Public Works

Sioux Falls is hostile towards bicyclists and peds

After riding E-Bike for 4 years I decided this year I would try to ride almost everyday this winter, not quite but I am averaging 6 days a week so far. Studded tires are where it’s at πŸ™‚ I have to admit it is kind of an addiction but once you have the layers on it is actually very peaceful and comfortable. And I am not crazy, on my way to work today I counted 20 individual joggers in a 4 mile stretch. Some people get it. The other day while riding to work I saw this beautiful younger Bald Eagle gracefully flying thru the trees on the bike trail. I should have taken a picture but I was in such awe I didn’t even think about it. I also work late afternoons so the beginning sunsets on my commute are beautiful.

But there is one thing I detest; the way our city’s public works doesn’t properly maintain our streets in Sioux Falls;

While this graphic is from another city, it is pretty much like this in Sioux Falls. It amazes me when we have a mayor who is supposedly into fitness makes it very difficult for people walking or riding bike to navigate this town. I said if most people in Sioux Falls started bike commuting to work at least 3 days a week we would be less fat, and more happy. I lost 100 pounds riding bike and that was my only exercise routine on my 3 year journey. I do other routines now, because I can physically now, but biking is a great low cardio workout, especially an e-bike where it monitors your cadence and keeps you at a consistent pedal speed. Not only good for leg muscles it can also make your arms stronger and helps with balance, coordination and concentration.

Former city councilor Neitzert said to me recently that he pushed hard to get more bike safety measures on our streets and was ignored, he even told me that the city has a fund for this stuff and the Mayor won’t touch it with a 10 foot pole.

I’m not anti-car. Many peeps have asked me if I even own one, I do. I love my 2009 Honda Civic. It’s simple and functional and I have been looking for a used Hybrid. My bro owns a Chevy Volt and he has told me it is the best car he has ever owned (C’mon, the VW diesel pickup was pretty cool, you should have never sold it!)

We need to find a way in Sioux Falls to make peace between cars, bikes and peds. I didn’t even mention all the insults thrown at me from peeps in vehicles and guess who is the worst? Harley riders. You would think my 2 wheel cousins would have my back, hell no. Small pee-pee syndrome.

Speaking of cars, one of my friends is trying to sell his 1961 Porsche Notchback that he fully restored after pulling it from a barn in Virginia. Cars are cool, bikes are way cooler.

Is the new public transit system working?

I couldn’t tell you personally, because I haven’t used the on-demand because I don’t like them data mining. But I have heard positives and negatives on the issue. Dakota Food Truck News did a story about the system, and I was surprised the GM didn’t kill the story because of the negativity towards the city. I wonder how many nasty calls they got from Poops’ ‘TEAM’ about this;

Brockman has used Sioux Area Metro and locally has not had any issues. He said that he has not been able to get a response from Via on the concerns he has and hopes things can be adjusted.

β€œIt really sounds good in theory,” Brockman said.

Another option with SAM on Demand is the ability to reserve a ride ahead of time.

Brockman said that it’s a great idea, but he said that he has not been able to use that feature and that it needs to be 24 hours in advance, which is not convenient with him.

I actually find it baffling that the largest city in the state has one of the worst public transit systems in the nation. It would be different if this was sunny California where you can easily ride a bike or even walk everywhere, but with our extreme weather changes a good public transit system is important.

While I haven’t rode the public transit system in Sioux Falls, I was a daily rider in High School. In the late 80’s I lived in a suburb of Seattle, I moved to another adjacent town, so my school changed, but I didn’t want to go to that school, so my former school had open enrollment, the problem was I couldn’t take the school bus anymore so I would get a ride in the morning from my dad and take the CT (Community Transit) home. It was faster then the school bus and I was home within a half hour. I also ride public transit when I travel because other cities make it very easy to use. I told someone once, “You would literally have to be brain dead if you couldn’t figure out San Fran’s transit system.”

While On-Demand is nice, they really need to have fixed routes and they need to run from 5 AM to 10 PM, 7 days a week! The current hours are;

Monday to Friday: 6:00am to 9:15pm
Saturday: 8:00am to 6:00pm

I think it is strange that you have all these White Christian Nationalists in this town that don’t provide bus service on a Sunday so folks can attend a church service, or even a BBQ at a friend’s place.

Has any of my readers tried the new service?

This is what happens when you build a transit system around cars instead of moving people. There are streets in this town if I ride my bike on them, it would be a death wish.

Sioux Falls Mayor TenHaken is a complete phony

I find the irony and hypocrisy, as Greg Belfrage says 1000x every morning, unbelievable.

Kind of looks like his staff want him to appear ‘arty’. But as far as I am concerned anyone who censors art loses their art cred. You are a FRAUD and a HYPOCRITE.

So after the mayor rejects a mural that gets accepted by the Smithsonian he decides to mentor this kid. While I found the 2nd chance to be great, it’s the person delivering the chance, MAYOR TENHAKEN, one of the must corrupt and culturally mute persons in this city.

How about giving those ladies a 2nd chance?

City of Sioux Falls using Water/Sewer fees to supplement ‘other’ projects

As I took a deep dive into this sorted document I noticed a trend, water and sewer fees are being used for all kinds of projects, not just roads (I understand that when there is a total road replacement you have to do some pipe replacements). But many of these projects have NOTHING to do with the water and sewer.

No wonder they didn’t have to raise electric rates, they just use sewer money to upgrade that utility! Not sure what new office furniture at the electric plant has to do with flushing my toilet but I’m sure councilor Jensen has an explanation.

As I said during this public input (FF: 26:30) the city sets up all of these separate ‘weirdo’ funds to pay for projects thru the redistribution of these fees, and the proof is in the pudding. I counted over 20 projects that use water and sewer fees to fund them and have little to nothing to do with water and sewer.

Speaking of the water and sewer plant, over the next 5 years the city plans to spend over $329 MILLION on the combined water and sewer plant (I would assume these numbers don’t include interest and bond repayments).

Hey Paul, maybe Theresa was lying, it isn’t going to cost us $300 million, it’s $329 million! How dare she mislead the public like that πŸ™ Maybe at the next council meeting Paul will publicly chastise Stehly for UNDERESTIMATING the costs!

Sioux Falls deserves answers ahead of utility rate hikes, Guest column by Theresa Stehly

There is good news and bad news concerning utility rates for Sioux Falls residents, multi-housing facilities and businesses.  

The GOOD NEWS:

As The Dakota Scout reported on June 6 β€”

 β€œXcel Energy last year sought to impose increases of nearly 18 percent on its South Dakota customer’s revenue for the company. However, the PUC settlement, agreed to by Xcel, reduces that increase to about 6 percent. This settlement also freezes base electricity rates through 2025.”  

Thanks to the Public Utilities Commission for taking time to listen to the customers and caring enough to keep rates reasonable to support an affordable quality of life. This is government doing its due diligence on behalf of its citizens. 

The BAD NEWS:  

On June 6, the Mayor’s Office presented to the Sioux Falls City Council a four-year plan to increase our sewer bills by 22 percent and our Water bills by 19 percent. This is in addition to the already massive increases we have been experiencing since 2018.

The justification for the 2018 rate increase was the need to fund the largest expenditure in our city history, the $260,000,000 (that’s $260 million) rebuild of our Waste Water Treatment Plant. This proposed cost projection never included the additional interest payments.

As one of your At-Large Council members in 2018, I listened as the City Council was told this new facility would be funded with the sewer fees to be paid by homeowners, businesses and apartment owners. Grave concerns were voiced at the time about the escalating sewer rates needed to pay off this massive project. This is a basic and necessary life sustaining government service everyone uses.

Our community has a healthy stream of revenue from the collected 2nd penny sales tax money, a funding source set up almost 40 years ago to be used for infrastructure like this.  

In 2018, I attempted to get a resolution passed, freeing up some of the 2nd penny sales tax money to help pay for this costly project.

Every time you borrow money, a payoff or amortization schedule is created to help you budget. I requested this schedule for all of us, so we could all keep track of the cost and repayment of the Waste Treatment Project. The Public Works Department denied the City Council an accounting of this basic information.  

Why is this important today? The city says it needs more massive rate increases, while still not answering the original questions: How much have we spent on the project since its conception? How much do we owe on this huge project? How many more rate increases will be needed to pay for the project? How much has the city spent in cost overruns?

Now as a private citizen, I expressed my concerns on June 6 to Mayor Paul TenHaken and the City Council that this is not the time to be raising fees or taxes. Water and sewer are basic survival needs for all. Many users are struggling with providing the basic necessities for their families, and many of us are upset about the outrageous tax burden we have to shoulder.  

The City Council acts as our β€œPublic Utilities Commission” of water and sewer rates in our community, and just like the South Dakota PUC, our City Council can vote to approve the rate increases, negotiate lower rates or vote down a rate increase altogether. This is the time to use your voice.  

We need to demand more openness and transparency in these big ticket items that the good people of Sioux Falls are paying for. I am deeply grateful for the recent respectful conversations I have had with several council members over this issue. Their promises to dig into the details of these rate increases, the money that has been spent for design and implementation, and what will need to be spent on the Waste Water Treatment Plant is encouraging. I eagerly await their findings.

If you, like me, have concerns about these rate increases, I urge you to reach out to the mayor and City Council before they vote to increase your rates on June 20, 2023.  

Theresa Stehly is a longtime Sioux Falls resident and former city councilor.