Riverline District

Downtown Sioux Falls Mayor TenHaken Riverline District SF City Council Sioux Falls Zoo

Is the President of Downtown Sioux Falls running for Mayor?

l3wis October 3, 2024 6Comments

Well, that is what my exploding phone told me today (it’s not Hungarian 🙂 the phone . . .

President of DTSF, Joe Batcheller announced today he was stepping down in December for personal professional development. The rumor is he is running for mayor.

I am relieved to hear this. I was a bit worried we were going to have the same slate of grifters running for mayor. Joe, as an urban planner, would be an excellent candidate and would make a fantastic mayor. I know the last few convos we have had about city issues told me he wasn’t going to be warming the seat at DTSF for much longer. Good for him, surprised he lasted this long.

If you are NOT running for mayor Joe, I apologize for the rumor mill, but I blame you for the burned hole in my pocket, because half the town seems to think you are running, and if not, YOU SHOULD! (I also like that he is not very good at keeping a secret. WOOT! WOOT! Open government baby!!!!)

BROCKHOUSE PETITION DRIVE

I was told today that Mike Zitterich is heading up a petition drive to save the Brockhouse Dusty Monkey collection. I wish him luck. I will post the petition once it is certified and circulated. I encourage people to sign it, even if you are opposed to keeping the collection. Let the people of this city decide if they value it not some anti-science pumpkin recycling administration.

RIVERLINE STACKED DECK

Oh the things I could say about this committee. So laughable. Why didn’t they just make up some AI characters and have them on the committee? Probably more trustworthy. They should call the committee the ‘Grifters Social Club’. And who let former city councilor Rick Kiley out of his cage (or should I say wet paper bag)?

Denny Sanford Premier Center Property Taxes Riverline District SF City Council Taxes

Update: Is the city planning on borrowing for NEEDED infrastructure?

l3wis September 22, 2024 5Comments

Update: I guess I am not the only one that sees the scam taking place;

Sioux Falls, like most cities in the United States, is running a growth Ponzi scheme. A classic Ponzi scheme involves someone who promises investors a high return on their investment. But, if the investment is not generating revenue, they turn to signing up new investors and using that money to pay the original investors. This may work for awhile but eventually the scheme collapses and investors lose their money.

First off, you DO NOT want to go down that path as a city, once you get behind the 8-Ball there ain’t no coming back. Many cities across the country who have done this have bankrupt themselves.

On Tuesday at the informational meeting the finance director (even though lately he seems to be working for the Riverline investors and NO on Grocery Tax campaign) said the city achieved a new bond rating. After I talked to a few folks I found out they have been pursuing this rating for years so they can BORROW and BOND for NEEDED infrastructure, like ROADS.

Why would the city want to do that? Because it frees up the 2nd penny for bond payments on play palaces. Take the proposed Convention Center. The bond payments on that project will be $40 Million+ a year for 30 years. Thru August of this year the 2nd penny has only collected $60 million. Let’s say we hit $100 million for the year. That would leave us very little for road repairs. Not to mention all the other debt service.

There is another option, a 3rd penny, which is a hard sell.

You never ever want to borrow for road projects while spending money on crap we don’t need. If this Convention Center passes it will bankrupt this city without another special tax to cover it.

WE MUST STOP THIS INSANITY NOW!

There are options. Citizens or the City Council can refer an ordinance to voters in the next election that would require any bonds over a certain amount (let’s say $30 million for reference) would go to a LEGAL STATE BOND election which requires a 60%+1 passage and not this silly fake advisory vote that the councilors keep parroting. The citizens NEVER approved the Denty, the city council did.

This could work and I think citizens would have 6 months to collect the sigs. Let’s put a stop to this stupidity while we still can.

Downtown Sioux Falls Mayor TenHaken Riverline District SF City Council Sioux Falls

UPDATE: The Riverline ‘RATS’ are looking for a place to hide

l3wis September 8, 2024 8Comments

UPDATE: I got word today from a very dependable source that the convention center is a ‘DONE DEAL’ when you talk to the business and banking community. They already have the chess pieces in place to make it happen, with or without the public’s approval. They also are lobbying the legislature right now to do a 3rd penny sales tax to pay for it, but they need their approval first. They are suggesting a ‘sunset’ clause, which never happens. Remember the Pavilion, you know the private non-profit that taxpayers fund in the millions each year even though they have over $14 million in their reserves. The entertainment tax was supposed to sunset after the bonds were paid off. I think that happened about a decade ago, still exists. Don’t be fooled by these grifters. This is a way for the bonding companies to make lots of money off of the backs of taxpayers. Most of the jobs will be hospitality, low wage, part-time with no benefits. Have you ever met a full-time bartender with the Pavilion, Denty, Orpheum, Bird Cage, etc.? NOPE. Because the jobs that will be provided by this convention center won’t make a dent in our brain drain problem. I agree there will be a massive economic impact from the new convention center, it will bankrupt our city.

The council seems to be a little butt hurt over the fact that they haven’t seen an appraisal OR a purchase agreement for the Riverline District, you know, the plot of land some douchey investors want us taxpayers to buy with cheeseburger taxes (entertainment). The problem is the council hasn’t seen a purchase agreement yet, and likely won’t until it if dropped in front of their faces at the last minute. And will the public get to see these documents?

I have concerns, but based on rumors I hear from realtors, at this point it is just pure speculation, but I have expressed privately to current and past city councilors that I have concerns about the purchase agreement due to potential conflicts of interest. It is NO secret that some who sit on that dais have spouses, business associates and other friends who pose major conflicts of interest. It will be interesting to see whose name(s) appears on that document, or will we see a lot of sharpie blackouts? This town gets more corrupt by the second.

Downtown Sioux Falls Riverline District SF City Council Sioux Falls

Update: More ‘Ramming down our throats’ at 4 PM

l3wis September 3, 2024 2Comments

Update: At the meeting Curt said the council hasn’t even seen the appraisal or purchase agreement yet. What’s up with that? Curt also said the project will cost $437 million. Then he cut an old guy off at public input but the next lady wasn’t having it. When are these clowns going to figure out the 1st Amendment?

Well, the administration can’t wait to waste more of the taxpayers time today at 4 PM during the informational;

A Bold Vision For Kids, Families and Economic Vitality by Natalie Eisenberg and Lynne Forbes, Co-Chairs of Friends of the Riverline District; Keith Severson, Finance Chair, Friends of the Riverline District and Sioux Falls Development Foundation Board Member; and Jeff Eckhoff, Director of Planning and Development Services, City of Sioux Falls

NOBODY CARES AND NOBODY WANTS THIS! If the vote were held in November it would fail by a large margin! All this is, is a real estate deal the mayor, his family and friends are cashing in on.

Things are not much better at the regular meeting, they now want to give even more money to the PRIVATE NON-PROFIT Veterans Home. Be curious if they got their poop in a group since this was deferred or if the city’s accounting department just rearranged the deck chairs?

They also have 1st reading to increase our property taxes. And while I don’t think it will get ALL 8 councilors to approve it they will certainly have the 4-5 votes to keep it going up. They will once again cry and whine during the discussion that ‘they feel our pain’ then vote for the increase anyway so they can keep paying the bonds on all our play palaces.

For as much as peeps in this town complain about rising property taxes guess how many will show up tonight and in two weeks to protest this? Probably ZERO. If something frustrates you, SHOW UP and give the council heck!

Downtown Sioux Falls Riverline District Sioux Falls

Why has the Riverline District gone silent?

l3wis July 10, 2023 6Comments

I get nervous when the administration drops grenades then retreats.

After the big reveal of this district there seems to be little public discussion about what next steps are.

I have no doubt that after most of the comments came back negative to building a baseball stadium and the council knowing nothing about the proposed purchase agreement, that the committee has decided to pull back and work on a better messaging strategy.

It seems the truth really does hurt in this case.

There is also the question of the city getting involved with a purchase agreement. I would hope the city council had the 5 votes to kill this but I doubt it.

Rumors circulating that after January 1st the administration will ask for the quality of life bonds which will be about $30 million for pools and another $20 million for ‘other stuff’. Don’t hold your breath now, but I bet your bottom dollar that the Riverline District will be a part of this bond.

We are going to get that baseball stadium whether we want it or not.

Is the President of Downtown Sioux Falls running for Mayor?

Update: Is the city planning on borrowing for NEEDED infrastructure?

UPDATE: The Riverline ‘RATS’ are looking for a place to hide

Update: More ‘Ramming down our throats’ at 4 PM

Why has the Riverline District gone silent?

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