City releases 2012 budget proposal
l3wis 
Download the 206 page report (I’ll be expecting a full report from Poly in a few days 🙂
2011
Looks like the zoo wants their cake and to eat it too
Just when you thought I would drop the monkey crapper – monkey business, I get drawn back in. If you watch the November 21, informational meeting you will hear the zoo director talk about the zoo wanting to own the zoo animals. It helps with trading animals for breeding, etc. I’m all for it, but,
1) They should have to purchase the animals from the city &
2) They should have to cover the insurance on them
And, see, #2 is the kicker. The zoo not only wants us to ‘gift’ the animals but they also want us to cover the insurance. The council votes on it this Monday (Item #25). Document.
Here’s the dealio. I’m cool with them owning the animals, but they have to take on the responsibility of them, that means paying for them and providing their insurance. We’ll see if the council caves, once again.
A day late and a dollar short
Arena General manager Terry Torkildson’s  face says it all (Image: KELO-TV screenshot)
Here we go again, two stories come out today about the Events Center that probably would have affected the vote.
First the Skyforce will not be moving to the new Events Center &
two lead developers in Sioux Falls poo-poo the Arena location.
Like Holsen said, “Where were all these developers when the debate on the Event Center was going on?”
Get ready for another boondoggle Sioux Falls, and this one is gonna hurt, real bad.
Is Lewis & Clark looking for another handout from the taxpayers of Sioux Falls?
Looks like Lewis & Clark is trying to hoodwink us again. I would suggest Mr. Larson buy a plane ticket to DC and start talking to them about funding his project. Sioux Falls taxpayers have already coughed up plenty for a project that we will never use to full capacity for decades. I got this update from a South DaCola foot soldier;
Troy Larson gave an update (FF 24:00). He said that in spite of delegations from three states (SD, IA and MN) meeting with the Feds, they had made little progress to resolve this. The remaining liability for the 20 members is 194m if the Feds are not forthcoming with what they have promised. Larson said that because of the large amount of pre-payment that the members have already made and the percentage of project completion that it has moved Lewis and Clark from 7th to 2nd on the list (?) He did make the comment that he didn’t think that this would have much effect.
Councilor Jamison made a comment at the end about “helping out the little guys,” Troy Larson also brought up the “nuclear option“. I have only heard him mention this one other time and I think that was several years ago when they were discussing Sioux Falls $70m pre-payment.
One of the Councilors did ask about SF’s need for additional water in 2012. The answer was that we do not need the water, but we are obligated to buy it anyhow, something to the tune of $2m for next year alone! No wonder those “user fee/taxes” had to go up so much.
This was something that Cotter did confess to me and group who met with him earlier in the year. I seemed confused by this. Why spend $80 million for a pipeline we will only use if we need to? He did tell us it was ‘more expensive’ to use Lewis and Clark and that is why it will be for backup only.
I hope the city treads lightly this time when it comes to Lewis & Clark. We have already bought the farm on this deal, we don’t need a second plantation.
SOS Gant finally showing his true colors
I expected controversy from the dynamic duo Gant and Powers in the SOS office to happen a lot sooner then this (of course we certainly don’t know what they have done so far);
Secretary of State Jason Gant attempted Tuesday to bypass the state board of elections — which has rule-making authority under state law — in approving new forms and introducing legislation.
And while an apology may be more appropriate we get this statement;
During his eight-year term, former Secretary of State Chris Nelson brought forth his proposed legislation to the board for its approval. But, he said, the secretary of state has final authority regarding whether to take it to the Legislature.
“I utilized the expertise of the board, in large part, to improve legislation that I was thinking about putting forth to the Legislature,†Nelson said.
Viken, who has been on the board since 1999, reminded Gant how legislative issues were handled by previous people in the office.
“I don’t care about the past,†Gant said.
Well you best start caring. You are the SOS of state, not chief rule maker.