MITCHELL CITY COUNCIL

Councilman proposes end to city approval of taxi licenses

The Mitchell City Council should no longer approve drivers for private taxi firms in the city, according to a councilman. The council currently reviews applications for drivers and votes whether or not to allow them to work for Becky’s Vans-Designated Drivers or E-Z Ride Taxicabs, the two privately operated taxi services in the city.

By Tom Lawrence , February 26, 2011

Our View: We're for trees, but not for this initiative

For the record, The Daily Republic is for trees. Their green canopies shade us, add beauty to our yards and city and are a precious resource here on the South Dakota prairie. That said, we cannot put our support behind an initiative that will be on the Nov. 2 ballot for Mitchell residents, one that is as controversial as it is confusing.

October 23, 2010

Mayor ponders future with manager

Lou Sebert has been elected mayor of Mitchell twice, and the job might be on the ballot again as soon as June 2011. Sebert said if that’s the case, he may be willing to run, and serve, again. If voters decide Nov. 2 to change to a city manager form of government, state law calls for another election to fill all the council seats and the mayor’s position within 12 months.

By Tom Lawrence , July 10, 2010

Nebraska man hired to lead Mitchell's park and rec department

Mitchell Mayor Lou Sebert has selected a Nebraska man to serve as the city’s new director of parks, recreation and forestry. Dustin Rodick, of Amherst, Neb., is scheduled to start his new job May 24, Sebert said. Rodick succeeds Randy Ahrendt, whose last day on the job was Friday. Ahrendt retired after 20 years of service to the city.

By Staff reports , May 04, 2010

City Council gets long-awaited meeting about sales-tax mistakes

A representative of the state Department of Revenue and Regulation is scheduled to face what is likely to be an unhappy line of questioning this evening from Mitchell City Council members regarding sales-tax overpayments.

By Staff reports , April 19, 2010

City Council to hear 2009 sales-tax report tonight

A review of the sales-tax collections for 2009 is among the items scheduled for tonight’s Mitchell City Council meeting at City Hall. Sales taxes are a major funder of city government’s operations, so the annual collections report is always important. It’s even more so this year, given the ongoing recession and uncertainty about future sales-tax revenue.

March 15, 2010

City’s debt drops by $1.8 million

The city of Mitchell’s long-term debt decreased by about $1.8 million in 2009, according to a report provided to the City Council earlier this month.
Finance Officer Marilyn Wilson presented the city’s annual financial report to the council March 1. Included in the report is a single-page summary of each of the city’s long-term debts.

By Seth Tupper , March 11, 2010

City official says budget cuts in Sioux Falls could bring benefits to Mitchell

Cuts to the public works budget in the city of Sioux Falls could benefit Mitchell and other cities, according to a Mitchell official.
Earlier this week, Mitchell awarded a bid for the replacement of about 12,000 total square feet of hazardous sidewalk sections at various locations in the city. There were six bidders, including two from the Sioux Falls area.

By Seth Tupper , March 05, 2010

Group asks city to waive fees for Memorial Weekend events

The nonprofit organization that stages the annual Memorial Weekend in Mitchell is seeking an estimated $2,000 to $3,000 worth of waived fees from city government.
Two representatives of Imagine Guild Inc. requested at Monday evening’s Mitchell City Council meeting that the fees be waived for the event’s alcohol-consumption permit, as well as for city-provided security, barricades, picnic tables and electricity. Public Safety Chief Lyndon Overweg, whose department is handling Imagine Guild’s application, estimated that the fees and costs associated with the requested waivers total $2,000 to $3,000.

By Seth Tupper , March 04, 2010

Current, former mayor once again on opposite sides of heated issue

One of the subplots at Monday evening’s contentious Mitchell City Council meeting was the brief exchange between current Mayor Lou Sebert and former mayor Alice Claggett.
Claggett joined about 100 people who crowded into City Hall’s Council Chambers and unsuccessfully demanded that the City Council protect a wooded, city-owned tract of land along North Harmon Drive from sale or development. The council tabled a decision on the wooded property’s fate until August at the latest, to study the feasibility of retaining some of the land and selling the rest.

By Seth Tupper , March 03, 2010

Council postpones decision on trees

The Mitchell City Council decided Monday evening at City Hall to postpone a decision on the fate of a wooded, city-owned lot along North Harmon Drive near Lake Mitchell.
The council voted 7-0, with one member absent, to table the issue until the first meeting in August at the latest. The vote was taken following a lively half-hour hearing at which a group of about 100 people — supported by about 1,280 petition signatures — tried and failed to convince the council to protect the property and its trees.

By Seth Tupper , March 02, 2010

Woods on the agenda for City council

The city’s wooded lot along North Harmon Drive figures to be the dominant topic again at this evening’s Mitchell City Council meeting.
A proposal to trade the roughly 9-acre lot for a building near the city’s new soccer complex was rejected at a previous meeting, but the surplus designation that was placed on the wooded lot in preparation for the possible trade is still in force.

By Seth Tupper , March 01, 2010

Lake panel eyes winter storage for lifts, docks

An idea to designate two public properties for the winter storage of boat lifts could be among the first proposals recommended by the newly created Lake Mitchell Advisory Committee.
In a meeting last week, the committee formulated a plan to designate the public beach on the north side of Lake Mitchell and an area described in the meeting minutes as “rip-rap area near Sportsman’s Beach” for the storage of boat lifts and docks during the winter.

By Seth Tupper , February 23, 2010

City to consider keeping freeze on capital projects

Mitchell’s mayor and finance officer are awaiting year-end financial numbers to determine whether a freeze on some city government expenditures will be retained or lifted.
Last Monday evening, an ordinance was proposed to the City Council that would carry over about $6.6 million worth of budgeted but unspent 2009 appropriations to the current year. Included in that ordinance is about $500,000 worth of expenditures that were put on hold last year due to concerns about the economic recession’s impact on sales-tax revenue.

By Seth Tupper , February 22, 2010

Environmental assessment, cleanup needed to clear Statuary lot

An environmental assessment and cleanup is needed before the former Statuary property on Mitchell’s Main Street can be razed and converted to a parking lot, City Council members learned this week.
The city’s 2009 budget included $273,370 to demolish and fill the property’s large underground structure, which was part of a car dealership for many decades. The money was not spent last year, and it appeared Monday on a list of budgeted items that the City Council is considering carrying over to the current budget.

By Seth Tupper , February 19, 2010