Sioux Falls

Mayor TenHaken Property Taxes Sioux Falls Taxes Uncategorized

UPDATE: Mayor TenHaken will be playing ‘Chicken Little’ today at a presser

l3wis July 17, 2025 4Comments

UPDATE: So I came to the presser today a few minutes late, and the door to the media room was locked so I asked the security guard why it was locked and he told me it locks automatically, and did not assist me in getting in. I asked a reporter after the presser about it and they told me they always have it locked and you have to wiggle the handle and they will let you in. WTH? This is an open to the public presser, paranoid much? More closed government BS from the king of closed government.

As for the presser, very interesting. It was obvious the mayor was fed a bunch of this information and just repeated it. He even said that SF citizens should elect better legislators. I would agree, but with gerrymandering and moving district lines, it would be hard to get a near perfect representation, but when it comes to property taxes, they did the right thing.

The mayor also concluded that the City doesn’t have much leverage when it comes managing what can be collected for property taxes (state legislature). This is patently FALSE. The council approves a tax increase every year since I can remember and having the power to institute TIFs without the approval of the counties and school district is a massive property tax restructuring that only increases taxes on the rest of us. If you stopped further TIF’s, our taxes would go down without legislation.

Now, Paul is correct, property taxes fund operating costs, but funds CAN be moved around to different departments. There are also quite a few operating expenses we could eliminate that wouldn’t have an effect on service. Paul suggests we cut essential programming instead of other cost cutting measurements. If we stop funding all the non-profits in town unless they are directly contracted by the city to provide professional services (Like the Link) we could easily save millions. But, Megan from SF Simplified had an even better suggestion, she asked why employee cuts were not looked at? I told a recent mayoral candidate that I would terminate all non-union middle management, not only would the cost saving be great (wages, benefits, retirement) they are NOT needed. The candidate laughed at me, but I told them, ‘Really? You have a director who gives an order to a supervisor below them, usually the assistant director, and takes those orders to union management. Silly. There is NO reason the director can’t instruct lower management, there is NO need for a middle man.

GREAT QUESTION MEGAN!

I heard that TenHaken is having a presser this morning (even though I can’t find any media alerts on FB or on the City’s website). I know, shocker, with all the openness and transparency with this admin . . . never mind.

He is going to discuss the city ‘losing’ $26 million in revenue over the next decade due to property tax cuts. Him and his lapdog finance director have been pushing this BS narrative for a week.

First the obvious, you are not ‘losing’ revenue that was never owed to you. The tax formula changed. So that means you change your budget forecast modeling after the new tax code and budget accordingly (in other words make cuts to capital programs).

Secondly, there will be NO cuts to regular programming (Fire, police, public works, etc.) that’s a false flag they are promoting. Who will take the hit? Mostly capital programs. In other words we may miss out on some park expansion and rec trail expansion, but these cuts wouldn’t affect regular services and they know it.

Thirdly, it is incredibly disheartening to see a lame duck promote higher taxes instead of cuts.

Lastly, I have maintained in my 18 years of blogging that TAXES are for essential services and not play things and entertainment venues. We have over extended ourselves on play palaces.

My first suggestion would be to cut MOST capital programs that are NOT essential the next 5 years. You would be SHOCKED at the tax savings, I would suggest it would be a heckuva a lot more then $2.6 million a year.

Also, I find this resistance to tax cuts insulting. As constituents we have had to cut back on stuff since Covid, and the Trump economy is making it worse, as I predict a full on recession by the end of the year.

I’m sorry, but when I am struggling to maintain my household expenses, I could give two-sh!ts about a new parking lot at a tennis court.

Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

Bike Trail Contractors need to get a grip

l3wis July 17, 2025 0Comments

I spoke at the council meeting Tuesday night (last commenter) about how planning detours for bike trail repairs is really bad. I explained to them that for years if there was a detour on the bike trail you just had a temp path next to path being repaved. Not this year. They blocked off 3 miles by Cliff to pour 20 ft of concrete, they did the same today with about 4 miles blocked that has been repaved and completely dry (no oil residue on tires). Besides the poor planning with detours and putting up these ridiculous barricades with chain lock ups, the contractors doing the work are mean. They will scream at you if you even approach a barricade. Here’s the deal, I’m paying for these repairs, so be a bit respectful, and secondly, what do you care? If I am riding in the grass around the project how am I impeding your work? I’ll say it again; There is a lot of stupid people in the world, and most of them live in Sioux Falls

SF City Council Sioux Falls

Is the current Sioux Falls City Council competent?

l3wis July 14, 2025 6Comments

First, I want to say that are at least 1 or 2 councilors that do the work, but that faction changes on a daily basis and is getting smaller. Don’t get me wrong, I think peeps on the City Council are nice, and respectable business peeps in town, but they have no clue how to do policy or actually put in the time. I have blogged about city politics for over 20 years, and I have never seen a more LAZY, IGNORANT, INCOMPETENT and frankly MISINFORMED council. If it is Black they vote White, if it is White, they vote Black, they almost resist so they don’t make a bad decision. So, I get it, you think this is my opinion, not at all backed up with data;

We got an ‘F’ in workforce. I was actually surprised it wasn’t lower. Let’s face it, the rich do very well in Sux, because they are taking from the rest of us, this is enabled by a council (who have two members that never received one f’ing vote!) And maybe that is why they suck, they didn’t have to face an opponent? They didn’t do anything wrong, they signed up to run, and had no challengers, but they also have had no constituent choose them, so they tend to mend their own fence.

I guess, as I look at the policy body for the city (council) you have a lot of power to improve this, but you are not doing it, you sit on your hands, and to be honest with you, you look like a bunch of dolts when you discuss policy because everyone knows you don’t do a f’ing thing. AND, BTW, this isn’t me talking, constituents who follow this are scared, pissed and mortified by the city leadership. Tons of rich folks are mad to because they got screwed on deals. I’m sorry, but when you have a local governing body that rolls over like a dead dog every Tuesday, yah gotta question their motives.

THE CHARTER IS CLEAR! YOU ARE THE POLICY BODY, THE MAYOR IS THE ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER. YOU TELL HIM WHAT TO DO, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. SUCKERS! SUCKERS! SUCKERS!

I think 100% of the council knows we have issues, so what are they going to do about it? ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

Christine Erickson Elections Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Mayor Race

Erickson to run for mayor

l3wis July 11, 2025 14Comments

Well, it hasn’t been a secret that Christine Erickson is running for mayor. She confirmed the news with me over a month ago but was working out logistics before announcing. We actually had a long and productive conversation. I pretty much told her it was ‘hers to lose’ unless some dark horse business person announces. I also asked her feelings about working with council and she pretty much said she will stay out of their way unless they ask for assistance from the mayor’s office. Now, granted, all mayoral candidates say that, and never deliver, because the power goes straight to their heads and it irks them that 8 part-time councilors are telling them how to run a city. They are not, they are proposing a framework you should follow. I think Christine will be more sympathetic because of her legislative and council experience. But, she knows all the tricks on how to hide things from council. I’m not sure who else will announce. Beck and Huether still seem to be hold outs, at this point, and many others have said they will likely NOT run. Former DTSF director, Joe Batcheller will also likely announce soon.

*I assisted Erickson in the past on FREE youth public transit initiative and school start date initiative.

4th of July Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

UPDATE II: Sioux Falls continues their ‘White Trash 4th’ festivities

l3wis July 7, 2025 7Comments

UPDATE II: So a friend who used to live in Sioux Falls and still has businesses here sent me a suggestion after reading this post, he now lives in a suburb of Casper, WY;

Hey saw your article. They do something like that with the fireworks here in Glenrock, WY. It’s a $10 minimum donation to the fire department per car and they have two baseball fields where you wait in line and have like 6 stations each where you can shoot your fireworks and all the fire trucks are there. It’s a great event!

UPDATE: From cynicism comes relief. I am reminded, quite often (daily) that my cynicism is a problem, to which I reply, ‘If we lived in a perfect world, I wouldn’t be a cynic.’ So after posting this I have had tons of people reach out privately to me, at first I thot to scold me about not being woke about trashy people, but in fact, quite the opposite. People agree, pick up your trash, they also agree, even poor kids should be able to have fun. The solution? The city should designate a fireworks area for people who don’t have the property (or the legal right) to do it in the city limits. So you have a designated area. There have been tons of suggestions, but I suggested Sanford Sports Complex, because the parking lots and football fields would be well suited in case a fire broke out. You could also get a non-profit involved to raise money by having food trucks at the event, selling sparklers and snaps, etc. and putting out a message about their charity. They could also hand out garbage bags to event goers and afterwards volunteer to clean up. It could be a great community event and everyone would feel included instead doing the duck and run under the Burnside Bridge. Thank You! I love it when my cynicism leads to solutions, but doesn’t it always Now if we can just get the knuckleheads at city hall to see the vision . . . nevermind, already feeding the leading mayoral candidate my ideas, because this one is out to lunch.

It doesn’t fail, every year after the 4th I am dodging empty fireworks containers on the bike trail, it has been this way since I can remember. The irony is the penalty for shooting off fireworks is less then littering, oh, and you are doing it all on taxpayer owned property. Skanky, trashy, lazy, pathetic clems. They do it in the same spot every year (right off of Burnside). Not one cop has driven by and witnessed this in 30 years? It’s one thing to use public land to shoot off fireworks illegally, but did you ever think about bringing a garbage bag and cleaning it up? Skanky, trashy, lazy, pathetic clems. This part bothers me the most. I’m okay with some trailer trash kids blowing things up once in awhile, but for Godsakes, why aren’t the parents making them clean this up? Because you know they are present, probably their idea. Skanky, trashy, lazy, pathetic clems. So next year, I want an undercover officer stationed under the Burnside bridge on the bike trail, and start handing out those tickets, mostly for littering. I know it would require an officer to leave their vehicle, and that can be a struggle, but just pretend you are getting a FREE 64 oz Fountain Mt. Dew at the C-Store (probably pissed they don’t have a drive thru.)

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