Minneapolis, Theoworth, Crystal. I know it's been a big lift to get to this level, and I really appreciate the due diligence and am eager to support this. Thank you.

Thank you. Any other comments or questions? All those in favor, signify by aye. Aye. Motion carries. The next one is to approve a minor plan amendment to the Elm Creek Watershed Management Plan, set Elm Creek Watershed Management Commission 2027 max levy, at $520,150 for projects to improve the water quality. I'll move this. Do I have a second? Second. Seconded. Please.

Thank you, Madam Chair. And I have a very similar introduction for this one, too. I'll try to be fast. The resolution before you requests approval of a minor plan amendment from Creek Watershed Management Commission's Watershed Management Plan and authorization of their 2027 max levy at $520,150. Elm Creek Watershed is located in the northern portion of the county and includes parts of the cities of Champlin, Corcoran, Dayton, Maple Grove, Medina, Plymouth, and Rogers. The plan amendment adds one project to the Watershed Commission's capital improvement plan, and county staff are recommending approval of this amendment. The requested special levy will fund three water quality projects in the cities of Champlin and Maple Grove. Similar to the Bassett introduction I provided, each of these will come up again at the Truth in Taxation hearings later this year, and any projects on the special levy are within the Elm Creek watershed. At this time, I'm happy to answer any more questions.

Questions? Colleagues? Comments? All those in favor, signify by aye. Aye. Motion carries. The next one is to approve a minor plan amendment to the Shingle Creek Watershed Management Plan. Set Shingle Creek Watershed Management Commission 2027 max levy at $159,075 for projects to improve water quality. I'll move it. I'll second. Please.

THE RESOLUTION BEFORE YOU REQUESTS APPROVAL OF A MINOR PLAN AMENDMENT TO THE SHINGLE CREEK WATERSHED MANAGEMENT COMMISSION'S WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLAN AND AUTHORIZATION OF THE 2027 MAX LEVY AT $159,075. THE SHINGLE CREEK WATERSHED IS LOCATED WITHIN THE CENTRAL PART OF THE COUNTY AND INCLUDES PORTIONS OF THE CITIES OF BROOKLYN CENTER, BROOKLYN PARK, CRYSTAL, MAPLE GROVE, MINNEAPOLIS, NEW HOPE, OSSEO, PLYMOUTH, AND ROBINSDALE. The requested special levy will fund one water quality project in the city of Maple Grove. This project is proposed to be added to the Watershed Commission's capital improvement plan as part of a plan amendment, and county staff are recommending approval of the amendment. There will be additional opportunities for discussion of this levy at the county budget and truth and taxation hearings later this year, and the special levy is placed only on properties within the Schenkel Creek watershed. I'm happy to take any questions.

Questions, colleagues? Seeing none, all in favor signify by aye. Aye. Motion carries. And the next one is 3F, to approve a minor plan amendment to the West Mississippi Watershed Management Plan. Set West Mississippi Watershed Management Commission 2027 max levy at $106,050 for projects to improve the water quality. Do I have a motion? Second. Second.

RESOLUTION BEFORE YOU REQUESTS APPROVAL OF A MINOR AMENDMENT TO THE WEST MISSISSIPPI WATERSHED MANAGEMENT COMMISSION'S WATERSHED MANAGEMENT PLAN AND AUTHORIZATION TO SET THE 2027 MAX LEVY AT $106,050. WEST MISSISSIPPI WATERSHED IS LOCATED IN THE NORTHEASTERN PART OF THE COUNTY AND INCLUDES PORTIONS OF THE CITIES OF BROOKLYN CENTER, BROOKLYN PARK, CHAMPLIN, MAPLE GROVE, AND OSSEO. THE REQUESTED SPECIAL LEVY WILL FUND ONE WATER QUALITY PROJECT IN THE CITY OF MAPLE GROVE, AND THIS PROJECT IS PROPOSED TO BE ADDED TO THE WATERSHED COMMISSION'S CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PL There will be additional opportunities for discussion of the levy at the county budget, truth, and taxation hearings later this year. And the special levy is proposed only for properties within the West Mississippi watershed. At this time, I'm happy to answer any questions.

Questions, colleagues, comments? All those in favor, signify by aye. Aye. Motion carries. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate the synopsis. Item 3G is our last item on our agenda is to... direct county administration to explore cost-sharing, shared service, or joint delivery models with state and local government entities and to develop a report that details plans, processes, and recommendations for the county board on opportunities to achieve tangible cost savings, improve service delivery, or enhance operational efficiency through formal partnerships. I'll move this. I'll second it. Mr. Rogan.

Madam Chair, as you just mentioned, this resolution directs county administration to formally explore cost sharing and shared service models. The background highlights that the county, like many local jurisdictions, is facing budget challenges here and into the foreseeable future. This is due to a variety of factors, and we know that the needs of our residents are not going away. At a time like this, it's essential that we explore service models that can generate cost savings for residents and improve services. We've heard that message from each of you over the past several months. And as you all know, we have a strong history of such collaborations in Hennepin County with cities and counties. For example, our medical examiner's office, the Hennepin County 911 system, county assessing services. There's many more examples. And we really want to build on that history. This BAR puts in place a process for a strategic analysis of possible future collaborations. Through the BAR, we will do three different things. One, we're really going to create an inventory of existing partnerships and look around Minnesota and the country to review and learn from other jurisdictions about such collaborations. Second, we're going to identify new possible partnerships that could happen in the short term and in the long term. As you all know, some of these collaborations take many, many years to get to fruition. And we really want to create a process for how these possible partnerships can be explored. And then third, we're going to provide the board with a report on this work that will include an analysis of potential future collaborations by the end of the first quarter of 2027. And with that, Madam Chair, I'm happy to answer any questions.

Commissioner Fernando.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So I just want to thank the administration for putting the memo together that informed this and this board action. Colleagues, we have been talking budget all year with a lot of the sentiment that is contained in this board action, and we were getting to a point with budget briefings and board briefings where it seemed very prudent to have some version of method, and that is what a county admin kind of offered in that memo that we received and in this accompanying bar. So I want to first express gratitude. This is, as we saw in public comment today, a very unprecedented, unusual, a really frightful time for a lot of our residents. And so to have in the whereas clauses kind of codified, we hear from residents, I'm nervous that my story isn't being told at my EXPERIENCES BEING ERASED. AND SO IN THE WHEREAS CLAUSES, REALLY, I THINK IT'S VERY POSITIVE THAT WE SAY WE HAD A BIG LEVY LAST YEAR. AND THAT'S INFORMING THAT PROPERTY TAXES CANNOT BEAR ALL OF THIS SHIFT. to really be educational with the whereas clauses as well as placing us into this moment where there is acute need and acute concern. Under the resolving clauses, this is methodical. This is looking at various factors. I just wanted to offer my positive feedback. You know, I think you're right on we are building upon a long history of partnering with other counties, with the state, and with municipalities. What that past history I don't think was all at once. So that's where for the public, for other municipalities, we might not be able to phase everything in at the same time the way that it could have been in a different time period. And so I think, colleagues, this really adds kind of structure to that. I think that's very positive. Residents have asked, well, how did the library part work? Like when it folded into one system, how did the medical examiner have that multi-county? So I don't think that needs to be in the report. But there is a curiosity from residents. I think the language you're using is cost sharing. You know, residents have to pay property taxes. to many governments. And so how are we reducing that overall burden for residents wanting to know how we did it well in the past? I think those are probably good stories to tell. I don't think it needs to be in the report, but I wanted to express that. Two more things for me. One, I noticed that the city of Minneapolis was in the paper talking about consolidating departments That's our class one city. That is a huge, huge lift. I know we've been saying and I've been saying from this day it's that interest, but I just want to manage some expectations. There is no folding in that is easy or straightforward in the year 2026, especially not with a class one city. So I know there's been a lot in the paper. That is not a flipping of the light switch. And so I wanted to address that. And kind of with that, I wanted to share that I happen to have a same position and a revised position since we've all been talking about this. I've long said that we should fold in health departments with the city. I'm particularly interested in housing inspection and 311 and that data being more streamlined. It shouldn't be so hard for us to get a sense of data from our municipalities. Second, that's a refined position, I guess. I do have a revision. I had at one point said that I think we should fold in crime labs. I personally think that's a state function. I don't see how counties can take on everything. I know we have county colleagues across the state who have expressed desiring shifting social services to the state. My colleagues, just in transparency, have a different position. I believe that Hennepin County should do social services, but perhaps there are some functions that route to the state that should be considered. I know none of this is for tomorrow, but just for transparency, I wanted to offer my gratitude for the Board action and to update my colleagues on my current thinking. Thank you, Madam Chair.

Commissioner Green. um thank you madam chair i also just wanted to voice appreciation for this bar i think as you reflected it's something that we've all been interested in and you named some great examples in our history and i was struck as you said that that it reminded me of what i've learned about the history of county government being sort of this gradual regional consolidation of things that we're doing on a regional basis so it just makes perfect sense and this really does feel like the time for it and There are a couple of things that have come up in the last number of years. The assessor's office is one thing that I know has been sort of an ongoing dialogue. And there's been maybe not a wholesale change, but a shift. And that's just one example and one example of one way to do it. There are lots of different ways to do it. But I'm really interested in this work. And we know that other jurisdictions are as well. So thank you. Commissioner Lundy.

Thank you, Madam Chair. Echo all the comments. I do think the crime lab is something to look at, because I do think a partnership can be a state partnership as well, that it can be not just city and county, it can be the three of us. I do think there's opportunity for Minneapolis, Hennepin County, and BCA to put something together as things change. I think there is interest at the cities. I remember last year we were taking some heat from some cities on tech property assessments, and this year suddenly everybody finds that to be a really good idea as they're trying to balance their budgets. And I think that's great because that's what it's about. I mean, there's services that no one checks the license plate to see who's delivering it. I have yet to have a single person ever tell me that they're mad because not one person arrived really fast and prompt and didn't have their city's name on the fire department. I do think there's things that we would take a look at if we can do, and I'll say one. I think we need to look at transit. I don't think our partner is interested in delivering transit to all of our residents. I never thought that as mayor of Brooklyn Park that we were being served well by transit agency, and so I think there are lots of opportunities to take a look at things, and I know that it takes years for some of this stuff to happen, but if you don't start, never happen i think now is the time is right because everybody's starting to look at their property tax impacts and this is actually a very healthy time to look at that my city of brooklyn center brooklyn park combining swat teams we have opportunities i think for specialized units i know that the fire chiefs and the sheriff's department are going to have conversation about arson investigations Because historically, the county actually did it all. And then over time, it kind of morphed out. And now I think that fact of how do you find people who want to do that work when you only need them once a year. So I think that regional approach makes sense at so many levels. And I take to heart, I think it was a former commissioner of Department of Revenue who had the op-ed in the Star Tribune talking about it's time for cities, counties, and state to look at how do we do things better together than separately. And I think there's lots of opportunities. And I just want to cheer this on because there's some stuff that we will start a conversation that won't happen until maybe we're all gone from the board. But it had to start somewhere. I do think 911 dispatch is another area ripe. The last thing I'll just say is I think one of the areas where the county has an advantage is When we take on a large software contract or a large contract that when we do that, even if the partnership is just everyone uses a common system rather than each purchasing their own license, I think that's an opportunity to help drive savings and then provide for that data sharing that we all kind of want to see when we're talking about certain aspects. So thank you.

Thank you. Commissioner Anderson.

Thank you, Madam Chair. You know, definitely expressing appreciation for this and looking for all ways that we can be more efficient and deliver services to our residents in a better way. I think, you know, it was brought up kind of some of the historical context of systems that have started either at a county level and then gotten broken down into cities, now looking at bringing them back. I think there's also a tendency of, you know, transit's a great example of where If it's not being delivered well, cities end up trying to take it on their own. And then doing things in a way that is limited and only with the resources that they have. And so I want to make sure that as we're going through this that we're also looking at how we make sure that we're delivering or that the service is being delivered well, whether it is by us or a regional entity or the state or whatever it might be, that we are looking at the entirety of what we and our residents expect from a service. I completely agree, like, the assessing service is a great example of making sure that we're doing the work, we're doing it well, consistently, There's metrics that we're following. We can turn back to it. Like, rah, rah, let's keep doing that. And I think there's so much, you know, transit's one thing where different communities have very, very different feelings about it. And I have different feelings than some other people in my own community. So, like, I... Find what we can do. Let's make sure that we're doing it well and that we are able to continue putting residents at the forefront of how we're delivering these services because that's what all of this is about, is making sure that our residents are being served. So thank you.

Thank you. I think that's a really good point. My point here was very similar. Quality, cost effective. How do we do that? We've been talking for a while about the regionality of things. And I think Commissioner Fernando brings it up at all of our budget meetings. So thank you. It's always top of mind. And there's a long list for my colleagues already. So I'm not going to add to that. But this is lots of work. You have lots to do in a short period of time. And I'm looking forward to seeing if we're going to make any headway on any of these. So Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Any final comments? All those in favor signify by aye. Aye. Motion carries. And that concludes our agenda. Thank you.