Mitchell board approves small grants to four applicants after executive session

The City of Mitchell board voted to award small grants to four local applicants after an executive session called to review confidential financial information. An unidentified board member moved to award the grants; the motion was seconded by Harry and passed by roll call.

According to the motion read aloud after the executive session, awards were: Grama Waldner, $3,870; Lauritzen, $3,488; Morris, approximately $1,135 (amount in the transcript was read as “1 thousand 1 hundred and 30 5 dollars” and is reported here as an approximate figure); and Bridal, $2,570. The chair called a roll call after discussion; several members answered “Aye,” and the chair stated the motion carried.

The motion and subsequent vote followed an executive session the board held under South Dakota Codified Law §9‑34‑19, which the board cited specifically when moving into closed session to review applications and confidential commercial or financial information. The motion to enter executive session was made and seconded before the awards were decided.

Speakers who participated in the motion and vote were named in the roll call and included Mark, Matt, Blake, Melissa and Larry; Harry is recorded as seconding the award motion. The transcript does not clearly attribute the maker of the award motion to a named member; the speaker who read the award amounts is identified only by voice in the transcript.

The awards tapped part of the local grant pool the board had reviewed earlier in the meeting. The board did not provide a formal breakdown in the public portion of the meeting beyond the award amounts listed in the motion. The board chair closed discussion after the roll-call vote and announced the motion carried.

Next steps were not specified on the record; the transcript indicates standard city processing of checks to recipients once projects are complete and conditions met.