SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO AM) The task force created to establish criteria to use with any future City-initiated annexation in Sioux Falls has set its meeting schedule.
The task force includes three City Council members as well as four members of the community who are potentially impacted by proposed annexations. City employees from Planning, Project Management, Engineering, the City Attorney’s Office, and Finance will provide information and be resources for the task force members. The task force will convene for five sessions with a goal of developing recommendations that will provide a consistent way forward for future annexations. The public is welcome to attend.
The meetings will take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. in Meeting Room B of the Downtown Library, 200 North Dakota Avenue, on the following dates:
- · Tuesday, April 11, 2017
- · Tuesday, April 25, 2017
- · Tuesday, May 9, 2017
- · Tuesday, May 23, 2017
- · A final meeting date that will be determined by the task force
There are dozens of unannexed 'islands' in Sioux Falls, completely surrounded by the growing city.
“Since Sioux Falls was founded more than 130 years ago, all growth has occurred through the process of annexation. It is a rather simple process when a property owner has an interest in being annexed but can quickly turn complex when the city grows into areas where the property owner is not interested in annexation. Additional challenges occur when the city boundary begins to surround a large, rural subdivision. In a growing city like ours, we need a consistent process to move forward with needed annexations,” says Mike Cooper, Director of Planning and Building Services.
Outspoken City Councilor Theresa Stehly is distributing informational flyers, at her own expense, in the target areas, saying she hopes the annexation process will be fair and affordable.