The gap at Ramsey County
Ramsey County needs urgency. Rebecca brings it.
Ramsey County touches nearly every part of our lives: housing, public health, roads, transit, property taxes, public safety, addiction treatment, elections, and services people rely on. The problem isn't that every county program is failing. The problem is that too many urgent needs have been allowed to wait.
W. 7th waited decades, then Ramsey County walked away.
Ramsey County spent 30 years planning the Riverview Corridor and ultimately reallocated $730 million after abruptly abandoning the project in 2024. W. 7th residents were left waiting again while the City, MnDOT, and Metro Transit had to pick up the pieces.
Individuals and families waiting for shelter and housing support.
Saint Paul doesn't have enough shelter for the people who need it — particularly people with partners, pets, possessions, or other needs that traditional shelters can't accommodate. The City of Saint Paul moved $800,000 in additional funding to the County for supportive housing in 2025. Those funds went unused.
Ramsey County closed its detox and withdrawal management center.
The closure, made without notice or input from employees, meant 37 frontline workers lost their jobs and Saint Paul lost the capacity to help 2,500 people struggling with addiction each year. Ramsey County planned to fill the service gap with one-time capacity-building grants to community programs — to date, no grants have been dispersed.
In overtime costs at an understaffed County Jail.
The County Jail, under the direction of the Ramsey County Sheriff, has been severely understaffed, leading to ballooning overtime costs and compromised safety for inmates and staff. In 2023, the Minnesota Department of Corrections mandated the county lower its capacity after finding dire operational failures, understaffing, missed well-being checks, and life-threatening delays in inmate medical care. It's taken four years for the county to propose any kind of solution.