If the people who sit on your local road district board truly cared about the taxpayers who pay their salaries and fund the roads, here’s exactly how they would run things. Not the bare-minimum, check-the-legal-box version we usually see — but the way a board that respects its community would operate every single time. 2….
The Road District Meetings That Make “Public Participation” a Joke If you live in a local road district and you’ve ever thought, “Maybe I should go to the board meeting and speak up,” let me save you the gas money and the headache. It’s pointless. Here’s what actually happens once you walk through those doors:…
Any bets on what the bylaw change will be this time? The Board could be giving themselves even MORE CYA powers… or perhaps they are making a change to one or more of the many bylaws that are unlawful… and which were pointed out to them long ago.
In the quiet, rolling hills of rural South Dakota, where the prairies stretched out like an endless canvas under the big sky, Harlan Voss sat in his oversized leather chair in the den of his sprawling ranch house. Harlan was a man of considerable self-importance, having clawed his way onto the board of the local…
In the dusty backroads of rural South Dakota, where gravel crunches under tires and neighbors wave from porches, the Willow Creek Road District had long operated in its own quiet way. The board of trustees—three men who’d held their seats for years—made decisions on grading, snow removal, and the occasional special assessment for “improvements” with…
Just wanted to post this to show it is not just a local issue to be denied, or just ignored, when making a public records request. As you may recall, we made several public records request with the Auditors Office of Custer County, and was met with an unlawful form to fill out, and a…
Question- As a general rule or understanding, what is the purpose of bylaws of a government entity? Answer- As a general rule, the purpose of bylaws for a government entity—such as a special district, board, commission, or other local governmental or quasi-governmental body—is to establish internal operating rules and procedures that guide how the entity…
A Huge Win for Free Speech in South Dakota: My Personal Experience with Law Enforcement Being Weaponized — and Why SB 137 Changes Everything Last summer I got a call from the sheriff’s office. A road district board member, Dale Ruzicka, whom I’ve written about on this site had filed a complaint about my posts….
There are many resources online, from public and private forums with regular people to public and private forums with legal experts. I love finding these resources and shooting off a question. Question- In South Dakota, can a road district, or any other “special district”, put more requirements on people than the law has? For example,…
This story should serve as a stark warning to anyone—especially public officials in small towns—who casually throws around the word “defamation” without truly understanding what it actually requires under the law, or how robustly the First Amendment shields criticism, parody, and uncomfortable truths about those in power. Just look at what happened to seven Ohio…
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