UPDATE: The Linn County Board of Supervisors will hold a special meeting at 1:30 p.m. Friday to formally set March 5 as the date for voters countywide to decide if they want to allow casino gaming in Linn County.

Supervisor Brent Oleson on Wednesday said the supervisors have the authority to pick a date for the gambling referendum that is different from the date sought by the pro-casino group, Vote Yes Linn County.

But Oleson and John Harris, the board’s chairman, said the supervisors will agree on Friday to the March 5 date for the vote as sought by Vote Yes Linn County.

The supervisors on Wednesday morning took public comment on the gaming issue. However, the board is bound by state law to call a referendum now that the Vote Yes group has secured more than enough signatures on petitions as set out in state law to prompt an election.

State law gives citizens a five-day window to review and object to certain signatures on petitions, and the Friday vote to set the referendum will come after the review period ends.