Clark County commissioners canvass primary governor runoff, review 2027 budget

The Clark County Board of Commissioners met in special session Friday, July 28, 2026, in the Commissioner Room of the Clark County Courthouse. Chairman Sara Gjerde called the meeting to order at 8:00 a.m., with Commissioners Chris Sass, Francis Hass, David Spieker and Terry Schlagel present at the courthouse and Gjerde participating via Zoom. Clark County Auditor Christine Tarbox was also recorded as present.

During the session the board conducted a canvass of the Primary Governor runoff election and spent time reviewing the proposed 2027 budget. Commissioner Francis Hass moved to approve the meeting agenda for July 28, 2026; Commissioner Chris Sass seconded the motion and “all voting aye” carried the measure. Later in the morning the board completed its canvass and continued budget review; the minutes do not record specific canvass tallies or line-item budget determinations in the transcript.

The board recessed into an executive session at 8:02 a.m. under SDCL 1-25-2(1) following a motion by Commissioner Chris Sass and a second from Commissioner David Spieker; the chairman declared the board out of executive session at 8:53 a.m. The meeting adjourned at 10:55 a.m. on a motion by Commissioner Terry Schlagel, seconded by Commissioner David Spieker. The board set its next regular meeting for Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026.