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Record of Proceedings

Rapid City Council Meeting: July 6, 2026 – Oaths, Elections, and Policy Decisions

City Council — Tuesday, July 7, 2026
BodyRapid City, South Dakota
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, July 7, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:42:51

Transcript — Verbatim
1:19

Good evening and welcome to the city council meeting for Monday, July 6, 2026.

1:25

We will begin with a roll call and determination of quorum.

1:34

Lehman.

1:37

Roberts.

1:39

Petigrew.

1:41

Cris?

1:42

Fieberdorf.

1:44

Temang.

1:45

Here.

1:45

Evans.

1:46

Meyer.

1:47

We have a quorum.

1:48

Uh thank you.

1:49

Uh next I'm gonna note that we have Brian McDaniel here for the invocation.

1:52

Uh, and then that will be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:55

Brian, are you here?

1:57

Okay.

1:58

We'll have a moment of silence this.

2:00

So if you're able and willing, would you please rise.

2:28

To the flag of the United States of America.

2:31

And to the Republic for which it stands.

2:38

Liberty and justice for all.

2:42

Thank you.

2:43

Next we'll entertain a motion to adopt the agenda.

2:47

Got a motion by uh Roberts with a second by layman.

2:50

All in favor?

2:52

Any opposed.

2:54

The agenda is adopted.

2:56

Uh next we will move on to general public comment.

2:58

This is a three-minute period for in a time for the members of the public to discuss or express concerns to the council on any issue not on the agenda.

3:06

Action will not be taken at the meeting on any issue not on the agenda except by placement on the agenda by unanimous vote of the council members present.

3:13

I do have a handful of speaker request forms for uh general public keep coming in, I think.

3:18

Sorry, you know, that's really good.

3:20

Okay, thank you.

3:22

Uh next, uh what I'll do is I'll say your name, you'll come up, and then I'll tell the person who's next and on deck to be ready.

3:29

So the first speaker is Misty O'Dean, followed by Chris Stover.

3:41

I do have a rendering that I need to use.

3:48

Good evening, Mayor and Council members.

3:51

My name is Misty O'Dean.

3:52

I'm here as a resident who cares deeply about the safety and future of our community.

3:58

The Campbell Street and East North Or Street intersection is one of the busiest corridors in Rapid City.

4:04

Residents experience congestion, long waits, and recurring crashes as our city continues to grow, these challenges are likely to increase.

5:00

If the study concludes that a roundabout is not the best solution, then we will know that if it demonstrates significant safety and organizational benefits, we will have a have taken an important step improving on Rapid City's key intersections.

5:13

I also do have a full full proposal done up with renderings and statistics, also from national DOT on the safety measures and all that with the having a roundabout in place.

5:28

I thank you all so much for your time, and I hope you'll take the time to consider my recommendation.

5:34

Mesti, thank you very much.

5:35

Appreciate that.

5:37

Chris Stover, you're up next, followed by Mark Thalaker.

5:43

Looks like I had a couple of my names, so I didn't know which one.

5:46

No, you're you're good in there.

5:47

Thank you, uh, mayor and city council.

5:49

Uh, my name is Chris Stover, and I'm your current chairman of Friends of Rhapsody Parks, and my counterpart, Ben Schumacher is also on the board.

5:56

Uh, and we are here to offer our uh recommendation and endorsement of the long-range management plan of the parks.

6:02

Uh we appreciate uh the amount of financial push to it, uh, the amount of thought, the amount of work, the amount of thought that went into the entire program to be able to figure out where our parks are and what needs to be happening out there.

6:17

Uh, as we review the document, uh I see it as kind of like a menu.

6:21

You can go to Denny's, and I'm going to be able to choose off my menu and say, you know, this looks good for me right now.

6:27

And I love the idea that the department will be able to look at that and see what's appropriate at what time to be able to help appropriate or prioritize what projects to be done, as well as if there's any benefactors that are out there that may have financial means to be able to help the parks that might be able to fit in with some kind of uh improvement to our parks.

6:49

I think the inventory that was done uh was really really well done.

6:53

I think the contractor did a fine job, uh, and I believe that it is going to be a good opportunity for the city to be able to move forward with our parks.

7:02

Good evening, I'm Ben Schumacher, and uh as Chris said, I'm on the board as well.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████52%
Miscellaneous█████████10%
Zoning Regulations███████8%
Environmental Protection█████6%
Parks and Recreation████5%
Engineering And Infrastructure████5%
Zoning And Land Use████5%
Public Safety███3%
Cannabis Regulation██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Rapid City Council Meeting: July 6, 2026 – Oaths, Elections, and Policy Decisions

The Rapid City Council met on July 6, 2026, to swear in newly elected members, elect council officers, and address a range of agenda items. The meeting covered rezoning requests, a parks master plan adoption, a significant EPA recycling grant, and public comments on topics including intersection safety, dispensary licensing, First Amendment concerns, and mining impacts.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Misty O'Dean (resident): Expressed concern about the Campbell Street and East North Or Street intersection, citing congestion and crashes. Recommended a roundabout and provided a proposal with renderings and statistics from the National DOT.
  • Chris Stover (Chair, Friends of Rhapsody Parks): Endorsed the long-range management plan for parks, praising the inventory and prioritization framework.
  • Ben Schumacher (Friends of Rhapsody Parks board): Supported the parks plan, noting the positive impact of park investments in other communities.
  • Mark Thallacker (resident): Raised concerns about patriotism and public pledges, advocating for freedom of thought and questioning the use of patriotic symbols to discourage independent thinking.
  • Kittrick Jeffries (owner, Puffy's Dispensary): Stated that the city deemed Puffy's dispensary license forfeited without notice or hearing. Argued the forfeiture was based on an erroneous date (March 4, 2025) that predated their state certification (April 1, 2025). Requested the council adopt a resolution directing Finance Director Andy Ainsley to retract the forfeiture letter.
  • Matt Nas (attorney for Puffy's): Reinforced that the city could not legally issue the license before the state certification, citing Rapid City Municipal Code 5.74.050A. Stated the city had previously argued in litigation that an active state certification is a prerequisite for a valid local license. Noted that Puffy's received no due process (notice or hearing) before the forfeiture.
  • James Spiolotta (resident): Alleged that Main Street Square illegally denied access to service animals and disabled individuals on public walkways, and violated all five parts of the First Amendment (denying protest, press, speech, political events, religious events). Criticized the council for failing to act after he raised the issue a year ago. Also criticized police testimony about public sidewalks.
  • Angelo (resident): Commented on the difficulty of turning semitrucks at roundabouts, referenced 'clerical errors,' and criticized the classification of certain acts as arson/terrorism charges.
  • William Wagner (resident and state constitutional advocate): Filed a formal objection regarding a proposed high-density data center facility. Argued that the facility's air-cooled infrastructure would create low-frequency noise exceeding South Dakota's public nuisance laws (SDCL 21-10) and violate the 45-decibel property line ceiling. Demanded the city require a certified acoustic model before permits are issued. Also invoked federal civil rights statutes (Title 18 USC 241-242) regarding deprivation of rights under color of law. Later, in public hearing for item 3, he demanded an emergency moratorium on mining expansion near Sturgis Road, citing toxic dust, blasting damage, and violations of local ordinances and extraterritorial jurisdiction (SDCL 11-4-11). He invoked Pennington County ordinance sections 320, 321, and joint air quality ordinance 12, calling the dust a 'public nuisance per se.'
  • Mark Millar (resident): Expressed support for recent legislative protections against arbitrary TIF numbers. Criticized Finance Director Ainsley for bringing 'bogus numbers' into the TIF process. Argued that TIF money disproportionately benefits developers who bought cheap land, and urged the council to rely on monthly revenue streams and stop financing growth through TIFs.

Consent Calendar

  • Items 11–49 (with exceptions of 21, 22, 26) were approved en bloc (motion by Bieberdorf, second by Armstrong).
  • Items 61 and 62 (public hearing consent items) were approved (motion by Roberts, second by Temang). Carried.
  • Bill list (item 64): Total $108,182.23. Approved with one abstention (Meyer).

Discussion Items

  • Item 21: Sidewalk variance for Genesis Farms (Catron Boulevard) – Public Works Director Mike Tice explained that steep ditches, a pond, and power lines made sidewalk installation impractical and unsafe. Councilor Temang advocated for a future 'fee in lieu of' concept to require contributions from developers who receive variances, citing examples from Austin, TX; Port Angeles, WA; and Durham, NC.
  • Item 22: Parks and Recreation Master Plan – Councilor Secrets praised the team for creating Rapid City's first-ever master plan. Councilor Strowman noted citizen comments about maintaining the Brayburn Park skating rink and cited its mention on page 108 of the plan. Councilor Evans urged the plan to be a 'living document' and emphasized maintaining natural, undeveloped parkland. Parks Director Biegler confirmed the plan is a guiding document for 10–15 years.
  • Item 26: EPA SWIFER Grant ($4,977,265) – Councilor Strowman moved to approve, thanking public works staff (Jeff Barber, Tori Fields, Rhea Hannon, Dave Yuha's, Jamie Tennis, Lizanne Zeller). Councilor Temang noted that the grant's possibility was not well communicated during the garbage rate discussions, which could have influenced those decisions. The citizen from the sustainability committee (Heidi Seaverdine) supported the grant for expanding recycling access at businesses.
  • Election of Officers: Stephen Temang was elected Council President (6–4 vote over Kevin Maher). Callie Meyer was elected Vice President after her initial nominee (Laura Armstrong) declined.

Key Outcomes

  • Vote on mining rezoning (item 4): Rezoning from SDCL 11-4-30 District to Mining and Earth Resources Extraction District. Approved with two no votes (Evans, Meyer) after Councilor Evans expressed a desire for creative reclamation (e.g., amphitheaters, parks) rather than standard backfill.
  • Item 21 Approved: Sidewalk variance for Genesis Farms. Carried.
  • Item 22 Approved: Parks and Recreation Master Plan adopted. Carried.
  • Item 26 Authorized: City accepted the $4,977,265 EPA SWIFER grant; signing authority delegated to Public Works Director. Carried.
  • Items 50–60 Approved: All first readings and subdivision plans passed unanimously (residential and commercial rezoning, subdivisions for Sweetbrier Heights, Le Grand, Buffalo Crossing North, Pleasant View).
  • Executive Session: Entered and exited without need for staff direction.
  • Adjourned: Approved.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to the city council meeting for Monday, July 6, 2026. We will begin with a roll call and determination of quorum. Lehman. Roberts. Petigrew. Cris? Fieberdorf. Temang. Here. Evans. Meyer. We have a quorum. Uh thank you. Uh next I'm gonna note that we have Brian McDaniel here for the invocation. Uh, and then that will be followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. Brian, are you here? Okay. We'll have a moment of silence this. So if you're able and willing, would you please rise. To the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. Liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Next we'll entertain a motion to adopt the agenda. Got a motion by uh Roberts with a second by layman. All in favor? Any opposed. The agenda is adopted. Uh next we will move on to general public comment. This is a three-minute period for in a time for the members of the public to discuss or express concerns to the council on any issue not on the agenda. Action will not be taken at the meeting on any issue not on the agenda except by placement on the agenda by unanimous vote of the council members present. I do have a handful of speaker request forms for uh general public keep coming in, I think. Sorry, you know, that's really good. Okay, thank you. Uh next, uh what I'll do is I'll say your name, you'll come up, and then I'll tell the person who's next and on deck to be ready. So the first speaker is Misty O'Dean, followed by Chris Stover. I do have a rendering that I need to use. Good evening, Mayor and Council members. My name is Misty O'Dean. I'm here as a resident who cares deeply about the safety and future of our community. The Campbell Street and East North Or Street intersection is one of the busiest corridors in Rapid City. Residents experience congestion, long waits, and recurring crashes as our city continues to grow, these challenges are likely to increase. If the study concludes that a roundabout is not the best solution, then we will know that if it demonstrates significant safety and organizational benefits, we will have a have taken an important step improving on Rapid City's key intersections. I also do have a full full proposal done up with renderings and statistics, also from national DOT on the safety measures and all that with the having a roundabout in place. I thank you all so much for your time, and I hope you'll take the time to consider my recommendation. Mesti, thank you very much. Appreciate that. Chris Stover, you're up next, followed by Mark Thalaker. Looks like I had a couple of my names, so I didn't know which one. No, you're you're good in there.

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