Informational Meeting

MINUTES Informational Meeting Tuesday, November 28, 2023, at 4:00 PM Carnegie Town Hall, 235 West 10th St., Sioux Falls, SD 57104 1. Call To Order Council Members Present: David Barranco, Sarah Cole, Alex Jensen, Rich Merkouris, Greg Neitzert (left at 5:15 p.m.), Curt Soehl, Pat Starr Council Members Absent: Marshall Selberg City Council Vice Chair Rich Merkouris called the meeting to order at 4:02 p.m. 2. Councilor Remarks Council Member David Barranco thanked the Sioux Falls Junior Civil Air Patrol for working crowd control at the Parade of Lights. Council Member Greg Neitzert spoke about an Open House for Family Park and two cases that were recently heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, which could impact local officials. 3. Presentations A. Briefing from the Israeli Consulate to the Midwest by Itai Biran, Consul for Political & Commercial Affairs, Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest Presentation: Approximately 15 minutes followed by discussion Council Member Alex Jensen provided a brief background of Biran and welcomed him to the meeting. Itai Biran, Consul for Political & Commercial Affairs, Consulate General of Israel to the Midwest, began his presentation by thanking the City of Sioux Falls and the State of South Dakota for their support during these challenging times. He spoke about the devastation of October 7th for the Jewish people. He then shared information regarding activity performed by the Consulate in South Dakota. Nine States are covered by Biran's office. He mentioned the unlimited potential for business and economics in the Midwest. Biran said his job is to build those bridges between Israel and South Dakota. Their focus is on ag tech, food tech, health, cyber security, water, etc. A part of his job is to bring Israelis to South Dakota, to show them the industries, businesses and organizations that they would be working with. Also, they bring South Dakotans to Israel, for information and to work on partnerships.  Discussion followed regarding condolences to Israel; geographic and population information of Israel; the main exports and biggest strengths of Israel; and current trade activity between South Dakota and Israel. B. October 2023 Monthly Financial Statements by Shawn Pritchett, Director of Finance Presentation: Approximately 10 minutes followed by discussion Shawn Pritchett, Director of Finance, gave a presentation regarding the October 2023 Monthly Financial Statements (presentation attached). Discussion followed regarding inflation and snow; vehicle and parts shortage; Capital expenditures for the rest of the year, and if we are holding back from purchasing anything; improvements with hotel lodging versus previous months; concerns for underreporting information and if there is a need to work with the State Department of Revenue for better information; location of some funds; and a request for a timeline of projected Election costs. C. Transit Contract Information by Jeff Eckhoff, Director of Planning and Development Services; and Shawn Pritchett, Director of Finance Presentation: Approximately 5 minutes followed by discussion Jeff Eckhoff, Director of Planning and Development Services, and Pritchett gave a presentation regarding Transit Contract Information (presentation attached). Discussion followed regarding restricted accounts and $600K in accrued liabilities; $50K consulting fee; data sharing; incentivizing marketing revenue; excitement about the new agreement; the 2024 Budget and having $12M to start with; minimum hours that must be covered by the contract; Micro Transit service, which includes the use of hybrid with fixed routes; excitement for the consultant's service; beginning January 1st, what changes will be seen in the first three months of service; bus storage; the fleet of buses; how will Paratransit change; rate changes; who are the current SAM (Sioux Area Metro) employees employed by; who represents SAM through the union; how to acquire employees; breakdown of the budget and incentives not to use it all; cost of the contract; how was the $400K in restricted funds funded; and a five-year projection of the Transit Fund Budget. 4. Public Comment Sierra Broussard spoke about Israel, crime happening in the City, and the need to help the community in the area of Sixth Street and Cleveland Avenue. 5. Adjournment City Council Vice Chair Rich Merkouris adjourned the meeting at 5:32 p.m. Denise D. Tucker, MMC, Assistant City Clerk