The council has had a few weeks off, so I knew stuff was piling up, and it’s a big-in;
City Council Informational • Tuesday January 7, 2025, 4 PM
• Real Time Information Center by Jon Thum, Police Chief (not sure what this is but looks interesting). Hopefully this will be an effort by the SFPD to be more open with citizens and their assistance in helping to solve crime. I’m sorry, but a large majority of the 16 murders this year in Sioux Falls were preventable and we need to be sharing more data and information with the public.
Regular Meeting • Tuesday January 7, 2025, 6 PM
Item #22, This resolution of necessity is for the construction of an urban section connecting Detroit to the existing urban section of Grant Street which is 650+/- feet East of Detroit Avenue. (This will be an interesting item during discussion. I am NOT sure if the properties are willing to pay for the completion of this street, but maybe that is what was negotiated?)
Item #29, An ordinance of the City of Sioux Falls authorizing the City to issue bonds backed and repaid by the City’s existing 2nd penny sales tax to utilize for $68,000,000 in parks and recreation improvements at the Westside Recreation Center, Kuehn Park, and Frank Olson Park. (IMO, the city council missed an incredible opportunity to put these bonds to a vote during the spring elections. The numbers have been the same for over a year, there has been NO mysteries. They will pass it even though most taxpayers in Sioux Falls have no idea this is going on.)
Item #6, Approval of Contracts;
Sub-Item #3 (When you have to pay a private contractor $70K to create a budget book you have to question the competency of our finance department. Maybe they need to hire a private contractor to replace the staples in their staplers to?)
Sub-Item #6 (Settlement for $595K for easement property. Notice that this was awarded to the developer who sold the Tre Ministries property and will not be developing it).
Sub-Item #7 (Why are we paying the RR $100K for bridge repair? Biggest Grifters EVER!)
Sub-Item #15 (Onward and Leadership Training Agreement. More waste on leadership programs. Maybe teach city employees how to be more efficient and productive?)
Sub-Item #16 (Millions more to the Pavilion to fix something? I would really like a tally of how much money from the entertainment tax we have spent so far on the Pavilion. May guess it is north of $100 million since it’s inception. A project that was supposed to cost $19 million and when finally completed was around $50 million, with millions more in repairs and subsidies over the years).
Scott, i hope to see you at the meeting Tuesday, we have a few people coming to speak on the museum. Is it something else, the city can borrow $68 million to fund their toys and other pet projects, but yet cannot budget into the loan/bonds a measily $5 million to help fund the continuation of the Taxidermy. This is what has so many people pissed off.
There’s a serious crime problem with 16 murders in 2024 and 40 cars stolen last weekend. It’s time to address crime instead of making the pleasure palace prettier.