As a South DaCola foot soldier points out, Public Works director Mark Cotter may have ‘Mispoke’ recently on the Belfrage Show when he said “70% of the 2nd penny is spent on roads. As ‘Warren’ points out, not so fast;

I was also wondering where cotter got that 70% figure for second penny money for streets. Seemed high considering our debt service for playthings.

From page 8 2015 budget.

Street. 47.6%
Debt service. 28.1%
Culture/Rec. 14.3%
Police/Fire. 5.4%
Info/Tech (indoctrination) 2.2%
And a couple more percent split amongst several other departments

From page 8 2016 budget

Street. 51%
Debt service 26.8%
Culture/Rec. 11.2%
Police /Fire. 4.4%
Info/ Tech. 2%

The city has two reserve funds. The general fund is the city’s primary operating fund. This cover department wages, services, day to day functions. Main sources of revenue are the 1st penny tax and property tax.

The CIP is a plan, by department, that list capital projects related to infrastructure costs. The second penny funds this. Does the above look like the intent of the second penny?

Another note. The water reclamation enterprise fund (piggy bank, courtesy of the bills we pay) has 62.4 million in it. The water department has 39 million.

As Stehly has pointed out correctly, we ARE NOT spending enough of the 2nd penny on roads and infrastructure, and our enterprise funds really are turning into a ‘slush fund’ due to the enormous rate increases. Maybe Mark and Finance Director Tracy Turbak need to have a meeting a get on the same page before blasting councilors elect Stehly and Neitzert for pointing out the truth. One of these days the current administration will figure out that that lying thing will eventually bite you in the ass.

 

By l3wis

8 thoughts on “What was that Cotter? 70% on roads?”
  1. The 2nd penny turned out to be the ‘I’ll call you’ after a one night stand. City promises are not under oath. Their actions are always ‘Not what Jesus would do’. For city policy, I always think how are they using me now? How does this further the mayor with more public debt and without improving the city?

  2. As usual the Mikey the Chief Marketing Officer of Sioux Falls teaches his minions to stretch any morsel of a truth to tell the story they need to tell.

    We do the videos and this blog to point out the truthiness of the crap coming out of 9th & Dakota.

  3. The stuff coming out of 9th & Dakota should be flushed down the porcelain throne and not put on press releases.

  4. From the Argus Leader editorial: “And while it’s true the second penny was initially intended to pay for infrastructure, this community long ago agreed to use that money for quality-of-life projects. From the River Greenway, to pools and events centers, some of our city’s finest things are thanks to that second penny.”

    I don’t remember the community-wide agreement the Argus refers to, but if the Argus says it, it must be right.

  5. Michael, the community-wide agreement must have come from the John Paulson’s supporters who won the election this month. Oops…

  6. The BS got so high at 9th and Dakota they need a new building. At least they’re proposing a hotel at Elmwood. City employees need somewhere to sleep during business hours.

  7. It would be interesting to trace the usage of the second penny revenue all the way back to its inception in 1992.

    It would show a 24 year history of exactly how much of the second penny has been used for roads (its original intention) year-by year.

    I think it could be very revealing and would contradict the constant stream of lies that have come out of the Munson and Huether administrations.

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