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BACKUS -- Cass County commissioners elected Commissioner Jeff Peterson chair and Commissioner Bob Kangas as vice chair for 2021 during their first meeting of the year, Tuesday, Jan. 5.

County Administrator Josh Stevenson presented the 2021 meeting rules of business for approval, along with a schedule for the regular meetings. The schedule remains similar to 2020 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 the first four months where all meetings will be held at the land department building in Backus due to current COVID-19 social distancing recommendations. Also, board meetings the third Tuesday in May, June, July, August and September, which will begin at 6 p.m. at city and town halls throughout the county. Locations will be announced within the next month and in the county newsletter that comes with property tax statements.

Another exception will be made in December when the first meeting will begin at 3 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 9, at the courthouse in Walker and will precede the annual 6 p.m. truth in taxation public hearing on the county's proposed 2022 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 2021 committee appointments with little change in which commissioners serve on each committee. Commissioner Rick Haaland will serve on the Association of Minnesota Counties Environmental and Natural Resources Policy Committee, which is the committee his predecessor Dick Downham served on. All other committee appointments for the Association of Minnesota Counties will remain the same as 2020 with all other committee appointments being posted on the Cass County website.

In other business, the county board:

Approved Walker Pilot Independent as having the low bid to serve as the county's legal notice publication for most notices in 2021, with the Pine Cone Press Citizen winning the bid for second publication of the financial statement.

Approved the production of the 2021 annual newsletter and discussed possible topics to be included.

The next meetings are as follows: Commissioner's board meeting, 9 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 19 and commissioner's board meeting, 9 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 2. All meetings will be held at the Land Department meeting room in Backus unless otherwise noted.[[In-content Ad]]

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