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With still not having any success in finding a new Freeborn County assessor, the County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday to increase the starting pay grade for the position in hopes of attracting more applicants.

Interim County Administrator Darrell Pettis said the county had hired DDA Human Resources Inc. to help recruit for the job and thus far had only received five applications, none of whom met the minimum requirements for the position.

Pettis said the county is running out of time with the state, and said the state is anxious to get the position taken care of.

The county has been without a permanent assessor since Oct. 16 after former assessor, Candice “Candy” Lahann, who came to Freeborn County from Olmsted County, resigned for a new opportunity in Olmsted County. State law requires counties to fill the position within 90 days, but the county thus far has been unable to find a qualified replacement.

The county is in the middle of an extension on that initial 90-day timeline and has until the end of April to have the position filled.

Pettis said in addition to the grade increase from a 20 to a 22, he suggested the county started reaching out to some of the neighboring counties to see if they are interested in partnering for the position.

Commissioner Nicole Eckstrom asked what would happen if the county didn’t have someone in place by the end of the extension.

Pettis said the county would risk having issues with the Department of Revenue, which could affect the county’s ability to collect property taxes.

The county has designated an interim assessor, Luke Onstad out of Houston County, to help out at least one day a week or in the evenings when he is available.