Hennepin County Board - Committees & Housing and Redevelopment Authority

Hennepin County Government Center, 300 South Sixth Street, Minneapolis, MN 55487 (Directions)

Meeting as committees, board members:

• Approved a 2026 maximum property tax levy of $1.13 billion – a 7.79% increase over 2025 – and a proposed budget of $3.09 billion from the County Administrator to begin the budgeting process.
  • By state law, counties must approve a maximum property tax levy by September 30th. The actual levy may be lower, but the maximum sets the limit to be considered during the county’s budget-setting process.
  • The budget process will continue through December 11th. The final approved budget may be higher or lower than the proposed $3.09 billion.
• Received a presentation on the proposed 2026 budget.
  • The proposed operations budget is $2.73 billion, an increase of 7.2% over 2025. $1.38 billion is employee costs, an increase of 3.2%. State and federal funding reductions, especially federal cuts to Medicaid and The Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP), and increasing health insurance costs for employees are drivers of higher county operation costs.
  • The proposed capital budget of $366 million is $202 million lower than in 2025. The final payment for the Green Line Extension light rail project accounts for a portion of that reduction.