Wadena County Commissioners: Discussion ensues on legal bid process
by Trinity Gruenberg
The Wadena County Commissioners held their regular meeting on January 16.
Budget Increase for Legal
Newspaper
Auditor Treasurer Heather Olson presented the budget increase due to the new legal newspaper.
A letter was submitted to the board by Ray Benning, Publisher of the Verndale Sun.
Benning’s letter read: “One of the first items brought up at this meeting was the legal bid for the newspaper bid per statute. All three newspapers submitted bids according to the requirements by law. Your newly appointed chair, Mr. Kreklau, then opened talks with his version of the calculated math he presented that was/is irrelevant to what the state and county ask for in their bid. Mr. Kreklau then went on and said he talked to many other counties and they also are doing this, and then said numerous times “most” counties in the state are doing this (his math per subscriber and choosing the higher bid which is taking taxpayers dollars out of their pockets). I am asking each of you what is “most” counties? Where did he find this information? Or did he call them directly? Mr. Kreklau needs to provide proof if he says this at a public meeting to sway votes especially as the board chair. He did give one old example from 2020 in Hubbard county. Nothing current was brought up....