Debbra Houseman, Finance Officer for the City of Lake Andes Named Municipal Office Person of the Year.

The South Dakota Association of Rural Water Systems (SDARWS) recently named Debbra Houseman, Finance Officer for the City of Lake Andes as the Municipal Office Person of the Year Award during the organization’s Annual Technical Conference in Pierre.

Houseman began her career as a Finance Officer with the City of Lake Andes in 2004. This past year she went above and beyond the call of duty when it came to the recent flooding in the area. It started in 2018 with much higher than normal precipitation but it really went bad in March of 2019 with a large snow cover, frozen ground and immense run off into Lake Andes. Then came September, more heavy homes and streets were under water and a dike was constructed to provide protection against sewer system failure. Temporary access was constructed to allow a business to reopen. Failure of the lift station/sewer system would have caused many homes to be uninhabitable and closure of the nursing home and the school was a real threat. At center of all of this work getting done was Finance Officer Housman. Houseman was not alone in the fight against Mother Nature but she also played a major role in assisting the City Council and the hard working and dedicated maintenance staff in getting the job done.

Houseman not only works hard for Lake Andes but she’s also active outside her Municipal Finance Officer position as she is currently President of the SD Municipal League, President of the Andes Central School Board and devotes a lot of time coordinating activities of “Fish Days” the first week of June each year. Her efforts everywhere meet and go above and beyond the call of duty.

The 2020 South Dakota Rural Water Annual Technical Conference hosted over 500 individuals and provided water and wastewater educational presentations for board members, managers, and operations specialists from throughout South Dakota.