(May 10, 2001) The House passed a bill May 9 that would allow two counties to change some elected positions to appointed positions.

SF510, sponsored by Sen. Sandra Pappas (DFL-St. Paul), was defeated by the House on a 104-27 vote April 18. The original bill would allow all county boards the ability to change certain elected positions to appointed positions by an 80 percent vote of the board. It passed the Senate 45-19 March 5.

Rep. Larry Howes (R-Walker), the House sponsor, offered a successful amendment May 9 that limited the scope of the bill to just Cass and Hubbard counties.

The amended bill would allow the Hubbard County board to change the auditor, treasurer, and the recorder positions to appointed positions. Cass County would do the same with its auditor-treasurer and recorder positions.

Rep. Richard Mulder (R-Ivanhoe) said current law allows those elected positions to become appointed by having the county board put a referendum question before the voters. He said he opposed the measure because it allowed the changes to occur without the approval of voters.

The amended bill passed by a 93-38 vote. It now returns to the Senate for review and possible repassage.

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