Board of Commissioners

Hubbard County is governed by the Hubbard County Board of Commissioners.  Your Board of Commissioners is composed of five members elected to serve over-lapping terms.  They represent the five districts of the county (see map) and serve staggered four-year terms of office.  The election of Board members takes place on the first Tuesday in November of even numbered years and all members are elected by district. New Board members take office at the first meeting in January in the year following their election (the first Tuesday after the first Monday of January per M.S. §375.07).  This meeting is referred to as the Annual Meeting.

Committee Assignments
Hubbard County is fortunate to have interested citizens that are willing to commit their time and talents to serve on county committees! If you are interested in serving on a committee, please contact your commissioner representative or the Administrator's Office. The County will maintain a list of interested parties for consideration in the event there is an additional need or a vacancy to fill.

Thank you!

Hubbard County Board Meetings are held on the first and third Tuesday of the month, at 9:00 a.m. The meetings are held in the County Board Room located on the third floor, Room #324 of the Hubbard County Government Center, at 301 Court Avenue, Park Rapids (the county seat), Minnesota.  There is always the possibility of a scheduling conflict, necessitating a change of meeting date or location.  Although rare, when it is necessary, the public will be informed through the legal newspaper whenever possible.  Business at certain periods during the year sometimes makes it necessary to recess a meeting to a future date. There are also instances when a special meeting must be called to consider certain specified actions. In both cases, the public will be informed of such meetings as required by statute.  All meetings of the full Board (regular, special, emergency and continued) are open to the public. In fact, the public is urged to attend.

Purpose of the Board Meeting

The Board has complete and final control over County matters subject only to the limitations imposed by state law, and of course, the will of the County residents.  During Board Meetings, the Commissioners develop policy, make decisions, and make or amend laws for governing the county. The Board’s responsibilities include establishing a county budget and tax levy, setting policy for delivery of services, and approving and revising ordinances.

 The Chair is the presiding officer during Board Meetings and the Vice-Chair presides in the Chair’s absence.  The County Administrator serves as the recording clerk to the Board. The Board of Commissioners must have a quorum, of three members present, before it can take official action. All Board actions must be approved by a majority of three or more of the members present.

Meetings of the Board of Commissioners will follow a standard agenda.  The agenda lists the items to be addressed by the Board. Agendas and minutes are available on the county website: www.co.hubbard.mn.us. The most current agenda is made available on the Thursday prior to the next regular meeting.  Draft minutes are made available once they are attached to the next regular meeting agenda and made available in the legal newspaper once approved at a regular board meeting.  Agenda items not placed on the agenda may be considered at the meeting upon agreement of the members of the Board present.  To schedule an item on the agenda, the following procedures should be used:

•             The applicant should provide a written or oral request to the Administrator’s Office at least 8 calendar days prior to the scheduled meeting. The request should include the name, address and telephone number of the person(s) making the request, a statement describing the action the applicant(s) requests the Board to take, and the background information outlining the reasons for the request.  This information is emailed to the Board 6 calendar days before the meeting.
•             Parties with matters that are department specific are encouraged to discuss them with the Department Manager of the respective department and their district commissioner prior to scheduling attendance of the Board meeting.

            No action will be taken on any item not considered a part of the agenda on the same day it is presented unless action is considered necessary by a majority of the Board.
            For more information or to make a request for an item to be placed on the County Board Meeting Agenda, call the Administrator’s office at 218 732-2336.

 

Members of the audience are encouraged to be heard during the public input portion of the meeting and/or prior to Board discussion of the agenda item.  Citizens shall state their name and address for the record at the beginning of their public comment. Participants will be allowed three (3) minutes for their presentation unless the time limit is waived by a Board majority.  When there are a large number of speakers to be heard, the Board may shorten this time.  Any speaker can yield his/her time to another speaker.  The Chair may restrict or limit the time allotted to a person whose remarks are repetitive or are not germane to the matter under consideration by Board.  Interruption or other interference with the orderly conduct of the Board of Commissioners cannot be allowed.  Defamatory, abusive remarks or insulting comments and threats of violence are always out of order.  The presiding officer (Chair) may terminate the speaker’s privilege of address if, after being called to order, the speaker persists in improper conduct or remarks.  Consequences for failure to comply can include ejection from the meeting.

 At a public meeting of the Board, no person shall orally initiate charges or complaints against individual employees of the County (due to laws governing data practices) or debate any subjects under jurisdiction of the Courts.  All such charges, if presented to the Board directly, shall be referred to the County Administrator's Office for investigation and report.

 Each member of the County Board shall cooperate with the Chair in preserving order and decorum, and no member shall, by conversation or otherwise, delay or interrupt the proceedings of the Board, disturb any member while speaking, or fail to abide by the orders of the Board or its Chair, except as specifically permitted by these Rules.

 County Board meetings shall be conducted in a courteous manner. Citizens, Commissioners and Staff will be allowed to state their positions in an atmosphere free of slander, personal attacks, threats of violence, or the use of the Board meeting as a forum for politics. Sufficient warnings may be given by the Chair at any time during the remarks and, in the event that any individual shall violate the rules of decorum set forth, the Chair may then cut off comment or debate.  Any person who makes disrespectful or slanderous remarks, or conducts himself in a boisterous manner may be removed from the meeting.

Public Hearings at Board Meetings
Public Hearings are held as separate items of business on the agenda. Public Hearings are the public’s opportunity to present information and express their opinions to the County Board on a specific county issue. Prior to a Public Hearing being held, a Notice of Hearing must be published in the county’s official newspaper, the Park Rapids Enterprise.  Notice is also posted on the county website.  Public attending the hearing who wish to speak on the subject are requested to register, providing their name for the official record. 

Public Hearing Procedure:
1. Board Chair opens the Public Hearing.
2. County Staff presents information on Public Hearing subject.
3. Speakers from the public make presentations and/or comments.
4. Board Chair closes Public Hearing.
5. Commissioners discuss the Public Hearing subject.
6. Commissioners may take action or may refer the matter to a future date for further consideration. The date and time will either be announced or will be published in the county’s official newspaper.

Closed Session
Closed Sessions are meetings closed to the public. State law allows such meetings on a limited range of subjects, such as actual or threatened litigation, labor negotiation strategy, and negotiation or purchase of real property.  Other permitted closed session subjects are personnel evaluation (at the request of the employee) and consideration of allegations or charges against an employee.   A summary of the personnel evaluation must be made at the next Board meeting.

Rules of Order
Modified Roberts Rules of Order are adopted as the official parliamentary authority governing rules of procedure for the Hubbard County Board of Commissioners meetings. In addition, these rules of order are designed to help define and maintain “decorum.” The Board of Commissioners desires public participation at its meetings, but also has the responsibility for conducting its business in an orderly fashion.  The Chairman will provide the audience with an opportunity for public input and/or to amend the agenda at the beginning of each meeting.  See rules for public input below.


Frequently Used Terms at Board Meetings:

Resolution: A resolution or formal statement of opinion may be passed expressing the policy of the County Board or directing certain types of administrative action.

Ordinance: This is a governmental authority law enacted or amended after adoption at a required Public Hearing presided over by the County Board. Notice of the Public Hearing is published in the official county newspaper at least 10 days before the Public Hearing. An ordinance is the most binding and permanent act of the Board and may be repealed or changed only by a subsequent ordinance or amendment to it.

Table Action: When the County Board has not decided to take a definite action or when additional information is needed, the Commissioners may vote to remove the agenda item from immediate consideration.

Work Session: Informal discussion with staff. No vote occurs.

Advisory Committees: The County has many advisory committees and encourages citizens to consider serving on one of them as an integral part of county government. For more information about the committee process and openings, please call the County Administrator's office at 218-732-2336, or contact your County Commissioner.