On Tuesday, the Pennington County Commission accepted the resignation of Rob Miller as the county's equalization director and appointed Richard Rieck as deputy of the department.

A search for a replacement will begin soon, according to Commissioner Nancy Trautman, who provided few details about the resignation and said it was a personnel matter.

The commission held two special closed meetings last week to discuss personnel issues.

When asked if Miller's resignation was unexpected, Trautman declined to comment and referred to the statement she read during Tuesday's commission meeting.

"Rob's extensive knowledge and expertise in assessing property will be difficult to replace, but the commission understands his desire to explore other options in his life and supports him in that decision. I think I speak for everyone on this board when I say we wish him well," the statement read.

Trautman said during a phone conversation that the commission supports Miller's desire to explore options.

"We're going to support him in that, though it's tough to see somebody who's so talented go," she said.