This is part of a conversation I had, trying to determine my next moves and what I should publish here. I decided to publish a large portion of our conversation. A couple of sidenotes: The clerk took the filing and said she would immediately check with the judge. As she continued the filing process, I/we…
A fundamental principle of government in any County is that local officials must adhere to state statutes. When it comes to road districts, South Dakota Codified Law (SDCL) Chapter 31-12A outlines the powers available for funding maintenance. This chapter provides for specific tools, such as tax levies or special assessments, which are subject to public…
I read your recent post about the “Unlimited Taxing Trap,” and I wanted to reach out because you hit the nail on the head. For those of us living in Custer County, this isn’t a hypothetical theory—it is our daily reality. We are watching a complete collapse of accountability, and it’s happening with the full…
In South Dakota, most taxing entities—from school boards to county commissions—are governed by strict “tax caps” and public hearing requirements. These laws exist to ensure that the power to tax is balanced by the consent of the governed. However, a dangerous precedent is emerging in certain special purpose districts where boards have abandoned the legal…
Was looking at my county’s State’s Attorney website and looked at a few others for comparison. Most of the counties have the same text on their webpage. And that’s cool. Butte County has the same text twice. Again, totally cool. Minnehaha County’s State’s Attorney webpage is friendly. Same basic text, but a pic of the…
Good grief and Thank God. The last portal sucked. I can’t believe it lasted as long as it did. I’ve not used this one yet, but honestly I cannot believe it could be worse. Feel free to share your experiences in the comments. Any tips and tricks and “how to’s” would be great too. I…
In South Dakota, small government entities like road districts, irrigation districts, and sanitary districts are often governed by a three-member Board of Trustees. These positions are filled by the democratic process: residents and landowners vote to elect their representatives. A growing concern across the state involves a misunderstanding of power: Can two board members vote…
I’ve heard many times that the goal of a County State’s Attorney is to become Attorney General or a judge. And probably as fast and as easily as possible. In other words, they are not overly concerned with us. I think we will start seeing headlines on our own state’s attorney’s. Like this one. They…
I just looked at a handful of counties in the Audit lists… This is Butte. I think this looks pretty good. There are many pages in these reports. You should definitely read the whole report for your county to make a judgment. This is Lawrence County. A couple questionable things. But not like Custer. That…
This is a list of county audits you may be interested in. I was not very surprised to see that my own county, when audited, did not do well. My county director of finance, or whatever her title is, clearly is not following the law and hasn’t been for a couple audits now. Not sure…