Commission sets election date after acknowledging Neckyoke Valley Road District annexation petition

Pennington County commissioners on July 1 acknowledged petitions seeking annexation of adjacent parcels into the Neckyoke Valley Road District and set an election on the question of annexation not more than 60 days from the boards action.

Why it matters: Annexation into a road district changes which entity levies and spends funds for road maintenance and can alter tax assessments for affected parcels. The road district president asked commissioners to consider waiving an election because he believed all affected landowners supported annexation; the state's attorney advised the board that state law requires an election.

What happened: County Auditor Cindy Mollerpenny explained the procedural steps: the auditor had received petitions and the board was required to acknowledge the filing and set an election. Mike Mueller, president of the Neckyoke Valley Road District, urged the commission to consider waiving the election because he had letters of support and contiguous properties but acknowledged an absent landowner who was away on duty. Commissioners debated whether the board could approve annexation without an election and asked the state's attorney to advise them. After tabling earlier to obtain the states attorney opinion, the board ultimately moved to acknowledge the petition and set an election date on the annexation question to be held within 60 days.

Next steps: The county will notify petitioners of the action and publish election details. The auditing officer will coordinate with the state's attorney to ensure legal compliance and confirm the final date and election logistics.