Purpose

• This bill would change how the Crane Lake Water and Sanitary District Board of Managers is sized and how its members are elected and replaced. Specifically, it allows moving from a five-member board to a three-member board, but only with approval from the district’s related governing body. It also sets rules for how vacancies are handled and how terms are scheduled to avoid multiple terms ending in the same year.

Main Provisions

• Board size change: With approval from the related governing body, the board of managers may be reduced from five members to three members.
• Vacancies during the reduction: Vacancies on the board may not be filled until the number of current board members has been reduced to three.
• Filling vacancies after reduction: Once there are three members, vacancies are filled according to Minnesota Statutes section 442A.14 to maintain a three-member board.
• Term grouping to avoid alike-year expirations: After the board has three members, newly elected members will be assigned to groups under Minnesota Statutes section 442A.14 subdivision 2 clauses 1 to 3 so that, to the extent practical, no two members have terms expiring in the same year.
• Term timing and duration: Board members are elected to regular terms in a staggered, successive pattern. Terms begin when the preceding term expires and end on the first business day in January of the third calendar year after that expiration. Each member remains in office until their successor is elected and qualified.

Impact on Local Governance

• What changes: The bill shifts the district’s governance from a five-member board to a three-member board (subject to governing body approval) and establishes procedures to maintain staggered terms and orderly vacancy replacements.
• How vacancies and elections work: It ties vacancy filling and term scheduling to existing Minnesota statutes (442A.14 and related subdivisions) to ensure consistent practice with other local governments, while customizing the timing to keep three active members.

Transition and Compliance

• Implementation steps: If approved, the district would reduce to three members, wait to fill vacancies until that reduction is complete, then use standard procedures to fill remaining vacancies and assign term groups to prevent simultaneous expirations. Subsequent elections would follow the staggered-term framework described.

Potential Practical Effects

• Governance: A smaller board could change how decisions are made and how quickly issues are addressed.
• Stability: Staggered terms aim to maintain continuity by avoiding multiple openings at once.
• Planning: The district would align its election timing with state-law structures for municipal boards.

Relevant Terms - Crane Lake Water and Sanitary District - Board of Managers - five-member board - three-member board - related governing body - vacancies - Minnesota Statutes section 442A.14 - subdivision 1 - subdivision 2 - clauses 1 to 3 - business day in January - terms - expire - elected - qualified - staggered terms - transition