Ramsey and Washington counties launched employee surveys during the spring to determine how county employees use energy while at work. Results will inform employee energy conservation awareness campaign efforts at both counties. Ramsey County efforts will be focused on “green” IT issues such as turning off computers and monitors. Similar Washington County efforts will be broadly focused on energy issues such as employee use of lighting and chargers of small electronic devices.
© Andy Dean - Fotolia.com
The Minnesota Home Ownership Center has launched a pilot program that may assist families AFTER the foreclosure of their home with up to $2,500 to relocate and secure alternative housing. Funding for this program has been provided by the Saint Paul Foundation Community Economic Relief Fund.
For now, homeowners being displaced must have owned in Dakota, Ramsey or Washington Counties during this pilot program. Depending on need, and availability of future funding, the program may be expanded.
Funds may be used for:
More information is now available here.
Oct 29
The U.S. Census is looking for an Assistant Manager for Administration in the St. Paul office. The job pays $21.25 an hour and is a full-time, temporary position. Applications are due Nov. 4. The assistant manager position is open to all qualified U.S. Citizens residing in Ramsey and Washington Counties. The person hired will be responsible for supervising and managing the payroll, supply requisitioning, and other administrative activities, including supervision of the Office Operations Supervisors and up to 10 clerks. Click here for more information.
Photos from the Secretary of Transportation’s visit to Union Depot on Oct. 15.
The private, public interest journalism site ProPublica has launched a site for tracking American Recovery and Reinvestment Act spending, breaking down the totals by county and state across the U.S. Click here to see the Ramsey County list. Click here to see the Dakota County list. Click here to see the Washington County list. Click here to see the state of Minnesota list. [A note of caution: The list contains several errors, such as listing funding for the Upper Sioux Community in Western Minnesota and the Grand Portage Reservation in Northern Minnesota under the Ramsey County heading. Ramsey County's list also includes federal ARRA grants to state agencies based in St. Paul].
Up-to-date information on regional transit projects, including the Union Depot multimodal transit hub and the Rush Line, Red Rock and Midwest High Speed Rail corridors, is available on the Ramsey County Regional Rail web site. Also be sure to check out the OnBoard Midwest blog for up-to-the-minute information about High Speed Rail between Chicago and St. Paul.
The National Association of Counties is offering a series of free, “Leading in Tough Times” webinars for county officials to provide information and ideas about coping with and recovering from the recession. The next webinar is scheduled for Thursday, June 11, 1 p.m.–2:15 p.m. Central Time. It will focus on “Securing the Safety Net and Responding to Social Service Needs.” To register, click here. For more information contact Carrie Clingan, (202) 942-4246.
To view past webinars in the NACo archives, click on the links below:
County Budget Strategies during Recession
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant
Implementation of the Stimulus Package: What Counties Need to Know
OnBoard Midwest backers gather at Union Depot in St. Paul
On Board Midwest is a coalition of people, businesses, elected officials, and organizations who support the proposed high-speed rail project connecting Saint Paul to Chicago. Supporters of the rail line, including business leaders, city, state and county officials from up and down the line, gathered at Union Depot on Monday to celebrate Ramsey County’s purchase of the facility and its plans to renovate the facility into a multimodal transit hub for the region. Supporters also highlighted President Obama’s strong support for high speed rail nationwide and the launch of the OnBoard Midwest Web site and social networking tools available through the site.
The project will be a part of the Midwest Regional Rail System, a 3,000-mile system that will create new passenger rail line connections throughout the Midwest.
The proposed 400-mile Saint Paul-to-Chicago rail line will enter Minnesota at La Crescent and travel north for 150 miles along the Mississippi River through Winona and Red Wing before ending at the Union Depot in Saint Paul. The project will utilize existing tracks between Saint Paul and Chicago and capitalize on substantial investments already committed to the region.
In Saint Paul, the project will include:
The proposed rail line will help reestablish Saint Paul as a multi-modal transportation hub that will connect with the 1-94, the Red Rock, Rush Line, and Robert Street transit corridors.
National Association of Counties members may sign up now for the next “Leading in Tough Times” webinar — County Budget Strategies during Recession — 1 to 2:15 p.m. Thursday, May 7. Click here for details.
The chairs of the Ramsey, Dakota and Washington County boards recently attended Representative Betty McCollum’s East Metropolitan Economic Recovery Leadership Summit. In response to the gathering, the three counties named lead staff members to act as coordinators for the efforts of the various county departments in relation to The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Click here to read the letter announcing the counties’ efforts and for contact information for lead staff members in each county.
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