Douglas County News

Posted: Friday, October 23, 2026

By Julie Anderson, Douglas County Public Information Officer Another resort in Douglas County is converting to private use. Vacationer’s Inn Resort on Lake Cowdry has operated...

Posted: Friday, October 9, 2026

Even those who’ve lived in Douglas County a long time can learn something new. Just ask the busload of residents who took part in the annual Runestone Electric Association (RE...

Posted: Tuesday, October 6, 2026

With more space, comes more services. And that’s why the Douglas County Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) operates out of a new location. Executive Director Emajean Ha...

Posted: Wednesday, September 16, 2026

At their September 15 meeting, Douglas County Commissioners set the preliminary levy for 2027 at $40.6 million which is an 8.37 percent increase over 2026. They reminded those...

Posted: Wednesday, September 2, 2026

Douglas County has a new permitted gravel pit. The 97-acre aggregate mine, operated by Pazdernik Properties LLC, will be in a Rural Residential zone just off County Road 82 on...

Posted: Wednesday, September 2, 2026

The nonprofits, service organizations, and others that apply annually to Douglas County for funding learned their funding amount at the September 1 board meeting. Commissioner...

Posted: Thursday, August 20, 2026

A small part of the Douglas County budget is used to supplement the budgets of select non-profits and service organizations. At its August 18 meeting commissioners heard from ...

Posted: Tuesday, August 4, 2026

The four Douglas County elected officials made their annual budget and salary requests to commissioners at the August 4 board meeting. Elected Officials’ Budget and Salary Req...

Posted: Friday, July 31, 2026

NOTICE OF INTENT TO AMMEND THE DOUGLAS COUNTY ZONING ORDINANCE AS IT RELATES TO SEPTIC SYSTEMS.  Please take notice that on the 10th day of August at 7:15 p.m., the Dougl...

Posted: Wednesday, July 22, 2026

The use of Douglas County land generated significant discussion at the July 21 board of commissioners meeting. On a divided vote, commissioners approved six conservation easem...

Posted: Tuesday, July 7, 2026

Pazdernik Properties, LLC has proposed a new sand and gravel mining operation southeast of the town of Garfield in La Grand Township.  The 97-acre property is located eas...

Posted: Thursday, June 18, 2026

At their June 16 meeting, Douglas County Commissioners approved a number of requests that will assist the general population as well as specific individuals needing specific s...

Posted: Friday, June 5, 2026

At their June 2 meeting, County Commissioners voted to keep an existing rail crossing in Kensington open. The Canadian Pacific Kansas City railroad had expressed interest in c...

Posted: Wednesday, May 20, 2026

The Douglas County Lakes Association shared an impactful recognition at the May 19 Board of Commissioners’ meeting. Lakes Association President Jay Sieling presented Parks Sup...

Posted: Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Men and women, dressed in green, filled several rows at the May 5 Douglas County Board Meeting held in Alexandria. They were there to hear commissioners proclaim May as Mental...

Posted: Friday, May 1, 2026

Douglas County is accepting applications for 2026 Opioid Settlement Funding for eligible local programs....

Posted: Tuesday, April 21, 2026

On April 21, Douglas County Commissioners and Alexandria City Council members clearly showed the benefit of meeting together as full bodies. They gathered at the Douglas Count...

Posted: Thursday, April 9, 2026

Douglas County is now officially a rifle zone county for the hunting of white-tailed deer. At their April 7 board meeting, County Board Chair Shane Schmidt read the following,...

Posted: Wednesday, March 18, 2026

The concerts on the courthouse lawn will continue for an 18 th season this summer. At their March 17 board meeting, Douglas County Commissioners granted a permit to Chuck Wenc...

Posted: Thursday, March 5, 2026

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners tabled a request for a public restaurant/meeting space at the Lake Darling Resort and asked Public Works to come up with options for ...

Posted: Wednesday, February 18, 2026

The Douglas County Commissioners held a brief meeting on Tuesday, February 17. The meeting occurred before a closed session to evaluate the performance of all non-elected depa...

Posted: Thursday, February 5, 2026

Douglas County’s five-year road construction plan is ready. County Engineer and Public Works Director Tim Erickson shared with board members the projects that will ultimately ...

Posted: Monday, January 12, 2026

Commissioner Shane Schmidt is the chair of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners for 2026. Commissioner Jeff Way is the vice chair. The two leadership positions were among...

Posted: Friday, December 5, 2025

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners set the 2026 levy at 3.9 percent which is a significant reduction from the preliminary levy. Commissioners and the finance department...

Posted: Wednesday, November 19, 2025

A vote to accept a generous donation to the sheriff’s office started off the November 18   meeting of the Douglas County Board of Commissioners. Bob and Katie Winter dona...

Posted: Wednesday, November 5, 2025

Thanks to generous donors, a replacement vehicle for the Douglas County Veterans Service Office will be mostly paid for with private money. At the November 4 Douglas County bo...

Posted: Wednesday, October 29, 2025

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners and the Alexandria City Council met for a joint meeting on Monday, October 27.It was an opportunity for the two groups of elected off...

Posted: Thursday, June 5, 2025

Douglas County appreciates a dedicated workforce and at the June 3 meeting, county commissioners helped recognize a woman who has dedicated 26 years to the Douglas County Libr...

Posted: Wednesday, March 19, 2025

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office is taking in an alarming number of reports from residents fearing they’ve been targeted for a financial scam. The fraudulent contacts come ...

Posted: Friday, February 21, 2025

Two of the county’s most popular outdoor concerts will continue in 2025. At their February 18 board meeting, Douglas County Commissioners granted permits for both the Summer S...

Posted: Monday, July 22, 2024

Moms fix problems. They just do. Which is why, when Nicole Ness Botzet, a mom, asked Douglas County to allow her life jacket project to move forward at the county beaches, the...

Posted: Wednesday, July 10, 2024

A major road construction project in Douglas County will be fully underway on Monday, July 15. The impacted area is County State Aid Highway 4. This road is in the south-centr...

Posted: Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Upon petition by the Osakis Lake Association for a proposed Osakis Lake Improvement District, the Douglas County Board of Commissioners has set a public hearing scheduled for ...

Posted: Friday, March 1, 2024

Approximately 31,000 property tax statements & value notices will be mailed to Douglas County property owners at the end of March. Local Boards of Appeal and Equalization ...

Posted: Tuesday, January 23, 2024

The Douglas County Board of Commissioners, the Responsible Government Unit (RGU) for environmental review of the project titled Fern-Roth 40-Megawatt Solar Farm Project, LaGra...

Posted: Wednesday, December 20, 2023

Douglas County Commissioners held the final board meeting for 2023 on December 19. Their decisions will benefit county residents in a number of ways in 2024. First, the county...

Posted: Wednesday, November 8, 2023

There are books, there is knowledge, and there is outreach. The Douglas County Library has Outreach Coordinator Luke Elliott on staff to help share the books and materials ava...

Posted: Monday, November 6, 2023

The Kensington Rune Stone Park in Douglas County just completed a new must-see display that shares the always intriguing story of Olof Ohman’s discovery of the Kensington Rune...

Posted: Tuesday, May 23, 2023

By Carol Hedlund, Hudson Township resident and clerk   May 30, 2022, was a quiet Memorial Day. Until. We were in a tornado watch so all eyes and ears were tuned in to the...

Posted: Thursday, May 11, 2023

The Minnesota Department of Transportation, in partnership with Douglas County, will begin construction at the Interstate 94 and Highway 27/County Road 45/County Road 46 inter...

Posted: Thursday, December 8, 2022

Douglas County has completed an updated draft of its Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) and is now seeking public feedback. Like all Minnesota counties, Douglas County is vulnerable...

Posted: Friday, December 2, 2022

The 2023 budget and levy is now set. On Thursday, December 1, Douglas County Commissioners held the annual Truth In Taxation Meeting which is a meeting the public is encourage...