| |
First District Association of Local Governments (First District) is a voluntary association of local governments working cooperatively for the benefit of East Central South Dakota. Established in 1971, First District's purpose was the encouragement of a regional approach to planning and development, the improvement of the quality of governmental services, and the attainment of great savings from the technical assistance the District would provide. First District was the first of six districts to be started in South Dakota and originally served a ten county area.
Today the District serves 11 counties and 75 communities within the counties of Brookings, Clark, Codington, Deuel, Grant, Hamlin, Kingsbury, Lake, Miner, Moody, and Roberts.
Over the years, First District has been involved in numerous projects from planning, zoning, and community project development to housing development, geographic information systems, and direct loans for businesses. As the needs of the District's counties and communities change, so does the work direction of the District.
Although the First District is a public body, it has no legal authority to tax, issue bonds, or require local governments to comply with or implement policies. Thus, each of the eleven counties voluntarily joins First District on an annual basis.
First District Association of Local Governments is governed by a board, known as the Governing Body. The Governing Body discusses issues of regional concern and directs the activities of the District. It is comprised of designated, elected, and appointed members in the following manner:
- One county commissioner from each respective county board
- One elected municipal representative from each county
- One at-large member from each county
- Chairman of the Santee Sioux Tribe
- Chairman of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux Tribe
First District is funded by annual memberships from its member communities and counties, state and federal contracts, and fees for service activities from public and private sources.
First District's professional staff is available to assist local officials and concerned citizens explore ways to make their communities and counties a better place to live, through professional development, planning, and management services.
|
)
)
)