Stevens County adopts clarified per‑diem policy; board adds canvassing‑board note

The Stevens County Board of Commissioners on June 25 adopted a revised board procedures document that clarifies how commissioners may claim per‑diem pay and reimbursements.

Why it matters: The policy memorializes longstanding questions about commissioner pay: per‑diems are authorized and limited by state statute and opinion letters and must be claimed on a per‑day basis (not multiple per diems for the same calendar day). The document also clarifies circumstances in which commissioners may claim per‑diems for required committee or outside‑board duties and adds a specific note on the canvassing board.

What staff presented and the board decided County staff reviewed an opinion letter and Minnesota statutes during the meeting. Staff summarized the legal guidance as: per‑diem is paid "by the day spent performing duties of the office" and multiple per‑diems for the same day are not authorized. Staff cited Minnesota Statutes sections 375.055 and 375.06 when explaining limits and reimbursement rules.

The board discussed practical situations, including when commissioners attend planning and zoning meetings that are not formal board assignments, whether that attendance constitutes an "official" meeting for purposes of per‑diem, and the risk of a quorum appearing at another body’s meeting and unintentionally forming a deliberative meeting. Staff advised caution: commissioners may attend other public meetings but should avoid participating in a way that could be construed as taking official action outside the county board meeting.

A final motion adopted the revised procedures and explicitly added a canvassing‑board reference (the motion noted canvassing‑board treatment and stated no per‑diem for canvassing board unless statute authorizes it); the motion passed by voice vote.

Direct quotation from staff during the meeting (verbatim) - "Per diem is authorized by sections 375.055 and 376.06 to be paid by the day spent performing duties of the office." — County staff member summarizing opinion letter and statutes.

Key policy points recorded - Per‑diem is a per‑day payment, not a per‑meeting or per‑committee payment for more than one per‑diem in the same calendar day. - Mileage and actual expenses remain reimbursable as allowed under statute and policy. - Commissioners may be allowed per‑diem for official duties on an outside board when that service is an authorized duty of the county board (examples discussed included executive committee assignments and joint meetings required by the county). - The policy adds a provision addressing the canvassing board: staff will add explicit language for canvassing‑board situations; the board voted to include a canvassing‑board reference clarifying per‑diem treatment.

Speakers and roles (as used in the meeting) - County staff (unnamed in the recording) — summarized the statutes and an opinion letter and led the per‑diem discussion. - Stephanie (County Administrator) — participated in drafting and clarifying policy language and how agenda items are submitted. - Joe — staff member who commented on open‑meeting considerations when commissioners attend other bodies’ meetings.

Authorities referenced in the meeting Staff cited Minnesota statutes and an opinion letter during the discussion; the relevant statutory citations in the record are Minn. Stat. § 375.055 and Minn. Stat. § 375.06. Staff also referenced a 1994 opinion letter clarifying multiple per‑diems on the same day are not authorized.

Implementation The board directed staff to finalize the document with the canvassing‑board addition and publish the revised board procedures with the meeting minutes. The motions and the final policy approval were recorded by voice vote; mover and seconder names were not recorded in the transcript.

Provenance (transcript excerpt) The per‑diem discussion begins when staff introduced the "per diem section" and continues through an extended statute/opinion summary; the motion to approve with canvassing‑board language appears near the end of that agenda item (s≈962–2387).