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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Board Workshop on All Hands on Deck: Access & Accuracy – April 28, 2026

Board of Commissioners & Authorities — Tuesday, April 28, 2026

BodyRamsey County, Minnesota

SessionBoard of Commissioners & Authorities

DateTuesday, April 28, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:14:22

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:02

All right, welcome everyone.

0:04

We have this afternoon's workshop, getting an update on the all hands on deck.

0:12

Today's workshop will be presented by Director Ali Ali, Deputy County Manager Francis, and perfect.

0:24

And then got your name name tech coming there.

0:30

So this is a courtesy reminder that this board board workshop is recorded and live streamed on the Zoom webinar.

0:37

There aren't any votes that will be taken during this workshop.

0:41

And so before we begin, let's uh do a full introduction of everyone who's here.

0:46

Um, and so we'll start off with the folks at the table here, starting with our commissioners and then to folks in the audience.

0:52

Um I'm Ramsey County Commissioner My Chan Shawn.

0:55

I represent District Six.

0:57

Raphael District Five.

1:02

Tara Cheminsing, Commissioner District One.

1:04

Rina Maurice and Mr.

1:05

McGrup 4.

1:06

Lin Becker County Manager.

1:08

Karen Francois, Devon the County Manager, Community Services and Supports.

1:12

Ali Ali, the October Financial Assistance Services.

1:15

Carrie Stats Manager, Financial Assistance Services.

1:18

Jerusalem McBarger, Commissioner of District Three.

1:21

Andrew Green WG.

1:26

Price Rail Dick.

1:27

Ali Kniffard, Assistant to DC.

1:31

Mandy Ray, Project Manager Information Services.

1:35

Anyone else may have financial assistance services?

1:38

Bright Gloomer, Manager for Angel System Services.

1:42

You're asking everyone servicing.

1:56

Jamie Rilkins, Director of Hogan's Bill.

2:02

Christy Cost Penny Manager's Office.

2:11

Veronica Director, or even Howard.

2:15

Ashley Walker, Rosa, maybe Lisa and Five Specialists or SS.

2:27

Perfect.

2:29

Again, we will get an update from financial assistance services on the all hands on deck.

2:39

This work focuses on improving the timeliness and accuracy of public benefit delivery while responding to increasing federal requirements and complexity.

2:50

The team will walk us through recent progress, state partnership, and how this work aligns with the county strategic priorities.

2:58

So I will hand this over to Deputy Pun Manager France Well.

3:02

Thank you.

3:03

We are really excited to be here today to give you this update on our hands on deck.

3:10

So good afternoon, everyone.

3:13

We are here, like Commissioner Zhang said, today to walk you through an update on all hands on deck access and accuracy.

3:23

And I'll just say at the outset that this has been one of the most robust collaborations we could possibly have had in the history of the county.

3:33

It certainly has been the most robust since I've been here at the county.

3:37

And it's really been carried out in the true spirit of one Ramsey County.

3:50

And then we'll move into key accomplishments and our work with the state.

4:00

And we'll close by connecting all of this back to the county's broader strategic priorities.

4:07

We do have a bit to cover here today, and we have saved time at the end for questions and discussion.

4:15

But before we jump in, I do want to take a moment to say thank you.

4:20

This work truly took all of us, all hands on deck, our state partners, so many different departments, including property management, communications, information services, finance, HR, all of the other CSS departments, and most importantly, the team in financial assistance services led by Director Ali and Deputy Director Hadeen, along with their managers, supervisors, support staff, and frontline staff who carry this work every day.

5:00

I also want to recognize our exceptional project manager, Mandy Ray, whose leadership, care, compassion, passion, and persistence really helped to bring this work to life.

5:11

Also to you, the board, for your continued support and leadership, and finally to our residents.

5:22

And for continuing to trust us as we work to serve them better.

5:27

Next slide.

5:30

As our application backlog started to stabilize, we made a very intentional shift.

5:38

We moved from focusing primarily on speed to making sure we're getting both timeliness and accuracy right.

5:46

At the same time, we knew that federal changes were coming.

5:51

As you all know, HR1 was passed back in 2025, and it really has changed the landscape.

5:58

There's more complexity, more administrative requirements, and more financial risk that's directly tied to accuracy.

6:09

So access and accuracy is really about responding to that moment.

6:14

It's about strengthening how we do the work, our processes, our training, our tools, so that residents receive the right benefits at the right time every time.

6:27

And it is at its core about two things supporting residents and being responsible stewards of public resources.

6:40

Are we on slide four?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Technology and Innovation█████████████████████████████29%

Human Services█████████████████████████25%

Public Engagement██████████████████████22%

Public Health██████████████14%

Procedural█████5%

Fiscal Sustainability█████5%

Summary of Proceedings

Board Workshop on All Hands on Deck: Access & Accuracy – April 28, 2026

The Ramsey County Board held a workshop on April 28, 2026, receiving an update from Financial Assistance Services on the "All Hands on Deck: Access & Accuracy" initiative. The session focused on improving timeliness and accuracy of public benefit delivery amid new federal requirements under HR1. No votes were taken.

Presentation & Discussion

Deputy County Manager Francis opened, highlighting the collaborative effort across departments and the shift from speed to both timeliness and accuracy.
Director Ali Ali outlined core goals: improve benefit determination accuracy (measured by federal payment error rate) and timeliness (current 30-day application timeliness at 75% vs. federal target of 95%).
HR1 policy changes include expanded work requirements, reduced exemptions, and changes to income/expense calculations, increasing complexity and administrative burden. Federal SNAP administrative cost reimbursement drops from 50% to 25%, with costs passed to counties. Commissioner Jevinsing confirmed Ramsey County will bear a 75% cost increase starting in late 2026.
Payment error rate: federal threshold to avoid penalties is 6%. Minnesota’s current rate is approximately 11-12% (speakers noted uncertainty). The state’s error rate is aggregated; Ramsey County holds 16% of the state’s SNAP caseload, creating disproportionate risk. Commissioners questioned whether the state might invest in high-caseload counties to reduce error rates.
Director Ali noted many calculations are still manual due to state system limitations, increasing error risk. Commissioners expressed frustration with the antiquated state system and the need for tech modernization.
Manager Curry Stats presented progress: the quality assurance team has been reestablished and is building a tracking tool; a new approach will review cases before processing to catch errors early. The expedited SNAP screening team improved timeliness from 8% in October to 40% in November, with individual workers achieving 73%. The state recognized this improvement and noted a reduction in calls to the state hotline.
A case status tracker pilot launched March 2026, allowing residents to check application status online 24/7. Partners receive quarterly newsletters; emails to the department have decreased significantly.
SNAP 4, a state-led modernization effort, is still in exploration stage with no set timeline. Commissioners urged faster progress.
Commissioner McMurtry asked about the impact of HR1 on residents; Director Ali acknowledged no internal assessment has been done on how many residents might lose benefits. Commissioner Moran stressed the need to document impacts for congressional advocacy.
Commissioner McGuire raised concerns about the federal government intentionally complicating the system to deter applications. Director Ali responded that the county focuses on what it can control—accessibility—while policy implementation is beyond its sphere.
Commissioner Marrin asked about preparation for worsening conditions; Deputy Manager Francois emphasized investing in the property tax base to create flexible dollars for augmenting programs.
Commissioners praised the team’s progress and acknowledged the difficulty of working within a complex, underfunded system.

Key Outcomes

No formal votes or decisions were taken; the workshop was informational.
The board received updates on improved timeliness metrics and new tools (expedited screening team, case status tracker).
The financial impact of HR1 administrative cost shifts is estimated at $4 million annually for Ramsey County, equating to roughly 1% of the property tax levy (full impact felt in 2027).
The quality assurance team is being rebuilt; hiring for open positions is underway.
The county will continue to engage with the state on SNAP 4 modernization and advocate for investments in high-caseload counties.
Commissioners directed staff to document HR1’s local impacts for legislative outreach.

Meeting Transcript

All right, welcome everyone. We have this afternoon's workshop, getting an update on the all hands on deck. Today's workshop will be presented by Director Ali Ali, Deputy County Manager Francis, and perfect. And then got your name name tech coming there. So this is a courtesy reminder that this board board workshop is recorded and live streamed on the Zoom webinar. There aren't any votes that will be taken during this workshop. And so before we begin, let's uh do a full introduction of everyone who's here. Um, and so we'll start off with the folks at the table here, starting with our commissioners and then to folks in the audience. Um I'm Ramsey County Commissioner My Chan Shawn. I represent District Six. Raphael District Five. Tara Cheminsing, Commissioner District One. Rina Maurice and Mr. McGrup 4. Lin Becker County Manager. Karen Francois, Devon the County Manager, Community Services and Supports. Ali Ali, the October Financial Assistance Services. Carrie Stats Manager, Financial Assistance Services. Jerusalem McBarger, Commissioner of District Three. Andrew Green WG. Price Rail Dick. Ali Kniffard, Assistant to DC. Mandy Ray, Project Manager Information Services. Anyone else may have financial assistance services? Bright Gloomer, Manager for Angel System Services. You're asking everyone servicing. Jamie Rilkins, Director of Hogan's Bill. Christy Cost Penny Manager's Office. Veronica Director, or even Howard. Ashley Walker, Rosa, maybe Lisa and Five Specialists or SS. Perfect. Again, we will get an update from financial assistance services on the all hands on deck. This work focuses on improving the timeliness and accuracy of public benefit delivery while responding to increasing federal requirements and complexity. The team will walk us through recent progress, state partnership, and how this work aligns with the county strategic priorities. So I will hand this over to Deputy Pun Manager France Well. Thank you. We are really excited to be here today to give you this update on our hands on deck. So good afternoon, everyone. We are here, like Commissioner Zhang said, today to walk you through an update on all hands on deck access and accuracy. And I'll just say at the outset that this has been one of the most robust collaborations we could possibly have had in the history of the county. It certainly has been the most robust since I've been here at the county. And it's really been carried out in the true spirit of one Ramsey County. And then we'll move into key accomplishments and our work with the state. And we'll close by connecting all of this back to the county's broader strategic priorities. We do have a bit to cover here today, and we have saved time at the end for questions and discussion. But before we jump in, I do want to take a moment to say thank you. This work truly took all of us, all hands on deck, our state partners, so many different departments, including property management, communications, information services, finance, HR, all of the other CSS departments, and most importantly, the team in financial assistance services led by Director Ali and Deputy Director Hadeen, along with their managers, supervisors, support staff, and frontline staff who carry this work every day. I also want to recognize our exceptional project manager, Mandy Ray, whose leadership, care, compassion, passion, and persistence really helped to bring this work to life. Also to you, the board, for your continued support and leadership, and finally to our residents. And for continuing to trust us as we work to serve them better.

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