(Note: The North Dakota Watchdog Network is tentatively intending to host an early Townhall Meeting on February 20th, 2025 at 6pm at the Bismarck Library. To be updated on this event, official Burleigh County public input sessions, as well as anything else related to this specific situation click here to sign up and take a survey.)
Last week, I wrote about how the Bismarck Tribune is right about how the county should call for a vote on the issue of the public to change the Auditor/Treasurer from elected to appointed.
In the audio above, I spoke with Daryl Lies on KFYR Radio prior to last night’s meeting. The Burleigh County Commission ended up approving the preliminary resolution to start the public input process (from the Bismarck Tribune):
The Commission on Monday voted unanimously to approve a preliminary resolution to begin the change of the county's elected auditor/treasurer position to an appointed position. The resolution was first presented to the board last month by Burleigh County State's Attorney Julie Lawyer but was ultimately tabled.
Monday's vote does not immediately convert the position, but it does kick off a process that will likely include public hearings on the move. It's unclear how many public hearings the Commission will schedule, but Lawyer recommended that the board offer numerous opportunities for the public to voice their opinions.
Here’s what is in the resolution:
At that time, we did not know whether there would or would not be public comment allowed at the meeting.
There was not, but you can watch the video of the meeting here:
If there would have been a chance to speak at this meeting, the following packet is what I had intended to give commissioners for consideration.
Next Steps
The County Commission will set and publish times that public input will be allowed.
As stated earlier, The North Dakota Watchdog Network is tentatively intending to host an early Townhall Meeting on February 20th, 2025 at 6pm at the Bismarck Library. To be updated on this event, official Burleigh County public input sessions, as well as anything else related to this specific situation click here to sign up and take a survey.
If the County Commission approves the final resolution, it is my hope that the County Commission itself places this resolution on the ballot as requiring the public to do it is a large hurdle (collecting 5,000+ signatures in 30 days, according to state law).
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