Hennepin County Libraries to Remain Closed on More Holidays in 2012

Editor's Note: The following was taken from a Hennepin County Sixth District newsletter.

Based on usage levels over the past several years during Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, and Veterans Day, will now be closed on these three holidays in 2012.

The decision was based on business levels consistently at 50 percent of normal business levels and the only library system open in the metro area.

Recent Hennepin County Board Actions

• The 2012 property tax levy was reduced by $1 million from 2011 and a county budget of $1.65 billion was approved;
• Budgets and levies for the Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) and the Regional Railroad Authority (HCRRA) were approved;
• The Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS), Inc./Hennepin County Medical Center (HCMC) budget was approved;
• The board approved a design schematic and increased the contract amount with Wold Architects and Engineers for services for the new 911 Emergency Communications facility;
• $2.2 million in Youth Sports grants for 2012 were awarded;
• A countywide continuous improvement program with the goal of creating cost efficiencies across county departments was approved;
• Hennepin Emergency Management presented its updated Emergency Operations Plan, which includes an all-hazards approach and follows state and federal standards;
• The board accepted an Emergency Management Performance Grant of $429,774 from the MN Department of Public Safety to reimburse counties for emergency management for all-hazards mitigation, planning, response and recovery activities;
• An agreement with the City of Wayzata for affordable rental townhomes proposed by Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners (IOCP) and funding in the amount of $400,000 were approved;
• The board accepted $760,078 from the MN Department of Human Services to continue the Family Group Decision-Making Program;
• The board approved an agreement with the Fourth Judicial District Court, adopting a memorandum of understanding regarding principles and terms for juvenile correctional out-of-home placements.