HURON The Beadle County Commission held a hearing on the 2026 provisional budget. With no objections, the buget moved forward for final approval at the end of the month.
The commission spoke with emergency management director David Jensen to discuss the Local Emergency Planning Committee (LEPC) grant. Jensen reported that the grant is less this year due to a reduction in funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at the federal level. Jensen stated that this will likely mean that the LEPC grant covers a smaller portion of the salary for the emergency management director. The commission approved signing paperwork for the LEPC grant.
Jensen also discussed recent flooding near Lake Byron. He explained that disaster funding would require a designated amount of county expenditure on a natural disaster, but the state would need to incur more than $1 million in cost from a natural disaster before a declaration could be made statewide that counties can access.
Highway superintendent Jason Fritzsche spoke with the commission regarding road management software driven by artificial intelligence. He explained that this software is now utilized by multiple counties in the state and offered to set up a meeting with the software providers and the commission as they consider the potential purchase of the service.
Commissioners also approved one plat.
The next meeting of commissioners is Tuesday, Sept. 16, at 9:30 a.m., with townships to address township five-year plans.
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