2009

The Gargoyle Leader applauds special interests making taxpayers hold the bag for five years

l3wis June 9, 2009 1Comments

Patience! I might agree with the Gargoyle Leader Ed board

that big projects and development take patience, but seriously? First off this project was rammed through by King Dave, because it had to be done ASAP, that was five freaking years ago! Our patience has ran out, it is time the developers pay the city what they owe us for the land, and they can fart around for another five years while paying property taxes on it.

That saying about Rome and how long it took to build the ancient city’s magnificent edifices also applies to quaint Sioux Falls.

You are comparing the Uptown development to Rome?! BAHAHAHAHAHA! It will be another ugly beige and tinted glass structure that looks like every other new building downtown. Just compare the interior of the Pavilion to the interior of the Sioux City Orpheum, no comparison. Developers in Sioux Falls are always trying to sell us on what they want to do, but at the end of the day when they have to foot the bill for sidewalks, landscaping etc, they will take the cheap route. Rome? More like Rowena.

The city agreed two years ago to sell a strip of land along North Phillips Avenue to private developers.

Yeah, what’s the holdup? Oh, that’s right, if you bought the land you would have to pay property taxes on it and pay for all the contaminant testing. So let’s just have the taxpayers of SF foot the bill until we are ready to start moving dirt.

But this part of the editorial really made me laugh;

As such details unfold, City Council members will need to ensure that it receives regular updates so that the project moves forward. And simply saying that no one’s keeping council members informed isn’t good enough. Council members need to take the lead in requesting the information they need.

Couldn’t agree more. But 1) they first need to know what they are asking for. City Hall often is cutting deals that the council has no clue about until it hits the newspaper or turns up as a council meeting item. Schwan was specifically hired to get info to the council or clerks office from the mayor’s office. Instead her main job has been stifling information. And 2) Coucilors often ask for information, but if they are not refused the information it usually takes months and repeated questioning to get information. For example when Staggers asked for the audit of professional services and consultant fees it took repeated requests and over 6 months to get the answer. Our elected officials should be able to get information within 24-48 hours when requested. Maybe the ed board needs to write something about that.