Tipping Fee Criminal total take: $1000

After all the grandstanding by mayoral candidate Sam Kooiker on this city "scandal", a company destroyed, lives ruined (and one ended), it turns out this was about slightly sloppy recordkeeping by city employees at the landfill. Total take: $1000 spread among, at most, six people over seven years?

Wow, that kind of money is even enough (if they all chipped in) to pay for a creepy political mailer!

The accusers were only off by 100% -- and it turns out, even there, the State has no case. Brenner tells the defendants, who have been the bogeymen of local politics thanks to mayoral candidate Sam Kooiker for months, "never mind."

Pennington County State’s Attorney Glenn Brenner dismissed conspiracy to commit grand theft and grand theft charges against three truck drivers who once worked for Fish Garbage Service.... Over the course of seven years, the company was alleged to have swindled the landfill out of more than $100,000 in tipping fees.

Then in March, superseding indictments were issued lowering the alleged financial theft to more than $1,000.

...

"It was tragic. This has really been a real tragedy that these men had to endure a year or better of community condemnation," [attorney] Connelly said.

Rapid City Journal, Charges dropped against drivers in landfill fraud case,, 6/14/2011.

It's not only Brenner and Kooiker that look pretty bad here. The Rapid City Journal editorial staff, in a May 25 editorial, presumed guilt on the basis of public accusations. Not good behavior from the our respected Paper Of Record, and I hope they own up to it in a future editorial. This is what they said:

There's obvious reasons for the public to wonder if political motivations were behind the criminal case. But we highly doubt it

Prosecutors don't file charges for no good reason, and are well aware their reputations are questioned when they lose a case.

Will Kooiker be sued for defamation of character? Oh, I forgot -- the people he attacked are working-class and do not have the money to sue him -- especially after defending themselves against unfounded criminal charges by the State's Attorney, who now says "oh, never mind" -- because he clearly has no case to back up the very public accusations.

Kooiker has claimed to stand up for the little guy, but in fact has in this case attacked the defenseless to gain power for himself.

He's really creeping me out.


Truth: I'm not a big fan of the current mayor, but a Kooiker mayorship would be a total disaster for our city: legally, financially, spiritually. We'd be faced with two years of unbridled conflict in City Hall.

I sure hope my fellow Robbinsdalians agree and re-elect Alan Hanks on June 28.

Keep an eye on Rapid Creek

Bookmark this page to keep an eye on the creek.

More information:

• More data for this site
  
• South Dakota FloodWatch
  
• Rapid City area weather (NWS)

Mayor race in Rapid City heats up...

... and I have no idea who to vote for.

The Rapid City Journal has posted video statements from all the candidates on their website so at least that's somewhere to start.

I'm quite torn myself, as Alan Hanks is going around taking partisan slams at city council candidates that don't fit his particularly right-wing political persuasion, and, let's face it, a vote for Sam Kooiker is a vote to annoy Hanks and the "city fathers" behind the scenes.

The other two candidates aren't very well known to me, although Ron Weifenbach is a very interesting candidate as he's been around for a while and knows what I'm talking about.

The status quo is not good though, from a Civic Center that is more interested in attracting big names and a sports team instead of serving our cultural life right here in Rapid City, to an awful record of secret government at the city level, this election hopefully can get us a mayor and city council members that are a little more on deck for our citizens instead of our bigwigs.

Rapid City friends: the election is coming up and it's important! Download a sample ballot and make your choices!

Nothing to see here -- move along...

It's been busy in Robbinsdale (day job, company, etc.) so I missed this one.

Rapid City Journal police blotter, June 23:

The death of one of the defendants in the criminal case against Fish Garbage Service is under investigation by the Pennington County Sheriff's Office.

Charles W. Cordes, a truck driver for the now defunct garbage hauler, died Monday. He was 51.

Cordes' body was found near Falling Rock, according to Major Brian Mueller of the Pennington County Sheriff's Office.

"There is nothing suspicious surrounding his death," Mueller said.

Right. Except how convenient it would be if his coming testimony threatened to expose, well, some truth that Pleasantville, South Dakota would rather not know about...

Cordes was one of four truck drivers for Fish accused of conspiracy to commit aggravated grand theft by obtaining property or services without paying for allegedly lying about the contents of truck loads of waste emptied at the Rapid City landfill over a period of seven years.

UPDATE:

A friend reminded me to remember that snark in this situation is highly inappropriate and that everyone should remember this family and the heartache and grief they are facing.

I think it makes it incumbent on us to find out the truth to hold accountable those that conspire to commit fraud, instead of persecuting working people who were doing what they were told in a extreme right-to-work state where they have been stripped of their voice in the workplace.

Woo hoo! Bonny Petersen is on the Rapid City Council

The BID passed too.

From the Rapid City Journal - they will no doubt have updates soon...

Voters approved the special tax district 4,170 to 3,390 in Tuesday's special citywide election. The BID funds generated by downtown property owners will pay for the operations of Main Street Square and future downtown improvements.

In the Rapid City Council races, Jordan Mason ran away in Ward 4, defeating John Roberts 610 to 321. Bonny Petersen came out on top in Ward 5, earning 1,078 votes to Ron Sasso's 820.

Ron Sasso's defeat (although it was not a blowout by any means) gives me hope that the Citizens For Liberty (for people that look like us) are going to have a tough time getting candidates to proudly wear their label on their chest.

Would the Rapid City BID be bad for democracy?

Anonymous comments:

Do you also support the BID? I didn't think you would. I found this off the Internet and thought it was of interest:

There is concern that overt control of BIDs by business and property owners results in the privileging of the interests of those people over the democratic interests of society at large. There has also been substantial attention to the manner in which BIDs have often attempted to rid the spaces they control of the homeless, ethnic minorities, and political activists who might frighten off potential shoppers.

In preparation for the vote, I did a little more reading, here's the article where the above quote came from BIDs on Wikipedia. (And like any good Wikipedia article, there are primary references/links to check out.)

A business improvement district (BID) is a public-private partnership in which businesses in a defined area pay an additional tax or fee in order to fund improvements within the district's boundaries... BIDs provide services, such as cleaning streets, providing security, making capital improvements, and marketing the area. The services provided by BIDs are supplemental to those already provided by the municipality.

I have decided I will vote in favor of the BID - if the downtown business owners want to get together to make our downtown more vibrant so we don't have to drive all over the place to obtain goods and services, I'm all for it.

Honestly, I hadn't thought about these potential side-effects. We should watch for them.

In this case, the BID's potential as a method of oppression of "those we don't like" is fairly limited -- largely because the scale of this BID is small and situated directly next to many public spaces. Also, Rapid City is a small town, leading to a more open debate and discussion of things.

Furthermore, the success of the BID will depend on the public for 2010 funding and other support -- and Rapid City has a great history of people taking ownership of their community. An example of this is when the City's citizens loudly said no to Nash Finch building in the floodplain, and their support of the Cornerstone Mission and Church Response over the years. Sure, things happen behind the scenes (like, when the City Fathers formed the "committee for art that we like" and quietly ignored them when they decided to replace the powerful sculptures giving a voice to the Native American experience and replace them with white males on every street corner).

But I think all in all the BID will be a good thing and we should try to support the downtown businesses in what they are trying to do. I love the Firehouse, Global Market, Prairie Edge, and other businesses downtown and want it to continue to get better. I think downtown is a much better place then when I moved here 15 years ago and for many reasons I think it's good for our community for the downtown to continue to thrive.

After all, demonstrators need to eat too!

Band Concert tonight in Rapid City

Yes, it's that time, the Rapid City Municipal Band will be playing tonight and every Wednesday night from now until the end of July. One of those things that makes Rapid City special!

See you there!!

Patti Martinson featured in Rapid City Journal

The RCJ has posted the story on Patti's re-election effort... (Patti represents Robbinsdale and I sure hope she can get re-elected, she's been awesome.)

Incumbent Patti Martinson says helping people her goal in Ward 1
"A lot of what I do is help people. I try to connect this person with that person, for whatever issue," she said. "My best skill as a city council member is using who I am and what I know to bring people I think would work well together."

Remember, she also didn't vote to censure Sam Kooiker in a poorly conceived and ugly effort by the Council to discourage Council members from asking questions of City employees.

Her challenger is soooo business as usual --- so re-elect Patti! Rah rah!

By the way - several segments of video about Patti's positions are on the RCJ online at:

http://tinyurl.com/patti-rcjvid

Yes, Rapid City could be fair, too!

Equality South Dakota has renewed its call to the Rapid City Council to extend employment protections to include sexual orientation and gender identity.

This came up before, and Equality has come back with good answers to all the concerns the Council brought forward last time they visited this issue last year.

KEVN picked up the AP story. Yay KEVN!

Bonny is running for city council in Ward 5 RIGHT NOW!

I got an ask for political support in my email box yesterday... a welcome one (for a change)...

Hello all

I am running for City Council in Ward 5 and I need your help. I will start by saying that asking people to help is personally very hard for me.

In fact, I am only willing to ask because it is not really about me, it is about all of us having the kind of balanced, thoughtful leadership that I have to offer and that I think we need in city hall.

There are six people running for this position, I am the only woman. This election the City Council will lose one women (Karen Olsen) who is not running and could well be down to only one or two left on Council.

Bonny is really quite excellent. I urge everyone to do what they can to get her on the city council. With the departure of Karen Olsen and Malcolm Chapman, who have served with great distinction and have done a lot to help our community, we really need Bonny on the City Council next year.

If you're not in Ward 5, you can still help.

Donations (any amount) can be mailed to: Friends of Bonny Petersen 1203 11th St Rapid City, SD 57701

Note: $250.00 is the maximum amount that an individual may give. Contributions over $100 will be itemized on public campaign reports.

Her website is: bonnypetersen.com

Press Release

For immediate release:

Bonny Petersen announces her candidacy for Rapid City Council to represent Ward 5.

As a candidate from Ward 5, Bonny Petersen says it’s time to put more emphasis on the toughest issues facing Rapid City while simultaneously tending to the day-to-day work required to make our city run smoothly.

The city at times seems to be adrift as demonstrated by several recent events. The loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars at the City landfill, the outing of the Air Force Armament Systems Sergeant, which may subject the city to a million dollar law suit and the reprimand of Alderman Kooiker for aggressively looking after the peoples interests. Perhaps it is time for fundamental change, even a shift to a City Manager.

If elected Bonny would aggressively support growth that is demonstrated to improve the lives of the people of Rapid City. Bonny supports sustainable growth, but not “growth for growth's sake”. Where development is concerned, a rising tide does not necessarily raise all boats. We need to protect the quality of life in our city, which is what brought us here and encourages us to stay. Good schools and family-oriented activities attract quality businesses that provide jobs for young people who otherwise would leave the area in pursuit of higher-paying careers elsewhere. We need clean growth that provides good paying jobs, not exploitation that takes advantage of our smart and hardworking yet poorly paid labor force.

“With seven hundred and thirty benefited employees, Rapid City’s budget has a tremendous and growing burden for health care. We also need to address the health care needs of our 800 to 1500 non-benefited employees and other citizen in our community. While this may be more of a state and national issue, it will be helpful to have some in depth medical knowledge on the council whenever the opportunity to be proactive on addressing this issue arises”.

Bonny feels the city government should have been much more aggressive in addressing the negative impact of the Black Hills Power rate increase request on our hard working citizens, and on the ability of the city to deliver services. Already the city struggles to maintain roads and do proper snow removal on smaller residential streets.

Petersen has been a Registered nurse at Regional Health for 14 years, a certified secondary education teacher and former PTA president. Petersen’s has nearly 30 years of experience in health care including working as a registered nurse, a nurse consultant, and nationally certified childbirth educator. Her business experience includes being a past president of an association of nurse educators. She also founded and ran an Internet retail business. She has been a Brownie troop leader, coached the Odyssey of the Mind team that went to the World Finals and coached YMCA girl’s basketball. She received the Good Apple Award from the Rapid City Board of Education and served on a committee that examined Rapid City’s urban deer issues.

Petersen has been a resident of Rapid City for 20 years. Her husband of 31 years is a 25-year military veteran. Their daughter Kate is a trauma resolution counselor, daughter Rachel will soon graduate from University of Minnesota Law School and her son Michael is in the military and will deploy for his third tour in Iraq this year.

The Rapid City Journal reports today that finally someone is calling the knuckle-draggers out for sitting on their butts and criticizing those that have done so much to make Rapid City better.

Aldermen fire back at city travel critics

Rapid City Council members who attended a National League of Cities conference in Washington, D.C., last month fired back Monday at critics who said they should not have gone on the taxpayer-funded trip.

Malcom Chapman and Karen Gundersen Olson have faced considerable criticism for the trip, because neither is running for re-election in June. Chapman, Gundersen Olson and Alderwoman Deb Hadcock traveled to Washington, D.C., in March for a weeklong National League of Cities Congressional City Conference at a cost of about $8,629.

But in the late night hours of Monday’s council meeting, the aldermen defended their trip during a heated discussion of city travel, outlining the numerous classes attended, the congressional lobbying done and its value to the city as a whole.

“Believe it or not, Rapid City, we don’t own every great idea that’s out there,” Chapman said. “Somebody outside of Rapid City might have a good idea as well.”

(I think it should be said that we DO own many, many bad ideas, and that the only cure for that is to educate ourselves -- travel being a sure way to help with that.)

(More at the RC Journal site)

Rapid Replier gets it

From the RCJ Rapid Reply on the Newsome story...

Nestled in between comments about "fugatives" and statements that "the ACLU has unlimited funds" (got a good laugh out of that one) there was a comment on the Newsome story at the RCJ site is right on. Except I don't blame the police officers, I blame the RCPD's policies, which are apparently from the bad old days:

Nightlite said on: March 20, 2010, 8:11 pm
I, as a career military man am insulted that that the ACLU is just seeking an apology. I am not gay, but the idea that she put in NINE YEARS of her life just to have some self righteous red neck cop sneak inform on her makes me boil. I truly believe most Republicans are going to hell for making normal folks feel like crap. This is America. I did 25 years in the military so we could be free. Don't ask, Don't tell is a major distance from those ideals.

I truly believe most Republicans are going to hell for making normal folks feel like crap.

Ayuh.

RC Police Chief attempts damage control

It's very logical. After Chief Allender has found himself in the national news for his flip response to the press, he is changing his tune (RCJ):

Allender said previous news reports that the investigation was over were taken out of context.

According to Allender, the department's investigation into the allegation that officers deliberately outed Newsome was a two-phase investigation.

Allender described the first phase as "fact finding." That investigation was "pretty much wrapped up last weekend," Allender said.

But, the department still had a policy evaluation to complete. The policy review considers what was justified and what wasn't, he said.

"And, in the end, how do we determine the best way to move forward," Allender said.

I love this attempt by the RCJ to downplay this locally. I mean, everything is just fine in Rapid City, it's just a few meddling gays around the nation, that care about this, right??

The RCJ does a little editorializing by omission here:

Rapid City council members found several dozen e-mails from throughout the nation in their city e-mail accounts Thursday morning.

The e-mails call for an official apology from the Rapid City Police Department, a reprimand for the officers involved in Newsome's outing, a new department policy prohibiting the outing of lesbian and gay military members and compensation for Newsome for the loss of her military career.

The way this was written says: "Nope, no local people have talked to them at all; we have no LGBT or allies here in Rapid City. We're the good folks here." Just a few nasty emails from gay cranks in Californica, no one here sees an issue.

Please talk to your Council members about this. The RC police department need a better policy about 1) gays and lesbians and 2) our relationship with EAFB staff and officers. This is an opportunity for positive change.

My take: the officers were just doing their job but they need some better policy guidance on LGBT issues, and the police chief needs to learn to think before he speaks to the press about something that affects the LGBT community. Because again, here we are in the national press promoting our image as an ugly place that is proud of our flyover status. I just hope this is an opportunity to move forward.

A little of their own medicine

Half of Rapid City's Republican Power Couple just got a taste of what it's like to hold a minority opinion in South Dakota. And it isn't pretty.

The most visible sign of discontent came Thursday night from board member Sheryl Kirkeby in the form of a public two page letter that she distributed at the meeting. Kirkeby is a long-time board member and served as president before Wes Storm was voted in as president in July.

And in my humble opinion, she seems more than a bit whiney about it, considering what Eric Abrahamson said about his school board experience, which squares with what I've heard from other former school board members:those in charge have no problems with closed meetings, as long as their in them. Not unusual in these parts.

“I experienced the same kind of frustrations Sheryl is experiencing now that she’s not on the facilities committee,” he said. “When board members who haven’t been on the committees see the information, they see it in the context of a board meeting when they’re being asked to vote on something.

Details on the board's sturm und drang in an excellent Page One article by Kayla Gehagan:

Signs of discord emerge at school board meeting -
Kirkeby: 'No fair not being at the cool kid's table! 'We need better communication'
Rapid City Journal 09/05/2009

Sounds like what life is like for a Democratic legislator in Pierre, or even a thinking minority Republican anywhere west of the Missouri.

Fortunately, the important thing going on is not the whining, it's that the current school board is actually trying to move forward with needed decisions on facilities. And it's about time.

You can get more details at ourrapidcityschools.org.

The Cabela's Deal, continued

I have an update (below) of Shirley Frederick's excellent summary of the Cabela's issue that I've been meaning to post.

I also recommend the recent Rapid City Weekly News article and the forum planned Monday night at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, sponsored by the RCWN and the Chamber. Mayor Hanks was declining to speak, but now he's decided to (in my opinion) take the risk on this issue.

Tom Lawrence also wrote a GREAT editorial in the RCWN last week, calling for less name calling and more consideration of the real issues. Hooray for Tom and his excellent paper that just keeps getting better.

Keep your eyes open, there is lots to learn from this thing! You can vote tomorrow down at City Hall if you like, or do it with the the majority of voters on Sept. 18.

OK, without further ado... here is Shirley's wonderful piece...

LOOKING CAREFULLY AT THE CABELA'S DEAL

by Shirley Frederick - August 8, 2007

Rapid City has been negotiating with Cabela's, a corporation that calls itself The World's Foremost Outfitter. As an incentive to Cabela's to locate a retail store in Rapid City, the City Council voted on June 18, 2007, to give Cabela's the city Visitor Information Center, $2 million from the 2012 fund, and 30 acres of city-owned land at the VIC.

Meanwhile, Bill Gikling, president of the Rapid City Development Board, sold land to Cabela's, and the store will be located on that land.
In an effort to recoup the cost of the deal, the City Council created a tax increment financing district (TIF) with an estimated value of $22 million. It includes the 30 acres, the land purchased by Cabela's, 40 acres of property owned by Gikling, and land owned by other developers.

The difference between the taxes on the undeveloped TIF district land and the taxes on the developed land (the tax increment) will go to the city. Cabela's will pay property taxes at the same rate as everyone else, but all the tax increment will go to the city. The county, the school district, and the West Dakota Water District will receive their share of tax dollars based on the undeveloped value of the TIF district.

Opponents of the TIF say that the money from the TIF will not be nearly enough to pay off the $22 million and that the balance will come from city sales tax plus property taxes from residents outside the TIF district. In effect, large amounts of TIF money that should go to the school district, the water district, the county, and the city for tax-funded services will go to the city to pay for development. Some opponents say that multiple TIFs are the primary reason our property taxes continue to go up.
The land giveaway has been referred to a public vote, which is scheduled for September 18. Meanwhile, Cabela's announced that they are willing to deed the VIC and three acres of parking space back to the city.

Informal conversations and intense blogging have kept this deal on the front burner as Cabela's supporters duel with government watchdogs. Of particular interest are the frames being used by both sides. The most common frame is government as a parent and citizens as children. So we hear public officials making promises to the children:

* The prestige and huge marketing power Cabela's brings will be a major boost to the entire region.
* Cabela's wants to invest in Rapid City's future.
* This public-private partnership will be good for Rapid City
* Through increased sales tax revenue and rising property values in the TIF district, the city will recapture the dollars given away.
* This partnership will improve the quality of life for the people of Rapid City.
* The Cabela family is giving the public an opportunity to share in their good fortune.

Note that Cabela's, a corporation that trades on the New York Stock Exchange, is worth $1.35 billion, and uses public money to increase its profits, frames itself as a kind and generous family.

Getting back to the government's family—some of the children are spoiled, saying, “I want Cabela's and I want it now. And anybody who is against me is a stupid liar.” From the blogs:

* Opposition like this is why we are still in the Dark Ages.
* Opponents are just shooting off their keyboards. This is a no-brainer. Let's get moving.
* Opponents are lazy negative whining naysayers who don't want progress.
* John [an opponent] is spreading falsehoods faster than Bill Clinton at an impeachment hearing wearing Monica's dress!

So the spoiled children and the indulgent government parent are allies in the effort to promote Development with a big D.

Opponents of the Cabela's deal also use the government-as-parent frame. But they want their government to be open, honest, and fair, not deceitful and indulgent.

* By creating this TIF the city transfers the tax burden onto the very people who have been paying their taxes for years.
* This is a shady deal hatched in secrecy and rammed through the City Council in a 72-hour hustle.
* This deal was made in closed meetings by an aggressive circle of insiders..
* City staff and officials are deliberately misleading the public and have created a confusion stew.
* Promoters make inflated claims of sales tax increments for which there is little evidence.
* In a rapidly developing area a TIF is a scheme to permit land speculators to cash in.
* Much of the cheerleading comes from the bankers and realtors who will benefit.
* City government has a duty to evenhandledly represent all businesses, not just those with hardball-playing dealmakers.

Other opponents use ridicule to discredit the promoters:

* If Cabela's is such a tourist draw, why not tear down Mt. Rushmore and build it there?
* If you call yourself a destination store and promise to hang dead animals everywhere, you, too, can get free land.
* They want to give away the farm, the keys to the machinery, and all of the cows.
* A TIF is like a black box. Public money goes in, development comes out. Who knows what happens in between?

Then there are those who want their government to be more responsible in building community:

* Big box retailers take money out of the city and send it to their out-of-state shareholders, while locally-owned businesses return profits to the community.
* We need a rational development policy focused on the downtown area and public places.
* Where do we get this pro-growth mentality? And why does “growth” always refer to new buildings and more shopping? What about better education, a thriving arts community, improved transportation, renewal of aging buildings, parks throughout the city, support for local businesses and farmers? Those are the kinds of growth that build community.

And, finally, one wag turned the frame upside down and made government the child and the people the parent:

* Government is like a five-year-old child. It needs a lot of supervision.

Facts and figures are being used by people on both sides to defend their position, but voters who go to the polls will vote based on how they view government.

More on the Cabela's deal

This is recommended reading. Thank you Shirley, for writing this and allowing me to post it... the facts are getting around, to the point where the Rapid City Council has been forced to call an election on September 18 on where the citizens of Rapid City stand. Cabela's for its part, is backpedaling, trying to save their tarnished image by offering to give back, uh, 3 of the 20 acres they would get for free.

THE FRAMING AND REFRAMING OF THE CABELA’S DEAL

By Shirley Frederick 8/6/07
(posted here by permission)

Rapid City has been negotiating with Cabela’s, a national corporation worth $1.35 billion that bills itself as the World’s Foremost Outfitter. As an incentive to Cabela’s to locate a retail store in Rapid City and not in Sturgis, Spearfish, or Box Elder, the council voted on June 18, 2007, to give Cabela’s the city Visitor Information Center, $2 million from the 2012 fund, and 30 acres of city-owned land at the VIC. State law prohibits cities from giving publicly owned property to corporations. Therefore Rapid City will transfer the property to the Black Hills Economic Development Foundation, an organization that represents developers. The foundation will transfer it to Cabela’s.
In negotiations Cabela’s said it would build on the VIC land, but Bill Gikling, president of the Rapid City Development Board, sold land to Cabela’s on June 25, 2007. The store will be located on the land purchased from Gikling. The city will lease VIC space in Cabela’s for $1 a year for 30 years.
As part of the deal the city plans to create a tax increment financing district (TIF). The 30 acres, the land purchased by Cabela’s, and 40 acres of undeveloped property owned by Gikling will be included in the TIF. The cost of entire package is estimated by the city at $22 million, which includes the estimated value of $3,672,108 for the land, $3,700,000 for the VIC building, $2 million in economic development funds, $2.5 million for lift station improvements, and $10 million in interest.

The difference between the taxes on the undeveloped TIF district land and the taxes on the developed land (the tax increment) will go to the city. Cabela’s will pay property taxes at the same rate as everyone else, but all the tax increment will go to the city to pay back the $22 million. The county, the school district, and the West Dakota Water District will receive their share of tax dollars based on the undeveloped value of the TIF district. This will not affect the school district because the state, through the state aid formula, will use tax dollars collected statewide to give the school district its full per-pupil allocation.

Opponents of the TIF say that the money from the TIF will not be nearly enough to pay off the $22 million and that the balance “will come from somewhere else.” That “somewhere else” is city sales tax plus property taxes from residents outside the TIF district. In effect, large amounts of TIF money that should go to the school district, the water district, the county, and the city for tax-funded services will go to the city to pay for development.
Most of us, as property taxpayers, pay for the city services we receive. If the TIF is approved, we also get to pay for city services for the property owners in the TIF district. The Cabela’s TIF is the city’s 65th TIF. Opponents say that multiple TIFs are the primary reason our property taxes continue to go up.

In an effort to refer the City Council’s June 18 action to a vote, opponents have filed 3,100 signatures at the County Courthouse. If the action being referred is determined to be an administrative action, it cannot be referred. If it is determined to be a legislative action, it can. City Attorney Jason Green will make the decision and announce it to the council August 6. The City Council is scheduled to approve the TIF at its August 6 meeting.

The following arguments are used by supporters of the $22 million incentive package and the TIF:

• The prestige and huge marketing power Cabela’s brings will be a major boost to the entire region.
  
• Cabela’s wants to invest in Rapid City’s future.
  
• This public-private partnership will be good for Rapid City.
  
• Through increased sales tax revenue and rising property values in the TIF district, the city will recapture the dollars given away.
  
• This partnership will improve the quality of life for the people of Rapid City.
  
• The Cabela family is giving the public an opportunity to share in their good fortune.
  
• The Council has to act quickly or Cabela’s will go somewhere else.
  
• The incentive package is bringing Cabela’s to Rapid City.
  
• The $2 million comes from the Opportunity Capture Fund.
  
• Cabela’s is a destination store.
  
• Economic development projects have to be completed on a very timely basis to meet the needs of corporations.
  
• Opponents just don’t understand what a good deal this is.
  
• Opponents are lazy negative whining naysayers who don’t want progress.
  
• This is the way business is done these days. Get with it.
  
• Cabela’s will create new high-paying jobs.
  
• It’s just common sense that Cabela’s will improve our community.
  
• The city will develop a reputation of being unfriendly to business if we let this deal fall through.
  
• John [an opponent] is spreading falsehoods faster than Bill Clinton at an impeachment hearing wearing Monica’s dress!
  
• Opposition like this is why we are still in the Dark Ages.
  
• Opponents are just shooting off their keyboards. This is a no-brainer. Let’s get moving.
  

SUMMARY: OPPONENTS ARE STUPID LIARS. IF RAPID CITY DOESN’T PAY TO PLAY, ANOTHER CITY WILL. BUILD CABELA’S AND REAP THE BENEFITS.

Opponents say the following:

• By creating this TIF the city transfers the tax burden onto the very people who have been paying their taxes for years.
  
• This is a shady deal hatched in secrecy and rammed through the City Council in a 72-hour hustle.
  
• This deal was made in closed meetings by an aggressive circle of insiders..
  
• City staff and officials are deliberately misleading the public and have created a confusion stew.
  
• Promoters make inflated claims of sales tax increments for which there is little evidence.
  
• City Council members chirped right in with the Cabela’s PR.
  
• Repeating slogans is no substite for well informed decisionmaking.
  
• What ever happened to equal protection under the law?
  
• In a rapidly developing area a TIF is a scheme to permit land speculators to cash in.
  
• Notice the J word. You can get public officials to support almost anything if they can claim credit for creating jobs.
  
• The TIF has nothing to do with public benefit. It’s about greed.
  
• It’s a betrayal of the public trust.
  
• Much of the cheerleading comes from the bankers and realtors who will benefit.
  
• If Cabela’s is such a tourist draw, why not tear down Mt. Rushmore and build it there?
  
• People visiting Cabela’s will see a fake mountain, a fake trout pond, a fake waterfall, and lots of stuffed animals. But didn’t they come to the Black Hills Hills to see the real thing?
  
• If you call yourself a destination store and promise to hang dead animals everywhere, you, too, can get free land.
  
• Cabela’s will not bring in new money. It will cannabalize other businesses.
  
• Cities in Idaho, Indiana, and Maine have refused to cave in to Cabela’s attempted extortion, but Cabela’s is going ahead in those states anyway.
  
• In its annual report Cabela’s brags about low labor costs. That means lots of part-time jobs with no benefits.
  
• There will be few new jobs. Many of the employees will come from existing businesses, lured by the opportunity to buy merchandise at a discount.
  
• TIFs were created to bring development to depressed areas. Anyone pretending that the I-90 corridor is depressed is detached from reality.
  
• Giving public property to a corporation is illegal.
  
• It’s a crime to give away that beautiful Black Hills Visitor Center with its good location, easy access, and excellent parking.
  
• Why would tourists come to Rapid City if it looks like strip malls all across the country?
  
• Where do we get this pro-growth mentality? And why does “growth” always refer to new buildings and better shopping? What about better education, a thriving arts community, improved transportation, renewal of aging buildings, parks throughout the city, support for local businesses and farmers? Those are the kinds of growth that build community.
  
• The city needs public debate on development, not shoddy name-calling.
  
• No amount of repetitions of false and misleading claims will make them true.
  
• Boosters seem to think that facts don’t matter.
  
• We opponents are not ignorant little twirps. We want open honest accountable government.
  
• City government has a duty to evenhandledly represent all businesses, not just those with hardball-playing dealmakers.
  
• Research shows that rapid development on the edge of a city leads to deterioration of older parts of the city.
  
• Big box retailers take money out of the city and send it to their out-of-state shareholders, while locally-owned businesses return profits to the community.
  
• The fundamental issue, here, is Who owns local government?
  
• The Giveaway Land Speculation Gravy Train can be stopped by the referendum.
  
• Stopping this particular abuse is a necessary first step toward a rational development policy focused on the downtown area and public places.
  
• When cronies get their claws in city government, it’s our job, in a democracy, to pull them out.
  
• They want to give away the farm, the keys to the machinery, and all of the cows.
  
• A TIF is like a black box. Public money goes in, development comes out. Who knows what happens in between?
  
• Government is like a five-year-old child. It needs a lot of supervision.
  

SUMMARY: GOVERNMENT DECISIONS SHOULD BE BASED ON FACTS, NOT HYPE. WE WANT OPEN HONEST ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNMENT THAT REPRESENTS ALL THE PEOPLE.

Cabelas in Rapid City: can you hear that sucking sound?

If you've been following the huge Cabela's giveaway in Rapid City, you may want to read this piece from the Multinational Monitor.

The City Council will face a petition of 3100 Rapid City residents that think this deal is bad deal for a city but a good deal for the insiders that set it up.

Stay tuned...