Codington Co. plans spending big on infrastructure in '23. Here's how it'll be paid for.

Codington County commissioners spent the end of Tuesday’s meeting explaining how they will pay for a large increase in infrastructure projects proposed in some of the 2023 budget requests turned in by department heads.

The county has chosen to spend $5.44 million in federal American Recovery Plan Act funds to cover employee salaries, which is allowed by the legislation. County dollars originally budgeted for salaries this year will then be carried over to the the 2023 budget and designated for necessary infrastructure improvements.

Auditor Cindy Brugman said that most of the remaining $1.2 million in recovery act finding will go to the highway department to help finance a road repair job approved in July that was more than $500,000 over what had been budgeted.

“I just thought we should probably explain why some of those increases are there and that we are being careful with the taxpayers' dollars,” said Commission Chairwoman Brenda Hanten. “Our intention is to use ARPA funds. That’s why those (budget) increases were anticipated because we have those additional funds.”

Driving the large increase in the 2023 budget are infrastructure issues with the Codington County Detention Center and the county courthouse. Much of the proposed $4.3 million in the 2023 building budget is for improvements at those facilities.

The remainder of Tuesday’s 38-minute meeting was fairly mundane.

Vietnam veteran James Haider to be honored Aug. 13

Veteran Service Officer Todd Rose noted in his report that on Aug. 13 at 10:30 a.m. a ceremony will be held at the Brig. Gen. Ernie Edwards Readiness Center in Watertown to honor the late James Haider. The Watertown native was killed in action June 9, 1968, in South Vietnam. The dedication is part of the state’s effort to name bridges after fallen South Dakota soldiers.

Commissioners approved a budgeted item of more than $14,000 to install new door locks at the jail and a panic alarm in the jail nurse's office.

In other action, the commissioners:

• Declared a floor scrubber and two computers as surplus for the purpose of destroying the outdated or broken items.
• Approved the tax deed auction of July 25 and approved issuing a quit claim deed to Jeffrey Riley of Watertown, who purchased the tax deed property with a bid of $12,000.
• Approved the hiring of a part-time employee for the auditor’s office to help with the 2022 election.