(CSi)  South Central Dakota Regional Council Executive Director, Stacy Bowerman has been terminated, on a 3-0 vote by the board of directors, Joseph Neis was not present at the meeting.

Bowerman served as executive director since June 2017.

Regional Council president, Perry Turner, was concerned if Bowerman could provide the services needed to move forward, along with the need to develop positive relations with the nine member counties when the Regional Council is presently struggling.

Bowerman said he assumed a 24/7 position and was working 100 percent to resolve the issues he inherited, saying it felt at times as though he was working in a vacuum, and disagreed he was not performing his job duties, siting a lack of communications.

The board will arrange for an interim director for a 60-90 period from previous applicants.

The Regional Council this month approved a request to provide documentation to support a $150,000 federal loan forgiveness application for a  expansion project in Valley City from 2014.

Valley City-Barnes County Development Corp., Director, Jennifer Feist, said the John Deere Seeding Group recently added 70 jobs which satisfies the obligations of the loan forgiveness.