Opinion ID: 1250307
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Whether the Suppliers Were Required to Bring Suit in Charles Mix County, South Dakota.

Text: Bank urges that if it does not prevail on issue 1, any state court action must be brought in the name of the Tribe in Charles Mix County, South Dakota (the place of the construction project), pursuant to SDCL 5-21-6. [] Appellant's reliance on SDCL ch. 5-21 is misplaced. That chapter applies to performance bonds for public improvement contracts. Although public improvement is not defined in SDCL ch. 5-21, that term is defined in a companion chapter, SDCL ch. 5-18 (interestingly, both chapters have their genesis in Chapter 300 of the 1939 Session Laws). SDCL 5-18-1(2) defines public improvement as the cost of which is payable from taxes or other funds under the control of the public corporation and also local improvements for which special assessments are to be levied. The term public corporation is defined by SDCL 5-18-1(1) as embracing the state and all counties, cities, towns, public school corporations and all officers, boards or commissions empowered by law to enter into contracts for the construction of public improvements. Therefore, it is clear that SDCL ch. 5-21 applies only to the State of South Dakota and its political subdivisions and not to Indian tribal governments. The action was properly venued in Codington County, South Dakota.