The following offices will become Vacant due to the expiration of the Present terms of office of Travis King, Council Member – one three-year term.
Circulation of nominating petitions may begin on January 31, 2020, and petitions may be filed with The Town of Artesian Finance Officer, 41683 236th St, Fedora, SD, between the hours of 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Central Standard Time, not later than the 28th day of February, 2020.
Molly Ebersdorfer
Finance Officer
The regular meeting of the Woonsocket City Council was called to order by Mayor Richard Reider at 7:00 p.m., Monday, January 6, 2020, with the following members present: Joel Rassel, Derek Foos, Garret Foos and Brandon Goergen. Darin Kilcoin and Arin Boschee were absent.
Motion by D. Foos, seconded by Rassel, to approve the agenda. Motion carried.
Motion by Rassel, seconded by D. Foos, to approve the December 3, 2019, minutes. Motion carried.
Motion by G. Foos, seconded by Goergen, to approve the Financial Report. Motion carried.
Motion by Rassel, seconded by D. Foos, to approve the following end of the year bills out of the 2019 budget appropriations; motion carried:
Waste Management $9,056.48 Two Months
TC Enterprises $361.95 Lift Station
Santel Communications $301.26 Phone
Public Health Laboratory $28.00 Water
Menards $34.81 Shop
McLeods $27.80 Shop
Macs $49.50 Shop
Michael Todd & Company $1,991.11 Streets
Local Lumber & Supply $34.57 Shop
Lawson Products $205.75 Shop
Larson & Nipe $50.00 Professional
Hawkins Water Treatment $50.00 Water
Honda of Mitchell $77.70 Streets
Farmers Alliance $849.75 Propane
Doug’s Custom Paint & Body $59.99 Streets
Sanborn Weekly Journal $471.43 Publish
Benders Sewer & Drain $490.00 Sewer
AmerPride $4.42 Shop
NorthWestern Energy $4,691.22 Utilities
Department of Revenue $165.48 Sales Tax
South Dakota Retirement Plan $955.20 Retirement
First National Bank $1,929.64 Payroll tax
Total: $22,086.06
Motion by G. Foos, seconded by Rassel, to approve the following bills for January 2020; motion carried:
Planning District III $1,329.00 Membership
Department of Energy and Natural Resources $48.00 Certification
Department of Energy and Natural Resources $650.00 Discharge Permit
Feistner Gravel & Excavation $22,820.00 Dumpground
South Dakota Unemployment $11.73 Fourth Quarter
Woonsocket School $7,823.41 Library
South Dakota State Treasurer $212.24 Sales Tax
Total Expenditures: $32,894.38.
The Council discussed the crushed concrete. The contractors were requesting some additional funds due to the amount of time they were on the job, but failed to show up for the time given on the agenda, so due to the lack of a motion request, it was denied.
The Council discussed cars in town.
OLD BUSINESS
Council discussed the watertower. Richard will contact Magure Iron to have them come fix the mixer pump.
Council discussed the Purple Heart Highway. Due to signage, it was suggested to have Sanborn County apply for this because, if the City of Woonsocket applied, the city would have to remove the DARE sign from the city’s sign to put up the new sign. Rassel will discuss this with the Sanborn County Commissioners.
Council members discussed a request by DAKPAK. Tabled.
NEW BUSINESS
The Council set the Christmas party for January 24th at Skeeters.
Weber announced the following vacancies were going to be open for election. Mayor, Councilmember Ward I (two years), Councilmember Ward II (two years) and Councilmember Ward III (two years). Earliest date to circulate a petition is January 31.
Other business that was discussed included the bathhouse, pool repairs, storm drain lift station and streets.
With no other business to be discussed, motion by D. Foos, seconded by Rassel, to adjourn the meeting. The meeting was adjourned at 8:20 p.m.
Richard Reider
Mayor
(SEAL):
Tara Weber
Finance Officer
The legislative pace began to pick up during the second week. Bills are beginning to work their way through committees. Most bills can be considered as either proactive or reactive. Proactive bills look to the future and propose a new or innovative idea for the benefit of the state. Reactive bills are written to modify or correct an existing situation, again for the betterment of the state. Both types of bills serve useful purposes.
Finding South Dakota’s “Next Big Thing” was a request from Governor Noem in her State of the State address last year. This year, a group of legislators are submitting a bill on behalf of South Dakota State University and the School of Mines for South Dakota’s next big thing. In this example of a proactive bill, the two universities are requesting funds to develop plans for a bioprocessing research and development facility. This collaborative effort would be a public-private partnership designed to bring together faculty from both schools, along with private industry, to develop new uses and new products from crops and timber. The effort would draw on the engineering, biology and agricultural expertise of the schools, combined with the ingenuity of South Dakota students, to work with industry partners to find and develop products that will add value to crops and timber and create jobs for South Dakota.
If any District 8 resident has any big ideas that will help the future of South Dakota, please share your thoughts.
At the request of the South Dakota Sheriffs Association, initiated by Lake County Sheriff Walburg, I am leading a bill to modify/correct fees charged when a local sheriff serves legal papers. In 2016, the legislature modified most of these service fees. During training, conducted by Sheriff Walburg, it was noted that one fee was missed when the 2016 legislation was approved. My bill corrects the unintended omission and simplifies the sheriff’s legal responsibilities. This is an example of a reactive bill.
Many of the initial bills being heard early in the session are “agency bills” initiated by state departments or agencies (with a House or Senate sponsor) regarding items the agency believes need updating or clarifying. While most of these bills are fairly straight forward, the legislature still takes a close look at each one in committee before sending it on to the House or Senate with a recommendation. These are additional examples of reactive bills.
Next week, the pace will pick up even more as numerous bills and resolutions will begin making their way to either the House or Senate for action. I will work to stay informed about actions impacting the 8th District while serving on the Appropriations Committee.
I have previously mentioned the wonderful people working and serving in Pierre. On Wednesday of last week, we took time to have a joint memorial service for past legislators who passed away during the last year. This was a very moving event honoring those who have provided service to our great state.
Please remember, this is your government and all citizens are welcome to visit the Capitol and testify on bills or simply observe the process. Information on the content and status of bills is available on the state website https://sdlegislature.gov. I can be contacted at Randy.Gross@sdlegislature.gov.