07-10-2023 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING June 26, 2023 6:00 o’clock p.m. _____________________________________________________________________________________ Page 2 of 11 Hennepin County Commissioner Chris LaTondresse presented his annual report to the City Council with a slide presentation. He is the County Commissioner representing District 6 which includes Orono. He said the County has seen a doubling of family homelessness which is defined as a parent and child with no place to sleep at night. This crisis has surged with the sunset of the federal eviction moratorium this past summer and the end of emergency rental assistance dollars that Hennepin County administered on behalf of the federal government. One in three Hennepin County families are housing cost burden, which means they pay more than a third of their income on their rent or their mortgage, he added. Hennepin County stewards over $106 million annually across a whole continuum of resident housing needs from homeless shelters to affordable homeownership. Some of the County’s innovations have included converting hotels into single room occupancies and an eco-village which is the first indoor tiny home village anywhere in the country. The Commissioner also discussed public safety which he said is a priority of his. He said a workforce shortage is affecting all departments with increased pressures to serve residents with mental and behavioral health challenges. It's critical that these public servants have the resources and support that they need to do their jobs with fidelity and excellence, he said. Hennepin County has approved the sheriff’s office request for 31 new full-time deputies and is working to fill those positions. The County has also implemented an embedded social worker program that includes local law enforcement agencies including Orono. He said the County is also making great strides in specifically addressing the mental health needs of students. According to the CDC, more than four in 10 Students feel persistently sad or hopeless, and one in three experience poor mental health. Through Hennepin County school-based mental health partnerships, the County is now providing services to over 6,000 students annually as of this year and has expanded these services in this partnership to every eligible school district countywide. The County has also invested in small businesses, he said, including about a quarter million dollars in Orono. He also highlighted a list of public works projects in the area. Johnson asked about funding for the embedded social worker program. LaTondresse said it is a partnership with a 60/40 cost split. The social workers are Hennepin County employees which is important for privacy and hand-off of information. It is not an alternative response to social workers are not being sent out without a law enforcement response. The service is mostly of a follow-up nature rather than a joint operation. Benson asked about demand for the program. The Commissioner said demand is increasing. Hennepin County has been able to rely on Medicaid reimbursement based on caseload and he said he continues to lobby in Washington DC for more funding for all parties for this service. FIRE DEPARTMENT REPORT 7. UPDATE ON DEVELOPING SPEC AND OBTAINING QUOTES FOR RESCUE PUMPER, BRUSH/MEDICAL RESPONSE UTILITY AND TENDER/TANKER FINANCE REPORT