By Dave Baumeister, County Correspondent
SIOUX FALLS – Business was light at the Tuesday, Aug. 3, Minnehaha County Commission meeting, which allowed time for a presentation from two local interns about their summer job.
It was explained that every three years, interns are hired to document conditions of bridges and culverts and collect data for the county highway department to use.
This year, college students Anthony Peters from South Dakota State University and Noah Semansky from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln filled these positions.
While they did not discuss the overall conditions of the county's 367 miles of culverts at this time, they did talk about what they were learning with this summer job and how they were grateful for the opportunity this internship had given them.
They explained they were learning a great deal about data collection, roads, engineering, and just working at a 40-hour per week job.
The men said that this had been the first full-time job either of them had worked.
Furthermore, they told commissioners how they really got to know Minnehaha County (especially, the best places to get lunch), as well as to appreciate the work that the highway department crews do.
And the work Peters and Semansky are doing will help that department to make better decisions about where and when repairs are needed in the future.
Despite bad weather, insects and having to get up very early, the interns were both extremely positive about their time working for the county.
Plans for tax sales
Although he is hoping a sheriff’s property tax sale doesn’t have to happen, County Auditor Ben Kyte gave the commission a preview of such a sale set for next month.
He said that 11 properties are delinquent four years or more in property tax payments.
Notices have been sent to all of these property owners, and the sheriff’s sale is set for Saturday, Sept. 25, if arrangements aren’t made with the auditor’s office for payment before then.
When property tax delinquencies get to the point that the county needs to take action, the property then defaults to the ownership of the county, and it is auctioned off to the highest bidder.
Those auctions usually have opening bids set at the amount owed for back taxes.
Kyte said that notices were originally sent to 12 properties, but one owner had already come in to take care of the back taxes, and he is hoping that the others will do the same, to avoid having to have the sale in September.
He added that they usually have a sale every year that property taxes are four years in arrears, but they didn’t have one last year which Kyte suspected was due to COVID.
Huset’s fireworks
Commission Assistant Melinda Storley brought a new request from Huset’s Speedway near Brandon for a permit for a fireworks display after their Sunday, Aug. 22 races.
Commissioner Jean Bender, who lives in Brandon, said that she was disappointed someone from Huset’s hadn’t come in person to make the request, as they have had several complaints from people living near the racetrack about activities there running too late.
It was reported Huset’s said that activities would be completed by 10 p.m. on Aug. 22, and Bender said she would hold them to that.
While she voted in favor of the permit this time, she said she would not do so again if they didn’t stand by their word.
The motion passed unanimously.
The next county commission meeting will be on Tuesday, Aug. 17, at 9 a.m. on the second floor of the Minnehaha County Administration building at 6th and Minnesota in Sioux Falls.
Time is always made available for public comment.
