Director of Excuses for the city of Sioux Falls, Darrin Smith, seems to think adding a couple of pages to the TIF application form would be to difficult to do;
“It’s one of those things that sounds really good in theory, but it’s very difficult to do in reality,†Community Development Director Darrin Smith said of the requirement to list investors.
He said the city asks who the principal investors are, but it would be burdensome to list everyone and keep the list up to date as more investors sign on as development progresses.
As mayor Huether would say, “That’s a bunch of crap!” First off, it wouldn’t add any extra processes to the application process and secondly, as other councilors have pointed out, we need transparency on these matters;
Councilor Kermit Staggers sides with Jamison. He said city officials should not be invested in local development projects.
“We have to keep in mind when people are involved in investing in a project that has a TIF, they’re getting a government benefit, and the public should be aware of that,†he said during council discussion this fall.
Councilor Kenny Anderson Jr. also voiced his agreement. “I just feel if you’re asking for public money, we should know who you are,†he said.
And my favorite (LOL) line of the article;
“As a development (Lloyd) company, these investors are very near and dear to our heart, and we consider their names intellectual property,â€Â Koepsell told the council this fall.
Intellectual property!? Have you been getting law advice from FOX news and Citizens United?
First off, if there is nothing to hide about a project you are investing in that may get tax benefits, who cares if your name is on a sheet of paper filed in the planning department’s file cabinet? I have never understood this secrecy boloney when it comes to development investing in this community. Nobody cares if you have the money to invest in these projects, privately. But once you start asking for government handouts (really what they are) then you need to be transparent. Are these investors ashamed they are asking for a bailout, like a single mom using her SNAP card at the grocery store?
And the excuses are abound, leave it up to councilor censorship, Erpenbach to defend the practice;
She wouldn’t want to discourage investors from signing on to TIF projects, said Councilor Michelle Erpenbach.
Remember, we must shield the public from the truth and transparency. Erpenbach’s stance doesn’t surprise me one bit. Besides, I doubt this would discourage anyone, in fact, I think receiving a TIF for a project you are investing in would make that investment more NOT less appealing. And let’s face it, full disclosure isn’t going to stop or slow development in this town, just read this SFBJ article;
“It will be all over, on every side of town,†said Mike Cooper, the city’s director of planning and building services. “We’re going into 2014 much like we ended 2013, with a significant amount of interest in all areas of development.â€
Replicating the record-setting pace of 2013 will be tough. Building permit valuations surged toward $600 million, and there was growth in nearly every category, from commercial to residential. Businesses continue to look at relocating or expanding in Sioux Falls.
I did appreciate a little bit of honesty in the article by one realtor;
From Michael Bender’s perspective, however, the outlook is “kind of tepid.â€
“We’re certainly busy and there seems to be activity … but it’s mostly corporate. It’s more bigger deals than local deals,†said Bender, the principal of Bender Commercial Real Estate Services. “It’s a bit of moving forward, and there are people doing that, but there are a lot of people saying, ‘Let’s slow down a bit.’ â€
Bender makes a good point, while the big boys in town and out of state corporate interests are going big in Sioux Falls, the average lowly resident taxpayer of Sioux Falls is picking up the tab for infrastructure for this growth, which I believe is unsustainable when you factor in the low wages in Sioux Falls. And even planning director, Cooper admits just who is ‘building’ in the private sector, and it ain’t the poor hump working at some cubicle Hell job;
“But what we’re missing is the entry-level housing,†he said. “We’re not building those anymore. It’s the upper end of the market.â€
So Sioux Falls is all well and dandy, as long as you are rich and keep everything a secret.
wanted to say you did a great piece on the mayor, keep them coming,It isn’t very hard to know who he represents.
Not only is there very few entry level houses being built but they are also being built on much smaller lots. As I posted here before, you can almost jump form roof to roof on the 150K houses near 85th and Southeastern. Bending the rules to fuck the little guy out of a decent sized lot and charging the same amount is just what this city has become all about.
Notice the push for apartment complexes. The wealthy developers have taken this past recession as a gift.
Yeah – Bonita Schwan will sure be able to relate to the affordable housing needy. Great juxtaposition of candidate with issue – right next to each other for added contrast.
As someone who voted for Kermit, I have been repeatedly disappointed in the job he has done since taking office. This is really the first time I have seen him take a stand on something that actually makes sense and then articulate his position in an effective and common sense way. Had hoped for a lot more of that from him. Hopefully he can make a difference on this issue because he’s absolutely correct.
I especially liked this jewel from the sage: “Councilor Dean Karsky…. doesn’t see a problem in public officials being among the investors and said there is enough oversight with eight votes on the council and eight sets of eyes watching the process.”
Let’s see how they do this, oh yea, instead of green shade visors they have blinders. Their collective mantra is, we can look but we do not see or is it cannot see or is it will not see?
So according to the article, we have at least 3 members of the council (we still don’t have statements from 2) who favor the mayor and other city officials investing in the very projects they are supposed to oversee.
It’s kind of like Rounds, Dugood, Joop and Benda swindling potential immigrant investors while doing interesting things with their money while protecting it…
Great job on this article. It saddens me to say I learn more from you than I do any of the paid local media. The Argus is especially disappointing. Please keep up the good work.
Matt, ironically I linked the AL article 🙂 How about we just say the AL gets a good start on these articles, and I finish them out.
I was headed out of town yesterday at 7am on the interstate. I’m surprised at how many commute into the city for work. Demographics finds it’s own answer. Even city employees are smart enough to live out of town. If you live in Sioux Falls you must be rich or live in one of the new subsidized TIF projects. The city model (kleptocracy) has prompted another south Chicago or central Detroit. Perhaps the media will notice if we elect a crackhead or sexual deviate as mayor.
Then we can accept the corruption. It’s less embarrassing if we can share some humor with neighboring cities and not have to explain anything to the rest of the country. Instead of a top ten city, we could be a subject for comedy routines.
Rob Ford for Mayor!