Public works, jail and finance reports; Winter Resource Center, T4, Maingate, chamber and South Central outline services and needs

Public works and public-safety leaders updated the council on winter work, infrastructure maintenance and jail activity, and the finance officer presented the city’s year-end budget results. Representatives from the Winter Resource Center, the T4 Foundation, Maingate treatment services, the Winner Area Chamber and South Central Economic Development described their services and community impact as they sought the council’s budgeted donations.

Public Works Director Troy Krueger told the council crews exercised valves with South Dakota Rural Water, replaced a vulcan valve box on Liberty, Spruce and First Street, installed piping on the East booster near the football field, repaired curb stop leaks, handled minor snow removal and performed monthly meter readings and samples. Krueger said crews replaced a pump at the Leahy Bowl sprinkler system, began footings and knee wall for a dog pound on the North Shore, and have open bids out for mill-and-overlay, miscellaneous concrete, and curb-and-gutter work. He also noted open positions in water and sewer, streets and sanitation.

Public Safety Commissioner Mitch Miller presented corrections and public-safety metrics, saying the corrections count that day was 156, a figure he identified as commonly reported and composed of federal inmates housed locally. Miller reported 30 inmates processed at the city jail during the month, 40 troop movements, three provider visits from a regional hospital (covering 30 inmates), 21 monthly mental-health visits, $426,607 billed in revenues for December, and $10,436 in transport costs. Miller also reported that Hansen County had requested a draft contract to use the facility as a backup option; that request is pending a return of the draft contract.

Finance Officer Harley Keaney gave the city’s year-end budget review for fiscal 2024: the council had budgeted $18,253,329.97 in expenses and the actual expenses recorded were $16,980,258.36 (93.03% of the budget). Keaney reported water revenues exceeded projections by about $108,000, sewer by $167,000, and jail revenues by roughly $558,000. Overall revenue actuals of $18,724,889.28 exceeded projected revenues of $17,133,276.

Nonprofit representatives then addressed the council. A Winter Resource Center representative described the organization’s services and asked for the council’s $10,000 budgeted donation; the speaker said the center provides “a 24 7 hour 24 7 crisis hotline, emergency services, shelter to victims and families impacted by family violence and other crimes of violence” and gave detailed service counts for 2024: “we provided 337 services to 103 new clients,” 255 returning individuals, and “197 shelter days to 2 males, 11 females, 10 children.” The representative said many services are federally funded through victim services grants and that much work is done by volunteers and limited staff, and she asked the council to consider continued city support.

Bailey Serv, identified in the meeting as the founder of the T4 Foundation, described T4 as a newly formed nonprofit (founded in July) organized to support children of people with addiction and said the group is a “nonprofit 501(c)(3).” Serv described a go-bag and immediate-response program that has aided families, listed partnerships with the Winter Police Department, the county jail and social services, and said that from August through December 2024 the group provided aid to about 50 children and families with hygiene products, books, school supplies and resource referrals. Andrea Kent was introduced as a cofounder and both asked the council to approve the budgeted $6,984 donation.

A Maingate representative provided program data and funding context: Maingate reported state reimbursement rates described in the meeting as $8.75 per hour (billed per 15 minutes) for treatment groups and $35.54 for chemical-dependency (CD) evaluations. The speaker said Maingate completed 65 adolescent CD evaluations and 45 adult CD evaluations in 2024 and that Medicaid payment delays earlier in the year had strained cash flow; Maingate reported resumption of Medicaid payments and an increase in demand for intensive outpatient and inpatient placements, particularly for methamphetamine-related cases.

Mike, a representative of the Winner Area Chamber, described the chamber’s membership (about 85 members) and promotional activities (including a holiday “green sheets” promotion that returned more than $1 million in local spending to participating businesses based on the speaker’s figures). James Mathis, executive director of South Central Economic Development, outlined the development organization’s work, including purchase and rehabilitation of a Main Street building and a loan fund that experienced about a 10% increase in loan volume year over year.

Ending: Council members thanked presenters and approved the budgeted donations for most groups at the meeting; the Winter Resource Center request was deferred because of a conflict-of-interest recusal and will return to the agenda when four eligible voters can participate.