Daniels County commissioners adopt resolution setting elected officers’ posted hours after debate over scope

Daniels County commissioners voted Jan. 20 to adopt Resolution 25-4 establishing office hours for county officers after a lengthy discussion about whether the resolution should apply to all county offices or only elected officers and what state law allows.

The commissioners approved the resolution by voice vote after several commissioners and county staff debated the text and cited a state statute that the treasurer later identified as governing elected officers’ office hours. Commissioner 3 moved to approve the resolution; another commissioner seconded, and the motion passed with all present voting in favor.

The debate centered on a middle paragraph in the draft resolution that some commissioners read as covering “all county offices,” including the library and extension offices, while others argued the statutory citations apply specifically to elected county officers. Commissioner 3 said, “The middle paragraph covers what we want. Yeah. The county offices,” and several commissioners said the resolution should make clear whether it applies only to county officers listed by statute or to other county-managed offices as well.

Julie, the county treasurer, told the board she had reviewed the statute language and that state law (cited in the meeting as “74102”) requires each elected officer to keep an office open during hours determined by the governing body and that affected elected officers must consent. Julie said the treasurer’s office had mailed and posted required notices and warned that waiving the statutory process would be problematic. “Unless otherwise provided by law, each officer shall keep the officer’s office open for the transaction of business during the office hours determined by the governing body by resolution after a public hearing and only if consented by any affected elected county officer,” she said when summarizing the statute language.

Board members agreed to clarify the title and intent of the resolution so it reads as setting the office hours of county officers rather than “all county offices.” One commissioner suggested routing individual exceptions or non-elected department-hour changes (for example, library hours) through separate administrative decisions or individual resolutions, noting that some offices have operational reasons for different hours.

After discussion, the board adopted Resolution 25-4 as presented and directed staff to circulate the resolution and highlight the paragraph covering county officers so department heads and the public are aware of the posted hours requirement.

The action ends the board’s formal consideration of the office-hours language for now; commissioners said they may bring follow-up clarifications or separate measures if individual department hours need to be handled differently.