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Michael Montplaisir
County Auditor
The position of County Auditor is an elected position voted upon by the citizens of Cass County in the off year, or non-presidential election years. The county auditor is by statute the chief financial officer of the county, the elections administrator, the property tax administrator, and the executive secretary to the board of county commissioners.
As Chief Financial Officer (CFO), the county auditor oversees all fiscal activities of the county. Some of the activities undertaken as CFO include administering the purchase of supplies and goods, payment of bills, monthly and annual financial reporting, bonding for construction projects, and preparation of the annual county budget.
As Election Administrator, the county auditor administers all state and county elections held in the county. The county holds a primary election on the second Tuesday in June in every even-numbered year. In conjunction with the primary election, the county auditor also administers the city and park district elections for cities within the county. The county holds a general election on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November of each even-numbered year.
As Property Tax Administrator, the county auditor oversees the maintenance of the property tax system, computation of mill levies, preparation of property tax bills, distributing taxes collected to the various subdivisions of the county, and collection of delinquent taxes.
As the Executive Secretary to the board of county commissioners, the county auditor attests to official actions of the county commission and oversees the preparation of minutes of county commission meetings and other committee and appointed board meetings.
County Auditor Bio:
Michael Montplaisir has been the elected County Auditor for Cass County, North Dakota since January of 1991. Mr. Montplaisir served as the Senior Accountant for Cass County from 1988 through 1990. Mr. Montplaisir’s prior professional experience was as an auditor for the North Dakota State Auditor’s Office from 1977 to 1988. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and a member of the North Dakota Society of CPA’s.
Mr. Montplaisir has lived in Cass County most of his life, having been raised on a farm south of the City of Horace. He attended elementary schools at St. Benedict’s parish and Kindred, both in Cass County. He attended high school in Kindred and Fargo. Mr. Montplaisir is a graduate of Moorhead State University with a degree in Accounting. Mr. Montplaisir is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, having served from 1970 to 1974 in Scotland and Washington, D.C.
Mr. Montplaisir is married to the former Wendy Burckhard of Fargo and they have two grown sons.