1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to Brown county; authorizing the formation of 
  1.3             a nonprofit corporation by Brown county. 
  1.4   BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.5      Section 1.  [BROWN COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 
  1.6   CORPORATION.] 
  1.7      (a) The Brown county board of commissioners may create a 
  1.8   nonprofit corporation under Minnesota Statutes, chapter 317A, 
  1.9   for the purposes of economic development and related 
  1.10  activities.  The corporation shall have the following specific 
  1.11  powers, in addition to other powers otherwise provided by law: 
  1.12     (1) to purchase, hold, lease, sell, develop, mortgage, 
  1.13  encumber, or otherwise acquire or dispose of property, whether 
  1.14  real, personal, or mixed, tangible, or intangible; 
  1.15     (2) to issue bonds, debentures, or obligations of the 
  1.16  corporation from time to time for any of the corporate purposes, 
  1.17  and to secure them by mortgage pledge, deed, trust, or 
  1.18  otherwise; 
  1.19     (3) to acquire the goodwill, rights, property, and assets 
  1.20  of all kinds, and to undertake the whole or any part of the 
  1.21  liabilities of any person, firm, association, or corporation; 
  1.22     (4) to give any guaranty for the performance of any 
  1.23  obligation or understanding; and 
  1.24     (5) to provide a reasonable amount of operating capital for 
  2.1   material assistance in the accomplishment of the corporate 
  2.2   purposes. 
  2.3      (b) Beginning July 1, 1998: 
  2.4      (1) the corporation is a limited liability company created 
  2.5   by the county and is a government entity subject to all laws as 
  2.6   if it were a part of the county, except: 
  2.7      (2) a meeting of the board of directors of the corporation, 
  2.8   which otherwise must comply with Minnesota Statutes, section 
  2.9   471.705, may be closed when discussing information about a 
  2.10  business if public dissemination might divulge proprietary 
  2.11  matters, or competitive business strategies to the detriment of 
  2.12  participating or prospective businesses; 
  2.13     (3) the corporation must submit an annual budget and 
  2.14  independent audit to the county board that must be made 
  2.15  available to the public; the state auditor may conduct the 
  2.16  audit, but it must be conducted separately from the audit the 
  2.17  state auditor conducts of Brown county; 
  2.18     (4) before an expenditure of $100,000 or more may be made, 
  2.19  whether by a grant, loan, or otherwise, the expenditure must be 
  2.20  approved by the Brown county board of commissioners after a 
  2.21  public hearing called by the board with at least ten days' 
  2.22  published notice in the official newspaper of the county; 
  2.23     (5) the issuance of bonds, debentures, or other obligations 
  2.24  does not constitute a general obligation of the county and is 
  2.25  not subject to Minnesota Statutes, chapter 475; 
  2.26     (6) the corporation is not subject to Minnesota Statutes, 
  2.27  section 471.345; and 
  2.28     (7) an officer or employee of the corporation is not a 
  2.29  "public employee" within the meaning of Minnesota Statutes, 
  2.30  section 353.01, subdivision 2, nor is the position a "public 
  2.31  employment position" within the meaning of Minnesota Statutes, 
  2.32  section 375.58, subdivision 1. 
  2.33     Sec. 2.  [LOCAL APPROVAL.] 
  2.34     Section 1 is effective retroactive to July 10, 1990, upon 
  2.35  approval by the governing body of Brown county and compliance 
  2.36  with Minnesota Statutes, section 645.021, subdivision 3.