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Polk County commissioners elect Joan Lee chair, designate Fertile Journal as official newspaper
Summary
At its Jan. 6 meeting the Polk County Board of Commissioners unanimously elected Joan Lee chair and Paul Reese vice-chair for 2026, approved the agenda and consent items, and adopted resolutions naming the Fertile Journal the county’s official newspaper and accepting bids for required publications.
Joan Lee was elected chair of the Polk County Board of Commissioners and Paul Reese was elected vice-chair during the board’s Jan. 6, 2026 regular session, actions approved by unanimous vote.
The board also approved the meeting agenda with additions for Management Information Systems and Highway solicitations, and adopted routine consent items including the Dec. 16, 2025 minutes and auditor warrants.
In several formal votes the board adopted resolutions designating publications for county legal notices. Under Resolution 2026-01 the board designated the Fertile Journal as Polk County’s Official Newspaper for 2026 and accepted the Fertile Journal bid of $2.40 per column inch for official publications. The board accepted The Thirteen Towns’ $2.50 per column inch bid for the Delinquent Tax List and for the second publication of the 2025 financial statement under Resolutions 2026-02 and 2026-03. All motions passed unanimously.
The board also adopted Resolution 2026-05 designating Polk County officials and staff (including Commissioners Reese, Strandell, Willhite, and Lee; County Administrator Charles S. Whiting; Samuel Melbye; and County Highway/Ditch Engineer Richard Sanders) as delegates to the Association of Minnesota Counties and authorized payment of dues and reimbursement of verified expenses.
The meeting adjourned with the board set to reconvene at 9:30 a.m. on Jan. 20, 2026.
The actions taken set administrative leadership and publication logistics for Polk County for the coming year; most votes were unanimous, and no controversies were recorded in the minutes.
