The Hennepin County Board of Commissioners held several committee meetings on Tuesday while taking public comment for the first time. The largest discussion of the meeting was about the future development of Hennepin Healthcare System facilities in downtown Minneapolis around HCMC.
The item on the agenda today was to pay a company, Cannon Design, Inc, to create a 10-year framework to improve and redevelop the aging HHS campus. Part of the nearly $1.7 million approved Tuesday will fund initial planning for a behavioral healthcare facility and an inpatient hospital tower.
The cost for the inpatient bed tower would be the biggest overall costs in the planned projects. It’s expected to cost upwards of $2 billion, but the county is still exploring how many beds the facility will have which could dramatically change the cost.
Funding for the all the projects was a major concern between commissioners because they believe the state and federal government should be paying part of the bill. HHS is a level 1 pediatric and adult trauma center serving seriously injured and ill people from across Minnesota not just Hennepin County. Hennepin Healthcare says as a Level I Trauma Center, they must ensure that operating rooms, surgeons, imaging, labs, and all the services needed to care for seriously ill or injured patients are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For this reason, commissioners want to make sure the county does what it can to secure outside funding so the burden of paying for the new facilities isn’t placed solely on Hennepin County taxpayers.
Looking at future funding, the commissioners also noted the end of the ballpark tax which would go away during the final stages of projects including the inpatient bed tower. The tax provides tens of millions of dollars each year to the county and part goes to pay for the Hennepin Healthcare system.
The Administration, Operations and Budget Committee also listened to dozens of interviews for boards and councils including the Adult Mental Health Local Advisory Council, The Human Resources Board and Hennepin County Library Board. No action was taken as more interviews needed to be heard by the board.
The Law, Safety and Justice Committee, Public Works Committee, Human Services Committee and the Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority also met following public comment.
There were no in-person comments, but there was one recorded comment. A citizen expressed concerns about the safety on the corner of 2nd and 5th ave. in downtown Minneapolis.
These public comments are not part of the recordings of board meetings, and the board does not discuss or react to comments. Any member of the public can address the board about county matters in person for up to two minutes on days where there are committee meetings. People can also leave a recorded message at 612-348-3100 that will be played during the public comment section.
Commissioners’ meetings continue to be held at the 625 building across the street from the Hennepin County government center. There is no meeting next week following the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday on Monday.
