Recent amendments to the Saddleback Road District (SBRD) bylaws introduce several provisions that warrant closer public scrutiny, particularly in light of existing South Dakota law. 1. Assertion of Authority Not Found in Statute The bylaws state that the Board of Trustees may: “levy taxes, special assessments, special maintenance fees…” However, under SDCL 31-12A-21, road districts…
<sigh> One word… proofread. And this is from the guy who said that all meeting minutes etc would be double checked by the rest of the board before filing. So, this was a group effort. The law may not require publishing candidates, but transparency would improve participation and trust. Candidates had always been published ahead…
From Matt Christensen- Something to note here is that the agenda had only a discussion of a bylaw. Nothing else. What seems to be missing here is… the discussion of a bylaw. And everything else the Board brought up… not ok to bring up. Yet another unlawful meeting (shocking, I know). Concern Regarding the March…
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,…
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