City Moves A Pair Of Upcoming Meetings

Commissioner Brian Hunhoff requested the item be moved from the consent item agenda (items that are voted on without discussion) to the new business part of the agenda to discuss Native American Day.

He reiterated a wish for Yankton to follow the other Class A cities in South Dakota by recognizing Native American Day with the City’s closure.

“Thirty-five years ago, South Dakota became the first state in the U.S. to officially recognize and celebrate Native American Day as an official holiday,” he said. “We’re the only Class A city that will not be closed. I hope to change that someday, but I’ve not yet been successful. So I would like to, at least in some small way, honor that holiday by moving our Oct. 13 meeting to Tuesday, Oct. 14.”

The commissioners voted unanimously to approve the change in meeting date request, but no action was taken on the topic of closing city offices for that holiday.

PROCLAMATIONS

Mayor Mason Schramm made three proclamations Monday night honoring Arbor Day (April 26); Medical Laboratories Professionals Week (April 20-26) and National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 13-19).

Community Development Director Dave Mingo said the Saturday after Arbor Day will be the Keep Yankton Beautiful city cleanup. Parks and Recreation Director Todd Larson said the location for this year’s Arbor Day tree planting is still being decided, but the public will be notified about the location and time of the ceremonial planting.

Five laboratory professionals were on hand to receive their proclamation and explain their crucial roles in the healthcare process.

A Yankton dispatcher was on hand to receive their proclamation and also heard some kind words from City Manager Amy Leon and Commissioner Mike Villanueva.

“No one wants to call 911, but there are no better professionals in the business than our dispatch team,” Leon said.

“They play such an important part in our work with the City’s Fire Department,” Villanueva, a volunteer firefighter, said.

STRATEGIC PLANNING

The commission set 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, as the time for its all-day strategic planning session.

The session will be held at the Mount Marty University Board Room. Leon said the three newly elected commissioners have been invited to attend and participate. The public is also welcome to attend the session. It will be livestreamed on the city’s YouTube channel.

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Yankton resident Michael Strom raised the idea of starting a “community farm.”

“It’s an old idea in a modern world, and I think we should go back to it,” Strom said. “We would need to zone, designate the land and probably put up signage, some security cameras and probably a log book and a fence, obviously, to keep the animals in. My idea is that anyone in the county can buy an animal, tag it and now we’ll have a place to raise it. That would be fresh food for us and the generations to come.”

In other business, the City Commission:

• Approved the cold applied plastic pavement marking installation contract to Sir Line-A-Lot, LLC, Harrisburg, in the amount of $107,246.40.

• Approved a sidewalk café permit for The Walnut;

• Approved the purchase of an evidence drying cabinet for the police department. The city will pay the $10,780.79 for the cabinet then be reimbursed fully through a grant from the S.D. Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program;

• Approved the Summit Street watermain replacement contract with Masonry Component, Inc., in the amount of $332,290.65;

• Approved a resolution allowing the police department to sell its surplus property;

• Awarded three special event liquor licenses for events happening in May and July.

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The next Yankton City Commission meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Monday, April 28, in the Yankton Community Meeting Room on the campus of the Career Manufacturing and Technical Education Academy. To livestream the meeting or view previously-recorded meeting, visit youtube.com/c/cityofyankton/live.