BENSON -- The city of Benson will add a building official to its staff after its current building official said he will step down.
Don Rawls, who the city has contracted for building inspection for six years, last week gave 30 days notice of his resignation. He wrote that he had requested to be paid for the work he did on the Fibrominn project.
"I don't have any hard feelings about leaving," Rawls wrote in a letter to the city manager. "It looks like a money thing."
Rawls did not state in the letter the amount he wanted for that work. Fibrominn is building a $142 million plant in west Benson that will create electricity by burning poultry litter. Rawls wrote that Fibrominn "took a lot of my time analyzing what they were doing."
City manager Rob Wolfington was out of the office Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.
ADVERTISEMENT
Glen Pederson, city finance director, said he has not seen an amount Rawls would like for the work.
The Benson City Council agreed two weeks ago to increase Rawls' compensation, effective Jan. 1. His base pay went up $350 a month with an additional $600 a month for Fibrominn work, Pederson said. The council also agreed to reimburse him $6,150 for expenses, he said.
A message was left at Rawls' home Tuesday. A relative said he won't comment at this time, but might later.
The City Council approved the letter Monday as part of its consent agenda. It also decided Monday to advertise for a building official, who would be a full-time city employee.
Pederson expects the position will be advertised this week. The city needs to hire a building inspector within 15 days of the date Rawls' contract expires on Feb. 18.
Also at the meeting, Bill Radio of Missouri River Energy Services spoke with the council about extending its supplemental power agreement with the company from 2030 to 2046.
Missouri River Energy Services is taking part in the construction of the proposed Big Stone II power plant in South Dakota and plans to finance it with bonds until 2046, Pederson said.
The Big Stone II power plant would be a 600-megawatt, coal-fired generating facility near Milbank, S.D.
ADVERTISEMENT
The council will likely decide on the request at its next meeting, Pederson said.
