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County board looks at ways of filling retiring auditor’s position
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By Charlie Warner
Argus News Editor
If the trend continues, the only elected officials in most Minnesota counties will be the county commissioners, the county attorney, and the county sheriff. That’s what Jim Mulder, executive director of the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) told county commissioners, department heads, and county staff during the Feb. 19 Houston County Board meeting.
Mulder made an hour-long presentation about the ever-changing structure of county government in Minnesota. He was invited to the county board meeting to shed some light on a staffing issue that cropped up when long-time County Auditor Peter Johnson announced he would be retiring May 31 of this year.
The commissioners are looking at various options to fill the remaining 2.5 years of Johnson’s term…appoint someone, call for a special election, or look at combining the auditor’s office with another department.
Mulder reported that currently, 51 of the 87 counties in Minnesota have combined the auditor and treasure departments. And many more are in the process of doing just that.
“When almost all of the business transactions at the county level were conducted with cash, there was a definite need to have both an auditor and a treasure, so you had proper checks and balances,” Mulder said. “But now, when almost all transactions are electronic, we just don’t have that need anymore.”
Mulder went on to explain that the duties of many county department heads have gotten so much more complicated, and technology driven. When vacancies exist, non-qualified persons sometimes get elected. In the past, that wasn’t as much of an issue as it is today.
“I’m predicting within eight years almost all counties will be moving to appointed positions with the exception of the county attorney and sheriff,” Mulder said. He noted that a person had to have a law degree before they can be elected as the county attorney, and a person needs to be a licensed peace officer before they can be elected sheriff.
There are a number of different avenues Houston County can travel down when addressing the opening in the auditor’s office.
•The county can conduct a study to determine the most effective way to operate, make a plan, and present it to local legislators, in this case Rep. Ken Tschumper (DFL-La Crescent), Rep. Gene Pelowski Jr. (DFL-Winona), and Sen. Sharon Erickson-Ropes (DFL-Winona). Mulder said the county would have to “sell” their proposal to their local legislators, who would then bring it to the Legislature in the form of a bill in both the House and Senate.
•The county can determine which departments they want to combine, and if they wish to appoint someone to head the new department, it must be brought to the residents of the county in the form of a referendum.
•If there is a department head vacancy, the county can combine several departments without a referendum, as long as an elected official continues to serve as head of the newly-created department. Mulder pointed out taking this path opens the county board up to a reverse referendum. If 10 percent of the populace disagrees with this board action, a referendum is called, and the county board action can be over-turned.
Mulder said taking the legislative route is the easiest, least costly, and the way most counties are handling the consolidation issue. But it does take time. “It takes three to five years to have something like this work through the system,” Mulder added.
“But what do we do in the mean time,” Commissioner Larry Graf asked. “Pete is retiring in May.”
Mulder encouraged the commissioners if they are considering consolidating any departments to appoint someone to head the auditor’s department as an “interim auditor.”
“If you make it an interim position, you can end the position or appoint someone else at any time. If you appoint someone as the ‘official auditor,’ that person is the incumbent, with all the rights and privileges an elected official has.”
Mulder went on to advise the county board to study the situation and be as “transparent with this issue as possible. You need to let the public know what you are planning to do. Talk to your legislators, your department heads, and present the figures showing efficiency and the savings.”
Mulder suggested the county board put a committee together comprised of various county employees. “They don’t all have to be department heads. Many times, it’s the staff people who deal with the public all the time that have a better feel for how things can run more smoothly.”
Mulder added that he feels now is the time for Houston County to move ahead if they feel consolidating several departments is best for the county. “With Pete retiring now, the window of opportunity is here. We will help you any way we can,” he concluded.
You can contact Charlie Warner at
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