Should Sioux Falls voters have a say on a proposed multi-million dollar city administration building? The city council, which has been divided on the issue, will hear the second reading of an ordinance that would pave the way for a special election. It's been an ongoing heated debate for months now and because of a lawsuit, may not be decided anytime soon.
In February, the city unveiled plans to build a $25 million administration building at this site along Dakota Avenue.
In April, the city council voted to sell bonds to pay for it, but it was far from unanimous. Mayor Mike Huether was the one who cast the tie-breaking vote to move it forward.
But in May after the city election, new council members were sworn in and wanted to revisit the issue to look at other options.
One of those options was the 300 building in downtown Sioux Falls, which sits across the street from the proposed site.
The city council voted to stop the project for the time being. But Mayor Mike Huether did something he'd never done before, used the power of veto and overrode the council's decision.
That's when a group called 'Stop the Funding' began circulating petitions to try and force the issue to a public vote, but the group would have to work fast in order to get enough valid signatures before the bonds went up for sale in October.
By mid-August, the organizer of 'Stop the Funding', Bruce Danielson, announced his group had more than enough signatures to put the issue to a public vote.
But when they were turned into the city clerk's office, opponents suffered a huge setback. The signatures were rejected based on a technicality.
In turned out, circulators had used the wrong forms to collect all those signatures.
That's when Danielson filed a lawsuit against the city asking the judge to validate the signatures.
A hearing for that lawsuit is scheduled for September 28.
The bonds are still scheduled to be sold October 1.
The city council is expected to talk about putting the issue to public vote tonight.