August 2023

Has the Sioux Falls Mayor’s office become autocratic?

l3wis August 22, 2023 3Comments

Over the past 20 years I have heard a lot of comments from the podium at public meetings that make my head turn, mostly from concerned citizens, but last week, Joe Kirby really had a zinger at the Charter Revision Commission Meeting.

Once you get past the commission calling Mike Zitterich by the wrong name for the first 20 minutes (they do this at every meeting, and it is becoming extremely condescending and annoying) they dive into asking Joe questions about his proposal of removing the mayor from the city council.

After board members Carl Xylophone and Anne Flapjack tried every excuse in the book to persuade Mr. Kirby from moving forward with this proposal thru the CRC process there was a moment of enlightenment.

Carl didn’t seem to think there was an issue with the Mayor being on the city council and he asks Joe why he thinks he should be removed from the council, and Kirby simply replies, “The mayor’s office has become autocratic.”

Mic drop.

As I suspected, his proposal will probably be voted down. And remember, his name is spelled KIRBY not DERBY for the permanent record.

Downtown Sioux Falls Sioux Falls

Sioux Falls Downtown Rotary bails on streaming videos

l3wis August 22, 2023 1Comments

I noticed a few months back that there was no longer streaming videos on the Rotary’s FB page or YT page. I forgot about it until I noticed they had a presentation about childcare this past Monday and I couldn’t find a video. A couple of people I know inquired about it and apparently they were paying someone to record the videos so they discontinued it because of the expense. Ironically they could get someone to volunteer to film the events with their phone with little to no expense involved.

I just find it ironic that they quit filming after a certain POLITICAL PARTY and GOVERNOR decided to cherry pick quotes for political ads from their event videos. If there is a bottom of the barrel that needs to be scraped, they’re on it!

Unfortunately when you live stream your events for free on YT of FB it becomes their property, in a quasi-sense, so it is hard to copyright and prevent others from using it for political gain.

It’s unfortunate that they discontinued the event videos, they were actually very informative. Just another thing Noem ruined.

Sioux Falls Zoo

UPDATE: The City of Sioux Falls & the Zoo want to move the dead animal museum to the dump

l3wis August 18, 2023 14Comments

UPDATE: During Coffee with the Councilors this morning (Starr and Barranco were in attendance) a taxidermist and someone representing West Sioux offered to take the collection at their expense. The councilors seemed open to the idea. I mentioned liability issues but Barranco felt a waiver could be written. I joked with the group that the Zoo should get a VPN and sell them on the black market, they could raise all kinds of money for butterflies and lions 🙂

I support letting them take the collection, but like most things with the city, it will get very messy, very fast.

Well you have to give them credit for using fancy word games;

During the coming weeks, the Sioux Falls City Council must approve the surplus and disposition of the Delbridge collection, according to the release. The city and zoo will also work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to safely disposition the mounts in the collection. It’s expected to take several months.

In other words they are taking them to the city dump and DISPOSING them! They are not getting REARRANGED! Now remember, if there is any asbestos in them, don’t drag it across town in some leaf bags and a late model Chevy like some other ‘LLCs’ did. But no worries if you get caught, you can get out of the fine with a couple of TIFs and Parking Ramps to boot . . . I mean a settlement check.

“This difficult decision was reached after extensive discussion, research, testing and consultations about best practices to manage aged taxidermy with experts at other reputable museums,” the release read.

I am willing to take their word for it that they have no other option but to dispose of them, but I would be curious what kind of research they did trying to find an institution that would take them and restore them? I told a city councilor they need to request the consultation reports.

Art Bunker Ramp Downtown Sioux Falls Sioux Falls

Design your own mural!

l3wis August 17, 2023 4Comments

A foot soldier sent me this, funny stuff.

Greg Neitzert Patrick Starr SF City Council Sioux Falls Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

E2 Recommendations, a whole lotta nothing and not a whole lotta love

l3wis August 17, 2023 5Comments

As I have mentioned earlier today, both the Active Transportation Board and the Parks Board tabled the recommendation citing ignorance of E2 technology.

And that is FAIR.

As I told Councilor Neitzert after the first meeting, I would much rather have NO recommendation then one from a group of volunteers that don’t understand the topic.

While Greg wants to rework the ordinance, AGAIN, and bring it back, I told him to just bring it to the council as is. Councilor Starr agreed and further added that we gave these boards an opportunity to make a recommendation and they passed citing their lack of knowledge on the topic. So what would make you think they would become any wiser in a month or two?

I think the council has at least 5 votes to pass this, and there will be public opposition and support. Even if it fails, you can use the experience to figure out what needs to be reworked. Or better yet, pass the ordinance with an amendment that funds a year long study of the effects of E2s on the trails and speed limits. After a 12 month review the city council can come back and tweak the issues, or expand the availability. This isn’t rocket science folks. You could even put a 12-month cutoff on the temporary ordinance with the intent to re-introduce or make permanent.

One of my friends who recently moved back to Sioux Falls after living in the Southwest for the past decade is an E-bike fanatic and was really involved in her last E-Biking community and she was amazed by how far behind Sioux Falls is when it comes to regulating the technology. We are essentially 5 years behind the rest of the country (ironically when they passed this stupid ordinance to begin with).

We want to be big kids when it comes to parking ramps and hotels on the river but we play like tots* when it comes to modernizing city policies. I think I am going to start handing out binkies at these meetings moving forward.

*There was an ‘incident’ at the Parks Board Meeting that I will posting about in the near future.

Has the Sioux Falls Mayor’s office become autocratic?

Sioux Falls Downtown Rotary bails on streaming videos

UPDATE: The City of Sioux Falls & the Zoo want to move the dead animal museum to the dump

Design your own mural!

E2 Recommendations, a whole lotta nothing and not a whole lotta love

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Merry Christmas!