Funding requests pile up as city faces tight budget year

Among the local service providers and event organizers seeking subsidies in next years Flandreau city budget is Moody County Transit, a local branch of a statewide program that helps hundreds of residents each year get where they need to go.
Ongoing funding cuts are threatening access to much-needed rides to doctors appointments, the grocery store, even school. Drivers say new accessible vehicles or repairs to older ones are needed, staffing is a challenge, and the programs one full-time local driver just saw nearly 200 hours of PTO wiped from his record.
They have no other way of getting places. There are a lot of people in town that I give rides to, said Chad Simon, the services only full-time local employee. Simon has been driving for Moody County Transit for 27 years.
The program, run through the Rural Office of Community Services (ROCS) out of Wagner, previously operated under the Community Action Partnership. We haul anywhere from 30 to 50 kids a day, said Simon, adding that early learning programs at Flandreau Public School have slightly reduced that number in recent years.
Public school, Head Start, luckily they all start at different times, he said.
Weve got Redeemer Lutheran Preschool, too. Pickups start at 7 a.m. with kids, and they keep coming all day. We try to get them there (schools) so they can have breakfast because for some, that might be the only meal they get that day.
Last year, the service provided more than 16,000 rides in the Flandreau and broader Moody County area; 17,000 are expected this year. The city and county have both helped subsidize the program in the past, and another funding request has been submitted for the upcoming budget cycle.
Rides cost $2 each way when scheduled in advance, $4 for same-day requests, and are donation-based for riders over 60. Funding from local sources is said to go toward fuel, maintenance, and driver wages.
The City Council spent much of its recent budget workshop reviewing the Transits request along with a long list of other local subsidy requests roughly $190,000 in total from 16 different organizations. Several council members voiced concern about approving the full amount given the citys financial constraints and upcoming obligations, including assuming responsibility for the local Ambulance Service in 2026, which is expected to operate at a loss but is considered essential.
Among the organizations requesting support:
Boys & Girls Club of Moody County Requested continued support for general operations. The club served 385 youth this past year, offering academic and wellness programs, 26,110 free meals, and daily care for more than 80 children.
Early Childhood Learning Center (ECLC) Sought funding to help open 130 new childcare slots for children ages six weeks to five years. The project will bring dozens of new jobs to the area and aims to strengthen the local workforce by improving access to early learning and care.
Flandreau Housing Corporation Proposed support for the ongoing planning and engineering of a new 14-unit apartment complex on Broad Avenue, part of a longer-term plan to address local housing shortages.
The Warehouse / Flandreau Youth Recreation Center Shared construction progress on a new community fitness and youth facility. With over $650,000 secured of an $800,000 goal, leaders hope to open by spring 2026.
Holiday Committee, City Band, and Crystal Theatre Each requested modest support for community events and programs that bring residents together throughout the year.
Council at its last meeting also approved an updated summer recreation job description to include hiring umpires, an issue the Moody County Enterprise has been following. The vote passed 42, with Ahlers and Bjerke opposed.
The first reading of Ordinance 633 was also held. If adopted, the measure would move the city election date to the first Tuesday after the first Monday in June, aligning it with primary and school board elections. The second reading is scheduled for October 20, 2025.
More on both of these in a future edition of the Moody County Enterprise.