Commission approves contracts, hiring and park master-plan agreement; names new fire chief

The Huron City Commission approved a slate of departmental contracts, personnel actions and agreements, including a fire chief appointment and several service contracts.

Personnel and consent items The commission approved consent-agenda personnel items that included recognition of completed probationary periods for Police Officer Rebecca Tu and Officer Pway Moo, employment approvals for Darley Diaz Gonzalez and Samantha Torgerson as police officers (effective June 16, 2025), and the appointment of John Miller as fire chief effective June 8, 2025 with a six-month probationary period. The consent agenda passed on a roll-call vote recorded as: Smith — Aye; Klute — Aye; Craig — Aye; Harvey — Aye; Mayor Robich — Aye.

Booster station Public Works staff asked the commission to approve replacement of a booster station component that supports the system sending water to the turkey plant and noted the item will be paid from water operations funds. Staff said the city had budgeted $40,000 for a prior replacement effort in 2022, replaced one unit during COVID for $38,000, and that the remaining replacement could be completed for roughly half that earlier budgeted amount. The commission approved the purchase and authorized the mayor to sign; the approved amount recorded in the item was $20,966. Roll-call: Smith — Aye; Klute — Aye; Craig — Aye; Harvey — Aye; Mayor Robich — Aye.

Temporary legal services contract Human Resources presented a temporary legal-services engagement while the city hires a permanent city attorney. HR Generalist Shannon Bitliff said the contract with attorney Gary Blue (same firm, different attorney) is a temporary engagement billed at $250 per hour and requires legal requests be routed through HR before submission. The commission approved the temporary contract and authorized the mayor to sign. Roll-call: Smith — Aye; Clute — Aye; Craig — Aye; Harvey — Aye; Mayor Robich — Aye.

SDSU park master plan agreement Parks and Recreation Director Chad Schroeder presented an agreement with the South Dakota State University (SDSU) Landscape Architecture program for students to develop a comprehensive master plan for Gibbs Park and Stony Run Park. The work will be part of the Fall 2025 semester; the city’s contribution is $5,000 to support student work (funds already budgeted in a special projects fund). Commissioners were told the work will be incorporated into SDSU’s curriculum and results will be presented at semester end. The commission authorized Schroeder to sign the service agreement; vote was unanimous on roll call.

Millennium recycling contract Solid Waste Superintendent Dale Forten presented a renewal of the contract with Millennium for recycling services; staff noted the city markets cardboard separately and that the current contract language was adjusted to reflect that. Forten said the prior contract history included a lapse in formal contract years during COVID; he said changes requested were reviewed by the firm’s attorney and the contract was approved. The commission voted to authorize the contract; recorded roll-call: Smith — Aye; Klute — Aye; Craig — Aye; Harvey — Aye; Mayor Robich — Aye.

Golf-cart parking repair funding Commissioners approved an additional $3,000 to repave and reconfigure the golf-cart parking area after crews discovered subgrade issues that made the originally budgeted mill-and-overlay impractical. Staff described an in-house repair plan using city crews and equipment to reduce estimated costs (staff estimate ~$6,000 versus contractor quotes of $18,000–$21,000); funding will come from second-penny funds. Roll-call: Smith — Aye; Klute — Aye; Craig — Aye; Harvey — Aye; Mayor Robich — Aye.

Votes at a glance (departmental items) - Consent agenda (minutes, fuel quotes, parade requests, personnel appointments including John Miller as fire chief effective 06/08/2025 with six-month probation): Approved unanimously. - Booster station replacement: Approved; $20,966; funded from water operations. Vote: unanimous. - Temporary legal-services contract (Gary Blue): Approved; $250/hour; requests routed through HR. Vote: unanimous. - SDSU landscape architecture agreement for Gibbs Park and Stony Run Park: Approved; $5,000; work to begin Fall 2025. Vote: unanimous. - Millennium recycling contract renewal: Approved; contract updated to exclude municipal cardboard marketing. Vote: unanimous. - Additional funds for golf-cart parking reconfiguration: Approved; additional $3,000 from second-penny funds. Vote: unanimous.

Next steps: Staff will execute contracts and return to the commission as needed for contract awards, hires, and project implementation.