Wells County Government

06/23/2026

Notice is given by Jana Mogren, Wells County Tax Director, that a Soils Committee Meeting will be held on Wednesday July 8th, 2026 at 7:30 AM in the meeting room of the KTL Building in Fessenden. This meeting will be held to re-elect Officers, address Land Use and the Wetland Modifier, and give an update on the Sidwell Ag Land Reassessment Project.

The Agenda can be viewed at the following link:

06/22/2026

The 2026 Primary Election concluded this morning with the meeting of the Wells County Canvassing Board. Although there were no additional votes to count, the meeting of the Canvassing Board is still necessary to certify the results.

Due to a plethora of misinformation regarding not only what is final with the Primary Election, but also what will move on to the General Election in November, here are the highlights of all local items that were on the ballot.

First of all, for Wells County Commissioner in District #4, representing the North side of Harvey, Jason Schneider will advance unopposed to the General Election in November. In addition, for a seat on the Commission from District #2 representing largely the Southeast and South-central portion of Wells County, both Scott Fetch and Rick Richter will advance to the General Election in November. For States Attorney, Oliver Bromke will advance unopposed to the General Election. The race for Wells County Sheriff will feature Christopher Kluth and Travis Tesch squaring off on the November ballot. Bill Ongstad will run unopposed to retain his seat as a Director for Garrison Diversion in November. The ballot measure allowing the Commission to increase the Road & Bridge Fund to as much as 25 mills also passed. Lastly, the Herald-Press will remain the Official Newspaper of Wells County.

In city elections, all of which are now final, the following individuals were elected:

Bowdon elected Bob Martin and Terry Morrow as City Alderman.

Cathay elected Robin Rost as Mayor and David Diacon as Alderman.

Fessenden elected write-in candidate Leon Klocke as their Mayor while electing Joel Bartz, John Bollingberg, Brian Schimelfenig, Bradley Stevens, and Lynnette Vetter to the City Council. Michael Beaver, Dixie Bollingberg, and Bryan Edens won seats on the Park Board.

Hamberg elected Roger Pforr as Mayor.

Harvey elected Scott Arends, Mike Prom, and Arlen Selzer to seats on the City Council, and re-elected Brandt Jenner as Municipal Judge. On the Park Board, Brandt Jenner, Michael Leier, and Michelle Swang retained their seats. The City of Harvey also approved a new one cent city sales tax to fund a new swimming pool.

Hurdsfield elected Jerald Weckerly to complete an unexpired two-year term as Mayor and elected Joseph Maccario and Kelly Hellman to City Alderman seats. Kristal Newick won a seat on the Park Board.

Sykeston re-elected Rick Richter as Mayor and also re-elected Robert Stringer to the City Council. Beth Tweed and Mary Williams won seats on the Park Board.

The approved abstract of votes for Wells County, which are the final ’26 Primary Election results, can be viewed at the following link:

06/21/2026

The Wells County Commission will be meeting with all 36 WC Townships in a series of meetings scheduled for Wednesday, June 24th, and Thursday, June 25th, at various locations around WC.

You may access the agendas for these meeting at the following link:

06/15/2026

The Wells County Planning & Zoning Board will meet Thursday, June 25th, at 7:00 PM in the KTL Building in Fessenden.

You may access the agenda for this meeting at the following link:

06/01/2026

The June meeting of the Wells County Commission will take place Thursday, June 4th, at 8:00 AM in the KTL Building in Fessenden.

You may access the agenda for this meeting at the following link:

05/28/2026

Wells County Election workers held required training Tuesday, May 26th, for the upcoming Primary Election. Wells County Auditor, Daniel Stutlien, led workers through the legally required training focusing on poll procedures, election worker duties/tasks, election set-up and equipment, and required paperwork for running a smooth, successful election.

Wells County voters will be in good hands with the largely veteran staff including Vanessa Anderson, Jackie Bauerle, Loretta Buchwitz, Roxanne Fike, Lydia Gessele, Jennifer Hagemeister, Delvin Hanson, Renae Heintz, Beth Huseth, Judy Keller, Alex LaPlant, Connie Loen, Krysten McKinven, Laura Muscha, Tammy Roehrich, Cheryl Ryan, Linda Schander, Pam Siebold, Vondell Stutlien, Lisa Weckerly & Sheila Wiesz. All but Vanessa Anderson, Lydia Gessele, and Cheryl Ryan appear in this picture taken at the beginning of the training session.

If you are at least 18 years old, a US citizen, and a resident of Wells County for at least the past 30 days, be sure to get out to one of three Wells County Vote Centers in Bowdon (Fire Hall), Fessenden (Festival Hall), or Harvey (City Hall/Armory) to cast your ballot Tuesday, June 9th. Vote Centers will be open from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM local time. If you cannot make it to the polls, you may vote absentee, but time is running low. Be sure to contact the Wells County Auditor’s Office ASAP to apply to vote absentee. Ballots must be back in the Auditor’s hands by the time polls close (7:00 PM) Tuesday, June 9th.

Voters must present a valid ND Driver’s License, or a valid ND non-Driver’s License, or a Tribal ID, or a Long-Term Care Certificate from a ND facility. Failure to present one of these four forms of identification will not keep you from voting, but you will have to vote a set-aside ballot, and proper identification will need to be submitted to the Wells County Auditor prior to 10:00 AM Monday, June 22nd, in order to have the vote counted at Canvassing.

There is no such thing as a vote that doesn’t matter. So, perform your civic duty and vote Tuesday, June 9th!

05/26/2026

For the upcoming Primary Election Tuesday, June 9th, Wells County will have Vote Centers open from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM in Bowdon (Fire Hall), Fessenden (Festival Hall), and Harvey (City Armory). Regardless where you reside in Wells County, voters may cast their ballot in any one of these three locations. If you are 18 years of age, a US citizen, and have resided in Wells County for at least 30 days prior to the Election, you are eligible to vote in Wells County. Voters must present a valid ND Driver’s License, or a valid ND non-Driver’s License, or a Tribal ID, or a Long-Term Care Certificate from a ND facility. Failure to present one of these four forms of identification will not keep you from voting, but you will have to vote a set-aside ballot, and proper identification will need to be submitted to the Wells County Auditor prior to 10:00 AM Monday, June 22nd, in order to have the vote counted at Canvassing.

The link below will take you to a publication ballot for Wells County to apprise you of who is running and what issues will be on the Primary ballot. Please note this is a Publication Ballot, a compilation of all races in Wells County, and will not be the same as the ballot you receive at one of the Voting Centers. You may view the Publication Ballot at the following link:

05/13/2026

A special meeting of the Wells County Commission will take place Friday, May 22nd, at 9:00 AM at the KTL Building in Fessenden. The purpose of this meeting is to listen to two submitted proposals and select a Construction Engineer (CE) for replacement of a bridge three miles north of Fessenden on WC #1.

You may access the agenda for this meeting at the following link:

05/08/2026

Great Opportunity for anyone looking for a career change or a new start in law enforcement!

Come work with us! Call our office at 701-547-3211 or send in your resume

05/02/2026

The May meeting of the Wells County Commission will take place Tuesday, May 5th, at 8:00 AM in the KTL Building in Fessenden.

You may access the agenda for this meeting at the following link: