Meet the Candidates for Bison Town Board
Wed, 03/27/2024 - 12:37pm
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For the first time in several years, there are more candidates for Bison’s Town Board than there are open positions. Voters will go to the polls on Tuesday, April 9 to decide the outcome.
The contest for two three-year terms as a Trustee for the Town Board of Bison is between incumbents Luke Clements and Shiloh Baysinger; and Tracy Buer who is hopeful to unseat one of them.
The Courier sat down individually with each of them to discuss why they are seeking the position, what they see as major issues around town and how they feel they can be of help.
Shiloh Baysinger
Half-way through 2023, Shiloh Baysinger was appointed by the current Board of Trustees to fill a vacancy created when a former member resigned with 1-1/2 years remaining in that term of office.
Baysinger says that things are moving in the right direction for the town – especially with the large sewer/lagoon project. He wants to continue to do what he can to see it through to completion.
He has been the manager at Perkins County Rural Water Systems since 2017, is on a first-name basis with the employees at South Dakota Rural Water and sits on the South Dakota Water/Wastewater Agency (SDWARN) board. He feels that his experience in that area is an asset to the town’s utility services.
Although his experience with town business is still new, he is beginning to understand the fine balance between available funds,
the money that it takes to complete projects and the need to prioritize them.
He is knows of grants that could be applied for to aid water and sewer systems and street maintenance and repair.
Baysinger is well aware of the poor condition of many of the town’s streets yet, he said, “I’d rather drive on gravel than have sewage in my basement.” Therefore, he counts the sewer/lagoon project as the number one priority right now.
That doesn’t mean that he discounts the need to improve the streets. Getting the streets in good condition is going to take “a lot of footwork,” he said. “Money is the issue” and revenue sources are limited.
Like everything else in today’s economy, the cost of supplies has risen and sometimes the time that it takes to receive needed supplies can be lengthy, adding to the money problem.
One possible solution would be an additional 1% in city sales tax, according to Baysinger, money that could be earmarked solely for street maintenance. Once money started coming in the board could work on a schedule for street repair.
There is a street policy, currently in the hands of the town’s attorney Shane Penfield, for review and update. Since coming onto the board last summer, Baysinger has not actually seen that policy but said, “We just have to enforce it.”
Likewise, trustees are currently working on a construction policy for updates and maintenance of the sewer and water systems. That soon-to-be-approved policy came about at Baysinger’s suggestion.
When asked if he sees anyway to cut the town’s budget so there could be more money for services and less out of pockets for town people, he’s quick to point out that the budget is already pretty bare bones. There’s just “not a lot” of room for cutbacks, he said.
While not in any way advocating that the town should close the municipal bar, he does admit that it isn’t doing the job it was meant to do – that being to provide an additional revenue source for town coffers.
In closing, Baysinger said that he would appreciate the confidence of voters to allow him to continue to “put in my two cents.”
Baysinger is a Bison native and 1999 graduate of Bison High School. He and his wife Brandi have a ten-year-old son, Tate.
Tracy Buer
Contrary to what Shiloh Baysinger said about not really having an agenda, Tracy Buer does have one. He wants to fix Bison streets. He does, however, recognize that the board’s current focus has to be the sewer/lagoon project, already in play.
Buer cites 35 years of experience in building and maintaining streets and roads. He worked for the Perkins County Highway Department for 28 years and, for eight of them, was the Highway Superintendent. Currently, Buer owns and operates Buer Blading and has added a road grader and other equipment to his fleet, continuing to build and maintain roads. He also owns Trace Welding. “I know how to build a road and to prepare it for chipseal,” he said. “Basically, you need gravel base, oil and good drainage to build a good street.”
In the past, the Perkins County Highway Department worked with the Town of Bison, providing some of their equipment and resources to chip seal city streets. Buer said that he could lend his knowledge and resources to help with street repair and construction and believes that some of the work could be done “in house,” in addition to using contractors. He said he knows that he could find some volunteer help, too, which would be a cost savings to the town.
A few years back, when he was the county’s highway superintendent, he rebuilt East Carr Street, west from Coleman Ave., past the fair building to the city limits. He’s proud that that road has held up well.
As a former government highway worker, he still maintains some state contacts and believes there are grants available for the town. “I feel confident that I could help,” he said.
Buer is familiar with the governmental budgeting process, too, having had to prepare the road budget for the county highway department during his reign as highway superintendent. He said that he’s up for the challenge and would like the opportunity to serve on the Town Board.
He believes that there should be a written plan of attack for prioritizing street work. He also thinks that people should be able to drive, walk or ride bicycles in town without “getting muddy.”
Buer has served 25 years on the Perkins County Fair Board and is a talented musician who performs with his guitar and vocals. Most recently he was asked to do a concert for the National Quarter Horse convention near Las Vegas. He and his wife Tammy made the trip together.
Tracy and Tammy have five grown children and eight grandchildren. Both are Bison natives. He graduated with the BHS Class of 1980.
Luke Clements
Luke Clements is the most experienced member of the current Town Board of Bison, having served an accumulated 12 years. He is currently the board chairman, as he has been in the past, and is familiar with current projects and others that are on the table.
For more than a decade, the town’s trustees have researched – and even bid – the lagoon and sewer project. Those bids and other options have always come in very high, holding the board “hostage,” according to Clements, costing more than this town could afford. Clements feels that they finally have a funding package and terms that they can work with. “At the end of the day,” he said, “it needs to be done!”
Other costly projects – such as fixing the town’s street, sidewalks, curbs and gutters and the water tower, which froze up in January, are on his agenda. All are big expenses.
Clements said, “I just want to keep the momentum of projects going forward and to make the Town of Bison the best it can be.”
In addition to his duties as Chairman of the Town Board, Clements represents the town as their representative on the Perkins County Rural Water board and also on the South Dakota Association of Rural Water Systems board of directors.
He is extremely civic-minded. He’s a member of the American Legion and their Color Guard, helped to write Perkins County’s Comprehensive Plan, is a leader on the Economic Development board, Commercial Club and the
Bison Country Club, all of which have educated him and helped him to make decisions that have proved helpful in his role on the Town Board. He is also a volunteer firefighter.
Clements has attended trainings throughout the state to continue educating himself about budgeting, road work and more. Networking with other municipalities is an invaluable tool.
He and his peers at City Hall recognize that the town’s revenue sources are scarce. Most funnels down from the state from taxes paid by the citizens of Bison and from the city sales tax that has been in effect since 2008. Income from utilities, such as water, sewer and garbage, barely cover the costs of those operations and maintenance.
Currently, the board is looking into how to make the municipal bar a better source of revenue – revenue that could be moved to other budget areas to help fund them.
Clements cited inflation and increasing insurance costs as well as employee wages, maintenance and supply costs that eat up the existing revenue.
His hope is to keep the town moving forward, in the right direction, and to “look to the future.”
“I’m not a politician,” Clements said. He likes “black and white.”
Clements is a 24-year lineman and graduate of Mitchell Vo-Tech. He has worked at Grand Electric and made his home in Bison for 19 of those years. Previously, he worked at West River Electric in Rapid City. He’s a native of Philip, SD, graduating high school there in 1998. He likes the rural, small community way of life best. He’s also a veteran who served with the South Dakota National Guard for eight years.
Luke and Trisha have two children, Alyx, a high school junior, and Zane, a fifth grader at Bison School.
