Hey Developers - Where's Your Platting Fees?

To say that I have no faith in our city’s government is not much of an exaggeration. It’s always seemed to me that our dim-witted Mayor, along with the majority of our City Council, are in the back pockets of a handful of developers who have amassed substantial fortunes on the backs of the citizenry the Council is supposed to represent. If you’re not a part of that cartel, or just a normal citizen wanting to further themselves, you’re forced to leap over hurdle after hurdle to get the city’s permission to do almost anything.

Yet people who feel like me are instantly labeled “haters”, or “against progress”. Nothing can further from the truth. I sincerely want our community to prosper, and I have yet to meet anybody who feel differently. It amazes me that our local press, including not just the daily paper but the 2 ½ television stations, never investigate what is really going on downtown (other than constantly vilifying the one dissenting elected official).

The perfect example of what’s wrong with our city government can be found in the (almost) untold story of last year’s sales tax increase. I know I initially ignored the story when it was raised by .08%. How evil could such a minimal change be?

Plenty evil, as it turns out, especially when the city helps cover up their business partner’s deficient contribution. This tax increase was designed to raise money to build new arterial roads, despite the fact that our city is tens of millions of dollars behind in maintenance on existing city streets. To help sell this idea to voters, a number of people in the building community put together a plan where platting fees paid by developers would match the sales tax proceeds. Months after this plan was railroaded through the City Council, city officials claimed that developers would actually pay 60%.

Unfortunately, the developers don’t want to pay their share. Six months after the increase went into effect, the city had collected around a million bucks from the sales tax. The amount collected from developer’s fees? Eight grand!!! This is an outrage!

Although our media has reported little on this discrepancy, the little bit of talk on various websites such as southdacola seems to have embarrassed the local building industry. The latest figures claim the developers have now contributed $116,000, compared to the $1.8 million that has come from sales taxes. They’re not at even 5%, let alone the 50% (or 60%) we’ve been promised. More importantly, we’re also a long, long ways from the $5.4 million budgeted for next year.

I just don’t understand why every person in this city doesn’t know about this shortfall. It’s clear to me that developers had no plans to actually fulfill their promises, and just wanted the four councilors they’ve paid off…I mean contributed to their campaigns…to give them exactly what they wanted. It’s shameful that the daily paper and local television stations have devoted absolutely zero coverage on this issue. I understand that it’s hard to find room when you have to report on every single person in this city who has flu-like symptoms, or every stripe painted on the streets for the dozens of people who ride their bicycle to work, but there are times when the media HAS to report on stories that affect every single one of us.

Comments

lexrex said…
good stuff, mr. hudson.
Anonymous said…
you need to run for council mr hudson
Anonymous said…
As if any of the Council members currently serving wouldn't do the same. There aren't any leaders in the city political structure that see things the same way as you. You'd need a group to run with you and an interest group willing to back you on election day. I'll vote for you, because I have a new 'developer house', and we got a sweet deal on it because it was a foreclosure home from the bank. But everyone else on the block paid through the nose big time on our block. Maybe Kenny would make a good mayor. Good essay.
Kurt
Anonymous said…
And isn't it interesting how the Council members are now fighting with each other over whether RV's can stay in a campground long-term. This is what happens when you don't run for office. Get your friends together give it a try.

Kurt
Anonymous said…
My new hero is Kermit Staggers. Kermit for Mayor I say! He’s flushing the bums on the Council out into the open. Statistics show there are more Republicans in Sioux Falls than Democrats. So why don’t more Republicans support Kermit? The answer is in the most recent conflict between Costello and Staggers. Staggers points out to the public that Costello supported the $1.7 million dollar clubhouse and pond project at the Prairie Green Gold Course. Public dollars that only benefit a few, says Staggers. Yet those few are the big shots in the Republican Party more than likely. By the way, what does the Republican Party stand for these days if local leaders are using tax dollars to finance private golf course infrastructure, and the GOP locals say nothing about it. The elephant is a two bit whore.
Kurt
Anonymous said…
Scott, How many new developments have you seen take off this year? I would guess that no one has platted anything because no one is crazy enough to plat a new development in the current economic times. Without new developments; no platting fees. Sorry to cast doubt on this conspiracy theory and I might be wrong but I don't think 1 and 1 make 4 here. Just sayin... love the first ten of the top 50 by the way.

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