As South DaCola reported last week, the Sioux Falls city council is considering a resolution that would designate our city in general distress so we can get a $2 million dollar discount. While I think it is real swell the Feds want to give us some of OUR money back I still think it is a load of crap that we are paying for the levy bonds to begin with. The FEDS created the floodplain and the FEDS own the floodplain, so who should be pay for fixing the problem? THE FEDS! I really think we put ourselves in a bad position by giving into the feds and agreeing to pay for their project. Our local tax dollars should be used on community infrastructure not on federal infrastructure. We pay federal income taxes for that stuff. Now we are agreeing to be considered a ‘recovery zone’. How will corporations considering moving here look at that designation? I guess time will only tell.
Now to the article. I’ll have to give props to Ellis on this article, he wrote what I was thinking;
For months, Sioux Falls officials have talked about how the economy here is better than in most other cities across the country.
They acknowledge that sales tax revenues are down, but officials point out that they have ample reserves to meet the city’s obligations. And while building permits haven’t matched the boom days of 2006 and 2007, officials are quick to point out that building activity here is more robust than in similar cities.
Can you say ‘Hypocrisy’?
And bravo to councilor Staggers for using the ‘L’ word when it comes to this hypocrisy;
City Councilor Kermit Staggers calls the resolution “a lie.”
“Our situation in Sioux Falls is not the best, but it’s certainly not how it’s described in this resolution,” Staggers said. “I’m concerned about the veracity of this.”
I think this video says it all;
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4cO9GkWPTo[/youtube]