Codington County commissioners approve bridge grant, DOT weed contract and $1,500 website redesign; delay burn ban

Codington County commissioners on March 18 authorized the chair to sign a bridge improvement grant agreement and a separate engineering contract for the ice-damaged structure identified as Bridge ID 15-240-155, approved the county’s annual weed-spray contract with the South Dakota Department of Transportation and accepted a $1,500 quote to redesign the county website. Commissioners also heard from emergency management and agreed to leave a possible burn ban on future agendas rather than adopt one immediately.

The action on the bridge and the engineering contract follows notification that a grant applied for last year was approved. Commissioners voted to authorize the chair to execute the grant agreement for Bridge ID 15-240-155 and to sign a contract with Banner Associates Inc. for engineering services on the same bridge. The board also approved right-of-way and utility certificates needed to advance the Fourteenth Avenue bridge project.

Why it matters: repairing a county bridge damaged by winter ice and securing engineering services are necessary steps to move state-funded repairs into design and construction. Approving right-of-way and utility certificates keeps the Fourteenth Avenue project on schedule.

Most important actions

• Bridge grant and engineering: Commissioners authorized the chair to sign a bridge improvement grant agreement for Bridge ID 15-240-155 and separately authorized a contract for engineering services with Banner Associates Inc. The actions were presented as connected steps: the grant provides funding and Banner will provide the engineering work to design repairs for ice damage.

• Fourteenth Avenue project: The board approved a right-of-way certificate and a utility certificate for the Fourteenth Avenue Bridge Project to keep property and utility negotiations progressing.

• DOT weed-spray contract and rates: The board approved the county’s annual contract with the South Dakota Department of Transportation to perform weed control on state right-of-way under county administration. The bid for that contract this year was reported as $36,595. The board also approved the county’s 2025 rates for weed chemicals and hourly spraying rates used to bill townships and other local customers.

• Website redesign: The board accepted a $1,500 quote from the county’s current vendor to build a new theme for the county website; the vendor also currently hosts the site for about $30 per month. Commissioners discussed scope and said department heads would continue to maintain their sections; the work will proceed in development and be approved by the board before going live.

• Insurance and claims: County staff reported the property insurance renewal with EMC (branded Accusure) rose to $163,420 this year, an increase the county said was $27,097 over last year’s premium. Commissioners approved claims and a separate 911 disbursement; the transcript records the motions carrying but does not include a recorded roll-call vote tally for those items.

• Personnel, grant and abatement actions: The board approved two part-time correctional officer hires (Tristan Brad Witch, effective March 11; Isaiah Decker, effective April 1) at step 1, $25.80 per hour; accepted a $3,000 Homeland Security grant and placed it into the emergency management budget; and approved a single tax abatement (record number 4853) for $113.41 because the property was purchased by a tax-exempt entity.

Discussion vs. action

• Burn ban: Emergency Management Director Andrew Delgado briefed the board on recent grass-fire responses and said local fire chiefs were "on the fence." He recommended holding off on a burn ban for now, noting short-term chances of precipitation. The board declined to enact a burn ban at the meeting and left the item on future agendas for reassessment. Delgado’s words: "my recommendation would be to hold off right now."

• Website: Commissioners spent more time discussing the website than most routine consent items; several commissioners emphasized ease of use, transparency and working through specifications with the vendor before launch. The board approved the quote but said the redesign will be reviewed before public posting.

Votes at a glance (as recorded in the meeting)

- Agenda and minutes: approved (motions carried). - Item 7 — Authorize chair to sign bridge improvement grant agreement for Bridge ID 15-240-155: motion carried. - Item 8 — Authorize chair to sign engineering services contract with Banner Associates Inc. (Bridge ID 15-240-155): motion carried. - Item 9 — Authorize chair to sign a right-of-way certificate for the Fourteenth Avenue Bridge Project: motion carried. - Item 10 — Authorize chair to sign a utility certificate for the Fourteenth Avenue Bridge Project: motion carried. - Item 11 — Approve contract with South Dakota Department of Transportation for 2025 weed spray (bid reported $36,595): motion carried. - Item 12 — Approve 2025 weed chemical and hourly rates: motion carried. - Item 13 — Accept quote for Codington County website redesign ($1,500): motion carried. - Item 14 — Burn ban resolution: discussed; no action taken. - Item 15 — Approve abatement record 4853, $113.41 (tax-exempt purchaser): motion carried. - Item 16 — Approve claims and separate 911 disbursement: motions carried; the transcript records a recusal for the 911 vote but does not record a roll-call tally. - Property insurance renewal (separate claim): approved; reported premium $163,420, an increase of $27,097 over last year. - Item 17 — Approve automatic budget supplement ($3,000 Homeland Security grant to Emergency Management): motion carried. - Item 18 — Personnel changes (two part-time correctional officers at $25.80/hour): motion carried. - Travel requests and other consent items: motions carried. - Executive session under SDCL 1-25-2(4) for safety/disaster discussion: motion carried; the board said it did not anticipate action to follow.

What’s next

Engineering and right-of-way work will proceed on the ice-damaged bridge under Banner Associates’ contract and the county’s signed grant agreement. County staff will work with the website vendor on a development theme and will present final work for approval before going live. The burn-ban question will return to the agenda as weather and local fire chief recommendations change.

Ending note: The board completed several routine administrative items in a single meeting while prioritizing the bridge repairs and website redesign as items that would directly affect county operations and public access to services.