Lincoln Co. Commissioners approve county redistricting

The Lincoln County commissioners met on the morning of February 1 for a brief meeting to hold a public hearing on the county redistricting, discuss county road conditions, bids for bridge projects, and project manager requests.

Kicking off the meeting, commissioners held a public hearing for the purpose of changing the boundaries of the commissioner districts to divide and redistrict the county so that each district contains as near as possible an equal number of residents, as determined by the last preceding federal decennial census.

Commissioners discussed six different alternatives prepared by SECOG (South Eastern Council of Governments). Members of the public commented on alternatives they wished to see go into effect. The Board set a motion to go at large and this failed 3-2. Commissioners then motioned to adopt alternative number four and the motion carried 4-1. The alternative number four district map is pictured at right.

Highway Superintendent at Lincoln County Terry Fluit presented results from the CR143 road condition study. He discussed current roadway conditions, repair history, two reconstruction options, and funding options. Fluit was seeking permission to move forward with preliminary engineering and design on this project which will be discussed at the next meeting held on Feb. 8th.

With the next item on the agenda, Fluit requested authorization to request bids for the 2022 bridge project. The 2022 Bridge Project includes 42-010-109 structure replacement, which is an agreement with the City of Lennox for cost-sharing. Engineers estimate $582,167.

For 42-004-100 structure replacement, Engineers estimate $379,411.50. Both structures on CR103 are on the west side of Lennox. Commissioners motioned to approve this request.

Commissioners then moved into an executive session to consult with legal counsel or review communications from legal counsel about proposed or pending litigation or contractual matters, SDCL 1-25-2(3), and preparing for contract negotiations or negotiating with employees or employee representatives, SDCL 1-25- 2(4).

Coming out of the executive session, William Golden sought board action on Request for Proposal for Services of Construction Manager/Owner Representative Services/Project Manager. The RFP was first issued on Jan. 11th. Commissioners approved the consulting agreement with TEGRA as their final action of the night.