County board appoints finance manager as interim auditor-treasurer – Albert Lea Tribune

The Freeborn County Board of Commissioners voted 4-0 Friday to appoint County Finance Manager Patrick Paquin as the interim auditor-treasurer during an emergency meeting of the board.

Patrick Paquin

The action came after the resignation of Auditor-Treasurer Kelly Hendrickson on Monday.

Commissioner Nicole Eckstrom was absent.

County Administrator Melanie Aeschliman said she was grateful Paquin stepped up to help out in the interim, noting she had not received interest from anyone else about serving in the interim role.

Paquin has worked as finance manager for the county since April 2014 and before that worked for the Minnesota Office of the State Auditor for more than 25 years, according to his LinkedIn profile.

Board Chairman Brad Edwin swore Paquin in for the role, and the board voted to add Paquin to the list of signatories for the banks that the county does business with.

Hendrickson had worked for the county since 2018, first in the Recorder’s Office and then in the Auditor-Treasurer’s Office. She started as interim auditor-treasurer in November 2023 and became auditor-treasurer in April 2024.

Her resignation letter was included in the agenda packet for the meeting.

“I have truly enjoyed working for Freeborn County and the taxpayers of Freeborn County,” she said in the letter.

Hendrickson expressed confidence in Aeschliman as administrator in the letter, stating the county and staff were lucky to have her in the role. She did not express the reason for her resignation.

Aeschliman said the county’s separation with Hendrickson did not include a severance package, and her benefits were paid out.

The action was made outside of the board’s normal twice-monthly Tuesday meetings.

Fourth District Commissioners Chris Shoff at the start of the meeting questioned how the situation qualified for an emergency meeting, noting that recent opinions about the issue were that emergency meetings should take place only for public safety issues.

County Attorney David Walker said on some occasions there is a need for immediate action by the board that supersedes ordinary notice and routine meeting requirements.

He noted that in this situation, an important county official had resigned, potentially creating a financial burden and liability for county residents if issues in the Auditor-Treasurer’s Office were not addressed.

He said he thought the board was justified in taking action as quickly as it could and that it was in the best interest of the county, the board and residents to have someone in place who was responsible for the actions of the department.

He also noted that in the last few days, the Auditor-Treasurer’s Office sent out notices to vacate because of property tax forfeiture, which could potentially lead to a public safety issue.

Aeschliman also pointed out that Hendrickson’s name was on checks that go out on Fridays from the county and that there was concern that the county wouldn’t be able to move forward with business as usual without addressing the issue as soon as possible.

Notice of the meeting was also sent to the newspaper and posted on the county website.