2017 Service & Program Highlights
Ramsey County's Service Teams used county funds to deliver high-quality services, complete major projects and accomplish key initiatives in 2017.
Highlights of the county's work in 2017 are organized below by Service Team.
Health and Wellness
- Financial Assistance Services and Social Services assisted thousands of clients every day by connecting these residents with support to help meet their basic needs.
National Adoption Day 2017 event
- The Adoption division worked with families to finalize 85 adoptions including 48 children into 38 families on National Adoption Day.
- Veterans Services assisted many of our military veterans, an estimated 25,000 of whom live in Ramsey County, by connecting them and their families to earned benefits.
- Public Health developed a new framework to promote Healthy Aging in response to demographic trends. The department also published a study of emergency room use by Ramsey County residents that determined that tens of thousands of these costly visits could be avoided each year with better preventative care.
- Healthcare Services continued efforts to develop and maintain a comprehensive approach to improve outcomes and stability for individuals with behavioral health needs who come into contact with the criminal justice system. Efforts in 2017 include reforming the commitment screening process at the Adult Detention Center and increasing mental health and psychiatry staffing there and at the Ramsey County Correctional Facility.
- We honored three exceptional community projects and programs at the third annual Public Health Awards.
- The Mental Health Center became one of six Minnesota clinics to begin a two-year demonstration project that will streamline coordination of behavioral, chemical and primary medical care services as well as case management and support.
- We honored more than 600 licensed adult and child foster care providers at an annual banquet.
Volunteers help repair items at a Fix-It Clinic
- Community Corrections staff supervised and worked with some 20,000 adult and juvenile offenders through probation and at the Correctional Facility, Juvenile Detention Center and Boys Totem Town. The populations in these programs continue to decline as increasing numbers of offenders are successfully reintegrated into the community. In addition, the BBC traveled to the Correctional Facility for a video report about support of an innovative program for mothers.
- Environmental Health staff helped residents safely dispose of, recycle or repair thousands of tons of yard and organic waste, household hazardous waste, unused medicines and other materials. The division also updated its six-year Solid Waste Master Plan following community input.
- Financial Assistance Services and Property Management responded to the need for temporary emergency housing by re-opening a portion of the Government Center East Building as a Winter Safe Space. This secure area provided overnight housing and access to resources that help clients move up and out of homelessness.
Safety and Justice
EMAP Executive Director Nicole Ishmael
presents the county's accreditation to Judd Freed.
- In January, the Department of Public Safety recognized the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office and other law enforcement partners with a Toward Zero Deaths Commissioner’s Award.
- Emergency Management & Homeland Security led the way for Ramsey County to be the first Minnesota county to receive certification from the national Emergency Management Accreditation Program. The division also prepared the county to be ready for potential emergencies all year long.
- Telecommunicators and dispatchers in the Emergency Communications Center handled nearly 325,000 emergency and 427,000 non-emergency calls for service.
- Correctional Officers and Sheriff’s Deputies provided for the safety, security and transportation of hundreds of inmates each day at the Adult Detention Center. In May, the Sheriff's Office received $1.3 million to support a plan to increase and stabilize long-term staffing at the ADC.
- Sixty-two teams of ambassadors from the Sheriff’s Office, Attorney’s Office, Community Corrections, Emergency Communications and Emergency Management & Homeland Security visited 180 Night to Unite events in suburban Ramsey County communities.
- The County Attorney’s Office and partners built on the Start by Believing partnership that supports victims of sexual violence by launching a new protocol for college campuses in Ramsey County.
- The Medical Examiner’s Office expanded its capacity, including acquisition of a refrigerated trailer, to more efficiently and effectively serve our communities and partners. The office also teamed up with the Sheriff’s Office on a public safety message to prevent distracted driving.
Economic Growth and Community Investment
Tuj Lub court ribbon cutting at
Keller Regional Park
- Parks & Recreation opened the first Tuj Lub courts in the county parks system in a well-attended Grand Opening ceremony in June.
- Ramsey County Library - Shoreview re-opened on a fun-filled day in January with more than 4,000 visitors. The new library also received the 2017 Honor Award from the American Institute of Architects – Minnesota.
- Workforce Solutions opened an Affiliate WorkForce Center in North St. Paul in March. Workforce Solutions staff led on-site programs for job seekers in a new service space which they introduced in a well-attended open house and job fair.
- Property Management led the Riverfront Properties project to substantial completion. Staff are meeting with developers to discuss future private development on the premier site.
- Ramsey County Library was recognized as a Star Library for the fifth year in a row by Library Journal.
- The Regional Railroad Authority planning team reached significant milestones for both Riverview and Rush Line transit corridors with the locally preferred alternative for transit route and vehicle selected for each corridor.
- The work of Community & Economic Development and Workforce Solutions staff was recognized with an award of excellence from the National Association for County Community and Economic Development. The project team established one of the first Section 3 regional, one-stop certification processes in the country for lower income tradespeople interested in working on federally funded construction projects.
- The Rice Creek Commons project won an award from Environmental Initiative at that organization's 25th annual ceremony honoring innovative projects and partnerships.
HAWK crossing system on White Bear Avenue
- Community & Economic Development staff helped prepare FirstHOME Buyer Assistance Loans for 21 home purchases in suburban Ramsey County communities. Of the 21 loans prepared, ten were for households of color.
- From surveying to striping, Public Works staff completed numerous road maintenance projects and major construction projects, including adding the first HAWK and Flashing Signal Beacon pedestrian crossings in our county system. Roundabouts were completed near Rice Creek Commons at County Roads H and I and staff advanced planning for a three-roundabout project at Rice Street and I-694.
Information and Public Records
- Property Tax Services calculated, processed and mailed nearly 320,000 tax and value statements to property owners and assisted tens of thousands of customers over the phone and in person at the Plato Building. The Tax-Forfeited Land (TFL) division hosted its first-ever personal property auction in addition to selling 43 parcels for $2.2 million at two traditional TFL auctions.
- The Assessor’s Office visited and appraised more than 27,000 residential, apartment, commercial and industrial properties throughout the county, and helped us understand the trends through the 2017 Assessor’s Report.
- Staff from Information Services, Communications, the Project Management Office, Policy & Planning and Elections launched the new Open Data Portal.
- Information Services staff fielded and resolved tens of thousands of internal requests taken through the Service Desk, which also implemented a major upgrade in its ticketing system for better service and tracking.
Early voting was offered at six locations
- Elections staff made voting easier in city and school district elections by opening and staffing six early voting locations across the county, including at the Plato Building.
- Government Relations worked tirelessly during the legislative session to promote our priorities and led the coordination and publication of our 2017 federal and state platforms and preparation for 2018.
- The Recorder’s Office recorded more than 78,000 documents - about 62 percent were submitted electronically and 38 percent by paper.
Strategic Team
Procurement staff at a Small and Disadvantaged
Business Opportunity Council fair
- Policy & Planning led strategic planning efforts with our service teams to align our work with the county’s vision, mission and goals through the 2017 Strategic Plan and published Community Indicators and Performance Metrics in the Open Data Portal that provide transparent measurement of our progress toward these goals.
- Finance staff continued their decades-long streak of earning awards from the prestigious Government Finance Officers Association and led the county to again receive the highest possible bond rating. This year, the department teamed up with the Communications division to provide a digital-first version of our 2016 Popular Annual Financial Report – the effort was lauded in a Pioneer Press editorial and received the 2018 Northern Lights Award for a Public Information Project from the Minnesota Association of Government Communicators.
- Through partnership with Property Management and other county departments, Procurement again exceeded goals to expand contracting opportunities with small, local businesses.
- Finance led the way on work and coordination that resulted in the county board approving the 2018-2019 budget.
- In addition to filling dozens of positions and orienting our new employees, Human Resources staff negotiated with our largest labor union on a three-year contract and finalized benefits for the same period for non-represented employees – together making up about 75 percent of our workforce. Staff also provided countless professional development opportunities through the Learning and Development Center, produced the annual Support Staff conference and compiled the annual Workforce Statistics Report.
- The Chief Clerk’s Office coordinated all administrative efforts within the County Manager’s Office to keep us on track week after week with organizing agendas, meetings and policy presentations for the board of commissioners.