Hennepin County commissioner outlines housing, mental-health and tree‑planting investments in Bloomington update

Hennepin County Commissioner Debbie Goettel on Monday gave Bloomington City Council an overview of county programs that affect Bloomington, including housing investments, school‑based mental‑health services, embedded social workers in police departments and a large tree‑planting effort.

Goettel, who represents District 5 (which includes much of Bloomington), told council the county is stewarding a roughly $3.09 billion operating and capital budget and that the county board approved a proposed 2026 property tax levy of about $1.13 billion — a 7.79% increase from 2025. She said property taxes fund more than a third of county services.

On housing, Goettel said Hennepin County was the primary funder of affordable housing development in 2024, awarding about $19.5 million in capital funds to support 23 projects and funding that the county reported would create or preserve hundreds of affordable rental units and dozens of affordable homeownership opportunities. The county also awarded approximately $17.3 million through a local affordable housing aid program to increase nonprofit capacity.

The commissioner highlighted county support for entrepreneurs through the Elevate Hennepin program, and county grants for local projects, noting that in June the county board approved local grant recommendations for Bloomington projects including equipment for recreation centers and music programs at high school and middle school sites.

On behavioral health, Goettel described the county’s school‑based mental‑health expansion and cited a University of Minnesota study she said showed a drop in self‑reported suicide attempts among sixth‑through‑12th‑grade students; she told council the county provides services to about 6,600 students annually. She also described an embedded social‑worker program that pairs social workers with police units; county data cited during the presentation showed Bloomington Police made hundreds of referrals to embedded social workers in 2024.

Goettel also highlighted a county tree‑planting goal and related grant programs. She said the county aims to plant a million trees by 2030 and estimated the county’s partners will have planted roughly 576,000 trees since 2020 by the end of 2025; she noted a Healthy Tree Canopy grant program that can provide local cost‑share and discounted trees for cities, school districts and nonprofit organizations.

Ending — County collaboration Goettel closed by encouraging continued coordination between Bloomington and Hennepin County on infrastructure projects and local grant opportunities. Council members thanked the commissioner for the update and for county support for Bloomington programs.