I didn’t have any doubt that the Harrisburg School Bond would pass, and I figured it would be a poor voter turnout, but this is ridiculous,
So we let 809 people who practiced their voting rights to decide on a $60 Million dollar bond. Folks, we can get mad at elected officials all we want, but when we don’t show up and vote on these measures, our taxes go up.
Every time I see the big wheels of Downtown Sioux Falls talk about their investment, I only think of one person, Carole. A little rough around the edges I still remember meeting her in 1993 with a cig hanging out of her mouth and a passion for Downtown Sioux Falls.
When I moved to Sioux Falls in 1991 I would stroll downtown, it was basically a handful of businesses and a ghost town. Zandbroz, Tina’s, Minervas, Ed Salears and the Hat. You could literally walk downtown on a weeknight and see nobody. I was reminded of this in 2019 on a First Friday where the sidewalks were so packed you could barely walk, it was like Times Square.
I worked for Pat Pilcher, a former legislator who owned a print shop in the old Lewis building (I think it is that fancy dessert shop now) and Carole would come in and ‘throw the bull’ with the ladies there. She said it like it was.
So how did Carole make downtown successful? I often joke she stuck her boot up Mayor Munson’s butt to do something, and if I can credit Dave for one thing, he listened, and move forward. He actually dared to remove the rail road tracks from Downtown, but former Mayor Bucktooth and Bowlcut f’d that up.
Make no mistake, downtown is what it is because of Carole and a willing partner in Mayor Munson. And in celebrating her life, I don’t want anyone to forget it, because I think if Carole was still alive today, she would look at the Bunker Ramp and go, ‘Look at the Monster I created.’ then let out a big laugh. We will miss you, rest in peace.
As I suspected a local (wealthy) business person gave the legislature and some city councilors a gentle nudge so he could operate a scooter rental business. While Mr. Holt’s testimony was about running a Ma and Pa business, we know he isn’t short on the cash flow. But that doesn’t matter to me, I actually support this kind of business and think it is something Sioux Falls should have.
What I found shocking was they want the scooters to operate ONLY on the sidewalks of downtown. WTF?
I know, when I first heard it today, I wondered if this was some kind of joke. Even councilors Nietzert and Kiley were like no can do. In other cities where these operate (I just witnessed them in San Diego) they must be operated on the street, because they can do around 25 miles per hour. And like riding a bicycle or skateboard on the sidewalk (which is illegal DTSF) it’s dangerous to pedestrians and the riders.
While I could go on a very long, or short rant (like I did tonight at the council meeting) about the idiocy of riding a motorized scooter on a sidewalk, I’m not going to go there. You get it, this isn’t rocket science, though physics are involved.
This is what happens when you have a mentally ill and dull legislature pass laws which they pass down to municipalities with little to no public input, not even from experts. Just how can my rich buddy start his own multiple injury scooter business.
And on top of it, the city councilors proposing this The Count and Heels, didn’t even bother to have a little public input on the topic.
Riding an electric powered scooter on the sidewalk for ‘safety’ is like scooping manure out of hog lot barefoot so you don’t get your 5-Buckle overboots dirty.
I know, they could turn Carnegie Town Hall into a comedy club if it wasn’t so tragic.
Informational • 4 PM • Tuesday June 1
MEP fee update (Mechanical, Electric & Plumbing) – No supporting documents
Regular Meeting • 6 PM • Tuesday June 1
Item #6, Approval of Contracts, Sub-Item #9, $187K to the Multi-Cultural Center. Wondering when we are getting an update on the dismissal of the director, oh I forgot, we don’t have open government. Still waiting to see our open government consulting contract with Putin.
Sub-Item #25, (re) Painting new buses. About $9K a piece. What are these? Bentley’s?
Item #31, Village River (Bunker Ramp fiasco) is transferring their liquor license to a hotel (likely owned by Lamont). ‘Yeah, heading over to the Homewood Suites for a High Ball and a steak.’ For F’cksakes.
Item #64, 1st Reading, Motorized Foot Scooter (rentals). This is an update to state law. I am assuming that one of the National companies lobbied in Pierre to get added to the books. They are cool. Have fun.
Item #75, A RESOLUTION DESIGNATING THE OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR THE CITY OF SIOUX FALLS, SD. Apparently this thing still exists? Who knew.
Item #77, citizen board appointments. Apparently we are appointing former AG and Judge, Larry Long to the Charter Revision Commission. Get out the popcorn, this is going to be fun (not really) watching him kill proposals. He apparently is the new CRC hit man? Maybe not?
Item #78, Appointing Greg Neitzert and Erica Beck to Med Mary task force. I’m still curious why we need a task force to read a 24 page law that already passed.
Planning Meeting • 6 PM • Wednesday June 2
Item #5C, An Ordinance of the City of Sioux Falls, SD, Adding A Temporary Ordinance Regarding the Issuance of Local Medical Cannabis Establishment Zoning Permits and Licenses. Notice there is no recommendations. This will be an interesting convo.
Item #5 D-E, rework of Sioux Steel TIF. Apparently you can sit on your hands for a year, change stuff and come back and still get the developer welfare deal. Can you imagine going to your mortgage banker and setting up a loan to buy a house and postpone it for a year? Do you really believe you would get the same rate? Hell no. It may be better or worse, but either way, you would have to re-work it. Not with the city, developers can get millions in tax rebates and put that timeline out there for as long as they wish. Just look at Phillips to the Falls, the city held onto the land for around a decade, tax free, and handed out a TIF on top of it all to a developer. You would think the MOB is operating in Sioux Falls.
Item #5 F-G, TIF for Cherapa II, I guess the Planning Commission is going to busy Wednesday night handing out developer welfare while raising taxes on the rest of us. I find this TIF curious because the developer says it is for a parking ramp, but the councilors who had to wear knee pads at the informational meeting about it say it is about building roads, pipes and stuff. So which is it? Oh, that’s right, it’s for streets paved of BS.
A SouthDacola Foot Soldier sent me these webcam photos before his rally in Mitchell and afterwards. Seems he didn’t sell many books. Feel sorry for the dude that had to haul those books in and out.
l3wis