OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Aberdeen City Council Meeting - February 17, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, February 17, 2026
BodyAberdeen, South Dakota
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, February 17, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:16:43

Transcript — Verbatim
2:46

Got a motion from Councilman Liebe and a second from Councilman Nordstrup.

2:50

Anything from the council before we take a vote.

2:54

All in favor, please say I.

2:58

Motion carries as well.

3:00

No one is opted to speak at our open forum, so we'll do our consent calendar next.

3:05

We've got seven items of routine city business.

3:09

I would take a motion to approve our consent calendar here as published.

3:14

Second.

3:33

Sounds good, then all in favor, please say I.

5:00

So she is a whiz on the back end, so she did a great job.

5:02

On these pages, you will find that you can find all of our licensed daycares in Aberdeen on a listed daycare provider list.

5:10

You can also get the information on what you would need to start or grow your daycare business, and then who you would need to contact with the city to start that.

5:21

And then another thing that we did is we updated the packets, and you'll see that here shortly.

5:26

But on those packets, there are internal and external checklists.

5:30

So we make sure that when someone is interested in starting a daycare, they know exactly what they have to do from start to finish to make sure that they get licensed efficiently, effectively, and very smooth.

5:41

So which departments, which forms, which order, all the way from finance to community development to a fire inspection, you name it.

5:49

They know what they need to do.

5:50

There's a checkbox, it's awesome.

5:53

You can also do all of the forms for starting your applications online.

5:57

Um Steven did a great job of doing fillable forms.

6:01

So if you click on the licensed helper, as you can see, it will take you over to the form, and then on that form, they can actually fill it in.

6:10

And if they feel comfortable enough emailing it, they can.

6:13

We have taken out that personal information step as well, so that way if they do email it, it doesn't have like social security or anything like that on it.

6:21

But if they want to just fill it out and then simply bring it in, they can do that as well.

6:25

But now that they can do that from the ease of our online platform, which is awesome.

6:30

Do you have anything you want to add about those forms?

6:32

Yeah.

6:34

So the forms are the packets have been enhanced to include, like Amber said, the checklist, there's an instruction page, application, community development, administrative exception form, master list, all those things are there.

6:46

It's a villable PDF, and then also it can be navigated by uh bookmark if you kind of look on the side there.

6:52

Um just note that there are there are three different types of applications is a family and a home and a helper uh application.

7:00

So the differences between those is no more than six children for the family and the home daycare is no more than 12 children, and helpers are the ones that are going to be helping the providers, and they also have to be licensed as well.

7:14

Um one more thing that we do want to send out to the providers is just it's just a notice about what has changed on the ordinance, and then they're gonna be receiving new renewal dates.

7:25

So we changed those for them as well so that they can be renewed uh February and March and at an early time for what is it, their September and August renewal?

7:37

Is that right?

7:38

September and August.

7:39

September and August.

7:40

Um but that also will highlight the ordinances for them, and it'll have a link to the QR code and resources where they can get the state connected newsletter and the daycare website.

7:53

So uh some of the other information that you can find on these pages.

7:57

So, as I said before, licensed daycare providers.

8:00

So everyone who agreed to having their information online.

8:04

We Emily and myself actually did personal phone calls, and then Emily actually built an amazing online resource that they could sign up just by getting an email.

8:16

It's also on our website.

8:17

Yep, it's available on our website currently.

8:19

So if there's additional daycares that you sign up, they can sign up.

8:23

And the benefit for them to have this is it shows their name, has their phone number if they have a social media page or a website, so that way someone who is looking for an in-home daycare can go ahead and research and/or reach out.

8:35

So it's almost like a personal listing of what we have available for in-home daycares for the community, which is great.

8:43

We did add the license helper section.

8:45

Um, as Steven mentioned, the applications online talks a little bit more about the requirements for license helper, and we are still working with community members and again trying to uh pump up this program for our in-home providers.

8:58

So there'll be more details on that in the future, and we'll let you guys know some partnerships and things we're working on, but the applications right online.

9:06

One of the other amazing things that we did, and all three of our departments worked very uh cohesively with the fire department, and part of the ordinance update was to make sure that CPR and first aid certifications were offered with the renewal.

9:20

And also the CPR and first aid classes are in conjunction with the biannual renewal.

9:26

So you're getting free CPR and first aid classes when you're a licensed provider, and all you have to do is click on the register here link.

9:34

It takes you right to a specific page that the fire department has that signs them up for this specific class.

9:42

So they have an option twice a year to get their uh CPR and first aid renewal with their daycare renewal.

9:50

So that's awesome.

9:51

And Lance is uh heading up that program, and we're really excited to offer that.

10:00

And I think it will also um help with not having the laps in the CPR and first aid with our licensed help, our licensed daycares.

10:05

And then the last thing we have, which is really exciting, and Emily helped me with this.

10:10

Uh we created a stay connected daycare resource hub.

10:14

So quarterly, we will be sending them out information.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████████████████26%
Water And Wastewater Management███████████████████19%
Procedural███████████████15%
Community Engagement███████████████15%
Parks and Recreation█████████9%
Public Safety████4%
Budget Equity Analysis████4%
Youth Programs██2%
Environmental Protection██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Aberdeen City Council Meeting - February 17, 2026

The Aberdeen City Council met on February 17, 2026, to approve routine business and multiple first-reading ordinances, including those allowing artificial turf in commercial landscaping, deregulating private ambulance services, and authorizing sewer system financing. The council also voted on contracts, purchases, and property tax abatements, and received a report on city website improvements for daycare providers. Public forum had no speakers.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved seven items of routine city business.

Discussion Items

  • Daycare Resource Website Improvements: Amber, Steven, and Emily from Community Development presented enhanced online resources for in-home daycare providers, including a licensed provider list, updated application packets with checklists, online fillable forms, free CPR/first aid classes via the fire department, and a quarterly "Stay Connected" newsletter. Council members praised the cross-departmental teamwork.
  • First Reading of Ordinance 260201 – Artificial Turf in Commercial Landscaping: City Attorney Ron Wolk introduced an amendment permitting artificial turf in non-residential districts, limited to 10% of required landscaped area, with quality and permeability standards. City Forester Aaron Keys expressed conditional support, noting it helps in difficult planting areas but preferring live plants. Council discussed landscaping goals (stormwater, heat reduction) and the trigger for the landscaping ordinance. The ordinance allows property owners to appeal to the Forestry Committee.
  • Resolution for 475-Acre Grass Lease at Airport: Staff recommended high bidders for five-year grass leases on airport land, with a provision to go to next bidder if a high bidder defaults. The council approved the resolution of intent, with public hearing set for March 16.
  • First Reading of Ordinance 260211 – Private Ambulance Services: Deregulation to eliminate duplicative city licensing for ambulance drivers already licensed by the state, while maintaining 911 emergency response exclusivity for Aberdeen Fire Rescue. The local private ambulance service supported the change.
  • First Reading of Ordinance for Sewer System Improvements – Clean Water SRF Revenue Bond: Finance Director Jordan McQuillen explained the Clean Water Five loan ($1.5M ARPA remaining, $30M from Clean Water Four) at 3.75% for 30 years to fund ongoing sewer plant improvements. Users will see costs baked into rates, not itemized.
  • First Reading of Ordinance Establishing Sewer Surcharge: $16.05 per user per month, effective December 1, 2027, to fund the SRF bond debt service. Costs are included in overall rate study.
  • Property Tax Abatements: Compiled by Brown County for clerical errors; one council member stated intent to abstain but roll call showed all ayes.
  • Pay Request #8 for Water Resource Recovery Facility Improvements: $1,908,000 to PKG Contracting; project is 28% complete, with concrete pours and pretreatment area work ongoing.
  • Purchase of 2026 Silverado Pickup: Replacing a 2009 half-ton truck with a three-quarter ton 4x4 to mount a snowplow. No local suppliers could provide the vehicle, so purchased from Lamb Chevrolet (Oneida) via Sourcewell contract.
  • Purchase of Horton Ambulance: $301,644 from Premier Specialty Vehicles (Fergus Falls) through Savik buying group; 950-day build time; replaces a 2018 Ford with approximately 100,000 miles.
  • Bid Award for Water Treatment Plant Pipe Gallery Decking Project: To install a floor under the filter gallery in preparation for valve replacement; bid met estimate.
  • Park Naming and Donation: Parks and Rec Board recommended naming a new park "Good News Park" (from church land purchase) and accepting a doll collection donation (over $400,000) for Storybook Land, with naming rights for the donor's wife.
  • Multiple Airport Pay Requests: Includes $4,176 for FAA compliance report; $724 for terminal expansion engineering; $905 for preconditioned air unit (VALE program); $5,622 for snow removal equipment building expansion.
  • Approval of Bills: City bills for February 17, 2026; note that the agenda mistakenly dated 2027.

City Manager's Report

  • Library Director Hire: Kara Perion, a 27-year library veteran, was hired as the new library director. The library board approved; council congratulated.
  • Washington D.C. Trip: City Manager Dave B. reported on the successful rural water conference trip. The recent $20 million congressional directed spending will go to the Ipswich arm of the water project; Aberdeen’s connection is the next funding priority. A written agreement is being prepared.
  • Employee Recognitions: Alex Kahn (20 years Public Works), Marie DeGroat (15 years Executive Assistant), John Weaver (25 years Animal Control). Weaver helped establish the animal review board for due process.

Key Outcomes

All votes were conducted by roll call with the following results:

  • Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously (all ayes).
  • Ordinance 260201 (Artificial Turf) – First Reading: Approved 9-0.
  • Grass Lease Resolution: Approved 9-0.
  • Ordinance 260211 (Ambulance Services) – First Reading: Approved 9-0.
  • Ordinance for Sewer Bond – First Reading: Approved 9-0.
  • Ordinance for Sewer Surcharge – First Reading: Approved 9-0.
  • Property Tax Abatements: Approved 9-0 (one council member had noted intent to abstain but voted aye).
  • WRF Pay Request #8: Approved 8-1 (Councilman Econger abstained).
  • Pickup Truck Purchase: Approved 9-0.
  • Ambulance Purchase: Approved 9-0.
  • Water Plant Decking Bid: Approved 9-0.
  • Park Naming and Donation: Approved (motion and second, roll call not detailed but assumed unanimous).
  • Airport Pay Requests (first group): Approved 9-0.
  • Airport Pay Requests (second group): Approved 9-0.
  • Bills: Approved with two abstentions (Councilman Nelson abstained on PKG item; Councilman Ward abstained).

Meeting Transcript

Got a motion from Councilman Liebe and a second from Councilman Nordstrup. Anything from the council before we take a vote. All in favor, please say I. Motion carries as well. No one is opted to speak at our open forum, so we'll do our consent calendar next. We've got seven items of routine city business. I would take a motion to approve our consent calendar here as published. Second. Sounds good, then all in favor, please say I. So she is a whiz on the back end, so she did a great job. On these pages, you will find that you can find all of our licensed daycares in Aberdeen on a listed daycare provider list. You can also get the information on what you would need to start or grow your daycare business, and then who you would need to contact with the city to start that. And then another thing that we did is we updated the packets, and you'll see that here shortly. But on those packets, there are internal and external checklists. So we make sure that when someone is interested in starting a daycare, they know exactly what they have to do from start to finish to make sure that they get licensed efficiently, effectively, and very smooth. So which departments, which forms, which order, all the way from finance to community development to a fire inspection, you name it. They know what they need to do. There's a checkbox, it's awesome. You can also do all of the forms for starting your applications online. Um Steven did a great job of doing fillable forms. So if you click on the licensed helper, as you can see, it will take you over to the form, and then on that form, they can actually fill it in. And if they feel comfortable enough emailing it, they can. We have taken out that personal information step as well, so that way if they do email it, it doesn't have like social security or anything like that on it. But if they want to just fill it out and then simply bring it in, they can do that as well. But now that they can do that from the ease of our online platform, which is awesome. Do you have anything you want to add about those forms? Yeah. So the forms are the packets have been enhanced to include, like Amber said, the checklist, there's an instruction page, application, community development, administrative exception form, master list, all those things are there. It's a villable PDF, and then also it can be navigated by uh bookmark if you kind of look on the side there. Um just note that there are there are three different types of applications is a family and a home and a helper uh application. So the differences between those is no more than six children for the family and the home daycare is no more than 12 children, and helpers are the ones that are going to be helping the providers, and they also have to be licensed as well. Um one more thing that we do want to send out to the providers is just it's just a notice about what has changed on the ordinance, and then they're gonna be receiving new renewal dates. So we changed those for them as well so that they can be renewed uh February and March and at an early time for what is it, their September and August renewal? Is that right? September and August. September and August. Um but that also will highlight the ordinances for them, and it'll have a link to the QR code and resources where they can get the state connected newsletter and the daycare website. So uh some of the other information that you can find on these pages. So, as I said before, licensed daycare providers. So everyone who agreed to having their information online. We Emily and myself actually did personal phone calls, and then Emily actually built an amazing online resource that they could sign up just by getting an email. It's also on our website. Yep, it's available on our website currently. So if there's additional daycares that you sign up, they can sign up. And the benefit for them to have this is it shows their name, has their phone number if they have a social media page or a website, so that way someone who is looking for an in-home daycare can go ahead and research and/or reach out. So it's almost like a personal listing of what we have available for in-home daycares for the community, which is great. We did add the license helper section. Um, as Steven mentioned, the applications online talks a little bit more about the requirements for license helper, and we are still working with community members and again trying to uh pump up this program for our in-home providers. So there'll be more details on that in the future, and we'll let you guys know some partnerships and things we're working on, but the applications right online. One of the other amazing things that we did, and all three of our departments worked very uh cohesively with the fire department, and part of the ordinance update was to make sure that CPR and first aid certifications were offered with the renewal.

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