Hennepin County Taxpayer Watchdog

Last week, the county board voted 6-1 (I was the “no” vote) in support of a county request to the Legislative -Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (”LCCMR”) to fund a proposed $700,000 county program called UrbanWatch. The program purportedly would support environmental education for at-risk kids in North Minneapolis and at the Hennepin County Home School, a facility for juveniles who have committed crimes.

The kicker: $600,000 of this public money would be spent to help kids plant and maintain 40 gardens in the urban core of Minneapolis and at the Home School. In other words, we would be spending $15,000 each for 40 “community gardens” in the name of environmental education. Read more…

New solar panels will save taxpayers $15,000 per year in energy costs - starting in 2070

We in Hennepin County government have recently been congratulating ourselves about the new solar panels just installed on the county’s Public Works building in Medina.  The panels are touted as a great success story for county taxpayers because they are saving $15,000 per year in energy costs.

I believe this sort of project can be a great use of taxpayer dollars.  If there are “green” improvements that we can make to county buildings that save us money down the road (within a reasonable period of time), I’m on board.

When I was first told about the panels, I asked what I assumed was a simple and relevant question: How much did the panels cost; how long before they have paid for themselves and the taxpayers start realizing this $15,000 annual savings? Read more…