Huron commission approves equipment purchases, adds CDL trainer and increases golf-cart budget; consent items pass

HURON, S.D. — The Huron City Commission on March 3 approved a series of routine and departmental purchases, added a certified commercial driver’s license trainer to city staff and authorized an increase to the golf-course cart lease budget.

The commission approved a proposal from Pride Neon Inc. to replace the library electronic message center at a cost of $50,974.40, a $178,803.70 snowblower from Fairmark Manufacturing for the street department, a $50,685 front plow through Northern Truck Equipment, and multiple turf and greens mowers for the golf course totaling roughly $47,307. The commission also approved adding Steve Lovett to the city’s list of certified CDL trainers and approved a lease change that raises the golf-course cart budget by $9,500 to cover higher per-cart rental rates and additional carts for the season.

These votes were presented as replacements and routine equipment updates, with staff saying the purchases were within previously discussed budget targets or necessary to maintain operations. Assistant Engineer Dennis Bennett described the library message-center work as a complete replacement that includes a controller and footings, noting the city budgeted $59,166 for the project and that the low bid is below that figure.

Chad Schroeder, who spoke about the CDL training program for city staff, said the in-house training has sped staff through the CDL process and adding a fourth trainer will help reduce the impact on other job duties. "We feel Steve would be a good tool to add so that we have somebody that's out there a lot," Schroeder said.

Commissioner Bragg explained the requested increase for the Broadland Creek National Golf Course cart lease. He said the primary driver of the funding need was an increase in the per-cart monthly rate from what was budgeted, not solely the additional carts. Bragg said the change would allow more carts to be available year-round for regular play as well as tournaments and that net cart rental revenue historically exceeds the expense.

The consent agenda — including minutes from Feb. 24, a raffle permit request, fuel quotes and payment of bills — was approved in a single roll-call vote. Staff presented the bulk of the items as noncontroversial and recommended approval.

What the commission approved

- Pride Neon Inc. — library message center replacement: $50,974.40 — approved. - Fairmark Manufacturing Inc. — snowblower (street department): $178,803.70 — approved. - Northern Truck Equipment — 12-foot snow plow: $50,685 — approved. - Gene’s AG Service — rough mower (golf course): $27,307 — approved. - Turf Works — two used greens mowers and an aerator: $20,000 — approved. - Addition of Steve Lovett as a certified CDL trainer for the city — approved, effective March 3, 2025. - Broadland Creek National Golf Course — lease/contract change adding 26 carts and increasing the budget by $9,500 — approved. - Consent agenda (minutes, raffle permit, fuel quotes, payments): approved.

Most motions were moved and seconded on the floor and passed by roll-call vote. Commissioners and the mayor recorded aye votes on the items presented; no formal no or abstain votes were recorded in the meeting transcript for these items.

Next steps and related items

Staff will move forward with contracts and purchase orders for the projects and equipment approved. The golf-cart lease paperwork and budgetary adjustment will be handled through the city’s finance process; staff said cart rental revenue historically exceeds the cart expense even after the increase. An informational open house for the new solid-waste facility is scheduled for March 5 (see separate departmental announcements made at the meeting).

Votes at a glance: individual agenda items and outcomes are recorded below in the article metadata.