I know, I was shocked to hear the news to 🙁
Besides the fact that there are NO supporting documents online, I guess no supporting documents or presentations were available at the meeting either. If what I was told of the meeting was true, well, that’s kind of an open meetings violation.
I think it is time to start doing some citizen arrests 🙂
Also, I guess the all knowing Tech Director, Jason ‘The Toolsalesman’ Reisdorfer did not attend because he is busy bragging on FB that he is drinking at the Smithsonian. Please tell me this wasn’t at taxpayer expense.
Probably endorsed by Mr no necktie Mayor
A copy of the agenda was provided.
What was NOT provided was one paper copy of the supporting documents pertaining to the presentation by Allie Hartzler, Transit Core Team.
This is a violation of South Dakota Open Meetings Law.
1-27-1.16. MEETING PACKETS AND MATERIALS. If a meeting is required to be open to the public
pursuant to § 1-25-1 and if any printed material relating to an agenda item of the meeting is prepared or distributed by or at the direction of the governing body or any of its employees and the printed material is
distributed before the meeting to all members of the governing body, the material shall either be posted on
the governing body’s website or made available at the official business office of the governing body at least
twenty-four hours prior to the meeting or at the time the material is distributed to the governing body,
whichever is later. If the material is not posted to the governing body’s website, at least one copy of the
printed material shall be available in the meeting room for inspection by any person while the governing
body is considering the printed material.
When I informed Ms. Hartzler of the violation, she very arrogantly responded that it would BECOME available on the website.
Given her response, I believe she is not familiar with South Dakota’s Open Meetings Law.
She is a key player in the potential re-vamping of our public transit system, this does not bode well for transparency.
“Eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow democracy dies.”
( – and Woodstock adds: “Yah, but out of fairness, the Smithsonian is about the past and not the future”… #WeCanAlwaysGetAnOtherDemocracy…#CantWe?…)
Ms. Hartzler is not in charge of the meeting. She may have been a presenter but the Mayor’s office and the Augie drop-out director should have had the information ready. The Sioux Falls “I don’t know municipal law” city attorney should have instructed and advised.
The Walworth County Auditor and Commission have been experiencing the same problem of following the very simple law. Read about it “County official arrested for breaking open meetings law” https://rapidcityjournal.com/news/local/county-official-arrested-for-breaking-open-meetings-law/article_e6630c5a-eadc-563d-ad55-f870a62a9fda.html. It appears to be time to have the city government arrested by our absent county attorney?
It is not the Mayor’s responsibility to insure that supporting docs are made available to the public at open meetings.
It is his responsibility to insure that all city employees involved in open meetings understand South Dakota’s Open Meetings law.
There were four city employees at yesterday’s PTAB meeting.