Celebrate the FREE Bus Rides!
l3wis 
June 2015
Music Club w/Rodriguez
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKYEYNX-Eug[/youtube]
Pavilion Roof Replacement, the estimates are in!
As I mentioned in March, this was going to cost the city a pretty penny;
At that time, one of my commenters said this (Consent Agenda, Item #1);
If existing parts of this roof were done prior to 1997 or so there would be the need to install over flow roof drains and to be careful to not create dust etc if old insulation has asbestos the job could easily climb to 1.5 million or so. The one big item will be to restore or design for crickets,roof drains and insulation products. A&E May design but if fiddle faddle has to control constructive change orders then tax payer will get screwed again.
Not far off.
Like I said in March, it needs to be done. But the bigger question is why wasn’t it done right to begin with? 14-15 years later, and we have to replace the roof on a refurbished building for over a million bucks?
The worst part about this is it has nothing to do with the Washington Pavilion Management, it has to do with the construction mis-management. It makes you question new facilities like the EC and the Indoor Pool. What kind of hidden maintenance costs are creeping up on us? Heck, we still don’t know what is going on with the botched siding job.
Also, why was this BURIED in the consent agenda? Over $1.2 Million and they expect the council to just blow it off?
Taxi & Hotel Competition
By Dan Daily
Those of us looking for better cheaper more convenient domestic (also local) travel options have new choices. The internet has presented new barter untaxed smart phone techniques. They’re not point of sale, currency exchange, or legal tender transactions. They’re PayPal, Iphone, etc. credits. It’s not cash, not taxed, no making change. Vendors don’t have overhead associated with regional or interstate governance fees. Savings can be from six to forty percent. Add another fifteen percent, tips not accepted.
Instead of a Taxi, there’s Uber.com or Lyft.com. They’re independent contractors from an out of state web service. No sales tax or government intervention. They pick you up in 10 minutes or ride is free. You get pictures of vehicle, license, and driver (friend) on your phone. He/She has a background clearance and dresses upscale. They have their regular insurance plus one million in contractor liability. You’re covered better and safer than in a taxi. What’s wrong? It’s wrong that you still own a car.
Uber has divisions for special transit. There will be cheap choices later for handicap and ambulatory transport. How about a chauffeured ride to catch a flight from Omaha?
Hotels in Sioux Falls are $200 per night at convention or event times. Add 30% in taxes and tips, it’s $250. Even so, it’s hard to find a room. Franchisers won’t build because the city has gone into the hotel business at the airport and (soon) at the events center. The city doesn’t pay lodging taxes, a 25% advantage.
Enter Airbnd.com. It’s oriented toward barter to use your spare bedroom. What’s happened is entrepreneurs who lease then sublease apartments. It can’t be called a lease so call it overnight company. Again, internet barter and no tax with major savings. Nightly rates are half or less. Even antitrust city government can’t compete.
In future years, city sales tax revenue will suffer as a result of these new options. There will be another million or so budget so the city attorney can fight these events. Powerful out of state lawyers will come in to make litigation last and sue for false prosecution. Nobody wins but defendants and no equity independent contractors. I suggest diplomacy and new methods for city revenue but who listens to this citizen.
Uber and Pool Party
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rr-AkiAWZj0[/youtube]
The Sioux Falls Parks and Recreation Department decided to spring a major swimming pass rate increase on the City Council 23 hours before the June 9, 2015 Informational. No notice, no participation or consultations were considered in bringing this to the Council. The administration shows once again it has so little regard bordering on contempt for our elected legislative body if feels emboldened to do it once again.
This meeting is one of the best mash-ups we have ever witnessed between the Council and the secretive Sioux Falls city administration.
Why must everything the administration gets involved in have to be so secretive. The veil of secrets is going to be the mayor’s downfall yet.
We give the Q&A portion of this meeting to you complete and unedited because every member of the council asked more questions then we citizens could have asked for. Congratulate them the next time you see any of them and thank them for the demonstration of how a legislature is supposed to work.