Dakota County works hard to provide quality programs to residents, and those services get noticed.
The county received seven achievement awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) on July 14. The awarded programs help residents in crisis and make the county a better and healthier place:
Career Fairs
CareerForce connects residents with job opportunities through in-person, virtual and hybrid career fairs, workshops and hiring events. Learn more about these events on the CareerForce Career Labs webpage.
Housing Clinic at Eviction Court
County housing staff worked with tenants facing eviction to address the cause and provide social and financial services they qualified for to avoid homelessness and trauma for their families. The county found eviction alternatives in 87 percent of cases handled between July 2022 and December 2023.
Kaposia Library
Building Kaposia Library in South St. Paul, which opened in February 2024, was a partnership of the county and the city. Kaposia is the 10th location in the Dakota County Library system. The new location is meeting residents' needs for modern library services and community meeting spaces.
Mental Health Crisis Continuum
Dakota County has teamed up with nearly all cities and local police departments in the county to better address the growing demand for mental health support in emergency or crisis situations. In 2023, the Crisis Response Unit handled nearly 1,000 911 calls. Of those calls, 83 percent were resolved without the need for police involvement. This gets people help, saves taxpayer dollars and reduces the burden on first responders.
Mothers and Babies Program
The county's Mothers and Babies program provides pregnant women and new mothers with resources to improve mental health and reduce depression. Learn more about this program and other services we offer to families on the Family Home Visits webpage.
Program and Service Inventory
The county tracks data to help the Dakota County Board make informed decisions about programs and how to carefully spend taxpayer dollars. The Program and Service Inventory collects annual performance data on each of the county's 224 programs and services.
Thompson Oaks
A healthy environment requires partnerships, and last year the county worked with the City of West St. Paul to restore Thompson Oaks wetland. A former public golf course site was converted into a regional stormwater treatment system and restored wetland to protect groundwater. This effort helped prevent nearly 100 tons of sediment and pollutants from entering the Mississippi River. The improvements can be seen by visiting the new trails and boardwalk along the River to River Greenway.
Commissioner Hamann-Roland reappointed as NACo commission chair
Dakota County will have a bigger role within the national county association for the next year.
Commissioner Mary Hamann-Roland was reappointed as chair of NACo's Arts and Culture Commission through July 2025. The commission promotes use of the arts to foster economic development and address other issues counties face.
Hamann-Roland also will serve as a vice chair of NACo's Programs and Services Committee. That committee helps create and develop NACo education programs and provide feedback to association staff. Hamann-Roland will also be vice chair of the NACo Healthy Counties Advisory Board, which works to address health issues facing counties.