Kinda ironic, Huh? All kinds of private companies are throwing (pennies) towards a marketing plan to swindle the public into voting (and paying for) a new events center, yet not a single one of them is willing to put up REAL money to help pay for the facility;
The group campaigning to build an events center in Sioux Falls raised $10,700 in cash in its first month, according to campaign finance documents filed Tuesday with the city.
But when you count in-kind donations, the amount is larger for Build it Now. Local businesses donated an additional $42,500 in goods or services that aren’t paid for out of the campaign’s bank account.
Sanford Health led the way with $15,000 for in-kind donations, money that went to a website and consulting fees, according to the filing. Avera McKennan chipped in another $5,000 for consulting fees, and the Sioux Falls Area Chamber of Commerce added $10,500 to the effort, money that paid consulting fees and research.
This is typical in South Dakota and Sioux Falls. Throw pennies at marketing plans in hopes you will sucker the public into paying for a project that ONLY benefit these very businesses. I have yet to hear how a new events center will benefit me economically. All I see is my 2nd penny tax dollars being shifted from our FREE parks system and infrastructure to paying off debt for an entertainment facility that we really don’t need. Sioux Falls has seen amazing growth over the past decade, WITHOUT a new EC. I doubt the new facility will have any impact on growth.
If these businesses think the EC is such a crackerjack idea, why aren’t they putting up REAL money towards sponsoring the facility? I think we know the answer to that question, it is buried somewhere in the fine print of one of these marketing plans.
l3wis 
