Clerk: The Fall River County Department of Equalization is accepting applications for a permanent full-time clerk. Applicant must have excellent customer service, computer, math, written and verbal communication skills, and have the ability to read maps and understand legal descriptions. Working day is 8:00am to 5:00pm Monday through Friday. Starting wage $9.50/hour. Position has full benefits: health insurance, SD retirement, annual & sick leave. Submit applications to the Department of Equalization. Deadline is April 29.

Check out our Employment page for more information and applications.

PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota’s 9-1-1 Coordinator is being honored this week for her efforts to help establish a new statewide emergency communications network.

Shawnie Rechtenbaugh of Pierre will receive the Government Leader Award Tuesday night in Washington, D.C. The award is being presented at the 13^th annual NG9-1-1 Honors Awards Reception which is sponsored by the NG91-1-1 Institute, 911 Education Foundation and the Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies (iCERT).

Rechtenbaugh is an employee of the South Dakota Department of Public Safety. She is coordinating the state’s efforts to implement a Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG911) system.  The network would provide an advanced technological communications link to various emergency communication sites located statewide. The system, which will take years to fully implement, is the first statewide hosted 9-1-1 network in the nation.

As the state’s 9-1-1 coordinator, Rechtenbaugh has been working with the contractor building the system and has served as the contractor’s liaison to the South Dakota 9-1-1 Coordination Board. Department of Public Safety Secretary Trevor Jones says Rechtenbaugh’s work has been extensive and detailed.

“Shawnie has been working with 28 different emergency call centers statewide on this project,” Jones says. “It takes someone who has the knowledge, patience and ability to deal with different systems and people. That’s Shawnie. The sole reason South Dakota’s move to NextGen has been successful so far is because Shawnie is our 9-1-1 coordinator.”

Rechtenbaugh has worked in state government for 11 years.  She says the award is an honor.

“Putting together this new system is a challenge, but rewarding,” she says. “It has been an honor to be part of such a talented group of people who are working to forever change our state’s emergency communications infrastructure.”

Tuesday’s ceremony is being held in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill.

Property owners in Fall River County received their tax bills in the mail this last week.  A number of people have asked questions regarding what portion of the tax burden certain classes of property are paying.  Below is a basic break-down of the 2015 (payable 2016) taxes.  These numbers are for the total taxes collected by the county. (Obviously those who don’t live in town don’t pay any tax to the cities.)  The actual percent of your tax that goes to each of these entities varies from tax district to tax district.  To find the exact percentage of your taxes going to each group please check out this earlier post.

Percentage of Total Taxes Paid By Property Class:

Agricultural  – 20%
Commercial – 13%
Residential (non-Ag) – 53%
Utility Companies – 14%

Where the Taxes Go:

School – 54%
County – 30%
Townships or Cities – 14%
Other – 3% (fire, ambulance)

New 2016 South Dakota license plate design unveiled

PIERRE, S.D., — An image of the new license plate design for the 2016 license plate reissue was unveiled by the South Dakota Department of Revenue, Motor Vehicle Division.

The new license plates will be issued beginning January 1, 2016.

The standard license plates currently identifying South Dakota motor vehicles have been in use since 2006. The plates are losing reflectivity, becoming damaged and suffering other readability problems.

The 2016 reissue will add up to approximately 1.5 million non-commercial vehicle and motorcycle plates consisting of the standard plate, the emblem plate, personalized plates, amateur radio, low-speed vehicles and the commercial radio plate.

The design was a cooperative effort between Gov. Daugaard, the Department of Revenue Motor Vehicle Division and the South Dakota Department of Tourism and reflects a partnership in promoting South Dakota.

The license plates will continue to be made at Pheasantland Industries located in the South Dakota State Penitentiary in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Fall River & Oglala Lakota County residents can renew their annual motor vehicle registration at the Fall River & Oglala LakotaTreasurer’s office in Hot Springs, at a self-service terminal (throughout the state) or from their Motor Vehicle customer portal at https://MySDCars.sd.gov.   Those who do so after Jan. 1, 2016, will receive the new license plates.

Fall River/Oglala Lakota County Treasurer – Kelli Rhoe (605) 745-5145