Pennington County commissioners approved a transfer of 11 full‑time equivalent positions Sept. 19, moving staff who work on county facilities from the sheriff’s office payroll into the Buildings & Grounds budget. County staff said the shift centralizes facility functions under the buildings and grounds director and clarifies responsibility for building maintenance and operations.

The transferred positions include six staff from the jail operation, two from the juvenile detention center, two from the care campus and one position associated with pivot‑point operations; three of those listed positions were vacant at the time of the vote. County finance staff reported the personnel cost associated with the 11 FTEs (pre‑COLA and step adjustments) is $662,679; the board approved the reclassification without net change to total county personnel costs.

Commissioners said consolidating facilities staff under Buildings & Grounds will improve scheduling, maintenance planning and accountability for county buildings, especially as the county refines a five‑year capital and maintenance plan. The board directed payroll and finance to update departmental budgets and to reflect the transfers in the FY2026 provisional budget records.

Davis Purcell, director of Buildings & Grounds, and county finance staff will present the reclassified budgets and any operational impacts to the board at the next follow‑up meeting.