By Aberdeen Insider - April 24, 2025 in BROWN COUNTY COMMISSION
April 15, 2025 – GENERAL MEETING
Meeting called to order by Chairman Sutton at 8:45 A.M. in the Commission Chambers, Courthouse Annex, Brown County, SD. Present were Commissioners Dennert, Dinger, Gage, Sutton and Wiese. Auditor Heupel led the Pledge of Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Moved by Commissioner Wiese, seconded by Dinger to approve the agenda. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMENT: None
PROCLAMATION FOR NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATIONS WEEK:
Commissioner Dennert offered the following Resolution:
RESOLUTION #2025-18
PROCLAMATION FOR NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATIONS WEEK
BROWN COUNTY, SOUTH DAKOTA
WHEREAS: Emergencies may occur at any time that require law, fire or medical services; and
WHEREAS When an emergency occurs, the prompt response of law, fire and emergency services medical
professionals is critical to the protection of life and preservation of property; and
WHEREAS Public Safety Dispatchers are often the first and most crucial contact our citizens have with
emergency services; and
WHEREAS The safety of our law enforcement officers, firefighters and EMT’s is dependent upon the quality
and accuracy of information obtained from citizens who contact the Brown County
Communications Center; and
WHEREAS Public Safety Dispatchers are the single, vital link for law enforcement, fire, and emergency
medical professionals by monitoring their activities by radio, telephone, and computer, providing
them essential information, and ensuring their safety; and
WHEREAS Public Safety Dispatchers of the Brown County Communications Center have contributed to
substantially to the apprehension of criminals, suppression of fires, and treatment of patients in
Aberdeen, South Dakota; and
WHEREAS Each Brown County Communications Public Safety Dispatcher has exhibited compassion,
understanding and professionalism during the performance of their duty in the past year.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Brown County Commission declares the Week of April 13th through 19th, 2025 to be “NATIONAL PUBLIC SAFETY TELECOMMUNICATIONS WEEK” In Brown County, South Dakota
In honor of the dispatchers whose commitment, service, and sacrifice keep our county and citizens safe.
Dated this 15th day of April 2025.
Seconded by Commissioner Wiese. Roll call vote: Commissioners Dennert-aye; Dinger-aye; Gage-aye; Sutton-aye and Wiese-aye. Resolution adopted.
ORDINANCE #292 – FIRST READING: Moved by Commissioner Gage, seconded by Dinger to approve the First Reading of Proposed Ordinance #292. Applicant Donald & Jolene Bonn to rezone from Mini-Agriculture District (M-AG) to Lake Front Residential District (R-3) to bring this parcel into compliance for its current use: Description of property: Lot 6, “Greg Hoffman Addition” in the E 1/2 of Section 14-T124N-R65W of the 5th P.M., Brown County, South Dakota (126979 West Shore Drive, Ravinia Twp.). All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
ORDINANCE #293 – FIRST READING: Moved by Commissioner Dennert, seconded by Gage to approve the First Reading of Proposed Ordinance #293. Applicant Donald & Becky Wegleitner to rezone from Agriculture Preservation District (AG-P) to Mini-Agriculture District (M-AG) to bring this parcel into compliance for its current use: Description of property: The E 42.5 Rods of the S 77.75 Rods in the NE 1/4 of Section 4-T125N-R60W of the 5th P.M., Brown County, South Dakota (11831 409th Avenue, Claremont Twp.). All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
APPLICATION FOR OCCUPANCY FOR TONY MULDER: Moved by Commissioner Wiese seconded by Dinger to approve the following application submitted by Tony Mulder for occupancy of Brown County West Shore Drive in Section 14-T124N-R65W, Brown County, South Dakota for extension of existing culvert. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT UPDATE: Dirk Rogers, Highway Superintendent gave the Commission a Department Update. He shared that they are working on RAIF Culverts on the north side of Mina; B & B Contracting is installing them for the County. Dirk informed the Commission that they didn’t receive any bids for the Elm Lake Bridge the second time around so D.O.T. is trying to figure out how to proceed and may tie it to another State project. He discussed the Sand Lake Bridge and setting a bid date at the April 22nd meeting along with discussing load limits. The bridge would be closed for the winter with completion in 2026. In addition to that the Highway Dept. is going to pave Co. 16 this year but not all the way up to bridge. Dirk informed the Commission that they are moving up the project on Co. 14. They are paving west of Mansfield. Once hot mix is ready, they will start asphalt patching. Dirk let them know that he is down a couple guys right now and Jerry & Mike started back at Weed & Pest this week; he shared how valuable those two employees are to him. They plan to start on the guardrail at Richmond Lake on May 5th and the Dakota Street discussions are moving forward. Scott Meints, Emergency Management Director shared that he has been visiting with Dirk along with School & Public Lands regarding the Spillway project and planned detours . They don’t have a detour plan, and no money set aside for detours either. Dirk plans to be reimbursed for taking care of detours and maintaining those roads. Two options will be Brookbrown Road (127th); highway dept. would plow snow but not do any dust proofing and the other option would be down to Co. 13. If you are interested in seeing the plans, you can look at the School and Public Lands website; will begin in 2026 and will be a 2-year project.
LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERFORMANCE GRANT (LEMPG) UPDATE: Scott Meints, Emergency Management Director met with the Commission to share that they were notified that the LEMPG will be cutting another 35% of their funding. These funds are used towards their salary and benefits but not counted on when doing the budget process. They are cutting the exercise requirements at this time, but Scott stated they will continue to do the exercises. He also informed the Commission that the Homeland Security Funds are on hold at this time. Due to the funding being cut, Scott asked if the Commission wanted him to continue looking into a Mass Notification System. He did budget around $15,000.00 for it this year. He shared that they are a couple other departments that may be interested in using the system so in the future they could possibly share the cost. After some discussion, it was decided for Scott to pursue the project and see what he comes up with that would possibly work for other departments. Scott also said that he heard their may be FEMA cuts but hasn’t heard any more.
DISCUSS BURN BAN: Scott Meints, Emergency Management Director informed the Commission he has been getting calls from residents urging for the County to install a burn ban. Yes, it has been dry, but the fires have been grass fires, which are not from a controlled burn. Scott has talked to the Fire Chiefs, and they are OK with not implementing a Burn Ban. Commissioner Wiese shared that the County has an Ordinance in place that automatically implements a burn ban when the fire danger index reaches “very high” or “extreme fire danger” or “fire weather watch” or “red flag warning” for any or all of Brown County. After more discussion it was decided not to implement a burn ban at this time, but to review the Ordinance and maybe make some adjustments, which could include a fine instead of a misdemeanor along with having a rule of thumb to check the fire index the day of plus up to two days before.
FAIR CONTRACTS: Moved by Commissioner Wiese, seconded by Gage to approve and authorize Chairman Sutton to sign the contract with NSU Swim Team for Stagehand Services at the Brown County Fair for the Years 2025 @ $7,700.00, 2026 @ $8,250.00 and 2027 @ $8,800.00. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
Moved by Commissioner Dennert, seconded by Wiese to approve and authorize Chairman Sutton to sign the contract with Aberdeen Security & Investigations to provide Security at the flat rate of $28.00 per hour per Guard. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
MINUTES: Moved by Commissioner Wiese, seconded by Dinger to approve the General Meeting Minutes of April 8, 2025. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
Moved by Commissioner Dinger, seconded by Dennert to approve the Brown County Board of Equalization Minutes of April 8, 2025. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
Moved by Commissioner Gage, seconded by Dinger to approve the Consolidated Board of Equalization Minutes of April 8, 2025. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
CLAIMS: Moved by Commissioner Dennert, seconded by Wiese to approve the following claims: Professional Fees: Boyce Law Firm $660.00; Certified Languages $669.90; Cogley Law Office $1,524.00; Dependable Sanitation $32,382.70; Dohrer Law Office $1,608.00; Election Systems & Software $463.50; Faulk Co. Sheriff’s Office $3,960.00; Houston Engineering $14,896.00; Idemia Identity & Security USA $2,827.00; Jerald McNeary $492.00; Kelli Lardy $46.75; Kuck Law Office $5,096.24; Language Line Services $552.32; Lauren Nikolas $1,000.00; LexisNexis $200.00; MOCIC $150.00; Network Center $3,002.57; NE Mental Health Center $1,050.00; Northern Plain Animal Health $108.00; Northern State University $325.25; SDJPS $300.00; State of SD PMB 0112 $635.29; UND Forensic Pathology $2,771.00; WPRA $200.00. Publishing: Groton Daily Independent $125.40; McQuillen Creative Group $295.51. Repairs & Maintenance: Bryce Beaman $200.00; Hase Plumbing $5,093.48; Hoven Auto Repair $41.99; Leidholt Electric $690.37; Matheson Tri-Gas $209.96; Midwest Pump & Tank $1,640.54; Pomp’s Tire Service $475.00; Steven Lust Automotive $331.58. Supplies: Amazon Capital Services $67.26; Avera LTC Pharmacy $28.79; Century Business Products $1,172.03; Contech Engineered Solutions $25,592.00; Dakota Oil $1,046.37; Hoven Auto Repair $56.00; InTab $701.68; Ken’s SuperFair Foods $11.98; Linde Gas & Equipment $346.78; Mac’s $20.00; Marco Technologies $130.08; Menards $16.84; Nelson Sales & Service $43.98; Performance Oil $650.28; Pomp’s Tire Service $1,885.76; S & S Cleaners $240.00; Samuel Hoppock $54.11; Steven Lust Automotive $134.85. Travel & Conference: Becca Tullar $14.00; Dave Lunzman $310.00; Heartland Critical Incident Stress Mgmt. Network $420.00; Patricia VanMeter $232.40; SD State University Extension $82.72. Utilities: City of Aberdeen Treasurer $405.01; City of Hecla $187.30; Economy Propane $808.50; Northern Electric $93.50; NWPS $3,137.90; Town of Frederick $77.00; Verizon Wireless $2,203.41. Others: Safe Harbor $507.50; SDACO $702.00. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
HR REPORT: Moved by Commissioner Gage, seconded by Wiese to approve the following Human Resource Report submitted by Human Resources Director, Allison Tunheim:
- Employment ending for Luis Rivera Colon, Brown County Jail Detention Officer; FT – effective April 10, 2025. Request to fill.
- Amendment to April 8th HR Report, adjusted pay grade: Officer Manager to be placed at a grade 17.
- Hiring of Riley Burnett as Brown County Jail Detention Officer, FT; starting wage $21.93/hr. – effective April 14, 2025.
- Hiring of Karry Geuther a Brown County Jail Detention Officer, FT; starting wage $21.93/hr. – effective April 30, 2025.
- Promotion of Sandra Woytassek from Brown County Sheriff Office Administrative Coordinator to Brown County Sheriff Office Manager, FT; starting wage $30.98/hr. – effective April 13, 2025.
- Hiring of Carrie Cordie as Brown County Deputy Treasurer, FT; starting wage $20.87/hr. – effective April 14, 2025.
- Approve personal miles driven for January 2025 at .67 per mile as follows: Joshua Matthew 252 miles at $168.84; Matt Heupel 95 miles at $63.65; John Florey 132 miles at $88.44; Mike Scott 110 miles at $73.70.
- Approve personal miles driven for February 2025 at .67 per mile as follows: Joshua Matthew 192 miles at $128.64; Matt Heupel 90 miles at $60.30; John Florey 114 miles at $76.38; Mike Scott 90 miles at $60.30.
- Approve personal miles driven for March 2025 at .67 per mile as follows: Joshua Matthew 264 miles at $176.88; Matt Heupel 95 miles at $63.65; John Florey 108 miles at $72.36; Mike Scott 170 miles at $113.90
All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
DISINTERMENT PERMIT: Moved by Commissioner Dinger, seconded by Wiese to acknowledge and accept Notice of Disinterment Permit (Emgarten @ Riverside Memorial Park Cemetery) affecting Brown County from the SD Department of Health Vital Records. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
LEASE AGREEMENT: Moved by Commissioner Gage, seconded by Dennert to approve and authorize Chairman Sutton to sign the following lease agreement: Jeff Wolff to lease Hog & Sheep Barn Panels and Showring for Showmanship Camp on June 7, 2025. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
TRAVEL REQUESTS: Moved by Commissioner Dennert, seconded by Dinger to approve the following travel requests: Josh Matthews & Matt Heupel, Highway Dept. to attend Trenching & Shoring Training on April 9, 2025 in Huron, SD; Aaron Walberg, VSO to attend Spring Mini Conferences on May 5-8, 2025 in Rapid City, Pierre and Sioux Falls, SD; Karly Winter, Tucker Anderson and Adele Mounga, State’s Attorney’s Office to attend International Conference on Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence & Forging New Pathways on April 21-25,2025 in Anaheim, CA; Pat Wolberg, IT Director to attend SD Digital Government Summit on April 17, 2025 in Pierre, SD. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
LOTTERY PERMITS: Moved by Commissioner Gage, seconded by Wiese to approve and authorize Chairman Sutton to sign the application submitted by Elm Lake Action Committee, Inc. for a lottery to be held on July 4, 2025 at the Elm Lake Resort. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
SPONSORSHIP AGREEMENT: Moved by Commissioner Dennert, seconded by Wiese to approve the 4-H Community Sponsorship Agreement put together by the 4-H Building Committee. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
OTHER BUSINESS: None
EXECUTIVE SESSION: Moved by Commissioner Wiese, seconded by Dinger to go into Executive Session for Contracts per SDCL 1-25-2. All members present voting aye. Motion carried. The chair declared the executive session closed with no action taken.
ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Commissioner Dennert, seconded by Wiese to adjourn the Brown County Commission at 10:45 a.m. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
Lynn Heupel, Brown County Auditor
Published once on April 24, 2025, at the total approximate cost of $133.15 and may be viewed free of charge at www.sdpublicnotices.com and www.aberdeeninsider.com