Lead council adopts 20-year comprehensive plan; several routine resolutions also approved

The City of Lead council on Feb. 3 adopted a 10- to 20-year comprehensive plan intended to guide the city’s physical development, the council announced after a public hearing and presentation by the Black Hills Council of Local Governments.

Kaylee Fisher, with the Black Hills Council of Local Governments, told the council the comprehensive plan is “a collection of information material designed to guide the future development of a city,” and that it is not a zoning ordinance or building-code document but a policy guide to inform future regulations and investments. Fisher said the plan update followed a two-year process that included a public survey, multiple community meetings, a stakeholder session and a Planning and Zoning public hearing on Jan. 28.

The council opened a public hearing on the draft plan and heard a resident praise the outreach: “Thank you so much to Kaylee and your team for all of the work,” a public commenter said. The council then moved and seconded a motion to adopt City of Lead Resolution 2025-05, and approved it by voice vote; the clerk recorded the motion as carried.

Why it matters: Council members said the plan provides a roadmap for decisions about land use, infrastructure and community services over the coming decade or two and that it should be reviewed when local conditions change. Fisher noted the only change requested by the Planning and Zoning commission before sending the plan to the council was a data update on short-term rentals, changing a reference from October to December to reflect updated data.

Votes at a glance: the council approved several other routine items during the same meeting with voice votes recorded as “Aye.” These included: - Abatement for the Homestead Opera House property (historic Opera House) — motion approved. Lawrence County Director of Equalization Brett Runde said a previous filing had listed 25% of the property as taxable; county review found the taxable portion is closer to 5% of the property value. Runde said that adjustment reduces the taxable value subject to abatement by $602,839, which he said corresponds to roughly $9,900 in total tax dollars. He also said the Opera House’s tax bill after the change will be about $2,495, up from about $1,009 the year before due to added rented area. (Motion, mover/second: not specified; outcome: approved.) - Resolution 2025-04, support of South Dakota House Bill 10-81 (severance tax cap increase to $3,000,000) — motion approved. The resolution expresses the city’s support for changing the statutory cap on county severance-tax receipts. (Motion, mover/second: not specified; outcome: approved.) - Payment of city bills totaling $204,661.41 (motion approved). (Motion, mover/second: not specified; outcome: approved.) - Add Robin Lucero as an authorized signature on First National Bank accounts (motion approved). (Motion, mover/second: not specified; outcome: approved.) - Approval of January 2025 financial statements — motion approved. During the meeting there was verbal confusion over the exact figure stated; the financials were presented as $974,815.19 and then discussed during the motion. Council approved the January financials by voice vote. (Motion, mover/second: not specified; outcome: approved.)

Other business and updates: Public works staff reported recent water leaks on the Park Avenue/lab supply line and on Wall Street; crews worked in subzero temperatures to repair an 8-inch ductile-iron main with heavy pitting and corrosion and completed the work. Council thanked city crews for round-the-clock work in freezing conditions. Library staff reported on advocacy related to House Bill 10-41 (state library funding), telling the council that local library supporters had testified before the state appropriations committee and that a House education committee had voted not to recommend cuts to the State Library, with two absences on that vote.

The meeting also included routine administrative items: reports on Winterfest attendance, an update on recycle-bin pickup procedures, a 105th-anniversary planning update, and a reminder that the mayoral election is April 8 with petitions due Feb. 28. The council adjourned after taking the votes listed above.

The comprehensive plan adoption will become effective after required publication: Fisher said a summary of the action must be published and the plan becomes active 20 days after publication unless the council makes additional revisions and restarts the adoption process.