Brown County Auditor Kathy McNickle resigns

Brown County Auditor Cathy McNickle has resigned.

Commission Chairman Duane Sutton confirmed that McNickle's resignation was included in the human resources report for Tuesday's meeting at the courthouse. Commissioners reluctantly accepted her resignation.

Sutton said the commission is working on a couple different scenarios to fill that the job, which is an elected post. Commissioners have the authority to appoint a replacement, but Sutton said the Brown County Central Committee, the leadership within the county Republican Party, can also play a role in the process.

McNickle, a Republican, was in the last year of her first four-year term and was the sole candidate to file a petition to fill the seat in 2022.

Commissioners hear need for boiler repairs

Commissioners approved a plan to replace the tubing on the 1965 boiler at the jail.

Building and Grounds Manager Judy Dosch shared a couple options at the meeting.

Dosch said the latest inspection of the boiler revealed the tubes are bad and need to be replaced at a cost of $22,500. That includes the replacement of the tubes, removal of asbestos insulation and covering the new pipes with insulation.

The other option, she said, is replacing the boiler at an estimated cost of $100,000.

"I can't guarantee the boiler will last through the winter without replacing the tubes," she said.

Replacing the tubes is a short-term fix, she said, noting that eventually the boiler will need to be replaced.

Dosch said repairs are also needed before winter for the boiler at the Hub City building the county recently purchased for a potential regional jail. She said she's ordered a new motor for $13,850, and a repair company will do combustion testing to determine if that motor is needed. Since each visit from the repair company costs $2,100, Dosch said she opted to order the parts in advance.

Commissioners allow fireworks stand by Budget Furniture

The operator of a fireworks stand near Budget Furniture appeared before the county commission seeking permission to continue doing business.

This is Jamie Lickfelt's third year operating a fireworks stand, but first year on the east side of Aberdeen. While he said he's followed the same process as years past, this year he was notified that zoning regulations don't allow the fireworks stand where it is and it needs to be shut down.

Fireworks sales in South Dakota begin June 27 and run through July 5. With that short sales period, Lickfelt said he doesn't have time to go to the zoning board for approval since a notice of a board hearing must be given 10 days in advance.

Commissioners agreed to allow the fireworks stand if Lickfelt paid the $225 fee for a conditional use permit. The hearing for the permit will end up being after the fireworks season ends at the July zoning meeting. It was a one-time action with the understanding that all proper procedures will be followed in the future.

Stockpile for chip seal project near Claremont concerning

Highway Superintendent Dirk Rogers said a stockpile of material near Claremont has him concerned. He's been in conversation with local contractors and the South Dakota Department of Transportation. The material is for a state chip seal project on state Highway 37.

Rogers said had he been asked about putting the stockpile in that area, he would have said no because of the potential damage to a county road. He told commissioners load limits in Claremont could be a consideration, but he didn't make a formal request.

"We’ve got them stopped, but we will visit with them in detail and will propose that they chip-seal the (county) road," Rogers said.