by Jackie Renzetti, MinnPost
June 10, 2026
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<p id=”h-“><em>MinnPost’s <a href=”https://www.minnpost.com/inside-minnpost/2026/04/minnpost-launches-twin-cities-documenters-program-hub-for-civic-engagement/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Twin Cities Documenters</a> program trains and pays community members to take notes at local government meetings. Below are Documenter Glen Johnson’s summary and observations from the <strong>June 2 meetings of the Hennepin County Board</strong> <strong>committees and the Housing and Redevelopment Authority. </strong>You can find Glen’s full note</em>s <a href=”https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gba3vW_hr4-lUxLiI7fYQCJ7vc2Am4bxlBO1wDRn19E/preview?tab=t.0″>here</a>, <em>which include links to the agenda and video recording.</em></p>
<h3 id=”h-related-hcmc-is-a-winner-in-the-legislative-deal-tim-walz-announced-wednesday-here-is-what-else-to-know” class=”wp-block-heading”><em><a href=”https://www.minnpost.com/state-government/2026/05/hennepin-county-medical-center-is-a-winner-in-the-legislative-deal-tim-walz-announced-wednesday-here-is-what-else-to-know/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Related: HCMC is a winner in the legislative deal Tim Walz announced Wednesday. Here is what else to know. </a></em></h3>
<h2 id=”h-summary-nbsp” class=”wp-block-heading”>Summary: </h2>
<p id=”h-summary-nbsp”><em>The board meets as committees to discuss issues in depth before voting on them as a full board. Even though all board members are present at each committee, these are only considered committee actions. Next, commissioners will take a final vote on these items at their formal board meeting. Each of the board members also serve on the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, which is included in these notes. </em></p>
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<li>The Administration, Operations and Budget (AOB) Committee received <a href=”https://hennepinmn.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?M=F&ID=4440946d-978c-43f9-bbc2-96ba23474c41.pdf”>a bimonthly presentation</a> on the status of the budget covering the January through April period.
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<li>The county anticipates $59 million in federal cuts in 2027 from SNAP (impacting food security), HUD (impacting housing security) and Medicaid (impacting county clinics).</li>
<li>Spending remains below budget and the full time equivalent (FTE) count (which measures labor hours, not number of workers) is 225 positions below this time last year. Staff highlighted that critical hiring is occurring. Strategies to save money will continue through the year in hiring, capital projects, and contract review.</li>
<li>Commissioners asked questions about the implications of federal cuts to both the county’s obligations and expected unmet needs as municipalities potentially make cuts to their own programs.</li>
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<li>The AOB authorized the county administrator to find <a href=”https://hennepinmn.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?m=l&id=/matter.aspx?key=4595″>consulting services to recruit board members for the new Hennepin Healthcare Board</a>.
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<li>The state legislation funding Hennepin Healthcare requires the creation of a new governance board consisting of 11-15 members, two of whom are sitting county commissioners. The contract amends an existing contract to identify and recruit at least nine individuals external to the county for the board, who will need to be appointed by Jan. 15, 2027.</li>
<li>Commissioners Lunde and Fernando commented on the pace of the work needed to both create the governing board and make long-term plans for the capital needs of the hospital by the 2027 legislative session.</li>
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<li>The Law, Safety and Justice Committee approved a $250,000 <a href=”https://hennepinmn.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?m=l&id=/matter.aspx?key=4543″>agreement with the city of Minneapolis to fund a position within the Hennepin County Attorneys Office Domestic Abuse Service Center (DASC) to provide victim support</a>.
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<li>The position specifically focuses on victim services in felony “gone on arrival” cases in Minneapolis, which are cases where a suspect has fled the scene before police arrive. The position is expanding on ongoing non-felony GOA work. Felony GOA cases are currently mainly covered by victim advocacy groups.</li>
<li>Commissioners expressed an interest in hearing more about this program and the felony/non-felony GOA victim services and how cities other than Minneapolis handle these cases.</li>
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<li>The Housing & Redevelopment Authority:
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<li>Approved <a href=”https://hennepinmn.legistar.com/gateway.aspx?m=l&id=/matter.aspx?key=4563″>a $710,000 loan</a> to Bickham Court Limited Partnership, which is the new owner of 56-unit affordable housing building in St. Louis Park after the former owner, Perspectives, declared bankruptcy.</li>
<li>Approved <a href=”https://hennepinmn.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=8042823&GUID=455EF50C-B58E-4FEC-8BD0-98D3E638C629″>$1.7 million in five “Transit Oriented Communities” grants</a> on a unanimous voice vote. Greene and Conley absent.</li>
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<h2 id=”h-observations-and-follow-up-questions-nbsp” class=”wp-block-heading”>Observations and follow up questions: </h2>
<p><strong><em>Accessibility:</em></strong><em> Did you face any challenges that made it harder to document the meeting or that may have made it difficult for others to attend? </em></p>
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<li>In person attendance requires going through security. </li>
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<p><strong><em>Scene: </em></strong><em>About how many members of the public attended the meeting? If watching virtually, what was the livestream count (if applicable)? Was anyone protesting outside? </em></p>
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<li> No visible attendees outside of staff.</li>
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<p><strong><em>Notable: </em></strong><em>Do you have any follow up questions or other observations to share? </em></p>
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<li>The rapid work needed to meet the state law’s requirements regarding the Hennepin Healthcare governing board will likely mean it comes up at most future meetings this summer and fall.</li>
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<h2 id=”h-how-to-get-involved” class=”wp-block-heading”>How to get involved:</h2>
<p><em>When is the next meeting for this board/committee? Any upcoming public hearings? Online surveys? </em></p>
<p> The full board meets on June 11th at 1:30pm.</p>
<h3 id=”h-related-with-hcmc-s-survival-threatened-staff-and-leaders-call-for-state-action” class=”wp-block-heading”><em><a href=”https://www.minnpost.com/community-health/2026/04/with-hcmc-survival-threatened-staff-and-leaders-call-for-state-action/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Related: With HCMC’s survival threatened, staff and leaders call for state action</a></em></h3>
<h2 id=”h-more-context” class=”wp-block-heading”>More context:</h2>
<p>Read Documenter Glen Johnson’s full notes <a href=”https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gba3vW_hr4-lUxLiI7fYQCJ7vc2Am4bxlBO1wDRn19E/preview?tab=t.0″>here</a>, which include links to the agenda and video recording. View our full database of notes <a href=”https://twincities.documenters.org/reporting/”>here</a>.</p>
<p>Want to become a Documenter? You can start by <a href=”https://www.documenters.org/become-a-documenter/”>making an account here</a>.</p>
<p>This <a target="_blank" href="https://www.minnpost.com/documenters/2026/06/documenters-report-county-moves-to-revive-hennepin-healthcare-board-by-january/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.minnpost.com">MinnPost</a> and is republished here under a <a target="_blank" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src="https://www.minnpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/favicon.png" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;"></p>
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