It didn’t happen on the big screen, but after the city’s finance director got his ass handed to him by city councilor Pat Starr he grumbled off and several constituents overheard him call Starr a S.O.B. under his breath. Wasn’t there, so I can’t verify that, but it wouldn’t surprise me coming from the children running city hall these days. Someone must have forgotten their Capri Sun before the meeting.
Basically Pat (and over half the council) have been requesting financial statements from the Event Center, Pavilion, Canaries, etc., and those requests go thru the finance department.
The council isn’t looking for final audits and the nitty gritty, they just want to see profit and loss.
I know why the administration doesn’t want to share the info, because they are making oodles of money, shipping those profits out of town, while the oblivious taxpayers of Sioux Falls are sporting the mortgage and maintenance on these facilities to close to around $10-20 million a year (which sucks directly from our infrastructure needs). Don’t be fooled by operational expenses and sales tax revenue, the city throws millions at these facilities in bond payments and maintenance. Just look at the $6 million dollar roof on the Pavilion.
So what do you think is more important? A new ice cooler for the Pavilion or safe de-iced roads?
The Pavilion and Denty are money vacuums and little else. And one of them is named after an accused and aledged pedophile. Oh, and it’s not George Washington.
Think about it, while most of us can’t afford a $200-$400 ticket to events, we still have to subsidize their maintenance, operations, parking, bonds, and the list goes on, yet we still can’t afford to walk thru it’s doors.
I actually used a free pass last weekend to visit the Pavilion’s art center and science center. Um, yawn.
But let’s get to the transparency issue. Apparently the finance director took issue with Starr’s questions, and he should. As a good Dutch Reform Mafia member, transparency is NOT an option, and when councilors are openly talking about your militant rejection of open government, I’m sure you are a bit confused and befuddled.
Sharing information; GOOD!
Hiding Stuff; BAD!
The taxpayers of Sioux Falls fund these facilities, we have a right to know their finances, even if the people asking are Sons a Bitches, because we all know, the peeps that are supposed to be answering these questions are probably of the same ilk, but likely a lot worse.
Here is a link to the testimony (Item #26) and public input, where a council candidate for the NE district, Mr. Jeske, skewers the mayor and his executive staff and salaries.
*Also, if you follow the discussion on the financial information, you will notice one of the finance director’s excuses against delaying a municipal liquor license was because of upcoming scheduled events.
What a gigantic line of BS! First off, it is a municipal license, the city can start or stop that whenever, it is THEIR license. On top of that, let’s pretend we have to wait, these facilities already have active liquor licenses and access, the city could delay these licenses for 400 years and they would still be valid!