UPDATE: Here is a copy of the petition, and also a detailed story about it.
So the people fighting the Wholestone Packing Plant filed this last Wednesday (FULL PDF)
Notice the name of the committee is ‘Smart Growth Sioux Falls’, and below they listed their intentions ‘The ballot question committee supports measures to prohibit certain Slaughterhouses from being constructed, or being permitted to operate, within Sioux Falls city limits’
I guess it would be safe to assume they will attempt to circulate a petition to stop Wholestone. While they have made no pronouncements to the media or on their website about what their intentions are, I am guessing we will hear soon. They will probably have 6 months to gather a little over 6,000 signatures.
Without taking a stance until I know more about their intentions, I will warn them, the city’s legal counsel will either do everything in their power to kill your petitions or fall over themselves to support you to get this on the ballot.
This will be fun to watch from the outside for once.
I had a great convo today with a local businessman and Switzerland’s direct democracy form of government and how the Swiss people embrace voting on most laws that affect them. I have felt for a long time the only way you get anything done that truly affects our lives and government policy is thru direct democracy and the ballot box, and this is a prime example. Representative government is a flawed and broken system.