County Commissioners: In Brief

During their regular session held on Dec. 7, Valley County Commissioners met with Mayor Becky Erickson and Director of Public Works Robert Kompel.

The county commissioners passed a motion to accept a request from Sheriff Glen Meier to retire from his position on Dec. 31, leaving behind a legacy that Commissioner Dave Reinhardt recalled as being unique. According to Reinhardt, there were high levels of cooperation between all departments during Meier's tenure which resulted in the good of the county. He also pointed out that a good relationship between the county and the sheriff's department is rare in other counties across Montana.

Another motion was brought to the table to appoint Undersheriff Vernon Buerkle as interim sheriff for the remaining two years of the term, which passed unanimously. Prior to voting, the commissioners confirmed with Valley County Attorney Dylan Jensen that it was appropriate to appoint a sheriff in this situation. The commissioners also received a letter signed by six sheriff's deputies in support of Buerkle to be appointed as interim sheriff in Meier's absence, and those letters were taken into consideration before appointing Buerkle. Buerkle will assume the post effective Jan. 1.

The newly appointed sheriff will bring 36 years of experience in law enforcement, beginning his career in 1975 and spending the last 21 years with the Glasgow Police Department. The transition to sheriff will likely be a smooth one, as Buerkle has been the undersheriff for the past 15 years, 14 years of which were under Sheriff Meier.