BELLE FOURCHE—The City Council held its first meeting of the month on Monday, October 6. During the Mayor’s Report, Mayor Randy Schmidt thanked everyone who came out to help support the bike ride hosted by the Police Department on Sunday.
For community input, Bobbe Ward spoke on behalf of the Belle Fourche Cowboy Band, noting that they missed the deadline to submit their funding request. Ward explained that the band is asking for $3,000 to cover their two paid positions, with all other work done voluntarily.
The Economic Development committee gave an update on the ongoing housing study and the Leadership Belle Fourche program. Highlights included new marketing tools, increased business inquiries, and recent discussions on property tax impacts and potential data center developments. The update also noted steady community growth, four upcoming business developments, and continued progress on the dementia daycare and new commercial spaces.
Rec Center Director Jody Westberg announced that the October 15 meeting will be held in the Montana Room due to an audio installation project beginning October 13. She noted the project is expected to take two to three weeks, but the October 30 concert will proceed as scheduled. Westberg provided updates on upcoming events, including the Fearless 5K and the Spooktacular on October 31, which attracted over 1,000 attendees last year. She also reported that a visiting company praised the city pool, built in 1992, for its excellent long-term care and maintenance.
The September Budget Update was given. A budget meeting will be held October 8 at 5 p.m.
Councilperson Fowler inquired about the duration the park sign lights are intended to remain on, noting they were off at 1 a.m. when she drove by, and asked if the remaining signs were connected. City Administrator LaFayette stated he had emailed regarding the completion timeline and was informed the remaining signs would be worked on this week.
Councilperson Capp asked about streamlining the hiring process by placing items on the Consent Agenda even if they had not gone through a committee. City Attorney Willert stated this was a matter of practice and policy rather than a legal issue. He recommended adding an asterisk or similar notation to indicate items that had not been reviewed by a committee.
City Administrator LaFayette provided project updates. The skate park is complete, and the second lift on 12th Avenue is finished, with the road now open and operational. Work has begun on the water line for 11th Avenue, expected to be completed by mid-November, after which the project will pause for a few months before resuming next year. Preparations are underway for the leaf season.
Human Resource Manager Carpenter informed the Council that the City received both the Gold and Platinum Level Safety Awards for 2025 at last week’s SDML Annual Conference.
The next City Council meeting will be Monday, October 20 at 6 p.m.
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