Beltrami County Board approves public defender contracts, hears Sanford Center update

Beltrami County Board approves public defender contracts, hears Sanford Center update

BEMIDJI — The Beltrami County Commissioners discussed a myriad of topics during Tuesday’s board meeting, chief among them a 4-1 vote to hire two county public defenders, strengthening the department back to a staff of four. This signs the public defenders under contract until the end of 2025. From there, evaluations will determine if a new contract is signed. This boosts the department back to full capacity but does come with concern. When one d…