Meade County, South Dakota - Commission

Jerry Derr, Commission Assistant/HR Director

1300 Sherman Street, Suite 212
Sturgis, SD 57785
605.720.1625
Fax: 605.720.1633
jderr@meadecounty.org
Office Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday - Friday *excluding holidays

The commission's regular meetings are convened monthly on the first consecutive Tuesday and Wednesday, in the Commission Meeting Room, 2nd floor, Erskine Office Building, 1300 Sherman Street, Sturgis, SD. 

Meeting Times: 

2nd and 4th Wednesday of the month @ 8:30 AM 

• Agendas/Minutes and detailed supporting documentation can be accessed at: BoardDocs

SDCL 7-8-20: General powers of county commissioners. In addition to others specified by law, the Board of County Commissioners shall have power:

(1) To institute and prosecute civil actions in the name of the county, for and on behalf of the county;

(2) To make orders respecting the care and preservation of all property belonging to the county and to sell any real property of the county when authorized by law so to do;

(3) To levy a tax not exceeding the amount authorized by law, and to liquidate indebtedness;

(4) To audit the accounts of all officers having the care, management, collection or disbursement of any money belonging to the county or appropriated for its benefit;

(5) To construct and repair bridges; to open, lay out, vacate, and change highways; to purchase or acquire grounds for courthouse, jail, or other building sites, locate or relocate the courthouse on such sites; to establish election precincts in its county and appoint the judges of election; and, as a board of equalization, to equalize the assessment roll of its county in the manner provided by law;

(6) To furnish necessary blank books, blanks, and stationery for the county auditor, register of deeds, county treasurer, state's attorney, sheriff, and other elected or appointed county officers, to be paid out of the county treasury; also a fireproof safe or vaults, when in its judgment the same shall be advisable, in which to keep all the books, records, vouchers, and papers pertaining to the business of the board;

(7) To superintend the fiscal concerns of the county and secure their management in the best possible manner;

(8) To regulate the transaction of business in alcoholic beverages and the use and consumption of alcoholic beverages, to establish the number of on-sale licenses which may be issued, to provide for reasonable classification of on-sale licenses and fix the fees to be charged for the licenses consistent with the provisions of Title 35;

(9) To make ordinances prohibiting the sale or exhibition of any obscene matter; however, no county resolution shall be effective in any incorporated area within said county;

(10) To do and perform such other duties and acts as it is or may hereafter be required to do and perform;

(11) To provide additional compensation to the county treasurer, county auditor, county register of deeds, state's attorney, and sheriff. This compensation shall be in addition to the salaries prescribed in §§ 7-7-9.1, 7-7-12, and 7-12-15;

(12) To provide office space, in addition to that provided in the county courthouse, for state's attorneys, appointed officials of the county and other employees;

(13) To receive and administer grants, loans and assistance and to enter into agreements for cooperative action, with or on behalf of any public agency or nonprofit organization, to establish, promote and support community development;

(14) To enact ordinances to regulate and prevent the placing of ashes, dirt, garbage or any offensive matter in any highway or public ground or in any body or stream of water within the county, but outside of an incorporated municipality or outside of the one mile limits of any incorporated municipality;

(15) To enact ordinances to regulate and compel the cleansing, abatement or removal of any sewer, cesspool or any unwholesome or nauseous thing or place;

(16) To license and regulate transient merchants, hawkers, solicitors, peddlers, itinerant vendors, and every person retailing tangible personal property or services, unless such business is carried on exclusively within the boundaries of a municipality or is carried on through home solicitation or from a fixed permanent location and place of business in this state where such goods and services are offered on a continuing basis;

(17) To enact by ordinance, for any portion of the county which is zoned, certain building codes pursuant to § 11-10-5;

(18) To prohibit or restrict open burning, after consultation with local fire officials and law enforcement officials, in order to protect the public health and safety.

2014 Committees

4-H Board (TBD)

• Commissioner Heidgerken
• Commission Bertolotto - Alternate
• Vonnie Akerman
• Carol Oedekoven - (term ends 12/31/13)
• Lance Frei
• Connie McPherson - (term ends 12/31/12)
• VACANT

Black Hills Council of Local Governments 

• Commissioner Niederwerder
• Commissioner Rausch - Alternate

Campground Committee

• Commissioner Bertolotto
• Commissioner Rausch
• Ron Merwin
• Rhea Crane
• Jerry Derr

Commission Liaison Board

• Alan Aker (Building/Maintenance)
• Bob Heidgerken (Highway | Weed & Pest)
• Alan Aker (Director of Equalization)
• Galen Niederwerder (Sheriff)
• Jerry Derr (Equal Opportunity Employment)
• Robert Heidgerken (Extension Office | Register of Deeds | Treasurer)
• Linda Rausch (Auditor | Commission Assistant | Coroner | Human Resources | State's Attorney | Veteran's Services)

Community Action

• Connie Burditt
• Curtis Nupen

Elk Creek Conservation

• Commissioner Niederwerder

Faith Stock Show

• Commissioner Niederwerder
• Arlie Hulm - President

Grant Committee

• Lisa Schieffer
• Jerry Derr
• Angella Sutton
• Nathan Jagim

Joint Fire/Ambulance Hazmat/Communications Committee

• Commissioner Bertolotto
• Commissioner Heidgerken
• Chief Jim Bush
• Angella Sutton

Juvenile Detention Center

• Commissioner Aker
• Ron Merwin

Meade County Fair Board

• Commissioner Heidgerken
• Matt Trask - President
• Ron Adams - Vice President
• Jim Neill - Treasurer
• Vonda Andersen - Secretary
• Pat Casteel
• Ryan Casteel
• Hope Dennis
• Deb Harwood
• William Houston
• Kelly Keffeler
• Tammy Keffeler
• Jacque Lamphere
• Shilo LaMont
• Misty Reedy
• Mark Yates
• Kathy Yates

Meade County Housing & Redevelopment

• Brett Lynass - Chairman (term ends 12/31/14)
• Bob Powles
• Dick Rajewich - (term ends 12/31/16)
• Barry Furze - (term ends 12/31/15)
• Linda Lensegrav - (term ends 12/31/16)

Meade County Technical Transportation Committee 

• Commissioner Aker
• Commissioner Rausch
• Ron Merwin
• Ken McGirr
• Kirk Chaffee
• Bill Rich

Mental Illness

• Dan Meyer - (term ends 12/31/14)
• Chuck Valades - (term ends 12/31/14)
• John Hughes - Alternate (term ends 12/31/14)
• Pamela Kennedy - Alternate (term ends 12/31/14)

Metropolitan Planning Committee Executive

• Commissioner Rausch
• Robert Heidgerken

MPO Citizens Advisory Committee

MPO Technical Coordinating Committee

• Ron Merwin
• Ken McGirr
• Kirk Chaffee
• Bill Rich

Natural Resource Advisory Committee

• Commissioner Heidgerken
• Commissioner Aker
• Ray Dvorak
• Alan Olson
• Rick Duprey

Planning Board

• Commissioner Heidgerken
• Commissioner Bertolotto - Alternate
• San Monahan - (term ends 12/31/14)
• Leota Quam - (term ends 12/31/14)
• Talbot Wieczorek - (term ends 12/31/15)
• Robert Mallow - (term ends 12/31/15)
• Bill McCarty - (term ends 12/31/16)

Resource & Conservation Development RC&D

• Commissioner Heidgerken
• Commissioner Niederwerder - Alternate

Sick Leave Bank Committee

• Commissioner Rausch
• Lisa Schieffer
• Jerry Derr

Sturgis Chamber of Commerce

Sturgis Economic Development Corporation

• Commissioner Aker
• Commissioner Bertolotto - Alternate
• Kirk Chaffee

Tri County Conservation

• Commissioner Niederwerder

Weed and Pest Board

• Commissioner Heidgerken - (TBD)
• Kenneth Lee - (term ends 12/31/13)
• Terry Hotchkiss - (term ends 12/31/14)
• Dave Fischbach - (term ends 12/31/14)
• Jim Schroeder - (TBD)