Rapid City Mayor Steve Allender continues to say that the city of Rapid City does not operate in a way that is sustainable. He expects there to be another in depth discussion over whether or not the city should take the CPI Property Tax Increase. The CPI is a measure of the average change over time in the prices paid by consumers for a market basket of consumer goods and services. This year the CPI is 1-percent…
He addressed an entrenched “anti tax” sentiment, versus the cost of services and products, because it costs more to produce those services and products over time given inflation, which is calculated by the CPI….He said the city is no different, except that the city provides a wide array of services to the citizens of Rapid City….from parks, library, streets, garbage, equipment, paper, employee wages and insurance, etc…..
He said that is likely more lane miles than roads of 80 percent of what south Dakota cities have, and more than 50 percent of what the smaller cities have together…He said the same council members who don’t want the increase, are the same ones who as a body voted for all of those miles to be taken into the city, as well as the union contracts with higher wages…..
Regular council meeting at 6:30.
By KOTA’s Marnie Cook.
