Keystone board ties up end-of-year loose ends

By Bev Pechan

After a busy and uncertain year as regards tourism numbers, the Keystone Town Board agreed at its Dec. 21 meeting that they fared quite well overall. Keystone is one of and perhaps the only South Dakota community which relies totally on sales tax revenue for its annual operating budget. Board president David Cofoid announced that tax receipts were down only two percent overall for the year, which was less than was anticipated. Last fall, the city agreed to increase its share of the B & B tax to the Keystone Chamber of Commerce at its request, but balked at allowing it to ask for additional funding in perpetuity, citing the uncertainty of future revenues. Cofoid also briefly mentioned that the removal of the helicopter tour operation from the city will reduce the amount of sales tax the city receives in the future.
Cofoid continued by saying, “We now own the sewer plant.” Keystone has hired Dar Coy, who formerly ran the operation for South West Water, to take over as wastewater systems manager for the city. He will work with city public works employees on related water issues as well. The city was allowed to close its lease-purchase agreement earlier than anticipated due to a restructuring of South West’s portfolio and its willingness to sell several holdings, including Keystone.
Pennington County deputy Terry Comrie was present to hear a complaint from the Dec. 7 meeting when resident Dave Murra gave an impassioned plea for better traffic control at areas where the school bus loads and unloads. Murra and others stated that certain motorists routinely speed through parts of Keystone during the time when children are loading and unloading from the school bus and stop signs are not placed on many side streets to help remedy the situation.
At the earlier meeting, Murra said some smaller children who board by the Keystone Country Store do not always remember to look before running into the street and he was afraid that someone’s child would be hit. Murra takes his two girls to the bus stop personally and picks them up at night, but, he says, he has nearly been run down a few times himself and was clearly agitated by the apparent lack of safety measures in effect. “When Jack (Mann, former deputy assigned to Keystone) was here, he followed the buses to the edge of town,” Murra stated. Comrie, when confronted with the complaint, replied, “I’m trying to watch,” listing the locations he usually uses when he is in town. It was suggested that he try to spend more time near the boarding areas when there are students present.
Public works employee Jerry Przybylski reported on a used Ford F350 dually pickup he would like to see the city purchase from Surplus Property, prompting trustee Sandi McLain to comment: “It scares me coming into this year. One, we’re over budget, and two, the pickup is over what we have budgeted.” Przybylski replied that his department’s budget had not been spent and we are “way below” the amount set aside, he said.
“Just because the money is there doesn’t mean you have to spend it,” McLain countered.
Coy defended Przybylski by stating “This one has tool boxes.” He went on to explain that with the town’s present vehicles, they seem to always be making trips back to the shop for the proper tools needed when conducting maintenance or emergency repairs. We are chasing tools all the time, the men agreed.
McLain then questioned if the city needed that many vehicles, to which Coy repeated, “We take two pickups to a job now so we can run back and forth after tools.”
“All I am thinking,” McLain said, “is we’re adding assets.” Cofoid agreed with Coy and Przybylski and stated that the city should probably surplus one of the town’s present trucks and that it should probably be the Ford Ranger, as it was not as economical to run as initially thought. Coy said the truck they were interested in is a former military vehicle with service records and new is a $60,000 truck. While he didn’t disclose the year of the truck, Coy said the complete cost to the city would be around $18,000. The board voted in favor of the new purchase.
It was agreed that city employees would have their after-Christmas dinner party at BaRlee’s Supper Club on Jan. 14 on the condition that the city not pay the cost of dinner for spouses and guests. Trustee McLain said she would also pay for her meal, rather than use city funds.
In other business, finance officer Vanessa Row offered to donate 15 hours of sick leave to other employees and city clerk Bobbie Johnson said she would donate 40 hours to librarian Diane Rohde, who is on temporary leave of absence.
The next meeting of the Keystone Town Board will take place at the community center on Wednesday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m.