South DaCola

Editorial Cartoonist from South Dakota

2018

Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls, South Dacola, Year in the Review (Part 4 – Final)

l3wis 0Comments

• Cameraman Bruce inducts Cleve Abbott into the SD Hall of fame.

• Council Chair Erickson cooks up legislative priorities all by herself then doesn’t have a working session before asking council to vote on it.

• A nasty rumor circulates that Sanford Health’s CEO, Krabbenhoff is fired, than re-hired, then fired and than re-hired. Turns out he was just playing golf.

• Paramedics Plus parent company has to pay out a $21 Million settlement.

• Kelo-TV’s Angela Kennecke’s daughter dies of drug overdose. Angela goes on a personal crusade to stop opioid addiction.

• Mayor TenHaken creates the Department of Innovation & Technology eliminating the Central Services IT department. He hires a person with only a HS diploma to run the joint.

• Local media knows in advance where/when president Trump will be visiting Sioux Falls but plays dumb.

• Sanford hosts massive Golf Tournament at Minnehaha Country Club. Crowds amazed when Sanford Ambulance Copters are used to dry golf course.

• SF City Councilor Neitzert claims people (media, blogs, some councilors) have had ‘moronic’ arguments against the parking ramp. I feel like such an ass. Not.

• After 14 years, the city’s audit committee finally admits Phillips to the Falls was a massive boondoggle.

• The city of Sioux Falls tries to get the courts to dismiss them from the myriad of Copper Lounge lawsuits, even though their building services department had received several complaints about the dangerous work being done in the remodel before the collapse.

• Woodgrain Brewery, still the best brewery in the Sioux Falls region.

• Sioux Falls breaks an all time record of over 39 inches of moisture in a year. Let’s build more indoor pools and flat retail parking lots!

• The Argus Leader eliminates the daily opinion page and has it only on Sundays. I guess they figured since everyone disagrees with their ED board’s weekly opinion, why do the reader’s opinions matter.

• TenHaken’s COS, Beck, tries to butter up the city council and public for the TIFilicious Revolution. I will fight it tooth and nail. I think TIFs will become the city’s biggest controversial debate of 2019.

• The Jesus Snowplows are BACK!

• With Air BNB’s popularity in Sioux Falls (and across the state) is it time to restructure how they pay taxes?

• Sioux Falls city council sets a nasty precedent by NOT allowing a fellow councilor (Brekke) to pull her OWN ordinance legislation after she learns of concerns from the City Attorney’s office.

• Someone steals a soda from the mayor’s office frig. They appropriately over react and now have an armed guard at City Hall (protecting the precious booty).

• We are told ‘user fees’ must pay for sewer plant upgrades. But ‘users’ haven’t paid a single penny towards the mortgage of the Events Center.

• Arc of Dreams is a million over budget and behind schedule, but will hopefully be put up this Spring before someone’s ego bursts.

• SFSD turns down Sanford’s land gift. I think it had something to do with Kelby’s golf game.

• John Thune – 2018. Still a loser.

• SMG fires the GM of the Denty. Something about not having a brown enough nose.

• Some SF City Councilors attend the National League of Cities. They bring back some great photos of exotic sports cars.

• Former SF Fire Chief ‘Sandy likes to Play’ gets a plea deal, after he tries to blame my blog being mean to him.

• KSFY shows they lack journalistic integrity after they edit councilor’s Stehly’s comments after pressure from the Mayor’s Office. Must have gotten the GM box seats to a Packer’s game.

• On a personal note I found out at Thanksgiving that T. Denny and his brother are now a part of my extended family. FREE tickets to Fleetwood Mac? Please and Thank You.

Future

35 years ago, Isaac Asimov was asked by the Star to predict the world of 2019

l3wis 0Comments

This article is fascinating, written in 1983. While he wasn’t ‘dead on’ he was pretty damn close, here is a highlight;

First: Population will be continuing to increase for some years after the present and this will make the pangs of transition even more painful. Governments will be unable to hide from themselves the fact that no problem can possibly be solved as long as those problems continue to be intensified by the addition of greater numbers more rapidly than they can be dealt with.

Efforts to prevent this from happening by encouraging a lower birthrate will become steadily more strenuous and it is to be hoped that by 2019, the world as a whole will be striving toward a population plateau.

Second: The consequences of human irresponsibility in terms of waste and pollution will become more apparent and unbearable with time and again, attempts to deal with this will become more strenuous. It is to be hoped that by 2019, advances in technology will place tools in our hands that will help accelerate the process whereby the deterioration of the environment will be reversed.

Third: The world effort that must be invested in this and in generally easing the pains of the transition may, assuming the presence of a minimum level of sanity among the peoples of the world, again not a safe assumption, weaken in comparison the causes that have fed the time-honoured quarrels between and within nations over petty hatred and suspicions.

In short, there will be increasing co-operation among nations and among groups within nations, not out of any sudden growth of idealism or decency but out of a cold-blooded realization that anything less than that will mean destruction for all.

I find his thoughts on overpopulation and global warming ring true.

District 9 Rhonda Milstead

Noem appoints Rhonda Milstead to District 9

l3wis 2Comments

What?! Noem did something good? At least she didn’t appoint that bigot Mike Clark;

Noem announced Friday that she will appoint Rhonda Milstead, of Sioux Falls, to represent District 9 during the 2019 and 2020 legislative sessions.

I have met Rhonda on several occasions and she comes across as a NO NONSENSE person. I remember when she took over the contract for the Overlook Cafe, she reassured the council that her husband (Sheriff Mike Milstead) had ZERO to do with her business and her decisions. She has a very independent spirit that will serve us well. She will be a great asset to the legislature.

I was actually surprised that she (may) be a Republican. In my conversations with her and Mike, they always came across as independent thinkers when it came to politics. Maybe she is an Indy? I haven’t checked her registration. But it will be refreshing if she applies those same principles in Pierre to build consensus for the greater good.

It’s also kind of ironic she is a close neighbor to Mike Saba who was elected in November to state legislature in D9. Mike told me tonight that he was pleased with Noem’s choice and is looking forward to working with Rhonda in D9.

It should be NO surprise Noem appointed a woman to do the job. I would have actually been shocked if she appointed a man.

SF City Council Sioux Falls TIFs

Further proof TIFs only benefit wealthy developers and nobody else

l3wis 1Comments

It’s funny, when you start digging around on the value of TIF’s the jury seems to agree, they have little economic impact. While I have found dozens of studies to prove this, the State of SD and the City of SF have yet to provide a study proving they work. We have been using them well over a decade. Shouldn’t we have data by now that they are effective? I can tell you why we don’t, because they know what the result of that study will be as this story points out;

“Tax increment financing is not a silver bullet solution to development problems. There is no guarantee that the initial public investment will spur sufficient private investment, over time, that creates enough increment to pay back the bonds. Moreover, even if the investment succeeds on paper, it may do so by “capturing” growth that would have occurred even without the investment. Successful TIF districts can place an additional strain on existing public resources like schools and parks, whose funding is frozen at base valuation levels while growth in the district increases demand for their services.”

First off, as I have pointed out several times, we don’t have a ‘development’ problem in Sioux Falls. With over 6 years of record building permits, not enough workers to build these developments, and our out of control property tax and rate increases, the only ‘development’ problem we are having is TOO much growth, TOO fast.

There is also little evidence that TIF regularly provides the job or private sector investment that its supporters promise. Chicago is one of the largest users of TIF for economic development and its program has been one of the most widely studied. Research on Chicago’s TIF program found that “Overall, TIF failed to produce the promise of jobs, business development or real estate activity at the neighborhood level beyond what would have occurred without TIF.”

We saw this with the stupid initiative Mickelson cooked up that thankfully failed to increase tobacco taxes to fund trade education. If TIFs are supposed to help create jobs, why aren’t the developers who are receiving these TIFs helping to pay for the education and a living wage? You would think with the HUGE tax rebate they would be using that money to build a better educated workforce, instead they are only short-changing public education by sticking the money straight into their pockets.

If TIF is going to be used it should be used on things like public infrastructure – roads, sewer/water lines, sidewalks – rather than specific private businesses. This makes it harder to get distracted by non-pecuniary factors and does a better – though not perfect – job of directly helping development in general rather than a specific company or private developer. But taxpayers should be aware of the dangers of TIF and politicians and developers should not tout it as a panacea for jump-starting an area’s economy.

And with the Circus performers we have on our city council now, a TIFiliscious Revolution in Sioux Falls scares me even more. End the developer welfare programs. Eliminate TIFs, not only in Sioux Falls but the entire state.

Minnehaha County Theresa Stehly

Metro Council Meeting Update

l3wis 4Comments

Councilor Stehly’s Notes on Facebook about the meeting;

Resigning 911 Metro Communications Director Paul Niedringhaus discussing the future structure and governance and oversight of Metro Communications.

Sheriff Milstead now discussing why Metro 911 went independent from the County.. now apparently, they want to come back to the County because of lack of funds. Sounds like the City might be asked to cough up some money as well.

Should Lincoln County come in?…now the Mayor wants to know how the other communities in Minnehaha will feel if the City of Sioux Falls takes over. I say..this needs public scrutiny, discussion and common sense spending.

Beninga now is stating that the Hope was for a regional effort. Surrounding counties might be “turned Off” if this was a Sioux Falls,Minnehaha project.

heriff talking about Metro being on probation…years ago..Gary Hanson time as Mayor..

Four members deciding what the future of Metro 911..I Hope they open this discussion up to the community and all of us on the Council and County…

Barth now talking about a new location..first time I heard about this..How much Jeff and who will fund it?Also Barth inferred that s having the Mayor of Sioux Falls leading the Metro 911 could be a turn off for other communities.

Beninga now asking about the City of Sioux Falls talking on the health care costs for these 911 employees..(a side note..City Council members can’t join the city’s health care.plan. I even offered to pay the total premium, but they said no).

Metro Communications Director Paul Niedringhaus states that health care costs are the number one concern for metro 911… Unfortunately, we all have those concerns in our lives.

Barth is proposing that all governing bodies have one payroll department.

The Argus also covered the MEETING.

 

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