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Today, the @hennepin.bsky.social County Board set the 2027 maximum levy at 8.15%. I was proud to vote for it. All year, this Board set clear direction to protect democracy, public services, and our most vulnerable neighbors. This budget meets that direction. www.hennepind2.com/statements/2...

Because Commissioners and County staff started this process early and in public, we solved problems before they reached the proposed budget. We preserved library hours. We avoided mass County layoffs. Our proposed levy came in lower than the 8.5% that was projected.

The budget is smaller and the levy is higher because federal and state funding for mandated human services drops by nearly $28 million next year. We’re looking at losing $51 million in 2028. The scale of disinvestment in services our residents rely on is truly unprecedented.

When that funding is cut, the need does not go away. It lands on the County, and on our neighbors. Local government is the last line of defense. We are making up for some of it this year with property tax, and we know that is not sustainable.

This is the first time in my time on the Board that the overall budget has decreased, and to be honest I felt saddened when I first saw it. We will not shrink our way to the future our kids deserve and our elders have earned.