Transit is a public good. And public goods should serve everyone. If Minnesotans found a way to build Light Rail for Eden Prairie, Minnetonka, and Hopkins, then let's do the same for North Minneapolis, Robbinsdale, Crystal, and Brooklyn Park. 6/

Every year of delay adds up to $70 million to the total cost. Met Council has the money. When the Northstar commuter line shut down, nearly $500 million in federal funding freed up — and there are unallocated federal formula dollars eligible for the Blue Line Extension. 5/

And the timing is urgent. The federal government is expected to change its transit funding rules soon. So let's stick to the plan and keep our promises. For over a year, the public plan has been to apply by the end of this month. 4/

To date, the Met Council has committed zero capital dollars to building this project. Met Council can either fill that 5% gap, or work with the County to reduce the project's scope and make the gap smaller. Either way, we need action from them before we can apply. 3/

Hennepin County has committed $2.25 billion — every allowable dollar, and the single largest investment for public transit in Minnesota's history. That's 95% of the local funding needed. The remaining 5% is $224 million. 2/

People ask me: "Dr. Commish, you've built the case that we need to build the Blue Line Extension. So how do we make it happen?" The next step is to formally apply for $752 million of federal funding. But we can't apply until every dollar of local funding is accounted for. 🧵

Hennepin's levy increase means the median-value Hennepin home would pay $139 more a year in 2027, about $11.50 a month. That will be combined with other jurisdictions' increases on the property tax bill you receive. The Board votes on the final budget on December 15.

This is the first time in my time on the Board that the overall budget has decreased, and to be honest I felt saddened when I first saw it. We will not shrink our way to the future our kids deserve and our elders have earned.

When that funding is cut, the need does not go away. It lands on the County, and on our neighbors. Local government is the last line of defense. We are making up for some of it this year with property tax, and we know that is not sustainable.

The budget is smaller and the levy is higher because federal and state funding for mandated human services drops by nearly $28 million next year. We’re looking at losing $51 million in 2028. The scale of disinvestment in services our residents rely on is truly unprecedented.

We faced an 18.5% increase in employee health insurance costs and reached an agreement with 16 unions to share it in a predictable and sustainable way. These are all meaningful at a time when service cuts and layoffs are being proposed at local governments across Minnesota.

Because Commissioners and County staff started this process early and in public, we solved problems before they reached the proposed budget. We preserved library hours. We avoided mass County layoffs. Our proposed levy came in lower than the 8.5% that was projected.

Thank you to everyone who's dedicated their time, their energy, and maybe a little bit of their sanity to get this project done. I'll see you on June 12 to cut some ribbon.

The good news is we're not stopping here. The Green Line Extension benefits will of course be extended to the Blue Line Extension, where I live. I am proud to represent that corridor and residents who certainly will not quit.

Light rail drives development like nothing else. In 2026 alone, this new development is generating $35.7 million in property tax revenue that isn't falling to existing property owners, including $7.7 million for the City of Minneapolis and $4 million for Minneapolis Public Schools.

Almost 6,000 people in 72 of our 87 Minnesota counties have brought home a paycheck by working on this project: 2,200 skilled and general laborers, 1,400 equipment operators, 370 carpenters, 336 electricians, 317 ironworkers. Btw, Metro Transit is hiring! Spread the word.

Green Line riders will be able to access thousands more jobs by transit. For people living in this corridor, a third of all jobs in the entire region will be within reach with no more than one transfer.

The Green Line Extension opens June 12, 2027. I follow a long line of @hennepin.bsky.social County Chairs who pushed this project forward. I’m a lifelong transit user. When my family was new to the country, they relied on transit to get everywhere we needed to go. Transit was our lifeline.