RAPID CITY, SD — “While I think it’s a missed opportunity, I do respect the will of the voters,” was the resounding sentiment from Mayor Jason Salamun, who spoke alongside Executive Director Domico Rodriguez of the Rapid City Sports Commission in a Press Conference this morning, Following the results of the Special Election which saw just over 22% voter turnout and an over two-to-one ratio deciding against the creation of the “Destination” TIF District.
Salamun seemed disappointed with the result, as a supporter of the District in his personal beliefs. Salamun was quick to turn his energy however to the continuation of the Sports complex project. Salamun stated that while the synergy the neighboring sites provided each other could have resulted in the most “Bang for the buck,” he said that he is working to find a path forward for the Sports Complex project.
“Obviously this kind of changes the dynamic, and I don’t know what the Liens want to do with that property,” said Salamun “but you know, we’ll have to evaluate, that’s the challenge that we have right now. If that’s not going there what would our estimates say is going to be needed in order to build there? Can we change any of our plans to do that on the existing site? Are there other sites in town?” and has said that he is hopeful to pursue options which avoid tax increases if possible, though as planning is still in early stages, the Mayor declined to share details on exact plans moving forward. Salamun has said that he has not heard from the developers behind the LibertyLand project (the destination development incentivized by the now-defunct TIF), Pete Lien & Sons, regarding how their plans might change in light of the ballot results. Pete Lien & Sons were unable to be contacted for a statement at the time of writing.
Addressing the backlash to the TIF and lessons learned for the future, Salamun expressed a desire to be more transparent in regard to TIFs which are rejected by the City Council, as well as being more explicit about the public benefit provided by TIFs, “I think just as leaders, we have to make sure we’re articulating the public benefit. What does the public get out of it, Not just the developer”. Though he understands the resistance given the total size of the TIF, and Skepticism surrounding areas of the LibertyLand project, he remains supportive of TIFs in Rapid City and has said that both he and the city will resist “Tooth and nail,” against measures from state lawmakers to eliminate the use of the development tool.
In relation to the campaigns, he stated that while he supported the District he felt that both campaigns had misleading aspects which he found issue with. Salamun also said that he was “baffled” by the intensity of discourse surrounding the vote, saying that he hoped for reconciliation between members of the community. “People matter more than anything. So if you have strained relationships because of this I would say figure that out, think about what matters most.” Said the Mayor, “This is still one community, we have a lot of different opinions in this community on every issue, and the person you disagreed with on this issue might be the person standing beside you on the next issue. Make sure you keep those relationships strong and to those who voted differently than I did: I love you. Thanks for voting”.
Disclosure: The LibertyLand Project is promoted or affiliated with the HomeSlice Group, the parent company of The Rapid City Post.
