December 2013

Write your own caption

Now be nice, this was done as a fundraiser for Salvation Army in SF by 605 magazine.

“We are second in weather . . . but we are trying . . . we are the ones that don’t freak out when there is snowflake blither . . .

There’s a choice were making . . . hopefully it is me this Spring, I am the one that makes Sioux Falls better . . . Not you . . . Not Greg Jamison, not the city council that rubber stamps and stomps on freedom.”

weareworld

 

Will the 85th & Western peeps garner the 3 votes needed?

rubberstREV
This may be a tough one. Last time the council voted on this (Item #24), they only got 2 No votes and 5 Yes (Entenman was absent). Hopefully they can get one more vote.
You know my feelings on this, I think the developers/investors made a bad investment decision. Their tough luck as I see it, that is how it works in the free market. But when you have a development investor (Mayor Huether) managing the planning department, what can you expect? Rubber stamps all the way, Planning Staff/CHECK, Planning Commission/CHECK, City Council/CHECK.

The very interesting ‘Special Assessment’ rolls for DTSF.

flowerPOT
Thank goodness DTSF supplies these plants in front of my bizzo, I wouldn’t be able to figure this out on my own.
We have known about this for awhile (Item #36), but take a close look at the PDF document: SPEC-ASS-DT, and you will scratch your head about the inequality.
I have always been on the fence about this, because the organization, DTSF charges a membership fee, but if you are not a member, you still have to pay through property taxes, but don’t get the benefits of belonging as a member. I say one OR the other.
I know that several DT property owners have challenged this in the past.
My solution? I would eliminate the special assessment and ONLY have a membership fee to DTSF (higher, and base it on property value and number of employees, like the Chamber). If you don’t pay the fee, you get NO special treatment (no marketing, plants, sidewalk sweeping, etc.) from the organization.
It just seems odd and unfair that non-members of DTSF have to still pay in on their property taxes even if they get no benefits from the organization. But call me a realist.