On January 7, newly elected Lincoln County Commissioner, Betty Otten, took her seat in the Lincoln County boardroom replacing District 2 Commissioner, James Jibben.
Betty Otten has had experience in a multitude of positions throughout the years including being a business owner, a community education teacher, working in corporate business, healthcare, being a licensed radiologic technologist certified in special procedures in both South Dakota and Arkansas, as well as being trained as a hospice volunteer.
While she is retired now, Otten and her family serve the public in multiple ways.
“My husband, Ernie, is currently the District 6 State Representative and Senator-Elect. Our son, Brad, is Governor Noem’s Director of External Affairs. I am currently the elected chair of the Lincoln County Republicans for the past two years,” she said.
Since 2020, Otten has been attending the Lincoln County Commissioners meetings to learn more about the community she lives in.
“I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly through the meetings. I led the effort resulting in the stunning defeat of two different opt-outs, or tax increases, by our commissioners via referendum ballots, one in 2020 and again in 2021 from a unanimous vote of the Commission. No matter how many public comments you make, or emails you send, nothing changes until you actually have a vote,” Otten said.
There is no hesitation from Otten on being ready to take over the position.
“I’ve been attending the Commission meetings in person since early April 2020. Just a few weeks later, the Lincoln County Democratic Chair Chad Skiles also started attending. We became friends and realized we were on the same page when it came to county issues -- we put politics aside. It was during this time that the Judicial System and the States Attorney’s Office knew they needed an urgent plan for additional courtrooms. The Commission created the 12-member Courthouse Improvement Advisory Committee that started on January 5, 2021. Chad and I both applied as citizens and were appointed to serve. So, we were both fully invested in the Justice Center from the very beginning and are excited to see it being built and brought to life,” she said.
There are many things Otten feels the current commission has done well on.
“The commission backed our Auditor to create the Financial Action Network (FAN) in 2021 to 2022,” she said.
FAN was comprised of high-level business and accounting professionals to provide analysis and recommendations about future steps the county should take to ensure statutory obligations and future needs are met.
Changing public comment to allow live public comment on each agenda item was a great step in the right direction, Otten also believed along with unanimously approving the July 2024 $15 million Tax Increment Financing District that will be used to offset the cost of infrastructure along the 85th Street and Interstate 29 area, which is the site of a future highway interchange.
Otten does feel changes need to be made to keep Lincoln County moving forward and with more transparency.
“I would like to see Lincoln County join social media via Facebook and Instagram so the public can easily get more information about events. It won’t be easily done with staff, but I believe we should set up a one-night meeting a month as promised by past commissioners for at least six months with a lot of communication to make it a success. If the public doesn’t attend, as it’s something they’ve asked for, we can just go back to morning meetings. I would also offer more transparency for the public as in more frequent public reports from the State’s Attorney, Sheriff, and Equalization officers with a simpler, more understandable budget report each month,” Otten said.
Otten began her new position Tuesday, January 7 in the Lincoln County boardroom where she will learn of her new role and committee positions.
“Lincoln County has so much future potential and I’m grateful I’ll be able to see some of it come to fruition. I’m also looking forward to bringing sunlight to thwart a lot of misinformation on some of the Lincoln County projects,” she said.
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