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Pennington County delays snow-removal and vehicle-towing changes after legal review
Summary
Commissioners debated proposed changes that would allow county towing during qualifying snow events and expand county authority to remove vehicles from rights-of-way, but the state attorney warned counties lack some municipal authority; board deferred ordinance revisions to January and directed staff to pursue outreach and legislative options.
Commissioners spent a lengthy portion of the meeting discussing proposed changes to ordinances intended to improve snow removal and public-safety responses in Rapid Valley and other unincorporated areas. County staff introduced an amendment that would define a qualifying "snow event," allow removal of vehicles that impede snow removal and clarify penalties for depositing snow in rights-of-way.
Tyler Sobczak, Pennington County state's attorney, advised the board that counties have more limited authority than municipalities to proactively tow vehicles and that the most reliable path under current law may be to use existing abandoned-vehicle statutes (which allow towing after certain thresholds) or to seek legislative changes to expand county authority. Commissioners debated alternatives including education and alert campaigns, staggered citation levels, a 14‑day notice process, and whether towing costs and abatement responsibilities would fall on property owners or the county.
Several commissioners emphasized an outreach-first approach for this winter — repeated web/social messaging and text-alerts to opt-in residents — while also directing staff to produce redlined ordinance text that incorporates the state's attorney's suggestions and clarifies emergency exemptions and subcontractor permitting language. The board voted to deny aspects of the proposed amendments and to continue the items to the second meeting in January to allow additional legal review and stakeholder meetings with utilities and contractors.
Next steps: staff will produce redlined ordinances showing the specific changes; the state's attorney will explore possible statutory fixes for the next legislative session; highway and emergency-management staff will prepare an outreach plan (text and social media) to encourage residents to move vehicles during snow events.
