During the ice storm the city did come through neighborhoods and pick up branches in the boulevard from private property. The city also got a reimbursement from FEMA for those efforts.
In this last Spring’s flood the city decided to buy up some homes that were in a problem flood area. We also got FEMA money for flood prevention/relief.
This is from the Mayor’s Chief of Staff;
Councilors;
I was texted a screenshot of Councilor Stehly’s most recent Facebook post and asked to clarify what seems to be a misunderstanding of the information within Mayor TenHaken’s email below. I am not able to comment directly on Councilor Stehly’s post in order to ensure the public is receiving accurate information.
For clarification purposes – if a tree originated within the boulevard and has fallen due to the storm then the City will work to remove that tree. If there is debris from trees originating from private property or buildings in the boulevard then we need the community’s help in moving that to either the landfill or one of the two drop-off locations. If the community has the ability to remove trees that were growing in the boulevard that have fallen, we certainly would appreciate the assistance in doing so.
We appreciate the community’s help in taking a #1SF approach to cleaning up from Tuesday night’s storms.
Best regards;
Erica L. Beck, Chief of Staff to the Mayor, City of Sioux Falls
I would agree with Beck on one point, if you ‘CAN’ cleanup your own yards, you should. If you ‘CAN’ transport your rubbish to the drop off sites, you should. But where I disagree is that many people cannot do this. They either don’t have the resources, money, time or youthfulness to do so. Volunteers can only do so much. If a resident of this city ‘CANNOT’ manage to cleanup after these storms, the city should HELP. Make no mistake, we have millions and millions of dollars in our reserve fund, it is there for incidents like this, not for private non-profit theaters or extending bike trails. On top of that, we could get reimbursement from FEMA. Not sure if the Mayor and his COS are aware, but we were hit by 3 tornadoes, those are natural disasters, those are covered by FEMA, an agency we fund through our Federal income taxes.
This administration needs to get it’s SH*T together!
If people are unable to cleanup their mess, HELP THEM! We pay taxes for services not for popcorn and Garth Brooks concerts! This is a SERVICE, NOT A HANDOUT! Enough Already with your Facebook shaming, trucker hats and mixed messages, just pick up the f’ing branches! Why do you have to make everything POLITICAL and COMPLICATED?! That’s my job dingbats.
UPDATE: Look at the fun graphic the city created to tell taxpayers what they WON’T do. Apparently they will take your tree ‘but just the tip’. The amount of time, energy and money spent telling people what they WON’T do could be put towards storm cleanup.
Is the city allowed to use labor from DOC trustee inmates to assist in cleanup?
I think they have been using them.
How nice to see that municipal employee Erica Beck has time at public expense – even during a declared municipal emergency – to monitor non-municipal political social media pages like the Sioux Falls Politics Group Facebook page. There she lauds the group page Adm. Matt Paulson by name, for his boot-licking post about their beloved mayor. You know, that Matt Paulson. The Christian ventriloquist doing all the talking/fundraising/Shylock bean counting/backside fingering for the mayor’s Charlie McCarthy dummy opposition candidate Alex Jensen who’s challenging incumbent Theresa Stehly’s At-Large City Council seat. Can you say . . . . S H A M E L E S S ?
A precedent was established with the April ’13 ice storm, which needs to be followed: Announce, clarify, and make two city clean-ups down each affected street.
It’s that simple.
Storms like this are one of the reasons we have government. Government is not suppose to be in the business of creating “Sports Authority Zones,” or buying property for development, when there is no development to be had. Government is suppose to be there to provide essential services and to do what the private sector will not do – which is needed – for a free or significantly reduced cost.
The city doesn’t realize or appreciate how valuable citizen volunteers are. Instead of a thankyou, they get orders to clean up their own streets.
Erica Beck’s $161,158.40 salary is dependent on PTH being in office.
Months remaining to his term: 31.
So the mayor has been asking for volunteers to help with the clean up. If one of these volunteers grabs a chainsaw and cuts the wrong limb on a downed tree and the tree rolls onto the guy causing injury, who is legally responsible?
Paul TenHaken $127,940.80
16 months of government experience
Erica Beck $161,158.40
Years of government experience
A person earning a $161,158.40 salary as part of the household income probably doesn’t realize the pain of hiring a tree or lawn service to clean up the financial mess a retiree has to figure out.
The insulting attitude this government has toward its citizens is revolting.
I understand policy changes between administrations, but the same city officials involved with the ice storm cleanup are still in office, like Mark Cotter. Didn’t one of them raise their hand and say to the mayor, “During the ice storm we picked up branches if the property owners put them in the boulevard for us.” Maybe he did, and was just ignored.
A person earning a $161,158.40 salary as part of the household income probably doesn’t realize the pain of hiring a tree or lawn service to clean up the financial mess a retiree has to figure out.
The other half of that household income you refer to is Director of International Sales & Key Accounts, Cheese Division, Agropur, Davisco Foods.
“Storms like this are one of the reasons we have government.”
Absolutely correct.
Lightning may strike me for admitting this, but “Operation Timberstrike” was one thing Huether got right.
This Mayor has been on the wrong foot with priorities and spending from the onset.
$1.5 million to pi$$ down the leg of the State Theatre (?), but can’t find money for trucks, loaders and city employees to help citizens with disaster recovery efforts ? Unacceptable.
l3wis the rightwingers in office now believe the government is theirs and theirs alone so don’t be taking anything away from their privilege system
The downfall of several federal, state and local governments have fallen by how little the leaders did to help the suffering of disaster victims. Just remember the root causes of the downfall of Ford, Carter George HW Bush, GW Bush, Frank Farrar to name a few lost their political support when they forgot who votes.
The ice storm established the standard. The impacted areas are smaller than the ice storm. The city should pick up all of the debris like they did with the ice storm in April of ’13. …..#HaveGovernmentWork4ThePeople!
“Memories” is exactly right!
The one we often forget is ‘Andrew’ back in ’92. It took the Feds two weeks to set-up in Florida. There were signs on roofs back then, that read: “Where’s the Federal Government?”
Locally, our town has obviously been hijacked for the few. No coordinated plan for the storm sirens, but we’re worried about the “Sports & Entertainment District” development plans, however.
OH, and I could go on, and I already have, but shame on these civic leaders who are penny pinchers about clean up after three tornadoes, but they’ll do business with someone who is criminally being investigated by OSHA…
#GiveMeABreak #WeHaveOurPriorities…. #ElitismToTheCore… #IsTodayHatDay?…
Not to mention also, that four climate deniers, or enablers (Thune, Rounds, Teenager, and Mayor Thune, Jr.), held a presser today about the storms….. #IFeelYourPainMyAss #PhonyBaloney
Our of curiosity, how many of you complaining went and volunteered to help or helped others clean up?
I love this website, such a cesspool of hate and complaining, it’s a train wreck I can’t stop watching. ðŸ‘😂🤣
Hmmm, I was waiting for this comment, surprised it took a whole day. I also knew it would come from a chickenshit anon commenter. If an anonymous person told you stick a corn cob up your ass in a text message, would you do it? As for the ‘cesspool’ comment, there are plenty of other media sources people can go to hear the BS version of what is going on in our city in between the latest food truck and what Maria Butina is doing. This site is NOT about butterflies and rainbows, it’s about grinding sausage. I don’t really have much use for that crap.
HA HA HA, this literally brings a smile to my face. These are the type of comments I come here for, love it. I enjoy how you called me a chicken shit as well, way to be professional buddy. ðŸ‘ðŸ‘😂😂
what does a corn cob text message have to do with anything that I said? If you’re referring to me asking who’s went and helped cleanup then I’m taking that as your answer as a “no”.
Once again I ask, how many of you actually go out and help or do all you do is complain?
HA HA HA, this literally brings a smile to my face. These are the type of comments I come here for, love it.  I enjoy how you called me a chicken shit as well, way to be professional buddy.  ðŸ‘ðŸ‘😂😂
what does a corn cob text message have to do with anything that I said? Â If you’re referring to me asking who’s went and helped cleanup then I’m taking that as your answer as a “no”.
Once again I ask, how many of you actually go out and help or do all you do is complain?
Dear Hmmmmmm,
For your fucking information, I live just up the street from the Advance Auto Parts Store, which now looks like a HyVee tent sale on a hot and humid day. So what do you think? Do you see me as a “volunteer” or one needing a “Hand-out?”
Instead of criticizing those of us who comment here, you should be challenging the political phonies who held a presser in front of that auto parts place today, while at the same time they enable or promote a climate change deniers’ crusade.
Oh, by the way, we still have metal up the street from that auto place, which is just sitting in the street, while the city seems to have a haphazard approach to clean up this time compared to the ice storm….. Perhaps, it helps, if there is debris in front of a home that is painted taupe, what do you all think?
( and Woodstock asks: “Is a ‘hot and humid day,’ a good day to wear a ‘Trucker’s Hat?'”)
The love fest of comments you see on PTH’s FB page is astounding. You can tell by their thumb-typed truncated comments they’re just taupe ensconced air heads who know only the unicorns & rainbows spin the PTH machine wraps itself in. Ignorance is bliss.
if the city isn’t going to be pickup up trees because it isn’t the city’s fault there was a tornado, then they shouldn’t be buying houses of people who live to close to the river. that’s not the city’s fault either. btw hmmmmm, how much time did you put in picking up trees?
PTH’s FB is filled with his groupies. Taupesters in denial, who are trying to protect Thune, Jr.. Right now though, their ears are still ringing, because they are the only ones who heard any sirens.
Looks like the PTH and city of Sioux Falls Facebook followers, friends, fakes and whatever are in love with the look of the mayor and don’t care about the substance?
“From a city Facebook fan – S******e L***s · 20:45 Paul you looked like a hottie the other day…dont listen to anyone who said otherwise”
Blow the sirens folks, not PTH.
“‘From a city Facebook fan – S******e L***s · 20:45 Paul you looked like a hottie the other day…dont listen to anyone who said otherwise'”
What? I thought he looked like a tree cutter who accidentally showed up at presser in true Kramer fashion.
I especially got a kick out of the reporter at the start of the presser, who rather authoritatively asked:
“Who are you and what is your position?”
I couldn’t help but notice that the Mayor was a little taken back by this, but cooperative with the question at the same time.