Deuel County Planning Board elects officers and recommends no change to building permit fees for 2026

CLEAR LAKE, S.D. — The Deuel County Planning and Zoning Board made routine organizational decisions during its Jan. 12 meeting, including officer nominations and a recommendation on building permit fees.

With Chairman Mike Dahl absent at the start of the meeting, the board elected Dennis Kanengieter as Acting Chairman for the session on a motion by Jay Grabow, seconded by Mike Lammers (roll call: Scott Fieber — yes; Mike Lammers — yes; Jay Grabow — yes; Dennis Kanengieter — no). The board approved minutes from Dec. 8, 2025 and Jan. 6, 2026 and the meeting agenda.

Later in the meeting the board accepted the Deuel County Commissioners’ reappointments of Michael Lammers and Kevin DeBoer to the Planning and Zoning Board. The board then nominated Mike Dahl as 2026 chairman (motion by Kanengieter, seconded by Grabow) and Kevin DeBoer as 2026 vice chairman (motion by Grabow, seconded by Lammers); both nominations were carried by unanimous ballots.

Zoning Officer Jodi Theisen presented the proposed 2026 Building Permit Fee Schedule and recommended no changes from the 2025 fees, noting that continued joint meetings with the commissioners help streamline the rezoning process. On a motion by Grabow, seconded by Lammers, the board voted to recommend that the Deuel County Commissioners leave the fees unchanged for 2026.

What’s next: Staff will forward the board’s recommendation on fees to the Deuel County Commissioners and will prepare ordinance language and public notice for the planned joint hearing on transmission-line setbacks.