I did the above toon in 2010 when the city was facing a similar situation.
I guess there is a lot of hurt butts since the pothole debate, on both sides. Not just on the council but citizens alike that are confused why a majority of the council voted this down.
Besides all the crying (that’s probably not helping the rising Big Poo River) it really isn’t that complicated.
As for the 6 that voted against the appropriation, I get why they did; the mayor and a city director told them the money wasn’t needed at this time. Okay, that’s fair . . . but . . .
. . . you also scratch your head why all of a sudden the council has decided to be fiscal conservatives in the middle of road crisis and a potential natural disaster? All eight councilors very well know that the appropriation is just a PIECE OF PAPER voted on by councilors and signed by the mayor and city clerk (if it passed). That’s it. It’s not taking $500K from anywhere. It sits in the bank and if the public works department NEEDS it down the road, they can use it. If they don’t use it, like I said it is just a worthless piece of paper. No harm, no foul.
I was surprised by all the rancor and disgust at Tuesday’s meeting. This was an easy vote. People are pissed about pot holes. They need to be fixed. This would have allocated an emergency fund if needed. If not needed it would go back into the CIP and spent on other projects. This should have been read, and passed 8-0 with NO debate or discussion.
Let’s face it, this was about the legislators proposing it, not the proposal. The public isn’t that naive, they see it week after week, they know what the ‘FIX’ is. Especially when you have a city councilor tell another city councilor that Mayor Paul told him he is “Thru (dealing) with Stehly”.
I continue to wonder why at least 5 of the councilors and mayor (when he breaks ties) continue to shoot themselves in the foot. Government is easy when you use logic and common sense. It’s not about who proposes the legislation it’s about the legislation. For example, Erickson proposing free bus rides for minors, or Kiley heading up the Annexation Task Force, or Starr’s idea to give land to the Glory House, or Neitzert proposing buffer changes or Selberg proposing a Siouxper Hero award. All fantastic policies. Having an emergency fund was a good idea. Tuesday’s vote didn’t make sense, and the 6 that voted against it only have themselves to blame for criticism. Just don’t stand over the river the next time you cry.
While I get why they put these cameras in, I find it completely ironic that we were told by the past mayor and it seems the current mayor that it would be ‘to difficult to film citizen board meetings’ because of the varying schedules and some are even closed.
BULLSH*T!
It’s funny how the city or any government entity for that matter always has a convenient excuse for keeping things closed when they are trying to hide something, but are quick to show off technology when it will make great propaganda footage later.
If we can film a sandbag pile (WITH TWO CAMS) we can easily record ALL citizen board meetings and link them online in YOUTUBE (Which hosts them for FREE). I would even go further and have a live cam in the mayor’s office.
As the city has been showing us over the past week, they have the capability to keep the citizens informed, they also have the capability of keeping things open, if only they had the desire.
I also see PTH had time to go out Tuesday Night and take some selfies with the crew. Man, they look exhausted. Sometimes I wonder if he is breathing in a little too many fumes from the hot mix. #photoopfailure
I have been thinking about this ever since the flood concerns reared their head this past couple of weeks. I want to apologize to city councilors who had the foresight to fund the Levees by borrowing the money in hopes to get repayment from the Feds. I especially want to apologize to Jamison and Litz who I was the hardest on. Not only are the levees proving to be a good idea, the Feds have repaid us for the bonds we took out (even though Bowlcut & Bucktooth decided to squander the money for an indoor pool, we now have to pay the bonds back from 2nd penny).
One of my complaints at the time was this was really about saving all the businesses in the FEMA flooplain in the mall area from paying flood insurance. Now that I look back on it, I can’t imagine what kind of mess we would have now if they didn’t build the levees.
While I am all for the staff Unionizing, why wasn’t this done years ago instead of a couple of days before a LIKELY new chair will be elected. It smells a bit.
As a person who has worked in printing for 25 years, we have often run into roadblocks in getting printing from the SDDP because they require a union printer. I only know of ONE union printer in Sioux Falls and they cannot handle large statewide mailings, that I know. That is why a lot of SDDP LARGE mailings are printed out of state at bigger union facilities. I find it to be a double standard requiring union printers when the staff isn’t even unionized.
Like I said, this is a good step, but it also looks like it will tie the hands of the new chair. Make no mistake, the new chair will want to make staff changes. I think it is pretty obvious that when there is a regime change, you change a few soldiers under that regime. I guess we will see what kind of roadblocks this presents for the new chair. I told one candidate already that if they win they need to ‘Clean House’. You can’t keep remnants of a failing party around when you are trying to rebuild it. Fixing the SDDP will take more than just a new chair, it will take a NEW staff willing to try NEW ideas, whether they are union or not.
Various online reports are coming in that hundreds of cars in Sioux Falls have received expensive damage from potholes. That seems a real slap in the face, as we pay taxes not only to make sure our roads are well maintained, but that our roads are also safe. If many of the roads are no longer safe to navigate, does that give taxpayers grounds for legal recourse?
A similar situation arose a few years ago, when several homeowners sued the city in a class action suit to pay for sewer backups and won. Since the plaintiffs had to divide the compensatory judgment, they each probably didn’t get enough money back to cover repairs, but it was better than a kick in the teeth. One recipient told me he recovered about half of his damages.
I’m not an attorney, so I’m not sure why the class action lawsuit approach was used in that example. But, if appropriate for that event, should citizens ban together on this shared loss/pothole damage situation as well?
FF: 1:25:15
I started thinking about this when I watched last night’s city council meeting and debate on whether to fund pothole repair with a supplemental appropriation of $500K, an idea councilors Starr and Stehly cooked up. It had merit, and after their press conference to announce it last week – SURPRISE – the city finally responded by announcing at least a “ramped up†asphalt hot mix pothole repair crew schedule.Â
No doubt we are in an unprecedented, emergency pothole situation here. More than one city manager and/or elected official admitted as much. But, that didn’t stop councilors who loathe Stehly to argue against it by wrapping themselves in “You can’t fight mother natureâ€, and more lame retorts.
Neitzert claimed that Theresa and Pat were accusing city employees of not working hard enough. Starr countered that additional funding could pay for relief manpower for reportedly overworked street department crews. Kiley suggested we all just “slow down a bit†and leave ourselves more time to reach our destinations. I guess he wants all 9 to 5-ers to drive 5 MPH to work, huh? Starr remarked he’d recently followed a police car weaving down the road avoiding potholes on routine patrol, and pondered how that impacted the officer’s attention to traffic safety in his immediate proximity and to his police radio. Should fire trucks and ambulances drive slower too, Councilor Kiley?
Councilor Soehl was angry because Stehly didn’t consult ‘experts’ and asked how she knew there was an issue requiring more resources. Apparently Soehl must drive a hover craft, jet pack or helicopter everywhere. Stehly reminded him that it was self-evident there is a problem – the “experts†she was hearing from were concerned constituents and drivers suffering pothole related losses. It’s like the old adage, “You want it fast, good or cheap? Pick two.†In this instance, we need pothole relief fast and good, so that requires more money. Pretty simple.Â
As I have mentioned before, Germany and several other European countries warranty their roads and make contractors responsible for repairs, as well as research and development. They have the smoothest roads in the world. So, maybe just the weather isn’t to blame for our fragile roads; maybe it’s how we build ‘em. It has always perplexed me that we pay out bonuses for getting road projects done ahead of schedule, which rewards the potential for shortcuts and mistakes. I feel you give a contractor a due date, and if they don’t hit it, they get docked pay. But, there should not be bonuses for beating a deadline, other than perhaps for rebuilding a major essential metro freeway bridge knocked down in an earthquake – not a likely scenario around here. And like I mentioned above, a road should be warranted like other goods and services which are exchanged for fees. Of course, this would make roads cost more, but as many have been asking, “What do we pay our taxes for?†Taxpayers deserve serviceable and durable infrastructure for the various taxes they pay on what they own, many of which overlap as in the case of automobiles.Â
So, you have a least 4 council members mortified at the proposal of a $500k infrastructure repair supplement to the budget (that if not used goes back in the 2nd penny fund), yet a few years ago the council didn’t blink an eye in GIVING (not a loan) $500K to the Huether Tennis Match Pointe with no accountability to the public. In fact, since it’s inception, nobody knows what the payback has been from that place, and there has been no yearly reports. On top of that, the Huether Tennis Temple selfishly won’t allow taxpaying citizens using the Sanford Sports Complex to use the tennis parking lot during major Sanford events! So what is more important: potholes & road safety. . . or indoor tennis? Five councilors seem to have the answer to that question. It’s just not the right one.
Here is a copy of the Mayor’s Emergency Declaration;Â EO 211
I also noticed last night that Council Chair Erickson had a personal plea on FB to have people help her sandbag her rental properties. I suggest Erickson help out the local economy and go down to People Ready and hire some temps, or maybe go over to Moonlight Massage and see if any of the immigrants would like to earn a little extra cash. I know it is not the kind of work they are used to, but it’s a little less dirty,
l3wis 
