Charles Mix County grants Northwestern Public Service a 20-year franchise for lines along county highways

The Charles Mix County Board of Commissioners voted to grant Northwestern Public Service Company a franchise to erect and maintain poles and wires for electricity along county public highways.

The resolution, introduced by Commissioner Allen Rasmussen and seconded by Chairman Albert G. Svatos, states the grant is subject to ‘‘all reasonable rules and regulations as may presently or may hereafter be prescribed by Chapter 31-26 of the South Dakota compiled laws of 1967, annotated, as amended.’’ The franchise term is listed as 20 years from the effective date named in the resolution. The motion carried with Commissioners Rasmussen and Svatos recorded as voting "Yea" and no recorded opposition.

County minutes record the action as a formal resolution adopted by the board; no public comment or legal challenge appears in the minutes for the session. The board’s entry ties the authority for conditions on the grant to the cited state statute and notes the effective date in the resolution language.

Next steps and implications: the grant authorizes Northwestern Public Service to place and maintain facilities on county highway rights-of-way consistent with state law and any county or state conditions. The minutes do not record specific route maps or license fee terms; the resolution text references routes described in the company’s petition and application and says the franchise runs from the stated effective date for the period authorized by the legislature.

A follow-up: the board recorded similar franchise language again in later minutes (see board resolution entries) establishing the county record of the franchise action and its conditions.