Category: Local politics
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Rapid City Budget Hearings for 2027 – Be Part of the Four Day Process
Schedule For The Four Days Day Time Department Presenter Budget Book Pages Mon, July 27 3:30 p.m. Fire Department Chief Culbertson 37–38 4:30 p.m. Police Department Chief Hedrick 45–46 Tue, July 28 3:30 p.m. The Monument Exec. Dir. Craig Baltzer 57–58 4:00 p.m. Public Works Director Mike Theis 49–50 Wed, July 29 3:30 p.m. Human…
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Deja Vu Zoning: The Cement Plants Other Half Isn’t Getting Rezoned – And That’s The Point
Rapid City SD – Case 26RZ029 goes before the Rapid City Planning Commission July 23, 2026. What is 26RZ029 Case 26RZ029 asks the Planning Commission to rezone two parcels currently sitting under South Dakota Codified Law § 11-4-30 — the state statute, enacted via a 2000 special legislative session, that froze the cement plant’s land…
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The Samco Road Fire Sale: Inside the AG Zoning Rush Along Cement Plant Road
Rapid City SD – Six items on the Rapid City Planning Commission’s July 23, 2026, consent calendar ask the city to reclassify a combined stretch of commercial, industrial, and residential land — most of it clustered along Cement Plant Road, Krebs Drive, and the Commerce Road corridor — down to General Agricultural District. On paper,…
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“No Data Center is Worth Our Water” : Mayor Salamun ‘s Top 10 Budget Priorities for 2027
Rapid City SD – Mayor Jason Salamun presented his proposed 2027 City of Rapid City budget to the Common Council in a Special City Council meeting on July 20, 2026. The proposal totals $312,332,582 in both revenue and expenditures — a 7.4% decrease (nearly $25 million) from the 2026 budget of $337.3 million, driven primarily…
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Tamang’s Own Zoning Violation Meets the Ordinance That Would Excuse It
Rapid City SD – At the July 20, 2026 council meeting, Ordinance No. 6726 came up for its first reading — a measure that would hand a single city administrator the authority to waive zoning rules, including the exact rule Council President Stephen Tamang’s own property has allegedly been violating for eight months. Here’s what…
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“Accountability Is a Funny Thing”: Tzadik Brought a Lobbyist to a Deadline it Already Missed
Rapid City SD- Nine days after the City of Rapid City signed three contracts to demolish the condemned garages at Star Village, the property’s owner tried to muscle back into a process it had already forfeited — filing its own demolition permits, only 18 of 28 of them, only after the city had already moved…
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Tzadik’s Bankruptcy Is Closed. Rapid City’s Bill is Still Open.
Rapid City SD – Tzadik Management’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy closed quietly on June 26 — the same week the city, not the company, was still footing the bill to finish tearing down the condemned garages Tzadik had left behind in Star Village, and Rapid City remained short more than half a million dollars in unpaid…
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Unanswered Questions: What Rapid City Council is Voting On Monday Night
Rapid City SD- Rapid City’s Common Council has a packed evening ahead on July 20 — a special session on next year’s budget followed by a regular meeting carrying five separate storylines this outlet has been tracking. Here’s what’s known, what the documents say, and what’s still unanswered heading into the vote. 5:30 P.M. Special…
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Twins From the Start: What the TIF Ledger Actually Shows About the Catalyst District
Rapid City SD – Mayor Jason Salamun’s office marked this week’s “five key agreements” announcement with a Facebook post declaring the Indoor Sports Complex “a win for our community and the next generation.” It’s a good press release. It’s also a good moment to check the underlying paperwork — because the city’s own Tax Increment…
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The Mayor Took The Floor: What Salamun Said About the Sports Complex – And What He Didn’t
Rapid City SD – Mayor Jason Salamun does not, as a rule, address city committees from the public comment podium. He runs the executive branch; committee members ask the questions, staff answer them, and residents line up at the microphone to weigh in. That’s the format. On Wednesday, at the Legal and Finance Committee, Salamun…