Grant County Commission Proceedings • February 16, 2021

      February 16, 2021

The Grant County Commission met at 8 AM with Commissioners Buttke, Mach, Street and Tostenson. Commissioner Stengel was absent. Chairman Tostenson called the meeting to order with a quorum present and asked for a motion to approve the minutes. Motion by Buttke and seconded by Mach to approve the minutes of the February 2, 2021 meeting. Chairman Tostenson called for a roll call vote. Buttke aye, Street aye, Mach aye and Tostenson aye. Motion carried 4-0. Minutes filed. Motion by Mach and seconded by Buttke to approve the agenda as presented. Chairman Tostenson called for a roll call vote. Buttke aye, Street aye, Mach aye and Tostenson aye. Motion carried 4-0.

Member of the public present was Jim DeVaal. Jay Gilbertson and Todd Kays joined the meeting telephonically.

The Chairman called for public comment. No member of the public addressed the Commission. 

Auditor’s Account with the Treasurer for the month of January was noted.

AUDITOR'S ACCOUNT WITH THE COUNTY TREASURER

To the Honorable Board of County Commissioners, Grant County:

I hereby submit the following report of my examination of the cash and cash items in the hands of the County Treasurer of the County of Grant as of the last day of January, 2021.

Cash on Hand, $2,088.40 

Checks in Treasurer’s possession less than 3 days, $30,871.76 

Cash Items, $0.00 

TOTAL CASH ASSETS ON HAND

$32,960.16 

RECONCILED CHECKING First Bank & Trust, $4,991.39; Interest, $0.00; Credit Card Transactions/TIF Fee, $4,017.14; First Bank & Trust (Svgs), $5,636,376.00. 

CERTIFICATES OF DEPOSIT First Bank & Trust, $0.00; First Bank & Trust (TIF), $0.00. 

TOTAL CASH ASSETS

$5,678,344.69  

GENERAL LEDGER CASH

BALANCES:

General, $2,339,607.21; General restricted cash, $2,250,000.00; Cash Accounts for Offices General Fund, $605.00; Sp. Revenue, $514,679.53; Sp. Revenue restricted cash, $0.00; Henze Road District, $0.00; TIF Apportioning Northern Lights, $0.00; TIF Milbank, $0.00; TIF Northern Lights, $0.00; Special assessment Land Rent, $0.00;  Trust & Agency, $573,452.95; (schools 14,713.24, twps 15,755.56, city/town 9,620.25)

TOTAL GENERAL LEDGER CASH

$5,678,344.69 

Dated this 11th day of February, 2021

Karen M. Layher

County Auditor

The Register of Deeds fees for the month of January were $18,161.25. The Clerk of Courts fees for the month of January were $7,576.60 and the Sheriff fees for the month of January were $2,098.85 with $1,728.85 receipted into the General Fund. 

Highway: A discussion was held on revising the map for exempting roads from the weight limit restrictions during the spring thaw period that was adopted in January. According to the map adopted last year for the exemptions, some roads had been missed for the 2021 season. Motion by Mach and seconded by Buttke to approve the revision of the map for the segments of roads exempt from the weight restrictions for 2021. The additional segments are on County 10, 39 and 49. Chairman Tostenson called for a roll call vote. Buttke aye, Street aye, Mach aye and Tostenson aye. Motion carried 4-0. The map will be posted on the website and in the official newspaper. The intent of this discussion is to keep this map the same for 2022 unless road conditions warrant a change. Chairman Tostenson stated he had driven some of the roads this past week and commented that CR 18, the two mile stretch into LaBolt from Hwy 15, needs repair. The road has developed wheel ruts. He requested Supt Schultz to prioritize road repair as part of the 5-year plan. New hire: Motion by Mach and seconded by Buttke to approve hiring Sam Athey as truck driver and other duties as assigned upon condition of passing the pre-employment tests. The beginning wage is $18.95 with an effective hire date of February 22. Supt Schultz stated there is a 6-month probationary period. Chairman Tostenson called for a roll call vote. Buttke aye, Street aye, Mach aye and Tostenson aye. Motion carried 4-0.

A bill was presented for consideration from Les Peters for cleaning out a county road ditch on County Road #2. No action was taken.

Chairman Tostenson requested a discussion under unfinished business on the report from Banner on the repair options for CR #18, the 2 mile stretch into LaBolt and the Ethanol Plant Road. Supt Schultz provided a map of road vehicle counts indicating the high traffic roads. The project cost for the LaBolt road is $360,170 for a 3” overlay or an estimate of $1,761,996 for a rebuild of the 2-miles. Kerwin stated he is working on obtaining information and costs on regrinding the asphalt and will have this information for a future meeting. The asphalt plan is to continue with CR #19, resurfacing 5 to 6 miles of asphalt a year for the next 4 years. Funding for the LaBolt road will need to be another source of revenue or reduce the number of miles of asphalt. Commissioner Street suggested contacting First District on grant funding through the agribusiness grant program as the LaBolt Elevator is growing their operation. The plan is to prioritize the roads to be repaired with as little deviation as necessary. Additional information to be presented at a future meeting. 

EM: Director Kevin Schuelke reported on the paging system for Big Stone City. The County’s Store and Forward equipment has failed as it does not have a strong enough signal to trip the page. Kevin stated there is a better alternative being proposed and that is to have a mobile radio in Ortonville using their repeater to page Big Stone City responders. Big Stone County would hear Grant County’s traffic but would not be able to talk on our channels. The cost to purchase the mobile for Ortonville and for Watertown’s dispatch including the reprogramming of the Grant, Roberts, Kandiohi dispatch centers is $6,000. Also, an agreement needs to be approved by Grant County and City of Ortonville for the use of the tower/repeater. Motion by Street and seconded by Mach to approve the purchase of the equipment and programming cost to repair the Big Stone City paging issues. Chairman Tostenson called for a roll call vote. Buttke aye, Street aye, Mach aye and Tostenson aye. Motion carried 4-0. Radio Console: The DC radio console is an aging piece of equipment. As the Commission continues their discussion of remodeling the Detention Center, it was suggested a representative from Motorola inspect the console for a cost estimate on replacing radio equipment. Sheriff Owen informed the Commission he has contact information for a company that specializes in jail remodeling. Both the radio and building costs will be gathered for future budgeting. Radio Tower: Another issue discussed was the poor radio coverage for the southern portion of the County. EM Schuelke has discussed the tower and digital versus analog radios with his EM regional director and has written to the State explaining the limited radio coverage. The digital radios are not working outside the vehicles. An extender must be used, but that has limited range and only certain channels. An additional tower would benefit the counties of Grant, Deuel and Codington. Digital versus analog is an issue for rural coverage.  It was suggested a letter be drafted for the Commission to review at the next meeting. The letter will address the need for an additional tower and asking the other counties affected by coverage issues to sign onto the letter.  

Sheriff: Kevin Owen provided the statistic report for 2020 which is on file in the Auditor’s Office. Travel: Motion by Buttke and seconded by Mach to approve travel expenses for Sheriff Owen to attend the Sheriff’s Convention in Deadwood. Chairman Tostenson called for a roll call vote. Buttke aye, Street aye, Mach aye and Tostenson aye. Motion carried 4-0. Motion by Street and seconded by Buttke to approve travel expenses for Brittany Folk and Ashley Hanson to attend a 24/7 Statewide training in Pierre. Chairman Tostenson called for a roll call vote. Buttke aye, Street aye, Mach aye and Tostenson aye. Motion carried 4-0. Vehicles: The two vehicles ordered will be delivered to the dealership in Pierre the first week of March and Sheriff Owen is arranging for deputies to drive them to Milbank. Tasers: Sheriff Owen reported the tasers are weak and cannot be repaired. He has been in contact with a company to purchase five tasers at a cost $5,000 per year for 5 years and will be presenting more information at a future meeting. 

Reports: Director of Equalization Kathy Steinlicht reported she is finishing the assessment of property for the 2021 tax year. She is planning to print assessment notices the week of February 22 and have them ready to be mailed by March 1st. She reported HB1099 for increasing the ag exemption was tabled in committee and HB1085 for a classification of land. Another bill is for creating a new property class for timber land and redefining the owner-occupied class is being considered this session. Discussion was held on the reassessment of the Ethanol Plant done this past summer by Mike Amo and the recommendation for a lower assessment. Register of Deeds: Becky Wellnitz stated her, and the staff are keeping up with the workflow. She is monitoring HB1068, HB1086 and SB193. Treasurer: Karla DeVaal reported the 2020 property tax cards are filed, the advanced taxes have been processed, escrows have been completed and returned to the financial institutions, the elderly tax freeze applications have been mailed out. She requested approval to attend the New Officials Workshop in Pierre. She also discussed future staffing needs for the office but is not ready to make a recommendation. Auditor: Layher reported the 2020 annual report is in the process of being prepared, inventory lists have been provided to the various departments as required by statute with changes being submitted back to the Auditor’s office. Currently the fixed asset policy is set to track any item over $100 but asked the Commission if they would consider a change to increase that amount as small items such as tools or calculators cost more than the $100 and a lot of time is spent tracking those items. A revised policy will be presented at another meeting. Yearend reports for voter statistics and medical subsidy are being prepared. The IT issues for other departments are being managed by Auditor staff. P&Z: Steve Berkner introduced himself to the Commission and provided a brief work history and his involvement with government in Ortonville. He is working with Todd and Luke at First District each day discussing the P& Z Ordinance.  

Travel: Motion by Mach and seconded by Buttke to approve travel expenses for Treasurer DeVaal to attend the New Officials workshop in Pierre and for the Auditor, Treasurer and the Register of Deeds or deputies to attend Spring workshop in Pierre. Chairman Tostenson called for a roll call vote. Buttke aye, Street aye, Mach aye, and Tostenson aye. Motion carried 4-0.

Unfinished Business: Chairman Tostenson reported on the committee meeting held on drainage. Items of discussion brought forth were: a drainage plan with the cost of a plan being prohibitive, retaining an engineer in the field of drainage, and the cost associated with retaining that engineer for the applicant and the County. Then the discussion centered on what was important to the Commission as was heard at the hearing on the repeal of the ordinance. Those items are: 1. Notification of the project 2. Record of the plan 3. Receptacle for the documentation 4. Mediation. Under the Flood Control section of the Zoning Ordinance, the States Attorneys were tasked with writing a new section to capture the intention of the Commission of the four above mentioned items and to have a rough draft ready for the next committee meeting on February 19. 

New Business: None

Correspondence: None

Claims: Motion by Mach and seconded by Street to approve the claims. Chairman Tostenson called for a roll call vote. Buttke aye, Street aye, Mach aye, and Tostenson aye. Motion carried 4-0. ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES, supplies 32.99; AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOC, dues 225.00; CENTER POINT, books 453.57; CENTURYLINK, phone 452.73; CHS, ethanol 1,688.72; CITY OF MILBANK, water & sewer 599.89; CRIMESTAR, support renewal 2,100.00; D-WARE, maint agreement 4,600.00; DARCY LOCKWOOD, prof services 15.00; DELORIS RUFER, lib rent 100.00; FEDEX, postage 39.88; FIRST DISTRICT, dues 8,170.67; G & R CONTROLS, maint 2,137.00; GARY FREDRICHSEN, repairs & maint 5,153.07; FOOD-N-FUEL, inmate meals 273.00; GRANT CO SOIL CONSERVATION, allocation 12,000.00; GRANT COUNTY REVIEW, publishing 988.16; GRANT/ROBERTS AMBULANCE, allocation & supplies 2,625.33; HARTMAN'S, prisoner groceries 150.83; HOPE KARELS, supplies 45.00; INSIGHT, supplies 484.83; ISTATE TRUCK CENTER, parts 85.15; JACKSON SCHWANDT, court appt atty 397.70; JUROR FEES, grand jury 667.36; KRISTIN WOODALL, prof services 129.20; LEWIS, supplies 29.94; LUCILLE LEWNO, prof services 165.00; MARK KATTERHAGEN, prof services 15.00; MCLEOD'S, supplies 250.00; MICROMARKETING, audio/visuals 142.57; MIDCONTINENT, lib internet 85.00; MIDWEST TRUCK & PARTS, parts 108.52; MILBANK AREA HOSPITAL AVERA, blabs 1,071.00; MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS, minor equipment 41,177.34; MUNDWILER FUNERAL HOME, prof services 3,500.00; NORTHERN TRUCK, parts 3,286.18; NORTHWESTERN ENERGY, natural gas 1,283.10; PETERS DISTRIBUTING, repair & maint 554.44; PETTY CASH, postage 3.80; QUICK PRO LUBE, oil chg & repairs 522.93; RC TECHNOLOGIES, 911 transport & tower rent 95.96; RIVER STREET PETROLEUM, diesel 2,398.50; ROCKMOUNT RESEARCH, supplies 247.42; RYAN MAGEDANZ, prof services 2,210.46; SANDRA FONDER, prof services 80.00; SCOTT BRATLAND, court appt atty 4,088.98; SD DEPT OF HEALTH, blabs 410.00; SD DEPT TRANSPORTATION, hwy proj 3,026.59; SDLA, dues 40.00; THE SHOP, repair & maint 125.00; ST WILLIAMS, inmate laundry 66.60; STATE OF SD, supplies 248.50; TROY HOYLES, prof services 550.00; TWIN VALLEY TIRE, supplies 74.15; TWO WAY SOLUTIONS, repair & maint 399.72; VALLEY RENTAL & RECYCLING, allocation 650.00; WAYDE FRAASCH, CPR recert 250.00; WHETSTONE HOME CENTER, supplies 196.32; XEROX, copier rent 751.98. TOTAL: $111,720.08.

Payroll for the following departments and offices for the February 12, 2021 payroll are as follows: Commissioners 3,223.90; AuditoR 8,120.61; ELECTION 71.80; Treasurer 5,405.05; States Attorney 6,051.42; Custodians 3,158.65; Dir. Of Equalization 4,090.98; Reg. of Deeds 4,121.50; VET. SERV. OFFICER 1,171.50; Sheriff 14,905.24; Communication CTR 9,296.25; Public HEALTH Nurse 792.00; ICAP 107.53; Visiting Neighbor 1,540.25; Library 7,409.88; 4-H 3,537.80; Weed Control 1,990.78; Road & Bridge 32,594.01; EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT 2,288.00. TOTAL: $109,877.15.

Payroll Claims: FIRST BANK & TRUST, Fed WH 8,788.07; FIRST BANK & TRUST, FICA WH & Match 13,308.32; FIRST BANK & TRUST, Medicare WH & Match 3,112.38; AAA COLLECTIONS, deduction 33.42; American Family Life, AFLAC ins. 1,417.19; WELLMARK-Blue Cross of SD, Employee health ins. 1,555.40; OFFICE OF CHILD SUPPORT ENFORCEMENT, child support 210.00; SDRS SUPPLEMENTAL, deduction 1,195.83; SDRS, retire 12,079.04. TOTAL: $41,699.65.

Consent: Motion by Mach and seconded by Buttke to approve the consent agenda as presented. Chairman Tostenson called for a roll call vote. Buttke aye, Street aye, Mach aye and Tostenson aye. Motion carried 4-0. 

1. Approve plat:

2021-04

RESOLUTION

BE IT RESOLVED by the Board of County Commissioners of Grant County, South Dakota that the plat entitled: “ RUNGE ADDITION Located in the Northeast Quarter of Section 13, Township 120 North, Range 50 West of the 5th P.M., Grant County, South Dakota”, which has been submitted for examination pursuant to law, and it appearing that all taxes and special assessments have been paid and that such plat and the survey thereof have been made and executed according to law, the plat is hereby approved, and the County Auditor is hereby authorized and directed to endorse on such plat a copy of this Resolution and certify the same.

Dated this 16th day of February, 2021.

William J. Tostenson, Chairman

Board of County Commissioners

Grant County, South Dakota

ATTEST:

Karen M. Layher, County Auditor

Grant County, South Dakota

2. Approve the re-appointment of Darcille (Dusty) Mueller and Diane Pillatzke to the Library Board for a 3-year term (2021-2023)

Executive Session: Motion by Buttke and seconded by Street to enter executive session at 11:20 AM for the purpose of a personnel(s) issue pursuant to SDCL 1-25-2 (1). Chairman Tostenson called for a roll call vote. Buttke aye, Street aye, Mach aye, and Tostenson aye. Motion carried 4-0. Auditor Layher was present. Chairman Tostenson declared the meeting open to the public at 12:05 PM. No action was taken because of the executive session. 

It is the policy of Grant County, South Dakota, not to discriminate against the handicapped in employment or the provision of service.

The next scheduled meeting dates will be March 2 and 16, 2021 at 8 AM. Motion by Mach and seconded by Buttke to adjourn the meeting. Chairman Tostenson called for a roll call vote. Buttke aye, Street aye, Mach aye and Tostenson aye. Motion carried 4-0. Meeting adjourned.

 /s/ William J. Tostenson, Chairman,

Grant County Commission

/s/ Karen M. Layher, 

Grant County Auditor