Commissioners approve moving Veterans Services into former U.S. Bank building

The Richland County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously May 19 to relocate the Veterans Services Office (VSO) to the county’s newly acquired U.S. Bank building, contingent on a zero-dollar lease and legal review. Commissioner Nathan Berseth made the motion, Commissioner Perry Miller seconded it, and the roll call vote was 5-0.

Department heads discussed how the building’s features would affect services. Mary Vetter said the space “would work well for VSO as there are ample parking spaces and no stairs” and requested a conference room with windows because some current meeting locations lack natural light. John Anderson said he would “prefer to get election equipment and historical records out of the basement at the Law Enforcement Center,” flagging storage and access issues that moving offices could help resolve. Lynn Flieth raised privacy concerns, saying cubicles in the building “would not provide the privacy required for clients” of the Human Service Zone, and noted another office opening in August that may reduce space pressure. Kayla Carlson said the Health Department and clients, including new mothers, would benefit from the building’s accessibility.

Under the approved motion, Amy Clark was assigned to draft the zero-dollar lease and State’s Attorney Kummer will review the paperwork before any occupancy steps. John Anderson was asked to prepare a rough sketch of current layouts and to coordinate with Sandy Fossum, Mary Vetter, Commissioner Berseth and Commissioner Miller on preliminary preparations. Commissioners directed department heads with further questions to place items on a future commission meeting agenda for follow-up.

The move is being pursued to improve accessibility and visibility for county services and to remove certain equipment and records from constrained basement storage. No timetable for relocation was specified in the motion; next steps are documentation and legal review.