It has only been a week since the city election, and new candidates have not even been sworn in yet, and the ramrodding begins.
Presentations on the 2021 Financial Results and Eat Well, Sioux Falls Grant Program. There is NO attached documents (something I think moving forward we will not see in advance ever again).
I know I sound like a broken record, but I find it interesting that the 2021 financials were not presented to the public and city council in a public meeting until a week after the election. Millions in surpluses were given away before the election with NO official report. This is completely ass backwards.
If you look at the report you will notice that the audit was submitted to the city on March 23 and and acknowledgement to city council on March 28, one week before the election. Was the timing a coincidence? I think not.
Item #6, Approval of Contracts,
Sub-Item #2, Sioux Falls Arts Council Funding, $32K+, While I have NO issue with this, I am wondering why these non-profits don’t have to give a presentation about what they have been doing with the money. The same goes for the Pavilion that basically sucks the entertainment tax dry every year and the Levitt, in which we have no clue how they ended up financially in 2021.
Sub-Item #39, Technology, Website/Content Management System Agreement; Open Cities, $425,593.00 (Five Year Total), Optional $65K for additional consulting services per year. (up to $150K per year) New software replaces legacy website and content management system with a new more efficient website and content management system.
In some respects, having a team manage our website for $150K a year is probably a bargain, but if we had a competent IT department (one manager just recently got arrested for child abuse, something the media and mayor’s office ignored before the election) we could probably manage this internally. Open cities has a fairly decent reputation though they have to make some improvements. This would have also been a great item to have a public presentation about, but do you really think Captain Poopy Pants was going to lift the veil of secrecy about this? Don’t make me laugh.
Item #24, Washington Pavilion getting a liquor license. While I have my issues with the Pavilion, I think this is overdue. They should have had one on day one. The transfer is another issue from a veterans association.
Item #50, More surplus handouts.
Item #52, major overhaul of sidewalk ordinances (and mostly who is responsible). What I find most egregious in this change to ordinance is it is happening in the middle of an onslaught of over 2,600 citations in poorer neighborhoods (including my property). They want to change the rules in the middle of the game. If you read the ordinance, this sticks out;
The owner(s) of such real property shall be liable to the city for any and all damage or
injury caused by such neglect and shall be responsible for the costs of abating the public
nuisance. Examples of sidewalk defects constituting a public nuisance include, but are not
limited to:
So while the sidewalk is owned by the city and sits on city property they are somehow expecting your insurance or personal assets to cover personal injury claims on their property. It is utterly F’ing ridiculous. It’s like saying a car accident in front of your house is your responsibility because the street is next to your property. The street abuts the boulevard that abuts the sidewalk that abuts your property. I go back to the simplest of premises. We pay taxes for services. This means the city should maintain it’s property and liability from the taxes we pay.
Item #53, more money flying around for an ice ribbon we do not need.
Items #58-59, Resolutions, more money moving around after an election.