Cass County Board: Elected officials sworn in at Cass County’s first meeting of 2023

   WALKER -- With the start of a new year Judge Christopher Strandlie swore in elected official Sheriff Bryan Welk and re-elected officials Commissioners Bruns and Gaalswyk, Recorder Katie Norby and County Attorney Ben Lindstrom during the first meeting of the year, Tuesday, Jan. 3.

   Cass County commissioners then elected Commissioner Scott Bruns as chair and Commissioner Neal Gaalswyk as vice chair for 2023. County Administrator Josh Stevenson presented the 2023 meeting rules of business for approval, along with a schedule for the regular meetings. The schedule remains similar to prior years with regular meetings set to begin at 9 a.m. the first Tuesday of each month at the courthouse in Walker and at 9 a.m. the third Tuesday of each month at the land department building in Backus.

   Exceptions will be during the months of May, June, July, August and September, when the commissioner’s begin their “road show” meetings. Those will be the meetings that are held the third Tuesday of the month and will begin at 6 p.m. at city and town halls throughout the county. Locations will be announced within the next month. 

   Another exception will be made with the first meeting of July which will be held on Wednesday, July 5 with Tuesday being a federal holiday and in December when the first meeting will begin at 3 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 7, at the courthouse in Walker and will precede the annual 6 p.m. truth in taxation public hearing on the county’s proposed 2024 budget and levy. The second December meeting will begin at 10 a.m. Dec. 21 at the land department building in Backus rather than at 9 a.m. 

   The commissioners approved the 2023 committee appointments with no change in which commissioners serve on each committee. All committee appointments are posted on the Cass County website.

   Before the consent agenda was approved Drey Loge with Waste Partners, Inc. requested an item be moved to the regular agenda for discussion and clarification before a motion was made. Loge mentioned he would like to clarify parts of the request to the board and requested that the board table the motion for further discussion. It was noted that it states in the contract the waste haulers have the opportunity to request a yearly compensation rate review,  which last occurred on Feb. 1, 2022.  Gaalswyk commented it was close to an annual review, therefore he motioned to table the request and convene another Solid Waste Committee meeting with an invitation to all of the waste haulers to attend to sit down and discuss the demands.

   In other business, the county board: 

   • Approved AMC Appointments and voting delegates for 2023.

   • Approved Walker Pilot Independent as having the low bid to serve as the county’s legal notice publication for most notices in 2023, with the Pine Cone Press-Citizen winning the bid for second publication of the financial statement.

   • Approved the Jail Labor contract for the next three years to include a 5% cost of living adjustment and 3% step increases annually, plus a uniform allowance increase.

   • Approved the production of the 2023 annual newsletter and discussed possible topics to be included.

   • Established annual polling places for 2023.

   • Approved the use of county administered land and county road right of way in conjunction with Nisswa 100 Snowmobile Race to be held Jan. 14-15.

   • Approved endorsing efforts of the Community Supervision Work Group urging the legislature to pass a new funding formula and significant appropriation for probation during the 2023 session.

   • Approved a Joint Powers agreement in support of the Transportation Alternatives Grant application for the East Gull Lake trail project.

   The next meetings are as follows: Commissioner’s board meeting, 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 17 at the Land Department meeting room in Backus and commissioner’s board meeting, 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7 at the boardroom in the courthouse annex in Walker.