By Aberdeen Insider - June 25, 2026 in BROWN COUNTY JUNE 16, 2026
GENERAL MEETING MINUTES
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, Gage, Sutton and Wiese. Commissioner Dinger was absent. Commissioner Gage led the Pledge of Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF AGENDA: Chairman Sutton informed everyone that Jordon Menken with SD Game, Fish & Parks was not able to attend the meeting today so that was being scratched from the agenda. Moved by Commissioner Wiese, seconded by Gage to approve the amended agenda. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
PUBLIC COMMENT: None
RICHMOND DAM UPDATE: Scott Meints, Emergency Management Director shared that the Foot Creek gauge was fluctuating and water level was just under 8 foot. The James River and Moccasin Creek are full. Dirk Rogers, Highway Superintendent figures they have 2 pumps currently running because pumping 6 cubic feet per hour. Dirk also informed everyone that they would finish up the surfacing on the detour today, then in the near future they would fog seal and stripe the detour as well.
OPENING CONFERENCE FOR 2025 AUDIT: Kasie Ingraham with SD Department of Legislative Audits (DLA) met with the Commission for her Entrance Conference for the Audit being conducted for Fiscal Year 2025. Moved by Commissioner Wiese and seconded by Dennert to authorize Chairman Sutton to sign the understanding of services with Department of Legislative Audit. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
QUOTES FOR NORTH PARKING LOT RENOVATION: Randy Zens, Assistant Building Superintendent, presented the Commission with 3 quotes for renovations to the North Parking Lot. They are as follows: Wright & Sudlow for $11,960.00; CWF Concrete & Masonry for $21,081.67 and Huff Construction for $15,316.00. Randy shared that he got confirmation from the City of Aberdeen as well to continue with this project. Moved by Commissioner Wiese, seconded by Gage to approve the quote from Wright and Sudlow for $11,960.00 to renovate the north parking lot. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
ABERDEEN SECURITY & INVESTIGATIONS CONTRACT FOR 2026 BROWN COUNTY FAIR:
Rachel Kippley, Fair/Fairgrounds/Parks Manager presented contract with Aberdeen Security & Investigates for the 2026 Brown County Fair, they are reducing the amount of hours so will be 8-10 people for crowd control at the concerts at the rate of $30/hr. for 2026 and $32/hr. for 2027. Moved by Commissioner Wiese to approve the contract with Aberdeen Security & Investigates for Brown County Fair and authorize Chairman Sutton to sign the contract, seconded by Dennert. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
- FAIRBOARD FOR 2026 BROWN COUNTY FAIR: Rachel Kippley, Fair/Fairgrounds/Parks Manager presented list of Jr. Fair Board Members for 2026 Brown County Fair. Moved by Commissioner Dennert, seconded by Wiese to approve the following for the 2026 Brown County Jr. Fair Board: from Aberdeen Christian H.S. Iszabell Helm; from Groton H.S. Addison Hoeft, Paisley Mitchell, Payton Mitchell, Gentry Pigors, Taryn Thompson; from Frederick H.S. Jax Holmes, Noah Kippley, Titus Kippley; from Roncalli H.S. Sophia Feickert, Leah Eisenbeisz; and from Warner H.S. Olivia Marcuson. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
EXPRESS NDAA CERTIFICATION: Rachel Kippley, Fair/Fairgrounds/Parks Manager presented a contract with Express NDAA Certification for the 2026 Fair. Moved by Commissioner Wiese, seconded by Gage to approve and authorize Chairman Sutton to sign the contract with Express NDAA Certification for the 2026 Brown County Fair. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
DEPARTMENT UPDATE – FAIR/FAIRGROUNDS: Rachel Kippley, Fair/Fairgrounds/Parks shared with the Commission that we are 55 days out for the Fair, they’ve had 77 volunteer’s sign-up. They did an event at Dakotaland Federal Credit Union last week and have a couple more events coming for people to attend and sign up to volunteer at the Fair. They are June 26th at the Brown County Speedway at 5:30pm or when gates open; at the Fairgrounds on July 7th beginning at 6pm with BINGO to follow and then with Aberdeen Federal Credit Union at Wylie on July 10th at 5pm. Ticket outlets will open next Monday at C Express (North location), Hitch-n-Post and Ken’s SuperFair Foods. They had Hwy. 12 Livestock Show at the Fairgrounds last weekend and it was great turnout. Busy with wedding season as well for rentals.
APPLICATIONS FOR OCCUPANCY: Moved by Commissioner Wiese, seconded by Dennert to approve the following application submitted by Web Water for occupancy of Brown County 23 (aka 142nd St.) in Section 2-T121-R64, Brown County, SD to install potable waterline service. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
DEPARTMENT UPDATE – HIGHWAY: Dirk Rogers, Highway Superintendent, informed the Commission that they planned to finish the Richmond Lake detour today and will fog and stripe it down the road, like in 2 weeks or so. No dates are set for Brown County 14 or 16 yet, but they will be done by year-end. Paving on 27 from James River bridge to county line; done off Spink County bid. They are struggling a bit with milling – will pave at the Fairgrounds next week then go up to Road 9 west of Westport next. Doing crack sealing and patching between jobs. The bridge has been removed at Sand Lake, and they are moving along on that project.
ORDINANCE #325 – FIRST READING: Moved by Commissioner Gage, seconded by Wiese to approve the First Reading of Proposed Ordinance #325. Applicant James Arneson to rezone from Agriculture Preservation District (AG-P) to Mini-Agriculture District (M-AG) to bring these parcels into compliance for their current use. Description of property: Proposed Lots 1 & 2, “Arneson Addition” in the NE1/4 of Section 35-T126N-R64W of the 5th P.M. Brown County, South Dakota (11715 387th Avenue; Oneota Twp.). All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
ORDINANCE #326 – FIRST READING: Moved by Commissioner Dennert, seconded by Wiese to approve the First Reading of Proposed Ordinance #326. Applicants Katherine Osterman/Eric Olson 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: “Johnson’s Outlot 1” in the SW1/4 of Section 15-T123N-R61W of the 5th P.M. Brown County, South Dakota (40310 133rd Street, Henry Twp.). All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
ORDINANCE #327 – FIRST READING: Moved by Commissioner Gage, seconded by Dennert to approve the First Reading of Proposed Ordinance #327. Applicant TC Wright Trust to rezone from Heavy Industrial District (H-I) to Mini-Agriculture District (M-AG) to bring this parcel into compliance for its current use. Description of property: Proposed Lot 2, “Specialty-Wright Addition” in the W1/2 of Section 8-T123N-R62W of the 5th P.M. Brown County, South Dakota (13146 395th Avenue; Bath Twp.). All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
MINUTES: Moved by Commissioner Wiese, seconded by Gage to approve the General Meeting Minutes of June 9, 2026. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
Moved by Commissioner Wiese, seconded by Dennert to approve the Post Election Audit Minutes of June 10, 2026. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
CLAIMS/PAYROLL: Moved by Commissioner Gage, seconded by Wiese to approve the following Claims/Payroll. Claims: Professional Fees: Aberdeen ED $1,290.12; Aberdeen Imaging $337.65; Alcohol Monitoring Systems Inc $2,153.60; AMG Cardiovascular Aberdeen $7.56; Avera Addiction Care Center $136.60; Avera Medical Group Orthopedics Aberdeen $147.77; Avera Medical Group Radiology $339.35; Avera St. Luke’s $417.13; Avera St. Luke’s Hospital $9,292.51; Certified Languages International LLC $1,112.10; Cogley Law Office $3,249.40; Dependable Sanitation Inc $43,976.00; Devnet $10,580.78; Dohrer Law Office $4,661.60; Domestic Violence Consulting Services Inc $8,175.00; IMEG Corp $15,000.00; Language Line Services Inc $635.00; Lewis & Clark BHS $675.00; Liberty Tire Recycling LLC $10,931.71; Lincoln County Auditor $1,069.32; Matt Heupel $44.50; National Medical Resources Inc $175.00; Network Center Inc $9,249.05; Northeastern Mental Health Center $5,031.25; Sanford Clinic $6,818.97; Sanford Health $2,823.05; Sara Zahn $55.25; SD Dept of Health $165.00; SDSU Extension 4-H Programs $360.00; Taliaferro Law Firm PC $1,029.10; Yankton County Sheriff’s Office $100.00. Publishing: Friends of SDPB-Underwriting $4,000.00; Groton Daily Independent $266.74; McQuillen Creative Group Inc $1,313.84; The Watertown Current $198.00. Rentals: Vestis $262.50. Repairs & Maintenance: Auto Glass Solutions $50.00; B&B Contracting Inc $4,484.70; C Express Inc $12.00; Dakota Electronics LLC $766.03; Dakota Oil $101.50; Harry Implement Inc $278.35; House of Glass $21,638.00; Hub City Roofing $255.00; Jake’s Heating & Cooling $115.00; Leidholt Electric LLC $257.80; Les Schwab Group Holdings LLC $53.99; Pierson Ford Lincoln Inc $1,042.48; Pomp’s Tire Service Inc $134.00; Rinse & Go Car Wash $11.25. Supplies & Materials: Advance Auto Parts $22.94; Amazon Capital Services Inc $1,395.77; Avera LTC Pharmacy Aberdeen $396.15; Cartney Bearing $694.56; Century Business Products $2,142.38; Charm-Tex Inc $1,487.68; Cole Papers Inc $2,141.66;; Dakota Oil $381.00; Dohrer Law Office $7.80; East Side Jersey Dairy Inc $2,161.25; Farm Power Mfg. $10.98; Geffdog Designs $20.30; Harry Implement Inc $110.84; L.G. Everist Inc $5,010.68; Leidholdt Tool Sales, LLC $31.90; Leidholt Electric LLC $6.98; LEM Inc $10,299.97; Les Schwab Group Holdings LLC $73.97; Lien Transportation Company $1,117.60; Menards $158.77; NVC $33.76; O’Reilly Auto Enterprises LLC $12.49; Pantorium Cleaners Inc $60.00; Pierson Ford Lincoln Inc $36.00; Pomp’s Tire Service Inc $7.00; Steven Lust Automotive $269.94. Travel & Conference: Domestic Violence Consulting Services Inc $1,523.00; Gene Loeschke $19.00; Joe Kraft $503.80; Kathy Fischer $502.35; Kent Karlen $19.00; Marianne Marttila-Klipfel $189.00; Patricia Kendall $189.00; Russell Metz $227.00; Sarah Swenson $19.00; Scott Kolb $19.00; Sherri Rawstern $189.00; Stephanie Morgan $546.35. Utilities: CenturyLink $578.63; City of Aberdeen Treasurer $671.45; City of Hecla $189.00; Dakota Electronics LLC $115.00; Northern Electric $117.50; Northwestern Energy $297.52; NVC $3,212.82; State of South Dakota PMB 0112 $94.00; Verizon Wireless $460.29. Other: SD Association of County Officials $984.00; SD Dept of Agriculture & Natural Resources $5,205.57; WageWorks $909.02. Payroll: Commission $5,165.81; Elections $21,567.02; Auditor/Welfare $14,700.25; Treasurer $26,650.06; SA $39,015.06; Public Defender $14,489.61; Maintenance $13,613.85; Assessor $17,506.94; Register of Deeds $11,511.06; VSO $8,046.84; GIS $3,110.76; IT $10,766.94; HR $5,721.14; Sheriff $64,620.01; Jail $84,652.21; Coroner (Voucher) $1,050.00; Court Security $9,358.43; JDC $36,097.76; MI Board $0.00; Museum $15,786.91; Parks/Fairgrounds $10,334.78; Fair Board $5,441.94; 4-H $1,465.15; Weed $5,766.10; Planning & Zoning $8,510.51; Highway $57,223.24; Dispatch $38,922.46; Emergency $5,805.33; 24/7 Sobriety $2,817.74; Landfill $22,795.21; Meal Benefits $285.00; Tips $730.00; FICA $32,660.55; Medicare $7,638.33. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
HR REPORT: Moved by Commissioner Wiese, seconded by Gage to approve the following Human Resource Report submitted by Human Resources Director, Allison Tunheim:
- Resignation of Abby Jones as Brown County Jail Records Technician, FT; effective June 11, 2026. Request to fill.
- Temporary 2026 Brown County Election Workers June 12th to July 28th at $16.00/hr.
- Delane Bertsch
- Darlene Evans
- Janis Erickson
- Cheryl Finstad
- Phyllis Gab
- Darlene Grote
- Penny Rohrbach
- Jan Weismantel
- Amendment on wages effective for December 21, 2025
- Aaron Walberg – submitted $34.37/hr., $2,749.46/pay period and should be $2,888.65/pay period.
- Jesse Milbrandt – submitted $28.21/hr. and should be $29.64/hr.
- Payment of retirement award for Judy Dosch in the amount of $150.00 before taxes; requirement was met.
All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
TRAVEL REQUESTS: Moved by Commissioner Dennert, seconded by Wiese to approve the following Travel Requests: Jerremias Vega & Taylor Harman to attend Controlled Force Training . All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
LEASE AGREEMENTS: Moved by Commissioner Wiese, seconded by Dennert to approve & authorize Chairman Sutton to sign the following lease agreements: Exchange Club of Aberdeen to lease Fairgrounds (Parking Lot for Flag Retirement) on June 22-23, 2026; Tanner Eggert to lease the Clubhouse for a wedding on August 28-31, 2026. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
OTHER BUSINESS: Patricia Kendall, Museum Director, met with the Commission to ask if they could use the parking lot of the new building to line up floats for the July 4th 250th Celebration Parade. Chairman Sutton asked if anyone would object and there was none, so they told her it was fine for them to use the Parking lot on July 4th. Patricia shared the parade route that will go from S of Railroad Tracks down main street to 5th Avenue. There will be a Pancake Feed at the Depot that morning before the parade and parade will start at 10am. Currently, they have 30 floats registered.
EXECUTIVE SESSION: Moved by Commissioner Dennert, seconded by Wiese to go into Executive Session per SDCL 1-25-2 for Personnel & Legal. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
Chairman Sutton declared the Executive Session closed with No Action taken.
Moved by Commissioner Wiese, seconded by Dennert to approve and authorize Chairman Sutton to sign Host Agency Agreement with National Indian Council for Senior Community Service Employment Agreement to have a volunteer at the Dacotah Prairie Museum. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
ADJOURNMENT: Moved by Commissioner Wiese, seconded by Dennert to adjourn the Brown County Commission at 9:46 A.M. All members present voting aye. Motion carried.
Lynn Heupel, Brown County Auditor
Published once on June 25, 2026, at the total approximate cost of $144.04 and may be viewed free of charge at www.sdpublicnotices.com and www.aberdeeninsider.com