Ramsey County Board of Commissioners Meeting - March 10, 2026

The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners met on March 10, 2026, at 9:00 a.m. in Council Chambers. The board approved the agenda and minutes, passed three administrative resolutions, received updates on the county's response to Operation Metro Surge, and heard a presentation on SNAP recertifications. The meeting adjourned at 10:38 a.m. followed by workshops on elections and fiscal health.

Consent Calendar

• Agenda Approval: Approved the agenda of March 10, 2026 (Motion by Moran, seconded by Miller, all ayes).
• Minutes Approval: Approved the minutes of February 17, 2026 (Motion by Moran, seconded by Jebens-Singh, all ayes).
• Purchase of Services Agreement (Item 3, Resolution B2026-035): Approved a service agreement with the Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy Board for employee benefits services for a term of January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2027, with a not-to-exceed amount of $10,000 per year. Motion by McGuire, seconded by Xiong, all ayes.
• Fiscal Agent Agreement (Item 4, Resolution B2026-036): Approved a fiscal agent agreement with the Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy Board for a term of January 1, 2026 through December 31, 2030, in a not-to-exceed amount of $30,000 per year. Motion by McGuire, seconded by Xiong, all ayes.

Discussion Items

1. Grant Agreement for Familiar Families Pilot Program (Item 5, Resolution B2026-037)

• Staff explained this is a technical correction to a previously approved agreement, changing the grant partner from the City of Saint Paul to its Housing and Redevelopment Authority to align with fund source requirements.
• The $500,000 grant (March10, 2026 – February28, 2027) funds a pilot program targeting families cycling in and out of homelessness. Up to 60 individuals ( approximately 20 every four months) will receive wraparound services and placement case management; a competitive solicitation will select a provider.
• Commissioner Moranasked about the four-month focus period; staff clarified that eligible families have been homeless for four-plus years and are already on priority lists. The aim is housing readiness within four months, followed by long-term services through a continuum of support.
• The board approved the resolution (all ayes) and rescinded prior Resolution B2025-236.

2.Updates on Ramsey County’s Response to Operation Metro Surge (Item6)

• County Manager Ling Becker provided an informational update. The federal Operation Metro Surge, launched in December 2025, deployed an estimated 3,000 ICE and CBP agents to Minnesota. On February 3, 2026, the board unanimously passed a resolution condemning aggressive tactics.
• Although the surge was announced to end in mid-February, impacts persist: heightened anxiety and fear among immigrant and refugee families, work disruptions, and economic loss.
• Two new relief measures were announced:
  • $75,000 one-time funding to the Ramsey County Children’s Mental Health Collaborative to strengthen mental health supports and basic needs services.
  • Two-month temporary property tax payment extension for non-escrowed homestead properties, certain small businesses (annual property tax ≤$50,000), and residential non-homestead properties (1-3 units, annual tax ≤$20,000). Applications due by July15,2026; approved applicants may pay up to two months past the deadline without late penalties. Statutory penalties apply retroactively if payment is not made by the extended deadline.
• Other actions included: posting signage at county facilities, designating nonpublic areas, issuing resident guidance, training 425 employees on interaction protocols, launching a new EAP mobile app, maintaining virtual services, creating a public resource website, distributing multilingual postcards, and updating the federal delegation.
• Commissioner Singh asked about historical uptake of property tax extensions (Treasurer Tracy West noted 32 million qualified in 2020 and 18% participated; about 50% of residents escrow). Commissioner Xiongrequested an after-action report including program utilization and eviction tracking. Chair Ortega emphasized that the extension process should be simple for small businesses.

3. Presentation: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Recertifications (Item7)

• Director Ali Ali and Deputy Director Jason Hedin presented an overview.SNAP is a federal food assistance program administered by counties. Ramsey County has approximately34,000 active SNAP cases supporting over60,000 residents monthly. Staff process about 2,800 recertifications per month within a30-day window.
• Commissioner Jebens-Singh asked about error rates. Common errors involve household composition, income, utility costs, and shelter costs. Minnesota’s official payment error rate is above 10% (federal threshold for penalties is 6%), which could trigger federal penalties up to15%.
• Deputy County Manager Francois noted that the county is conducting an “all hands on deck” effort (Access and Accuracy) to reduce the error rate, with a deeper dive presentation scheduled for the April28 board workshop.
• Discussion of HR1 impacts: proposed legislation would require recertification every six months for many programs, potentially adding 75staff positions at the county level with no federal administrative funding.
• Commissioner Jebens-Singh highlighted that SNAP brought $126 million in benefits to Ramsey County in 2024, and disruptions would affect the local economy.

Key Outcomes

• Three resolutions were approved unanimously: B2026-035, B2026-036, and B2026-037.
• Two relief measures for Operation Metro Surge impacts were announced: $75,000 for children’s mental health and a temporary property tax payment extension.
• The board will receive an after-action report on Operation Metro Surge in approximately one month and a detailed SNAP error rate presentation onApril 28.
• The meeting adjourned at 10:38 a.m.