GOVERNMENT

Health and Human Services

The Beltrami County Health and Human Services Department, the county’s largest budget item, is housed in the Beltrami County Community Services Center, second floor, 616 America Ave. NW, 333-4223. Priorities for the department are:

• Safety of clients/customers — This includes all services that are directly related to the health and safety of adults and children, including child protection services, vulnerable adult services, mental health and chemical dependency holds and treatment, and in-home services for the elderly.

• Basic needs — This includes services that provide food, clothing, shelter and medical care for individuals and families through assistance payments or child support, emergency shelter facilities and other related services.

• Preventive services for at-risk populations — This includes services for individuals who may be at risk of institutional care, out-of-home placement, or other more intensive services. Examples include family preservation services such as in-home counseling or parenting skills, mental health and chemical dependency treatment and training and habitation services, among others.

• Supportive services — This includes services that provide temporary or ongoing assistance to enhance, maintain or enable a person to receive other needed services or to achieve a goal in their service plan. This also includes things such as staff and provider training, and agency administration.

Beltrami Soil & Water Conservation District

County Administration Building

701 Minnesota Ave. NW, Suite 113 333-4158

Board members: Ruth Trask, Shane Bowe, Ray Hendrickson, Rachel Gray and Sam Christenson. Board meets at 8 a.m. on the third Thursday of the month. The district works primarily one on one with landowners to connect them with the financial and technical resources they need to put conservation practices on the land.

Farm Service Agency

3217 Bemidji Ave. N., Suite 1, 751-1942, ext. 2

Agency administers farm commodity and conservation programs and makes farm ownership and operating loans.

Social Security Office

2900 Hannah Ave. NW, (866) 258-6345

The local Social Security Office can handle all your questions in regard to status, benefits and Medicare.

The office is open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and 9 a.m. to noon on Wednesday.

Airport Authority

The Bemidji Regional Airport is governed by a free-standing authority that includes two Beltrami County commissioners, two Bemidji city councilors and a chairman. Meets at 5 p.m. the third Wednesday of each month in the Airport Conference Room.

For more information, contact executive director Karen Weller at 444-2438

Beltrami County

City of Bemidji

The Bemidji City Council meets at 6 p.m. on the first and third Monday of each month at City Hall, 317 4th St. NW. The city council also meets for work sessions on the second and fourth Mondays of the month as needed.

The meetings are open to everyone, or residents can watch the proceedings live on Midcontinent and Paul Bunyan Television cable Channel 2. They can also be streamed at the city’s website.

The city council is set up with a ceremonial mayor and six council members, each of whom has an equal vote. Five of the city council members represent the city’s wards and one serves at large, as does the mayor. The city administration also includes a clerk, manager, attorney and finance director.

The City Hall number is 759-3560.

City commissions and boards

Charter Commission Meets annually at 6:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday in June at City Hall, and as needed throughout the year. Parks and Trails Commission Meets at 4:30 p.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the city’s Public Works Facility.

Area townships

There are 1,780 organized townships in Minnesota. Townships are governed by a board of supervisors elected by the people for three-year terms, and administrative officers elected or appointed for two-year terms. The annual township meeting is held in each township on the second Tuesday in March.

Beltrami County

Minnesota Governor

Tim Walz, DFL

130 State Capitol St. Paul, MN 55155

651-201-3400, 800-657-3717

E-mail: tim.walz@state.mn.us

Website: http://mn.gov/governor/

Minnesota Senate

Steve Green, R-Fosston, 2 95 University Avenue W. Minnesota Senate Bldg., Room 2319 St. Paul, MN 55155 651-297-8063 sen.steve.green@senate.mn

Minnesota House

Matt Grossell, R-Clearbrook, 2A

227 State Office Building

100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155 (651) 296-4265 rep.matt.grossell@house.mn

Matt Bliss, R-Pennington, 2B

311 State office Building

100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. St. Paul, Minnesota 55155 (651) 296-5516 rep.matt.bliss@house.mn

U.S. Senate

Amy Klobuchar (DFL)

425 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

(202) 224-3244

E-mail: Senator@klobuchar.senate.gov

Website: klobuchar.senate.gov

1200 Washington Ave. S. Room 250

Minneapolis, MN 55415

(612) 727-5220 888-224-9043

Tina Smith (DFL)

720 Hart Senate Office Bldg.

Washington, D.C. 20510

(202) 224-5641

Website: smith.senate.gov

60 Plato Blvd. E, Suite 220

St. Paul, MN 55107

(651) 221-1016

U.S. House

Pete Stauber (8th District, R)

126 Cannon House House Office Bldg.

Washington, DC 20515

(202) 225-6211

5094 Miller Trunk Highway, Suite 900

Hermantown, MN, 55811

(218) 481-6396