April 2026 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer Tis the season for campaign ads and yard signs. There is no mistaking election time in South Dakota, because no matter how hard you try, you just can’t avoid the signs, mailers, commercials, and ads. Candidates work hard to gain name recognition and communicate their message, but before all that a candidate must get their name on the ballot. Candidates must get a certain number of

March 2026 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer Mistakes happen, laws change, deadlines are missed, people are unaware of the options. Because of these circumstances, the county commission occasionally issues abatements on property taxes. Property tax abatement is a legal term to indicate a reduction or nullification of tax responsibility. There are a host of reasons listed in state law why property taxpayers can request their

February 2026 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer State law dictates many aspects of our roles as county commissioners, including things like qualifications, duties, what to do in the case of a vacancy in the commission. There are several reasons a vacancy happens - death, resignation, removal or failure to qualify being the most prominent reasons. Vacancies occur more than you may think. I personally am aware of four vacanci

January 2026 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer Even though they are not nearly as noticeable in Lawrence County as they are east river, we do in fact have section lines. Section lines were created to organize settlement and facilitate land transfer with the Land Ordinance of 1785 which created the Public Land Survey System. Obviously, they weren’t drawn in South Dakota then, but mapping them began in our state in the 1850’s.

August 2025 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer It’s easy to fall into routines. We do things the way they have always been done without considering if there are ways to make the job easier or more efficient. Then someone comes along and watches you do it and shows you a better way. The South Dakota Legislature recognized some time ago that there was a better way for counties to act on Conditional Use Permits (CUP) and they aut

October 2025 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer One day this summer I received a call from the Lawrence County dispatch because there was a herd of cows that were on the gravel road I live along. I looked at them and figured out whose they were, called the owner who was out of town and unable to deal with them. With the help of my horse and dog, we herded them back up over the hill where they came from and put them back throu

October 2025 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer When it comes to taxes, most sayings focus on the displeasure of paying them, however, taxes are necessary to finance the services that the government provides, services that all citizens reap the benefit of in one way or another. The county collects property tax from every non-exempt property owner, but the county, doesn’t keep all the tax dollars it collects. The county collect

July 2025 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer I was once asked during a pasture management presentation to name my favorite plant. Of all the options of grass, forb, shrub, tree, etc. to pick from, I was at a complete loss to choose a favorite. I mentioned some grass species I see often in my pastures, but I didn’t impress anyone with my answer. Now that I’ve had time to think about it, I can say with confidence that my favori

June 2025 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer Is it just me or does it seem like we have been hearing a lot on the news about taxes and government spending. I may be more sensitive to those stories now that I am a county commissioner and can influence the counties tax rate and budget. Yes, I meant to say influence and not control, because while the county commission sets the budget, which determines how many property tax dollar

May 2025 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer Software update. The idea of software updates sends chills up and down my spine thinking of the potential consequences. Will the data and documents look the same or be corrupted? Will I be able to use my old shortcuts? Will my passwords still be saved? Oh sure, the updated software offers new tools and functionality, but how long will it take to learn how to navigate the new feature

April 2025 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer You may remember from a previous article (okay, maybe not), the County Commission is required to include certain items on its agenda. One such requirement is commissioners must declare any conflicts of interest they may have regarding the agenda items. Those conflicts are clearly announced and entered into the minutes. According to state law, a conflict of interest exists when a

March 2025 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer Spring is in the air! The snow is melting, the ground is thawing, migratory birds are returning, and we’ll soon be hearing hammers and saws. Wait. What? Yes, homeowners will soon begin work on the plans they have been contemplating all winter. For those outside the city limits, it is just a quick trip to the lumber yard and you can start building, right? Not so fast. The Lawrence

February 2025 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer The process of moving often inspires emotion. While organizing things, packing them into boxes, and sometimes letting go of items, emotions can range from happy to sad, excitement to dread, often determined by whether you are moving to a better situation than you are leaving. For the Lawrence County Public Safety departments, staff is busy packing up because moving day will soon

January 2025 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer I used to get frustrated with how long it took government bodies to make a decision and pass a bill into law. But after learning more about the law-making process, I understand the importance of the snail’s pace. The slow pace allows those involved to fully flesh out an issue and understand all the possible consequences of a proposed action. I often use the phrase “it’s better t

December 2024 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer I am certainly not an avid basketball fan, but I did follow the women’s college basketball tournament last spring. While much of the media attention is given to the players who have the most impact on their team, but they wouldn’t be able to excel if not for the contributions of the rest of the team. Last years University of Iowa’s team is a good example of that. Caitlin Clark

November 2024 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer One philosophical riddle I have been known to ponder is “if a tree falls in the forest, and no one is there to hear it, did it make a sound when it fell?” I think this question can also apply to open public meetings. If there is an open and public meeting, but there was no public in attendance, was it open and public? I believe it was open and public if the proper protocol was f

October 2024 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer Roads are often the first thing people think of when considering the responsibilities of the county. Rightfully so; they are used by everyone and the road and bridge department make up a large portion of the counties annual budget. Not all roads in Lawrence County are controlled and maintained by the county. The US and state highways are the responsibility of the SD State Depart

September 2024 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer When it comes to taxes, most sayings focus on the displeasure of paying them, however, taxes are necessary to finance the services that the government provides, services that all citizens reap the benefit of in one way or another. The county collects property tax from every non-exempt property owner, but the county, doesn’t keep all the tax dollars it collects. The county colle

August 2024 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer Lawrence County has experienced growth of residential, commercial and industrial properties at a surprising pace. Whether you have lived here for 4 years or 40, you have noticed a lot of new building taking place. Only time will tell if the growth rate continues at this pace, slow down or speed up; but whatever the case may be, we must plan for the future. We all likely have an i

July 2024 | Eric Jennings, Lawrence County Commissioner Opinion Editorial, Black Hills Pioneer It is budget time once again for Lawrence County. Actually, the budget process started sometime ago for the department heads who had to have their proposed budgets to the Auditor by mid-June. This is to allow time for the Auditor to compile the complete budget proposal, all 147 pages of it, for the County Commissioners to work on it throughout July and August. A provisional budge