CHAPTER 6-1
ACTS AND RECORDS OF LOCAL OFFICERS
6-1-1 Local officer's interest in public purchase or contract unlawful--Contract void.
6-1-2 Conditions under which contract with local officer permitted--Contract voidable if conditions not fully met.
6-1-2.1 Conditions under which competitive bid pursuant to chapter 5-18A from officer of governing body may be accepted.
6-1-3 Deposit of funds permitted despite bank connection of public officer.
6-1-4 Limitation of actions to recover amounts paid under unlawful contracts--Fraud or deceit.
6-1-5 Failure of local officer to make official report--Procurement of information at expense of political subdivision.
6-1-6 Expense of procuring information omitted from official report--Payment--Civil liability of officer and sureties.
6-1-7 Examination of county records at end of officer's term--Proceeding against delinquent officer.
6-1-8 Examination of records and proceedings against municipal, township, and school officers.
6-1-9 Officers to provide necessary blanks and records for office.
6-1-10 Publication of payroll information.
6-1-11 Form of certain public records--Duplicate--Computerization.
6-1-12 "Local government" defined.
6-1-13 Rent control of private residential property prohibited.
6-1-14 Limitation on delegation, transfer, or assignment of taxing authority.
6-1-15 Health and dental insurance.
6-1-16 Insurance for retiring employees.
6-1-17 Official prohibited from discussing or voting on issue if conflict of interest exists--Legal remedy.
6-1-18 Officer may consider relevant information from any source--Reliance on experience.
6-1-19 Formal rules of procedure and evidence not applicable to public hearing or meeting on proposed ordinance or resolution.
6-1-20 Formal rules of procedure and evidence not applicable to public hearing or meeting on quasi-judicial matter--Public disclosure of evidence.
6-1-21 Grounds for disqualification of officer in quasi-judicial proceeding.
6-1-22 Members of governing bodies displaced by natural disaster to continue term of office.
6-1-23 Fuel gas appliances--Ban prohibited--Exclusions.
6-1-24 Fuel gas service--Ban prohibited--Exclusions.
6-1-1. Local officer's interest in public purchase or contract unlawful--Contract void.
It shall be unlawful for any officer of a county, municipality, township, or school district, who has been elected or appointed, to be interested, either by himself or agent, in any contract entered into by said county, municipality, township, or school district, either for labor or services to be rendered, or for the purchase of commodities, materials, supplies, or equipment of any kind, the expense, price, or consideration of which is paid from public funds or from any assessment levied by said county, municipality, township, or school district, or in the purchase of any real or personal property belonging to the county, municipality, township, or school district or which shall be sold for taxes or assessments or by virtue of legal process at the suit of such county, municipality, township, or school district. Such contract shall be null and void from the beginning.
Source: SL 1955, ch 206, § 1; SL 1957, ch 254; SL 1959, ch 273; SDC Supp 1960, § 10.0708; SL 1963, ch 30.
6-1-2. Conditions under which contract with local officer permitted--Contract voidable if conditions not fully met.
The provisions of § 6-1-1 are not applicable if the contract is made pursuant to any one of the conditions set forth in the following subdivisions, without fraud or deceit. However, the contract is voidable if the provisions of the applicable subdivision are not fully satisfied or present at the time the contract was entered into:
(1) Any contract involving five thousand dollars or less regardless of whether other sources of supply or services are available within the county, municipality, township, or school district, if the consideration for such supplies or services is reasonable and just;
(2) Any contract involving more than five thousand dollars but less than the amount for which competitive bidding is required, and there is no other source of supply or services available within the county, municipality, township, or school district if the consideration for such supplies or services is reasonable and just and if the accumulated total of such contracts paid during any given fiscal year does not exceed the amount specified in § 5-18A-14;
(3) Any contract with any firm, association, corporation, or cooperative association for which competitive bidding is not required and where other sources of supply and services are available within the county, municipality, township or school district, and the consideration for such supplies or services is reasonable and just, unless the majority of the governing body are members or stockholders who collectively have controlling interest, or any one of them is an officer or manager of any such firm, association, corporation, or cooperative association, in which case any such contract is null and void;
(4) Any contract for which competitive bidding procedures are followed pursuant to chapter 5-18A or 5-18B, and where more than one such competitive bid is submitted;
(5) Any contract for professional services with any individual, firm, association, corporation, or cooperative, if the individual or any member of the firm, association, corporation, or cooperative is an elected or appointed officer of a county, municipality, township, or school district, whether or not other sources of such services are available within the county, municipality, township, or school district, if the consideration for such services is reasonable and just;
(6) Any contract for commodities, materials, supplies, or equipment found in the state contract list established pursuant to § 5-18D-6, at the price there established or below;
(7) Any contract or agreement between a governmental entity specified in § 6-1-1 and a public postsecondary educational institution if an employee of the Board of Regents serves as an elected or appointed officer for the governmental entity, and if the employee does not receive direct compensation or payment as a result of the contract or agreement; and
(8) Any contract with any firm, association, corporation, individual, or cooperative association for which competitive bidding procedures are followed pursuant to chapter 5-18A, and where only one such competitive bid is submitted, provided the procedures established in § 6-1-2.1 are followed.
Source: SL 1955, ch 206, § 1; SL 1957, ch 254; SL 1959, ch 273; SDC Supp 1960, § 10.0708; SL 1963, ch 30; SL 1983, ch 44, § 1; SL 1990, ch 47, § 2; SL 1990, ch 49, § 3; SL 2000, ch 31, § 1; SL 2003, ch 39, § 1; SL 2011, ch 2, § 112; SL 2011, ch 34, § 1; SL 2014, ch 44, § 1.
6-1-2.1. Conditions under which competitive bid pursuant to chapter 5-18A from officer of governing body may be accepted.
If competitive bidding procedures have been followed pursuant to chapter 5-18A, and the bid notice has been placed on the central bid exchange pursuant to § 5-18A-13 for two weeks prior to the opening of bids, a bid from an officer of the governing body may be opened and accepted provided the consideration is reasonable and just as determined by the governing body or a disinterested governmental entity.
Source: SL 2011, ch 34, § 2.
6-1-3. Deposit of funds permitted despite bank connection of public officer.
A bank may be designated as the official depository of county, municipal, township, or school district funds, notwithstanding that an officer, director, stockholder, or employee of a bank is an elected or appointed officer or treasurer of such county, municipality, township, or school district.
Source: SDC Supp 1960, § 10.0708 as added by SL 1963, ch 30.
6-1-4. Limitation of actions to recover amounts paid under unlawful contracts--Fraud or deceit.
Any civil action to recover the amounts paid by a county, municipality, township or school district under any of the conditions of §§ 6-1-1 to 6-1-3, inclusive, must notwithstanding any other law or statute of limitation, be commenced within six months from the date of publication of the minutes recording the approval of the voucher in payment thereof or within six months from the filing of any audit report covering the expenditure therefor, whichever of the two events occurs the later; but, this limitation for commencement of civil action shall not apply where any fraud or deceit was used in securing or performing such contract.
Source: SL 1955, ch 206, § 1; SL 1957, ch 254; SL 1959, ch 273; SDC Supp 1960, § 10.0708; SL 1963, ch 30.
6-1-5. Failure of local officer to make official report--Procurement of information at expense of political subdivision.
In any case where any county, municipality, civil township, or school district officer who is required by law to make an official report to any other county, municipality, civil township, or school corporation officer, board, tribunal, or state officer, and who shall willfully fail or neglect to make such report, or fail to perform such official duty, within the time required by law or at least five days thereafter or such longer time as may be specifically stated in such request, the proper official, department, board, or commission to whom such report was required to be made or who shall be authorized to request the same, shall be authorized to procure such required or requested information at the expense of the political subdivision required to furnish the same.
Source: SL 1891, ch 98, § 1; RPolC 1903, § 980; RC 1919, § 7064; SDC 1939, § 48.0702; SL 1945, ch 212, § 1; SL 1992, ch 60, § 2.
6-1-6. Expense of procuring information omitted from official report--Payment--Civil liability of officer and sureties.
The expense of procuring such required or requested information shall not exceed ten dollars per day and the necessary hotel and traveling expenses. The expenses incurred in procuring such information shall be paid to the state or political subdivision entitled to such report or information from whom such report or information is required at the first regular meeting of the governing body of such political subdivision. Such expense shall be paid from funds available for the payment of salaries or maintenance of the office of such delinquent officer. The officer of such political subdivision whose duty it is to furnish such report or information, and the sureties on his bond shall be liable for the costs and expenses incurred in obtaining such report or information to the political subdivision which has paid same and such subdivision may recover in a civil action against him and his sureties in any court having jurisdiction.
Source: SL 1891, ch 98, § 1; RPolC 1903, § 980; RC 1919, § 7064; SDC 1939, § 48.0702; SL 1945, ch 212, § 1.
6-1-7. Examination of county records at end of officer's term--Proceeding against delinquent officer.
It shall be the duty of the board of county commissioners and the state's attorney in each county to examine the records of the several county officers, at the end of the officer's term of office, to see that they have been properly kept. Any failure must be remedied or it shall become the duty of the state's attorney to proceed against any such officer for neglect as provided in §§ 6-1-5 and 6-1-6.
Source: SL 1891, ch 98, § 2; RPolC 1903, § 981; RC 1919, § 7065; SDC 1939, § 48.0703.
6-1-8. Examination of records and proceedings against municipal, township, and school officers.
It shall also become the duty of the governing board of each municipality, civil township, or school corporation to examine the records of its several officers in like manner and, upon complaint by the proper board, the state's attorney shall proceed as provided in § 6-1-7 relating to county officers.
Source: SL 1891, ch 98, § 2; RPolC 1903, § 981; RC 1919, § 7065; SDC 1939, § 48.0703; SL 1992, ch 60, § 2.
6-1-9. Officers to provide necessary blanks and records for office.
It shall be the duty of the county, municipality, civil township, or school district officer to provide, at the expense of the county, municipality, civil township, or school corporation, such blanks and records as are necessary for making the proper record and the transaction of any official business connected with his office.
Source: SL 1891, ch 98, § 3; RPolC 1903, § 982; RC 1919, § 7066; SDC 1939, § 48.0704; SL 1992, ch 60, § 2.
6-1-10. Publication of payroll information.
Notwithstanding the provisions of §§ 7-18-3, 9-18-1, and 13-8-35, the boards of county commissioners, the governing board of each municipal corporation, and school boards shall publish with the minutes of the first meeting following the beginning of the fiscal year, or within thirty days thereafter, or in the minutes of the first meeting following the completion of salary negotiations with employees for that fiscal year, or within thirty days thereafter, a complete list of all the salaries of all officers and employees and thereafter shall publish once any salary paid to any officer or employee who has been added or whose salary has been increased. The governing board shall publish, in their minutes, at least monthly, a total of payroll by department.
Source: SL 1972, ch 37; SL 1975, ch 67, § 1; SL 1979, ch 38; SL 1985, ch 15, § 19; SL 1986, ch 60; SL 1998, ch 37, § 1.
6-1-11. Form of certain public records--Duplicate--Computerization.
Whenever the creation, maintenance, or storage of any public record is specified by state law for political subdivisions, such record may be in the form of punched cards, magnetic tapes, disks, and other machine-sensible data media within a data processing system. Such records shall be backed up by a duplicate, be accessible to viewing members of the public, and be retained in accordance with all applicable requirements for the retention of manual records. To the extent an office is computerized, the office need not keep a hard, paper copy. If current public records are converted to a computerized format, the political subdivision may destroy those records which the state records destruction board has pursuant to § 1-27-19, declared to be of no further administrative, legal, fiscal, research, or historical value.
Source: SL 1987, ch 64, § 1; SL 1988, ch 61, § 1.
6-1-12. "Local government" defined.
As used in § 6-1-13 local government unit is any political subdivision of this state including a county, township, municipality, or other unit of government, if the political subdivision provides local government services for residents in a geographically limited area of this state as its primary purpose and has the power to act primarily on behalf of that area.
Source: SL 1990, ch 51, § 1.
6-1-13. Rent control of private residential property prohibited.
No local governmental unit may enact, maintain, or enforce any ordinance, resolution, or other enactment that would have the effect of controlling the amount of rent charged for leasing private residential property. This section does not impair the right of any local governmental unit to manage and control residential property in which the local governmental unit has a property interest.
Source: SL 1990, ch 51, § 2.
6-1-14. Limitation on delegation, transfer, or assignment of taxing authority.
No governing body of any county, municipality, school district, township, or special taxing district may delegate, transfer, or assign its taxing authority to any commission, board, person, or corporate entity which is entirely or partly comprised of members not duly elected by the voters of said jurisdiction.
Source: SL 1995, ch 265, § 3.
6-1-15. Health and dental insurance.
Any municipality, county, or school district may obtain and pay for all forms of health insurance, a dental insurance plan, or both, or in lieu thereof, make other arrangements, including entering into agreements with others, which agreements may create separate legal or administrative entities pursuant to chapter 1-24.
Source: SL 1997, ch 31, § 3.
6-1-16. Insurance for retiring employees.
Any municipality, county, or school district may provide for health insurance for retiring employees and their spouses and dependents as the governing body may deem appropriate.
Source: SL 1997, ch 31, § 4.
6-1-17. Official prohibited from discussing or voting on issue if conflict of interest exists--Legal remedy.
No county, municipal, or school official may participate in discussing or vote on any issue in which the official has a conflict of interest. Each official shall decide if any potential conflict of interest requires such official to be disqualified from participating in discussion or voting. However, no such official may participate in discussing or vote on an issue if the following circumstances apply:
(1) The official has a direct pecuniary interest in the matter before the governing body; or
(2) At least two-thirds of the governing body votes that an official has an identifiable conflict of interest that should prohibit such official from voting on a specific matter.
If an official with a direct pecuniary interest participates in discussion or votes on a matter before the governing body, the legal sole remedy is to invalidate that official's vote.
Source: SL 2005, ch 40, § 1.
6-1-18. Officer may consider relevant information from any source--Reliance on experience.
An elected or appointed municipal, county, or township officer may receive and consider relevant information from any source to perform the duties of office. An elected or appointed municipal, county, or township officer may rely on his or her own experience and background on any official matters, subject to the applicable law and rule concerning recusal and disqualification of a public officer.
Source: SL 2015, ch 54, § 1.
6-1-19. Formal rules of procedure and evidence not applicable to public hearing or meeting on proposed ordinance or resolution.
Any public hearing or meeting conducted by an elected or appointed municipal, county, or township officer regarding any proposed ordinance, resolution, or regulation on any subject is legislative in nature and may be conducted informally to the extent the officer deems necessary to secure public comment on matters of public interest. The formal rules of procedure and evidence do not apply to the conduct of the public hearing or meeting. This provision does not abrogate any open meeting requirements in chapter 1-25.
Source: SL 2015, ch 54, § 2.
6-1-20. Formal rules of procedure and evidence not applicable to public hearing or meeting on quasi-judicial matter--Public disclosure of evidence.
Any public hearing or meeting conducted by an elected or appointed municipal, county, or township officer regarding a quasi-judicial matter as defined in subdivision 1-32-1(10) may be conducted informally to secure the information required to make a decision. The formal rules of procedure and evidence do not apply to the conduct of the public hearing or meeting. If an officer relies upon any evidence not produced at a public hearing or meeting, the officer shall disclose the evidence publicly and include the information in the public record to afford all parties an opportunity to respond or participate. Failure to make this disclosure may be grounds for the municipal, county, or township officer's disqualification for that particular decision, pursuant to the grounds for disqualification pursuant to § 6-1-21.
Source: SL 2015, ch 54, § 3.
6-1-21. Grounds for disqualification of officer in quasi-judicial proceeding.
An elected or appointed municipal, county, or township officer may receive input from the public, directly or indirectly, about any matter of public interest. Such contact alone does not require the officer to recuse himself or herself from serving as a quasi-judicial officer in another capacity. An elected or appointed officer is presumed to be objective and capable of making decisions fairly on the basis of the officer's circumstances and may rely on the officer's own general experience and background. Only by a showing of clear and convincing evidence that the officer's authority, statements, or actions regarding an issue or a party involved demonstrates prejudice or unacceptable risk of bias may an officer be deemed disqualified in a quasi-judicial proceeding.
Source: SL 2015, ch 54, § 4.
6-1-22. Members of governing bodies displaced by natural disaster to continue term of office.
Any member of a governing body of a county, municipality, school district, township, or special purpose district, who is displaced from the district, county, municipality, township, ward, or precinct from which the member was elected or appointed to serve by flood, tornado, fire, or other natural disaster may continue to serve until the expiration of the member's term.
Source: SL 2016, ch 42, § 1.
6-1-23. Fuel gas appliances--Ban prohibited--Exclusions.
No local ordinance or regulation may prohibit the use, production, manufacture, or transport of fuel gas appliances within the state. This section does not apply to a generally applicable zoning ordinance, building regulation, or fire code if the ordinance, regulation, or code is not used to prohibit the use, production, manufacture, or transport of fuel gas appliances within the state.
For the purpose of this section, the term, fuel gas, means natural gas or propane.
Source: SL 2023, ch 19, § 1.
6-1-24. Fuel gas service--Ban prohibited--Exclusions.
No local governmental unit, as defined in § 6-1-12, may enact or implement any ordinance, resolution, or policy that prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting the use, production, or transportation of natural gas, propane, or any other fuel gas service as a type or class of service. This section does not apply to a generally applicable zoning ordinance, building regulation, or fire code if the ordinance, regulation, or code is not used to affect a prohibition on the use, production, or transportation of natural gas, propane, or any other fuel gas service as a type or class of service.
Source: SL 2023, ch 20, § 1.
