Elected Officers
Department

Like most local units of government, township powers are derived from state statutes. The primary statutes directly governing townships are Minn. Stat. Chapters 365 – 368.

A town board of supervisors, elected to staggered three-year terms on an annual basis, make up the governing body for most townships.  The annual elections are held on the second Tuesday of March each year in coordination with the township’s annual meeting.  The annual meeting is what really sets townships apart from other forms of local government.  At this meeting, the residents of the township have a direct opportunity to have a voice in how the township will be run.  They do this by voting on a variety of matters on which the town board must receive elector approval, and most importantly, by directly voting on and approving the township’s tax levy for the next year.  This means that, with very limited exception, the town board can only spend that which has been authorized by the voters.

The board of supervisors are joined by a township clerk and a township treasurer.

While supervisors are the only ones with an official vote on most final decisions, residents play an important role in the decision making process through the annual meeting. Townships must also comply with State mandates, and on some issues the township can be ordered to do things by the county or, in the case of planning and zoning, must be consistent with or more restrictive than county regulations.

Most townships have a less formal management  style.  Day to day paperwork is usually handled by the town clerk.  The board of supervisors appoint one of their own to serve as the chairperson, although other than running the board meetings and being the person required to sign official documents and checks, the chairperson has no extra powers.  In most townships the supervisors will divide up certain tasks, such as overseeing work by contractors, etc., that would be done by staff in other units of government. But only the board as a whole can make decisions binding on the entity. 

Board meetings are held at the Town Hall at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month. There is a designated time for residents to address the board during every board meeting. This portion of the meeting occurs near the beginning of the meeting and is part of the meeting agenda. If you wish to speak, please contact our main office at (218) 729-8978 or [email protected] to have your name listed on the agenda. However, this is not a requirement; efforts will be made to accommodate you.

Agenda items must reach the Town Clerk by the Thursday before the scheduled meeting.