Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.
The Spearfish City Council held a study session on October 15, 2025, beginning at 4:20 p.m. (after a delay for proper posting) in the Council Chambers. Mayor Senden presided, with Councilors Hafner, Klarenbeek, Myers, and Rath present; Hourigan and Jacobs were absent per the minutes (though the executive session motion listed Jacobs as a seconder). City staff including Administrator Falcon, Attorney Knox, Finance Officer DeNeui, HR Director Mathis, Public Works Director McMahon, and Parks Director Ehnes attended. The session covered approval of the agenda, review of the upcoming regular council agenda, discussion of two ordinances (Personnel Policies and Snow Removal), public comment, departmental updates, and an executive session.
Public comment was taken in three segments:
On Ordinance 1409 (Snow Removal):
On Ordinance 1405 (Personnel Policies): No public comments were offered.
On Other Issues:
Ordinance No. 1405 – Personnel Policies and Procedures Manual: Mayor Senden reminded that the item had been tabled due to the volume of changes. HR Director Mathis noted the removal of the section on communication with council. City Attorney Knox stated that the chain-of-command issue had been the main roadblock; other changes, including those related to handguns required by state law (effective July 2025), were acceptable. He strongly recommended passing the remaining revisions to achieve state compliance. Council members indicated general agreement and planned further discussion at the October 20 regular meeting.
Ordinance No. 1409 – Snow Removal (Chapter 153, Section 011): Attorney Knox explained that the 2010 citizen-initiated measure placed obligations on the city. Proposed revisions aimed to align with efficient and cost-effective practices, primarily modifying subsection D (downtown snow placement), clarifying subsection E (property owner responsibility for sidewalks/crosswalks), and adding subsection F (windrow removal upon citizen request). Public Works Director McMahon added that the operational goal was to work within the current budget; fully complying with the measure would require major budget increases. Councilor Myers asked about cost estimates for alternative methods:
Legacy Ranch Subdivision: During agenda review, staff noted that the preliminary plan has a staff recommendation of denial due to noncompliance with ordinances on adjoining property and interconnectivity. Attorney Knox and Mayor Senden encouraged council to listen to recordings of the September 16 and October 7 Planning Commission meetings to understand both sides.
Good afternoon, everyone. Uh welcome tonight's study session. We'll go ahead and I'll go ahead and uh call the meeting to order. Thank you for your patience as we waited to get to the time frame of four twenty for a twenty-four hour posting. Uh in front of us is an agenda council that uh has been posted, and I have no changes to it. Uh I would like a motion to approve the agenda as uh presented. So move. Second, we have a motion in the second, all in favor. Opposed. Motion carries. Move on to item two, city council agenda for uh October twentieth, which is next Monday evening. So the shell will uh roll through that for us. So okay. So on the agenda under consent, we have minutes from the last study session or and then the October sixth meeting, a few volunteers for the fire department, and then the treasurer report is in the packet. And then under finance, um we'll have we did not receive any bids for the two off-sale liquor licenses and the one on off sale liquor license, so that would be pulled from the agenda, but we'll have a discussion as to how you would like to proceed forward on that. And then um Jodi. Uh we'll have first reading of ordinance fourteen oh five and ordinance adapting the revision to the City of Spearfish personnel policies and procedure manual. Um the uh policy that you had requested be removed has been removed. Looks like I'm up. Uh we'll just have a public hearing uh per South Dakota codified law uh about entering into a lease with Northern Hills Amateur Hockey. This is a temporary lease. Uh, as you remember, we approved uh verbally them last year to move up to Hillsview. And we've been working through a lease with them all year. Uh we've ran into a couple of stumbling blocks with some legal aspects of a permanent lease. So in order to get them up there this year to start using that facility. We we're gonna do a one-year temp lease and then work through those legal issues the rest of this year. And uh after the public hearing, then we'll ask for you guys to approve the resolution to enter into that lease agreement. And then for public works, we have a change order for the chip seal project. Uh when I started sweeping the road in preparation of the application of chip seal, a lot of the uh crack sealing was coming out as I swept it. So it was recommended that we re uh crack seal the roadway before we apply that chip seal. And so that twenty-eight thousand dollar change order is uh for for that expense. Then we have a a second change order that will be added to the uh agenda as well uh for the taxi lane project at the airport. Uh the amount on that one is a little over twenty-three thousand. Um trying to close that project out, and we got a drainage issue with the tie-in to the existing pavement for that tax healing extension. Um a bit of an issue to work through with the contractor, but uh it's kind of a challenging area and to make sure that uh we only have to do the fix once and then it's gonna work the first time we do it. The recommendation from the consultant is that we uh redo that tie-in in concrete. And so that's why it's a higher dollar amount. And so that's why it's a higher dollar amount and uh recommending that the city uh particip participate in the cost of that because we're getting a better product uh for the solution for that. Um, and uh to go with that too. There's not going to be any additional design or CA costs associated with uh that change order as