SF City Council

Downtown Sioux Falls Mayor TenHaken SF City Council Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls City Council Agenda (Jan 7, 2025)

l3wis January 6, 2025 3Comments

The council has had a few weeks off, so I knew stuff was piling up, and it’s a big-in;

City Council Informational • Tuesday January 7, 2025, 4 PM

• Real Time Information Center by Jon Thum, Police Chief (not sure what this is but looks interesting). Hopefully this will be an effort by the SFPD to be more open with citizens and their assistance in helping to solve crime. I’m sorry, but a large majority of the 16 murders this year in Sioux Falls were preventable and we need to be sharing more data and information with the public.

Regular Meeting • Tuesday January 7, 2025, 6 PM

Item #22, This resolution of necessity is for the construction of an urban section connecting Detroit to the existing urban section of Grant Street which is 650+/- feet East of Detroit Avenue. (This will be an interesting item during discussion. I am NOT sure if the properties are willing to pay for the completion of this street, but maybe that is what was negotiated?)

Item #29, An ordinance of the City of Sioux Falls authorizing the City to issue bonds backed and repaid by the City’s existing 2nd penny sales tax to utilize for $68,000,000 in parks and recreation improvements at the Westside Recreation Center, Kuehn Park, and Frank Olson Park. (IMO, the city council missed an incredible opportunity to put these bonds to a vote during the spring elections. The numbers have been the same for over a year, there has been NO mysteries. They will pass it even though most taxpayers in Sioux Falls have no idea this is going on.)

Item #6, Approval of Contracts;

Sub-Item #3 (When you have to pay a private contractor $70K to create a budget book you have to question the competency of our finance department. Maybe they need to hire a private contractor to replace the staples in their staplers to?)

Sub-Item #6 (Settlement for $595K for easement property. Notice that this was awarded to the developer who sold the Tre Ministries property and will not be developing it).

Sub-Item #7 (Why are we paying the RR $100K for bridge repair? Biggest Grifters EVER!)

Sub-Item #15 (Onward and Leadership Training Agreement. More waste on leadership programs. Maybe teach city employees how to be more efficient and productive?)

Sub-Item #16 (Millions more to the Pavilion to fix something? I would really like a tally of how much money from the entertainment tax we have spent so far on the Pavilion. May guess it is north of $100 million since it’s inception. A project that was supposed to cost $19 million and when finally completed was around $50 million, with millions more in repairs and subsidies over the years).

Christ christmas Downtown Sioux Falls Mayor TenHaken SF City Council Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

The Year in Review, oh, and Merry Christmas!

l3wis December 24, 2024 13Comments

I used to be against Winter Wonderland at Falls Park but I have to admit, the pics on my bike this year have been good, so I guess I am okay with the city spending the same amount of money on this as what it would cost to refurbish the Brockhouse Collection ($850K). Speaking of that, saw an email this week from an influential party wanting to help save the collection and the city council and mayor have ignored them for over a year. I know, shocker.

Anyway, down to business. Instead of me wasting my time and a 12 pack of IPA’s this year with the year in review I am asking on my readers to paste in the comments their favorite post, OR, just tell me what was the best DaCola gem of the year.

Moving on, Merry Christmas or whatever weirdo holiday you celebrate. Believe it or not I will be sitting in a church pew on Christmas morning pretending to be a Christian (I do that a couple times a year). I do like Christmas and all the Kuchen I can eat!!!! (and it better have fried eggs floating on top!)

So this year was Detroit’s year of Laziness. If I didn’t have to do it, I did not do it. In fact I have been studying minimalism this past year but I can’t even do that right. I call myself a lazy minimalist. I refrain, half of the time 🙂

Here are some basic rules;

• If I can walk or bike, I do that

• If I can cook at home (for less), I do that

• I turn my heat down to 68 degrees

• I turn my AC to 75

• I only use lights in my house in the room I am in

• I only take 2 showers a week during the winter

• I only buy clothes and other stuff at thrift stores (books, music, appliances, art supplies)

• I enjoy the company of good friends and conversation over casinos

• Beer instead of wine (cheap liquor is ok)

• Personal hair clipper (I still get my hair cut from a barber, but I only go about every 4 months because I trim it everyday)

• A pet (I don’t have one now, but have been thinking about it again. They can actually save you money because you find yourself hanging with your bud instead of farting around at the bars and friends that talk back)

• Pay it forward. (this is the most important principal of minimalism and the hardest one you will ever do, but totally worth it.)

I wanna give a big shout out to my partner in crime, uh, I mean, not crime, my web developer. Some know him, most do not, but he has been with me since the beginning including getting me into blogging in the late 90’s. Let’s just say my previous moniker ‘Fat Midget’ was not loved. Let’s keep killing it Bro! What else do we have to do on a Wednesday at 11:18 AM? Oh, that’s right . . . PPPPPPIIIIIIIIEEE!!!!!!!!

1st Amendment Developers Development Downtown Sioux Falls religion Riverline District SF City Council Sioux Falls

UPDATE: Why is the city lending a religious organization $500K?

l3wis December 22, 2024 6Comments

UPDATE: I guess the original developer has already sold the development to tRE ministries so they are no longer involved. But if you connect the dots you will see that one of the leaders in the institution is married to a certain person connected to a very large company in town. So instead of this being funded by Big MJ, VL and Liquor it’s being funded by ‘Big Corn’ (Which these days seems more scandalous with all their money scam pipelines they want to build.)

This money will come out of the Community Development funds. (Item #6, Sub-Item 28):

Agreement for a redevelopment project located within the All Saints Neighborhood and the Sherman Historical District, tRE ministries, $500K (interest free loan).

I received a Community Development loan about 20 years ago for needed upgrades to my house, my loan was about $4,500 with a 2% interest rate. I guess I am wondering why we would take this much for ONE project when we could rehabilitate 40-50 houses with this money instead? And I mean ‘Rehab’ not demolition, which is what this money will be spent on. There is also the questionable relationship with the developer who is worth millions from video lottery, liquor and Med MJ (unless he has already handed over ownership). Why isn’t he just loaning them the money? I also don’t think tax dollars should go to non-profits (religious organizations) since they pay very little taxes and the fact they have a Daddy Warbucks taking care of them (who ironically makes money from sin taxation). I actually support this project to clean up that part of town but like any development with private parties, they need to pony up the money, but NOT in Sioux Falls, GRIFT, GRIFT, GRIFT. I thought at least ONE councilor would vote against this, but who am I kidding. The mayor wants to turn the entire town into a mega-church. Ick.

MAYOR FIRST AMENDMENT DENIER, INTERRUPTS A CITIZEN, AGAIN

Poops was at it again tonight, ignoring his Constitutional duties and denying a commenter his input. (FF: 1:44:00) Jordan Deffenbaugh came up tonight to talk about how housing would be affected by the Riverline District and the mayor cut him off saying this was already discussed. Oh, Paul, we have been over this, you can’t control the narrative at the podium that is a violation of their 1st Amendment rights but you seem to be above that. I wonder what it is like to take an oath on the Bible, surrounded by friends, family and colleagues and once installed ignore all those constitutional ‘thingies’. Paul, it may not be me, but the city and specifically you as the chair will be sued and it isn’t going to be pretty. Maybe they will let you on one of those East Coast TV morning shows where you can talk about your lack of knowledge when it comes to the Constitution and the lawsuit should be dismissed because of your stupidity. Stranger things have happened.

Bike Trail SF City Council Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Parks and Rec South Dakotans

South Dakota Ranks 45th in Bicycle friendliness

l3wis December 12, 2024 9Comments

H/T to Jordan Deffenbaugh for posting this on Turdbook;

While Sioux Falls as a city ranks a lot better, we do have work to do, trust me, someone who rides a ton in this town knows. What I found most astounding was the ZERO in Planning. I would think there would be at least ONE legislator pro bicycle. I guess I need to take Jamison out for a coffee 🙂 and a bike ride.

WE MISSED AN OPPORTUNITY WITH JORDAN

Speaking of Jordan, I see what his opponent has done so far and I am completely disappointed that the voters didn’t see what a great package we would have gotten with Jordan. Maybe Thomason will wake up after New Years, stranger things have happened, like watching Councilor Miranda ‘Lucy’ Bayse vote for a property tax increase next year. This is going to be fun.

Miranda Bayse SF City Council Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

Is the Sioux Falls City Council communicating with City Hall?

l3wis December 11, 2024 4Comments

After watching the above presser where Councilor Miranda ‘Lucy’ Bayse said this, I wonder if the council is talking to city hall;

There isn’t anything that’s proposed that would increase the tax expectations or increase what community members would pay in their taxes to fund these things.

Over the last couple of years when the city council has discussed NOT raising property taxes (they always vote for the increase) the mayor’s minions have cried to the council if we don’t raise the taxes every year we would miss out on rec programming, street repair and any other bogeyman they can cook up. So how can Lucy say there won’t be any increases in taxes to pay for services? She can’t. She is either lying or doesn’t understand how the funding works. While we have a bond rating based on our 2nd penny collection, we also have other bond ratings tied to our total revenue take in which also consists of Federal and State grants and property taxes. While the bond itself to pay for the facility is attached to the 2nd penny some of the programming will come from property tax revenue. So where is the disconnect? You will pay more in ALL taxes to fund these facilities, does the council think the money is coming from the sky? Seriously? It will cost MILLIONS each year to subsidize these facilities, the money is coming from somewhere.

Instead of lying to the public to justify the means why not stop the hand wringing and propaganda and put it to a legal bond vote. If you really want to know what the public thinks, ASK THEM!

Sioux Falls City Council Agenda (Jan 7, 2025)

The Year in Review, oh, and Merry Christmas!

UPDATE: Why is the city lending a religious organization $500K?

South Dakota Ranks 45th in Bicycle friendliness

Is the Sioux Falls City Council communicating with City Hall?

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Poops Doppelganger

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National Community Survey Comments

Religious Freedom