Golden Hydrant Goes to Purchase of New Downtown Office Building

The county board voted 6 – 1 today to purchase the “701 Building” across the street from the Hennepin County Government Center for $25.8 million.  The Star Tribune yesterday gave an accurate description of the then-expected decision:

Seeking to consolidate the county’s downtown Minneapolis office rentals, the Hennepin County Board Tuesday is expected to buy a pink-and-blue glass office tower that’s across the street from the Government Center.

Commissioners will vote on a $25.8 million purchase agreement for the 701 Building, an 18-story structure at 701 4th Av. S. The deal would be one of Hennepin County’s most significant building acquisitions in recent years. Rarely has the county bought an office building so big, expensive and relatively new.

But the 701, county real estate manager Michael Noonan said, “is a good opportunity to own rather than lease.”

The county’s public defenders office already rents there. If the deal closes in early June, the first new batch of county employees — from the Environmental Services building near Target Field — would move in this fall. That building is slated for closing to make room for a new light-rail platform.

Counting the public defenders, the county then would occupy a third of the building’s 287,000 square feet.

I voted “no” on this purchase as it will bring Hennepin County into the downtown commercial leasing business in a significant way for many years.  The assumptions upon which the decision was based include the county leasing out approximately 150,000 square feet of prime downtown office space to commercial tenants immediately upon purchase and continuing to lease at least a portion of that floor space for ten years – and likely much longer.

Golden Hydrant goes to Hennepin County for providing free non-emergency health care to illegal immigrants

Today the county board voted on some significant changes to Hennepin County Medical Center’s (HCMC) admissions policy, including changes to whom HCMC provides free subsidized non-emergency care. Hennepin County taxpayers subsidize HCMC to the tune of over $30 million each year to cover free and reduced-cost services to the poor.

The new policy proposed to deny free non-emergency services (federal law requires all hospitals to provide emergency services to everyone, regardless of ability to pay) to those who do not live in Hennepin County. In the past, HCMC has provided services to anyone who walked in the door, regardless of residence or ability to pay. Under this new policy, HCMC would continue to provide free services to ANYONE who claims to live in Hennepin County, including illegal immigrants.

I offered an amendment to the policy stating simply:

“Free and Discounted Care provided through Hennepin County Medical Center will be limited to U.S. citizens or legal noncitizens except as otherwise required by state or federal law…”

My proposal failed on a vote of 6 – 1.

The latest Golden Fire Hydrant goes to HCMC’s decision – and the county board’s blessing of that decision – to spend taxpayer dollars to provide free non-emergency health care services to illegal immigrants.

Golden Hydrant goes to plan for spending $342,000 on new art in Plymouth and Maple Grove libraries

The county board voted 6 – 1 yesterday (with me being the “no” vote) to spend $60,000 on a public art project in the new Plymouth Library. Another $60,000 project for this facility is soon to come, followed by $220,000 worth of art projects for the recently completed new library in Maple Grove.

The newest Golden Fire Hydrant goes to the Hennepin County Board’s policy requiring that 1% of total project cost be added to the top of every large library project for public art.

I had the honor of helping cut ribbons for the grand openings of two beautiful new Hennepin County libraries in western Hennepin County recently. The costs for these new libraries in Plymouth and Maple Grove were approximately $12 million and $22 million, respectively.

I learned a few weeks ago, however, that despite being open for months to rave reviews from everyone, these new libraries are not complete, as we have not yet spent the required $342,000 on public art.

Golden Hydrant goes to extension of ineffective teen pregnancy program

The newest Golden Fire Hydrant goes to the county’s “Better Together Hennepin: Healthy Youth, Healthy Communities” teen pregnancy prevention program. Last week the board voted 6 -1 to extend the program two years and spend another $518,000 (for a 4-year total of $1.1 million), despite receiving a report on the program showing it’s doing little or nothing to change the sexual behavior of the kids in the program.

“Better Together Hennepin” actually consists of several different teen pregnancy prevention programs that the county has been funding for two years – apparently to little success. Included are education and outreach programs through several different vendors, including Planned Parenthood, the Annex Teen Clinic and the Storefront Group. Also, the program includes funding two half-time sex education teachers in the Richfield and Brooklyn Center public schools.

The board chose to fund these programs for another two years despite seeing outcome studies that show they are ineffective in changing kids’ sexual behavior. This decision is a great example of government throwing money at a problem because it makes us feel good to be doing SOMETHING, even if that something is having no positive effect.

Golden Hydrant goes to Lowry Avenue Bridge

We’re in the midst of budget hearings and property tax discussions on the Hennepin County Board, so it’s been awhile since I last awarded a Golden Fire Hydrant, but I can’t pass this one up. The newest Hydrant goes to the Board’s decision to spend an extra $14 million to make the new Lowry Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis a “signature” bridge – meaning it will look much fancier than most other bridges in Minnesota.

A little background:

The Lowry Avenue Bridge was built in 1905 and spans the Mississippi at Lowry Avenue in North Minneapolis.  For over 100 years, the bridge carried motorists over the Mississippi almost uninterrupted until it was closed last year based upon the discovery that one of the bridge piers had shifted.

After that discovery, the county appropriately decided that the old bridge was no longer structurally safe and needed to be demolished and rebuilt.

Golden Hydrant goes to Property Tax Study Project

The latest Golden Fire Hydrant award goes to the Property Tax Study Project, an endeavor Hennepin County has funded on and off for the past decade.

Bottom line (and pardon my crudeness): Government is giving the finger to the taxpayers of Hennepin County as it spends taxpayer money to lobby the legislature for increased taxes on those same taxpayers.

Taxpayers fund “wet housing” for alcoholics where they’re allowed to continue drinking

Hennepin County (and government in general) spends a great deal of money on treatment programs for individuals addicted to drugs and alcohol. In my opinion, much of this money is well-spent.

I learned last week, however, of a housing program receiving Hennepin County funding that takes a unique (and I would argue ridiculous) approach to taxpayer-funded “treatment” for chronic alcoholics. The program is referred to as a “wet house” or “non-sober house” in which chronic inebriates are provided housing and other government services on a long-term basis – and are allowed to continue drinking!

Hennepin County’s wet house funding is receiving the newest Golden Fire Hydrant award.

County Spends $700,000 on Landscaping at Garbage Burner

The Hennepin Energy Recovery Center (“HERC” a.k.a. “the garbage burner”) is a hulking complex in Minneapolis next to the new Twins stadium that can often be seen billowing smoke on a cold winter morning. It’s not a bad looking place (as far as county garbage burners go). It’s clean, neat and tastefully painted in pale tan with chocolate brown accent walls. “Not bad-looking”, however, just doesn’t cut it anymore for the HERC, at least not now that higher class neighbors are about to move in.

Last month, the county board approved a $1.95 million project to make the HERC look and smell a little better. 

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?

Hennepin County Funds Sex Ed Teachers in Richfield and Brooklyn Center Public Schools

Since my first day on the Hennepin County Board, I’ve been hearing regularly about how the county has cut the fat out of government and is now cutting into bone; that the Governor has decimated county aid to such an extent that we can no longer adequately provide even some of the basic functions of county government.

The problem with that assertion, of course, is the same problem that exists when the argument is used about government budgets at nearly every level: If decision-makers would learn to prioritize and spend less money on those things that are NOT basic functions of government, it would be much easier to fund those things that ARE basic functions of government.