OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Aberdeen City Council Meeting – March 23, 2026

City Council — Monday, March 23, 2026
BodyAberdeen, South Dakota
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, March 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 36:54

Transcript — Verbatim
4:09

This meeting of the Aberdeen City Council on Monday, March twenty third.

4:13

Mayor Solomon is unable to attend, and so it's my pleasure to conduct tonight's meeting.

4:20

Let's begin with the roll call, please, for attendance.

4:23

Please respond by stating present.

4:25

Council Member Ronin.

4:31

Present Ward Present.

4:35

Present Normstrom.

4:37

Present.

4:40

Please stand and join with me in the Pledge Allegiance.

5:04

Thank you for that.

5:05

Our first order of business this evening is to approve the agenda.

5:09

Please note one minor modification to item 7A reflecting a corrected address.

5:14

I'll take a motion.

5:16

Move as amended.

5:18

Second.

5:19

Move by Nilsen, second by Ward.

5:22

All in favor, please indicate.

5:24

Aye.

5:25

Aye.

5:25

All right.

5:26

Any opposed.

5:28

Thank you.

5:29

And next we'll approve minutes.

5:32

This is from our last meeting on Monday, March 16th, one week ago.

5:36

I'll take a motion.

5:37

Move to approve.

5:40

Okay.

5:41

Okay, that's uh motion from Liebelt and second from E from Novstrip.

5:46

Thank you.

5:47

Uh all in favor, please indicate.

5:49

Aye.

5:50

Aye.

5:50

Any opposed.

5:53

Great.

5:53

Thank you.

5:54

I don't believe we have anyone signed in for open forum.

5:58

And so let's consider our consent calendar on that.

6:02

We have five items.

6:04

Um reports from four city boards.

6:08

We have an event permit for one of the most popular Aberdeen events of the year, the Shrine Circus, April 1 through 4.

6:16

We have a lottery notice for the Stretoma Club and three contractor licenses.

6:22

I'll take a motion to approve the consent calendar for this evening.

6:26

Second.

6:27

We have a motion from Econger and a second from Nielsen.

6:29

All in favor, please indicate.

6:31

Aye.

6:33

Any opposed.

6:35

Fantastic.

6:36

Thank you.

6:37

Let's consider old business.

6:39

That's uh very short because we have absolutely none, no items on old business, but we do have five of new.

6:46

And the first is possible abatement of property taxes for properties within city limits.

6:54

There are three uh different items here being considered.

6:59

And uh Jordan, would you please lead in a short discussion of those?

7:03

Yes, thank you, Deputy Mayor.

7:05

What you'll see within this proposal are three abatement requests for parcels located in the city of Aberdeen.

7:11

Two of them are residential addresses that are uh assessment freezes related to submissions that the residents have made to the director of equalization.

7:21

They may or may not have been missed, um, but in any case, they're asking for us to abate those.

7:25

The third um address, the one that was mistakenly listed on the uh council action request.

7:32

Um, it is not for what was listed as 317 North Second Street, it's actually for the land that is uh Mitchell Park in the happy north subdivision up north of Holgate.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management███████████████████19%
Procedural████████████████16%
Public Engagement███████████████15%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████14%
Personnel Matters█████████9%
Economic Development██████6%
Affordable Housing██████6%
Public Safety██████6%
Veteran Recognition█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Aberdeen City Council Meeting – March 23, 2026

Deputy Mayor Johnson presided over the March 23, 2026, meeting of the Aberdeen City Council, with Mayor Solomon absent. The council approved the agenda with a minor correction, approved the March 16 minutes, and handled a consent calendar of five items. New business included property tax abatements, a PEG fund MOU with the school district, two rezoning ordinances, and a comprehensive sign code update. The city manager reported on personnel recognitions, a retirement, a joint work session, and a water treatment plant turbidity event. The meeting concluded with an executive session for legal consultation.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved reports from four city boards.
  • Approved an event permit for the Shrine Circus (April 1–4).
  • Approved a lottery notice for the Stretoma Club.
  • Approved three contractor licenses.

Discussion Items

  • Property Tax Abatements (Item A): Staff presented three abatement requests: two residential assessment freezes and one correction for Mitchell Park (parkland) with a valuation of $1,084.29, not $7,521 as originally listed. Staff recommended approval. The council approved unanimously via roll call.
  • PEG Fund MOU with Aberdeen School District (Item B): City Manager Dave McNeil explained the proposed MOU allocates half of the city's cable franchise PEG fee revenues to the school district for capital expenditures, totaling $188,626.52. The city will retain the other half for collaborative content programming. The council approved unanimously.
  • Rezone from A1 to A2 (Ordinance 260301, Item C): A one-acre parcel at 903 25th Avenue Northeast, a holdover from agricultural zoning, will be rezoned to medium-density residential for a single-family home. Staff recommended approval. The council approved unanimously.
  • Rezone from R2 to M (Ordinance 260302, Item D): The property at 1400 South Third Street (Simmons School Subdivision) was rezoned from medium-density residential to municipal use to accommodate a public educational institution. Staff recommended approval. The council approved unanimously.
  • Sign Regulations Amendment (Ordinance 260305, Item E): Community Development Director Ken presented a comprehensive update to Chapter 60 of the city code. Changes include allowances for off-premise signage in agricultural districts, clarified institutional signage definitions, larger signs for schools/hospitals, construction site and subdivision signs, extended portable sign durations, non-rigid materials, new neighborhood identification signs, and rummage sale signs on private property. The Planning Commission recommended approval on March 17. Councilmember Ronane voted no, citing concerns. The motion passed 7–1, with a second reading pending.
  • Claims and Payroll (Item 8): Approved with two abstentions: Councilmember Foberg abstained from the payment to Parent Connection, and Councilmember Nielsen abstained from the payment to Banner Associates.
  • City Manager Report: Recognitions included Officer Patrick Ott (Exchange Club Officer of the Year), Paula Nelson (30 years of service), and Firefighter Carter Deal (Firefighter of the Year). Stu Nelson is retiring; a retirement party is set for April 22 (2–4 p.m. at KO Lee Library). A joint work session with the Parks and Rec Board is tentatively scheduled for April 13. Webb Water will hold a ribbon cutting for its treatment plant expansion on April 8. Water Treatment Plant Director Jim Ackerman addressed a February turbidity spike (reached 0.27, exceeding the 0.10 notification threshold), caused by a failed booster pump and chemical feed line. He noted no health effects and that an external expert, Dr. Delvin De Boer, will evaluate the plant in early April to prevent recurrence. Councilmember Carl Perry also recognized Kevin Fiedler (Book of Golden Deeds), Sanders Soenvac (commercial Proudly We Hill Award), and the Colts (individual Proudly We Hill Award).

Key Outcomes

  • Approved three property tax abatements (unanimous).
  • Approved the PEG fund MOU with the school district (unanimous).
  • Approved Ordinance 260301 (unanimous).
  • Approved Ordinance 260302 (unanimous).
  • Approved Ordinance 260305 on first reading (7–1, with Councilmember Ronane dissenting); second reading scheduled for the next meeting.
  • Approved claims and payroll with two abstentions.
  • The council moved into executive session to consult with legal counsel.

Meeting Transcript

This meeting of the Aberdeen City Council on Monday, March twenty third. Mayor Solomon is unable to attend, and so it's my pleasure to conduct tonight's meeting. Let's begin with the roll call, please, for attendance. Please respond by stating present. Council Member Ronin. Present Ward Present. Present Normstrom. Present. Please stand and join with me in the Pledge Allegiance. Thank you for that. Our first order of business this evening is to approve the agenda. Please note one minor modification to item 7A reflecting a corrected address. I'll take a motion. Move as amended. Second. Move by Nilsen, second by Ward. All in favor, please indicate. Aye. Aye. All right. Any opposed. Thank you. And next we'll approve minutes. This is from our last meeting on Monday, March 16th, one week ago. I'll take a motion. Move to approve. Okay. Okay, that's uh motion from Liebelt and second from E from Novstrip. Thank you. Uh all in favor, please indicate. Aye. Aye. Any opposed. Great. Thank you. I don't believe we have anyone signed in for open forum. And so let's consider our consent calendar on that. We have five items. Um reports from four city boards. We have an event permit for one of the most popular Aberdeen events of the year, the Shrine Circus, April 1 through 4. We have a lottery notice for the Stretoma Club and three contractor licenses. I'll take a motion to approve the consent calendar for this evening. Second. We have a motion from Econger and a second from Nielsen. All in favor, please indicate. Aye. Any opposed. Fantastic. Thank you. Let's consider old business.

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