Minnesota Statutes 375.18 – General Powers

Subdivision 1.Accounts, examination, settlement and allowance.

Each county board may examine and settle all accounts of the receipts and expenses of the county, and examine, settle, and allow all accounts, demands, and causes of action against the county, and, when so settled, issue county orders for them, as provided by law.

Subd. 1a.Definition.

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Terms Used In Minnesota Statutes 375.18

Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
Damages: Money paid by defendants to successful plaintiffs in civil cases to compensate the plaintiffs for their injuries.
estimated market value: has the meaning given in section 273. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
Gift: A voluntary transfer or conveyance of property without consideration, or for less than full and adequate consideration based on fair market value.
Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). ^{Source: OCC}
Lien: A claim against real or personal property in satisfaction of a debt.
Majority: means with respect to an individual the period of time after the individual reaches the age of 18. See Minnesota Statutes 645.451
Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
Person: may extend and be applied to bodies politic and corporate, and to partnerships and other unincorporated associations. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44
Real property: Land, and all immovable fixtures erected on, growing on, or affixed to the land.
Settlement: Parties to a lawsuit resolve their difference without having a trial. Settlements often involve the payment of compensation by one party in satisfaction of the other party's claims.
state: extends to and includes the District of Columbia and the several territories. See Minnesota Statutes 645.44

For purposes of this section, a “county administrative official” shall mean a county auditor, treasurer, auditor-treasurer, administrator, coordinator, manager, a clerk/administrator, or a senior fiscal officer.

Subd. 1b.Delegation for paying certain claims.

A county board, at its discretion, may delegate its authority to pay certain claims made against the county to a county administrative official. County boards opting to delegate their authority to review claims before payment pursuant to this subdivision shall have internal accounting and administrative control procedures to ensure the proper disbursement of public funds. The procedures shall include regular and frequent review of the county administrative officials’ actions by the board. A list of all claims paid under the procedures established by the county board shall be presented to the board for informational purposes only at the next regularly scheduled meeting after payment of the claim. A county board that delegates its authority to pay certain claims made against the county must adopt a resolution authorizing a specified county administrative official to pay the claims that meet the standards and procedures established by the board. This subdivision does not apply to a home rule charter county for which the county charter provides an alternative method for paying claims made against the county.

Subd. 1c.Client-directed support program.

Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a county board, at its discretion, and upon approval by the Department of Human Services, may implement a client-directed support program that authorizes responsible parties for county human services and public health clients to expend public funds for the benefit of the clients without complying with subdivision 1b or section 384.13, 471.38, or 471.391. County boards opting to implement the program according to this subdivision must have internal accounting and administrative control procedures to ensure proper disbursement of public funds. The procedures must include county-owned demand deposit accounts and periodic review of the program by the county board.

Subd. 2.Manage property, funds, business.

Each county board may have the care of the county property, and management of the county funds and business, except in cases otherwise provided for, and make orders concerning them as it deems expedient.

Subd. 3.Courthouse.

Each county board may erect, furnish, and maintain a suitable courthouse. No indebtedness shall be created for a courthouse in excess of an amount equal to a levy of 0.04030 percent of estimated market value without the approval of a majority of the voters of the county voting on the question of issuing the obligation at an election.

Subd. 7.Transfer of surplus.

Each county board may transfer by a majority vote any surplus beyond the needs of the current year in any county fund to any other county fund to supply a deficiency in it.

Subd. 8.Ag society, farm improvement association.

Each county board may appropriate to any county agricultural society of its county, which is a member of the state agricultural society, or to any farm improvement association organized by the citizens of two or more counties jointly to advance the agricultural interest of each of the counties, a sum of money not exceeding $1,000 each, annually. In any county where two county agricultural societies are members of the state agricultural society any appropriation so made shall be divided equally between them. In addition to the appropriation referred to above, if a county owns grounds and buildings used for agricultural fairs and other purposes, the county board, by a majority vote, may appropriate annually a sum of money equal to ten percent of the total value of the property to the association or society having the management, control, and direction of agricultural fairs held there, to repair, maintain, improve, extend and alter the grounds and buildings.

Subd. 9.County fair land.

Each county board may purchase or condemn land, with improvements on it, to hold agricultural fairs and exhibitions and appropriate money to pay for it, not exceeding $25,000. The county board may purchase or condemn land for holding fairs and exhibitions and appropriate money in payment for it in excess of $25,000 when authorized by a vote of the people. It may accept and receive a donation to be used to obtain lands for the purpose of holding agricultural fairs and exhibitions and in that case and for that purpose, without being authorized by a vote of the people, it may purchase or condemn lands not exceeding in value the amount of the donation; improve and erect structures on the lands, for which they may receive donations of money, materials or labor. It may lease the land from time to time to agricultural and other societies of similar nature and establish reasonable rules and regulations under which it may be used by the societies in the county. All structures and improvements made on the land by societies using it shall belong to the county.

All proceedings for the condemnation of the lands shall be under the provisions of chapter 117.

Subd. 10.Veterans memorial.

Each county board may appropriate funds to erect or aid in erecting a monument or other memorial to the soldiers and sailors of the nation to be constructed in the county.

Subd. 11.Railways.

Each county board may authorize by resolution any person, company, or corporation to construct and maintain railway lines to be operated by other than steam power upon any public road outside of cities not boulevarded or parked, for a period not exceeding 25 years, upon the terms as to use and occupation prescribed in the resolution. The use granted shall not interfere with the reasonable use of the road as a highway, and shall cease in case of the vacation of the road, unless proceedings to condemn are taken within six months after the vacation and diligently prosecuted. The railway and its property shall be subject to taxation by the methods and at the rate as the proper authorities may from time to time prescribe in accordance with law.

Subd. 12.Land for public use.

Each county board may acquire by gift or purchase and improve land within the county, for use as a park, site for a building, or other public purpose, and, when required by the public interest, sell and convey it. The land may be paid for out of moneys in the county treasury not otherwise appropriated, or by issuing bonds of the county. The county board may acquire development rights in the form of a conservation easement under chapter 84C. The holder of the conservation easement may be determined by a governmental body.

Subd. 13.Other powers in law.

Each county board may exercise the other powers conferred upon it by law.

Subd. 14.Unauthorized deposit of solid waste.

Each county board may by ordinance:

(1) prohibit the deposit of solid waste within the county not otherwise authorized by law;

(2) require the owners or occupants of property to remove the unauthorized deposit of solid waste;

(3) if it is not removed, provide for removal of the solid waste at the owner’s or occupant’s expense; and

(4) provide for the expense to be a lien on the property and collected as a special assessment.

A county board may also seek civil penalties and damages from persons responsible for unauthorized deposit of solid waste under section 115A.99, which, if unpaid, may be imposed as a lien on property owned by the responsible persons and collected as a special assessment.

Subd. 15.Community action agencies.

Each county board may appropriate county funds to and contract with a community action agency designated under section 256E.31 and located within the county. The money appropriated shall be spent for authorized purposes of the community action agency and as the county board may, by resolution, provide. A contract may be for the purchase, lease, sale or other acquisition or disposition of equipment, supplies, materials, or other property, including real property. The contract is not subject to statutory or ordinance provisions requiring public bidding or third-party intermediaries for the transfer of property.