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   WALKER—With the start of a new year Judge Christopher Strandlie swore in elected official Commissioner Rusty Lilyquest and re-elected officials Commissioners Bob Kangas and Rick Haaland during the first meeting of the year, Tuesday, Jan. 7.

Pictured Left to Right: Commissioner Rick Haaland, Commissioner Bob Kanags, Commissioner Rusty Lilyquist, Sarah Peters (holding the Lilyquist family bible), and Honorable Judge Christopher Strandlie administering the oath of office. Photo by Josh Stevenson

   Cass County commissioners then elected Commissioner Haaland as chair and Commissioner Kangas as vice chair for 2025. County Administrator Josh Stevenson presented the 2025 meeting rules of business for approval, along with a schedule for the regular meetings. The schedule remains similar to 2024 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 at a later date. 

   Typically the board will have an exception with the first meeting in December being held on a Thursday due to conflict with the annual Association of Minnesota Counties meeting, but during 2025 that meeting is being conducted the following week. Therefore, the commissioners scheduled the first meeting of December for Tuesday, Dec. 2 beginning at 3 p.m. at the  courthouse in Walker and will precede the annual 6 p.m. Truth in Taxation public hearing on the county’s proposed 2025 budget and levy. 

Immanual Lutheran Church Board of Education and Expansion Committee members  (L to R) Pat Kastning, Janna Kietzman, and Todd Frybarger shared their appreciation to the Cass County Board of Commissioners for the ARPA Grant that helped with the school expansion at the Tuesday, January 7 regular meeting. Kastning also presented an invitation to each Commissioner personally inviting them to the public open house to be held on Sunday, Jan. 26 from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Photo by Josh Stevenson

   The commissioners approved the 2025 committee appointments with moderate changes due to the retirement of Commissioner Jeff Peterson and newly elected Commissioner Rusty Lilyquist. Lilyquist filled in most of the vacancies left by Peterson except for committees needing a more seasoned commissioner, the motion was unanimously approved. All committee appointments are posted on the Cass County website. 

   Haaland also recognized and awarded the following employees for one year of service with the county: John Carlson, Office Support Specialist; Ryan Carlson, SWCD Resource Conservationist; Ty Swenson, Engineering Technician I; Samantha Watkins, Deputy Recorder and Karl Zinkl, Assistant County Attorney. Stevenson then shared information regarding two employees whom presented Awards of Excellence. Scott Navratil, Administrative Technician with the Environmental Service Department, was nominated by Jenny Blue for going above and beyond his normal duties. Jess Watts, Technical Support Specialist, was nominated by Sheriff Bryan Welk for her exceptional work on the Statewide Emergency Communications Board Next Generation 911 initial data load completion.

   In other business, the county board: 

   • Approved the County Board Business Rules for 2025.

   • Approved the Association of Minnesota Counties appointments and voting delegates for 2025.

   • Approved Pine Cone Press-Citizen as having the low bid to serve as the county’s legal notice publication for most notices in 2025, with the Pilot Independent winning the bid for second publication of the financial statement.

   • Approved candidate Greg Zylka for the 2025 Sourcewell Board of Directors election.

   • Approved the Environmental Services Department 2025 Aquatic Invasive Species Annual Budget.

   • Approved grants from the following organizations: Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Department of Public Safety-Community Wellness & Recovery Navigator Program for $50,000; Northern Minnesota Addiction Wellness Center for $50,000; Family Safety Network application for $15,000; Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Addictions & Dependency Division for $43,973.

   •Approved extending the Cass County Detention Center Medication for Opioid Use Disorder unexpended balance from $50,000 allocation ending on December 31, 2024 through December 31, 2025.

   The next meetings are as follows: Commissioner’s board meeting, 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21 at the Land Department meeting room in Backus; Cass County Solid Waste Committee of the Board meeting, 11 a.m., following the commissioner’s board meeting, Tuesday, Jan. 21 at the Land Department meeting room in Backus; County Government 101 for newly Elected Officials, Jan. 22-24, at Intercontinental Hotel, 11 E. Kellogg Blvd., St. Paul; joint meeting with The Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, 12 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31 at Cedar Lakes Casino & Hotel, 6268 Upper Cass Frontage Rd NW, Cass Lake and commissioner’s board meeting, 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 4 at the boardroom in the courthouse annex in Walker. 

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