2011

Water Bill insert encourages you to turn in your neighbors

Is this what Huether means by being neighborly?

Notice there is no description of what is considered a bad pot-hole. Here’s the deal, unless I see rotting corpses or piles of garbage in my neighbor’s yard, I don’t feel the need to nark them off. It’s their property, and if they choose to have grass 8.25″ high, that is their business, not mine. There is such a thing as property rights. But, hey, this is SF city government, an entity that ignores the US Constitution on a regular basis.

SF School Board proves how out of touch they really are

This should come as no surprise that the school board wants to belly up to a trough;

The board voted unanimously recently to adopt a resolution urging voters to support the Moving South Dakota Forward group’s initiated measure, which seeks to increase the sales tax rate from 4 percent to 5 percent, splitting the proceeds evenly between public schools and Medicaid providers.

Yet there is NO guarantee the money will go towards these objectives. Remember video lottery? Or better yet the state’s investment fund that has $800 million dollars sitting in it to help with school funding when we come up short? Instead of encouraging increasing a regressive sales tax why not lobby our legislature to use the investment fund? If this makes the ballot, it will fail hard, and we will be back to square one, an irresponsible governor and legislature refusing to use emergency funds for their original intent. It’s time school boards across the state hold down our governor and legislature and give them a good old fashioned apple rub.

Build it Now already spreading half-truths

From their website:

• There will be no new taxes or increased taxes to pay for the new Events Center project.

Nope. Just the shifting of fees from the 2nd penny into rates, which continue to be increased, EVEN before this project is approved.

• The City of Sioux Falls plans to provide the down payment.

From where? Reserves? Aren’t reserves for emergencies like backed up sewers?

• Private funding will also be raised, through naming rights, sponsorships and donations. The City of Sioux Falls estimates this to be between 15 and 25 percent.

Less then 3 months away from the vote, and we have yet to see one single sponsorship. Shouldn’t this be secured before the vote happens?

• A significant portion of this project will be funded by Sioux Falls sales tax bonds, and the Events Center project will be included in the city’s five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP).

Try THE ENTIRE PORTION will be funded by bonds.

They also like to spread this rumor;

• Multiple reports in the past 10 years, including the most recent study performed, have indicated the direct and indirect economic impact of an Events Center in Sioux Falls to be around $50,000,000 million dollars annually.

And where will people be spending that $50 million a year in our community? Flying into our international airport, staying at our many luxurious hotels or eating at one of our fine dining establishments by the Arena?

UPDATE: Looks like the CVB is going to do a little ‘spreading’ of their own;