State auditor shares update on Cook County housing issues, pandemic relief

Julie Blaha is Minnesota’s state auditor. Among many other objectives and duties, she oversees nearly $40 billion spent annually by local governments in Minnesota.

Blaha is also a representative on the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. As Cook County continues to explore forming a Housing Redevelopment Authority (HRA), Blaha spoke with WTIP’s Joe Friedrichs about forming an entity to focus on housing needs specific to the community.

WTIP first spoke with Blaha in 2020 during a critical time of the COVID-19 pandemic. Blaha is a member of the Minnesota Executive Council, which is made up of Gov. Tim Walz, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Secretary of State Steve Simon. Also included in this interview, Blaha shares her thoughts on the news that Walz signed an executive order Feb. 12 extending the state's COVID-19 peacetime emergency by another 30 days.

Listen to the full interview with the state auditor below.