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Community advisory boards and committees

Race Equity Advisory Council

The mission of the council is to strengthen the county’s goal of disparity reduction and to advise the county board and county administration on the county's vision and strategy focused on reducing racial disparities and advancing racial equity throughout Hennepin County. 

The Council meets from 6 to 8 p.m. every 3rd Thursday of the month. These meetings are open to the public. NorthPoint Conference Center - 1256 Penn Avenue North, Suite 5200, Minneapolis, MN 55411.

The December 2025 meeting has been canceled and will resume in January 2026.

Composition and responsibilities

Composition

The council has at least 15 but no more than 23 representatives.

  • Seven - Each commissioner shall appoint 1 representative from their district.
  • The remaining seats are filled by the county's open appointment process.

Term

  • Two years.
  • April 1 through March 31.
  • Limit of 2 terms.

Structure

The Council shall have a chair, vice-chair and secretary who are elected for one-year terms by the membership of the Council. Elections shall be held at the first meeting of the new membership year. The duties of the officers shall be those commonly ascribed to these offices.

Committees may be formed as needed and shall follow the Race equity advisory council bylaws (PDF, 1MB).

Responsibilities

The Council advises the county board and county administration on the county's vision and strategy focused on reducing racial disparities and advancing racial equity throughout Hennepin County.

Each Council member will endeavor to:

  • Understand Hennepin County's vision and strategy to reduce disparities.
  • Review and evaluate disparity reduction priorities and strategies.
  • Attend monthly Race Equity Advisory Council meetings.
  • Work collaboratively with other members to develop needs statements outlining unmet needs of residents focused on reducing racial disparities and advise on the community engagement plan for disparity reduction and racial equity.
  • Report recommendations regarding strategies and ideas targeting reducing racial disparities for the residents annually to the County Board.

Compensation

Members can get stipends for each meeting attended. Up to 2 meetings a month.

Reimbursement

Members can get reimbursed for mileage.

Origin

  • Created by resolution 19-0387R1, adopted December 12, 2019.
  • Amended by resolution 20-0252, adopted June 23, 2020.