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Role of County Government
The traditional role of county governments is to serve as the administrative arm of the state government. In this model, the county is responsible for performing state mandated activities, namely: maintenance of records (vital statistics and property), property assessment, maintenance of rural roads, administration of electoral functions, and the administration of judicial functions. The County is essentially a creature of the state. This means that it fills roles that the state gives to it. The basic language governing the relationship between local and state government can be found in Article XII of Minnesota's Constitution.
Minnesota is unique in that it is one of the few states in the Union that maintains a county-administered program delivery system. This model means that the county becomes the access point to state and federal programs. It also means that the county government has a much larger role in the provision and creation of services.
The Dakota County government performs all of the normal activities of county government like record collection, property evaluation, and road maintenance. And because of the extra responsibilities placed on counties in Minnesota, Dakota County also provides a wide range of social and humanitarian services that are easily accessible to its residents.
Dakota County has seven elected County Commissioners that determine policy direction. Other elected officials include the County Attorney and the Sheriff. Dakota County also maintains a County Administrator management structure. The County Administrator is responsible for general management of operations and implementing the policies and recommendations set forth by the County Board.
This page was last updated on: 04/03/2009
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