I reported this story two months ago after a tip from a reader, and now all of a sudden, Stormland TV stumbles across it like it just happened yesterday, HEY! This is Brandon, you know, the city that stole Automania from us, God Dammit!
Reminds me of the Argus making hay about the $25 appeal fee to parking tickets (two days after I posted about it). Did I get some kind of tip? Nope, just read the City Council agenda and attached documents.
What does our local media do anyway? Show up? Collect a paycheck, and maybe if someone craps on their reporter pads, they will do a story?
The amazing part is if that was my attitude when waiting tables, I would be a very poor man. But please, feel free to crap on my Ugly Table anytime you please.
Hate to harm your ego Scott, but this isn’t the first story Kelo has done on the Brandon park issue. This is just a follow-up story which includes some comments from residents. They probably needed some filler, so they revisited the issue – and they will probably talk about it again before the election.
As to the $25 fee, the difference between the Argus and yourself is they tend to want to get the facts before reporting the story, whereas you are more than happy to report a rumor and wait for the facts to trickle in via comments. Ask yourself how many times readers have had to correct your blog posts or interject facts to explain a situation? How many times have you had to update one of your blog posts after it was initially posted as you learned more facts? If you’re honest, you’ll admit that much of the time you post something before you know the full story just to spark a conversation. That’s fine and part of the reason why people like online forums and blogs, but a newspaper can’t really get by with that strategy and it only works in an online format where you get immediate comments and can make corrections and updates on the fly.
I know you won’t like to hear this, but conventional media is held to a higher standard and they can’t just run around reporting rumors or unverified stories. They also have a news cycle to deal with, and sometimes it can take a few days to get quotes and organize a story.
Aside from breaking news stories, for the mundane daily news most of the time the media would rather get things right and slow rather than get it quick and wrong. Since the stories you reference are hardly big issues, it stands to reason why they weren’t in a rush to report on them.
I don’t mean to offend – I just think you need to recognize the line between blogging opinions and unverified stories vs. reporting facts and the full story.
Fear not, I’m sure Poly will be along soon to tell you how great you are and how you are second only to HuffPo on understanding the issues that impact the common man or some other nonsense… so don’t give my opinion too much weight.
I took the information about parking ticket appeals directly from the city website, no rumors or tips. I was initially wrong about appealing to circuit court, but still think I am half right about that one, ask Dan Daily how much it costs to appeal an ordinance violation against the city. About 8 years and $40,000. Not exactly fair. And charging $25 appeal fee is a major news story. They are basically forcing someone who feels they are innocent to pay the $5 fine so they don’t have to deal with the situation. I take issue with someone being forced to admit guilt because they can’t afford to prove their innocence.
As for the Brandon story, I missed the previous KELO story, I am also puzzled as to why this wouldn’t be a major story. Raising someone’s property taxes $300 or more a year to pay for a park seems a bit extreme, and odd. I can’t understand why they can’t just pay down the bond with a combination of visitor fees and CIP money.
As a person that frequently has kids playing in baseball and softball tournaments in Brandon – they charge you a fine fee to be able to watch your kids play. Done wisely – they could pay for some of this through what they earn EVERY weekend starting at the end of April and ending at the end of September.
I know most on this blog won’t like to hear this – but this area is in need of massive enhancement, expansion, etc. Brandon continues to grow and their outdoor pool was built for a town maybe half the size of what it is now. Every time we are in Brandon, we eat at Subway or somewhere else, we stop at Casey’s etc. We are feeding their economy every time this area is used as Brandon is just far enough away where there usually is not enough time in between games to come back to SF. Yes this is an investment, but this will come back to them two fold.
“I took the information about parking ticket appeals directly from the city website, no rumors or tips. I was initially wrong about appealing to circuit court, but still think I am half right about that one”
But you understand my point about how the Argus or Kelo can’t really run a story until they are sure of the facts right? If they run with something before they are sure – people jump all over them. In the case of a paper they would need to print a retraction or correction the next day… something they are not fond of doing.
You have the benefit of being able to adjust rapidly as you learn more, and even when you don’t have all the facts or have some holes you can still run with it because you aren’t expected to report the full story. That is the difference between journalism and blogging, but if Kelo started reporting stories without fact checking or understanding all the details they would be lambasted. They are attacked when they get a minor detail wrong – can you imagine if they ran with a story before bothering to follow-up to know the details?
I agree with you that the Brandon park issue is a big issue, but let’s be honest with ourselves… the average person is much more interested in the death of a NFL running back’s son or what is going on at the local pumpkin patch than they are with Brandon’s tax situation.
Keep in mind most media is not here to inform or educate. They are here to generate profit via advertising, which explains why they focus upon the stories that generate the most interest – and by extension – the most page views, subscriptions, readers, or viewers.
The fact you aren’t concerned with profit and revenue puts you in a select group along with PBS, NPR, and a few others.
“But you understand my point about how the Argus or Kelo can’t really run a story until they are sure of the facts right?”
Totally, but the ticket story wasn’t onf of those stories that they needed to do a lot of ‘fact checking’ on. I clicked on the agenda item, and read the PDF document. While I was wrong about the appeal, that could be easily verified with the city attorney’s office. The problem I have with the timing of their reporting of the story is that they did it AFTER the first reading, instead making the public aware of this before it was presented to the council.
I don’t have a problem with Brandon bonding for the new parks, if they need them, as you suggest, borrowing the money is a good way to go. Unfortunately making property owners pay for this is the wrong way to go. Like I said, and I don’t know how Brandon’s CIP works, it would make much more sense to pay for the parks through sales taxes, visitor taxes and user fees.
Just further proof the Judge was right in the Willard case, bloggers are “journalists.”
$300 a year = 83 cents a day = 1/2 a cup of coffee. If that’s gonna break someone………they got bigger problems than the mill levy. Just sayin’
Craig, it reads as if you are whining. The SD media, including the Argus, are infamous for being uninquisitive, slow to the draw, waiting for the 8-4 government and company public relations officers to hand them stories in-lieu of attending government meetings, court and public hearings, and digging research for their stories. Clearly, there were and are exceptions, but the general near-daily observation is not overcome by the exceptional well-researched, timely story.
I agree Karma, folks who use it more could chip in a little extra with a small fee. I love the town of Brandon. We golf, eat and buy groceries a few times a year in Brandon.
Rufux you may be the biggest flip flopper on this blog. You’ve said people make too little, there is no middle class, people need SNAP to survive, but now they should shut the hell up and pay an extra $300 a year for sports shit. You may want to consider getting a few core beliefs.
Oh and in cased you missed it:
Editor BicycleShorts Lazy of the Huffy News Daily aka Argus Leader, worked his ass off putting out another bicycle related article this week. You know, the usual bikers get treated like the Rosa Parks. Editor Lazy has a dream: One day he can ride his Huffy up Minnesota Avenue with traffic backed up to 26th behind him, and won’t get the finger. HE HAS A DREAM
Garnett has to be proud of that hard hitting news product it puts out.
“$300 a year = 83 cents a day = 1/2 a cup of coffee. If that’s gonna break someone………they got bigger problems than the mill levy. Just sayin'”
Ruf – If peeps never use the park, that is 83 cents a day they are out of. I’m just saying.
“Craig, it reads as if you are whining.”
On the contrary – just stating the facts. I don’t always defend the media (evidence of which can be found elsewhere on this blog) but therer are clear differences with how they operate and cases where waiting a few days is a better option than rushing to be first with a story and only getting half of the facts straight.
We see the 24 hour news networks try to out-gun one another to be the first to break a story, and we also notice how often they are flat-out wrong. I see no value in being the first to report the wrong story.
“$300 a year = 83 cents a day = 1/2 a cup of coffee.”
Ruf – are you willing to hand over $300 a year in support of a new pool at Spellerberg? Hey… it won’t break you right?
The thing is, most homes in Brandon are valued at more than $100k, so very few residents will be getting by on only a $300 increase.
When you have people canceling their cable because they can’t afford the extra $35 a month, it seems a bit harsh to tax them at least $25 a month for a single park they may never actually use. Also keep in mind that bond issue isn’t going away anytime soon, so the residents will effectively pay thousands upon thousands of dollars over the lifespan of the bond all for one lone park.
It isn’t about what might ‘break’ someone – it is about getting hte most value for every single tax dollar. Perhaps I’m wrong, but it seems to me the Brandon City Council is very much disconnected from the actual residents of Brandon.
They also are getting very bad financial advice when it comes to taking out a bond.
LJL – 83 cents in todays dollars = 11 cents in 1963 dollars. In 1964, I was earning 75 cents an hour – as a 12-year old. As a 12-year old – I earned that 11 cents in just under 9 minutes of my day. Do the residents of Brandon earn less than a 12-year-old? Go figure where the “flip-flop” is at.
Craig – that’s less than my gym membership costs me for a year as it is. I just sent twice that on winter tires. So no – even though I am officially “poor” it wouldn’t break me. Besides – I’m a generally civic minded guy who believes that it is part of our personal responsibility as citizens to invest in the future of our city, county, state and nation. It’s part of being “civilized”.
“LJL – 83 cents in todays dollars = 11 cents in 1963 dollars. In 1964, I was earning 75 cents an hour – as a 12-year old. As a 12-year old – I earned that 11 cents in just under 9 minutes of my day. Do the residents of Brandon earn less than a 12-year-old? Go figure where the “flip-flop†is at.”
Does anyone know what the F@&k he just typed? How could anyone make the analogy of a 12 year old’s pay in 1964 to a 17 million dollar park today. Could you buy a 5 gallon bucket of candy for that 9 cents back then.
Oh Waite. I got it. Rufux wants to put 12 year old Brandon kids to work to pay for the playground. LMAO
I’m serious ruf, If you get just a little bit farther out there you may just spin right off this planet. Check back in with the real world when you have a clear thought and small grasp on the finances of the modern family.
ruf you seem to think if you break things down to a per day level (or even oddly enough – a per hour level in 1964 dollars) that it somehow should make it ok, but you’re missing the point.
The real world – and people’s real bank accounts – don’t reflect single line items. You may not feel that an extra $300 is a big issue, but you aren’t adding in all the other increased costs. Families are probably paying hundreds more for gasoline this year than they were a year ago. Costs for childcare have went up – clothing is more expensive – healthcare costs are on the rise – food prices are up.
Add it all up and yes it can be significant, and it can lead to financial troubles – or perhaps just risk – for many.
Nobody is saying Brandon shouldn’t build a park or expand a park – the problem is their pricetag and their idea that $3 per $1000 of value for each and every citizen in their fine city is somehow reasonable for one single park. Chances are they need more than one park for a growing city. They will probably also need some roads, a new police car or two, perhaps a new employee at city hall – so where does the money all come from?
$300 today, another $450 in a year or two… things add up and pretty soon you have residents of Brandon with tax bills that are 40% higher than counterparts in Sioux Falls. If people stop moving to Brandon because of the tax burden, is that being civic minded?
You know the old saying about the straw that broke the camel’s back right? Well if the camel isn’t already loaded that straw ($300) doesn’t weigh very much. However drop three kids, a broken transmission, a lost job, and a need to visit the doctor for the third time this year on that camel’s back and suddenly the burden is much higher.
Any way you slice it, adding $300, $450, or $600 to someone’s tax bill for a single park seems a tad outrageous… and I don’t even live in Brandon.
And another thing:
City budget 330 mil. County budget 60 mil. I spoke with some at Minnehaha County. They’re looking for a bigger share. They have more area, roads, & they are responsible for city/county social services. Time for petition process? City blows 100 mil or so on Tif’s & developer treats (fountains, landscaping). Use all doors at the courthouse for petitioners. The city will never acknowledge our homeless & working poor so take back 60 mil or so for our caring county.
Meanwhile the networks & Argus report on west river cattle loss. Keloland is also Sioux Falls where the studios & print (Argus & USA Today) places happen to be.
My monthly childcare bill is $1150 for 2 kids and that is cheap compared to what some of our friends pay per child.
I wonder what childcare cost in 1964? Oh right, that’s when the man worked and the family could afford to live on 1 income.
I would also bet that the majority of out of towers who travel to Brandon to play softball come to Sioux Falls to stay in hotels, eat at a chain restraunt, and shop ar Walmart.
I’m sure your right scott, but the real problem Brandon has is their own residents do all their shopping, eating, and entertaining in Sioux Falls as well… which explains why Brandon can’t rely upon sales tax revenue to fund their new parks.
In some small way I feel sorry for them, but it has always been a problem for bedroom communities. Harrisburg, Worthing, Tea, Crooks… they all suffer from the same issues. People are willing to buy homes there, but that is about it.
Nah – you guys don’t get my point. In real life, people don’t even think once (let alone twice) about spending $1.00 for a cup of coffee every morning on the way to work. But put the word “TAX” on that very same $1.00 and direct it toward something that’s a long-term good for the community – vs. their own immediate selfish concerns – and they go ballistic.
And where is it that attitude comes form? It’s a conditioned response to the corporate media onslaught – FOX news, talk-radio, etc. – including the adverts. It sure isn’t a Christian value.
pathloss- FYI – Lennox just dropped their mil to 9 – why aren’t people flocking to that low-tax haven in Lincoln County? Taxes on a 100K home – $900. Could there be other (quality of life – like parks etc.) factors at work here?
Good point rufusx. On the other hand, Lennox residents aren’t harassed with unqualified citations and are not denied constitutional liberty. Have you been to Tea lately. Wow, clean streets & new retail. No homeless and no crime. We should tolerate Sioux Falls for now and consider outside suburb living for later.
Mike Huether has a castle outside city limits. Mike is always right.
LJL, I enjoy your input and sympathize with your childcare cost. You have a direct approach. Keep posting. I go out of my way not to purchase in Sioux Falls. Amazon & Ebay still have no sales tax and (often) free shipping. I buy clothes from MOA in MSP (no sales tax). On my way back to Sioux Falls, I stop in Worthington to buy food (also no tax). You’d be surprised how much I save. It pays my gas & lodging to Minneapolis. You’ll never see me at the events/convention center, at Canaries stadium, at the zoo, or Wash Pavilion unless/until the city becomes citizen friendly and government returns to democracy.
People aren’t moving to Lennox because gas is 3.50 a gallon and Lennox has no jobs.
Thanks for the kind words pathloss but I don’t at all endorse not paying taxes. We simply must get our taxes back to paying for needs not wants.
Is a local park and public pool a need, sure it benefits all and provides safe places for kids to play. But a 17 million dollar activity facility is a want.
FYI, Tea has a higher mil levy compared to SF due to all those shiny new schools. Have you seen their football field????
LJL – you don’t know facts about Lennox – you’re just making assumptions based on broad generalities. There are over 400 manufacturing jobs in Lennox. Almost no one who works in them though – lives in Lennox. Meanwhile, almost nobody that lives in Lennox works in Lennox. Every morning, and every evening – there is a “great exchange” on Hwy 17, Lincoln County 116, and I-29. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. SD DOT traffic counts for SD 17 @Lennox are currently hovering in the 3600/day range – projected to be near 7,000/day in 10 years.
What’s lacking is housing. But – it should be cheap to build – right? I mean, cheap land, low taxes….. eliminate the commute costs?
No, the real reason people aren’t moving/building is LACK of AMENITIES (parks, retail, entertainment, restaurants – etc.)
Not that anyone reads things beyond the first page of this blog, but the Brandon bond vote failed horribly. Those in support of the new park managed to collect less than 7% of the vote. That’s right – over 93% of the voters voted against a 12.5MM park that would have added $300 in taxes per $100k of value.
Saw this one coming from eight miles away. Just another example of how out of touch city leaders are from the citizens.
Pathloss: Huether lives over on the East Side of town – west of Southeastern Drive. Seriously… where do you come up with some of your conspiracies?
Rufus: I suspect the Lennox issue is more than just amenities because Harrisburg and Tea have both been growing quite a bit and they still don’t have jack to do in either of those towns. They also offer no real retail options. Manufacturing jobs are one thing – but it takes more than manufacturing.
Yes amenities are great, but it takes a mixture. Communities around Sioux Falls have to compete with everything SF has to offer, and that is a lot more than just city-sponsored parks. Whether it is movie theaters, malls, museums, hardware stores, or restaurants people have very diverse demands. Sure they are willing to pay for things that will benefit their community, but it has to be in balance with what the community can support. Safe to say a 12.5MM park in Brandon doesn’t pass the balance test – especially when you see what it costs the average person.
It isn’t about a dollar a day – it is about someone else taking your dollar a day and telling you it is for the benefit of the community, when you know the reality is that dollar is for the benefit of a select few (namely the Softball teams and sponsors who started that train rolling).