The Custer County Board of Commissioners met Wednesday, January 7, 2026, unanimously approving purchase of an 8,500-gallon water trailer to address inefficiencies in delivering water to remote county roads and boost firefighting capacity.
Water Tanker Purchase
The board unanimously approved $8,500 to purchase a used 1986 water trailer, including $3,500 for the trailer and approximately $5,000 in repairs. The 8,500-gallon capacity more than doubles the county’s current 4,000-gallon water trucks.
Road and Bridge Director Vince Koch told commissioners the county’s water trucks make 1.5 to 2-hour round trips to deliver water to remote county roads, sometimes limiting operators to two loads per day while grader crews wait. The larger trailer will allow tractors to offload water into smaller trucks at remote job sites or spray roads directly.
Koch emphasized firefighting benefits, noting the trailer could shuttle three times the water to wildfires and allow fire trucks to offload directly from the tanker. Needed repairs include tires, brakes, and a broken spring. The purchase will be funded from cash reserves through a budget amendment.
Landfill Reporting Crisis
Commissioner Paul Vogelsong reported the county faces a February 12 deadline to update EPA landfill reports missing since 1994. The state discovered the only report filed in 31 years was one the county submitted last year for 2024.
Required reports track current pit volume, materials including hazardous waste and liquids, and potential gases created. The state is demanding complete updates covering all 31 years.
The county may need to hire a contracted engineer to conduct required testing, which could require a budget line item. Vogelsong and Road and Bridge staff will search 31 years of files to reconstruct landfill history. Future annual reports will require ongoing testing of vapor gases and liquid monitoring.
Emergency Response Planning
Commissioners reported progress on mass casualty incident planning following a recent crisis management meeting. The county plans both a tabletop exercise and an active shooter drill at a Custer County school during spring break.
The training will use students with mock wounds to create realistic conditions. Multiple agencies including fire, coroner, sheriff’s office, and EMS will participate. The exercise may include state assistance with highway closures and will test EOC activation and unified command protocols to clarify which agencies lead during different incident types.
Chairman Bill Canda said the exercise will prepare the county for various scenarios, from active shooters to simultaneous emergencies like someone falling off Crestone Needle during a wildfire.
Facilities Projects
Commissioner Epp reported the county spent $7,500 to replace deteriorated brick on the oldest county building, with work completed over two days.
The county will remove failed split unit HVAC lines from the original building’s upper portion after all insulation deteriorated. Staff will develop alternative cooling plans for the rock house and assessor’s office. The roof on the oldest building will likely need replacement within 10 years.
An engineering firm will manage the sidewalk project, handling bidding and paperwork because the county lacks personnel. County Attorney Dan Slater will review the contract. The roof over the building housing Department of Human Services and part of the clerk’s office will go out for bid this year.
The county is obtaining generator quotes from Black Hills Energy. Black Hills is considering plant outages during high wind and high fire risk conditions, similar to Xcel Energy’s practice.
Administrative Updates
Epp reported on coordination meetings with Finance, HR, and Payroll to avoid duplicating efforts. The county met with auditor Sam DiNardo about upcoming audit preparation, covering grant accounting, budget tracking, amendment documentation, and lease organization. DiNardo approved the county’s practice of grouping multiple budget items into single resolutions, provided the county maintains organized documentation packages.
The board postponed health insurance and reinsurance discussions to next week when an insurance representative can attend.
Insurance Renewals
The board unanimously approved renewal of the Airport Board public officials liability insurance at $7,910, a $224 increase from the previous year. The 12% rate increase reflects higher airport revenues, which underwriters use to calculate exposure to claims. Coverage levels remain unchanged. The airport board manages operations and supervises the airport employee.
The board unanimously approved catastrophic medical insurance for inmates at $4,427.28, an increase of $128.76. The 3% increase reflects rising medical costs and inmate census trends. The policy provides catastrophic coverage beyond basic medical needs for inmates in county custody. The sheriff’s office has carried this coverage for years with no claims filed. All coverage levels and deductibles remain unchanged.
The insurance company based rates on an average inmate count of four for 2025, currently projecting one inmate for 2026.
Epp said he plans to work with insurance broker Gallagher to take all supplemental policies out to bid before next year’s renewals. He noted renewal quotes have been arriving with only one week until policy expiration, which doesn’t allow adequate time for due diligence.
Public Comment
A resident thanked commissioners for their efficient work at the start of the year.
The meeting adjourned at 9:41 AM.
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