Why does a majority of the Sioux Falls city council and Mayor want to subsidize the Feds?

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Say what you will about South Dakota when it comes to Federal money, but it is no secret WE ARE a welfare state (we receive more back then we pay in). Whether you agree with that or not, one fact remains the same, we are at least entitled to what we pay in. That is why it puzzles me that the city is chopping at the bit to get the levee projects done. Federal projects  should be paid for through Federal appropriations not local tax dollars. Not only is it the proper and right way to pay for the project it is inexcusable to take local tax dollars away from city owned projects to pay for something the Feds own and are responsible for.

The levees are owned by the Feds (Corps of Engineers) and regulated by the Feds (FEMA). It only makes sense that Federal money be used to build them. The city claims that the Feds will pay us back. That may take 20 years, if ever, all the while we are paying interest on the loans. Even if they do pay us back the principle we will never see the full amount.

What’s the solution? I’m not sure, but I will say this; I think it is a complete load of crap that the city is claiming our hands are tied. Not only do we have several qualified department heads that have worked with the project and the Corps for years on this, we have eight city councilors, one that is married to the SD Senate majority leader. We have a mayor and a city attorney that is a former judge. We also have Herseth-Sandlin who is in a leadership role with the Blue Dogs in the Congress, Johnson who is a senior Democrat leader in the Senate and Thune who ranks 5th in the Republican leadership. With all of those people working on it, there is no fricking reason why FEMA and the Corps can’t or won’t pony up.

You might say we have a leadership problem (well we do) but I think this is all a bunch of smoke and mirrors. I think Munson and the city like taking out loans and handing contracts over to private contractors. One wonders if we let the Feds handle the project if they would be so generous?

Elephant dvdrip

This whole thing stinks, especially since Munson is gearing up to ask for the money from the council who will probably bend over for him because they don’t want to seem like a bunch of dicks by raising people’s insurance rates.

I think there needs to be a full-scale investigation into why we are not getting the money, I also think that FEMA needs to back the f’ck off about the floodplains if they don’t want to pay to fix them.

This isn’t about flood control and 100 year floods it’s about political games and it is becoming more obvious every day.

Posted in: Sioux Falls

What’s that saying about a monkey and football?

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mfblkdesign

This story has the all the elements of beauracrats doing what they do best; talking too much, pointing fingers and farting around. The levee project has been a political hot potato over the past year, for no reason really. The original plan was clear; budget a couple a million a year until the project gets done. Well that wasn’t good enough for Munson or FEMA. But FEMA has since backed off, so it was apparent that the old plan could be reinstated, and it seemed like it would be, until Munson thought he would get the money from the Corps, well that has since fell through.

May I suggest the next time the FEDS promise you $11 million in funding you get it in writing. Just a clerical thought. And secondly, since Munson backed off on the original bond AND FEMA has said the business owners are no longer in a floodplain, what will be Munson’s justification to take out a $38 million dollar bond for a project that really isn’t that urgent anymore? Especially since he wants $20 million for monkey crappers at the zoo? And the city budget has skyrocketed to Half-Billion this year?

Seems like Dave is in a pickle.

And Ironic Johnny isn’t helping much;

Senator John Thune criticized President Obama for not including the Big Sioux Flood Control Project in the stimulus package. Thune says the lack of funding for the project shows that President Obama does not think the residents of Sioux Falls are a priority.

Uh, John, I thought you were against the stimulus package? Shouldn’t you be applauding that SF didn’t get the money for a project that can wait?

“I was really led to believe we were going to get some money,” Mayor Dave Munson said. “This is seriously one of the biggest disappointments I’ve had in my time as mayor.“

Why, because you look dumber then a doornail on how you handled the whole matter? I say stick to the original plan of doing a little each year until it’s done and move on already. Everyone from Herseth-Sandlins’ drycleaner to Dave Munson’s dentist look like boneheads on how this was managed.

“This is exactly the type of project that the Recovery Act was meant to fund,” Sen. Tim Johnson said. “The Big Sioux Flood Control project is ready to go right now and is desperately needed.”

Yes, Timmy, I’m sure those words are so sincere. And I am sure they have NOTHING to do with Dave doing all those TV commercials for you.

Politicians never dissapoint, just give them a viagra and a football.

Posted in: Sioux Falls

Temporarily closing the city bike trail may save us from the Apocalypse

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four-horsemen-mikh-l

Apparently the Four Horseman could be riding in on the Big Sioux Creek, but don’t expect them to be on bikes.

I see city officials are sharing talking points when it comes to levees, floods, and spending Federal money;

Sam Trebilcock, a city transportation planner, said the trail will close from 49th Street to the dam just north of where the river and creek meet northeast of 26th Street for a city flood control project to raise the levees by 5 feet and build a dam.

“You know very well what happens in the news if we don’t do that,” Trebilcock said. “Grand Forks happens. What happened in huge catastrophic (quantities) in New Orleans happens if you don’t have a good levee system.”

First off, Sammy, Sioux Falls isn’t a soup bowl sitting below sea level. In fact you and I both know the real reason why the levees are getting built; an overly paranoid FEMA after Katrina started running around the country like a chicken with their heads cut off. Secondly, several studies have shown Sioux Falls is experiencing a moderate drought, and everyone knows we have low water tables here. I find it ironic that the same city that is begging the Feds for money to build the Lewis and Clark water pipeline (That we have borrowed millions to build, well because, we don’t have much water in Sioux Falls) would be going to the same Feds to ask for money for our levees.

Does Sioux Falls have the potential to flood? Sure, and precautions should be taken, but don’t act like it is the end of the world and cut the crap.

Posted in: Bike Trail, FEMA, Floodplain, Floods, Sioux Falls

Seems the Argus had a change of heart, big surprise!

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As the AL reported on January 6th they felt the Levees were needed, even though I stated differently.

Now all of sudden, they are not needed (well duh). Funny how these things work, huh?

Some things just make good common sense.

City officials say they’ll delay issuing more than $40 million in bonds to pay for flood-control upgrades.

Damn right, it is common sense. Myself and Councilor Costello were saying that all along, but nobody was fricking listening!

That means 1,600 new properties that previously weren’t included in the floodplain are included now.

So no one is going to die now? That’s good news.

Although timing is critical with this project, Munson is on the right track.

Since when?! He has been driving the crazy train for far too long.

It’s more than worth the extra time to investigate options for saving the city money, especially when we’re talking about $40 million.

And where was the Argus before the vote about ‘investigating options’?

Apparently asleep and cheerleading Mayor spendy pants.

And they wonder why the subscriptions are going in the toilet. I’ll give you a clue.

Posted in: FEMA, Floodplain, Munson

I don’t mean to beat a dead horse, but I’m gonna anyway

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The council wants to play hardball, fine, I’m all for it;

Advisory opinions allow the board to review a situation and determine if it violates the city’s ethics policy. Currently, anyone can ask the board for an opinion about the behavior of a city official.

But some councilors feel the process has burned them. They say it has been misused as a political weapon because a person who files one can then make it public. They argue advisory opinions should be available only to city officials who want guidance about their own conduct.

Myself and residents will just wait for you to do something unethical then file a complaint, if you want it that way. You think asking for opinion is ‘politically damaging’? Wait until you actually screw up and a complaint is filed. All you are doing is shooting yourself in the foot.

Board members have proposed keeping advisory opinions available to all residents. They would make them confidential as well, which would prohibit someone from asking for an opinion and then using it to damage someone politically.

I am all for confidentiality. Like I have said before, this isn’t about making things ‘political’ (even though everything you do is political, because, you are a politician) it is about nipping conflict of interest in the butt before it turns into a complaint. It’s all about prevention. Duh!

But that idea doesn’t appear to have much traction with councilors.

 

“The best way to stop an advisory opinion from becoming political is not to have it,” Councilor Kermit Staggers said.

So basically what councilor Staggers is saying is that residents don’t have the ‘knowledge’ to know whether or not a councilor is acting inappropriately or unethically, only other councilors and city staff? Give me a break – don’t insult my intelligence. Who was dead on center about not getting stimulus money or not needing to borrow for the levees? Not any of you.

Posted in: Ethics, SF City Council