By Aberdeen Insider - May 28, 2026 in BROWN COUNTY COMMISSION
MAY 19, 2026 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 and Sutton. Commissioner Wiese joined via teleconference. Commissioner Gage led the Pledge of Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Chairman Sutton shared that agreement with 605 Consulting for grant research and writing services was being postponed. Moved by Commissioner Dinger, seconded by Dennert to approve the amended agenda. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
PUBLIC COMMENT: None
GROW SD RECAP & BUDGET REQUEST: Kelly Weaver and Rachael Cramond with Grow, SD met with the Commission to give a recap of the services provided in 2025 to Brown County residents. Some of these services include Active Business Lending, Active Housing Loans, Home Improvements, Weatherization/Furnace, Rent/Utilities, Emergency Services including Food Pantry, Small Business Development Center and Governors Homes. Rachael shared about the Increment Grants for Technical Assistance to Businesses in Rural Locations, also. Their budget request for 2027 is $5,000.00. No action taken at this time.
FAIR BOARD APPOINTMENT: Moved by Commissioner Dennert, seconded by Gage to approve the recommendation from the Brown County Fair Board to appoint Katie Kroger to the Brown County Fair Board. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
APPLICATIONS FOR OCCUPANCY: Moved by Commissioner Dinger, seconded by Gage to approve the following application submitted by Basin Construction & Drain Tile for occupancy of 391st Ave. in Section SE 33-T121N-R63W, Brown County, SD to install drain tile. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
Moved by Commissioner Gage, seconded by Dinger to approve the following application submitted by LTS Managed Technical Services LLC for occupancy of Brown County #21 in Section 13-T122N-R61W, Brown County, SD to restore fiber optic infrastructure. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT UPDATE: Dirk Rogers, Highway Superintendent, informed the Commission that they are still working on the Richmond Dam detour but are delayed due to weather. Tuesday, May 26th they will begin on 14E crossing and they will be putting up stop lights during the 2 week period. Roosevelt and 8th Ave will be closed but will have the junction at Co. Rd. 19 and 8th Ave. open before they close that, so they are able to get out of the Highway Shop. Contractors are hauling material to Sand Land Bridge. They are still paving and patching. Dirk also mentioned they are monitoring the water situation with Foote Creek and explained what happened in the past when they put in 12W. Rod Tobin was in attendance and added that West Lake and the City of Aberdeen have a joint agreement to clean-out the ditch to help improve the flow on the east side of the 281 Byrum and reestablish the channel to help water flow better.
RC KART CONTRACT: Rachel Kippley, Fair/Fairgrounds/Parks Manager, stated that they are updating the lease contract with Dakota Slidewayz, LLC, for RC Track. Rachel met with them and the Fairgrounds is going to give them additional electrical and they were good with the terms. Moved by Commissioner Dennert, seconded by Dinger to approve and authorize Chairman Sutton to sign the 5-year lease agreement with Dakota Slidewayz, LLC for leasing the RC track and the 160 ft. by 160 ft. parcel east of the track for parking during events through September 2030. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
FAIR/FAIRGROUNDS DEPARTMENT UPDATE: Rachel Kippley, Fair/Fairgrounds/Parks Manager, informed the Commission that she met with the Aberdeen Karting Club, and they are looking at discontinuing due to dwindling participation and there are only 3 karting tracks left in S.D., so when ours closes there is one in Miller and one in Brookings still open. It was recommended to get written notice of terminating the contract with Brown County from the Karting Club. Rachel shared that the Aberdeen Public Schools are donating 2 ticket booths to the Fairgrounds, not sure where they will be putting them at this point. The cattle sheds donated by Linda Krage are to be arriving today. Also, still hiring for Fair Week so if anyone is interested, please apply through HR Department.
SPEED LIMIT ON BROWN COUNTY (BC) HWY 13 DISCUSSION: Rod Tobin met with the Commission on behalf of the residents of Rolling Meadows, not their legal counsel, to share their concerns regarding the speed limit on BC Hwy 13 and provided petitions that the residents had signed. They would like to request the Commission to consider lowering the speed limit along 130th Street to 45 mph due to allowing truck traffic to maintain speeds of 55 mph or greater as they pass their two subdivision entrances on 130th Street, now HAPI division is adding traffic due to detour and since the Commission already decreased to 45 mph at the East end of 130th St. past Prairiewood. Dirk Rogers, Highway Superintendent, shared that they did a speed study from April 16-20, 2026 but load limits were on at that time. 85% of the people were driving at the speed limit or less, average speed was 54.4 with a total of 3100 total cars. They would need to do a Speed Study to get more accurate data but that would cost around 50 thousand dollars. They could possibly lower it for 2 miles. Sheriff Lunzman added that he requested the number of accidents from the State but hadn’t received anything yet. He also stated that it is hard to stop trucks or vehicles on that stretch due to safety or causing more issues. Sheriff Lunzman just asked that they don’t piece mail this because that will only cause more accidents. James Meyers asked them to install a Stop Sign on detour from HAPI onto BC 13. Commissioner Gage asked what issue they are trying to solve, and Rod says to try to avoid a semi hitting a car full of kids, this is purely preventative since the road is getting busier so just bringing this to your attention. Commissioner Gage shared that he travels on this road all the time and it is more on the drivers that are pulling out in front of the semis. Chairman Sutton shared that this was put on the agenda for discussion and since waiting for more information, we will look into it and take it into consideration. No action taken at this time.
RICHMOND DAM UPDATE: Chairman Sutton informed everyone that he had contacted Commissioner Brock Greenfield with S.D. School & Public Lands to keep Brown County informed about the Richmond Dam Project so that the Commission could share any updates throughout the project. So, this will be on the weekly agenda and so we can pass on any information as it is provided. Currently, the pumps are pumping water out of the lake and there are concerns of Foote Creek spreading. The water flows to the Moccasin Creek then into the Jim River. Scott Bader, Planning & Zoning Director shared that the Archery Club is getting hit hard due to releasing so much water at once. They plan to keep it 1 foot below the flood stage but at the gauging station it went from 4.3 to 8.4 in one day. Dirk Rogers, Highway Superintendent, stated they are pumping 800 gallons/second. Hoping this is the highest level or peak for the water level. Commissioner Dinger and Dennert reminded everyone that the contractor just got the permit from the State of S.D. and this is the fastest they have seen approved funding go to execution.
ORDINANCE #324 – FIRST READING: Moved by Commissioner Dinger, seconded by Gage to approve the First Reading of Proposed Ordinance #324. Applicant Shawn & Melissa Schultz 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: Lot 3, “Jones 2nd Subdivision” in the SE1/4 of Section 22-T123N-R62W of the 5th P.M., Brown County, South Dakota (39756 134th Street, Bath Twp.). All members present voting ay. Motion carried.
HKG ARCHITECTS AGREEMENT: Moved by Commissioner Gage, seconded by Dennert to approve and authorize Chairman Sutton to sign the agreement with HKG Architects for the Brown County Detention Center Project. Bob Schatz asked about reviewing the plans and timeline for this project. Chairman Sutton stated that the plans will not be released due to security reasons, put could share the timeline once they receive more information. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
MINUTES: Moved by Commissioner Dennert, seconded by Dinger to approve the General Meeting Minutes of May 12, 2026. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
CLAIMS/PAYROLL: Moved by Commissioner Gage, seconded by Dennert to approve the following Claims/Payroll. Claims: Insurance: Insurance Plus $549.32. Professional Fees: Aberdeen ED $1,228.18; Avera St. Luke’s Hospital $1,343.75; Bill Schaefer $30.00; Brick’s TV and Appliance $2,070.00; Certified Languages International LLC $1,549.35; Darrin Olson $43.00; Dependable Sanitation, Inc $37,162.00; Fox Law Firm, PLLC $222.00; HKG Architects Inc $26,000.00; IMEG Corp $200.00; Lewis & Clark BHS $675.00; Lincoln County Auditor $334.99; Northern Plains Psychological Associates, LLC $225.00; Priority Dispatch Corp $8,288.00; Sanford Clinic $16,304.81; Taliaferro Law Firm, PC $7,595.90; Valerie Larson $30.00; Yankton County Sheriff’s Office $50.00. Publishing: Groton Daily Independent $488.58; McQuillen Creative Group, Inc $2,182.34; Midstates Group $3,191.50. Rentals: Advantage Self Storage $276.00. Repairs & Maintenance: C Express Inc $12.00; CommTech Inc $600.00; Crawford M S & F Inc $4,784.27; EcoLab Pest Elimination Division $165.33; Gary’s Auto Body & Accessories $157.50; HF Jacobs & Son Const. Inc $770.26; Leidholt Electric, LLC $135.85; Otis Elevator Company $350.00; Pierson Ford Lincoln, Inc $190.00; Pomp’s Tire Service, Inc $104.00. Supplies & Materials: ADAPCO LLC $4,498.00; Amazon Capital Services, Inc $873.14; Avera LTC Pharmacy Aberdeen $1,763.50; Black Book $279.64; Century Business Products $1,243.02; Cole Paper Inc $499.80; Crawford M S & F Inc $9,044.75; Dakota Electronics LLC $1,320.50; East Side Jersey Dairy Inc $1,656.21; Fox Law Firm, PLLC $3.57; Gary’s Auto Body & Accessories $137.80; Geffdog Designs $3,000.00; Hillyard Sioux Falls $54.57; Leidholt Electric, LLC $156.58; Lien Transportation Company $50,853.15; Marco Technologies, LLC $23.34; Menards $197.97; Midstates Group $100.00; Midwest Pump & Tank $15.00; Mike Janes $49.45; Newman Signs, Inc $98.30; Pauer Sound, LLC $1,700.00; Performance Oil $276.25; Pierson Ford Lincoln, Inc $202.50; Pomp’s Tire Service, Inc $635.08; Premier Biotech Labs, Inc $624.64; Pro Ag Supply, Inc $73.09; Quality Welding, Inc $45.04; Runnings $46.99; Safety Service, Inc $522.41; Steven Lust Automotive $266.48; Van Diest Supply Company $17,352.25. Travel & Conference: American National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters & Branches $1,924.50; Austin Ball $19.00; John Andersen $16.00; Michael Wiese $289.05; Neil Bittner $19.00; Patricia VanMeter $240.70; Scott Kolb $19.00. Utilities: CenturyLink $505.98; City of Aberdeen Treasurer $962.45; City of Hecla $207.63; Northern Electric $117.50; Northwestern Energy $143.79; NVC $2,753.95; Verizon Wireless $460.29. Payroll: Commission $5,165.81; Elections $5,668.57; Auditor/Welfare $12,276.97; Treasurer $20,852.59; SA $38,149.14; Public Defender $14,589.46; Maintenance $13,676.35; Assessor $17,520.48; Register of Deeds $11,511.06; VSO $5,006.26; GIS $3,110.76; IT $10,766.94; HR $5,721.14; Sheriff $60,487.46; Jail $75,499.94; Coroner (Voucher) $1,000.00; Court Security $8,823.84; JDC $33,023.39; Museum $14,214.85; Parks/Fairgrounds $8,159.46; Fair Board $4,858.36; 4-H $881.60; Weed $5,969.62; Planning & Zoning $8,510.51; Highway $50,216.76; Dispatch $33,802.12; Emergency $5,805.33; 24/7 Sobriety $2,944.30; Landfill $19,715.97; Meal Benefits $95.00; FICA $29,455.07; Medicare $6,888.68; HSA $2,412.04. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
HR REPORT: Moved by Commissioner Dinger, seconded by Dennert to approve the following Human Resource Report submitted by Human Resources Director, Allison Tunheim:
- Resignation of Jesse Hernandez as Brown County Seasonal Fairgrounds worker, PT; effective May 13, 2026. Request to fill.
- Hiring of Lola Sandoz as Brown County Jail Detention Officer, FT; starting wage $22.59/hr.-effective May 19, 2026.
- Hiring of Yokselin Garcia-Garcia as Brown County Jail Detention Officer, FT; starting wage $22.59/hr. – effective May 20, 2026.
- Hiring of Madison Miller as Brown County 911 Communications Officer, FT; starting wage $23.73/hr. – effective June 8, 2026.
- Hiring of Kelly Billeter as Brown County 911 Communications Officer, FT; starting wage $23.73/hr. – effective July 13, 2026.
- Hiring of Jackson Bahr as Brown County Highway Seasonal worker, PT; starting wage $18.00/hr. – effective May 18, 2026.
All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
PRIMARY WORKERS: Moved by Commissioner Dennert, seconded by Dinger to approve the Primary Election workers as presented. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
TEMPORARY SPECIAL EVENT ALCOHOL LICENSE PERMIT HEARING FOR RICHMOND LAKE ASSOCIATION: Moved by Commissioner Dinger, seconded by Gage to authorize advertising public hearing for the following Special Event Alcohol License Permit: Richmond Lake Association, Aberdeen, SD for 4th of July Celebration to be held at Richmond Pavilion, Richmond Resort Outlot 2 in the NE ¼ Section 25-T124N-R65W Brown County, SD on June 9, 2026. (Special Event Alcohol License effective July 3, 2026). All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
LEASE AGREEMENTS: Moved by Commissioner Dinger, seconded by Dennert to approve and authorize Chairman to sign the following Lease Agreements: Brown County 4-H for lease of Competitive Exhibits Building on June 18, 2026 for 4-H Project Day; Brown County 4-H for lease of Hog & Sheep Barn on July 21, 2026 for 4-H Showmanship Workshop; Titan Machinery for lease of Clubhouse on July 11, 2026 for Employee Appreciation; Heather Scheidt for lease of Clubhouse on June 4-7, 2027 for a wedding. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
LANDFILL TONNAGE REPORT: Moved by Commissioner Wiese, seconded by Dennert to acknowledge the Landfill Tonnage Report for April 2026. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
OTHER BUSINESS: None
EXECUTIVE SESSION: Moved by Commissioner Dennert, seconded by Dinger to go into Executive Session per SDCL 1-25-2 for Contracts, Security, Personnel and Legal. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
Chairman Sutton declared the Executive Session closed with No Action taken.
ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Commissioner Dinger, seconded by Dennert to adjourn the Brown County Commission at 10:57 A.M. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
Lynn Heupel, Brown County Auditor
Published once on May 28, 2026, at the total approximate cost of $149.24 and may be viewed free of charge at www.sdpublicnotices.com and www.aberdeeninsider.com