Spearfish City Council Regular Session - October 19, 2026

The Spearfish City Council met at 5:30 PM on October 19, 2026, in City Council Chambers, 625 5th Street, Spearfish. Mayor Senden presided, and all council members were present. The meeting opened with an invocation from North Point Christian Church and the Pledge of Allegiance. No potential conflicts of interest were declared.

Proclamation

• Mayor Senden proclaimed October 25 through October 31, 2026, as Respiratory Care Week in Spearfish. No respiratory care representatives attended, and the proclamation was to be delivered to the hospital.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the minutes of the September 30, 2026, City Council special session and study session, and the October 5, 2026, City Council regular session.
• Added Sydney Knutson, Drake Sutter, and Sean Shipp to the 2026 Spearfish Volunteer Firefighter list.
• The consent agenda motion carried.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Per council procedure, no action could be taken on these non-agenda comments.
• John Dale, 239 West Jackson Boulevard, said he came to Spearfish from Arizona 15 years ago to build his software company, DB2DOM. He described receiving little financial or institutional support, alleged a pattern of being stalked, physically attacked, and defamed, and claimed an incident involving Steve Thomas following his daughters into a library bathroom. He announced a forthcoming constitutional initiative called Planes Tribune and encouraged people to join.
• Carol Dahl, 210 Flintlock Circle, and Bonnie King, both from the Sandstone area, raised concerns about unsightly and potentially hazardous utility boxes in their neighborhood. Dahl said she counted about 150 boxes along Windmill from 27th to Sandstone Drive, including boxes with missing covers, exposed cables and wires, rust, leaning positions, blocked sightlines, and a cord across a sidewalk creating a trip hazard. They also described 15 to 20 utility flags left in yards for more than two months, making maintenance difficult, and asked the city to apply nuisance ordinance 92.16 and pursue beautification.

Added and Adjusted Wages

• Approved two budgeted wage actions: promotion of a parks maintenance and forestry supervisor to $32.84 per hour, and advancement of a utilities operator III to $32.04 per hour after successful completion of state Class III certification.
• The motion carried by roll-call vote.

Parks and Recreation: Campground Water Line Change Order

• Parks staff presented Change Order #1 for the Campground Water Line project, with a net increase of $40,378.32, or 8.97% of the project total, and no change to the completion date. The new contract total is $490,398.35, compared with the 2026 project budget of $750,000.
• Funding comes entirely from the campground enterprise fund, with no tax dollars, general fund, or capital improvement funds used.
• The change would relocate the dump station from the north side of the road to the south side so campers can follow one-way traffic instead of entering against it or making multi-point turns. The work includes added asphalt for turning radius and relocation of water and sewer utilities.
• Project completion is anticipated in November 2026 under an incentive clause, with the final contract completion date in spring 2027. A council member questioned whether the project would finish before winter, and another noted the campground typically makes money and supported the change. The motion carried by roll-call vote.

Public Works: Mountain View Elementary Alley Water Line

• Assistant Public Works Director Sarah Karen reported that the Mountain View Elementary Alley Water Line project finished on time and under budget. Final Change Order #2 reduces the contract by a net $17,980.30, reflecting about a $7,000 increase for extra gravel requested by the school and about a $25,000 decrease from utility efficiencies after existing utilities were uncovered.
• The final price is 0.84% less than the original contract value. The council approved the change order and the Certificate of Final Completion and Acceptance as of September 8, 2026, which begins the two-year warranty period.
• The project was a joint project with the school district. The school board approved it the previous week and agreed to pay 68.51% of construction and engineering costs. The motion carried by roll-call vote.

Approve Bills

• Approved the Bill List dated October 19, 2026, by roll-call vote.

Council and Departmental Discussion

• Peter followed up on the utility box comments from public testimony, noting that the city has franchise agreements with most utility companies and will evaluate whether the city can require utilities to maintain boxes that are not city-owned. City control is limited because the boxes are not city utilities, but franchise agreements may provide options.
• Department heads offered no additional comments, and the meeting adjourned.

Key Outcomes

• Issued the Respiratory Care Week proclamation for October 25-31, 2026.
• Approved the consent calendar, including three sets of minutes and three volunteer firefighter additions.
• Approved wage additions and adjustments for parks maintenance and utilities operator positions.
• Approved Campground Water Line Change Order #1 with a net increase of $40,378.32.
• Approved Mountain View Elementary Alley Water Line Change Order #2 with a net decrease of $17,980.30 and the certificate of final completion and acceptance.
• Approved the October 19, 2026, bill list.