Stehly ReportSioux Falls City Council Update from Councilor Theresa Stehly

Dear Fellow Citizens, I want to wish you thebest in the New Year.Your support and input areinvaluable. We can makebetter decisions when wehear from the citizens! The big issue these pastmonths has been the lack oftransparency in City gov-ernment. Too often,Council members are not

given information or inputinto City contracts, propos-als and projects and thenwe are asked to“TRUST” and blindlysign off on the issue. Thisis not how I do business inmy personal life, and I amnot going along with it asyour elected representative.Be assured, my first con-cern as your Council mem-ber is to always try toprotect your financial inter-ests and provide the bestservice for your tax dollars.Of course we want to moveforward and continue toflourish, but we also needto be prudent and account-able. Let’s strive to treat allcitizens with fairness andrespect.

I have included articlesfrom several guest writersthat I hope you will findhelpful!! I certainly en-joyed working with them. It has been an honor toserve you on the CityCouncil and to have theopportunity to meet moreof the friendly citizens inour Community. We mayhave expensive buildings,beautiful parks and excit-ing entertainment/sportingvenues, but in my opinion,the BIGGEST asset SiouxFalls has is it’s wonderfulpeople.

Enjoy, and God Bless you, Theresa StehlySioux Falls City Councilor

The Winter 2018 Newsletter

On January 2nd, Coun-cilor Pat Starr and I proposedan ordinance to repeal thefunding for the $50 millionproblematic mixed- use park-ing ramp project. During thefirst reading, the public heardcompelling testimony fromMike Fodness, the father ofthe young woman who wasburied in the rubble after thecollapse of the CopperLounge. Amid public con-cerns about investors involve-

ment in illegal removal of as-bestos, asbestos fines notbeing paid, possible criminalcharges, lack of financial sus-tainability, and many com-ments from the citizens, PatStarr and I made the motionto put the brakes on this proj-ect and have a second look.We wanted to hear from thepublic and the mayor’s ad-ministration.

The Councilors whovoted YES to allow this con-

Councilors STARR and STEHLY Work to Repeal Funding on Mixed Use Parking Ramp

Councilors STARR and STEHLY express their concerns at a press conference.

Follow me on Facebook to get

the latest on City Events.

www.facebook.com/theresa.stehly

Also read the Argus Leader, andSouthdacola.com

for information andeditorial opinions.

Issue 2

tinued citizen input: Pat Starr,Theresa Stehly, and GregNeitzert. Those who votedNOT to allow more publicinput and plow ahead any-way: Christine Erickson,Rich Kiley, Marshall Selberg,Michelle Erpenbach, RexRolfing.

I believe (now more thanever) that we have the right toknow who the investors are inthis public/private project.

First, I have accepted thatGreat Life is not going to getthe City golf courses. Land-scapes Unlimited is a verygood golf management andconstruction company. Theywill do the best an outsidecompany can do. I still sup-port Dakota Golf Manage-ment getting the courses forone to three years mostly be-cause they deserved to seewhat they could do to returnto profitability now that all theconstruction at Elmwood iscomplete.

My issue is with theRFP (Request for Proposal)process. The Mayor and hispeople hand pick the RFPcommittee members (twocity employees, a Park & RecMayor appointment, a diehard City course player, aCity Councilor and anothercitizen). Then the Mayor's

Secrecy Concernsin Golf SelectionGuest Columnby Tom Walsh, CEO GreatLIFE

Team conducts, guides andscores the proposals. Thenonly the "selected" proposalis presented to the Park &Rec Board - they don't get tosee the other proposals sothey have no choice but toaccept it. Then the CityCouncil goes through thesame scenario in not beingable to see the other propos-als, but the only choice theyget is the one the RFP ap-proved. Mayor Huether cer-tainly couldn't/wouldn't havea heavy hand in who was cho-sen would he?

I will guarantee you,this process will cost our taxpayers millions of dollarsover the course of the con-tract plus a minimum of$375,000 will go out of statein management fees. In theRFP guide, we also were toprovide all equipment to op-erate the City courses.GreatLIFE had budgeted over$1.5 million for golf equip-ment. Now the tax payers willbe footing the bill.

Tom Walsh is the CEO and Chairman ofGreatLIFE Golf & Fitness Clubs.

*FINANCIAL FACT: The City paid a private attorney$25,000 (at $250 an hour) to negotiate the golf

contract with Landscapes Unlimited of Lincoln, NE.

by Theresa StehlyIn 2012 after the city had

tested Snow Gates for severalwinters, a group of us gath-ered over 8,000 signatures toput the citywide use of snowgates to a public vote. OnApril 13, 2014, the issue pas-sed by 76% (23,545 citizensvoted YES) and it became a

Apartment Safety Concerns

In October, CouncilorsTheresa Stehly, Pat Starr,Argus reporter John Hult andCitizen Tim Stanga surveyedseveral apartments in SiouxFalls. We toured some of thehighest police call areas. Wefound “ crime free housing”with dark parking lots, un-locked, unsecured frontdoors, no outdoor lighting,exposed wiring, no smoke de-

tectors, garbage, filth and dis-repair.

Our citizen’s deserve bet-ter. We have met with themulti-housing association andhope to bring some positivechanges to the standards andresources to the apartment en-vironment in the comingmonths. We want to ensurethat all citizens have a cleansafe place to live.

Page 2The Stehly Report Winter 2018 Newsletter

Our City election is coming on April 10th...

Mark your calendar!

History of Snow Gates

city ordinance. Many peoplehave found the service to be agreat help. A recent story onKELO TV reported that thecity is now also using them toclear the intersections andmake it safer to drive. Pleasecall the street dept. at 367-8255 or me at 929-8783 if youever have a concern.

The Minne-haha CountyTreasurer’s officehas received the2018 elderly /dis-abled property tax

assessment freeze applica-tions. They are available fromJanuary 1, until March 31.

This is an income basedprogram. A single incomehousehold can earn$27,697.78 and a combinedincome household can earn$34,622.21. The propertyvalue cannot exceed$190,122.74 and the property

Tax Relief for Senior CitizensGuest Column by Pam Nelson, Minnehaha County Treasurer

must be a single familyhousehold.

You must be 65 + yearsold or disabled. You mustown the property and youmust have lived there for 200days out of the year. You alsomust have been a resident ofSD for at least one year.

This does not freezeproperty taxes, but it freezesthe assessed value.

Please call the Treas-urer’s office for more infor-mation or questions at367-4487 or 367-4211.

In teaching my USF stu-dents about the mayoral sys-tem, I stressed some values amayor should have.

First, a mayor should putthe people first. A mayorshould not build “personalpyramids” so they can puttheir name on a building, or atennis court. Second, amayor, though he/she re-ceives monies for politicalcampaigns, must be impartialand fair in giving out con-tracts and in hiring personnel.Third, a mayor should be

Mayoral Integrity

Guest Column by Kermit Staggersopen to the people, visitingwith them, hearing their ideasand listening to their con-cerns.

Furthermore, a mayorshould have open meetingsand competitive contractswith no closed meetings or se-cret agreements. Essentially,a mayor should be elected toserve the people and not beinterested in padding his/herresume for future political as-pirations. A mayor shouldnever overtax or over regulatethe citizens. A mayor mustfacilitate the dreams andneeds of the citizenry. To bea good mayor, one must befor the people and not an au-thoritarian with a self-servingagenda.

South Dak-ota is a barelyf u n c t i o n i n gdemocracy.

That seemslike an exaggera-

tion, but it’s built on a core ofreality. Consider that SouthDakota has the worst publicrecords laws in the country.That sad fact is not simply amatter of laws, but of attitude.

Baked into our statewidepsyche is the notion that peo-ple who have power knowwhat’s best for us.

Evidence of this “why do

The State of Our StateGuest Column by Patrick Lalley, KSOO radio

you want to know” attitude iseverywhere.

It’s in the secret contractsthat pay law firms and mar-keting companies millionswithout obligation to revealdetails.

It’s evident in a state lot-tery that hides how manyvideo machines any personowns.

It’s obvious in the factthat emails stored on govern-ment servers are shieldedfrom public view.

The phrase “paternalism”-- that government is a benev-

City plow outfitted with a snow gate.

olent, yet restrictive, organiz-ing structure – is appropriate.

Paternalism is easilyabused. It’s too tempting forour leaders to do what is bestfor themselves, rather thanthe people.

The only reliable antidoteto corruption, to self-aggran-dizement, is the sunshine andheat of full transparency, en-sconced in law.

The low light in SouthDakota makes it too easy fora mayor to do business in thedark.

The Patrick Lalley Showairs from 3 to 5 p.m. week-days on INFORMATION1000 KSOO and is streamedlive on KSOO.com or throughthe KSOO mobile app.

A welcomeoutcome of thenew federal taxlegislation willlikely be that cus-tomers will be

paying LESS for their electric-ity and natural gas.

The new federal tax lawsdecrease the corporate incometax rate from 35 percent to 21percent. These tax savings tothe utilities should be passedon to the consumers.

The PUC Commissionersvoted to require investorowned utilities to work withthe PUC to determine theamount of reduction in federaltaxes that the utilities will ex-

Guest Column by Gary Hanson, Vice-Chairman SD Public Utilities Commission

perience. The intention of thisdocket is to pass those tax sav-ings onto the consumers. Theresult we desire is for SouthDakota consumers to experi-ence a decrease in what theirinvestor owned utility costswould have otherwise been.

The utility companies totheir credit have agreed towork with the PUC.

During the process of de-bate for the passage of the fed-eral tax legislation we heard alot of rhetoric from opponentsthat reducing corporate taxeswon't help the average per-son. However, reducing thecost of utility bills will helpeveryone.

Tax Bill Should Decrease Citizen's Utility Costs

Left to Right: Pat Starr, John Hult, Tim Stanga andTheresa Stehly

Former CityCouncilman, StateLegislator and re-tired professor ofPolitical Scienceand History USF.

“WE KNOW BETTER

THAN YOUDO …

SIT DOWNAND

SHUT UP.”

~ Greg Belfrage, describing some City Councilors’ and the

Mayor’s attitude towards the public.

(KELO AM 1320 Radio Host)

Page 3

Citizens Vent Over Parking Ramp, Siding Settlement and Other Issues

I spent January 6th and7th at the Benson’s FleaMarket visiting with citizensabout City concerns. We dis-cussed the controversy overthe mixed use parking ramp,the secrecy in the golf courseselection process, the rightsof the citizens to give publicinput, and many other is-

sues. The overwhelming at-titude of all the citizens Ispoke with was one of deepconcern for the lack of trans-parency and the appearanceof underhanded, secret dealsfor special people in highplaces.

When we don’t give outthe information to the Coun-

cil and the public, it createsthe appearance of a “cultureof secrecy.” I hope we canbring more light into ourCity Government with thenext election on April 10thand continue to build on asociety of trust, integrity andconcern for the commongood.

Argus Leader Wins Legal Action-Makes Siding Settlement Public

Argus Leader reporter JoeSneve answers Stehly’s ques-tions about the SD SupremeCourt ruling on the EventCenter Siding Settlement.

Theresa Stehly: This ap-peared to be an expensive,drawn out process. Whatprompted the Argus to takelegal action concerning theevent center siding settle-ment?

Joe Sneve: As a news re-porter, I simply made a re-quest to see the city's eventcenter settlement. When myrequest was denied, I in-formed my editors. It wasn'tmy decision to sue the citynor was I consulted about it.However, when I requested acopy of the settlement, my in-tention was to verify the cityhad, in fact, received $1 mil-lion in return for the sub-parpaneling on the event center.

Theresa Stehly: In youropinion, what were the mostcompelling revelations in thereport?

Joe Sneve: The mediaand subsequently the publicwere led to believe the cityhad received $1 million as arefund for the aesthetically-flawed siding panels on theevent center. After getting afirst-hand look at the settle-ment contract, that turned out

The Stehly Report Winter 2018 Newsletter

Governmentis not here tomake a profit orto ensure share-holder value. Itis a sacred cov-

enant between the governed,who by their consent allowthose who govern them to at-tend to the responsibilities ofgovernment.

These responsibilities in-clude providing public serv-ices such as roads, libraries,police, fire, parks, and otheractivities that serve the publicinterest. Government pro-vides the infrastructure fromwhich businesses, non-profitorganizations and the publiccan pursue, as our Declara-tion of Independence says,“life, liberty, and the pursuitof happiness.”

The government cannotfire its citizens. But the citi-zens can fire it’s govern-ment. The City Council isnot a board of directors. It isa collection of fellow citizenswho represent all the peopleand act on their behalf. TheMayor is not an all-powerfulChief Executive Officer but aperson who represents the

Government Is Not A BusinessGuest Column by Todd D. Epp, News Director KELO Radio

people in overseeing the effi-cient performance of the func-tions of government.

Underlying all of this istransparency. The peoplehave a right to know whattheir government is doingbecause the government isacting on their behalf. Thegovernment is not acting onbehalf of the bureaucracy, theadministration, or some spe-cial interest group.

The citizens cannot helptheir elected leaders make in-formed decisions if the peoplethemselves are kept in thedark about what the govern-ment is doing.

Government is not abusiness. It is a trust run forthe benefit of all the peoplethrough the fair applicationof the rule of law, the care-ful use of public resources,and an informed citizenry.

To think otherwise is toignore nearly 250 years ofAmerican democracy. And itall begins with a governmentthat treats the governed withrespect and not as gullibleconsumers or ignorant chil-dren.

In SouthDakota, Countygovernment hasa wide variety ofduties. The She-riff’s Office has

an $18.6 million budget and$13.6 million is directly re-lated to the operation of theCounty Jail and CommunityCorrections Center. Wehouse 420-500 inmates at adaily cost of $96.43 per in-mate.

The jail system is fundedprimarily by property taxes.(The City is not required topay any of these expenses.)As the demand for theseserves increase with Citygrowth and the increasingnumber of serious offenders,the County constantly strug-gles with the ability to ade-quately fund these services.When any arrest happens,

Jail Funding Challenges Guest Column by Mike Milstead, Minnehaha Co. Sheriff

(whether it is in Sioux Falls,Dell Rapids or in rural Min-nehaha Co.), all the expensesthat follow are direct costs tothe County. That includesbooking, providing medicalcare, prosecuting /defendingthe case, providing for theCourts and other related ex-penses.

It is important to recog-nize the negative impact thatthe meth epidemic has had inour community, and how itimpacts public safety andstrains the budget. Crimeslike armed robbery, murder,felony assaults and violencewith firearms have a directconnection to drug issues.The Sheriff’s Department iscommitted to providing thebest law enforcement possibleto the citizens of Sioux Fallsand Minnehaha County.

to be false. In reality, the cityreceived short of $500,000,less than half of the $1 millionpreviously touted by city lead-ers.

Theresa Stehly:What ef-fect did this (will this) expen-sive Argus Leader Legalaction have on other mediavenues in Sioux Falls?

Joe Sneve: While theArgus Leader footed the billto force more sunlight on citygovernment, all media and thepublic benefit. Every mediaoutlet in Sioux Falls had newscoverage about the settlementin the days following theSupreme Court's ruling; andany civic minded Sioux Fallscitizen paying attention nowknows more about how thecity is handling their tax dol-lars.

Above: Joe Sneeve, Argus Leader Reporter

“Felonies are up 100%

from 5 years ago, and we have a record number of homicides.”

~ Mike Milstead, Minnehaha Co. Sheriff

Criminal Jus-tice costs Min-nehaha Countymore than $35M ayear and thatmakes every

property owner in Sioux Fallsand in the County a victim of

Guest Column by Jeff Barth, Minnehaha Co. Commissioner crime… because you are pay-ing those costs through yourproperty taxes!

Alcohol is a prime causeof problems in our commu-nity. Beer is the original“gateway drug.” Few tryMeth first. Yet alcohol taxes

Crime Costs Unfair to Property Owners

pay almost nothing towardsthe costs that booze creates.Your property taxes are asubsidy for the drinkers, pur-veyors and pushers of liquor.

Let’s raise the taxes onalcohol and stop raisingtaxes on property!

Page 4The Stehly Report Winter 2018 Newsletter

In 2011,Sioux Falls ma-de a decision tobuild an EventCenter. The citybuilt it under a

veil of secrecy with very littlecontractor oversight, thenpaid a secret settlement tohide paying twice for siding.

Since 2014, I havehad great concerns and askedmany questions concerningthe integrity of the building.The appearance issue is minorcompared to what has beenhidden under the siding. Ihave reviewed the summaryreport ordered by the CityCouncil. It confirmed thebuilding has design issues andis not watertight. The consult-ant only did a visual inspec-tion when they should havelooked inside the wall for

Event Center Siding Issues

damage. The report confirms the

wrong siding was placed overfabric which was not water-proofed. Also, because nowall venting was installed,the summer heat can’t es-cape. Added to this, the fas-teners and weatherproofingwill fail due to expansion andcontraction in our extremetemperatures. Materials usedare forecasted to last only 10years.

For 20 years we will beusing the 2nd penny (streetfund) to pay an annual $9million bond payment. Theseissues must be addressedsooner than later.

Bruce Danielson,volun-teer videographer has videoarchives of council meetingsat his website sfmeetings.org.

Here are some benefits ofa watch group:

1. Solutions: When de-aling with issues like crimeand social needs (like helpingan elderly neighbor), there isa group of caring people whocome together.

Benefits of Neighborhood Watch GroupsGuest Column by Lura Roti, Agriculture Journalist

2. Connections: We shareemail, phone info, a seasonalnewsletter, and Facebookpage. We also have a policeliaison.

3. Fun: We get togetherfor seminars about landscap-ing, home projects, safety andjust sharing food. It helps tobuild fellowship and commu-nity.

For more information,call the City at 978-6866 or367-8179.

South Dakota is one of the5 states that does NOT have aState Veterans Cemetery andwe are working to bring oneto Northeastern Sioux Falls.We believe it will be a greatasset for the veterans, theirfamilies and the community.

Of the 71,436 veterans inSD, 50,650 live east of theMissouri river. All Veteransare eligible for free burial butrarely use it due to the dis-tance to Sturgis or Ft. Snelling

South Dakota Veterans Cemetery Gains Momentum

Guest Column by Larry P. ZikmundMN.

The S.D. Veterans Coun-cil has been working with theGovernor’s Office and allagreed to pursue legislationand a onetime refundable 10%money needed to design theproject. A task force hasviewed 56 acres which couldbe donated for the project.

The State would operate,maintain and repair the ceme-tery.

This project has been dis-cussed for many years and isneeded. It is time to act andshow our Veterans and fami-lies we support them for theultimate sacrifice they havegiven.

Guest Column by Bruce Danielson, Videographer

Please pass this newsletter on to

a friend or family member.

For additionalcopies,

call me at 605-929-8783 or email me at

tstehly@siouxfalls.org.

INFORMATION IS POWER

Disclaimer: This newsletter reflects the opinions and views of Theresa Stehlyand guest columnists and does not reflect the opinions of Sioux Falls city gov-ernment. All costs associated with this newsletter have been paid for privatelyby Theresa Stehly and not from campaign donations.

Counties ac-ross South Dakotaface a commonchallenge: meet-ing their consti-

Guest Column by Jim Schmidt, Lincoln Co. Commissioner

tutional--responsi-bilities with very limited re-sources. Lincoln andMinnehaha Counties are noexceptions.

For the Commission ofLincoln County, the largestissue facing their agenda isdealing with the expansion ofCAFO’s (confined animalfeeding operations) as theyare placed in the County.

The second issue iswhether Lincoln County

Counties Face Many Challenges

Stay informed!

CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS

are thefirst 3 Tuesdays of each month

at 7:00pm. Watch on Citylink(Midco channels

16 and 594; Vast channels 11 and 511) or online at

siouxfalls.org.

You can attend the City Council

meetings at the Carnegie Town Hall,

235 West 10th Street, Sioux Falls.

What do you think?• The City Council commissioned an independentevaluation report of the Event Center siding.

• The citizens paid $25,000 for a complete report.• The mayor and his administration refuses to let the City Council and the public see the ENTIRE draft report . . .RELEASING ONLY AN EDITED SUMMARY!

Email me your thoughts on this: tstehly@siouxfalls.org.

A S

Watch city council meetings here!

CAMPAIGN CORNERDear Citizens,

We have an important municipal election on April10, 2018. YOUR VOTE COUNTS, Mark your calen-dar.

Now more than ever, our community needs leadersin government that have integrity, courage and a de-sire to represent the average citizen.On the April 10th ballot: Mayoral position, two at -

Large council seats and the central district and southeast district council seats.

If you are interested in running, You can pick up in-formation from the City Clerk’s office at the CarnegieTown Hall, 235 west 10th street, or Siouxfalls.org

LarryP. Zikmundis our S.D. District 14 Representative

should build a jail or continueleasing space from area coun-ties, or should seek an alter-native method of dealing withindividuals whose main issuesare mental (for which incar-ceration does nothing).

Lincoln County looks for-ward to the future by invest-ing in the 85th Street/I-29interchange. This additionwill greatly expand thecounty’s tax base, as well asschool districts and munici-palities.

The Commission wel-comes public comment and isvery committed to trans-parency.

Lura Roti is aMember of theCathedral His-torical DistrictNeighborhoodwatch Group.