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Hennepin County, Minnesota

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Employee perks and discounts

Find perks and discounts for county employees.

Metro Transit service hours have reduced in response to COVID-19. Learn more about Metro Transit's COVID response.

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Using pre-tax money to ride the bus or light rail

  • The county pays 50% of the cost
  • Your 50% of the cost comes out of your paycheck pre-tax
  • Only employees are eligible for bus cards (not dependents)
  • The card is active until you cancel or suspend it
  • Money on the card is not refundable

MetroPass

Unlimited monthly card for bus or light rail

  • Pre-tax cost is $41.50 per month
  • The card covers up to $3.25 per ride
  • For fare over $3.25 you can load additional money onto your card. Add value online with MetroTransit
  • Pre-tax cost comes out of your paycheck until you cancel or suspend the card
  • If you cancel, you can sign up again
  • You can suspend the card for up to three months at a time
  • You start and end MetroPass at the start or end of a calendar month
  • Once you enroll you must participate for at least one month

Enrolling in MetroPass

  • If you sign up by the 13th of the month by 10 a.m., your card takes effect the next month (for example, if you sign up June 10 your card starts in July)
  • Otherwise your card takes effect a month later (for example, if you sign up June 17 your card starts in August)
  • Enroll in APEX to start your paycheck deduction (click Payroll, then Bus Card Deductions)

Canceling or suspending MetroPass

Complete and submit Cancel or Suspend MetroPass Form (PDF)

When cancellation or suspension takes effect:

  • If you cancel or suspend by the 23rd of the month, your card stops the next month (for example, if you cancel June 10 your card stops working in July)
  • Otherwise your card stops a month later (for example, if you cancel June 25 your card stops working in August)
  • Your paycheck deductions stop the same month your card stops

Lost, stolen or damaged MetroPass cards

  • Call the HR Service Center at 612-348-7855
  • It takes up to three weeks to get the new card

Go-To Card

Stored value card of $10, $20, or $30

Card options:

  • $10 stored value: pre-tax cost of $5 per paycheck
  • $20 stored value: pre-tax cost of $10 per paycheck
  • $30 stored value: pre-tax cost of $15 per paycheck

Enroll in Go-To Card

  1. Buy a Go-To Card from Metro Transit:
  2. Enroll in APEX to start your paycheck deduction (click Payroll, then Bus Card Deductions)

Cancel Go-To Card

  • Cancel your bus card deduction in APEX (it takes 1-2 pay periods to process)

Lost or stolen Go-To Card

  1. Report your lost or stolen card to Metro Transit.
  2. Get a new Go-To Card and update your 16-digit card number right away in APEX.

Limited Mobility Fare card

For employees with a disability or health condition

  • 31-day card for bus or light rail
  • Pre-tax cost of $18 per month for a 31-day card
  • You must be certified by Metro Transit to qualify (view the eligibility guidelines)
  • Enroll in APEX to start your paycheck deduction (click Payroll, then Bus Card Deductions)

Paying for parking with pre-tax dollars

You can set aside money pre-tax when using your car to get to and from work, This applies to parking the county doesn’t already pay for or reimburse.

Parking in lots or at parking meters

  • You can enroll in a flexible spending account that allows you to get reimbursed for these expenses
  • Once enrolled you must re-enroll during open enrollment to continue participating
  • You can set aside up to $260 per month pre-tax
  • You must submit reimbursement within 180 days of the expense
  • Change or stop your deduction (PDF)

You can change your deduction amount any time during the year or stop participation if you:

  • Change job sites
  • Change primary residence
  • Change work schedule or hours
  • Go on leave or vacation
  • Experience an event that changes your need or cost for parking
  • Change or stop your deduction (PDF)

You must submit the change within 30 days of the event.

Reimbursement form for parking in lots or parking meters

Contract parking in county-owned lots with automatic deduction

  • To set up a county contract call Facility Services at 612-543-3950
  • Once you have a contract your deduction automatically comes out of your paycheck pre-tax
  • You can’t use a flexible spending account to set aside these pre-tax dollars 

Contact

P&A Group
1-833-752-9413
Mon-Fri 7:30am – 9:00pm CST
https://www.padmin.com/hennepin/

Wellness points for biking

Reimbursement for bike expenses

Get reimbursed for bike repair, maintenance and purchases. Use Trade Time for Fitness

Bike parking downtown Minneapolis

Paid secured bike lockers

Contracts run from April 1 to February 28 of the next year.

Locations:

  • Government Center (For all county employees)
  • Central Library (For Central Library employees only)
  • Family Justice Center (For Family Justice Center employees only)
  • 1800 Chicago (For 1800 Chicago employees only)
  • Seward neighborhood probation (For Seward employees only)

Cost: $70 per year ($60 locker fee plus $10 refundable key deposit)

Requesting a bike locker:

  • Put your name on a waiting list by calling 612-543-3949
  • If the list has more people than available lockers, a lottery is held

Free secured bike corrals

Health Services Building, 5th Street and Portland Avenue, Minneapolis:

  • You must sign up for a corral permit
  • Any employee can sign up
  • The permit is free
  • You can sign up in early spring each year
  • The permit lasts from April 1 to March 31
  • Interested bikers can call 612-543-3949

South Minneapolis service center 2215 East Lake Street, Minneapolis

  • Employees only
  • No cost or application
  • Use your building access badge

Hennepin County Bike Support and Advocacy Group (Bike SAG)

Bike SAG members are Hennepin County employees who support each other in biking and organize events and casual conversations around biking and bike commuting. Contact healthworks@hennepin.us to join.

Tuition reimbursement

Employees who earn benefits may get reimbursed for tuition.

Amount of tuition

You may get up to $5,250 per calendar year for:

  • Courses that relate to your current job, a possible promotion or another county job
  • Courses at accredited colleges, universities, or other organizations if approved by Human Resources
  • Tuition, surcharges, lab fees, books, required memberships, and required activities

To be eligible for tuition reimbursement

  • Your department must authorize the course in APEX before it begins
  • You must provide a detailed tuition receipt showing course cost plus all scholarships or grants, and payments
  • For graded courses, you must earn a C or better
  • For ungraded courses, you must earn a Satisfactory or Pass
  • You must show a course transcript
  • Complete all required forms in APEX

For more information

See your supervisor, your department's tuition contact, or visit tuition reimbursement on HCConnect (must have network access).

College savings plan

  • Set up payroll deductions to save for your children's college education
  • Deductions are post-tax

Enroll and set up payroll deduction

  1. Set up account online
  2. Write down your account number.
  3. Add a direct deposit account in APEX. Choose “checking” as account type. Use your college savings plan account number and routing number 011001234.

Change or stop deduction

Change your direct deposit settings in APEX.

Change investments

Complete and submit the online payroll deduction form

Federal student loan forgiveness for public employees

You may qualify if:

Beginning the process:

  1. Complete the certification form (PDF)
  2. Send the completed form to the HR Service Center, either at mail code 040 or by email hr.transactions@hennepin.us

Scholarship program

Child care 

Employees get discounts for child care services at New Horizon Academy:

  • 10% discount for full-time child care
  • Special rate for emergency back-up care (10 days per year)
  • Infants through school-age children
  • More than 60 locations in the Twin Cities open until 6:30 p.m.
  • Licensed by the State of Minnesota
  • Accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children

Call New Horizon Academy at 763-557-1111 or visit New Horizon Academy.

Mobile phone plan discounts

Employees can get discounts on mobile plans with these providers:

Auto and property insurance, pet insurance, long term care insurance, hearing aids

Entertainment, auto sales and service, moving services, health services, retail

Travel emergency assistance 

  • Eligible employees: those with the county's life insurance, their spouse, domestic partner and their dependents married or unmarried through age 25
  • Applies when you travel more than 100 miles from home or internationally for up to 180 days
  • Get free trip planning and emergency help
  • Keep the contact card with you during travel
  • Print the contact card in the brochure (PDF) or download the Assist America mobile app

Life services

Use username “support” to see life services available to county employees: 

  • Estate planning: wills, power of attorney, living wills
  • Funeral planning: calculate funeral costs
  • Financial planning: manage debt, calculate mortgages
  • Identity theft prevention: thwart theft, resolve theft
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