July 2024

Proposed Muni-gym rates to almost guarantee subsidies of millions of dollars a year for taxpayers

l3wis July 18, 2024 4Comments

Do the math, Sanford is dumping the property onto the taxpayers of Sioux Falls because they are losing money on the facility. We subsidize the Midco to the tune of $1.2 million a year. If we cut the rates at the new (used) facility beyond what Sanford was charging we are looking at a $2-3 million subsidy every year just to keep the doors open.

But no one on the council or at the administration is talking about the subsidy.

I am of the opposite opinion, if the citizens really want this (they don’t since this was cooked up behind closed doors with NO public input, just like the rates) we should charge enough that the place floats itself, so if that means rates HIGHER than what is charged now, oh well.

Taxpayers should NOT be funding recreation at these levels. I think providing FREE recreation is great, but if the citizens want this kind of service, we can provide it, but it is going to cost you.

And what was the public input on rates? Obviously there wasn’t one. They hold a presser to announce the rates then drive down the street to have the Parks Board approve the rates in the same day without any public comment period.

And what will happen to current Sanford members at that location? Will Sanford try to KEEP them in the fitness family by requesting they move their memberships to one of their other facilities? You guarantee they will!

We are solving NO problems with this purchase, but we are sure creating gobs of debt and operational debt for the next 40-50 years. Utter stupidity.

THE RIVERLINE DISTRICT IS JUST A GIGANTIC SCAM

Speaking of half-cocked ideas from the administration, let’s move down the street to another proposal by Poops that is turning into a real POS. They are going to use the entertainment tax, a tax normally used to subsidize maintenance on our entertainment facilities, to purchase the property, which I even question the legality of, but what makes this even more suspicious is this talk about putting this white elephant to a vote.

First, the obvious, this facility would have zero economic impact on the regular Joe in Sioux Falls except our taxes would be subsidizing this place to the tune of $20 million a year (bond payments, operational, etc.). Secondly, when they talk about bringing a ‘vote’ they are referring to an advisory election like they did with the Events Center. This was NOT a legal bond election and the EC would have failed if it were. Bond elections NEED a 60% threshold to pass. If the city tries to pull an advisory vote again, I encourage engaged citizens to do a petition drive to make this an actual LEGAL BOND election and not some dog and pony show.

Warriors of Freedom and Liberty!

l3wis July 16, 2024 1Comments

You can watch these fine folks tell the county to go fly a kite over a home rule charter. I agree with these fried chicken folks. Home rule charter is just a way to turn a government entity into a dictatorship. Voters should reject this, especially coming from the ‘policy wonk’ Dean Karsky.

Also, who is in charge under a home rule county charter? Deano the Meano couldn’t answer that question, probably too busy trying to find his passive aggressive pills.

You can’t make this Sh’t up!

l3wis July 16, 2024 2Comments

Saw this on FB yesterday, and the more I look at it, the more I laugh, and then get pissed. Don’t even know who posted it, but his comment with the sharpie was killer. Actually, if you recognize cultural facial structure, there are quite a few minorities in the photo, but what is ironic is that they made the photo black and white. Why? Not to offend color blind people?

So you could not see the skin tones?

Weird, and kinda . . .

UPDATE: Construction Company found negligible in Crane Collapse at Sioux Steel District

l3wis July 16, 2024 7Comments

UPDATE: I spoke with a representative with the Sioux Steel District. They told me that the OSHA agreement was in place before the crane collapse and that Lloyd companies tries to set up these agreements with OSHA on large sites. The collapse was found to be the fault of the contractor and an individual who works for them (who didn’t properly secure a weight on the crane). He was promptly removed and banned from the work site. This rep also told me that the whole crane ALMOST ended up in the river. He said, “If the building would not have caught it, we would have had a 30 ton crane to dig out of the river.”

_____________________

I have been looking for this ever since the collapse happened in 2022. Not sure why the penalty amounts are $0, and there seems to be some kind of settlement.

When the collapse happened, an engineer friend of mine said,

“Bet you they have not been doing inspections, because if you inspect the crane properly, these things don’t happen.”

Sure enough, sloppy safety checks. The company is lucky no one died.

I also find it ironic that the developer teamed up with OSHA to make this a partnership with the project for worker safety. Probably won’t be getting that partnership again anytime soon.