Minnesota’s townships to have annual meetings, elections March 14

Crow Wing Township Town Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2023, south of Brainerd.

By Dispatch staff report

February 26, 2023 at 3:57 PM

Minnesota’s 1,777 townships will have annual meetings on March 14. Some townships will also have elections for township officers.

Known as Township Day, these annual meetings are every year on the second Tuesday in March and sets townships apart from other forms of local government, the Minnesota Association of Townships reported in a news release.

At the meetings, residents of the townships will meet to voice their opinions about local issues with other township residents and also vote directly on their annual tax levy.

“Direct democracy in action,” the association reported.

Township residents attending annual meetings also often discuss and vote on other local issues.

In addition, many of the state’s townships will have township officer elections on Tuesday’s Township Day. In Crow Wing, townships with elections on March 14 are Bay Lake, Center, Crow Wing, Daggett Brook, Fairfield, Fort Ripley, Ideal, Maple Grove, Rabbit Lake and Roosevelt. All other Crow Wing County townships previously voted to move their town board elections to the November state and federal election cycle.

The only Cass County township with elections in March is Kego Township near Longville.

“Township Day 2023 will put grassroots democracy on display. We encourage all residents to show up, express themselves, and weigh in on topics like their tax levy and local elections,” said Jeff Krueger, Minnesota Association of Townships executive director, in the news release. “If you live in a township, please participate in your township’s annual meeting on Tuesday, March 14. You can find the location and time by checking the published notice in the local newspaper, township website, or by contacting the township clerk.

“Townships today include over 900,000 Minnesota residents, and we represent an extraordinary form of local government. Township Day annual meetings are your chance to participate in grassroots government.”

There are approximately 918,256 township residents in 1,777 townships in Minnesota. Townships exist in every area of the state, including the metropolitan area. Townships were the original form of local government in Minnesota, established in the 1800s when Congress ordered a survey that divided the Minnesota territory into 36 square mile tracts of land. Today, the term “township” generally refers to public corporations governed by a local board of supervisors and created to provide services to residents.

By Dispatch staff report

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