Minnesota Session Laws - 1997, Regular Session

                             CHAPTER 130-S.F.No. 35 
                  An act relating to elections; permitting the election 
                  of soil and water conservation district supervisors 
                  from single-member districts in the counties of Ramsey 
                  and Washington; amending Minnesota Statutes 1996, 
                  section 103C.311. 
        BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
           Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1996, section 103C.311, is 
        amended to read: 
           103C.311 [FORMATION OF SUPERVISOR DISTRICTS.] 
           Subdivision 1.  [SUPERVISORS ELECTED AT LARGE.] (a) The 
        district board, after two successive annual elections have been 
        held, shall, with the approval of the state board, divide a 
        district into five supervisor districts for purposes of 
        nomination for election.  At each election after the division, 
        one or more supervisors shall be nominated from each supervisor 
        district.  
           (b) If the boundary of a soil and water conservation 
        district has been substantially changed by a division of the 
        district, the district shall be divided into five supervisor 
        districts for nomination purposes.  
           (c) This subdivision does not disqualify a supervisor 
        during the term for which the supervisor was elected or 
        nominated for election.  Supervisors nominated from the 
        supervisor districts shall be included on the ballot for 
        election from the entire area included in the soil and water 
        conservation district.  
           (d) A certified copy of the minutes or the resolution of 
        the supervisors establishing supervisor districts must be 
        promptly filed by the chair of the district board with the 
        county auditor of the counties where the district is located and 
        with the state board.  
           Subd. 2.  [SUPERVISORS ELECTED BY DISTRICTS.] (a) In the 
        counties of Ramsey and Washington, the district board, with the 
        approval of the state board, may by resolution provide that 
        supervisors will be elected by supervisor districts as provided 
        in this subdivision.  
           (b) The supervisor districts must be composed of precincts 
        established by county and municipal governing bodies under 
        section 204B.14.  The districts must be compact, include only 
        contiguous territory, and be substantially equal in population.  
        The districts must be numbered in a regular series.  The 
        districts must be drawn by the county board of the county 
        containing the largest area of the soil and water conservation 
        district, in consultation with the district board and with the 
        approval of the state board.  The boundaries of the districts 
        must be redrawn after each decennial federal census as provided 
        in section 204B.135.  A certified copy of the resolution 
        establishing supervisor districts must be filed by the chair of 
        the district board with the county auditor of the counties where 
        the soil and water conservation district is located, with the 
        state board, and with the secretary of state at least 30 days 
        before the first date candidates may file for the office of 
        supervisor. 
           (c) Each supervisor district is entitled to elect one 
        supervisor.  A supervisor must be a resident of the district 
        from which elected.  
           (d) The district board shall provide staggered terms for 
        supervisors elected by district.  After each redistricting, 
        there shall be a new election of supervisors in all the 
        districts at the next general election, except that if the 
        change made in the boundaries of a district is less than five 
        percent of the average population of all the districts, the 
        supervisor in office at the time of the redistricting shall 
        serve for the full term for which elected.  The district board 
        shall determine by lot the seats to be filled for a two-year 
        term, a four-year term, and a six-year term. 
           Sec. 2.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
           This act is effective July 1, 1997, without local approval, 
        as authorized by Minnesota Statutes, section 645.023, 
        subdivision 1, paragraph (a). 
           Presented to the governor May 8, 1997 
           Signed by the governor May 9, 1997, 8:45 a.m.