County Administrator FAQ
Pope County is among the majority of Minnesota counties that have a "County Administrator." What does a "County Administrator" do?
Good question! Traditionally, many county administrative functions were carried out by an elected County Auditor. As these administrative duties became more complex and time-consuming over the years, Minnesota law was changed to instead allow counties to appoint an official to provide dedicated, professional county management.
A “County Administrator” is just one of the defined methods of professional county management that are allowed by Minnesota law. The other common methods, County Manager and County Coordinator, may be familiar to some citizens. The County Board’s decision as to what method to use depends on business considerations, the managerial structure the Board wishes the County to have, and how many of the Board’s inherent powers it wishes to delegate to administration for day to day operations. The County Administrator is best described as the “middle of the road” option of the three, with the County Manager’s powers being more extensive, and the County Coordinator’s less extensive.
The duties of a County Administrator are contained in Minnesota Statutes Section 375A.06, and are also listed elsewhere in this section. Generally, they include functions related to managerial supervision, fiscal planning and monitoring, meeting and committee facilitation, and other functions normally delegated to a chief executive. The County Board retains the ultimate supervisory powers over the County’s operations and gives directives to the County Administrator.
Pope County used to have the office of the "County Coordinator". Is the "County Administrator" the same as the "County Coordinator" or not?
A “County Coordinator” is just one of the defined methods of professional county management that are allowed by Minnesota law. The other common methods, County Manager and especially County Administrator, are more familiar to many citizens. While the duties of these two offices are not the same, they are both chief executive positions in County government, and both positions do not exist in any one county at the same time. As explained elsewhere in this section, the duties of and the powers delegated to the County Administrator are generally more extensive than those delegated to the County Coordinator, but either position if used serves under the direct supervision of the County Board.
The Pope County Coordinator was an office first established by the County Board in 1994 and was previously the position charged with administrative functions at the County. As the Board expanded the duties and responsibilities of that office to align more closely to the duties of a County Administrator under Minnesota Statute 375A.06, the Board elected to appoint a County Administrator in 2021 and abolished the office of the County Coordinator at that same time.
How do I contact the Pope County Administrator's Office with a question, compliment, or concern?
The County Administrator’s Office is located on the second floor of Pope County’s historic Courthouse at 130 Minnesota Ave. East in Glenwood, Minnesota. You can reach the office by phone at (320) 634-7700, or can email the office by clicking the contact us link by the envelope icon in the upper right portion of the Administrator’s main page.
If your reason for inquiry is related to another County department’s or office’s duties or activities, and you have not yet raised it with that department or office, you may find contact information for the department by finding the office under “DEPARTMENTS” in the menu at the top of the page.
What are the Pope County Administrator's office hours?
Generally, the County Administrator’s office is open Monday through Friday each week from 8:00am to 4:30pm, as are most County offices. These normal hours may vary at times based on seasonal or holiday schedules, scheduling conflicts, or if there is a severe weather event or other emergency that warrants closure. You can see a list of the holiday closures on the main Frequency Asked Questions page.
Where are the Pope County Administrator's offices located?
The County Administrator’s offices are located on the second floor of Pope County’s historic Courthouse at 130 East Minnesota Avenue in Glenwood, Minnesota and are co-located with the Human Resources Department.
I have a question about obtaining public or data subjected information pursuant to the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act. Is this the right county office for that inquiry?
It depends. If your request is for Pope County data, you can request a copy of the county policy on this subject here, which also contains a list of the proper contacts for the request depending on the type of data requested. There are also forms within the policy or separate forms by which to make a records request. General inquiries about the policies or procedures can be directed to the Administrator’s Office.
I have a question about court, such as about an appearance date, traffic ticket, court filing, or the particulars of a case. Is the County Administrator's Office the place to contact about these matters?
No. Many people are confused about this because some counties like Pope County have a “County Administrator”, and that title sounds a lot like “Court Administration”. These are two completely separate offices, and the County Administrator has no role in the operation of the courts. Please do not visit or call the County Administrator’s office about court-related issues, as we are unable to help you.
If your inquiry is court-related, you are looking specifically for the office called “Court Administration” which in Pope County is located on the third floor of the historic Courthouse at 130 Minnesota Ave. East, Glenwood, Minnesota. The phone number for Pope County Court Administration is (320) 424-7170. Note that this number uses an automated answering system, and County offices cannot answer any court-related questions or provide any other contact numbers for this purpose at the request of Court Administration. You can find complete contact information for Court Administration at the Minnesota Courts site for Pope County.