Brown County CEAO

The Brown County Congress of Elected and Appointed Officials

Key leaders from the county, cities, school districts and the township association in Brown County meeting regularly to focus on strategic "big picture" issues affecting the entire county. Meetings are held quarterly at the Brown County REA Auditorium in Sleepy Eye. Occasionally open forums for the general public are held.

Goals

  1. Strengthen communication among the communities in the county
  2. Expand the relationships that leaders can rely on as they try to make a difference for their community
  3. Increase leaders' ability to consider the perspectives of jurisdictions and communities outside their own in a time of increasing mutual dependence
  4. Facilitate discussion and fact gathering to assist elected leaders in decision-making on key issues
  5. Create a stronger, more unified voice in rural Minnesota on legislative issues

Participants

  • County administrator and County Commissioners
  • City managers, city council chairpersons, mayors, and city clerks
  • Superintendents of the four school districts, school board chairpersons, and youth representatives
  • Officers of the township association
  • Township officers
  • Economic development directors
  • Local legislators
  • Soil & Water District Representatives
  • Bridging Brown County Directors

Past Topics

  • Updates by our local legislators following the legislative sessions.
  • Demographic changes projected for our area and its implications.
  • Recruiting new employees and retaining current residents.
  • Identification of key issues to create a county wide legislative platform.
  • Economic development efforts in local communities and the county.
  • Presentations by representatives of some key resources in the area[ including Region 9, the Minnesota Valley Council of Governments, and the Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation.
  • Changing technologies and the impact on workforce, education, housing, public services and infrastructure.
  • Candidate forum with voters and candidates from all over Brown County working together on public issues and possible solutions.

Several County Congresses have resulted in informational papers or “report cards”. Check out our work.