Remember when Michelle Erpenbach was Council Chair? This is a snowgate blast from the past. December 18, 2012 the Sioux Falls City Council was required by state law to set an election date because petitions had been filed with and verified by the City Clerk.
The City Council Chair pulled an interesting set of rules out of a body orifice to limit discussion. Kermit Staggers challenged the unknown and never before experienced or even voted on rule the Chair presented. To no big surprise to attendees, the 20 minute public silencing “rule” was used. The vote also was pushed to 2014 to no big surprise.
After this show of arrogance, the voters of Sioux Falls in 2014, slammed the Council and administration lies down by voting 76% to force the city to attach snowgates to plows for clearing snow.
We learned through these displays of misplaced priorities what to expect from the City Council and why we have worked so hard to reset Council processes to be more citizen first in 2016.
As the chair of the petition Drive for Snow Gates, I deeply appreciated Kermit Stagger’s attempt to give us the same public input opportunities that had been given to other citizen issues. (An example being the Event Center debate. Citizens were allowed to speak for hours).
I will work to treat all citizens with the same respect and consideration that Kermit did for our group, and all those who came to the Council meetings during his time as our representative.
Do snow gates work? Are they cost effective?
They do if used properly. And once plow drivers learn how to use them, they work quite efficiently.
They work because they’re not the ones with ‘Jesus in Coca Cola lettering’ on them. Sanford Hospital doesn’t like them because they prevented heart attacks the last 2 winters.