Latest news with #MitchellCityCouncil
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Prison group stuck between local opposition and limited space
A crowd listens to a presentation on June 17, 2025, at Mitchell Technical College about the possibility of constructing a state prison near Mitchell. (John Hult/South Dakota Searchlight) On June 3 in Pierre, a gaggle of Mitchell city leaders delivered an unambiguous message to the state's prison construction work group. The city council, mayor, county commission, sheriff and various economic development officials were all in agreement: a patch of land south of Mitchell could easily host a new prison for 1,500 or more inmates, and their community would reap the benefits. That wall of official support has since cracked under the weight of fierce public opposition. A sea of people in red T-shirts – red for 'stop,' like a stoplight – have greeted city council members and county commissioners during the public comment portions of recent meetings in Mitchell. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The Davison County sheriff withdrew his support within days. Mitchell's mayor pulled back shortly thereafter. Both men said their backing was provisional and subject to change by the will of the community. About 50 of the people on hand for an informational session Tuesday night at Mitchell Technical College wore red T-shirts. To hear Dwight and Barbara Stadler of Mitchell tell it, support for a prison in their town had never extended beyond leadership offices. Neither of them wore red T-shirts on Tuesday, but both are firmly in the anti-prison camp. 'They didn't tell us about it until after the fact,' Barbara Stadler said of Mitchell's initial pitch to the Project Prison Reset task force. The opposition in Mitchell mirrors what state officials already faced in rural Lincoln County – and are beginning to face in Worthing – as they try to find space for a men's prison. The facility would ease overcrowding in the correctional system and replace the oldest parts of the Sioux Falls penitentiary, a facility that dates to the late 1800s. Locations of the potential prison locations that remain in play, plus the location of the original rural Lincoln County site that's been ruled out. The selection of land for a new men's prison south of Harrisburg in late 2023 spurred the creation of a nonprofit organization whose activism contributed first to that $825 million project's legislative defeat in February, then to the removal earlier this month of the land set aside for it from the list of possible sites for any future prison. Neighbors Opposing Prison Expansion (NOPE) also sued the state in hopes of forcing it to abide by local zoning rules. A Lincoln County judge rejected that argument; the state Supreme Court is considering an appeal, though its ruling would now matter for future state-local disputes, not the dispute over that specific prison site. No one in Mitchell has sued – the state hasn't decided to do more than study the land as an option – but community members have launched a Facebook group called 'NO Davison County,' whose page is populated with skeptical dialogue about the prison idea. The group had 1,200 members as of Wednesday afternoon. That Mitchell became a focal point at all is an outgrowth of a choice made at the June 3 meeting in Pierre. The Project Prison Reset group, convened by Gov. Larry Rhoden to find solutions for overcrowding after the initial prison plan's legislative loss, left four locations on the table at the end of its meeting that day, culled from a list of more than a dozen: Mitchell, a separate Lincoln County site in Worthing, Springfield and Sioux Falls. Open process and publicity draw wide range of offers for state prison site The latter two options would involve building on land the state Department of Corrections already owns, even though no tract of that land would be large enough for a prison the size of the one shot down by lawmakers in February. The request for proposals sent in April sought potential sites with more than 100 acres. In Springfield, the state would need to build within the footprint of Mike Durfee State Prison, which is less than 70 acres altogether. In Sioux Falls, it could mean building another floor onto the penitentiary complex's Jameson Annex, on land adjacent to the penitentiary (less than 30 acres), or on land west of town currently used to house juvenile offenders (68 acres). In addition to its vote to narrow down possible prison sites, the group opted to cap the price of any new prison at $600 million – far less than the $2 billion a consulting group called Arrington Watkins had suggested the state would need to spend on new facilities to address overcrowding over the next decade. Members of the NOPE group were celebratory on social media over the removal of the initial Lincoln County site from consideration. Since then, the group has shifted the focus of its activism to Worthing, where task force members are considering a site off Interstate 29 that's not far from the original Lincoln County site. The NOPE group discussed the Worthing site at a meeting in Canton on Tuesday. Today, the group will participate in an informational session at Worthing Elementary School. Seven days ago, Worthing Mayor Crystal Jacobson came out against a prison near her city. Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken said in 2023 that he'd prefer a new prison be built outside the city. He was more measured at the first Project Prison Reset meeting in early April. At that point, TenHaken testified that he wasn't going to advocate 'for a specific location,' but predicted that the task force would face the kind of pushback that's since appeared from the neighbors to any site large enough to hold a new prison. 'No matter where you decide, you're going to have a fight on your hands,' TenHaken said. The second project prison reset meeting was in Springfield, and included testimony from residents who told the task force that the prison was a positive force for the town. Lt. Gov. Tony Venhuizen and Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko both took time at the end of the meeting to assure residents that the state's commitment to the Mike Durfee facility is solid. South Dakota corrections work group formally backs need for new prison The mayor of Springfield, Scott Kostal, was on hand for Tuesday's meeting in Mitchell and told residents not to fear a prison. The medium security facility in his town, once a university, has been a good neighbor, Kostal said, hasn't forced the city to pay more for public safety or infrastructure, and hasn't affected property values. Kostal said he's been surprised at how much his town's property is worth. 'If there's a problem with property values going down because of the prison, will somebody please call the Bon Homme County Assessor's Office and let them know?' Kostal said Tuesday. Springfield can't address the state's full slate of needs though, Kostal told South Dakota Searchlight in a Wednesday interview. There isn't enough space on the Durfee campus to build a 1,500 or 1,700-bed facility, which is what the most recent consultant's report suggests is needed to address overcrowding. There is some green space inside the fence and a parking lot that could hold a few hundred more inmates, according to a previous consultant's report, but Kostal says anything more substantial would put vocational and educational programming at risk. 'The only way you could remotely do that would be to remove those buildings or eliminate those programs,' Kostal said EDITOR'S NOTE: This story was updated with a correction to accurately reflect the role of Neighbors Opposing Prison Expansion in a meeting at Worthing.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
10 things to know about a potential state prison site in Davison County
Jun. 4—MITCHELL — Great prisons come with great responsibility. The Mitchell City Council, during its regular meeting on June 2, unanimously approved a resolution expressing interest in the construction of a state correctional facility in Davison County. Here are 10 facts and questions discussed about the potential Mitchell prison site. No. 1: The city's resolution shows interest in the prison, but is non-binding The resolution was introduced by council member Tim Goldammer on the eve of a Project Prison Reset Task Force meeting to follow on Tuesday in Pierre. The resolution states that a correctional facility "would create significant economic opportunities, including the creation of stable, well-paying jobs, increased demand for local goods and services, and long-term infrastructure investments." In addition, the resolution cited interest in collaboration to ensure "public safety and community well-being" from local law enforcement, community leaders, the Davison County Commission and economic development organizations. The resolution also promises "open dialogue, careful planning and engagement with residents to ensure that concerns are heard and solutions are implemented." No. 2: A final prison decision will be made in July July 8 is to be the final meeting of the prison search commission, according to Lauritsen. Lauritsen says a special session of the South Dakota legislature will meet on July 22 in regards to the prison. No. 3: Wherever is chosen as a prison site will receive a boost in employee spending. Mitchell Area Development Corporation CEO Mike Lauritsen told the council that a prison will bring an estimated 441 new jobs with an annual payroll of $36.7 million and an average wage between $25 and $30 an hour. The annual operating budget for the new prison is estimated at $55 million per year. Lauritsen said a prison taking three to four years to build allows time to plan ways to address the state's second lowest unemployment rate, but did not go into specifics. "We have an opportunity in front of us to grow this community, for our businesses, for our housing developments," Lauritsen said. No. 4: A third-party ranked Mitchell fourth out of six potential prison sites. A study from Arizona-based Arrington Watkins Architects put the existing Lincoln County site owned by the South Dakota Department of Corrections as the top option. According to a Mitchell Area Development Corporation state prison proposal, a $2.88 million 160 acre potential prison site is located near the Mitchell Regional Landfill, and is owned by James River Farms. The location is outside of Mitchell city limits in Davison County. No. 5: According to Mitchell Mayor Jordan Hanson, those inmates who are from Mitchell will be released to Mitchell. Hanson addressed concerns about released prison inmates ending up in Mitchell, but did not have any official documents from the state promising that other parolees would not be released in Mitchell. Rehabilitation, space and counseling is a big expense for the state with a new prison site, according to Hanson, who says that the present state prison is overcapacity "As far as releasing prisoners, they're going to get paroled back to where they either got arrested originally, where they were tried, or into the larger cities," Hanson said. No. 6: The potential Mitchell site makes for an escape-friendly location. Davison County resident and Mitchell business man Scott Studer reminded the council that the South Dakota Department of Corrections wants the prison site to be away from Interstate 90, a highway, and a waterway. "We just put it at the corner of Jim River, I-90 and Highway 37," he said. "So good luck trying to get them to go for that." No. 7: Davison County residents are concerned that property taxes may rise. Davison County resident Michelle Studer said she lives within 2 miles of the proposed Mitchell site. "You're taking 160 acres out of the tax rolls," Michelle Studer said, "because I'm assuming that the prison is tax exempt. Where's that money going to come from?" No. 8: Davison County residents are concerned that they don't have a say in denying or approving the potential prison site. Mitchell resident Dwight Stadler expressed many concerns, the theme of which is that the prison would increase property taxes in Davison County. "Davison County voters should have a say on a ballot," Stadler said. No. 9. The construction itself will cost almost $1 billion, according to Lauritsen. The $825 million prison built could be placed near another high-cost construction site in Davison County. To put this in perspective, the High Plains Processing soybean plant south of Mitchell, still under construction, is estimated to cost about $500 million. In comparison to the proposed 160-acre prison site, the soybean plant sits on 148 acres. 10. City leaders acknowledge the prison is a dividing topic. Hanson and Lauritsen urged residents to not get heated during the night's discussions. "If we're eliminated (from consideration), we fight (over) nothing. We divide this community for nothing," Lauritsen said. Lauritsen offered to field any questions and pass them on to the South Dakota Governor's Office.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Marshall Mitchell: Mitchell City Council to approve more than $2.5 million in expenditures
May 18—MITCHELL — In addition to considering the first reading of an ordinance establishing term limits for mayor and city council members and the first reading of an ordinance codifying rental inspections, the Mitchell City Council, during its regular meeting on Monday, May 19, will also consider approving various city expenditures. The city has about $22.4 million in open contracts to be paid, with $2.5 to be considered at Monday's meeting, according to the estimate report for May 19. Two expenses have to do with planning services, including $24,428 to architectural firm Shemmer for the Corn Palace Expansion project, and $10,981 to McLaury Engineering for the Thirteenth Avenue and Wisconsin Street Drainage Study. Big ticket items include $1.64 million to John T. Jones Construction for the South Wastewater Treatment Plant, and $721,298 to Rice Lake West for the 2.5 million gallon above ground storage and pump station located at south of town. The council will also consider approving a change order for Rice Lake West in the amount of $16,858, for an updated contract total of $11.7 million. The total project was budgeted at $16 million. This will be the fifth change order on this project. Other city expenditures include $1,136 for the Lake Mitchell Jetty, $45,565 for a dump truck box, and $12,315 to Larry Jirsa for architectural services regarding a FEMA tornado shelter at Lake Mitchell Campgrounds. The city paid B-Y Water District a total of $55,297 for 41.57 million gallons of water during the month of March and $64,268 for 48.32 million gallons for the month of April. In addition, the council will consider authorizing the purchase of two 2025 Ford Interceptor SUVs for the Mitchell Police Department to replace two Dodge Durangos that were damaged in a pursuit in the amount of $121,550, which includes the price of lights and decals and installation. Based on insurance coverage estimations, the police department will be reimbursed $86,500 and expects the city to pay the remaining $35,000. The meeting will also mark the first official meeting with all new audio and video equipment in City Hall council chambers, which officials hope to improve the experience of those who watch city board meetings online. The city budgeted $115,000 for the project. In 2025, through May 14, the city has had $3,081,530 in operational expenses from the city's various departments and enterprises, according to the Mitchell City Finance Office's departmental register. Other The Mitchell City Council will also convene as the Board of Adjustment to hear requests for Shayna Loecker's family residential daycare at 710 N. Kittridge St., an electronic messaging center inside the First Presbyterian Church at 500 E. 5th Ave., a variance permit for Todd and Nancy Boyd at 155 S. Harmon Dr., and conditional use permits for the Koch Premier Properties townhouse developments on Lakeview Lane. The council will also hear a rezoning request from council member Mike Bathke's wife, Pamela, about lots located at 1717 West Eighth Avenue. The properties are under a purchase agreement with plans to build a shed, which may affect drainage in the area, according to recent discussion at the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting. A full agenda can be read on the city's website. The council meeting starts at 6 p.m. on Monday, May 19 at 612 N. Main St.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Business
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Marshall Mitchell: Mitchell housing development and transmission service approved for tax breaks
May 7—MITCHELL — The city of Mitchell has refined its tax increment district guidelines. The Mitchell City Council, during its regular meeting on Monday, May 5 approved the addition of Tax Increment Districts (TID) No. 41 and No. 42. TID No. 41 was approved for Paul Groeneweg's Woods Apartments, a proposed 70-unit complex with two-and-three-bedroom apartments across 12 buildings. The boundary of TID No. 41 includes the empty lots south of First Avenue between Tiger Street and Mattie Street, as well as all of Mattie Street south of First Avenue and north of East Havens Avenue. TID No. 42 will aid the expansion of the Dale's A1 Transmission service building, located south of East Ivy Street between South Burr Street and South Capital Street, and will generate an estimated $340,000. TID No. 41 will be a total maximum of $4.3 million in tax financing. TID No. 41 covers the infrastructure cost of the developer at $2.28 million. Additionally, TID No. 41 is projected to cover the city's construction of Mattie Street, estimated at $2.02 million. "We know that there is projected to be some portion of unused tax increment that should be available to support that project," City Attorney Justin Johnson said. The city has five years to develop Mattie Street if it wishes to capture the increment revenue of the TID district, according to Johnson. "The city holds the cards," Johnson said. "There's really no risk to us. You'll know with a lot more certainty how much is going to be able to come in to help fund the Mattie street construction." TID developers have to certify their costs and provide final receipt totals to the city. "If something comes in less than what they estimated that construction cost to be, then it would free up some of those funds to Mattie Street," City Administrator Stephanie Ellwein said. Council member Mike Bathke asked why this was the second time that Mattie Street had been included in a proposed tax district, and why it failed to move forward the last time. "There's no teeth in these deals," Bathke said. The city's TID evaluation process has changed since that TID was proposed, according to Ellwein. Since then, the city council has requested developers to provide more reporting and certifications. Additionally, affordable housing rental rates are a key part of TID developments. "We have a lot more oversight than what we found in the past," Ellwein said. In 2012, the original Mattie Street project, TID No. 17, was proposed when the city was still accepting the debt of developments. In 2015, Davison County Tax District No. 4 also sought to develop Mattie Street between Quiett Lane and State Highway 38, but was rejected by county commissioners. In 2021, after a four-year hiatus from approving tax districts, the city approved TID No. 26 and no longer takes on the debt of tax district developments. Don Petersen, of the Morgan Theeler law firm, who represented both TID developers, also aided the creation of the first Mattie Street tax district proposal. Times have changed for proposed tax districts. "They've tightened down the rules and the developers have accepted those and we have to play by those rules," Petersen said. Petersen reminded the council that developers carry the risk when building, and that a developer has five years to finish construction, according to the terms of the TID. Groeneweg plans to construct the first five apartment buildings by November, Petersen said. Groeneweg has other housing developments as well. Groeneweg's first approved tax district was TID No. 27 for Fiala Road. Every lot in the Fiala Road development has been sold within three years, according to Petersen. "That's just kind of a monument that shows that there's a need for this type of housing in Mitchell," Petersen said. TID No. 41 requires the developer to guarantee rental rates will be in line with affordable housing restrictions. "Affordable housing is expensive to build," Petersen said. Entry-level positions in Mitchell can't afford a $350,000 house, noted Petersen, who painted the picture of saving for a down payment while living in a family-oriented apartment could enable someone to one day own a house of their own. In the future, Ellwein plans to add more requirements for job creation to preliminary TID evaluations. Dale's A1 Transmission plans to add 10 jobs with full benefits, according to Petersen. Local resident Steve Sibson questioned how the South Dakota Department of Revenue would possibly approve TID No. 41 when it appears to be a mix of two different kinds of tax districts with two different goals. Sibson noted that a local tax district benefits a local government but does not have a regional or statewide benefit. If the state classifies TID No. 41 as a local tax district, the TID would expire. "If that were to happen, we may need to reconsider the TIF at a future date, take out whatever component the state had an issue with, and then reprocess a new TIF," Johnson said. Petersen confirmed that the state no longer pre-approves tax districts before city council approval, a recent change at the state level.
Yahoo
26-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Marshall Mitchell: Mitchell man requests 'fair and equal' treatment from events on Main Street
Apr. 25—MITCHELL — Location. Location. Location. During the citizens' input portion of its April 21 regular meeting, the Mitchell City Council heard a complaint from local resident Jay Wempe. Wempe requested that the council take immediate action to make events in Mitchell more fair to vendors, especially those who have brick and mortar businesses and pay taxes in Mitchell. "I'm asking you to create equally-fair spots for all vendors at all Mitchell events," Wempe said. Vendor placement issues are not an isolated incident, according to Wempe, who cited a soccer tournament that allowed one food vendor near the field of play, but not the other food vendors. According to Wempe, the location of Matilda's Coffee and Desserts, an offshoot of Michelle's Mad Batter, had a very poor location on Third Avenue at Main Street during the Palace City Pre-Sturgis Party in 2024. "By the time we were seen, most had already purchased from the Fifth Avenue and Main Street parking lot area," Wempe said. Matilda's Coffee and Desserts was "late to the game because she wasn't here years ago," Wempe said, referring to established food vendors at the Fifth Avenue and Main Street parking lot. Wempe, who is a not-so-silent partner of Michelle's Mad Batter, petitioned the council about placement along Main Street, requesting that all food vendors should be placed together to make it "fair and equal." Officials disagreed. "Obviously, if something is not broken you're not going to fix it," Mitchell Events Coordinator Aaron Hieb told the Mitchell Republic. 2025 marks the eighth year of the Palace City Pre-Sturgis Party on Mitchell's Main Street. The event's sponsorship has grown with the event's patronage, which is about 4,000 to 6,000 people, according to Hieb. The city took over the biker rally from Brian Klock, who started the event 19 years ago out of Klock Werks, a motorcycle accessories and specialty shop. The majority of food trucks have been with the event since it started, Hieb said. Any additional food vendor applicants serving entrees will be put on a wait list. "We kept some things consistent. They were guaranteed a spot prior to the city of Mitchell taking this as long as they show up each party," Hieb said. Seven food vendors, from Mitchell and surrounding towns, set up at the Fifth Avenue and Main Street parking lot south of Bradley's Pub and Grill. They do not pay a registration fee, according to Hieb, because Klock did not require a registration fee and the city has maintained vendor expectations. "Currently, the planning committee does not have any intention of fixing something that isn't broken," Hieb said. The city added Third Avenue and Main Street food vendors in recent years to meet demand. The three 20-minute motorcycle shows at Second Avenue draw a hungry crowd, according to Hieb. "Third Avenue requires some food for those people that travel all the way down there," Hieb said. "We're trying to incorporate as much of Main Street as we can." In 2024, Mitchell-based vendors County Fair, Adamo's Kitchen and Matilda's Coffee and Desserts each paid a $100 application fee and were placed at the empty lot at Third Avenue and Main Street, a fee that Fifth Avenue parking lot food vendors do not pay. "Matilda's has a $5 ticket item average. Do you know how long it takes to pay off $100 fee on a $5 ticket item? So if you're not in a prime location, what happens?" Wempe said. While Adamo's Kitchen and County Fair have renewed vendor spots at Third Avenue for the Palace City Pre-Sturgis Party in 2025, Wempe did not renew Matilda's spot, which will be filled by Mya's Teriyaki. Michelle's Mad Batter has a brick and mortar location at North Lawler Street, two blocks east of the Main Street empty lot on Third Avenue. As of now, there are eight non-food vendors, ranging from non-profits to crafts, who paid a $50 registration fee to set up between Fourth Avenue and Third Avenue for the Pre-Sturgis Party in 2025. In January 2023, Michelle's Mad Batter, co-owned by Wempe's daughter Michelle Kalan, opened across from the Corn Palace in one of the storefronts owned by the Mitchell Area Development Corporation. Michelle's Mad Batter also serves lemonade, which became a point of contention during the Corn Palace Festival. "Guess what they did? Put all the lemonade vendors right outside us," Wempe said. "Mitchell brick and mortar should be given priority over location." The Corn Palace Festival is set up with a mix of varying kinds of vendors all the way down Main Street, according to Corn Palace Director Dave Sietsema. Vendor spaces are renewed based on prior locations, not by lottery or staff discretion. "You've invested time, effort and whatever level of marketing to say, 'I'll be at my normal spot,'" Sietsema said. "At other events, it doesn't switch every year." Empty vendor spaces as a result of retirements or cancellations are given to the next person who requests a change or to a new vendor. "I try to find a spot for everybody. It just may not be what they think they need," Sietsema said.
