1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to Washington county; permitting the 
  1.3             appointment of the recorder and auditor/treasurer. 
  1.4   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.5      Section 1.  [RECORDER, AUDITOR/TREASURER MAY BE APPOINTED.] 
  1.6      Notwithstanding Minnesota Statutes, section 382.01, upon 
  1.7   adoption of a resolution by the Washington county board of 
  1.8   commissioners, the offices of county recorder and county 
  1.9   auditor/treasurer in the county are not elective but must be 
  1.10  filled by appointment by the county board as provided in the 
  1.11  resolution. 
  1.12     Sec. 2.  [BOARD CONTROLS, MAY CHANGE, AS LONG AS DUTIES 
  1.13  DONE.] 
  1.14     Upon adoption of a resolution by the Washington county 
  1.15  board of commissioners and subject to sections 3 and 4, the 
  1.16  duties of the elected officials required by statute whose 
  1.17  offices are made appointive as authorized by this act must be 
  1.18  discharged by the board of commissioners of Washington county 
  1.19  acting through a department head or heads appointed by the board 
  1.20  for that purpose.  Each appointed department head serves at the 
  1.21  pleasure of the board.  The board may reorganize, consolidate, 
  1.22  reallocate, or delegate the duties to promote efficiency in 
  1.23  county government.  It may make other administrative changes, 
  1.24  including abolishing the offices of auditor/treasurer and 
  2.1   recorder.  A reorganization, reallocation, or delegation or 
  2.2   other administrative change or transfer does not diminish, 
  2.3   prohibit, or avoid the discharge of duties required by statute. 
  2.4      Sec. 3.  [INCUMBENTS TO COMPLETE TERMS.] 
  2.5      Persons elected at the November 1994 general election to 
  2.6   the positions of recorder and auditor/treasurer shall serve in 
  2.7   those capacities and perform the duties, functions, and 
  2.8   responsibilities required by statute, until the completion of 
  2.9   the term of office to which each was elected, or until a vacancy 
  2.10  occurs in the office, whichever occurs earlier. 
  2.11     Sec. 4.  [PUBLISHING RESOLUTIONS, PETITION, REFERENDUM.] 
  2.12     The county board, before acting as permitted by section 2 
  2.13  and before making an appointment as permitted by section 1 or 2, 
  2.14  but after adopting a resolution permitted by section 1 or 2, 
  2.15  must publish the resolution once each week for two consecutive 
  2.16  weeks in the official publication of the county.  The resolution 
  2.17  may be implemented without the submission of the question to the 
  2.18  voters of the county, unless within 21 days after the second 
  2.19  publication of the resolution, a petition requesting a 
  2.20  referendum, signed by at least ten percent of the registered 
  2.21  voters of the county, is filed with the county auditor.  If a 
  2.22  petition is filed, the resolution may be implemented unless 
  2.23  disapproved by a majority of the voters of the county, voting on 
  2.24  the question at a regular or special election. 
  2.25     Sec. 5.  [EFFECTIVE DATE.] 
  2.26     This act takes effect the day after the filing of a 
  2.27  certificate of local approval by the Washington county board in 
  2.28  compliance with Minnesota Statutes, section 645.021, subdivision 
  2.29  3.