OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Brookings City Council Meeting Summary - December 16, 2025

Meeting PortalTuesday, December 16, 2025
BodyBrookings, South Dakota
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, December 16, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim
0:43

I call this meeting to order.

0:46

Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:07

Thank all of you for attending this evening.

1:10

City Clerk, please take the attendance.

1:12

All council members are present, Mr.

1:14

Mayor.

1:14

Thank you.

1:15

Entertain a motion to approve the agenda.

1:17

So moved.

1:18

Second.

1:19

Are they any comments on the agenda from the public?

1:24

Comments?

1:25

Agenda, Council.

1:27

Please call the roll.

1:29

Doran.

1:30

Aye.

1:31

Hager.

1:31

Aye.

1:32

Meyer.

1:33

Aye.

1:33

Specker.

1:34

Aye.

1:34

Tilton Byrne.

1:35

Hi.

1:35

Wendell.

1:36

Aye.

1:36

Avery.

1:37

All right.

1:37

Open form in order to provide equal access to all during the open forum and public comment portions of the meeting.

1:44

Each individual offering comments shall not exceed the allotted three minute period.

1:48

The podium light turns green to yellow where there is one minute remaining.

1:52

Your time of comment has expired when the podium light turns red.

1:55

Is there any member of the public who wishes to address the console on an item not listed on tonight's agenda?

2:05

All right.

2:06

We'll move on.

2:08

Consent agenda.

2:09

Are there any items to be removed from the consent agenda?

2:16

Seeing none, entertain a motion to approve.

2:19

So moved.

2:20

Is there any public comment on anything on the consent agendas?

2:26

Council questions, comments.

2:29

Councilmember Specker.

2:32

I just have a quick question on the items that the library has that they're surplusing.

2:38

If anyone knows what they'll be doing with that.

2:41

We will be listing those items on public surplus.com.

2:45

Okay, thank you.

2:48

Okay.

2:48

Any other questions, comments?

2:51

Please call the roll.

2:52

Hager.

2:53

Aye.

2:53

Neemaier.

2:54

Aye.

2:55

Specker.

2:56

Tiltonburn.

2:57

Hi.

2:57

Wendell?

2:58

Aye.

2:58

Avery?

2:59

Aye.

2:59

Doran.

3:00

Aye.

3:01

All right.

3:02

We have one item under presentations and reports.

3:05

I would invite our fire chief Troy Hughes up with a promoted employee.

3:16

Mr.

3:16

Mayor, members of the council, it does me a great honor to introduce Jared Rungy to you guys.

3:22

He's been an employee here for the fire department, uh, starting out as our office manager, shop manager.

3:29

Uh and since my coming, uh, we're changing up our structure a little bit.

3:32

We're going to try to be a little more uh out there in the community doing kind of like code enforcement, but not necessarily code enforcement as the the word we're looking for.

3:40

How do we keep businesses open?

3:42

How do we keep them safe?

3:43

And so Jared's gonna lead that effort as our fire marshal.

3:46

We're in the process right now of trying to hire an inspector that will go with him and be his assistant and and uh be doing a lot of inspections in the community, but uh really with that intent to say, hey, here's how we can keep your business from burning down and keep you safe.

3:57

We're gonna take kind of a softer approach to it.

3:59

So I'll let Jared talk about his history and congratulations, Jared.

4:04

Uh first I'd like to say thank you.

4:06

Um I'm honored to serve in this role with the city of Brookings as fire marshal.

4:12

Uh I got 14 years of fire experience, 12 with the Brookings Fire Department.

4:17

Uh Brookings means kind of a great deal to me as I live most of my life here.

4:22

Uh met my wife here, and now we're raising our kids.

4:26

So I'm just excited and I appreciate the trust placed in me to be in this role as fire marshal, and I look forward to serving the community.

4:35

Thank you.

4:36

All right, congratulations, Jared.

4:44

All right, item 7A, action on resolution 25-090.

4:50

A resolution rejecting all bids for the Edgebrook Call Course Water Sourcing Project.

4:55

Kristen Zimmerman for our Park Rec and Forestry Director and Paul Kraft from Banner Associates will present to sign them.

5:03

Good evening, Mayor and members of council.

5:06

This resolution 25 25-0.

5:11

Eight zero.

5:13

A resolution rejecting all bids for the Edgebrook Golf Course Water Sourcing Project.

5:18

The bids were open on November 6th with the lowest bids that was significantly higher than the engineers' estimates and the funding currently available for the project.

5:26

Staff is recommending rejection of all bids to allow time for redesign and rebidding with an updated scope and that better aligns with the project budget.

5:36

Because the golf course is operated as an enterprise fund.

5:39

It's treated like a business.

5:41

If the bid amounts exceed the previous allocated 1.2 million dollars, additional funding would need to come from within the golf course itself.

5:53

That would require reductions in deferrals and other planned investments, including clubhouse improvements, tree plantings, cart path construction, and maintenance and maintenance equipment replacement.

6:05

I'll now turn it over to Paul with Banner and Associates to walk you through the bid results, cost drivers and potential options moving forward.

6:16

Good evening, Council.

6:18

So taking kind of a brief overview of the uh the bid results.

6:22

Uh we were estimating a about 1.3 to about 1.4 million dollar project.

6:27

Bids came in at about just under 2.1 uh for everything.

6:30

So there's some significant um increases uh for uh what we anticipated for construction costs.

6:36

Um looking over um the bid tabulations, so for this project, it was uh per bid item, so we also don't have a lump sum uh amount, we actually have quantities of uh prices for everything that's within the uh uh within the bid.

6:48

Uh the two that stood out the most was mobilization and dewatering for this project.

6:52

So mobilization, uh basically everybody to contractor to get his equipment over there, um, overhead, things like that.

6:58

They kind of lump all that stuff in there.

7:00

Um talking with contractors on that.

7:03

The big one is uh with this project, we are trying to minimize as much as possible the amount of disruption on the golf course itself.

7:10

So which dictates, well, we can't do it in the spring, summer, uh fall because it's being in use, so that basically leaves the winter months.

7:17

Uh with that too, there was also a lot of milestones uh with this project that gave the contractors basically a very small window to work in.

7:24

Uh with all that, uh, that's why mobilization we assume uh ended up kind of going up pretty high for for that area is because of all the winter work that's uh necessary to get it done in that short amount of time.

7:33

Uh additionally, for dewatering, there are essentially three ponds over in the Edgebrook golf course.

7:39

Uh they were estimating to do all three ponds plus also doing dewatering uh along the the trench route.

7:45

Uh talking with uh contractors, they were basically estimating there was going to be a lot of dewatering.

7:50

Uh water levels have been a little bit higher here this year with the uh of the rain events and everything through here for uh for that.

7:56

Um that all being said, uh we do have uh the ability to basically reduce the scope significantly of this project instead of re-lying two of the three ponds like we're originally expecting, we could re- uh do just one of the ponds in there and significantly reduce uh what the potential costs were.

8:12

Additionally, um to reduce the uh cost, we can also look at then uh potentially now opening this project up to do in the summer months.

8:19

That would be at the cost of there'd be two holes that we'd have to take down while construction is going on.

8:23

So that is a consideration.

8:24

There would be a disruption to the uh um to the golf course itself for the month or two that they do have to uh install things along the within the pond area um through the golf course.

8:34

Um so kind of moving forward, we have the the option of significantly reducing scope, but it would also be at the cost of having um some issues with the the golf course itself and just trying to figure out um some ways to manage golfers and move them around to different holes, things like that.

8:47

Uh but there are some significant um reductions in costs that can be done by lowering the scope of the project.

8:54

Um with that, um any questions.

8:56

I know I did give you kind of the handout, kind of the summary of everything.

8:59

By all means, if you guys have any questions.

9:02

Okay.

9:03

Um I guess before we move on, uh change entertain a motion to reject the bids.

9:12

So moved.

9:13

Second.

9:14

Move to second.

9:15

Is there any public comment or questions on this item?

9:19

Council have any questions, comments?

9:21

Councilmember Specker.

9:23

Yeah, I I'm assuming that the pipe size will be the same in the new bid that you're gonna be putting together.

9:32

Correct.

9:33

Yes, we'd be looking at trying to use the same um same-size pipe to uh go into that pond.

9:37

So at some later point, if they if the city wanted to, they could make one of those other ponds.

9:44

Like because the pipes will be there, right?

9:46

Correct.

9:47

So if you wanted to get more capacity, you could go reline another pond and then use that area as well for additional volume if needed.

9:54

Thank you.

9:56

Councilmember Dern.

9:58

Thank you, Mayor.

10:00

Um, did you have a projected timeline of when you would want to rebid this or what how much time the redesign could take?

10:06

Uh redesign should be decently quick.

10:08

It would be uh a kind of a matter of talking uh with parks departments and kind of figuring all that logistically, especially if you're gonna disrupt the golf course of then getting that information out there and figuring out kind of what's the best time for everything too.

10:20

So it's it's a complicated question, so I don't have a quite an exact answer for you on that one, but there'd be a lot of discussion about that.

10:27

Sure.

10:27

Well, and I appreciate you listing out the considerations of that timeline too that you have to work through.

10:33

Councilmember Avery.

10:36

I just wanted to make clear that the this is still a priority project and it's still on our list of um of uh projects that we want to complete.

10:45

So it's it's it's a it's a delay, but it's not any we're not going away from it.

10:51

It's still gonna be we're still moving forward.

10:57

All right.

10:57

Any other comments, questions?

10:59

Please call the roll.

11:05

Hi.

11:05

Specker, aye.

11:07

Tilton Byrne, aye.

11:08

Wendell?

11:08

Hi.

11:09

Avery?

11:10

Hi.

11:10

Doran?

11:11

Hi.

11:11

Hager, bye.

11:13

All right.

11:14

On the 7B, action resolution on 25-095.

11:18

A resolution authorizing the City of Brookings to enter into an agreement for edgewood golf course clubhouse management services.

11:25

Kristen Zeruman will present this item also.

11:30

Good evening, Mayor and members of council.

11:33

Um this item resolution 25-095, the proposed 2026 through 2027 Edgebroke Golf Course Clubhouse and Driving Range Management Agreement with Mowen Management.

11:48

The Edgework Golf Course again operates as an enterprise fund, meaning it's treated as a business and expected to operate within the revenues it generates.

11:56

The city retains ownership of the facility and responsible for the course maintenance, utilities, infrastructure, and capital investments, while MOA and management operates the Clubhouse Pro Shop Driving Range Food and Beverage Services as an independent contractor.

12:10

Under the proposed agreement, the city retains all revenues from green fees, memberships, packages, guard rentals, and sponsorships.

12:18

The primary exception is the driving range revenue, which is retained by the management company.

12:23

The structure is intentional.

12:25

Um as the driving range is closely tied to the day-to-day operational management that the manager or management company directly oversees, including staffing, range setup, maintenance, ball retrieval, cleaning and equipment.

12:38

Um they directly influence pricing strategies and customer experience through the driving range.

12:44

Um allowing the management company to retain this revenue creates a direct incentive to actively manage, promote, and improve that amenity, and thus the core clubhouse and course as a whole.

12:57

Um the updated agreement uh moves to a flat fee contract, replacing a prior incentive-based structure, and providing greater budget predict predict but predictability for for the city, and it also clarifies responsibilities and strengthens operational expectations with staffing, customer service, inventory management, and tournament coordination.

13:20

It's always it's also important to note that the management structure is common among municipal courses, particularly those with public amenities rather than a prof that operate as a public amenity rather than profit-driven enterprises.

13:36

Uh many cities use independent contractors to manage clubhouse, pro shop, and food and beverage operations because it allows for specialized expertise and operational flexibility.

13:46

This model also it's uh important to know that it also reduces the city's exposure to operational and employment related liability.

13:55

Um as the contractor assumes re real responsibility for the day-to-day staffing, training, food and beverage service, and related compliance requirements.

14:06

Um, revenues are projected to increase in 2026, expenses are also increasing.

14:12

Um the golf course is expected to continue to operate in a deficit, slight more less of a deficit than in years previous.

14:21

Um staff is recommending approval of the agreement to provide operational stability, clearer accountability, and predictable costs for the 2026 and 2027 seasons.

14:30

I'm happy to answer any questions, and Gary's here if you have any questions too.

14:35

Thank you, Kristen.

14:36

Entertain the motion to approve.

14:38

So moved.

14:39

Second.

14:46

Council have any questions, comments.

14:50

Councilmember Hager?

14:52

I have a comment.

14:53

So as a non-golfer, I learned a lot of the things that Kristen just mentioned in her presentation of this item.

15:00

And I just want to thank her for including some of those things in her presentation because it might be something that a lot of the public isn't aware of as to.

15:09

Like, you know, golf courses often operate at a loss, but of course they are an important recreational opportunity to provide to the city.

15:17

And just the fact that having an agreement like this is pretty common, and the structure of what that looks like, especially with the driving range being something that's under the management contract, is you know also common.

15:29

So thanks again for just getting all that stuff in there.

15:33

Thank you.

15:34

And just a shout out to Gary and his staff.

15:36

They do a great job at the course if you haven't been out there.

15:41

All right.

15:44

Gary, you've done an outstanding job throughout the years that you've been managing it for us.

15:48

And I really appreciate that.

15:49

I know the membership has gone up quite a bit.

15:51

And I do know that our maintenance staff out there is doing a bang up job also.

15:55

Uh hopefully we can get this irrigation thing taken care of and move on.

15:59

Please call the roll.

16:01

Specker.

16:02

Aye.

16:03

Tilton Burne.

16:03

Hi.

16:04

Wendell?

16:04

Hi.

16:05

Avery.

16:05

Hi.

16:06

Doran.

16:06

Hi.

16:07

Hager.

16:07

Aye.

16:08

Meyer.

16:09

Aye.

16:10

Item 7C.

16:11

Action on resolution 25-107.

16:14

A resolution authorizing change order number one for 2025-08 STI asphalt maintenance project.

16:23

Charlie, our city engineer will uh present this item.

16:28

Uh good evening, council.

16:30

As your city engineer, I'm here uh tonight requesting approval of resolution 25-107 for a change order to the 2025-08 STI asphalt maintenance project.

16:42

This project is for the annual resurfacing of streets throughout the community.

16:46

The requested change order is for the additional paving of Main Avenue South, new pavement markings, and additional utility work on Third Avenue.

16:56

The change order totals 194,628 and 94 cents, which equates to approximately a nine percent increase to Bose construct Bose Construction's original contract of 1,954,642 and 15 cent contract.

17:15

The adjusted overall contract amount of 2,149,271 and nine cents is within budget.

17:24

Public works recommends the change order for both construction to be approved.

17:28

Thank you, Charlie.

17:29

Entertain the motion to approve.

17:30

So moved.

17:31

Second.

17:36

Council have questions, comments.

17:38

Councilmember Specker.

17:40

I'm just confused on where this actually is.

17:50

This main avenue south is Maderi.

17:55

So I'm I just can't visualize where I'm sorry, that was an error on that part.

18:03

It's shifted over to actually main avenue south and 12th Street South, off to the east.

18:08

That was the wrong arrow.

18:09

So it's where the new multi-use building was just erected.

18:15

That trail ridge.

18:16

A trail ridge, yeah.

18:17

We did a um signal improvement project there.

18:20

And as part of that, um, well, uh, as the project evolved, we realized that uh resurfacing of the intersection was ideal.

18:28

So we use the asphalt maintenance project to pay that intersection.

18:31

Okay as part of this project.

18:33

Okay, now I know where it is.

18:35

Thanks.

18:37

Any other questions, comments from council?

18:40

Please call the roll.

18:41

Tilton Burne.

18:42

Hi.

18:42

Wendell?

18:43

Hi.

18:44

Avery.

18:44

Aye.

18:45

Doran.

18:45

Hi.

18:46

Hager.

18:46

Aye.

18:47

Hey Meyer.

18:48

Aye.

18:48

Specker.

18:49

Aye.

18:50

All right.

18:51

On to first readings.

18:52

Item 8A.

18:53

Introduction and first reading on ordinance 25-046.

18:57

An ordinance pertaining to a conditional use permit to establish a concrete, asphalt, and rock crushing facility in an industrial I1 light district.

19:08

2016 2547 471st Avenue.

19:13

Mike Strucker Community Development Director will present this item.

19:17

Thank you, Mary.

19:18

Members of the council.

19:19

Uh the ordinance before you tonight is to establish a concrete crushing facility located south of town on the S curves.

19:32

LLC has been operating down there as a contractor shop and storage yard for approximately five years now.

19:39

One component of their business is uh they take waste concrete materials and stockpile them on site, and then typically once a year they'll hire a concrete crushing company to come in, they'll spend anywhere from a week to two weeks on site crushed materials.

19:56

Those materials are then utilized on construction projects as needed.

20:03

They are applying for conditional use to establish the site for concrete crushing.

20:08

They won't actually be doing the crushing themselves, but they stockpile it on site.

20:12

They do meet all the criteria.

20:14

I believe one of the maps that's included in your package shows the distances, probably the next map.

20:23

If you could pull up the next map, that shows the distances to the property line.

20:27

So where they stockpile is kind of uh right there in the center of their site.

20:32

Uh that pile will rotate around that vicinity there because as they come in and crush, um, then the material that's crushed is is piled again.

20:44

Um, and then they'll we'll haul it out.

20:46

Uh there isn't really much difference in the amount of traffic that's generated to and from the site.

20:53

Um it varies depending on the type of projects that they're working on or others in the area might be working on that are hauling in, but if they don't use utilize this material, then they're hauling gravel onto the site, stockpiling it, and then they're taking it out as needed for job sites throughout the the community or in the vicinity.

21:12

So uh this does come to you with a unanimous recommendation from the planning commission uh and the development review team supports the request, and I'd stand for any questions you may have.

21:25

Thank you, Mike.

21:26

Uh, is there any public comment on this item?

21:31

Council have any questions, comments this time?

21:34

Councilmember Hager.

21:36

I have a question more about the conditional use permit requirements for these concrete concrete crashing facilities.

21:44

So it said that there needed to be plans for the site, dust management, traffic, and drainage for stormwater management.

21:52

Maybe I just missed something in the packet, but was the storm water management aspect ever talked about the drainage aspect.

22:01

Uh in this particular case, not really, it's outside city limits.

22:05

Um so if it was inside city limits, uh, and a storm drainage uh plan would be required, you know, for the site, that would be a case, but when it's outside city limits, uh, we don't extend those drainage conditions.

22:22

Okay, perfect.

22:23

Thank you.

22:25

Any other questions, comments from council at this time?

22:28

All right.

22:29

Second reading will be on January 13th, 2026.

22:32

Thank you, Mike.

22:34

All right, second readings and public hearings.

22:37

Second reading in action on ordinance 25-042.

22:41

An ordinance authorizing budget amendment number nine to the 2025 budget.

22:45

Hashtag Rench, our finance director will present this item.

22:49

Good evening, Mayor, members of the council.

22:51

This is the second reading of ordinance 25-042, amendment number nine to the 2025 budget.

22:58

This amendment updates the 2025 budget to reflect new revenues and corresponding expenditures as well as an allocation from the general fund reserves related to a previously approved capital purchase.

23:10

The amendment includes $54,254 in fire insurance premium reversion funding supporting the volunteer firefighter retirement plan, $20,000 from the South Dakota Community Foundation as a pass-through grant to the Brookings Area Chamber of Commerce, and 45,500 from the General Fund Reserves to cover ancillary costs associated with the downtown parking lot acquisition.

23:35

There have been no changes since the first reading, and staff recommends approval as presented.

23:41

That'll stand by for questions.

23:42

Thank you.

23:43

Thank you, Ashley.

23:44

Entertain a motion to approve.

23:45

So moved.

23:46

Second.

23:51

Council questions, comments.

23:56

Please call the roll.

23:58

Aye.

23:58

Avery.

24:02

Neymar.

24:03

Specker.

24:04

Aye.

24:04

Tilton Byrne.

24:05

Aye.

24:06

Item 9B, public hearing in action on resolution 25-098.

24:11

A resolution of intent to lease real property west of the Brookings Regional Airport.

24:16

Lucas Dahl, our airport manager will present this item.

24:19

Good evening, Mayor.

24:20

City Council members.

24:21

Lucas Stone with Berkings Regional Airport.

24:24

Item 9B is a resolution of intent to lease real property to David Burnt for 85 acres of public land for hang west of the Brookings Airport.

24:36

The bid letting was conducted on December 2nd, 2025.

24:39

We received four bids, and David Burns bid was the high bid at 1250 per acre.

24:47

Notice of the hearing was published on December 5th, 2025.

24:51

Approval of the resolution will authorize the city to award the bid and enter into a lease with David Burnt for the City Haleys at a rate of 1250 per acre for 85 acres.

25:04

Resulting in an annual payment of $10,667 and 50 cents.

25:17

With the option for two additional one-year terms.

25:22

If the agree if it's agreed upon by the city and the leasee.

25:27

If the extension is agreed upon by both parties, there will be a 2% increase per acre rate for each additional year.

25:37

City staff and the airport board recommend the approval.

25:40

I stand for any questions.

25:41

All right, thank you.

25:42

Lucas Intertone motion to approve.

25:45

So moved.

25:45

Second.

25:48

Public comment on this item.

25:52

Council have any questions, comments?

25:55

Please call the roll.

25:56

Avery.

25:58

Doran?

25:59

Aye.

25:59

Hager.

26:00

Aye.

26:00

Neymar.

26:01

Aye.

26:01

Specker.

26:02

Aye.

26:02

Tilton Byrne?

26:03

Aye.

26:04

Wendell.

26:04

Aye.

26:05

All right.

26:06

Item 9C.

26:07

Public hearing and action on resolution 25-093.

26:12

A resolution authorizing the city manager to enter in a 10-year on sale wine operating agreement with Commonwealth Gaming and Holdings Company Incorporated.

26:21

DBA Duces Casino.

26:22

Suite 105D.

26:24

Bonnie Foster, our city clerk will present this item.

26:27

Mayor and City Council members, this action is to allow the city manager to enter in to a 10-year on-sale wine operating agreement for Deuces Casino.

26:37

This is limited to suite number D, so 105 D.

26:42

This suite is the only suite at Deuces Casino that did not have an on-sale wine license.

26:48

So there are five suites within that facility.

26:52

Now all five of those, if this is approved, all five of those suites would have an on-sale malt and an on-sale wine license.

27:12

And then subject to annual renewal.

27:15

Staff recommends approval.

27:17

Thank you.

27:18

Thank you, Bonnie.

27:19

Entertain a motion to approve.

27:21

So moved.

27:22

Second.

27:30

Council have any questions, comments on this item.

27:34

Please call the roll.

27:37

Aye.

27:37

Hager.

27:38

Aye.

27:38

Neemmeyer.

27:39

Aye.

27:40

Specker.

27:40

Aye.

27:41

Tiltonburn?

27:42

Aye.

27:42

Wendell?

27:43

Aye.

27:43

Avery.

27:44

Aye.

27:45

Okay.

27:45

Item 9D, public hearing and action on resolution 25-094.

27:50

A resolution to annex block one mills third edition in the northwest quarter of section six Township 110 North, Range 49 West, excluding lots H1 and H-2J.

28:04

In Brookings County, South Dakota.

28:06

Mike Struck will present this item.

28:08

Thank you, Mayor and members of the council.

28:11

The proposed area that this land is to be annexed is near the 20th Street South Interstate ramp area.

28:22

You can see it falls within one of the annexation priority area maps.

28:29

It's an area that uh has been under consideration for annexation for some time.

28:36

Um now they're just the property owner is wishing to pursue it as they're looking at potential additional development opportunities down there near that 20th Street South Interchange.

28:46

Um it's contiguous to existing city limits.

28:49

There's a small portion of it that is considered uh right away and um as the annexations continue to move eastward across the interstate.

29:01

That's when all of that adjacent land that's right away will be taken as extended city limits at that time.

29:09

So the area that we're just looking at tonight is on the previous map that shows the outline in yellow, and it kind of is just to the west of the new ramp.

29:19

So with that, it does come to you with the unanimous recommendation from the planning commission and staff supports the request and we'd stand for any questions you may have.

29:28

Thanks, Mike.

29:29

Entertain a motion to approve.

29:31

So moved.

29:32

Second.

29:33

Okay.

29:34

Um public comment on this item.

29:39

Council any questions, comments?

29:42

Councilmember Specker.

29:43

I just was thinking that you could clarify how zoning happens with annexation.

29:50

So when property is annexed into city limits, it comes with the existing zoning designation and it's classified at as it was in the county, and then um there'll be a future rezoning request coming.

30:00

And then um there'll be a future rezoning request coming.

30:04

I think it's actually going to the January Planning Commission meeting.

30:07

So once it's annexed, then they'll go through the zoning process.

30:10

Okay.

30:11

Thank you for the clarification.

30:14

All right.

30:14

Any other questions, comments?

30:17

Please call the roll.

30:19

Hager.

30:19

Aye.

30:20

Meyer.

30:21

Aye.

30:21

Specker.

30:22

Aye.

30:22

Tilton Byrne.

30:23

Aye.

30:23

Glendale?

30:24

Aye.

30:24

Avery?

30:25

Doran.

30:26

Aye.

30:26

All right.

30:27

Item 10 A action and resolution on 25-097.

30:32

A resolution authorizing the extension of an agreement to transfer real property to the Brookings Economic Development Corporation for economic development purchases.

30:41

Vince Jones, our city attorney, will present this item.

30:47

Thank you very much.

30:48

Mr.

30:48

Mayor, members of the council, Vince Jones, City Attorney.

30:51

In April of 23, the City of Brookings and its partners entered into a development agreement with Barry Properties, also known as Millborne Seeds Inc.

31:01

for approximately 13.09 acres of real property.

31:06

This proposed forbearance agreement will accomplish two purposes.

31:10

First, it'll extend the project timeline, which has not really been met, providing Millborne additional flexibility to advance uh a development consistent with the intent of the original agreement.

31:22

Staff recommends approval.

31:24

And the second uh the second function of the document is to uh acknowledge the Brookings Regional Growth Alliance as the successor in interest to the Brookings Economic Development Corporation, which will ensure continuity of rights and responsibilities under the agreement.

31:43

Thank you, Vince.

31:44

Entertain a motion to approve.

31:46

So moved.

31:48

Second.

31:55

Council have any questions, comments.

32:00

Please call the roll.

32:02

Neymar.

32:03

Aye.

32:03

Specker.

32:04

Aye.

32:04

Tilton Burn.

32:05

Aye.

32:05

Bendle?

32:06

Aye.

32:07

Avery?

32:07

Hi.

32:08

Doran.

32:08

Hi.

32:09

Hager.

32:09

Aye.

32:10

Okay.

32:11

Next thing is progress report.

32:12

Sam Beckman, our assistant city manager who presents this item.

32:17

Thank you, Mayor.

32:18

Uh, this is the December progress report rounding out another great year for us.

32:24

First up, as a part of the Lowe's hometown grant, the library recently uh installed some new furniture and shelving in the children's and young adult areas, and they will be waiting on just a few more furniture pieces to arrive in about mid-January.

32:41

The police department has been busy with lots of events this month, including hockey games at the Larson Ice Center and events at the Dakota Bank Center.

32:48

They've also helped with the Festival of Lights with activities downtown, which included uh parade traffic control and safety efforts.

32:57

And one of our detectives presented at a fifth grade class at Cam Law Intermediate School for educator for a day.

33:05

He explained his role as a detective and helped the class solve a mock case and demonstrated how to lift latent fingerprints.

33:14

And lastly, for the police department, with the generous support of the Brookings Lowe's home improvement store, we are excited to launch this year's Sand for Seniors program again.

33:24

Sand for Seniors is a program where uh members from the police department will deliver a bucket of sand to senior residents who are unable to get sand or salt on their own and uh able to spread that on their the icy walkways in hopes to prevent falls in the future.

33:43

And you can call the Brookings Police Department to request a bucket of sand.

33:49

The city also recently partnered with Purple Wave to sell large equipment that was declared surplus property.

33:57

This change in online surplus for the large equipment was a positive experience for staff and for bidders, and we just kind of thought it was a fun fact to say that we've sold six large equipment items through Purple Wave, and it had uh 227 bids from 17 states and one bid from Mexico.

34:21

The public works department, we've got all construction projects paused at this point until spring when we can have some better weather and winter operations uh are ongoing and will continue through the next few months.

34:35

In the parks recreation and forestry department, they hosted the second annual mayor's holiday tree lighting and also participated in the Festival of Lights parade.

34:46

As you can see on this slide, this was their float that they had.

34:50

The park staff also helped continue to uh do the snow removal as winter events come up.

35:00

And the multicultural center is participating with us for a New Year's Eve celebration at the Fifth Street Gym.

35:04

So keep your eye out on our social media pages for more information on that.

35:08

And last up, the Dakota Bank Center will host 11 events in December, which included the Chamber Egg Appreciation Banquet, the Mayor's Awards and Holiday Party, and Manaheim Steamroller Christmas show, which had an attendance of just under 1,300 individuals.

35:24

I also followed up on that request on uh how many attended the Chicago performance, and there they had 2,323 attendees at that event.

35:35

And um at the end of this week, they'll also be hosting the National Dart Association Regional Tournament for the first time.

35:43

And that is all.

35:52

Thank you so much for that presentation, Sam.

35:54

Uh I just want to mention that if folks need the sand that they should call the non-emergency uh police phone number.

36:02

Yes.

36:05

All right.

36:05

Um next meeting is January 13th.

36:10

And uh we've got some designated for depositories, official newspaper purchase authorities.

36:15

Uh we will probably have an SDSU report, ex official reports.

36:20

Uh currently we have no change orders or contracts or first readings, and we do have the conditional use permit, second reading on the next meeting.

36:29

Uh otherwise, uh is there any topics that the council would like to have for future agendas?

36:37

All right.

36:38

Entertain a motion to adjourn.

36:40

So moved.

36:40

Second.

36:41

All those in favor say aye.

36:42

Aye.

36:43

Aye.

36:43

Meeting adjourned.

37:10

You know, we gave birth in the Taco Bell parking lot.

37:12

Maybe we deserve some nachos out of this.

37:14

Now there's no truth to the rumor that Taco Bell is.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Parks and Recreation████████████████████████████████32%
Procedural██████████████████████████████30%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████████13%
Budget Equity Analysis██████████10%
Economic Development██████6%
Public Safety█████5%
Public Engagement███3%
Planning Commission1%
Summary of Proceedings

Brookings City Council Meeting Summary - December 16, 2025

The Brookings City Council convened on December 16, 2025, to review consent items, approve resolutions, and hear public comments on various municipal projects. The meeting featured presentations on internal staff promotions, bid rejections for the Edgebrook Golf Course water sourcing due to high costs, budget amendments, land lease approvals, and zoning annexations.

Consent Calendar

  • Routine Approvals: The council unanimously approved the agenda and moved to approve the Consent Calendar items without modification or removal. This included routine administrative approvals and the transfer of surplus library items to public surplus, with confirmation from staff that they would be listed on public surplus.com.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Consent Calendar: No public comments were received regarding the items on the consent calendar.
  • Resolution 25-090 (Edgebrook Golf Course): Councilmember Specker inquired about future pipe sizing for the project to ensure potential capacity for additional ponds could be utilized later; staff confirmed the same pipe size would be used. Councilmember Dern requested timeline projections for the redesign and rebidding, citing the complexity of winter construction windows. Councilmember Avery expressed support, clarifying that the project remains a priority despite the delay.
  • Resolution 25-092 (Clubhouse Management): Councilmember Hager voiced support for the operational structure, thanking staff for educating non-golfer council members on the challenges of municipal golf course operations and the benefits of independent contractor models.
  • Resolution 25-107 (Asphalt Maintenance): Councilmember Specker requested clarification on the location of the Main Avenue South work, noting initial confusion regarding the map placement; staff corrected the location to the intersection of Main Avenue South and 12th Street South.
  • Ordinance 25-046 (Concrete Crushing Facility): Councilmember Hager questioned the stormwater management requirements, seeking clarification on whether drainage plans were mandatory for a facility located outside city limits.
  • Resolution 25-098 (Airport Lease): No specific public opposition or support was recorded during the roll call; the vote proceeded without comment.
  • Resolution 25-094 (Annexation): Councilmember Specker sought clarification on the zoning process following annexation, confirming that properties retain county zoning initially before undergoing a future rezoning request.

Discussion Items

  • Promotion of Fire Marshal: Fire Chief Troy Hughes presented Jared Rungy for promotion to Fire Marshal. Rungy highlighted his 14 years of fire experience (12 with the department) and his commitment to a "softer approach" focused on code enforcement that prioritizes keeping businesses open and safe rather than punitive measures.
  • Edgebrook Golf Course Water Sourcing (Resolution 25-080): Staff presented that bids for the project came in significantly higher than the engineer's estimate of $1.3–$1.4 million, with actual bids approaching $2.1 million. Park Rec and Forestry Director Kristen Zimmerman and Banner Associates representative Paul Kraft attributed the cost drivers to mobilization and dewatering challenges during winter months. Discussion focused on the trade-off between reducing the project scope (relining only one of three ponds) to save costs versus the construction delay required to complete the work during summer months, which would cause golf course disruption.
  • Edgeway Golf Course Management (Resolution 25-095): Staff recommended a 2026–2027 flat-fee agreement with Mowen Management. The proposal clarified that the management company would retain driving range revenue to create a direct incentive for operational improvement, while the city retains revenues for green fees and memberships. Staff noted that while the course operates at a slight deficit, this structure provides budget predictability and shifts operational liability to the contractor.
  • Asphalt Maintenance Change Order (Resolution 25-107): A change order increasing the contract by approximately 9% ($194,628.94) was discussed to cover additional paving on Main Avenue South, new markings, and utility work on Third Avenue. The total adjusted contract remains within the allocated budget.
  • Concrete Crushing Facility (Ordinance 25-046): A first reading was held for a conditional use permit for a concrete, asphalt, and rock crushing facility at 2016 471st Avenue. Staff noted the facility meets all criteria, is located outside city limits, and received a unanimous recommendation from the planning commission.
  • Budget Amendment (Ordinance 25-042): Council reviewed Amendment 9, which reallocates $54,254 for fire insurance premium reversions, $20,000 in grants to the Chamber of Commerce, and $45,500 from reserves for downtown parking lot ancillary costs.
  • Airport Land Lease (Resolution 25-098): A public hearing covered the lease of 85 acres west of the airport to David Burns at $1,250 per acre ($10,667.50 annually), with an option for two one-year extensions with a 2% rate increase.
  • Wine License (Resolution 25-093): Council discussed authorizing a 10-year agreement for Commonwealth Gaming/Holdings (DBA Deuces Casino) to obtain an on-sale wine license for Suite 105D, bringing the total number of suites with on-sale wine licenses to five.
  • Property Annexation (Resolution 25-094): A public hearing was held to annex Block 1, Mills Third Edition, located near the 20th Street South Interstate ramp, aligning with city annexation priority maps.
  • Economic Development (Resolution 25-097): Council extended an agreement with Barry Properties (Millborne Seeds Inc.) to allow for a timeline extension and acknowledged the Brookings Regional Growth Alliance as the successor to the Brookings Economic Development Corporation.

Key Outcomes

  • Resolution 25-090 (Rejected): Council voted to reject all bids for the Edgebrook Golf Course Water Sourcing Project, directing staff to redesign the project scope and rebid.
  • Resolution 25-095 (Approved): Council authorized the 2026–2027 management agreement for the Edgeway Golf Course with Mowen Management.
  • Resolution 25-107 (Approved): Council approved the change order for the 2025-08 STI asphalt maintenance project.
  • Ordinance 25-046 (First Reading): First reading passed for the concrete crushing facility; second reading scheduled for January 13, 2026.
  • Ordinance 25-042 (Approved): Council approved the 2025 budget amendment number nine.
  • Resolution 25-098 (Approved): Council authorized the lease of 85 acres at the Brookings Regional Airport to David Burns.
  • Resolution 25-093 (Approved): Council authorized the on-sale wine operating agreement for Suite 105D at Deuces Casino.
  • Resolution 25-094 (Approved): Council authorized the annexation of Block 1, Mills Third Edition.
  • Resolution 25-097 (Approved): Council authorized the extension of the agreement for the transfer of real property to the Brookings Economic Development Corporation.
  • Meeting Adjourned: The meeting was adjourned with the next council meeting scheduled for January 13, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

I call this meeting to order. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Thank all of you for attending this evening. City Clerk, please take the attendance. All council members are present, Mr. Mayor. Thank you. Entertain a motion to approve the agenda. So moved. Second. Are they any comments on the agenda from the public? Comments? Agenda, Council. Please call the roll. Doran. Aye. Hager. Aye. Meyer. Aye. Specker. Aye. Tilton Byrne. Hi. Wendell. Aye. Avery. All right. Open form in order to provide equal access to all during the open forum and public comment portions of the meeting. Each individual offering comments shall not exceed the allotted three minute period. The podium light turns green to yellow where there is one minute remaining. Your time of comment has expired when the podium light turns red. Is there any member of the public who wishes to address the console on an item not listed on tonight's agenda? All right. We'll move on. Consent agenda. Are there any items to be removed from the consent agenda? Seeing none, entertain a motion to approve. So moved. Is there any public comment on anything on the consent agendas? Council questions, comments. Councilmember Specker. I just have a quick question on the items that the library has that they're surplusing. If anyone knows what they'll be doing with that. We will be listing those items on public surplus.com. Okay, thank you. Okay. Any other questions, comments? Please call the roll. Hager.

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