Commissioners approve raising speed limit on portion of County Road 23 to 45 mph

The Union County Board of Commissioners on April 28 approved Resolution HD2026-04 to raise the posted speed limit on a portion of Union County Road 23 from 35 miles per hour to 45 miles per hour.

Commissioner Tom Kimmel moved to approve the second reading of Resolution HD2026-04; Commissioner Peggy Ustad seconded the motion before the board. The resolution cites SDCL 32-25-9.1 as the county’s authority to establish speed zones and says the change follows the 85th-percentile speed methodology used by the South Dakota Department of Transportation and recommended by the Federal Highway Administration.

The motion carried with a recorded vote of three in favor and one opposed: Commissioners Robert Ballard, Michael Dailey and Tom Kimmel voted yes; Commissioner Peggy Ustad voted no. The portion affected is described in the resolution as the segment of County Road #23 beginning at the intersection with County Road #1 and extending westerly 5,075 feet; the posted limit will increase from 35 mph to 45 mph on that segment.

The board’s action notes estimated average speeds on the stretch near McCook Lake at about 45 mph and uses that data point to apply the state’s speed-zone formula. The resolution text references the county’s statutory authority (SDCL 32-25-9.1).

No public comment or additional mitigation measures were recorded in the minutes; the resolution was approved at second reading and recorded in the minutes as carried.

The board approved the change as part of routine highway business; no effective date beyond publication was specified in the minutes.