Commissioners seek more transparent board appointment process; approve two JDA appointments and reappoint water board member

Walsh County commissioners on Jan. 7 discussed making the county's board-appointment process more transparent and approved several board appointments recommended by the Job Development Authority and the Water Board.

Chairing a discussion about appointments, a commissioner said some boards now simply submit a recommended name and the county appoints that person without knowing whether there was broader interest. The proposed change would require boards to post current members and term-expiration dates on the Walsh County website, and to forward any interested candidates and the board's recommendation to the commissioners for final appointment. Commissioners discussed who would maintain the website listings (the auditor's office or the county's contracted HR/web vendor) and noted the administrative work needed to keep listings current.

Stacy, the county's JDA director, presented the Job Development Authority's recommended appointments. The commission voted to appoint Jill Torgerson and Kate Nicole Markle to the GDA board as the JDA recommended; the roll call vote was unanimous.

Separately, the Water Board had recommended reappointment of Larry (last name in transcript rendered "Tanki"/"Tanski"/"Tanki"), who addressed the commissioners and described his long tenure and experience on the Water Board. Commissioners also said they have seen interest from at least one other candidate for a water board seat and discussed the value of new members. The motion to reappoint Larry to the water board passed unanimously on roll call.

Commissioners directed staff to consult with the auditor and the county's web contractor (or HR contractor) about publishing board membership and term-expiration information and to encourage boards to forward any interested applications to the commission so appointments are made with transparency and a record of all candidates.