The Polk County Board of Commissioners met on Tuesday and heard updates from the sheriff’s department and property records. The meeting was a continuation of the June 16 meeting.
MAY SHERIFF’S REPORT
Polk County Sheriff James Tadman provided his May 2026 report to the county board, noting that deputies responded to 756 calls for service over the month. That was an increase from 742 in April 2026. The report indicated 226 traffic stops in May, which increased from 201 in April. Several factors could be contributing to the increase in traffic stops, according to Tadman. “We have the lakes opening up, a lot of people coming out to the lakes area, a lot of people traveling through vacationing-wise. So all in all, it was kind of right around the same thing. Our biggest thing right now is that we’re doing a lot of towards-zero-death (TZD) patrols, and we’re looking for seat-belt use and intoxicated drivers. So we put extra shifts on for that to work those.”
NEW DEPUTY SWORN IN
Following the monthly report, Tadman introduced Connor Thoennes to the board and swore him in as the department’s newest deputy. Thoennes is originally from the Grand Rapids area and attended the University of Minnesota-Crookston, where he earned his degree in law enforcement before attending Northern Technical College. Members of Thoennes’s family and the sheriff’s department were in attendance, which Tadman appreciated. “I think it shows a lot of support. We send this out to the supervisors, and they kind of pass it out, and we make sure that the patrol deputies who can make it. That shows the support and the backing that he has, and you know that he has here with our office.”
ONE N ONLY CANNABIS RETAIL REGISTRATION
Property Record Director Sam Melbye presented a cannabis retail registration to the board for approval. The registration was put in by One n Only in Euclid Township. Melbye told the board the business is in compliance with all state and county laws, and Euclid Township has delegated the authority of approving the registration to the county. The registration was approved.
MSTRWD PROPERTY TRANSFER REQUEST
The board’s final action of the meeting was to approve a request from the Middle Snake-Tamarac Rivers Watershed District (MSTRWD) to transfer a FEMA buyout property to the county for one dollar. The district facilitated a buyout process between the landowner and FEMA for the 13.9-acre property on 495th Avenue NW near the Red River, but the watershed district’s mission does not include owning flood buyout land. Therefore, the district reached out to Polk County about taking over the property through a transfer and keeping the land as green space. The board agreed to the transfer contingent on the demolition of any existing structure on the property before the county takes control of the land.
The next Polk County Board of Commissioners meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 7, at 8:00 a.m. in the boardroom at the Polk County Government Center in Crookston.
