MITCHELL — A local advisory board won’t need to seek budget approval again next year if its project is not finished in 2026.
The Mitchell Golf and Cemetery Board, during its meeting on Thursday, Feb. 19, discussed the $1,050,000 short course project at the Lakeview Golf Course.
A question of whether contractors would be available for constructing the five-hole short course in 2026 sparked board member Joel Reinesch to ask if the board would have to go through the whole approval process again in 2027.
Golf and Cemetery Superintendent Jason Gunnare confirmed that unspent funds approved in the 2026 budget would carry over into the 2027 budget.
This month, the Mitchell City Council overturned Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson’s veto of a $9,400 contract for securing the design services of Norby Golf Course Design Inc. The short course was discussed at the city’s budget meetings and finalized in the 2026 budget.
Reinesch told the Mitchell Republic the board has done everything it can to present the case for why the short course project is “a good thing for the community of Mitchell.”
“It’s left in the hands of the people who literally get paid to make those decisions. And I’m completely comfortable with that,” Reinesch said.
Reinesch stated the city council has taken the board’s advice seriously. “We are strictly there to advise,” he said. “We are an advisory board. We don’t spend money unless it gets council approval.”
According to Reinesch, officials don’t agree on what an enterprise fund covers regarding costs, and if and what city funds should cover. Enterprise funds should be treated with consistency, according to Reinesch.
“Can we all agree on what the parameters of an enterprise fund are?” Reinesch said. “Let’s then get those parameters out to those people who are advisory boards to those enterprise funds.”
Reinesch believes boards need to know how to fund their capital projects, and “what we can and can’t be asking for.”
In November, the Golf and Cemetery Board raised rates.
Reinesch noted Lakeview’s rates are fair and comparable among similar South Dakota golf courses.
“We’re meeting the mission of what a municipal golf course is supposed to be. We’re not supposed to be here to gouge citizens,” Reinesch said.
Short course bidding and construction
Gunnare relayed information from golf course designer Kevin Norby, who attended a recent industry conference, where contractors stated their schedules were full for 2026.
Reinesch asked what happens if Lakeview can’t get a contractor.
Gunnare noted the project would go to bid this year, and the board could give the option to contractors to bid on completing the work in 2026 or 2027. Gunnare believes that if the project were bid for 2026 it would be expensive.
“If they’re full right now, they’re not going to be very competitive,” Gunnare said.
Gunnare noted if the work were done in 2027, it would give him time to work on removing trees ahead of time to save money. The project is to be located north of the clubhouse.
The golf course is irrigated with water from Lake Mitchell, and Reinesch asked if there would be a cost to Lakeview for using city water, referring to the lake’s pending drawdown.
“Not supposed to be, but we’ll see,” Gunnare said.
The lake’s drawdown was put on hold in 2025, pending permit approval from the South Dakota Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources. According to Gunnare, the city plans to continue using the water pump house after the lake drawdown, and there’s a possibility that the golf course will hook up to city water as a backup.
Lake Mitchell is also used to irrigate the Pepsi-Cola Soccer Complex, the Cadwell Sports Complex, Mitchell Middle School’s football field and lawns of nearby businesses.
A conceptual design from Norby is a couple weeks out, according to Gunnare. The board will provide feedback after receiving a design and rough estimate. A final design is expected at least four or five weeks later.
“We’ll decide if we add or takeaway to try to meet the budget. We can’t really say until we see what we have to work with,” Gunnare said.
Marshall Mitchell is a reporter with the Mitchell Republic covering local news and politics. He has over 15 years of experience working with leaders, authors, non-profits, and small businesses in publishing, marketing, and content creation. He moved to Mitchell in December 2024, and can’t wait to hear from you. Reach out to him at mmitchell@mitchellrepublic.com.