LITCHFIELD -- Two attorneys in the Meeker County Attorney's Office are being considered to replace former county attorney Mike Thompson.
Thompson was sworn in as a judge Monday in the Eighth Judicial District Court in Kandiyohi County. He was appointed to the position by Gov. Tim Pawlenty last month.
First assistant county attorney Elizabeth Cummins is serving as interim county attorney until the County Board appoints someone to fill out the rest of Thompson's term, which expires at the end of 2006.
Four people -- two internal and two external -- applied for the position, but a committee decided to consider only the internal candidates. The county will require the appointed person to live in the county, and the committee members didn't know whether an external candidate would relocate for a position that may last only a year.
The candidates are Rick Lanners of Buffalo and Stephanie Moren of Litchfield, both of whom serve as assistant Meeker County attorneys. Lanners would need to move to Meeker County if he were appointed, county administrator Paul Virnig said.
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The county board Tuesday tentatively arranged to interview Lanners and Moren on Dec. 20.
The Meeker County Attorney seat is up for election in 2006.
Also Tuesday, the board approved its 2006 budget and levy. The 2006 budget will be $20,001,158, a 3.36 percent increase from this year.
The levy was set at $8,851,870, a 7.6 percent increase from this year's levy. Because of the tax capacity increase in the county, residents whose property values remained steady will not see an increase in the county portion of their taxes, Virnig said.
In other business, the board allowed Meeker Washed Sand & Gravel to run its crushing plant south of Litchfield 24 hours Monday through Saturday for up to three weeks to finish a project. The plant will not run on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day or Sundays.
