Let the battle lines be drawn

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Tuesday night’s city council meeting may be one of the most exciting in a long time, and it comes down to two items next to each other, 39 and 40.

Item 39 deals with the Paramedics Plus contract and rate increases. The city council really doesn’t have a choice on this one. If a majority votes against it, they could be sued by Paramedics Plus, so you ask, what’s the point? Trust me, the councilors have been asking themselves that very question.

But don’t think it will get passed quietly. Many former and current Paramedics Plus employees have been speaking out, so have some fire fighters, and mistreated patients and others with connections to REMSA. Expect to hear some interesting public testimony before the vote.

Then there is that little $25 million administration building, Item 40. Expect to hear more testimony, not only about the proposed building but about the 300 building and other unused space the city currently owns. But even if the council can sustain their 5 votes from last week (I suspect they will) they won’t be veto proof. Or can they get one of the 3 to flip (which is a possibility).

But the bigger question is, will Huether veto the repeal if it gets a 5-3 vote? It’s dangerous territory, he wouldn’t just be vetoing the 5 councilors he would be putting a big middle finger to all the voters who elected them to make prudent fiscal decisions. Four of them this past Spring heard it loud and clear from the constituents, they don’t want to see city government grow, they want their money spent on fixing our infrastructure, not paying another mortgage for a building we don’t need.

I also ask the question, if this building was so important, why didn’t we propose it before the indoor pool? We could have used the levee bond repayment to go as a down payment on this building, but instead we foolishly threw the money away on an indoor aquatic center we should have built with a private partnership.

If the mayor thinks his popularity is getting worse, I can guarantee if he vetoes the council on this one, he can kiss the governorship bye-bye. Because he will own that veto straight through the Fall of 2018.

Posted in: Mayor Hubris, Mayor Subprime Mike Huether, Mike Huether, SF City Council, Sioux Falls

What’s up with the unification of Sioux Falls Swim Teams?

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Last week there was an announcement that the two opposing swim teams would unify. Which I think is a great idea, but it also brings suspect.

The new aquatic center is set to open this Fall and there have been several discussions with the parks board, the city council and parks department staff on what rates would be charged. Did the swim teams think it would just be easier to schedule time and tournaments if they joined forces? And if so, how will this affect open swimmers?

I guess we will see.

A supporter of an outdoor pool at Spellerberg wrote and informative letter (to the Argus Leader) about the donations to SWIM 365 (Supporters of an indoor pool at Spellerberg);

All one has to do is review the list of wealthy, elite donors and developers who raised more than $125,000 in election support for their swim team children, none of whom are on free and reduced lunches in the school system. Certainly that money would have been better spent on purchasing an appropriate location.

I saw all kinds of problems with the location and project;

• No room for expansion

• No public vote of approval

• An outstanding quit claim deed

• An offer from Sanford to build a competitive pool at Sports Complex (they still may do that, in competition with a public facility).

• Spending re-paid infrastructure loans (the levees) on an entertainment facility

• The questionable millions in subsidies to the pool (will user fees cover it?)

And now we have two swim teams acting as a super power to attain pool time in the new center.

This project was built on a systematic, well orchestrated campaign of lies. We will see how that foundation holds up.

Posted in: Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

Mayor Huether continues to LIE about Aquatic center funding

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Even after councilor Jamison nicely asked the finance and parks department to stop peddling the ‘CASH’ payment lie to the public, the Mayor couldn’t resist to put it in his ‘State of the City’ address today. (Full Presentation: Stateofcity)

The money came from the Levee Bond repayment from the Federal government intended to actually pay off the bonds when they come due in a couple of years.

There are so many lies attached to the Aquatic center, what’s the harm in continuing them?

aquaticlies

Posted in: Mayor Hubris, Mayor Subprime Mike Huether, Mike Huether, Sioux Falls, Sioux Falls Parks and Rec

Is this press conference about a Hotel or Naysayer’s

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chompingatthebit

Completely confused about the 29 minute naysayer rant. Who were the hotel naysayers? Mike, it’s time to pull up your big kid pants and get over it. You built a POS events center with dented (leaky) siding, and kept the mistake a secret. You stole from the levee repayment fund to build an aquatics center that doesn’t have a hazardous chemical storage plan, and today we find out, the city council finally awakens from their deep sleep and is going to turn down your admin building plan.

Yeah, Yeah, But . . ., Yeah, Yeah, But . . . you did it all with a bevy of lies and secrets, and us naysayers are finally catching up to your tricks.

Posted in: Mayor Hubris, Mayor Subprime Mike Huether, Mike Huether, Sioux Falls

Different town, same rhetoric! On the campaign trail with Mike Huether

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This time he hits Vermillion to tell them about all the great ways he has been borrowing money on SF residents’ credit for play things;

“I am a very fiscally responsible person,” he said Wednesday to a group of business professionals at a community brown-bag round-table held at the Vermillion Chamber and Development Company (VCDC). “I try to do that as mayor of Sioux Falls, where we are running our city government as a business. It all starts with keeping your fiscal house in order. Keeping your fiscal house in order will allow you to do that stuff that drives growth.”

He is so fiscally responsible he made sure the taxpayers gave him and his wife $500K for an indoor tennis center that bares his name. He also likes to make sure TIF’s get processed for projects he may or may not be investing in. Yes, personally, he is fiscally responsible.

Huether admitted that Sioux Falls will have the largest budget in the history of Sioux Falls, nearly $471 million, next year, however he said that sometimes you have to spend to grow.

And what have we accomplished with this fast growth? Wages haven’t started going up until recently (because employers can’t find anyone), homeless arrests are up 1,200%, violent crime is at an all time high and half of the kids in the SF school district are on FREE and REDUCED lunches. Yeah, we are going to be spending a lot on this growth, but mostly the county will be paying for the ills.

He pointed out that Vermillion and Sioux Falls spend almost identical amounts based on per capita debt – $2,264 in Sioux Falls and $2,258 in Vermillion.

And I am sure he whipped out our total debt looming at $400,000,000.00

He added that many times it isn’t easy to get the community to spend the money, but it is vital to community growth to invest in itself, “you can’t save yourself into prosperity.”

LOL. And you certainly cannot IN DEBT yourself into prosperity either (sounds like something Chuck Brennan would say), but you can pay as you go (which is the best route).

He added they have also paid for in cash a new indoor aquatic center and have started building a new indoor hockey rink and indoor tennis courts that would have not been possible without a government partnership with the businesses in the community.

I can’t speak for the hockey center, only by saying it has been successful because it is being run by good people, and there was a need for a facility like that. But as for the tennis center, the doors were locked most of the summer due to lack of interest. And as councilor Jamison pointed out in a meeting not to long ago, we didn’t pay CASH for the aquatic center. That is a flat out lie. We used money paid back to us for building levees, the ‘CASH’ he is referring to has to be paid back because we borrowed the money for the levees.

As for all of those naysayers and critics: stay on the offensive with them. You are going to make people mad, but you have to do what is best for the community.

And you can accomplish all this by never telling the truth and making all negotiations in secret. Now that’s the secret of progress Vermillion!

Posted in: Mayor Hubris, Mayor Subprime Mike Huether, Mike Huether