Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 29/09/2026Hennepin's levy increase means the median-value Hennepin home would pay $139 more a year in 2027, about $11.50 a month. That will be combined with other jurisdictions' increases on the property tax bill you receive. The Board votes on the final budget on December 15. 010
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 29/09/2026This 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. 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 29/09/2026When 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. 210
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 29/09/2026The 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. 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 29/09/2026We faced an 18.5% increase in employee health insurance costs and reached an agreement with 16 unions to share it in a predictable and sustainable way. These are all meaningful at a time when service cuts and layoffs are being proposed at local governments across Minnesota. 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 29/09/2026Because 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. 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 29/09/2026Today, 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... 153
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 28/09/2026Thank you to everyone who's dedicated their time, their energy, and maybe a little bit of their sanity to get this project done. I'll see you on June 12 to cut some ribbon. 050
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 28/09/2026The good news is we're not stopping here. The Green Line Extension benefits will of course be extended to the Blue Line Extension, where I live. I am proud to represent that corridor and residents who certainly will not quit. 291
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 28/09/2026Light rail drives development like nothing else. In 2026 alone, this new development is generating $35.7 million in property tax revenue that isn't falling to existing property owners, including $7.7 million for the City of Minneapolis and $4 million for Minneapolis Public Schools. 1247
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 28/09/2026Almost 6,000 people in 72 of our 87 Minnesota counties have brought home a paycheck by working on this project: 2,200 skilled and general laborers, 1,400 equipment operators, 370 carpenters, 336 electricians, 317 ironworkers. Btw, Metro Transit is hiring! Spread the word. 171
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 28/09/2026Green Line riders will be able to access thousands more jobs by transit. For people living in this corridor, a third of all jobs in the entire region will be within reach with no more than one transfer. 151
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 28/09/2026The Green Line Extension opens June 12, 2027. I follow a long line of @hennepin.bsky.social County Chairs who pushed this project forward. I’m a lifelong transit user. When my family was new to the country, they relied on transit to get everywhere we needed to go. Transit was our lifeline. 1297
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 24/09/2026This Workforce Development Month, I am reaffirming my commitment to advancing this work, and to reducing and eliminating income and employment disparities in Hennepin County. Thank you to our partners and our staff. hennepincounty.govhennepincounty.govHome | Hennepin CountyThe official website for Hennepin County, Minnesota. 020
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 24/09/2026Coming up: an "Investing in People" panel on Tuesday, September 29, and the Hennepin GO Expo on Thursday, November 19 — plus ongoing career fairs and events across the county. CareerForce.MN.Gov 111
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 24/09/2026849 residents were placed in employment in high-demand industries, at a median wage of $21.43 an hour. For those who were already working when they started, wages rose by an average of $9.64 an hour. 111
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 24/09/2026Our Department of Workforce Development works through a Develop, Support, Employ framework. From July 2025 to June 2026: 12,234 residents served, up 16.5% over the year before. $22.6M in contract spending with 77 community providers. 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 24/09/2026Workforce development connects people to meaningful careers, cultivates a diverse talent ecosystem, and accelerates economic prosperity. It is essential to all of our county work: our programs need workers, and residents need pathways to economic stability. 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 24/09/2026September is National Workforce Development Month. At our September 15 @hennepin.bsky.social Board Meeting, I recognized the county programs doing this work and the people behind them. When we invest in the workforce, we invest in people. 122
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 23/09/2026Taxes are the government word for revenue, and a levy is not just a number on a spreadsheet. Levies fund teachers, snowplow drivers, social workers, libraries, and emergency response. 7/7 032
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 23/09/2026MPD Overtime: Study and manage law enforcement overtime costs, don't just budget for them. MPD overspent its 2025 budget by $20 million. I ask that MPD present its overtime review on September 28, and the Mayor file an overtime management plan before markup on December 10. 6/7 173
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 23/09/2026Shelter: I ask the Council to prioritize an ongoing contribution from the City levy toward shelter and homelessness response. In 2025, City property taxes provided $400,000 for street outreach and no ongoing shelter funding. County property taxes provided nearly $14.4 million. 5/7 121
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 23/09/2026TIF: On October 14, I ask the City to present a numerical analysis on how Minneapolis TIF decisions affect all local levies — Minneapolis Public Schools, the City, and the County. Every dollar captured through TIF raises the rate paid by everyone else. 4/7 120
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 23/09/2026I made four specific asks. Parks: On September 23, set the Park Board's maximum levy at its full 5.86% request. The gap from the Mayor's 2.5% is $3.1 million: 26 positions, maintained parks, and full recreation center hours. 3/7 121
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 23/09/2026The median-value Minneapolis home would pay over $540 more in 2027. Over 75% comes from the City, even as it proposes reduced services and layoffs. I am concerned about asking residents for so much more while cutting the very services they are asking us to protect. 2/7 143
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 23/09/2026I sent a letter to the Minneapolis Board of Estimate and Taxation on the 2027 property tax levies. About 100,000 of my constituents live in Minneapolis. They get one tax bill based on all of our decisions. Read the letter: www.hennepind2.com/statements/2... 1/7 1107
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 26/08/2026By statute, Hennepin County administers fair, accurate, and impartial elections. By choice, we go further. Election judges and officials must be able to do their lawful work without threats, intimidation, or interference. Read Board Action 26-0316: hennepinmn.legistar.com/LegislationD... 6/6hennepinmn.legistar.com 010
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 26/08/2026Then right before the Primary Election, the Department of Justice asked to monitor inside our polling places. We did not approve access. Minnesota law keeps monitors 100 feet back. On primary day, federal monitors still had to be asked, several times, to move away. 5/6 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 26/08/2026On August 2: Hennepin joined other local governments and election officials in an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court. We asked the Court to keep blocking Executive Order 14399, which directs federal agencies to build and enforce an eligible voter list for every state. 4/6 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 26/08/2026On July 2: Hennepin filed comments opposing a proposed federal rule that would give the Postal Service a role in deciding whether ballots are delivered. We said plainly that the rule exceeds the Postal Service's legal authority. 3/6 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 26/08/2026This is not an abstract commitment. The federal government has reached into and attempted to interfere with how states run elections from three directions: the mail, the courts, and the polling place. Here is what each one looked like, and what we did. 2/6 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 26/08/2026Yesterday, meeting as the Resident Services Committee, the Hennepin County Board unanimously affirmed our commitment to free and fair elections. We reaffirmed our oaths, and directed county leadership to oppose unlawful requests for elections data. 🧵 131
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 14/08/2026Local government is a last line of defense for our residents, and I will not surrender that line. We will not stop until the full truth is told — for Renee, for Alex, for Julio, for Lorenzo, for Joan, and for every family still waiting for answers. Find courage. Don't waver. 7/ 011
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 14/08/2026We have spent six months forcing evidence into the light, and the federal government has spent half a billion of our tax dollars building a place designed so that there is no evidence to force. 6/ 111
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 14/08/2026Minnesota is facing permanent consequences as the Homeland Security Department purchased a prison in Appleton for $495.6 million. After sixteen years empty, it will reopen as the first dedicated immigrant detention facility in our state's history — one with 1,600 beds. 5/ 111
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 14/08/2026The violence present in Minnesota has not stopped — it has spread across our nation. ICE agents murdered Lorenzo Salgado Araujo of Texas and Joan Sebastain Guerrero of Maine, leaving families broken and communities without answers. 4/ 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 14/08/2026In July, the Hennepin County Attorney, MN Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, and MN Attorney General obtained evidence that had been withheld for more than half a year, including hard drives and Renee Good’s car. This is not closure. It is the beginning of accountability. 3/ 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 14/08/2026In June, a federal judge quashed subpoenas that attempted to block Hennepin’s ability to represent our neighbors. The court upheld the rule of law and the principles of fairness, accountability, and constitutional process that protect our institutions and enable public trust. 2/ 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 14/08/2026For months, the federal government withheld evidence about what happened to Renee Good, Julio Sosa-Celis, and Alex Pretti — from state investigators, from their families, and from a community that refused to look away. We kept demanding answers. 🧵 Read: www.hennepind2.com/statements/2... 121
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 11/08/2026Hennepin County Elections can answer questions: hc.vote@hennepin.us or 612-348-5151. Running free, fair, and accessible elections is one of the most important things this county does. Full voter information at hennepincounty.gov/elections. 6/6hennepin.usHome | Hennepin CountyThe official website for Hennepin County, Minnesota. 010
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 11/08/2026Intimidation of or interference with the voting process is illegal. There are criminal and civil penalties in place to stop it. Action can be brought by the Attorney General, a County Attorney, or anyone personally impacted. 5/ 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 11/08/2026Help is available at the polls. You can bring someone to help you, ask election staff, use a machine to help mark your ballot, or vote from your car. Just ask an election judge when you arrive. Details on accessibility: hennepincounty.gov/elections. 4/ 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 11/08/2026If you still have an absentee ballot, return it to the office that sent it by 5 p.m. today. It cannot be dropped off at a polling place. You can drop off your ballot and the ballots for up to 3 voters. Check your ballot status at mnvotes.gov/track. 3/ 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 11/08/2026If you are eligible but not registered, you can register or update your registration at your polling place today. Bring proof of residence: a Minnesota ID with your current address, or a photo ID plus a document showing your address. Full list at mnvotes.gov. 2/ 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 11/08/2026Today is the Primary Election. Polling places are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Here is what you need to know to vote. Find your polling place and see a sample ballot for your precinct at pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us. 🧵 122
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 10/08/2026There's so much more our communities need, and I'll keep fighting for it. Because that's the whole idea: strong public goods create strong communities. Thank you for following these eight years — see the full record, and everything still ahead, at hennepinD2.com/results. 5/5hennepind2.comEight Years of Results — Hennepin County District 2 020
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 10/08/2026In 2025 alone, I spent over 160 hours and attended 93+ events across District 2 and Hennepin County — showing up in person, not just at the Government Center. I voted on 600+ resolutions. Every vote a record of what this office stands for. 4/ 110
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 10/08/2026In 2025, I secured Metro Transit's commitment to expand bus service to Marshall St NE. The Lowry Ave NE reconstruction broke ground that same year — safer streets, better access, for the key corridor in our District. 3/ 131
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 10/08/2026$87M went to the NorthPoint expansion, opened in 2024. $3M built the Community Asset Transition Fund in 2021. $600K renovated Shiloh Cares food access in 2024. A $75K study in 2022 documented our food deserts and produced real recommendations. 2/ 111
Irene Fernando @hennepind2.com · 10/08/2026Community is the heartbeat of Hennepin County's purpose and mission. It steadies us in hardship and inspires us toward possibility. For me, investing in my own community has always been personal. 🧵 212