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Commission approves liquor-license transfer, jail contracts and equipment purchases; adopts power-outage protocol
Summary
At its Jan. 28 meeting the Minnehaha County Commission approved a transfer of an on-sale liquor license to Mapleton Golf Course, authorized several contracts and equipment purchases for county facilities, and adopted a revised power-outage response protocol. The board also denied a special-assessment abatement request.
Minnehaha County commissioners on Jan. 28 approved a package of routine and contested items, including a retail on-sale liquor license transfer to Mapleton Golf Course, contracts for jail housing with neighboring counties, a new inmate-tracking system for the juvenile facility, and the purchase of three 2024 Ford Escape patrol vehicles. The board also adopted a revised power-outage response protocol and denied an abatement request tied to special assessments.
Votes at a glance
- Transfer of retail on-sale liquor license to 19 Flags/Mapleton Golf Course: Approved after public hearing. The auditor’s office reported the application had been reviewed by the sheriff, state's attorney and planning department with no concerns; transfer fee $150 remains with the county. Applicant Danny Amundson told the commission he had privately acquired a license from the Garretson Sportsman’s Club following competitive demand.
- Authorization to file for party status in PUC pipeline proceeding (HP 24,001): Approved (see separate article for details).
- Contract with Guardian RFID for juvenile inmate tracking system: Approved. Jamie Gravatt, director of the juvenile detention center, said the system uses wearable ID tags and facility receivers to log movement, safety checks, meal delivery and medication disbursement; first-year cost just over $33,000 with recurring yearly costs of about $20,000.
- Jail housing per diem contracts with Clay, Hutchinson, Minnehaha (as host), Lake, McCook, Moody and Turner counties: Approved. Warden Mike Matson said the daily per-diem rate remains $112 for 2025, unchanged from 2024.
- Purchase of three 2024 Ford Escape vehicles for the sheriff’s office: Approved. Captain Josh Phillips said the vehicles are available from a local dealer at prices below state bid and will come with factory warranties; two to be received soon, the third later.
- Abatement recommendation for denial for Parcel 52870 (special assessments totaling $1,370.82): Denied. Chris Lilla, director of equalization, explained the outstanding charges were special assessments for drainage and road work levied by the city and not property taxes eligible for abatement.
- Adoption of revised Power-Outage Response Protocol: Approved. Meredith Jarco of the Commission Office said the policy was rewritten to remove outdated language and shorten the document; the commission adopted the proposed changes.
How commissioners voted: Most routine approvals were passed by voice vote; several items were finalized following roll calls or stated unanimous approval. The chair announced motions carried on each item after votes.
Context and next steps: The liquor-license transfer permits retail on-site liquor sales when Mapleton Golf Course opens; the juvenile detention center will incorporate the new tracking technology when its new facility is occupied. The county's action to deny the special-assessment abatement leaves the non-abatable charges in place; the county will continue annual per-diem negotiations for jail housing and will revisit vehicle and equipment budget impacts in future budget cycles.
