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2026-09-01 - City Council

Summary

Built from the official approved minutes (adjourned 8:07 PM). No agenda or video on file.

  • Present: Council Members Sara Pankonin, Jennifer Sigette, Ryan Spellerberg, Miranda Basye, Rich Merkouris, Zak Okuwe, James Oppenheimer and Mayor Erickson. Absent: Richard L. Thomason. An invocation was given by a local pastor.
  • Consent agenda approved 6-0 (moved by Merkouris, seconded by Sigette); Pankonin was excused from that vote under City Ordinance 30.017. It included minutes of the August 18 budget hearings and council meeting, the August 25 informational meeting and both August 25 joint meetings, contracts over $100K (memorandum of August 28), alcohol consumption requests at the Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum, special one-day liquor licenses (concerts at Levitt at the Falls, Riverfest on September 19, weddings and receptions), three property tax abatements ($221.06, $528.30 and $549.76) and hearing dates of September 15 for new licenses at two restaurants and a one-day malt license.
  • Regular agenda approved 7-0 as amended: Item 37 (the budget public hearing) was moved ahead of Item 35 (Merkouris, Basye).
  • One-day liquor license for the Haitian Association of South Dakota approved 7-0.
  • Adopted five rezoning ordinances (60-26 to 64-26), plus a sixth (65-26) with its preliminary plan (Resolution 93-26), and a seventh (66-26) whose plan was deferred; all 7-0.
  • First readings, all 7-0 with second reading set for September 8: an easement agreement, a Taxation chapter amendment, the FY2027 appropriations and tax revenue ordinance, and supplemental appropriations. Public hearing on the FY2027 budget and 2027-2031 Capital Program: no public input.
  • Adopted resolutions 94-26 (citizen board appointments), 95-26 (Experience Sioux Falls BID budget), 96-26 (Downtown BID assessment roll), 97-26 ($1.00 per front foot street assessment for 2027) and 98-26 (development tier change), each 7-0.
  • General public input touched on hunger, homelessness and affordable housing; the need for immigration assistance; data centers; money spent on Downtown Sioux Falls versus other neighborhoods; and the upcoming Joint City Council/Lincoln County Commission meeting.
  • Mayor Erickson recognized a Council Chair's family member in the audience on a birthday.

Rezonings (second readings, Items 24 to 29)

Sunset Creek Addition

  • Ordinance 65-26 rezoning the land (Pankonin, Spellerberg) and Resolution 93-26 approving the preliminary plan (Pankonin, Okuwe), each 7-0. Planning Commission recommended both 7-0.

Prairie Sky Addition

  • Ordinance 66-26 rezoning land south of Hwy 42/future W. 12th St. adopted 7-0 (Sigette, Spellerberg; Planning Commission 5-0). The related preliminary plan resolution (Item 32) was moved by Sigette (seconded by Merkouris), then a substitute motion by Sigette (seconded by Oppenheimer) deferred it to September 15; 7-0.

Eckert Addition Tier Change

  • Resolution 98-26 moves Tract 1, Eckert Addition (south of I-90, west of Veterans Pkwy.) from Tier 3 to Tier 1 on the Development Areas Map; the owner bears utility and road extension costs. Basye, Okuwe; 7-0. Planning Commission 6-0. Part of the Shape Sioux Falls 2050 Comprehensive Plan.

2027 City Budget

  • First readings of the FY2027 appropriations and property tax revenue increase (SDCL 10-13-35) (Spellerberg, Okuwe) and supplemental appropriations (Oppenheimer, Basye), 7-0 each, second reading September 8. Public hearing on the budget and 2027-2031 Capital Program: no public input.

Taxation Code Amendment

  • First reading of a Mayor's ordinance adding a new subchapter to Chapter 37 (Taxation) (Sigette, Spellerberg); second reading set for September 8, 7-0.

Experience Sioux Falls BID Budget

  • Resolution 95-26 approving the 2027 budget (Pankonin, Oppenheimer), 7-0.

Downtown Business Improvement District Assessment

  • Resolution 96-26 approving the 2026 special assessment roll (Spellerberg, Merkouris), 7-0. Roll filed September 1; payable interest-free within 30 days, otherwise January 1, 2027 with 6.25 percent interest.

Street Maintenance Front Foot Assessment

  • Resolution 97-26 levying $1.00 per front foot for 2027 (Pankonin, Basye), 7-0.

Citizen Board Appointments

  • Resolution 94-26 (Oppenheimer, Basye), 7-0: Amber Finnesand reappointed to the Disability Awareness and Accessibility Review Board (September 2026 to September 2029); Chad Ray appointed to the Public Transit Advisory Board (November 2026 to November 2029).

Other business

  • First reading of an ordinance approving an easement agreement (Mayor, Public Works), second reading set for September 8 (Spellerberg, Pankonin), 7-0.
  • Property tax abatements: the Council concurred with the Minnehaha County Commission's recommendations on parcels 60451, 98879 and 99068 (disabled veteran exemption and two mobile homes in dealer inventory).

Sources