Harrisburg City Council approves street-tree ordinance, work orders and a speed-limit increase; liquor-license renewals cleared

HARRISBURG — The Harrisburg City Council on an evening meeting approved a package of ordinances, work orders and administrative items, including a street-tree ordinance, several public-works projects and a resolution to raise a local speed limit.

Council adopted Ordinance 2024-13 (second reading) to amend Chapter 6.05 on street trees. Planning staff said the ordinance establishes an approved list of trees that may be planted in the public right-of-way, sets minimum distances from infrastructure and clarifies maintenance responsibilities; staff also told the council that trees already planted and actively growing would be grandfathered. "It establishes what the approved street trees are that could get planted in the right of way," planning staff said during the presentation.

The council approved Work Order 24335, a $9,800 project to survey and evaluate drainage at the Grand Avenue and Tiger Street intersection after repeated flooding. A staff member who visited the affected backyards said survey work is needed to measure elevations and craft recommendations. "If there's anything that we can improve on, we need to get a survey done," the staff member told the council.

Council also approved Work Order 24346 to design and construct a new public-works storage building as an expansion to the existing campus. Planning staff said the overall project was begun in 2023 and later paused; the 2025 budget includes $600,000 for the building and the work order under consideration covered design, bidding and administration services (the staff-discussed work-order line item was about $58,600). The proposed building would add offices, a conference room, storage and a mezzanine.

On wastewater operations, staff reported that heavy rain in June required using Cell 3 for equalization and that roughly 6.5 million gallons were pumped from a 20-acre pond. The council approved Change Order #1 for biosolids removal in the amount of $10,000 to complete that work.

The council approved Resolution 2024-19 to raise the speed limit to 35 mph on the paved south mile of Southeastern Avenue and on 470 Sixth Avenue within Harrisburg, after staff said the change would align that section with surrounding posted limits and that the sheriff's office had no objection.

Separately, council voted to adopt a revision to the personnel policy manual (section 7.2) clarifying sick-leave accrual rules: payroll procedures will prevent employees from being paid if they attempt to record more time than their balance allows.

Council also approved 2025 liquor-license renewals. During that agenda item, the Harrisburg Event Center owner told the council the property was sold to the Bunker Group last July but the buyer had not completed the transfer; the owner said legal work is now finished and that he expects the property to be sold to a different buyer before year-end. "I sold the business to the Bunker Group last July ... they never completed the transfer," the owner said, adding the sale is proceeding through counsel.

Before adjourning into executive session, the council unanimously moved to enter a closed meeting under South Dakota Codified Law 1-25-2, citing subsection 1 (personnel), subsection 4 (contract negotiations) and subsection 5 (economic development matters). The council entered executive session at 8:11 p.m.

Votes at a glance: the council approved the consent agenda and, by voice/roll-call, adopted Ordinance 2024-13 (street trees), Work Order 24335 ($9,800 drainage survey), Work Order 24346 (public-works building design/management, staff-discussed ~$58,600 line item), Change Order #1 for biosolids removal ($10,000), Resolution 2024-19 (35 mph speed limit), the policy-manual 7.2 revision on sick leave, and 2025 liquor-license renewals. Specific roll-call tallies recorded on the transcript show affirmative votes from attending members on each motion.

What happens next: ordinances and resolutions will follow normal implementation steps; staff noted budgeted funds for the building in 2025 and said the drainage survey will be followed by recommendations. The council then moved into executive session to discuss personnel, contract negotiations and economic development as authorized under SDCL 1-25-2.