Long-serving county employee Brent says he is resigning after three decades

A long-serving Walsh County employee told commissioners Tuesday he will resign after roughly 30 years of service, citing increased state and federal requirements, technology changes, staffing inequities and a perceived erosion of support from the commission.

"The enthusiasm and passion that I had with this position has slowly deteriorated," the employee said in a prepared statement to the board, summarizing three decades of work including early adoption of digital mapping for 911 and other county emergency systems. "It is time for me to walk away. Thank you for your time."

In his remarks he urged commissioners to meet department heads and staff across county operations instead of relying on secondhand accounts, and to avoid prejudging employees based on newspaper articles or outside reports. He also raised concerns about uneven salary increases and overtime practices across departments, and said those disparities had contributed to turnover.

Commissioners thanked the employee for his service and expressed regret that he felt unsupported. One commissioner said it "saddens me" that he felt lack of support; another offered to help coordinate an orderly transition and to set up time to close out responsibilities.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff to coordinate an exit process; the employee said he will work with county staff to arrange closing details.

Note: The county did not provide an official job title in the public transcript for the speaker who announced his resignation; the article uses the name provided in the meeting record and describes him as a long-serving county employee in keeping with the record.