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Wastewater operator resigns after compensation dispute; council accepts resignation and moves on appointments
Summary
Wastewater operator Loren Skinner said he had been working beyond his contracted hours and announced his immediate resignation; the council accepted the resignation and acted on several mayoral appointments, including naming Ryan Antaya chief of police and Jessica Semmler as finance officer.
Wastewater operator Loren Skinner told the Parkston City Council on July 14 that he had been working beyond his contracted 13 hours for months and wanted compensation for that extra time. The council asked to discuss the matter privately; Skinner said he would submit his resignation effective immediately.
Council later accepted Skinner’s resignation on a motion by Jeff Murtha, seconded by Matt Hoffman; the transcript records that all present voted Aye and the motion carried. Separately, the council moved to act on a slate of mayoral appointments — Attorney Chris Braley; City Physician Dr. Jason Wickersham; Chief of Police Ryan Antaya; Flood Plain Administrator McLaury Engineering, Inc.; and City Finance Officer Jessica Semmler — on a motion by Scott Kniffen, seconded by Corrinna Wagner. The public minutes record the motion to act on these appointments; the transcript does not provide a detailed roll-call for that specific motion in the public text.
Why it matters: personnel changes affect municipal operations and continuity. The council also accepted Finance Officer Austin Tilton’s resignation effective July 24, 2026, and moved to fill key administrative and public-safety roles, steps that will shape who runs day-to-day city functions in the near term.
Loren Skinner’s statement prompted the council to handle personnel matters in executive session; the public transcript records the executive session began at 8:19 P.M. and ended at 9:26 P.M., with "personnel matters" listed as the subject. After the executive session the council returned to the public record and took formal actions on the resignations and appointments.
Carroline Kniffen, who the council publicly thanked earlier in the meeting for her service to the city and the library board, offered a farewell in which she urged the council to "check the facts" and to "always do what is in the best interest of your amazing staff and the community of Parkston." The meeting adjourned at 9:29 P.M.
Next steps noted in the meeting record: appointed officials and the finance officer change will require administrative follow-up and formal documentation; the council took votes to accept the resignations and to move on the mayor’s recommended appointments during the same session.
