SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) - Mayor Mike Huether's number one, top ten win last year was city government living within it's financial means despite a drop in sales taxes.
Huether unveiled his idea of the city's ten top accomplishments last year in front of city department heads and press, but not one city councilor was on hand.
Huether's second top ten win was the funding of the new city administration building. The Mayor said the current City Hall was built in 1936 when the city's population was 37,500. Today Sioux Falls population is 178,500.
He says the city and it's employees have grown five time since then. He says there was a successful bond sale of $21.9 million dollars for the building and adjacent Van Epps Park.
Huether says it was apparent in the spring and summer that sale taxes weren't keeping up with estimates set at budget time. He says all 12 heads of the city's departments responded with identifying and capturing opportunities to reduce spending.
He says they had to make cuts without impacting the service the city provides to its citizens. He says sales taxes are still soft and spending will be kept to a minimum in future budgetd.
Coming in at number three: four straight years of record development. Followed by: Midco Aquatic Center, downtown Sioux Falls has $50 million in construction, the $12 million hotel off Elmwood Golf Course, $2.1 million net revenue at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, improvements in infrastructure such as the 12th Street bridge, software upgrades and pension reform continues protecting retirees.
