Four resign from county weed and pest

The Custer County Weed and Pest Department is without any full-time employees after its director, field supervisor and two other full-time employees resigned last month in the wake of what the former director call “unethical conduct” by some members of the Custer County Commission.

Bill Kirsch, who resigned as director of the department Aug. 24, said he isn’t at liberty to go into detail about the chain of events that led to the resignations.

“I don’t know what I can say, other than there may be some unethical conduct by some commissioners, a hostile work environment and retaliation,” he said. “We left because of what was being done to us. I don’t know where all this is going to shake out.”

Field supervisor Steve Weise tendered his resignation effective Aug. 28 and the department’s two other full-time staff members, Kevin Kirsch and Harry Kooyman, resigned shortly thereafter.

Following the resignations, the Custer County Commission called a special meeting Aug. 24 and appointed county emergency management director Mike Carter as the temporary weed and pest director.