Kevin Anderson - Hennepin County Commissioner District 7

10/28/2026

This morning, I joined Hennepin County Commissioners Angela Conley and Heather Edelson, at the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District headquarters in St. Paul to kick off a major upgrade to MMCD's building! "Vectoria" the mosquito also joined in the celebration.

MMCD's entomology lab will be redesigned to accommodate more full-time staff and seasonal technicians, and a pathogen detection lab will be added to allow for expanded disease monitoring.

Part of that expansion involves increased ability to test for diseases caused by mosquitoes and ticks. Previously, MMCD used a rapid antigen test to detect West Nile virus (WNV) in mosquito samples. An updated pathogen detection laboratory will offer increased capacity and improved accuracy in testing for WNV and additional mosquito-borne diseases like La Crosse encephalitis and Eastern equine encephalitis.

10/27/2026

Today the County Board heard from James Wisker, Administrator of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, on how the district and Hennepin County are working together on "Building a Balanced Urban Ecology". A big topic today was MCWD's flood response plan.

The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District covers 178 square miles and 129 lakes across 29 cities, including Mound, St. Bonifacius, Minnetrista, Maple Plain, Independence, Medina and part of Plymouth here in District 7.

See the presentation here: https://hennepinmn.legistar.com/View.ashx?M=F&ID=16088467&GUID=8B6C0DF0-27FA-4FB2-83E7-9C2F41F883A6

10/27/2026

Yesterday, the County Board reviewed the 2027 Public Health budget. Here's why that work is so important.

There is a downward trend in vaccinations across the county, and communities - even here in Minnesota - are facing measles outbreaks as a result. Here in Hennepin County, we have maintained a low count of measles infections, which is impressive when you consider that Hennepin County is the most populous county in the state.

I am so proud of the work our Public Health team does, and we can see that in the outcomes.

10/12/2026

Hennepin County is hosting our second annual Student Art Content! 6th through 12th grade students who live in or attend school in Hennepin County may participate.

Don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions.

10/08/2026

Do you live or work in the City of Medina, Minnesota or visit there somewhat often?

The City of Medina and Hennepin County are exploring the potential for on-demand or "micro-transit" service to certain areas and destinations.

Take a moment to complete the survey to help us gauge general interest and inform planning for a potential Medina micro-transit pilot program: https://beheardhennepin.org/medina-micro-transit-pilot/surveys/medina-micro-transit-pilot

On demand or "micro-transit" is a type of public transit service. This service is for everyone, and it does not have eligibility requirement. Micro-transit service uses small transit buses, and it operates much like a rideshare program. Users can request and schedule pickup times and locations, then choose a drop-off location within a specified area or predetermined locations outside that area.

The pilot program being considered would expand existing Plymouth Metrolink Click-and-Ride service into parts of Medina. Information gathered will also be used to gauge interest in other long-term transit planning initiatives.

10/07/2026

Today at 12pm, the Hennepin County Government Board of Commissioners is holding budget hearings for Public Works, and Law, Safety & Justice. The budget hearing schedule, recordings of the meetings, and more are posted here: www.hennepincounty.gov/budgets

There are a number of ways for residents to provide feedback to Commissioners throughout the County's budget process this fall.

CALL & RECORD A MESSAGE: The day after a budget hearing, residents may call in between 7am - 11am and record a message for Commissioners regarding the previous day's hearing. The number to call is (612) 688-3545. For example, if you want to provide comment regarding today's Public Works, or Law, Safety & Justice, please call and record a message between 7am - 11am tomorrow.

EMAIL: District 7 residents may send an email my office at [email protected]. If you do not live in District 7, please find your Commissioner's information here: https://www.hennepincounty.gov/government/leadership/board-of-commissioners/find-your-commissioner

SPEAK IN PERSON: The County's annual Truth in Taxation meeting is at 6pm on December 1st at the Hennepin County Government Center. There will be an opportunity for residents to provide public comment at this meeting.

09/28/2026

The county's 2027 budget is going down, but the property taxes are going up. Why? My office has gotten this question from constituents a few times now, so let’s dive in a little deeper.

Regarding the reduction in the county's overall budget, it's important to understand that the county's revenue is made up of property taxes, state and federal dollars, fees for services, and other miscellaneous sources. Property taxes make up about 41% of the overall revenue.

Some departments are funded almost entirely by revenue sources that are not property taxes. Next year, we anticipate a large reduction in some of those expenditures, accounting for most of the $150 million reduction in the county's overall 2027 budget.

So why are the property taxes going up? Let me give you two examples. The first is in public safety, where most of the required services we provide are funded by property taxes. The second is in human services, which is over a quarter of the county’s overall budget. 38% of that human services budget is from property taxes. Many of the services provided in both public safety and human services are mandated, meaning the county is required by law to provide them.

The proposed 8.15% levy increase comes to about $92 million. Here’s where that money goes:

• About $27.7 million replaces state and federal money the county lost for work it is still required to do in Human Services: administering SNAP, Medicaid, MnCHOICES, and long-term supports and services.
• About $35.8 million goes to public safety, including staffing the jail properly.
• About $10 million is debt payments on capital projects approved years ago.
• The rest is cost growth the county cannot avoid: cost-of-living pay, health insurance, and inflation on fuel and construction materials.

We tried to mitigate some of the impacts by cutting total spending by more than 5%, eliminated more than 150 positions, and slowed capital spending. While those savings have an impact, they are not enough to offset the costs above.

Here are two more things you should know. The federal funding loss is expected to grow to about $51 million a year in 2028. And the goal is to bring the levy increase down in future years, not sustain it at this level.

The board sets the maximum levy tomorrow, September 29th, and the first public budget hearing is this Thursday, October 1st. Details at www.hennepincounty.gov/budgets.

09/23/2026

Yesterday, the County Administrator presented the proposed 2027 Hennepin County budget: a maximum levy increase of 8.15%, a $2.99B total budget that is more than $150M smaller than this year, and a nearly 4% staff reduction since 2025.

Costs are rising, including employee health care, and state and federal cost shifts are pushing an estimated $27.7M onto county property taxpayers. Mandated services make up 58% of this budget.

The proposal preserves library hours. Many of you spoke up on that earlier this year, and that made a difference.

The board sets the maximum levy on September 29th, holds public budget hearings from October through November, hosts Truth in Taxation on December 1st, and adopts the final budget on December 15th.

Additional Details: www.hennepincounty.gov/budgets

09/15/2026

In August, Hennepin County awarded the City of Maple Plain an Environmental Response Fund grant to clean up the downtown property where the Maple and Main Apartments will go.

These funds help reuse contaminated sites where the added cost of environmental cleanup is a barrier to improvements or redevelopment.

Recently, Rogers also used two ERF grants to clean up sites for a senior apartment building and the new Rogers Civic Center. I love when Hennepin County gets to partner with District 7 cities to serve our communities.

To learn more about these funds, check out this site:

Businesses and governments can apply for help with environmental assessment and cleanup of contaminated land where is cost is a barrier.

09/14/2026

My office has gotten some inquiries about lawn sign placement, so we reached out to our Public Works department for clarification. Let’s go through a surefire way to make sure your favorite candidates’ signs are placed correctly and not in the county’s Right of Way.

- Go to https://gis.hennepin.us/property/, type in your address under “Search by Address or PID”.
- If you’re doing this on your phone, click “Toggle Map” on the bottom of the screen to see the map.
- On the map, zoom in as close as you can to the property, and then click “Aerial” in the upper right corner of the map.
- Then click on the ruler icon on the righthand vertical menu, and press “Distance”. The button itself should turn green.
- Next, click on the white line on the side of the road, and then on the property’s edge. The number of feet should appear, and that’s how far from the road the lawn signs need to be.

Using this method will ensure signs are not removed by county staff should they notice them in the Right of Way or receive an inquiry.

If you live on a county road and your lawn signs have suddenly disappeared, give our Public Works dispatch a call at (612) 596-0299 to see if county staff picked them up. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me and my office if you have any additional questions!