Back in July, the Faribault County Board of Commissioners voted 4-1 to appoint a County Auditor rather than it be an elected position, as in the past. At that meeting a group of concerned citizens opposed that plan and the Commissioners gave the citizens 30 days to gather signatures from voting citizens to redirect that decision. The petition needed 845 signatures and fell short of that, with 601 signatures.
Commissioner John Roper said the petitioners attended Tuesday’s County Commissioners meeting with some questions. The petitioners wondered what gave the Commissioners the authority to change the position to an appointed one. The Commissioners pointed out statutes from the state of Minnesota that give them authority to make the change.
Petitioners also wondered why the position was being changed. Roper said the Commissioners pointed out that the county is down 3-4 people in the office and those positions need to be filled immediately. The Commissioners feel that the County cannot wait until an election to fill the Auditor/Treasurer position.
Roper said after the discussion, Commissioner Tom Loveall motioned to rescind the appointment of a County Auditor/Treasurer, but did not receive a second, so the motion did move on to the floor and was defeated.
The Board of Commissioners hope to fill the County Auditor/Treasurer position with a qualified candidate in the future.