Charter Revision Commission, 3:30 PM, MONDAY, August 26
The CRC is going to have a very busy meeting. They will start with timelines needed to put things on the Spring Ballot.
Then they will discuss changing the rules of petition gathering for charter amendments in reference to the city attorney’s opinion to ‘Triple Check the Charter’. As I mentioned, this is just the opinion of the city attorney and they want to make this assumed rule change to the charter. The citizens could vote it down in the Spring, and I recommend they do. Anybody should be able to circulate petitions in the state of South Dakota as long as you are a resident and registered voter. I think it is a violation of the 1st Amendment to limit petitioners.
Then they will discuss the power of the CRC to make a change to our form of government.
They will also review a list of recommendations made so far to the CRC then end the meeting with reviewing the charter when it comes to elections, financial procedures and departments.
It will all be finished with public input and open discussion. This could be a very long meeting.
City Council Informational, 4 PM, TUESDAY, August 27
Presentations on the Citizen Planning Academy for 2019 and the last budget item for the City Attorney’s office. I find it interesting the city’s attorney’s office ONLY has operations and personnel in their budget and doesn’t include any outside legal counsel (they sneakily tack those costs into the individual department budgets or have the council give special appropriations throughout the year).
City Council/Minnehaha County Joint budget meeting, 5 PM, TUESDAY, August 27
Budget presentations on the Museums, Libraries and Metro Communications.
At what point, I must ask, will only those who live in a taupe house (most likely south of 57th St.) be allowed to vote in a Sioux Falls election?
Now, this suggestion is rather silly, but yet, it’s believable. This petiton rule change idea is so “Jim Crow” without the racial component. It’s arbitrary and capricious like what one would expect from a fascist state. It speaks of a cronyism steeped in arrogance and an audacity, which only a corrupted mind could foster.
You would think that after a building has collapsed in violation of permit requirements, and with an overpriced ramp being built like “a bridge to nowhere,” or a $27 million payment for nothing, that those responsible for all of this would be hiding in a bunker right now, or would have left town under the cover of darkness, but oh no, they continue with an arrogance and audacity, which no true democratic person (lower “d”) could phantom.
Our city leaders have become like that kid in your neighborhood from our childhood past, who only wanted to play Wiffle ball in his backyard and according to his house rules.
Restricting the petition process is fascist. The city attorney may just pull this off. It’s not just the 15. It’s the 6,000 mailing list from the last petition. There’s evidence the county and state sense city autocracy. How about a petition signing Woodstock-like promotion at the county fairgrounds? What’s more important is deposing this mayor and electing one who promises a return to democracy.
City Clerk employee – “I am sorry, but your petitions are being rejected.”
Petitioner – “But why?”
City Clerk employee – “Well, it’s the paper stock that you used. We don’t except paper products from Kinkos ….Sorry.”
(“Kinkos?”…. “Does Kinkos still exist?”)