Residents press commissioners for details as Bennett County considers early budget supplement and contingency transfers

Residents voiced objections during a March 5, 2025 public hearing after Bennett County commissioners opened a budget supplement process in February and proposed transfers from contingency funds.

A public commenter read portions of South Dakota statutes on county spending and personal liability, citing SDCL 7-21-17 and SDCL 7-21-27 and telling commissioners the statutes make officers personally liable if they authorize payments after the county has exceeded appropriations. He said he would provide the commissioners with copies of the statutes and asked whether commissioners are bonded to cover such liabilities. The commenter urged the commission to provide clearer documentation of the purpose and items covered by the proposed supplement before approving increases.

Other residents and commissioners debated whether the public-notice requirements had been satisfied. One commissioner said notice had appeared in the newspaper on Feb. 26 and that a bulletin-board posting was also used; another resident and at least one commissioner said the statutory requirement to state the purpose and items for a budget supplement (citing SDCL 7-21-22) requires clearer detail and a 10‑day notice period. Some members of the audience and the commenter urged postponing action until an itemized list and clearer justification are published.

Despite the public comment, the commission approved two transfers during the meeting. A motion was made and carried to transfer $425 from the commissioners’ contingency fund to the courthouse maintenance (equipment) fund to purchase a floor scrubber. A separate motion moved $500 from the commissioners’ “other expenses” or contingency line to the county’s 111 fund (noted in packet as the fund for the Refreshment Impact program) for donations; that motion was amended in discussion and carried after commissioners clarified which line item would be used.

At the hearing the county clerk and other staff said the department of revenue pamphlet indicates the Board of Equalization period and that the commission could set the Board of Equalization date for April 16, 2025; commissioners voted to set that date. Commissioners and staff also discussed the legal steps for supplementing a budget and agreed to consider publishing a more detailed itemized list and either re-advertising the supplement or postponing to the next meeting if required.

The transcript shows robust public concern about process and transparency; commissioners acknowledged the requests and said staff would follow up on legal notice requirements and itemized justifications.