Okay, more speculation from SF #1 conspiracy theorist, Detroit Lewis.
After watching public input last night at the regular council meeting, I became a bit suspicious as to why 25 minutes was spent on a non-agenda item, an indoor pool at Spellerberg. In an almost rehearsed well choreographed presentation, each speaker came up to the podium to tell the mayor and council why we need an indoor pool at Spellerberg. At first I thought, “Shouldn’t they be addressing the public (voters) instead of the mayor and council?†The issue whether we build an ‘outdoor’ pool at Spellerberg will be on the municipal ballot in 2014. The key word here is ‘Outdoor’ I also found it a bit strange since the election was over a year away. When Citizen Stenga approached the podium and made this remark, “It’s a good thing CITIZENS will be voting on this.â€
Or will they?
I’ve been researching whether the mayor and city council can legally trump the Spellerberg petitioners by either;
– Approving an indoor facility before the election, which could possibly make their petitions null and void, OR
– Putting an indoor facility on the ballot with the outdoor facility. This seems more like a reality. Why? Well the Spellerberg petitioners kind of pigeon holed themselves by setting a price tag for an outdoor pool, where the city can pretty much just say;
Do you want a $7 million dollar outdoor facility that you can only use 3 months out of the year, OR an indoor facility (Pricetag to be determined) that you can use all year?
Obviously this wouldn’t be the EXACT ballot language, but you get the gist of what I am getting at. City Hall is up to something. The city has been denied an indoor facility TWICE by the voters, and there is certain people in City Hall that are not going to let the VOTERS turn this down again. Keep your eyes peeled, something smells fishy.
Citizen Stenga & Tree Trimming
As I mentioned above, Tim gave another Oscar performance last night. Besides the pool issue, Tim talked about the city trimming boulevard trees. He said, in the past during Project TRIM, the city would charge you $150 per tree to trim your (their) boulevard trees, but during the ice storm that city was paying anywhere from $30 to $90 per tree for contractors to trim back any hangers or potential troublesome branches (according to Tim). Tim questioned the difference, he also questioned why isn’t the city just trimming these trees all the time? To which the mayor blurted out “We are not trimming the trees!†Ah, yes you are, because one of my boulevard trees was trimmed, and I did not do it. So either the city did it, a contractor they hired did it, or the tree fairies came in the middle of the night and did it. Either way Mike, your lies are going to start catching up with you, you wouldn’t want to make GOD unhappy with you? Would you?
City will buy the State Theatre a film projector
(to help underpriviledged kids watch movies for FREE).
The city approved the $63,000 expenditure as long as the State gives away FREE tickets to ‘deprived’ kids in exchange.
I was at both the Informational and the 7:00 meetings.
I think what triggered the “indoor pool input” was the presentation of the 10 year aquatics master plan that was given by the consultant at the 4:00 meeting. The Council Chair did make a disclaimer at that meeting……no Council action will be taken until after the public votes in April 2014.
The “indoor pool input” did appear to be “rehearsed”.
There was no way to tell if this is the Mayor’s newfound “sensitivity” regarding public input, or whether he just let them continue because this is a cause he supports! I wonder what would have happened if it had been the citizens who ran the zoning referendum!!?? When I attended last week’s 7:00 meeting, he never missed an “opportunity” to throw these people under the bus!!
Regarding the ballot language, I believe it has to closely “match” the language on the petition. NO mention was made of an indoor pool on the petition that over 5,000 Sioux Falls registered voters signed.
This is the second year in a row that Erpenbach and Aguilar have pushed for a donation to the State Theatre!!
One of the most ludicrous moments of last nite’s meeting was when Stephen Williamson, Executive Director of the State Theatre, was at the podium trying to explain their “INTENT” to give free tickets to low-income kids for Saturday matinees. He then mentioned they intend to eventually offer Saturday matinees “free” to everyone. When the Council starting asking questions about the free tickets and the fact there is NO contract in place before we agree to donate 63,000 tax dollars, Williamson’s “waffling” really began!! BETTER GET THAT FREE TICKET OFFER IN WRITING!!
Talk about playing “fast and loose” with tax dollars!!
This is a “Pandora’s box”. The Council has now set the precedent for all non-profits to show up at Carnegie with their hands out!!!
The trimming and removal of boulevard trees has really “reshaped” the conversation about the City and Boulevards…..I think this going to be a “touchy” subject for a long time!!!!
The odor of mendacity appears again.
BTW, I was at all of the Council’s working sessions where they discussed how to spend the surplus CIP dollars, and Councilors Anderson Jr. and Staggers are absolutely right….there was NOT a consensus to donate $63,00 to the State Theatre!!
How convenient for the other five Councilors to now insist that they had agreed to the donation…..when there is no record of the working sessions to refer back to!!!
correction to previous comment:
should read….the other six Councilors (not five)
CR – But there is nothing stopping the city attorney’s office from putting an INDOOR pool on the ballot. Is there? With or without council approval?
Yeah, I was a little disappointed that they were going to hand the theatre $63,000 with NO agreement with what they were going to use the money for. And yes Stephen was packpeddling. While I support the State 100% in their efforts to refurbish the facility, I am a little weary that they, or any other non-profit can ask for $63,000 w/o any kind of an agreement. This council is a joke.
I can tell you from experience, do not trust city hall. I had a hearing with 5 city directors the city said didn’t happen and I proved did. They want an indoor pool because it’s major construction for their corrupt noncompetitive bid contractors. More kickbacks for them and more bleeding taxpayers.
The city must trim their trees in the right-of-way. I hope everyone knows not to heed their commands. They have no access to the courts and can’t force you to pay fines or do anything. It’s hard not to laugh out loud when they make demands. Try and control yourself or they’ll rig another election and not be replaced in 2014.