MITCHELL, S.D. (MITCHELLNOW) The Davison County Commission met in regular session on Tuesday September 10, 2024. The meeting took place at the Davison County Fairgrounds in order to accommodate the multitudes who wished to be heard on the issue of consolidating the offices of the Treasurer and Auditor into one Finance Office.
The Commission accepted the low bid of $818,480.50 for bridge repair on 399th between 258th and 259th from Slayton Construction. The Commission also accepted the low bid of Timmons Construction of Brookings of $1,163,582.45 for turn lanes. In addition, the Commission adopted a new payroll system that should bring more efficiency, some savings and more tech support to the county.
After about an hour and a half of public testimony, often times emotional and angry, the Commission closed the public hearing on whether or not to combine the offices of Treasurer and Auditor into one Finance Officer. The testimony was roughly 60% against making the change and 40%, at least willing to give the combination a try. A single finance officer has been working successfully in Brookings and Hughes counties for some time now. Stephanie Ellwein, now the City Administrator for the City of Mitchell, gave informational testimony on her experiences working for Brookings County under a single Finance Officer. Ms. Ellwein made clear she was neither for nor against the proposal but simply had been asked to relate her experiences working in a county with a combined Treasurer and Auditor position.
The Commission voted 4 to 1 to accept the proposal. Only Commission Chris Nebelsick voted against combining the two offices.