County voters to select commissioners in two districts

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Moody County voters will elect two county commissioners in November, one each in District 1 and District 3.
Commission Chairman Jerry Doyle, an Independent, is being challenged in District 1 by Democrat John Schiefelbein, who has previous experience on the commission. Both candidates live in Flandreau.
District 1 includes Flandreau Ward 2 and Ward 1, north of Highway 32, and sections of Flandreau Township.
In District 3, incumbent Rick Veldkamp, a Republican, is being challenged by David Ahlers, an Independent. That district includes Trent, Alliance Township, Blinsmon Township, Enterprise Township, Lone Rock Township, Union Township and part of Lynn Township.
Veldkamp is a Trent-area farmer, and Ahlers farms in eastern Moody County.
Moody County has 4,058 registered voters, including 1,516 Republicans, 1,584 Democrats and 944 Independents.
On page 10 of this week’s Enterprise is a Q&A with county commission candidates who turned in their answers.

District 1

Jerry Doyle        
Age: 68
Address: 807 W 1st Ave., Flandreau
Occupation: Crop Adjustor for Federal Crop Ins.
Family: Four children and 11 grandchildren.
Previous commission experience: Eight years with three years as chairman.
Other elected experience: On ICAP Board (Interlakes Community Action Partnership), Juvenile Delinquent Board. South Dakota Association of County Commissioners. Past Chairman of the District South Dakota Association of County Commissioners. Member of Flandreau Improvement Corporation.
What is the top issue facing Moody County and what is your proposed solution?
Replacing Bridges. Working with the state Department of Transportation on the Bridge Improvement Grant program. This is a cost sharing between the state and counties. Based on a points basis -- like usage and the amount of cost share the county wants to commit. We need to work with the state because it would not be feasible to pay 100 percent of the cost to replace the larger bridges. Moody County now replaces some of the smaller bridges with our own crew, usually with culverts.
Should Moody County continue to place inmates in jails in other counties or build a jail within Moody County and why?
I think we need to place inmates in other county jails. Our county is too small to have its own jail.  It would be very difficult to get a bond passed to build a jail. After a jail is built the most expensive part is the operating costs. I know of other small counties that have built their own jail and it kept them broke to the point they didn’t have enough funds for snow removal. Currently Moody County is working with Lake County on their new jail proposal. This would eliminate transporting inmates a long distance as we are sometimes doing now.
Given the current state of crime in the county and the growing cost of providing law enforcement, what would be the best approach to staffing in the county?
I think a study needs to be done to see if it would be possible to work with the city of Flandreau and the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, possibly to have one agency. We already have county law enforcement so it would be working with these two agencies to create county-wide law enforcement.
What is one of the biggest budget needs in the county and how would you propose paying for it?
Right now, it is replacing the veranda in front of the courthouse. Some of the walls around the veranda are close to falling. There has been a rough estimate on replacing it at $250,000. I would be open to suggestions on how to pay for replacing it.

One thought I’ve had is to add a small sales tax. But at this time, counties are not allowed to collect a sales tax. The state and cities are able to collect a sales tax, but counties are not. Again, I would be open to suggestions as how to pay for replacing the Veranda.
With the growing number of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations in Moody County, what is the best way to go about permitting and monitoring them?
I think we have good ordinances already for the permitting process. In 2013, we added an ordinance so we can say no to a large concentration in one area.  My thought is they are going to happen; we just need to make sure they are done right.
Currently, the permitting process is done on a complaint bases. Plus, the State DENR is responsible for some of the monitoring such as air quality. Neighbors of the CAFO’s make good monitors.
I would like to see every farm have livestock like it used to be, but I don’t think this is going to happen. Right now with the CAFO’s we currently have, a lot of grain is kept in the county rather than being shipped out to be processed.
CAFO’s are the future of farming. I would hate to see the county miss the opportunity to have them because I think in the future areas like odor control are going to get better with items like bio filters for the exhaust air that can remove up to 90 percent of the bad odor. This is from studies done like those at the University of Minnesota. This can be found on their website. South Dakota State University is also doing studies to improve air quality issues. Another possibility is anaerobic digesters that eliminate most of the odors. They are now used in some foreign countries but at this time are not feasible for CAFO’s.

John Schiefelbein
Age: Not provided
Address: 313 N. Crescent St., Flandreau
Occupation: Retired Moody County Highway Superintendent
Family: Daughter, Susan, and son, Steven.
Previous commission experience: Two terms in the past
Other elected experience: None
What is the top issue facing Moody County and what is your proposed solution?
It is apparent that our county bridges have been neglected. When I was the county highway superintendent, I put Moody County on the South Dakota Department of Transportation five-year plan. Over the years, I had 12 bridges replaced with new structures by using 80 percent federal funding. Upon my retiring, the county bridge program seemed to fall to the wayside. If elected, I will put the county highway department back on track. This is one of the main reasons I am running for election.
Should Moody County continue to place inmates in jails in other counties or build a jail within Moody County and why?
For Moody County to have their own jail, you must meet federal regulations such as TV monitors in every cell, indoor and outdoor exercise areas, 24-hour matrons on duty at all times, even if there are no prisoners, etc. Brookings, Pipestone, Sioux Falls and Madison aren’t that far away. Besides, these counties can afford jails as they have a larger tax base.
Given the current state of crime in the county and the growing cost of providing law enforcement, what would be the best approach to staffing in the county?
If the city of Flandreau would be receptive, I would suggest going back to county-wide law enforcement to cut costs. I feel that we don’t need two standing armies of law enforcement and vehicles. That is not only my concern but that of many others.
What is one of the biggest budget needs in the county and how would you propose paying for it?
Our biggest department budget is the Moody County Highway Department. Instead of looking for ways to increase their budget, I would cut their budget. An example would be the current schedule of sealing the asphalt roads every five years. I would change that to every seven years. Minnehaha County does that, and their roads are fine. This would save thousands on road oil and materials.
With the growing number of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations in Moody County, what is the best way to go about permitting and monitoring them?
I think the current county permit that is in place seems to be a good system, whereas the future operator submits his detailed plans to the county commission in regard to type, size and location and is in compliance with state and county regulations.
Monitoring the CAFOs should be a concern of the state of South Dakota and not the county. The state needs to have inspectors arrive on site at CAFOs at frequent intervals to insure compliance.


District 3

Rick Veldkamp
Age:63
Address: 48014 240th St., Trent
Occupation: Farmer
Family: Wife, Gail; daughter, Nicole, and son, Derick
Previous commission experience: From 2011 to present
Other elected experience: Blinsmon Township Board 1994-2010; FSA County Committee 2001-2009
What is the top issue facing Moody County and what is your proposed solution?
The top overall issue facing Moody County is how to fund the increasing costs with the revenue we receive. Some of the main areas of concern are addressed in the following questions. There is no easy solution because many of the costs are beyond our control. The only way to address the problem is to establish a budget that prioritizes the needs of the county and fund them according to the revenue available.
Should Moody County continue to place inmates in jails in other counties or build a jail within Moody County and why?
The 2018 budget includes $200,000 for jail expense to house prisoners in other jails. It is getting increasingly difficult to find places available to house the prisoners from Moody County which results in increased transportation expense. (When the Madison jail is full, we have to transport them further to a jail that’s available.) In future years the cost will increase well beyond $200,000. The cost of building and staffing our own jail would be extremely expensive. Rather than every county building their own jail, a better solution for Moody County would be to continue to work with Lake County in their attempt to build a jail. We would hope to contract with them to pay annual payments in return for a guaranteed number of prisoners to be housed. Then all our prisoners would go to Madison and limit the amount of transportation costs.
Given the current state of crime in the county and the growing cost of providing law enforcement, what would be the best approach to staffing in the county?
We have increased staff at the sheriff’s department over the last several years. With the increased work load that we are seeing in our county, additional staffing may be needed again. I would like to see Moody County and the City of Flandreau work together to see if we can find an arrangement that would provide the most efficient law enforcement for everyone.
What is one of the biggest budget needs in the county and how would you propose paying for it?
The highway department is the largest budget item for Moody County, and the cost of maintaining our roads and bridges remains a challenge. During the last several years we have seen an increase in revenue from the state for car license and from the state Surface Transportation Program. In addition, the wheel tax was increased resulting in additional revenue raised in the county. This, along with grant from the BIG (Bridge Improvement Grant) program, has allowed us to replace several bridges and overlay some of the county highways. We will continue to apply for grants through the BIG program and use existing revenue to make improvements as we are able.  
With the growing number of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations in Moody County, what is the best way to go about permitting and monitoring them?
The best way to permit and monitor CAFOs is to follow the Moody County Zoning Ordinance which was revised in 2013. The requirements for the different classes of CAFOs are outlined in the ordinance. It is important that the county continue to ensure that all the permitted CAFOs are complying with the requirements listed in the letter of assurance that was agreed upon at the time of approval of the permit. These operations also have the manure management plans monitored by the DENR.

David Ahlers
Did not return a questionnaire.