Carbon pipeline ordinance advances and residents urge evening meetings at recent Lincoln County Commission meeting

The Lincoln County Commissioners met Tuesday, April 8 in the Lincoln County Boardroom. Commissioners heard agenda items including ordinance first readings, purchase approvals, and public comment.

Chairwoman Tiffani Landeen read the first reading for an Ordinance of Lincoln County, SD, amending Chapter 154: Zoning, Section 154.021, Definitions; Section 154.058, Conditional Uses (A-1 Agricultural District); Section 154.178, Conditional Uses (RC Recreation/Conservation District); Section 154.254, Additional Use Regulations; and Section 154.379(A), Notification, for the regulation of carbon oxide pipelines, carbon oxide pump stations, carbon oxide mainline valves, carbon oxide capture facilities, and carbon oxide launcher and receiver facilities. Second reading and public hearing will occur at the April 22 meeting.

Emergency Management Coordinator, Harold Timmerman requested board action to approve Emergency Management to make a budgeted purchase of a 2025 Ram 2500 for $49,926.00. 

“We did budget this year for a new vehicle for my office, we budgeted $60,000 and you should have before you the specs that we dealt with working with Billion Dodge in Sioux Falls. The vehicle spec’d out at $61,000 and they’re going to sell it to us for $49,926 if the Commission approves that,” Timmerman said. 

Chairwoman Landeen asked Timmerman what the plans were for the current truck the department owns. 

“I suppose we’ll have to surplus it and get rid of it,” he responded. With no public input, motion to approve by Doug Putnam, seconded by Betty Otten, motion carried.

Chairwoman Landeen asked for anyone wishing to speak about items not on the agenda to share their concerns.

 Sara Steever stood to speak.

 “I would just like to say first how much I appreciate all of you, so much in fact, that I’ve been vacationing with you and by that I mean taking vacation time in order to come to these meetings when I do get a chance to do that. My request today is just to say could we have some evening meetings? All of them would be wonderful, but as many as possible, I think it would be good to see more people be here and I think I’m old, so I have a lot of vacation time, but a lot of our younger folks don’t have as much and don’t have the autonomy to take time in order to be part of the process of our government. 

Those of us who worked really hard on RL21 did so partially because of property rights, but partially because of local control and so that fact that we get to be part of this process is pretty important to lots of people in this state. I think having meetings in the evening would facilitate that,” Steever said. 

“We are looking at that, Sara,” Chairwoman Landeen responded. 

Beth Quail was next to share her opinion. 

“I want to personally thank Commissioner Arends and Commissioner Putnam for speaking at the prison task force meeting last Thursday in Sioux Falls. Thank you for taking the time and effort to prepare and be heard. Commissioner Arends, thank you for reading and explaining the Lincoln County Comprehensive Plan in great detail and for making it clear what the plan says. Commissioner Putnam, thank you for the history lesson in South Dakota and for proposing and alternative site that makes more sense,” she said.