Otter Tail County Board, Drainage Authority to Meet March 24

The Otter Tail County Board of Commissioners and the county Drainage Authority held their regular joint meeting Tuesday morning at the Government Services Center, 500 W. Fir Ave. in Fergus Falls, with the session scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m.

The county's own events calendar confirmed the March 24 meeting at 8:30 a.m. The gathering marked the latest in a steady cadence of bimonthly sessions the board has maintained since January, with prior meetings recorded on Jan. 13, Jan. 27, Feb. 10, Feb. 24 and March 10.

County meetings are available for viewing via live stream, and past sessions have been archived on the Otter Tail County MN YouTube channel. The Feb. 10 session, for example, drew 122 views after being posted publicly, giving residents who cannot attend in person a way to follow county business on their own schedule.

The board is structured around five geographic districts, each represented by one commissioner elected by district residents to a four-year term. State statute requires the commissioners to gather at the county seat at least once at the start of each year, at which point they elect a chairperson and establish the full calendar of regular meeting dates. Tuesday's session falls within that schedule, with extra sessions added when county business demands it.

The board's core responsibilities span budget examination and approval, policy development, and the broad range of administrative decisions that govern county operations day to day. When convened as the Drainage Authority, commissioners also take up matters related to the county's network of public drainage systems, an element of county governance that carries direct consequences for agricultural landowners and rural property holders across Otter Tail County.

Residents seeking the official agenda for Tuesday's meeting, or looking for the live-stream link, can contact county staff directly at 218-998-8000 or visit the county website, where meeting materials and watch links are posted in advance of each session. The Government Services Center is located at 500 W. Fir Ave., Fergus Falls, MN 56537.

The board's next scheduled event beyond its regular meeting series is a Commissioners Open House in Pelican Rapids, listed on the county's upcoming events calendar at 7 p.m., offering residents in that part of the county a chance to engage with their representatives outside the formal board room.