Governing Board
Board
of County Commissioners: The county is governed
by a board of five members elected for four year terms.
Each commissioner represents a population district of
the county. The commissioners make policies regulating
the functions of the many departments and see that these
are carried out. Responsibilities of the board are:
levy taxes, appropriations, authorize bonds, set salaries,
approve bills, accept bids, and approve the annual county
budget, just to mention a few. This board meets the
first and third Mondays of each month at 3:30 PM. All
county meetings are open to the public. Approximately
375 employees are engaged in the operation of the government
of Cass County. The social service department is also
under the state merit system for operations and services.
Elected Officials
Auditor:
The auditor serves as the county's chief financial officer
and custodian of certain court records and documents.
The major office functions are county accounting, county
property tax administration, election administration,
and preparation of the annual county budget.
Recorder:
This office is responsible for filing and recording
documentsthat pertain to personal and real property.
The office is also required to maintain a permanent
record of these documents which can include but is not
limited to deeds, mortgages, leases, easements, plats,
crop liens, State and Federal tax liens, medical certificates,
and a variety of other miscellaneous instruments. All
of these records are open to the public.
Sheriff:
Office functions are separated into field services,
staff services and corrections. The office provides
law enforcement services to Cass County, including patrolling
of county roads, investigating crimes in the county,
maintaining the county jail, juvenile detention center,
and criminals therein, serving official papers of the
courts, and responding to county emergencies. Construction
of a state of the art $18 million jail was completed
in the summer of 2002.
State's Attorney: This office represents the county
in civil litigation and prosecutes offenders of state
laws. This office also provides legal advice and opinions
to county, township, and school officials and also to
various county boards.
Treasurer: The treasurer has custody of all county
funds, collects taxes and disburses funds, invests county
funds, reconciles bank statements and mails out real
estate statements. The treasurer also serves as custodian
of certain county school district funds and performs
marriages.
Appointed
Officials
Cass County Administrator: A full-time administrator
assists the part-time, elected board of commissioners
in the implementation of their strategic plan and in
day-to-day activities. The administrator also supervises
personnel and buildings and grounds maintenance.
Cass County Extension Agent: This is the county
office of the NDSU Extension Service. The program's
mission is to improve the quality of life through education
and service.
Director
of Tax Equalization: This office has a director
and a deputy clerk who supervise, instruct, and assist
city and township assessors with fair market values
for all agricultural, commercial, and residential property
of the county. They levy and collect taxes on all mobile
homes in cities and rural areas of Cass County.
Highway
Engineer: This office has the responsibility for
the construction and maintenance of county roads and
bridges. The county levies taxes for road and bridge
construction. All public roads not part of the federal,
state or county system are maintained by individual
townships. Administration, finance, and road improvements
are the major program areas of this department. In addition,
the county engineer supervises vector control, as well
as county planning services.
Information
Technology Coordinator: The office provides all
computer related services to county employees. The "voice
mail" phone service for county offices is also
run through this office.
Social
Services Director: The staff includes social workers,
eligibility specialists, administrators, homemakers,
and support staff. The department has been designated
by law to provide poor relief and related services to
the citizens of Cass County. The two major program areas
are social services and economic assistance. The agency
is directly responsible to the Cass County Social Services
Board comprised of all five county commissioners and
two non-voting citizen advisory members.
Veterans
Service Officer: This department works with veterans
and families of veterans within local, state and federal
laws. The office provides assistance with pensions,
military records, VA benefits, proof of service, burial
and death payments. The office not only provides services
to veterans, but also widows, orphans, and dependents
of veterans.
Weed
Control Officer: The weed control board appoints
this position, whose purpose is to provide leadership
and education in long-term control of noxious weeds.
State
Offices
Clerk
of District Court: This office is the official record
keeper for the court system, maintaining non-judicial
records, collecting child support payments, recording
birth and death certificates, probate/guardianships/traffic
citations, criminal cases, civil/small claims/mental
health, and summoning people for jury selection.
Southeast
Regional Child Support Enforcement Unit: This office
establishes paternity, locates absent parents and establishes,
enforces, and reviews child support orders. All services
are automatically provided to families who receive Aid
to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC). Identical
services are also provided for non-AFDC families upon
request.
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