Commissioners cover Comprehensive Plan update, rezoning, and service proposals

The Lincoln County Commission met Tuesday August 8 in the Lincoln County Boardroom. Agenda items included updates on the Lincoln County Comprehensive Plan, position changes and proposal of service.

The Commission heard the first reading for an Ordinance of Lincoln County to rezone Tract 1, Klinghagen’s Addition, NW1/4, Section 5-T99N-R50W, LaValley Township, from the “A-1” Agricultural District to the “C” Commercial District, and amending the Official Zoning Map of Lincoln County. With no public comment until the second reading, the board moved onto the next agenda item.

Tom Berry joined the meeting to give an update on the Lincoln County Comprehensive Plan Update. The existing Comprehensive Plan was updated in 2005, with additional amendments made later.

“The plan contents are what’s important for the board and as we have articulated to the stakeholder groups to date, is the three main elements I think of consequence are that future land use map, goals and policies we’re just getting into that now, and also in that plan implementation considerations meaning once the plan is approved by the board at the end of the year perhaps then next year there’s opportunities if you wanted to do ordinance amendments or things like that you know to address the elements that you’ve approved in the plan,” Berry said.

Human Resources Director, Traci Humphrey joined the meeting to approve the reclassification and re-categorization of the Commission Assistant to an Assistant Commission Administrative Officer.

“Our goal is now that we have our Commission administrative officer in this position, we have a vacancy in the office and we had a Commission assistant that we moved over there back in May but now that that position is no longer full and that Steve is here we have looked at the position and the needs of that office and have determined that we need to re-categorize that position to be someone who can have legal and or public administrative background as well as more experience in administration and the ability to do projects on behalf of the Commission administrative officer,” she said.

Humphrey is looking for board action to approve the updated job description and reclassify the job from a Grade 105 to a Grade 110.

“Some of the reasons for the changing from the grade 110 is we have a based off of our previous work we have a job evaluation manual that helps us decide based off of experience that education requirements and scope of responsibility where they should grade out so that’s where we have that 110,” she said.

The new grade range will bring the salary of the employee from $45,000 to $62,000 to $69,000 per year. Motion carried.

States Attorney, Tom Wollman joined the meeting to request board action on a proposal of service for indigent defense.

“This would be a secondary contract following our primary contract that goes out to Dave Stewart, it would be for overflow and for additional appointments for a period of one year to include felonies misdemeanors delinquencies and abuse neglect actions. I am looking for authority from the board to be able to publish this and get this out the door for request for proposals,” Wollman said.

With no public comment or discussion from the board, motion passed.

Linda Montgomery joined the public comment portion of the meeting to address the board.

“I just want to touch on a subject about last week that we talked about having a public get together with community for election integrity and I had the privilege to go to five counties and six towns in the last two weeks. The reception made by South Dakota canvassing which would have been the other half of the speakers that you would have gotten together with was met with goodwill. There were legislatures, commissioners, and citizens groups involved in the South Dakota canvassing. The reason I bring this up was because in our talk last week, we couldn’t have it because the Secretary of State couldn’t come or ESS wouldn’t show up, but I just really ask you commissioner Poppins to bring this to the forefront again, we need what I saw and the opportunities that people had to ask questions all information provided had research that went along with whatever was said,” Montgomery said.