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The website dedicated to the Harmony Creek Road District was a basic affair, hosted on a free platform with plain text and stark photographs of potholes. It was maintained pseudonymously by Jim, the meticulous third board member from the earlier gas station incident, who had become the district’s self-appointed public conscience. The website, HarmonyCreekWatch.org, chronicled…

The Dodge County Auditor’s office was typically a place of quiet, bureaucratic efficiency, responsible for managing elections, property tax calculations, and a myriad of state-mandated forms. Mary Beth, a sharp-eyed county employee who had transferred from the property tax department, was one day assigned the task of processing the incoming levy certifications from the county’s…

The Meadow Ridge Road District was in turmoil following the fallout from the “special maintenance fee” scandal and subsequent personal liability judgments. A small group of residents, led by Eleanor and her neighbor Mike (the retired accountant from the previous scandal in Willow Creek, who happened to live in the neighboring district), had become a…

In the aftermath of the gas station incident in Harmony Creek—and the subsequent realization that they had, in fact, violated the South Dakota Open Meetings law by creating a quorum and discussing agenda items informally—the board found itself in hot water. Jim, the stickler for rules, had kept notes and reported the incident to the…

The town hall of Meadow Ridge was more a glorified shed than a building, but it was where the road district’s business got done. On this particular Wednesday evening, the folding chairs were arranged, the coffee pot was humming, and the three trustees—Chairwoman Brenda, Treasurer Steve, and longtime resident Mark—were shuffling papers at the front…

The following story is a work of fiction designed to illustrate common scenarios regarding public records requests. In the small, close-knit community of Willow Creek, Mike was a retired accountant who, seeking a quiet way to stay engaged with his community, volunteered for the non-voting, advisory role on the local Road District’s citizen oversight committee….

The dusty gray sedan rumbled down the highway, kicking up a small cloud of grit as it passed the faded yellow sign that read, “Welcome to Harmony Creek.” In Harmony Creek, the local Road District Board was the unofficial center of power, managing the patchwork of county roads that connected the scattered farmsteads and the…

Several states require government officials to take mandatory training or a seminar concerning their respective state’s open meeting laws. The requirement often applies to newly elected or appointed officials shortly after they take office. States with such mandatory training requirements include: South Dakota law does not currently mandate that government officials take a seminar or…

Gee… ya think? Or… and I’m just spitballin’ here… what ya really ought to do is provide some training to the Dale’s and Matt’s and Bob’s out there who say and do whatever they want and refuse to abide by the laws or even admit they aren’t following the law until they are investigated by…

Somebody who is currently acting as Governor and is running for the office. Our ‘feeling’ here is this is a show. Lip service. If these people really wanted to affect change, it would be pretty damn easy.