The Event Center task force risks burying the project with their horrible funding proposal

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I have to help pay for an Event Center now to? Next you’ll wanna take my guns.

On Inside KELOLAND yesterday they discussed the success of the Summit League tournament. They tried to use the show’s discussion to push the Event Center, again. During the segment they talked about all the economic benefits of the tournament. As I mentioned before, Sioux Falls IS a great town to visit. The Arena pulled off the entire tournament with only one major change; upgrading the locker rooms. So would a bigger facility make this event better? Maybe so, but is it worth building a larger facility that will only be filled to capacity a couple times a year? Maybe, if we approach the funding and subsidies carefully and mindful of the citizens. Ironically no representative of the citizens was invited to be on the show, for or against the EC.

When the Event Center discussion started a few years back (mostly pushed by sports nuts and the same crew that thought the Vikes training camp was coming to town) I opposed it. I didn’t care how it was being paid for. I recently climbed aboard and kind of support it and think that breaking ground in 3-5 years would be doable. But I only supported it because the task force basically said they would pay for the building of the facility through corporate sponsorships and a bed and booze tax. I also supported it because the facility has been scaled back to 10-12,000 seats. Well guess what? Those funding ideas have been thrown out with the bath water.

Jim Woster, an EC task force member said on yesterday’s show that they will be encouraging the legislature in 2010 to pass legislation that will allow municipalities in South Dakota to increase their retail taxes so other cities besides Sioux Falls could build similar facilities. What a gigantic can of worms. If the legislature approves the increase (which I don’t think they will) citizens would have the opportunity to vote on the tax increase. So now it seems they want to tax every purchase you make to pay for the EC. So people who won’t even be using it, or benefitting financially from it, still have to pay for it? Bologna! Woster says if this happens in Pierre they will be “Educating the community” on the benefits of the EC and the tax increase to pay for it.

I’m still trying to figure out what happened with the bed and booze tax or the corporate sponsorships? I have also suggested a corporate entertainment tax. This makes the most sense since the corporations are constantly begging for a new EC so they can “attract” workers to the city. We have this mentality though in South Dakota that corporations and businesses should not be taxed because it will ‘kill jobs’. How long or we going to drink this hogwash? Politicians reason that if we don’t tax corporations their profits will trickle down in higher wages and good jobs. Yet South Dakota still rates almost dead last in wages. In other words the tax break hasn’t produced results just more money for the already rich execs. I can hear the argument already ‘We can’t expect small businesses to pay these taxes’ and most likely they wouldn’t if it was structured correctly. The tax would be based on profit margins. The bigger profit margin the more you pay. I think the corporate entertainment tax is a great idea and it would pass the ballot in flying colors.  

Remember. Sioux Falls has a horrible track record when it comes to building entertainment facilities. Over the past ten years it is estimated that the CIP budget has dumped an additional $20 million into the Pavilion and counting costing taxpayer’s almost $40 million to date. This money comes from the general fund, not the entertainment tax that was setup for operating and subsidizing the Pavilion.

What am I saying? I support building a new Event Center, but we need to pay for it differently, not by taxing food more. I also think we should take our time in planning it so we don’t end up like the Pavilion.

If they think they can pay for this through a retail tax increase, it will never get built because the public will reject that funding option. Why do I think no one on the task force sees that? Because there really isn’t any working class people on the task force, just the same old elitists that sit on every board that are completely out of touch with the community, like half of our city council. Unless we start including some regular Joes on these committees the event center will never happen.

SF City Council informational meeting tidbits

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If only Sioux Falls were on the Highway to Hell - we would stop leaking money

This week, once again, Quen Be De Knudson could not resist getting another plug in for a new Event Center (so she won’t have to fill her car with gas, in Sioux Falls, and drive to Sioux City to see Neil Diamond and buy Cokes at the Tyson Center). Only De would be so shameless to encourage a retail tax increase to build something we don’t need during a recession. Her argument this time? The Arena is ‘dilapidated’. It all started by her giving kudos to the Sioux Falls Sports Authority for getting the Summit League tournament in March to be held in Sioux Falls at the Arena. What started as praise quickly turned into a rant about how surprised she was they were able to convince the league to have the tourney here because the Arena is so ‘dilapidated’. I think if she wants to see dilapidation, she ought a go out with the code enforcement officers sometime.

Sure, the Arena is a little old and worn, but there is nothing wrong with it, considering it has only sold out about 3 events in the past 40 years (and seven Garth Brooks concerts). Did Knudson ever think maybe they chose Sioux Falls because it is a nice city to visit? Or that the Arena may be the perfect size for the tournament? Stop worrying about what the f’ing Jones’ have and get down to real business for once.

GRANICUS – SMANICUS!

Not sure if you ever watch the informational meetings online but they use a software called Granicus. For the longest time I noticed that they turn the microphones on and start recording about 10 minutes before the informational meetings actually start. I started to notice that most of the councilors showing up to the meetings were not aware of it, and I would turn up the volume full blast and listen to the chatter. Most of the time I wouldn’t hear much, but a few weeks back one of the councilors made the comment about Jamison walking in and tearing up his AC/DC ticket. It made me chuckle, because a week earlier was Jamison’s Oscar winning performance where he talked about Sioux Falls leaking money because we don’t have an Event Center while tearing up fake checks from AC/DC and The Eagles.

After that, I decided in all fairness, I would email the city clerk and tell her about it, kind of a fair warning that anybody listening can hear the chatter. It has only gotten better as a result. This past week the assistant city clerk made a point to inform everyone their microphones were on, and joked that people can tell what they are thinking to, and councilor Litz replies, “If they knew what I was thinking, I would be in jail.” I’m with you on that Bob! So keep up the comedy show. I think the 10 minutes prior to the meetings is more exciting than the open discussion during the meeting, except when Shakespeare Jamison and Quen Be De put on there best rendition of Arthur Miller’s greatest unknown work, “Death of an Event Center.”

Get ready for New Development downtown . . . in 3-5 years.

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Tired of looking at old lumber yard sheds and such? No worries, you’ll get to look at this next.

I guess we were all wrong about what is going to happen at the old lumber yard location downtown;

Some of the existing sheds will be torn down then, and before it becomes anything else the site will become a construction equipment and supply staging area . . .

Wooooo Hooooo! Can I go play on the bulldozers at night? Maybe have an outdoor festival on one of the gravel piles? No longer will we have to worry about Sioux Falls ‘Leaking Money’ like councilor Jamison has warned us about (while wearing his brand new, freshly pressed AC/DC shirt while tearing up fake checks, a performance that should have honored him an Oscar, or at least a Mayor’s award for the arts).

City Council member Greg Jamison said he’s mindful of the spirited debate on where to build events and convention facilities, but he acknowledges “there’s a lot of value to putting it downtown.

“Wherever it goes, though, downtown or at the Arena, I would love to cut the ribbon on it as soon as we can. It’s a huge economic engine we’re missing out on.”

Couldn’t agree more Greg. Maybe you, your brother and Daddy Warbucks General Jamison could pool your money with other developers in town and build your own fricking Event Center. Huh? Instead raising taxes on little old ladies bread and milk? I would come to the ribbon cutting. I promise.