The following was submitted by a reader from another road district in the northern Black Hills. The author asked to remain anonymous. I stumbled across this website while researching South Dakota road districts. At first, I assumed the issues discussed here were unique to Saddleback Road District. I honestly thought this was simply a dispute…
Attorney General Jackley’s 2026 Legislative Bills Become Law July 1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, June 29, 2026 Contact: Tony Mangan,Communications Director, 605-773-6878 PIERRE, S.D. – All 10 of South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley’s bills that he proposed during the 2026 legislative session officially become law Wednesday, July 1. The measures were approved by legislators and signed by…
A “document dump” is generally understood as: The production of a large volume of documents, often containing information that is irrelevant, duplicative, already known, or difficult to navigate, in a way that makes it difficult to identify whether the requested information was actually provided. The term is often used in public records, discovery, and government…
The Board President recently distributed an email to all district landowners regarding the public records requests discussed at the May 26 Special Meeting. Attached to that email was the response prepared by the District’s newly retained attorney. Because the District chose to distribute the response to all landowners, we believe it is appropriate to briefly…
One of the recurring challenges when reviewing Saddleback Road District records is determining exactly when a discussion becomes a decision. A recent example involves the installation of culvert and corner markers. The First Mention The May 2026 Annual Meeting minutes state that: Custer County will provide more safety marker signs to post over culverts. That…
First half property taxes are due by April 30th; second half are due by October 31st. Special assessments, such as Road District fees, are due by April 30th also. This is on the Custer County website. Does this seem to imply that special assessments are road district fees? Yes, the wording on the Custer County…
This effort is no longer the work of one person. It hasn’t been for a while. Over time, people have quietly contributed documents, screenshots, statute research, public records, meeting minutes, questions, photographs, historical records, and their own experiences. Some have asked questions of government offices. Others have simply helped verify facts. Every contribution matters. You…
The Saddleback Road District board frequently uses the word “transparency.” Good. Transparency is important. But transparency is not a slogan. It is a process. It means open meetings, proper notice, accurate minutes, public records, and decisions made where the public can see them. This district has already experienced an Open Meetings Commission reprimand. That history…
At the May 26, 2026 Special Meeting, the Saddleback Road District Trustees voted to hire outside legal counsel and increase the District’s legal budget. According to the meeting minutes, the reason was two public information requests submitted by a district member. The Board subsequently engaged the law firm of Gunderson, Palmer, Nelson & Ashmore and…
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