Lincoln County reviews emergency grant, housing development

By Jennifer Harms

The Lincoln County Board of Commissioners met Tuesday, August 26 in the Lincoln County Boardroom. 

Emergency Management Coordinator, Harold Timmerman asked the commission to consider a motion to authorize the chair to sign the 2026 Local Emergency Management Performance Grant Agreement. 

“This is our annual agreement with the state which refunds money back to the county for my salary and administrative expenses. When you look at the contract it says 50 percent, however, if you look further into the contract it says up to a certain amount, and that amount is being determined by the federal budget and they don’t give us those numbers until the budget is passed. When we budgeted this year for ’26, we cut it back to 40 percent and I think we should be right on task with that,” Timmerman reported. 

With no questions from the commission or the public, a motion to approve the Local Emergency Management Performance Grant Agreement made by Jim Schmidt, seconded by Joel Arends, motion carried.

Chairwoman Tiffani Landeen opened the second reading and public hearing for an Ordinance of Lincoln County, SD, changing the zone of the properties described as Lots 1, 2, and 3, Ninemile View Addition, NE1/4, Section 4-T99N-R49W from the RC Recreation/Conservation District and the A-1 Agricultural District to the PD Planned Development District and amending the Official Zoning Map of Lincoln County.

The Planning Commission recommends approval (4-0-1). Planning Director Toby Brown was present to provide additional details to the commissioners. 

“This is an application to change the zoning of three parcels in Lincoln County from a mix zone of RC (Recreation/Conservation) A1 agricultural zoning district to the PD (Planned Development) District. Subjects property is approximately three miles to the East of the City of Harrisburg at the intersection of 273rd and 479th. This is within Dayton Township,” he said. 

Brown reported that the properties are in future planned growth areas of the Comprehensive Plan for the City of Harrisburg. There was a previous application for the properties and since the last meeting, the applicant hosted two neighborhood meetings on site to address concerns and Brown stated a majority of the neighbors did attend. The Planning Commission recommended approval 4-0-1. Applicant, Rob Kurtenbach was present to answer any questions. 

“I feel confident in saying I now have the support from the neighbors. It’s also worth noting that I plan to build my personal home on the lot just South of these parcels. From day one my goal has been to create a development with strict standards that I myself would be proud to live alongside,” he said. 

Chairwoman Landeen asked for proponents and opponents to the application. With no one standing on either side, Chairwoman Landeen closed the public hearing. Motion to approve made by Arends, seconded by Schmidt, both thanking Kurtenbach for his efforts on bringing the community together to come to a solution, motion carried unanimously. 

Chairwoman Landeen opened a public hearing to consider an application for a temporary on-sale liquor license to operate outside the municipality for Prosper Country Warehouse & Event Hall for events to occur on August 30, September 6 and September 26, 2025. Located at the Prosper Country Warehouse and Event Hall, 46620 278th St., Lennox, SD 57039, Tract 3A of Poppenga’s addition in the SW Quarter of Section 28, Township 99 N Range 51 West of the 5th pm Lincoln County, SD. The applicant was not present, and no proponents or opponents stood to speak. Motion by Schmidt, seconded by Arends, motion carried. 

Chairwoman Landeen opened a public hearing to consider an application for the transfer of a Retail (On Sale) Liquor License to operate a municipality from Spring Creek Country Club to Fore Score LLC at NW 1/4 NW 1/4 -26-100-49, 27122 480th Ave., Harrisburg, SD 57032 Applicant, Dann Grevlos was present. “I’m asking to transfer the liquor license from Spring Creek Country Club to Fore Score, LLC and we are taking over the operations of it on September 1,” he said. Grevlos gave the commission an update on the progress. “I don’t know how many of you are golfers, but I know it’s been a big part of Harrisburg and the community over the last few years. Trying to keep away campgrounds and private courses. Our goal is to keep it a public course. It will always be a public course as long as we’re there,” he said. 

With no proponents or opponents, a motion to approve was made by Arends, seconded by Schmidt, motion carried. 

Deputy States Attorney, Joe Meader asked the commission to consider a resolution to establish the number of allowable off-sale and on-sale liquor licenses and the fees to be charged for the various classifications of licenses to be effective for the following year. 

“This resolution is brought before you in an effort to make us akin to some of the surrounding counties in our area. The current system we operate under is for us to evaluate whether the license that is going to go out is within the growth area of a municipality. If that is so, we would charge that individual $25,000. If it’s outside the growth area, we would charge $175,000. This is going to change it to us just asking what is the closest municipality in which this license is going to go to. If it’s Sioux Falls, it’s their rate. If it’s Lennox, it’s their rate,” he said. 

Motion to approve by Arends, seconded by Otten, motion carried.

The commission was asked to consider a motion to approve the agreement with Henry Carlson Construction for asphalt replacement on West Street related to the Lincoln County Justice Center for $361,810. 

“They’re looking for direction on this, so I’m bringing it back here. We had talked about doing the asphalt to the South entrance of the new Justice Center because that’s where the sanitary was going in and what needs to be ripped out. Now they’re using the rest of that road to the North, there’s going to be trucks on it. When the Justice Center opens, the sheriff’s office will be using it, there will be truck traffic there for bringing in supplies to the back entrance and for the overall aesthetic and for the folks that are living along that street. The City has indicated they do not have any plans in the foreseeable future to extend that sanitary sewer because of the cost. So in discussions that we’ve had, we recommend spending this money because that road is terrible,” Chairwoman Landeen said. 

Motion by Schmidt to approve the agreement, seconded by Otten, motion carried. 

Director of Equalization, Karla Goossen asked the commission to consider a resolution determining the minimum acre requirements for agricultural land classification. 

“Before you this evening is a resolution regarding the South Dakota Codified law 10-6-12 subsection 2 which allows each county to adopt a minimum acre requirement. For background, in 2009, prior to the productivity method coming into plat for valuing of agricultural land being implemented, Lincoln County Commission changed the minimum acre requirements from 20 acres to 40 acres. Due to some confusion during this past years appeals, I am respectfully requesting that the ordinance be updated to reaffirm and refresh the practice already in place in Lincoln County,” she said. 

Goossen reported that 130 to 150 parcels could be effected with the change. Chairwoman Landeen asked for public comment. Jerry Miller stood to give his opinion. 

“We live in town, but also own some land outside of town. I would like clarification, there is a $2,500 minimum requirement of agricultural income and my understanding was you had to meet or the acre requirement and the reason I bring that up is we have less than eight acres. But we do meet the $2,500 requirement, but it is agricultural land, and I want to make sure that our land won’t be impacted by that. We have no building eligibility,” he said. 

Chairwoman Landeen responded with that is her understanding and thanked Miller for coming. Many voices stood behind Miller asking to lower the minimum to 20 acres. Commissioner Arends moved to approve at 20 acres, seconded by Doug Putnam, Chairwoman Landeen asked Goossen if she had a recommendation one way or another. 

“No, I am unbiased with the decision, I will just adhere to whatever you decide to do with the resolution, but I do think it’s noteworthy on noting there will be a tax shift. When you take a bucket of non-agricultural valuation and you shift it over into the agricultural valuation side, a lot of valuation is lost. So in this case, I’ve done those statistics, and this is just on the land portion alone, its about a $54 million shift from the non-agricultural side going away and then a small portion because agricultural land is valued at a lesser value, so there would be a value placed on the agricultural land but we’re talking about $500,000 in taxes that would be shifted from the non-agricultural property owners. If you divide that by the number of parcels that are affected, you’re looking at an increase for each tax payer between $17 and 22 a year,” she said. 

Motion failed 2-3 with Otten, Schmidt, and Landeen voting no. Landeen asked for an alternate motion and Otten made a motion to keep it at 40 acres, seconded by Schmidt, motion carried 3-2 with Arends and Putnam voting no. 

The commission was asked to consider a motion to permanently move the third regular Board of Commissioners Meeting of each month to 6:30 p.m. “I have been the proponent of this for almost five years before I came on the board. I’m looking at what has happened in the past and the very first one was full, and from then on I have been very disappointed in the turnout for the night meetings. Since this came on the agenda I have had people call me and text me saying they don’t want to travel at night during the winter,” Commissioner Otten said.

 Weather conditions, keeping staff after hours, conflicting meetings, and sidewalk conditions are other reasons commission members cited as potential issues that will arise over the winter months. Chairwoman Landeen opened the floor for public comment. 

Alan Reinhold expressed his concerns, “I would like to comment that there are so many people who have a very hard time making it to the meeting during the day, those people do need to have a right to come here and make it to an evening meeting. Sometimes, even if there aren’t many people that show up, an issue can be ultra important and it makes a huge difference to a lot of people in the county because a person knows they have a right to show up at this evening meeting,” he said. 

Eleven residents echoed they would like the evening meeting to continue stating basketball games, concerts, and other social events happen in the winter and if weather is a problem, a meeting can be cancelled. A motion to continue the evening meetings for another six months was made by Otten, seconded by Putnam, motion carried unanimously.