Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Governance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Union County adopts burn ban, signs emergency grant, approves abatements and sets interim Register of Deeds salary
Summary
Commissioners enacted a county burn ban effective Feb. 14, authorized a 2025 Local Emergency Management Performance Grant contract, approved several abatements and claims, and set the appointed interim Register of Deeds (Buum) salary at $73,000 after executive session.
At its Feb. 17 meeting, the Union County Board of Commissioners addressed public-safety, finance and personnel matters.
EMA Director Westcott told the board that a county burn ban took effect Feb. 14 amid ongoing drought monitoring and that the county is coordinating cybersecurity work with CISA and Dakota State University. The board approved the State of South Dakota Department of Public Safety 2025 Local Emergency Management Performance Grant contract and authorized the chairman to sign it.
The board audited and approved the Feb. 17 claims list, and commissioners approved several abatements: an Elderly Freeze abatement for $830.46, a Fire abatement for $1,582.58, and an Error in Valuation abatement for $1,184.76. A Veteran Exemption abatement was denied because the applicant did not qualify before the tax-year 2025 deadline; the exemption will be accepted for tax year 2026 (payable 2027).
Following executive session for personnel under SDCL 1-25-2(1), the board set the appointed interim Register of Deeds (Buum) salary at $73,000 per year. The meeting record notes motions as "carried" but does not include roll-call tallies for those votes.
The board also accepted the resignation of Grayson Lass and received public-health data from Nurse Heirigs, who reported 135 influenza cases and nine hospitalizations in Union County.
