I guess the state decided to bail on giving Minnehaha County transportation monies for a bridge, so the commission voted today to sue the state over it;
Consider Motion to Authorize Appointment of Johnson, Janklow, Reiter & Parsons to Represent Minnehaha County in Civ 16-1275, the Appeal of the Denial of a Bridge Improvement Grant by the State of SD Transportation Commission – Robert Wilson
I guess the commission budgeted for the money and the state pulled it without notice. It’s funny because Minnehaha County and Sioux Falls are the cash cows for the state, and then they turn around and stick it to us.
I often sympathize with the county. Their budget is nearly four times less than the city of Sioux Falls. Yet they have more miles of road and the overcrowded jail to maintain. The county balances their budget while the city is half a billion in debt. Not only should the county get this bridge money, the state should partition them more tax dollars. Huether’s country club spending is shameful abuse of public funds. Home Rule Charter has made the city a feudal empire where the king rules unchecked. A good answer locally would be a merged county/city government. The county is also the courts and citizens constitutional civil rights could be restored. It’s time for the city sovereign nation to return to democracy known as the United States.
The county handles welfare while the city rounds up the homeless and jails them at county expense. Perhaps the state has noticed and this lawsuit is meant to steer county and city into one government. A populace responsible entity. Not a city that builds a gladiator coliseum, baths for affluent swim teams, a golf course hotel, and a three story No Tell Motel next to a XXX theater.
No sympathy for the County Commission from me. They fail in their responsibility to adequately fund county government. They harp and whine about the performance of the other elected county officials while underfunding their offices. They had an opportunity to present a unified plan for increased funding to the legislature for the legislative study on funding and they failed to do so. Chairman Heiberger has no influence within the ranks of her Republican members of the legislature. They dismiss her and suggest another opt-out. The Commissioners invited Minnehaha County members of the Legislature to attend one of their budget hearing and only one showed up – a Democrat. As a group the Commissioners are resigned to being ineffectual for taxpayers and loyal Republican party hacks.
The Counties have tried to find other funding avenues but it is our legislature that tells them they have enough money. Just how they like to tell the schools they have enough money to keep great teachers around and to keep things afloat! We are falling behind people!