Hill City Prevailer

Prevailer office now at Old World Plaza

Published by admin on Wed, 03/04/2026 - 9:14am
The Hill City Prevailer News has relocated, moving from its longtime office at 333 Main St. No. 7 to the Old World Plaza. The official address is 280 Main St. #7. The Prevailer office hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Southern Hills Publishing general manager Jason Ferguson said the Prevailer is grateful to Old World Plaza owner Wally Matush for the space and the staff is excited about the upgrade location.

Residents to see one-time credit

Published by admin on Wed, 03/04/2026 - 9:13am
Aldermen approved a one-time credit for water and sewer bills in Hill City. The move, made at the Feb. 23 Hill City Common Council (HCCC) meeting, is in response to a change in billing dates to water and sewer bills.
“Everyone will receive two bills in March,” said city administrator Nate Anderson. 
One is due on the 11th and one is due the 25th.
The new billing is a result of changes made to Title 8 of the water and sewer ordinances, which will essentially shorten the billing cycle. 

Disclosure not required for bus records

Published by admin on Wed, 03/04/2026 - 9:11am
The South Dakota Department of Public Safety has confirmed that mechanical issues with school buses in the area did prompt buses being taken off the road in February.

Governor launches website estimating property tax relief, but not higher sales tax impact

Published by admin on Wed, 03/04/2026 - 8:51am
A new page on South Dakota Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden’s website shows how much homeowners would save on property taxes if lawmakers approve his optional half-percent sales tax for counties.
He didn’t say, though, how much more the average person would spend on sales taxes.
Bureau of Finance and Management Commissioner Jim Terwilliger took a shot at answering a question about that Thursday from South Dakota Searchlight.

Keystone Town Board accepts bid

Published by admin on Wed, 02/25/2026 - 9:40am
The town of Keystone  accepted a $1,667,550.62  bid from RCS Construction for the sewer upsize project. The acceptance took place at the Feb. 18 Keystone Town Board meeting. 
The bid was one of 11 the project received. The engineer’s estimate was over $4 million, said town engineer Zach Grapentine. Four bids were under $2 million, three bids under $3 million and one bid was over $5.5 million. Grapentine said when the project began prices were high and there were fewer bidders for projects. 

Road divided on what led to bus strike

Published by admin on Wed, 02/25/2026 - 9:36am
The only thing certain in the Harlow’s Bus Service situation that unfolded late last week is some drivers resigned and walked off their jobs last week. 
The reason(s), however, is unclear.
One driver, who wishes to remain anonymous due to fear of “repercussions,” said he left because of unsafe buses saying, “even if one child is hurt over this, our paycheck is not worth it.”
“I was not encouraged by my immediate supervisor to resign,” the driver said.

Governor-backed plan advances as Legislature continues to cull property tax reduction ideas

Published by admin on Wed, 02/25/2026 - 9:33am
The South Dakota Senate endorsed a proposal recently that would allow counties to implement a half-percent sales tax to reduce property taxes for homeowners.
The bill passed the chamber with a 20-14 vote and now goes to a House committee.
The plan is from Republican Gov. Larry Rhoden. It would let counties levy up to a half-percent sales tax and use the money to offset the county’s portion of property taxes on owner-occupied homes, in the form of credits to property owners.

Committee-endorsed plan would use some state revenue growth to reduce property taxes

Published by admin on Wed, 02/25/2026 - 9:31am
The Senate Taxation Committee endorsed a bill 4-3 recently that would create a new fund to offset taxes for all South Dakota property tax categories, using a portion of the state’s annual general fund revenue growth to fill it.
The bill is one of several major property tax proposals moving through the legislative process. Some other proposals were rejected by the House and Senate.

School future gets technical

Published by admin on Wed, 02/18/2026 - 8:42am
While Hill City continues to outperform state and national averages in academic achievement, the district is broadening its focus to support students pursuing diverse post-graduation pathways by investing in a new Career and Technical Education (CTE) facility.
As universities graduate students into increasingly saturated fields, the country faces a growing labor crisis driven by a shortage of skilled trades workers.

Chamber gets funding for birthday events

Published by admin on Wed, 02/18/2026 - 8:41am
About a half dozen merchants came to the Feb. 9 Hill City Common Council (HCCC) meeting in support of the Hill City Area Chamber of Commerce in its request for funding for a special Hill City birthday event. 
The proposed idea by Erica Layton, executive director of the chamber, is to hold the celebration Memorial Day weekend, starting at the Hill City Center for a locals gathering complete with a birthday proclamation, state dignitaries, hors d’ouveres, cake and Smokey Bear. Layton called it a “nice little get together for the community.”