City of Sioux Falls Meeting Agenda, August 13, 2018
l3wis 
2018
Lewis & Clark really needs a new lobbyist
A South DaCola foot soldier sent me this interesting 990 data on what L & C spent on lobbyists over the years (DOC):Â Lewis-N-Clark-990s
It’s interesting to see the slow dribble of money coming into the organization (except for suckering the taxpayers of Sioux Falls for $80 million – which saved them).
I have often argued L & C was created to give a couple dozen people who make 6 figures a year something to bitch about our Federal Government.
Get in line. It gets longer every day.
Sioux Falls School Bond; Is it $2 a month or early payoff?
The more I think about the recent comments from the school district’s bond counsel about the $110 million in interest ‘scare tactic’, the more it just doesn’t add up.
On one hand they say you will pay $2 a month for $185K home valuation for the life of the loan (25 years at 4%) but on the other hand they say the $110 in interest isn’t fair because they will ‘pay it off early’.
You can’t have both!
If the loan goes the full 25 years, the $2 a month is true, and also is the $110 million in interest. If they pay it off early, they only have one way to do that, change the tax levee to bring in more money. This is the ONLY way they would pay the loan off early is if they increase taxes, which would change the $2 a month argument.
Let’s face it, this is a ‘bait and switch’. They know they will have to try to pay off these bonds ASAP so they can borrow more down the road, and the only way they will be able to do that is increasing our property taxes.
So please tell us, is it $2 a month for 25 years or early payoff for tax increases later? Still waiting for the school district to apply transparency to this process not just talk about it.
John Michaels Forum w/Sheriff Milstead
Milstead talks about our rising drug problem in Sioux Falls and the triage center.
Sioux Falls Planning Department’s Jeff Schmitt trying to influence Planning Commission Members
Jeff was at it again last night at the Planning Commission meeting (Item#12). Before the meeting he was trying to stop residents from testifying about a rezone for 3 story townhouses. He continues to say that the commission MUST rezone property based on the law. That is NOT the case. The reason we have the commission is to STOP inappropriate zoning. IF every re-zone was supposed to be approved, why even have a commission? Just send it straight to the City Council, seems like a waste of time.
During the meeting, Jeff reiterated himself and said that the commission must pass re-zones within the law. No they don’t. That is why we have them, to stop re-zones that are NOT appropriate, not to be rubber stampers that send the flaming football to the city council.
If the re-zone will have detrimental affects on the neighbors they can deny the rezone. In fact, one of the commission members, John Paulson, did VOTE NO. Was he following the law? Definitely.
Jeff is full of crap and needs to go. He shouldn’t be able to influence public officials, whether they are employees, elected or volunteer. He needs to keep his opinion out of the matter and stop trying to deflect people before the meeting in the lobby of Carnegie. It should NOT be Jeff’s concern whether something gets re-zoned or not, unless of course Jeff is getting kickbacks or a promise of a golden parachute? Are you Jeff?
There was several obvious drainage issues associated with the rezone. One home owner said he has already installed 3 sump pumps in his home since the church was built there, and said it will only get worse.
Besides Jeff, Mayor TenHaken needs to start replacing some of the commission members. If you are just going to rubber stamp all the rezones, you might as well just put monkeys up there.