Council Informational Meeting • 4 PM
Presentations on the LINK and Great Plains Zoo. I find it interesting we have NOT been given a reason why the prior director was booted and what that entailed. I will personally say if she is reading this and wants to reach out, please email me, I would like your side of the story.
Item #6, Approval of Contracts
Sub Item #8, Sioux Falls Arts Council, An agreement to create and execute programming in order to foster a more vibrant arts community in Sioux Falls. $35K+, while I support this I wonder why 1) this amount has not changed in years, so you wonder what it is based on and 2) why does this come from the Planning Department budget? Shouldn’t it come out of the Entertainment Tax Fund?
Sub Item #12-13, $247K towards after school programs. While I’m cool with my taxdollars funding these programs I question why the city coffers are paying for this out of the Parks Budget? Shouldn’t this be a county or school district expense?
Sub Item #14, Entertainment facility expense, $33K for ‘Parking Lot C’ Where the heck is this parking lot?
Sub Item #21, Greenway and Trail Improvements; Existing Bike Trail Reconstruction; To award a bid, $503k. Wow, never thought I would see a worthwhile expense on something we all can use for FREE!! Still waiting for a city ordinance that charges us to use the bike trail while church groups volunteer to maintain it.
Sub Item #29, Multi-Media COVID 19 Education Campaign Media Campaign to educate and inform citizens of Sioux Falls related to the COVID-19 Vaccine. Fresh Produce (Sioux Falls Ad Agency) $100K. I first want to say that FP is a great agency and I know some of the owners and employees and this is NOT about the work that they do. This is about how we are spending the money. We should be spending it on a public vaccination site, like Falls Community Health which we already fund.
Item #7, Surplus of property, Fleet Asphalt Paver, $0 book value, Operating, 2009 model, Online Auction. I find it odd that piece of property that still works and is being sold has NO book value. If you go online and do a quick google search you will see that depending on the model it books at around $25-100K. So why a ZERO listing? Can I give you my guess? Because there have been rumors for years that insider deals go on with city auctioned items and someone will snatch this up at basement bargain prices. My guess is this item has already been sold . . . to those in the know, if you know what I mean. Wink. Wink.
Item #41, 2nd Reading, AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF SIOUX FALLS, SD, GRANTING A NONEXCLUSIVE NATURAL GAS FRANCHISE TO NORTHWESTERN CORPORATION, DOING BUSINESS AS NORTHWESTERN ENERGY, A DELAWARE CORPORATION, TO FURNISH AND SELL NATURAL GAS TO THE CITY AND ITS INHABITANTS. While I have listened to the pros and cons on this issue in the 1st reading, I would probably vote against it. While competition is good, MidAmerican has done a good job of providing this service to Sioux Falls. Why complicate something that would put our safety at risk burying competing pipes next to each other? Natural gas is very affordable, and I don’t see making that market competitive will save consumers that much. It would literally be pennies on your monthly bill. Sure it may be a monopoly in SF, but the competitor has the same deal going on in other communities, so the argument in moot. I expect this item to get pretty heated Tuesday night. My staff DaCola recommendation is denial 🙂
Item #45, A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY OF SIOUX FALLS RECEIVING THE MUNICIPAL BAND TASK FORCE RECOMMENDATION. This of course would give management control of the band to the Pavilion. While I take no issue with that, one has to question if the Pavilion will ask for a bigger subsidy from the city because of it? In other words, while we will save the band, did we save any coin? Probably not, in fact I think it will cost us more. It seems the TenHaken administration is always trying to fix things that are not broken to make itself look like it is innovative. I have gone to the same barber for around 20 years, because she is NOT broken. I even asked her last year, “Anne, do I have a bald spot on the back of my head? Because when I do public input at city council it looks likes that. And friends have told me that.” She responded, “No, just a little thin. Tell your friends they are full of sh!t”
Item #46, A MOTION PROVIDING ADVICE AND CONSENT TO THE APPOINTMENT OF MATT MCAREAVEY AS FIRE CHIEF OF SIOUX FALLS FIRE RESCUE. I will first say that Matt has credentials, and have no doubt he can fulfill the duties. But once again the powers of be promoted someone internally without even attempting a national search to bring in new blood or hiring someone who lives in the community. I guess Matt lives in rural Renner.
I like the sub-item to spend $247,000 from the Park’s and Recreation Department; it comes from this ‘budget’ mostly cause its budgeted as “recreation”. Keep in mind, this department actually is dedicated for PARKS and then the RECREATION providing families activities during Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.
A few weeks ago, I actually presented a Concept Plan to place the Sioux Falls Arena within the Parks and Recreation Department for this very reason, sourcing the concept design used in Sioux City, Iowa.
With the Arena being half used, why not place it within the Parks/Recreation Department, revitalizing it to be used as a “Family and Recreation Center” … I encourage people to take a look at the Sioux City idea. It would, could generate ‘revenue’ for the CITY if only they put their minds to the chalk board.
– Mike Zitterich
“chalk board(s)”? I believe they have been replaced by smart boards. Chalk boards haven’t been used since the early days of NASA. Senator Strom Thurmond – during the Thomas hearings I believe – once referred to the microphone as the “machine”. Just saying.