Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Personnel topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Union County commissioners terminate appointed Register of Deeds Debra Severson, appoint interim Laurie Buum
Summary
On Feb. 3, 2026, the Union County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously to terminate appointed Register of Deeds Debra Severson and immediately appointed Laurie Buum as interim Register of Deeds; both actions followed executive sessions for personnel under SDCL 1-25-2(1).
The Union County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously on Feb. 3, 2026, to terminate the appointed Register of Deeds, Debra Severson, and to appoint Laurie Buum as interim Register of Deeds effective immediately.
The board entered executive session for personnel under SDCL 1-25-2(1) before the votes. After reconvening, a motion by Commissioner Ballard, seconded by Commissioner Kimmel, approved Severson’s termination with a roll call vote of 5 ayes and 0 nays. A subsequent motion by Ballard, seconded by Ustad, appointed Laurie Buum as interim Register of Deeds; that motion also passed by a unanimous roll call vote of 5–0.
Union County States Attorney Zenner was present during the executive session, as recorded in the minutes. The minutes do not include public testimony or direct quotes related to the personnel actions. The record shows the appointments take effect immediately; no successor timeline beyond the interim appointment was provided in the minutes.
Next procedural steps were not specified in the minutes beyond the interim appointment; the board did not record any additional motions about a search timeline or permanent appointment at this meeting.
