Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Ramsey County public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
50 issues
HR 1 Medicaid and SNAP Impacts on Counties
Commissioner Jebens-Singh flagged national policy shifts — HR 1's Medicaid and SNAP changes and proposed OMB funding clawbacks — hitting counties like Minnesota's especially hard, and urged advocacy to blunt the harm locally.
Lake Owasso facility financial stability
The county wants state help — likely a rate increase — to keep the Lake Owasso residence facility financially stable as care and reimbursement environments change. Commissioner Jebens-Singh stressed getting ahead of it to protect a community asset.
Manufacturing Month and County Economy
Commissioners highlighted Ramsey County's manufacturing sector — the county's third-largest industry, with 248 establishments and a median wage of $120,000. Workforce Solutions ran employer tours and job connections throughout October.
2027 Capital Improvement Program Bonding
The county will ask for $6.5 million in state bonding to renovate the Aldrich Arena and Community Events Center — a busy venue for graduations, cultural events, and markets — for energy, accessibility, and revenue sustainability. County Manager Becker also pitched a new multi-year bonding strategy.
Affordable housing rental property tax deduction fix
The county granted abatements of $10,000 or more on three Saint Paul parcels, including a disaster-related abatement. Abatements reduce tax revenue the county and other local governments would otherwise collect.
Election Readiness and Polling Place Rules
Early voting is at record levels — 30,000+ mail ballots out, 2,700 voters on day one of early voting. Election judges have gotten extra training on handling unauthorized people at polling places, and the public can watch the voting machine accuracy test Friday at 9 a.m. at the Plato building.
ARMER emergency radio funding
Counties and cities currently pay for the ARMER public safety radio network themselves; Ramsey would face over $13 million in costs if it had to absorb its share. The county wants statewide state funding and governance.
CareerForce Center Operations and Funding
The county and state signed a three-year cost-sharing deal to keep the downtown St. Paul CareerForce center running. It's the busiest comprehensive job center in Minnesota, serving 3,242 job seekers this year, with 77% from low-income ZIP codes. It sits next to county service desks so residents can handle employment help and other services in one trip.
Capital Host program for property tax relief
Minnesota offers programs like the Homestead Credit Refund to help homeowners with property tax burden, which matters because property taxes hit lower-income households hardest relative to income.
Federal priorities and new-senator outreach
Federal priorities include delaying or rolling back SNAP and Medicaid changes, housing and homelessness funding, and public safety grants. Commissioner Moran pushed for broader positions like Medicaid for All; staff are preparing outreach to one or potentially two new US senators and developing earmark requests.
Landlord engagement for housing stability
Vice Chair Xiong hosted a first-ever listening session with property owners and managers about renting to people with housing vouchers — part of Heading Home Ramsey County's effort to expand housing options. Even the Public Housing Authority is reportedly over $500,000 in debt doing this work.
Upcoming Economic Development Authority and program flexibility
The new EDA — created by the Legislature and funded through the county's HRA levy, with no taxing authority — now covers all 18 participating cities. Planned supports include expanded technical assistance, learning cohorts, capacity building for business support organizations, and direct investment in mixed-use projects. A detailed spending plan comes to the board this fall.
Critical Corridors funding for small business districts and redevelopment planning
The HRA is spending $478,988 of its levy on planning studies and small business district improvements, including wayfinding signs that help people find local shops. This round expanded eligibility to downtown St. Paul, which drew extra funding and awards.
Effective end of veteran homelessness
Ramsey County was officially recognized as having effectively ended veteran homelessness — 804 veterans housed since 2015 through a coordinated system.
HR 1 staffing and jail overtime reduction progress
The county filled all 28 new eligibility specialists to handle new federal Medicaid redetermination rules (a $1 million annual cost heading into the 2027 budget), and hired 36 correctional officers to cut jail overtime — on track for $600,000 in savings this year and $2.6 million in 2027.
Election security and misinformation response
Commissioners pressed elections staff on how judges handle unauthorized people at polling places, election observer rules (observers aren't legal inside polling places in Minnesota), and what happens if another level of government tries to disrupt results. The county has an emergency escalation team, an on-call district court judge, and a sheriff detail on election night.
Low suburban participation in county grant programs
Commissioners McGuire and Moran flagged that cities often don't know when county grants land in their communities and asked staff to notify city administrators and board members directly.
Rice Creek Commons Development (MicroControl)
Commissioners celebrated the grand opening of the first company at Rice Creek Commons — MicroControl — with jobs already surpassing original estimates, on the first ten acres of a 40-acre site with quick access to 35W.
Creation of Environmental Services Department
The county is moving environmental health out of Public Health into its own department under Economic Growth and Community Investment starting January 1, 2027. Staff say day-to-day work won't change, and it should raise the visibility of climate, recycling and energy work. The public can weigh in at a November 3 hearing.
Youth Justice Transformation
The county celebrated two decades of juvenile justice reform with a proclamation, noting that just weeks ago only one young person was held in the juvenile detention center. Commissioners and partners from the courts, sheriff, attorneys and community groups rallied around the work.
County–St. Paul partnership and role clarity
About 204 people live in active encampments on the county's list, and roughly 177 have had coordinated entry assessments. Commissioner Mai Chong Xiong pressed for the county to convene cities and partners on a shared encampment approach; County Manager Ling Becker said the county already carries heavy administrative burdens and cautioned against over-investing in encampment response at the expense of the broader system.
$50 Million Dynamic Downtown Fund
Downtown St. Paul's commercial tax capacity is shrinking fast — down 12.2% year over year — which pushes more tax burden onto other areas and property types. Commissioners tied this to the county's Building Stronger Together downtown investment strategy.
Workday ERP Implementation (Project Northstar)
The county is replacing 22-year-old HR and finance systems with Workday, live in January 2027. Employees get simpler time entry and phone-photo expense receipts; managers get real-time budget and overtime controls — something Commissioner Xiong tied to resident concerns about budget overruns.
Urban heat island sensor network
The county accepted $747,450 in federal funding to build an urban heat island sensor network aimed at safety and heat mitigation over two years.
Winter warming spaces and homelessness response
County Manager Ling Becker outlined a modified winter approach: emergency shelter beds will be the first option for single adults, with warming and overflow spaces as a safety net, plus transportation and extreme-cold protocols with the Sheriff's Office. Last winter the county logged nearly 13,000 warming space visits and about 20,000 rides.
Library Friends gifts fund programs and Roseville study pods
A $150,000 annual grant covers library programs and books, while a new $90,000 gift funds one-time improvements like single-person study pods at the Roseville Library and interactive children's play installations.
Operation Metro Surge public safety costs
The board moved $379,800 to the Sheriff's Office to cover public safety costs for Operation Metro Surge and First Amendment-protected events through March 2026. Commissioner Jebens-Singh separately noted lingering community concerns about safety and surveillance after the operation.
Election Coverage
Ramsey County is heading into election season, and this guide breaks down the local races you’ll see on your 2026 ballot. If you care who runs county government, it’s a quick cheat sheet before you vote.
Parks and environmental education grants
Two DNR grants — $320,731 for ReLeaf tree planting and $438,000 for inclusive nature education — will fund parks and environmental programming through 2030.
2027 Maximum Property Tax Levy
The county is deep in its 2027 supplemental budget process, with the final service team presentation and first public hearing on Thursday, and the board will set maximum property tax levies on September 22. Residents can sign up to comment and get free parking vouchers.
Federal HR 1 cost shifts to counties
Changes to SNAP and Medicaid eligibility and work requirements under federal HR 1 are pushing new costs onto the county. Commissioners agreed this is a statewide problem all 87 counties are facing and pledged to push the legislature for help.
Crisis response services grant
A $300,000 state grant will fund crisis response services through mid-2028, supporting residents in mental health and similar emergencies.
Adult Detention Center staffing costs
The budget includes more officers at the county jail after an independent study found rising complexity in the jail population, high overtime, and staff burnout. It's about keeping the facility safe and legally compliant.
Public Works staffing increase
The county is adding 7.5 positions to Public Works, funded by sales tax revenue rather than property taxes.
Homelessness response coordination
Commissioners reported on tours, meetings with St. Paul officials, and a planned workshop on homelessness. The board chair of Heading Home Ramsey County noted families wait 881 days for housing and a new property-owner work group is forming.
2027 Regional Railroad Authority tax levy
The authority certified its maximum 2027 levy of $36.2 million while keeping the levy increase at zero percent. That means the railroad authority isn't adding any new property tax burden this year.
Emergency management preparedness and grant uncertainty
A new director is building countywide emergency readiness — 25 department continuity plans nearly done, heat response teams activated — but over half the office's budget depends on federal grants that are increasingly uncertain.
Expungement access and Clean Slate implementation
The County Attorney's prosecutor-initiated expungement program helps people clear felony records — worth a 20% income boost on average. Commissioners want more outreach and an expungement clinic, and the state's Clean Slate law isn't fully running yet.
Transition to county medical examiner model
Ramsey County will stop contracting with Dr. Mills' private firm and hire its own medical examiner and pathologists by 2028. Officials say residents won't notice a service change, and contracts with Washington County and Dr. Mills will bridge the 2027 transition year.
Flock camera debate and due diligence
Sheriff Fletcher calls Flock license plate readers the best crime-fighting tool he's seen in 40 years, crediting it for a 40% crime drop. County Manager Becker is surveying city administrators and doing due diligence before the board weighs in — a November discussion is expected.
911 Joint Powers Agreement modernization
The county's regional 911 center — the state's largest, serving 500,000 residents — operates under four 20-year-old agreements. Staff plan to consolidate them into one modernized agreement by March 2027, updating technology, governance, and fund-balance rules while keeping the 60/40 county-city cost split.
Homelessness response continuum and funding strain
Commissioners warned that emergency beds are just one piece — permanent supportive housing has roughly 1,400 people on the wait list, and federal funding cuts threaten housing-first programs.
Homelessness response and the Heading Home Ramsey continuum
Minnesota Housing kicked in nearly $800,000 to support the county's encampment response work with St. Paul. It funds three new Radius Health outreach staff and $316,000 in direct assistance — application fees, deposits, transportation — through June 2028.
Adult basic education services via Metro East Consortium
The county renewed its joint powers agreement with the Metro East Consortium so adult basic education services continue through June 30, 2027. It's a routine intergovernmental agreement that keeps adult learning programs funded and running.
Affordable housing and homeownership investment
The county committed over $8.6 million in state and local housing aid to preservation and construction projects, touching 897 multifamily units — 457 of them at 30% of area median income. It's part of a five-part funding rollout with one more action coming August 18.
3M campus property tax litigation
Behind closed doors, the board approved outside valuation experts and funding for the 3M property tax fight — a case that could affect county tax revenue.
Road conditions, crash rates and safety
About 17% of county roads are in poor condition; the goal is 12% by 2030. Ramsey County historically had the second-highest county road crash rate in Minnesota, and investments like the Rice Street rebuild — which had the county's highest crash rate — aim to bring it down.
Chloride and water quality
Road salt is raising chloride levels in county lakes, hurting aquatic life. Public Works is buying $600,000 of salt this winter and working with watershed districts and cities to cut usage — a rare case where saving money and protecting water align.
Project Bridge pre-sentenced programming
Launched April 2025, Project Bridge moved about 60 pre-sentenced detainees from the overcrowded jail into Ramsey County Correctional Facility programming. 98% of sentenced residents participate in programming; residents in a video praised therapy, classes, and better conditions. The county board previously locked in $2 million ongoing funding.
Public health clinics and TB incidence
The county's clinics (immunizations, TB, sexual health at Clinic 555 — the only Title X site in Minnesota) served mostly uninsured and low-income residents, plus 70,000+ encounters in correctional facilities. Ramsey's TB rate runs three times the state average and four times the national goal; only three TB clinics exist statewide.