VIEWPOINT | The bill has come due: Sioux Falls and the growth ponzi scheme

Guest column by Jordan Deffenbaugh, a former Sioux Falls City Council candidate

Jordan Deffenbaugh

The headlines tell a familiar story: libraries cutting hours, public pools closing early, city staff positions eliminated, snow plowing reduced. The Sioux Falls School District has cut $3 million from its budget for two years running, with another $3 million in cuts looming. Meanwhile, homeowners have seen property tax increases of around 25 percent over the past five years.

We're being asked to choose between funding teachers or snow plows, between keeping libraries open or maintaining streets. These aren't the choices a thriving city should have to make. The real question is: how did we get here?

VIEWPOINT | South Dakota's surplus should feed more than a bottom line