Hennepin County takes saw to construction budget

Feeling the pinch from the recession, Hennepin County officials trim capital spending for upcoming year.

By KEVIN DUCHSCHERE, Star Tribune

Last update: November 3, 2009 - 4:38 PM

Hennepin County is planning to spend significantly less next year on construction projects and big-ticket equipment purchases, in a nod both to ongoing gloomy economic forecasts and concerns over rising debt.

"We are especially concerned in these tough economic times with diminished property values and reduced state revenues," said William Wilen, who heads a citizen task force that recommends spending targets.

Here's how the capital budget process is shaping up this fall:

• In September, County Administrator Richard Johnson submitted a 2010 capital budget of $166.3 million, with $89.3 million in bonding. That's 23 percent less than the capital budget the board approved last year. And the proposed bonded indebtedness is 36 percent lower than the amount of new debt the county took on this year.

• On Thursday, Wilen, chairman of the county's Capital Budgeting Task Force, told the County Board that the 2010 capital budget should total $176.4 million, with $76.7 million in bonding.

• Both the county and the task force include an $88.9 million highway program in their proposals. The only difference: The task force proposes $10 million less than the county in bonding, a gap it fills with federal stimulus funds that Hennepin County was awarded to rebuild the Lowry Avenue bridge. County officials want to get the money first before putting it in the budget.

• Both the county and the task force recommend $25 million for a new 911 emergency communications facility by 2012 to replace the one in Golden Valley. That's considerably less than the $43 million sought for the project by the Sheriff's Office.

• The county and the task force occasionally differ on the timetables to tackle projects. For instance, county officials recommend delaying the $700,000 project to remodel the county Public Affairs offices until 2012, but the task force said it makes more sense to go ahead with it next year.

• The task force also believes $1 million should be spent next year to make Government Center restrooms easier for the handicapped to use, while the county administration has proposed spending half that amount now and the other half later.

The County Board is scheduled to finalize its 2010 budget and property tax levy on Dec. 15.

Kevin Duchschere • 612-673-4455

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