Another beautiful spring in Sioux Falls!
“We are not going to negotiate anything with these guys! If they have a statement they want to share with us then let’s get it on!” Councilor Greg Jamison wrote in an e-mail to his colleagues on the City Council and Mayor Dave Munson. “No more games!”
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As you can see, this is how are elected officials talk about it’s citizens behind closed doors. Like Bush and Rounds, Munson and Jamison have this mentality that once they are elected they can do anything they want. No surprise about Jamison, his father handed him the family business and his council seat, he owes everything to daddy, not the voters.
We are not the ones playing games, the city is.
During Monday’s informational meeting, councilor Knudson begged us to contact them ” . . . within 15 to 24 hours . . .” Then when we made an attempt to discuss it with the city, the above email is what we get? You are right, Jamison, we don’t play games.
When asked about his e-mail, Jamison said: “In the end, I am still committed to getting those bonds so we can get those levees built as soon as possible.”
“Real people die in floods,” he added. “Real families get wrecked for life. Not on my watch.”
Who is Jamison concerned will die? The employees of Granite City and Hollywood Video? I guess we live below sea level on the Gulf coast. Well, Greg, the last time the city flooded it wasn’t because of the lack of levees, it was the lack of a upkeep on our sewer system. The water didn’t come flooding out of the banks of the big Sioux, they came from the city’s poor sewer system.
Stehly said her group is equally committed to bringing the sales tax issue to voters. And with promises of federal money coming, the bonds might not even be necessary, she said.
“We care deeply about the financial health of our city,” she said. “We’re doing this because we care. We’re doing this for taxpayers.”
City officials acknowledge that a federal stimulus plan could include money for the flood project. Mark Cotter, the city’s director of public works, said the project is considered a “high priority” for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. But the city isn’t waiting to see. The bonds are scheduled to be sold in March so that construction can resume this spring.
“We really do need to continue moving this forward,” Munson said.
Munson just can’t wait a couple of months for an answer, instead he wants the taxpayer’s of this city to pay over $12 million in interest payments on a loan we may not need. The Feds (FEMA) created this problem, they should fix it.
I suspect if the FEDS do pony up, instead of paying off the bonds, I’m sure Munson will keep the money so he can build football fields and new monkey crappers at the zoo this Fall. He has the legal authority to do anything with the money now, because seven of the councilors gave him permission to borrow, borrow, borrow.
I ask, who do they represent? Not us.
And once again, the Argus Leader editorial board thinks borrowing money is a good idea;
As a matter of fact, the council is right on track in proceeding with its intention to sell $38 million in bonds in March in order to pay for a levee and flood control projects.
No, the council should have found alternative funding sources.
Most of the time Sioux Falls city hall makes some rather dumb moves, but this week has been rather odd and suspicious to say the least. As you know, a few weeks back, Mayor Munson was chomping at the bit to get a $38 million dollar bond passed because the levee project just had to be completed ahead of schedule – well – because Munson said so. Than there was a possibility that the Feds may pay us back. Yeah right.
I have long believed this was a ploy to stop our tax initiative by scaring us into believing it may be illegal, turns out it wasn’t. So on Monday they tried to guilt us into ending the drive by telling us the rates may go up on the loan because of our initiative, probably not.
Now the city is saying we may not have to take the loan out at all,
Earlier this month the city council voted to issue 38 million dollars worth of bonds to pay for the project, but they’d rather see the federal government pay for the project right away.Â
“There’s a good chance that the 38 million dollar bond ordinance that’s been passed may be able to be reduced,” Cotter said.Â
Can you say, Clusterf***?! This is what happens when you play games – you waste time and resources when you don’t need to. If anyone is costing taxpayer’s more money, it’s not our initiative, it’s your childish shananigans.
We are continuing our drive this Saturday with a door to door campaign.
UPDATE: Munson and councilor Jamison said in an email yesterday that they would not sit down with us for a briefing on Friday. Pretty obvious why, they may not need to take out the loan. I’ll post the email when I get it.
This could be us, if we don’t act now. “Heh, Heh, the fishin’ pretty good in Sioux Falls, huh daddy?”
Though it is disappointing that our intitiative bit the dust, I am more disappointed in the seven councilors who voted for the $38 million dollar bond to pay for the levees. Do I think the project needs to be done? Definately. But it all comes down to timing and Federal money, and FACTS, not gut feelings.
Some things the councilors did not take into consideration;
– They could still negotiate with FEMA. FEMA is the federal agency that created this flood plain, it should be the Federal government’s responsibility to fix and pay for the problem and last I checked people in Sioux Falls pay Federal income taxes, the Feds owe us.
– Though it is true we have to foot the bill for the 41st Street bridge ($12 Million) we could have pulled that money from the CIP (where it originally was) but instead it was thrown into the loan so the city could spend the $12 million in the CIP on WANTS. Very, very, fiscally irresponsible considering our interest on the loan will be over $8 million to pay back.
– This city hasn’t had a major flood since the 1950’s and there hasn’t been ANY studies done for at least 20 to 30 years about where we stand for floods. We also have been in a drought for the last 4 years, at least, in SD. (ironically why the Lewis and Clark pipeline is so vital) There have only been two incidents in recent years that had nothing to do with the levees or the floodplain. In 1996 the spillway had to built up because it couldn’t handle the Spring thaw and in 2005 we got two torrential rains that backed up into people’s basements do to inadequate sewer and street drainage. The levees held then too. I have said to this day, that happened because for the past 20 years the city has been putting bandades on infrastructure while going gungho on new development and growth, and they continue this practice to this day. You can thank Steve Metli, former city planner for that.
– Individual property owners are responsible for their own flood insurance, not the city. If they don’t want to pay for the insurance for the next couple of years, don’t buy it or move. Ironically not one single property owner of the 1,900 properties in the proposed floodplain came last night to plead with the council to vote for this loan. NOT A SINGLE ONE! Yet Munson told us there was many concerned citizens, but I guess not concerned enough to show up to this important decision that would affect their property. He also said he “Feels for people” on fixed incomes that may have to buy this insurance. Well, if you are so concerned about fixed income people, stop raising our taxes on food to pay for streets that we don’t need. That’s a start.
– And lastly, my biggest argument why this loan was a bad idea was because once we pay for this up front, what obligation does the Federal government have to pay us back? None. The argument is we would save money on bonds and bids if we do the project now. Which is a dumb argument, considering if the FEDs pay for it, instead of us, who cares what it cost, we won’t have to pay it back. The objective of Obama’s stimulous package is to create 5 million jobs. What incentive does the Obama administration have to create jobs for infrastructure projects in a city that has a low unemployment rate and the credit rating to pay for these projects on their own?
The solution?
Even though Staggers voted for the project he tried to get an amendment to push the bridge back into the CIP (where it belongs) so we could reduce our loan. Nobody seconded the motion.
I think we should pay for the bridge out of our CIP and make cuts to wants. I think we should get on the horn to Ironic Johnny, Timmy come lately and Stephanie Herseth-Sandals Vaction and get them in on the stimulous package to get us Federal aid for the levees.
Of course now it is too late. Councilors voted with their emotions last night (and made me the butt of several jokes about being opposed to it). Councilor Litz even talked about global warming and Katrina (can’t remember the last time we were hit by a hurricane).
In an Argus Leader interview, Councilor Costello, the loan dissenter had this to say;
“You have to measure the risk with the cost,” he said. “We know we have flood protection.”
Of course the AL editorial board gave the decision a big old thumbs up;
And it would be sad if the bond vote-repeal effort connection somehow becomes a campaign issue in the 2010 mayoral race.
Oh, it will be an issue!
Yes, the council has a duty to gather all pertinent information that might influence its decisions, and that includes the effect of the bond vote on the repeal effort.
But given that due process has been upheld, it was appropriate – indeed necessary – for the council to move forward.
The Lizard King Danced tonight.
Our initiative petition to decrease the sales tax is null and void, and apparently was before we even started. According to city’s bonding agent (who holds older bonds with us against the 1.92% rate) If we were to try to reduce the tax to 1.90% we could be sued for the full amount borrowed against that rate already by the city, $165 million dollars. Sorry, but I don’t have that kind of money. But at least we were able to educate some people in the community about the wasteful spending going on at city hall.
And more of it happened tonight. Seven councilors approved a $38 million dollar loan to pay off the levees before we got Federal aid. Too bad. It will cost taxpayers over $12 million in interest plus $38 in principal to pay for something that the FEDS probably would have given us money for, now they have no obligation to pay us back.
Too bad.
Kudos to Councilor Costello for voting against it.