This time he hits Vermillion to tell them about all the great ways he has been borrowing money on SF residents’ credit for play things;
“I am a very fiscally responsible person,†he said Wednesday to a group of business professionals at a community brown-bag round-table held at the Vermillion Chamber and Development Company (VCDC). “I try to do that as mayor of Sioux Falls, where we are running our city government as a business. It all starts with keeping your fiscal house in order. Keeping your fiscal house in order will allow you to do that stuff that drives growth.â€
He is so fiscally responsible he made sure the taxpayers gave him and his wife $500K for an indoor tennis center that bares his name. He also likes to make sure TIF’s get processed for projects he may or may not be investing in. Yes, personally, he is fiscally responsible.
Huether admitted that Sioux Falls will have the largest budget in the history of Sioux Falls, nearly $471 million, next year, however he said that sometimes you have to spend to grow.
And what have we accomplished with this fast growth? Wages haven’t started going up until recently (because employers can’t find anyone), homeless arrests are up 1,200%, violent crime is at an all time high and half of the kids in the SF school district are on FREE and REDUCED lunches. Yeah, we are going to be spending a lot on this growth, but mostly the county will be paying for the ills.
He pointed out that Vermillion and Sioux Falls spend almost identical amounts based on per capita debt – $2,264 in Sioux Falls and $2,258 in Vermillion.
And I am sure he whipped out our total debt looming at $400,000,000.00
He added that many times it isn’t easy to get the community to spend the money, but it is vital to community growth to invest in itself, “you can’t save yourself into prosperity.â€
LOL. And you certainly cannot IN DEBT yourself into prosperity either (sounds like something Chuck Brennan would say), but you can pay as you go (which is the best route).
He added they have also paid for in cash a new indoor aquatic center and have started building a new indoor hockey rink and indoor tennis courts that would have not been possible without a government partnership with the businesses in the community.
I can’t speak for the hockey center, only by saying it has been successful because it is being run by good people, and there was a need for a facility like that. But as for the tennis center, the doors were locked most of the summer due to lack of interest. And as councilor Jamison pointed out in a meeting not to long ago, we didn’t pay CASH for the aquatic center. That is a flat out lie. We used money paid back to us for building levees, the ‘CASH’ he is referring to has to be paid back because we borrowed the money for the levees.
As for all of those naysayers and critics: stay on the offensive with them. You are going to make people mad, but you have to do what is best for the community.
And you can accomplish all this by never telling the truth and making all negotiations in secret. Now that’s the secret of progress Vermillion!