1. Local Governance Comm report - Laserfiche WebLink

ISSUES RAISED 1) Elected versus appointed offices The committee studied the issue of changing the county auditor, county treasurer and county recorder to be appointed rather than elected offices. The group encourages the Cass County Commission to continue actively studying this issue. This recommendation has nothing to do with the current office holders-- rather it is recognition that competent, professional management is needed to run these departments and manage the personnel within the offices. While the County Commission has acted on the committee's original resolution by yoting to keep the above positions elected, the group believes this item warrants further study and consideration. The committee recommends the commission take the years between elections to study and hold public hearings on this issue. 2) Regional cooperation to better serve county citizens In reviewing county government, it became apparent to the committee that all various levels of local government need to work together in providing the best possible services to the citizens of this region. The county has numerous examples of cooperative efforts as follows: vector control, joint dispatch, emergency management and elections, to name a few. The group recommends the county attempt to collaborate on efforts wherever possible to keep the lines of communication open among all levels of government in the region. The following are a few issues that were addressed by the committee: Emerqencv Services Communications The committee was pleased about the tremendous progress made at the local level with regard to joint dispatch services and radio interoperability. Cass County has taken a leadership role in both projects, and as a result, the joint goyernmental efforts between Cass/Clay/Fargo/Moorhead have become a nationwide model. As a result, the local jurisdictions have had great success in accessing federal Homeland Security Funds and addressing community emergency needs. Public safety is of paramount importance to goyernmental success, but is often taken for granted, except during times of crisis. Cass County should continue to be a leader in these efforts and work hand-in-hand with other local political subdiyisions to improve operational efficiencies. Electronic data collection and sharinq of information technoloqv The committee looked at the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and property information placed on the web by Cass County, City of Fargo, and City of West Fargo. The group recognizes the tremendous amount of effort by local officials and their staff in making this information available to citizens. The committee recommends that efforts continue with an emphasis on combining property information from the numerous entities into a user-friendly web site so citizens may access all parcel information at one location. 6