Hennepin County board re-elects Irene Fernando as chair, approves 2026 organizational structure

Irene Fernando was elected chair of the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners for 2026 during the board’s organizational meeting on Jan. 6.

Fernando was nominated and seconded by colleagues and was confirmed by voice vote. After the vote she said she was "humbled and honored at the opportunity to serve in this role for another year," and framed the coming year around equity and local government service in a time of intensified national challenges.

The board also elected Commissioner Debbie Gautel as vice chair by voice vote. Gautel thanked colleagues and said she looked forward to supporting board priorities.

Members approved the board’s 2026 organizational structure, with the chair noting the document separates board action for the county board and the hospital board. The structure passed by voice vote.

The meeting also cleared routine business: minutes from Dec. 2 and Dec. 11, 2025 were approved and four claims registers were adopted as a block. All of those items passed on voice votes; the transcript records the outcomes as "motion carries" but does not record roll-call tallies.