BE IT RESOLVED, that Agreement A199537 with the Minnesota Department of Human Services accepting state general obligation bond proceeds in the amount of $2,680,000 to design the new Medical Examiner Facility that will be constructed in the City of Minnetonka be approved; that after review and approval by the County Attorney’s Office, the Chair of the County Board be authorized to sign the Agreement and related documents; and the Controller be authorized to receive and disburse funds as directed.

The Laws of Minnesota 2017, 1^st Special Session, Chapter 8, Article 1, Section 17, Subdivision 5 appropriated $2,680,000 to the Commissioner of Human Services “For a grant to Hennepin County to design an approximately 67,000 square foot regional, state-of-the-art medical examiner’s facility. The facility shall: (1) provide forensic death investigation and autopsy services for Dakota, Hennepin, and Scott counties with the flexibility to accommodate future partner counties and agencies; (2) serve as a teaching facility for the state, on the science of forensic pathology; and (3) be sited on property located at 143000 County Road 62 in Minnetonka.”

Agreement A199537 between the Department of Human Services and Hennepin County will provide $2,680,000 toward the cost of designing the new medical examiner’s facility to be located on property owned by the county near the Hennepin County Home School in Minnetonka. The new facility will provide space sufficient to support the growing populations of Dakota, Hennepin and Scott counties, as well as provide some capacity to serve other counties and agencies in the future.

The estimated cost of the design work for the new facility is $4,800,000. The $2,120,000 cost for design not covered by the state grant will be funded by Dakota, Hennepin and Scott counties in accordance with the 30-year Cooperative Services Agreement for the Medical Examiner Services (Resolution 16-0504) which includes capital budget provisions and taxpayer support for the new facility. The cost sharing model, after state bonding support is accounted for, is Hennepin 76%, Dakota 19% and Scott 5%.  Design work is expected to be completed in the second quarter of this year, and construction bids solicited shortly thereafter.

The legislature, during the 2018 session, appropriated an additional $15,073,000 to design, construct, furnish and equip the new facility. Those funds will be made available through a separate construction grant agreement between the county and the Department of Human Services. As with the design expense, the cost of construction not covered by the state grant will be funded jointly by Dakota, Hennepin and Scott counties. Staff will prepare a separate board action request authorizing that new construction grant later this year.