Minnehaha County Commissioners sign new contracts, arrange for bridge improvements, hires former Citibank employee as new Minnehaha Auditor

By Dave Baumeister, County Correspondent

Nov. 17th

SIOUX FALLS – The Minnehaha County Highway Department got preliminary approval to start three bridge improvement projects during Tuesday, Nov. 17, county commission meeting.

Highway Supt. DJ Buthe asked for and received the go-ahead on the projects, which he expects to be finished in 2021.

The projects will only cost the county around $20,000, as they will be done under an 80/20 matching grant with the South Dakota Department of Transportation.

These improvements will be on bridges north of Hartford, north of Renner and northeast of Sherman, Buthe said.

He also received permission to adjust two different speed zones.

One would extend the 45-m.p.h. zone on east side of Renberg School. And the other would be on the east side of Baltic.

He explained that currently, the speed limit going into Baltic from the goes from 55to 25-m.p.h.

The newly approved change would put in a 40-m.p.h. buffer zone between the existing limits.

Buthe said the change will be posted for a week on a message board where the limit drops when it goes into effect.

Local law enforcement Chief Deputy Joe Bosman received approval for new law enforcement contracts with the Minnehaha County municipalities of Baltic, Colton, Crooks, Dell Rapids, Garretson, Hartford, Humboldt and Valley Springs.

The contracts call for the Minnehaha Sheriff’s Department to provide patrols to all of these towns.

For these services, the communities pay varying rates, based on their populations.

He’s back!

Fresh off a difficult general election and a bout with COVID-19, Minnehaha County Auditor Bob Litz was back to talk to the commission for the first time since the election.

He was requesting permission to purchase a used vote tabulating machine for future elections.

Litz explained that during a final equipment check three days prior to the recent election, two of the county’s three tabulating machines “broke down.”

While one was able to be repaired on-site prior to the voting, another had to be taken in for repairs, and the county had to use a “loaner” machine.

For this reason, he asked commissioners to let him buy a fourth tabulation machine.

The used DS-850 machine would help ensure the county always had at least three working tabulating machines available.

Commissioners unanimously approved the $98,500 purchase.

Nov. 24th

SIOUX FALLS – Now that the 2020 General Election is over, the Minnehaha County Auditor was back before the county commission for one of his last times before he retires next month.

This Tuesday, Litz reported on two different election-related grants that had come in, and he asked commissioners to accept them, which they gladly did.

Both grants were to help cover any increases in auditor’s office election costs relating to COVID-19.

The first was a HAVA Cares Act grant for just over $31,000. This was part of federal money given to the state to help deal with the pandemic.

The second amount for more than $91,000 was part of a CTL grant started by a group of private business to help with COVID expenses.

Litz said this group put $250 million into their grant fund specifically for this purpose.

These grants will go toward helping the county with printing costs, precinct workers, election equipment, postage and overtime expenses.

Other business this week mainly dealt with new and surplus equipment.

Dec. 1st

SIOUX FALLS – A senior finance officer with 37 years of experience at Citibank was appointed as the interim county auditor at this week’s Minnehaha County Commission meeting.

Bennett Kyte of Sioux Falls was unanimously appointed by commissioners to fill the final two years of the term of Bob Litz, after he retires on Dec. 31.

Kyte was one of four candidates interviewed for the position by commissioners. He will serve as interim auditor from Jan 2, 2021 until March 2023.

The position will be up for election in November 2022, but while most newly elected county officers are sworn in at the first commission meeting in January, the auditor doesn’t take office until March to make sure all election detail are taken care of first.

Along with his work at Citibank, Kyte, a graduate of the University of South Dakota, has served on several area boards and has an extensive background in finance.

Another major change that will take place after the new year is, as previously discussed, the commission will drop five meetings during the first quarter of 2021.

Commissioners again voted unanimously to eliminate meetings on Jan. 12, Feb. 9, March 9 and 30, and April 13.

The original reason for cutting back on meetings was to reduce the number of people in the administration building during the COVID crisis, but Commissioner Cindy Heiberger pointed out, since three of the meetings fall during the legislative session, commissioners will be able to do more work in Pierre this year.

In other business, commissioners voted to vacate the rights-of-way along two stretches of County Highway 137 in the Crooks area.

Commissioners also voted to extend the Christmas Eve vacation time for county workers from four to eight hours.

In extending the leave time, Commission Chair Jean Bender said that this was a way to recognize that “2020 has been a very challenging year for everyone.”

The Minnehaha County Commission meets every Tuesday at 9 a.m. on the second floor of the County Administration Building at 6th and Minnesota in Sioux Falls.

All meetings are open to the public, and public input is always encouraged.