Board meeting information

Before the board takes formal action, agenda items are usually discussed in a committee meeting:

• Administration, Operations, and Budget
• Health
• Human Services
• Intergovernmental
• Law, Safety and Justice
• Public Works
• Resident Services

Committees meet one after the other. The order varies.

Board meeting calendar (PDF, 1MB)

The clerk serves as the official record keeper of all decisions made by the Hennepin County Board and its authorities.

You can ask the clerk's office questions about board meeting attendance and agendas, how to contact your commissioner, and community advisory board applications and appointments.

Duties of the clerk

• Keep updated board calendar
• Publishing board agendas
• Recording meetings
• Document board actions
• Preparing meeting minutes for publication in the official county newspaper and for permanent record in accordance with state law
• Certifying board resolutions and meeting minutes
• Serving as deputy county auditor to accept claims against the county
• Serving as the board's liaison for the community advisory board open appointments process

Serve claims and summons to the clerk's office

You can make legal service of process to the clerk of the board by appointment on county board meeting days.

To make an appointment email board.clerk@hennepin.us or call 612-348-3081.

You can find other service options on Serving and filing.

These rules govern all aspects of public participation at meetings. They apply to meetings of the Hennepin County Board and committees, board briefings and public hearings, Hennepin County Railroad Authority (HCRRA), Hennepin County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HCHRA), and Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS) governance board and committees. They ensure that:

• The board, HCRRA, HCHRA and HHS governance board can conduct its business in a transparent and effective manner.
• Members of the public are heard in a fair and impartial manner.
• Meetings are open to all viewpoints.
• Meetings are free from abusive, distracting or intimidating behavior.

General rules for meetings

Attendees

Members of the public attending county meetings aren't allowed to:

• Shout, chant, clap, stamp feet, whistle, or use a bull horn.
• Speak out of turn or make remarks when not recognized by the chair of the board or presiding officer.
• Use profanity, personal attacks, or threats of violence.
• Disrupt the orderly conduct of the meeting.

Placards, banners and signs

Placards, banners, and signs aren’t allowed to obstruct the view of anyone. They must not impede the free flow of movement in any meeting room.

• County board room - Not allowed but they can be outside the glass partition of the board room.
• Other meeting rooms - Only allowed in the back of the room.

Open forum

Open forum is a time for the public to address the county board during committee meetings. You may make a comment in person or with a recorded message.

Open forum takes place before the first committee meeting. It’s not part of the live stream but comments are saved as part of the meeting record.

Process

• 30-minute limit for the comment period unless the committee chair extends it.
• Ends after all remarks are heard or at 30-minutes.
• In-person comments heard first, followed by recorded remarks.
• Each speaker or recorded comment is given 2-minutes.
• Recordings not heard due to time constraints are sent to commissioners for review.

Speaker standards

Both in-person and recorded messages must meet the following standards:

• State your first and last name for the record.
• Keep comments to 2-minutes or less.
• Limit remarks to the relevant topic.
• Follow rules above and any posted guidelines for addressing the board.

Record a comment for open forum

Between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. every Monday, call 612-348-3100. Record a 2-minute or less comment.

Enforcement of the rules

If someone violates our rules of participation, the chair of the county board or presiding officer at the meeting may:

• Ask them to stop.
• Give them a warning if they don’t stop, that they’ll have to leave the meeting room.
• Decide to call security to have them removed from the meeting room.
• Recess the meeting to allow security to remove them and restore order.