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Back in the beginning of this mishigas, I was at a county commissioners meeting and the Custer County State’s Attorney, Tracy Kelley, was there. At that time, I still thought she was a decent person. I tend to think everybody is a decent and honest person until they prove otherwise. Tracy had suggested simply voting…

If only that were true. This is the board that actually wrote bylaws to keep qualified people from running for a board position. Like so many of the bylaws, this one too was unlawful, as it contradicts state law. Here it is: Section 4.1 – Membership: All landowners of record of any real property lying…

We told the Apple Dumpling Gang that they had not been running elections lawfully. We said it a few times, but as usual, it was not until we brought it to the attention of authorities that they finally made the obvious changes. Well, I should say they made steps in the right direction. So close…

This is another question asked anonymously due to the State’s Attorney telling us, face to face, that Road Districts are ‘quasi government’ and do not follow the laws that other governmental entities do. Like trustees taking an oath- according to the state’s attorney, they don’t have to. Or that two of three trustees can simply…

Question– If somebody were elected over an incumbent, because the members of the district recognized the legal issues surrounding the current board, and the other two remaining trustees want to get rid of the new person. How can they do it? Answer– In South Dakota, two remaining road district trustees cannot simply vote to remove…

Question– Can you provide some advice for newly elected volunteer officers who are now on a board that has been acting unlawfully and your goal is to help bring it into compliance, but the other two officers are the same. They are not new officers. They constitute a quorum on the board of 3. How…

In the sleepy town of Gravel Gulch, South Dakota, where the roads were more pothole than pavement, the Bumpy Road District Board of Trustees held sway. This trio of elected officials—handpicked by a handful of voters who showed up to the annual meeting because the coffee was free—were infamous for their “efficiency.” That is, they…

The following seems rather obvious to many of us, but apparently was not obvious to the Apple Dumpling Gang. You may recall they told the Open Meeting Commission that they thought this would be easy and that they knew nothing about the requirements to follow the law. So, I thought I’d share this for the…

In South Dakota, county road districts, like many local government bodies, are entrusted with managing public resources and making decisions that affect our communities. As residents, we rely on these boards to operate with integrity and openness. One key indicator of a board’s commitment to transparency is how it handles public comment during meetings. While…

As previously stated, one solution for this road district is to replace the Apple Dumpling Gang with honest and honorable people. That’s assuming there are any in the district. We did have a reasonable candidate last year, but somehow she did not win. <shocker> Something to keep in mind is that it will take a…