Mayor Paul TenHaken’s big government spending proceeds undimmed amidst the pandemic recession. Evidently banking on coronavirus relief dollars and the Biden recovery to reverse declining municiapl sales tax, TenHaken wants to increase the Sioux Falls city budget 8.8%, $48.2 million than the current budget. Mayor TenHaken wants to buy police body cameras, hire five more cops and fifteen more firefighters, build a police/fire academy, rebuild more than 700 blocks of streets, expand the bike trail and the new water treatment plant… all sorts of projects necessary to sustain a population that is expected to grow to 208,000 in the next five years.
But Mayor TenHaken does not have $112,263 to keep the 101-year-old Sioux Falls Municipal Band going:
Mayor Paul TenHaken’s office tells KELOLAND News that $112,263 for the band was cut from the 2021 budget. City councilor Curt Soehl is seeking $136,000 for the band in the 2021 city budget. Christopher Hill, bandmaster for the Sioux Falls Municipal Band, says no money from the City of Sioux Falls means a harsh reality for his band.
“That means we cease to exist, unfortunately,” Hill said. “We’ve been going for 101 years.”
He also says it’s not an option to bring in the money through other means if it doesn’t come from the City.
“It’s not feasible, according to the three fundraisers I’m in contact with, professional development directors,” Hill said [Dan Santella, “Sioux Falls City Councilor Seeking $136K for Municipal Band,” KELO-TV, updated 2020.08.01].
Mayor TenHaken responds that “While the City of Sioux Falls has been more insulated than other communities from the economic impact of the pandemic, we have had to make some tough choices in the proposed 2021 budget.”
Maybe Mayor TenHaken figures he doesn’t have to spend money on music for his city because Governor Kristi Noem is willing to do it for him. The Governor announced Friday that she has booked country music singer Chris Young to play Sioux Falls on October 24 for her big urbanized Governor’s Hunt turned “Sportsmen’s Showcase.” This gathering of thousands of people in a loud, crowded space with not one word about coronavirus precautions is brought to us by Sanford Health. Young’s booking fee for one concert would cover the municipal band’s entire annual budget.
One celebrity concert to fluff up the Governor’s vanity project, or a summer full of outdoor concerts featuring local musicians—yeah, tough choice all right.
How about the rest of you, would you rather have a municipal band or a Chief Culture Officer working for the city of Sioux Falls? Now, I am not talking about an officer who promotes different cultures, rather an officer who is concerned about the overall atmosphere for city employees. Given that, what would you prefer? I, myself, would prefer a municipal band, but that’s just me. Because I think it sounds better in more ways than one. But our mayor? He wants an other bureaucrat instead of a band.
While disposing of the municipal band, the city has $25K in grant money they will use to paint pretty colors on traffic signal bases around town. Wasn’t Arc Of Dreams financed primarily with donations? Music is just as important as sculpture, right? Paging Jim Clark…
Bands are not only a waste of taxpayer dollars, they spew the covid bugs through spittle and air blowing about more than any other activity except female boxing and the WWF. Bands should be banned whether there is covid or not.
JKC, I would think a municipal band giving lunchtime concerts would bring far more enjoyable atmosphere and culture to city employees than a glorified HR rep, plus nice family events in the community, plus learning opportunities for young band members, and all for the same price as one extraneous employee. I would think Grudz would appreciate municipal bands as exemplars of efficiency.
No. Municipal bands play very bad music well. It makes grudznick’s ear bleed.
Mr. Claussen, the senior one of the two, has a very valid idea. The workforce of Sioux Falls seems bereft and rudderless, and a fellow who can bind the masses of government drones with a common culture would be an asset to the citizens. Cameraman Bruce could be that very fellow.
Well that stinks for SF. Also doesn’t seem very conservative to dump a 101 year old tradition in exchange for bigger government.
I love music of all types. But not once did I ever hear that a municipal band was playing and move toward it. And some evenings, my brother had French horn solos.
Kind regards,
David
Mr. Bergan has this righter than right. The covid bugs are going to change the world for generations, some good, some bad. And the elimination of municipal bands for the next 30 years will go down in the history books as a meaningless if not positive change the world made, right along with the acceptance of the not-shaving and the zooming.
And, for any municipal bands out there still flaunting the covid bugs and spewing spittle into the air, grudznick likes polkas and hates that country noise. Focus on music people can eat to.
In lieu of municipal bands, might I suggest public floggings of stoopid freaking wingnut pols and their voting constituents? Teach them a little humility and humanity. Start with the guv’s office and work your way down.