NEWELL—Seeking to foster economic growth in Newell and the surrounding area, the Newell Economic Development Corporation held its annual meeting on November 5 at Newell City Hall. The meeting was aimed at restarting the previously inactive group.
The corporation has not held a board meeting in the past two years, which means it does not have a board. According to Article 3, Section 1 of the bylaws: “The annual meeting of the members shall be held at the Newell City Hall, Newell, SD, in November of each year, beginning with the year 1996.” Melanie Williamson, the last official secretary of record, confirmed that no meetings had been held, leaving the board inactive. “We have not had an annual meeting for the past two years, and with advice from the economic director in Rapid City, who covers the West River area, we technically don’t have a board,” she said.
About 30 business owners and community members attended the meeting at the City Hall to support the restarting of the Newell Economic Development Corporation. The first order of business was to elect a board. New board members for the year going forward are President, Pandi Pittman; Vice President, Ryan Dennis; Secretary, Melanie Williamson; Treasurer, Dallas Conner; and Public Relations, Shelby Schuelke.
The board accepted the resignation of the last board president of record, Ken Wetz, who is stepping down due to health issues his family is dealing with at the moment.
Going forward, it was agreed that the bylaws would have to be updated and a mission statement developed.
The new treasurer, Dallas Conner, suggested that since no 501(c)(3) paperwork has been filed since 2017—more than six years ago—it may be easiest and most cost-effective to dissolve the current group and start a new one with the same bylaws and scope, completing the EZ paperwork to save on costs.
Williamson reported that the Newell Economic Development Corporation had a treasury balance of $25,200.54.
It was suggested that the group meet again after all of the paperwork is filed and the board is up and running in its official capacity. After discussion, it was determined that could happen fairly quickly, and the next meeting was set for Wednesday, December 3, at 6 p.m. in the Irrigation District office.
The December agenda will include: discussing 501(c)(3) status, picking a new name for the group, creating a mission statement, determining priorities, updating articles, deciding who the 12 voting members of the board are, determining membership fees, and any additional steps needed to get the Economic Development Corporation in good standing once again.
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