City of Sioux Falls claims they have a legal obligation to raise our property taxes

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Sometimes what you say is as important as what you do. In the administration’s yearly stab at raising our property taxes (even with property values and housing costs thru the roof) they are now using language that says we basically have a legal obligation to raise your taxes (Item #61):

Background & Objective: This ordinance shows the budgets of the Governmental Funds for the year ending December 31, 2024, and the required revenues and sources.

Notice the word ‘required’ added to the description. There is NO requirement that the city raises our property taxes. Budgets are fluid when you are proposing them, and the city council can amend that budget so an increase would NOT be required.

Within the actual ordinance itself, the language is even more suggestive;

That the sums of money that are listed in Exhibit A attached hereto and made a part of this ordinance are appropriated to meet the lawful expenses and liabilities of the City in fiscal year 2024.

So does the city council have a legal requirement to pass this? NO. The only requirement they have is to either pass it or not and adjust the budget accordingly. They do have a choice in the matter and to suggest they MUST legally pass this to uphold the PROPOSED 2024 budget is a load of hogwash.

This will likely pass with maybe 1 or 2 dissenters, but I hope a couple of the dissenters get together and have an amendment discussion about removing the language that suggests they must LEGALLY vote for the increase.

Over the years when I have seen past administrations pull this stunt where they tell councilors they have a legal obligation to vote YES I ask the question? Then why are they even bothering to vote if they have NO choice?

Cut the crap! There is NO legal requirement to raise our taxes, but there is a legal requirement that our city council acts within the best interest of the public’s coffers, and with one of the worst economic downturns since 2008 and housing costs skyrocketing, that best interest would be to vote NO on an increase and let the administration make the cuts to the budget THEY proposed. Then let them have a poutfest presser calling out the council for doing their due diligence.

MORE FUN WITH THE COUNCIL TUESDAY NIGHT

The council will also get an update on the disposal of the zoo mounts at the informational meeting, then they will be sucked into a series of executive sessions in which I’m sure they will be told they only have ONE option on the matter (because it is easier to bully councilors behind closed doors). It will also be interesting to see if the presentation includes any recommendations from experts.

During the regular meeting they will also be discussing creating an arts commission (Item #63). This is another initiative by the mayor’s office that has been shrouded in secrecy. While I support the concept of more public arts coordination with the city NOT under the current management.

After Sioux Falls Mayor TenHaken chides media about coverage on Zoo Mounts, silence

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Maybe if the zoo mounts were part of a food truck they would continue to cover it?

After this last week’s presser on the zoo mounts in which Paul chided the media about all the coverage, the media has been strangely quiet since.

I know, I know, there wasn’t a donation from Sanford or rejected mural designs this week, so it has been slow, but why not some followup stories;

• Speak with National and International Natural History Experts

• Talk with legislators about changing state law

• Interview ALL city councilors about their feelings on it

• When is it appropriate to have Executive Sessions? And what can be discussed?

• Elected leaders control of the media (this would be the best story).

• If not being disposed of in the landfill, where? (I think they will be cremated, which is really no different then throwing them in the dump).

It amazes me, that ONE elected official (out of 9) can just smack the media around for a couple of seconds at a press conference and the story runs cold. You could do HUNDREDS of stories about taxidermy, natural history, city history, open government, and the list goes on.

CITY OF SIOUX FALLS & DOWNTOWN SIOUX FALLS MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY WITH BUNKER RAMP MURAL

Every time I hear anything about the Bunker Ramp and Mural, I just shake my head because of a missed opportunity. I have been stating for a couple of years that you could put a BUILDING WRAP on the ramp that would advertise all the DTSF businesses. The best part is you could pay for the wrap with ad revenue and when the building is leased or sold, you simply roll it up and dispose of it.

NO RUINED ART! NO DRAMA!

While I haven’t priced one of these in a long time, my guess is it would be cheaper then the $30K it is taking to put up a mural (original art that will be destroyed). You could also incorporate images of DTSF intertwined into the piece.

With all the people working at city hall from media and marketing you would think at least one of them would have raised their hands and said, “Why not a building wrap?”

Oh that’s right, the ONE in ONE Sioux Falls stands for the only person making decisions in this city. No wonder he is stressed!

UPDATE: Forget about the dead animals, Mayor TenHaken threw open government in the dump years ago

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UPDATE: Paul is trying to make up for lost time in this interview with Belfrage. Sorry, too little, too late.

During the presser yesterday, PTH brought up he didn’t want to tell the council in executive session about this because information from those sessions tends to get leaked out. Anything within the laws governing executive sessions cannot be discussed. But any hypothetical legal discussions or policy discussions need to be in the public. Councilors CAN talk about policy and hypotheticals with the public, and he seems to be confused about what an executive session is for.

I also have heard several Sioux Falls area legislators reached out to the City Hall saying they would assist in changing the state law, they are awaiting a response.

In defense of PTH, maybe he is correct, maybe the only option we have TODAY is to dispose of the animals . . .

But, state law and city ordinances COULD be changed that could possibly save them.

That is what ‘leaders’ do. They work with the public and the stakeholders to come up with a compromise that everyone can be comfortable with instead of a poutfest presser after 11 days of dead silence.

*Note to MisTaken’s communications staff; milk, cookies and a brief nap before the next presser will work wonders, and remember to wipe those eye boogers away before the cameras are rolling!

It starts with bringing the public along in these discussions. When you look at the poison report (the only document they provide with NO recommendation) it was presented on July 21 and official on August 1. The city did not make an announcement for another 18 days. Wouldn’t the smart thing to do is hold a press conference about what options the city may have before we throw it in the council’s lap?

I would also agree with PTH that is is his responsibility to work thru the minutiae of this deal with the Zoo, but he should bring the city’s policy body along in the process instead of hurling spitballs at them at a press conference.

I could rant for days about all the crap said at this presser today (like when he kicked someone from the public out of the presser and said it was only open to the media) but at the end of the day, you can’t get all poopy pants about your laxity, have the CEO of the Zoo in almost tears, and claim others are spreading misinformation.

When you keep the public and the council in the dark, that is when rumors and speculation begin to grow, and PTH gave them 432 hours to grow that mushroom, so don’t be surprised the public is trippin’ ba!!s over this.

I don’t give two rips about who the mayor ‘thinks’ is causing issues for him, if he wants to find the real culprit, he can just look in the mirror.

Mayor TenHaken to hold presser about Zoo Bunker Mounts

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The media was informed today that the administration will be holding a presser Tuesday morning at 9:30 AM to put a hold on the timeline for the Delbridge Museum Mounts disposal.

It seems somebody has been listening. Councilor Neitzert did an interview on Belfrage this morning, and it was NOT a glowing review of city hall.

They CAN be saved, but where will the money come from?

I think we should do something like this to make them more interesting 🙂

Maybe instead of a mural on the Bunker Ramp, they could project a giant fireplace on it at night with all the mounts reduced to just head mounts surrounding it. We need to get creative, but don’t ask any experts outside of Sioux Falls, because they make us look like a bunch of rubes, oh that’s right, because we are.

I’ve been telling people recently if there was something I could change about the demographics in this community it would be making people more culturally aware. I can almost guarantee most people don’t know or don’t care about those mounts, which is unfortunate.

Trying to come up with a reasonable solution to this problem will be difficult enough, but when you are dealing with people who don’t want to have a cultural understanding of the significance of these mounts, it makes the lift even harder.

*Rumor was the mayor tried to get the Parks Board to have a special September meeting this week (they only meet once a month) to approve the destruction and disposal of the mounts. Oh the irony, we have an E2 ordinance on the books for 5 years that isn’t enforced and when faced with making a decision they plead ignorance, but somehow they have the expertise to approve disposing of invaluable mounts when the mayor snaps his fingers.

Place hand on face, shake head from left to right.

The Argument to Allow E2’s on the Rec Trail hasn’t changed in 5 years

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On December 18, 2018, the Sioux Falls City Council passed the first E-Bike ordinance only allowing E1’s. Listen to the testimony for allowing E2’s also (FF: 27:00). Folks, nothing has changed in 5 years! The only thing that has changed is that E-Bikes have become safer, lighter, more affordable and technologically advanced. Just look at this ride, the battery is so powerful you can use it as a power source (it has an inverter) and can be ridden full throttle and full headlamp for 105 miles on one charge.

Councilors Starr and Stehly tried to amend it to allow all E-Classes and were voted down. Starr’s argument holds true today, this is an opportunity for people with mobility issues (old folks) to get some exercise.

E-Bikes are not going away, in fact I think in 10 years you will probably be hard pressed to find a traditional bike in a storefront and E1’s will be considered dinosaurs.

I had to chuckle a bit during public input, former Mayor Rick Knobe suggested they put signs on the rec trail that inform people to be ‘courteous’. LOL. He got his wish.