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Record of Proceedings

Spearfish City Council Study Session - April 29, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, April 29, 2026
BodySpearfish, South Dakota
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, April 29, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:33:06

Original source
Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

10:30

I know.

10:31

Stand up and wave.

10:33

Okay, Fabi.

10:36

I know.

10:37

Stand up and wave.

Unassigned speaker

10:56

What?

Speaker 2

10:56

Order one open?

Speaker 3

10:58

That's going to be a ladder and horizontal line.

Speaker 4

11:17

Welcome everybody to tonight's uh city council study session as we get ready for next Monday night's uh city council meeting.

11:25

Still got my gravelly voice going here, so we'll try to get uh through this the best we

Unassigned speaker

11:29

can.

Unassigned speaker

11:29

Uh

Speaker 4

11:30

we have an agenda before us.

11:31

I have no changes.

11:32

Is there a motion from council to approve?

Unassigned speaker

11:35

So

Speaker 5

11:36

move.

11:37

Second.

Speaker 4

11:37

We have a motion and a second.

11:39

All in favor.

11:44

Okay.

11:45

All right.

11:46

Um

Unassigned speaker

11:47

thank

Speaker 4

11:47

you for joining Larry and we're not feeling the best today, so I appreciate you participating via Zoom.

11:53

Okay, with that, we'll go through item number two, which is the review our city council agenda.

11:58

And Michelle will roll through it and if there's uh questions, I'll try to I'll try to uh uh address uh if there's questions from the audience, we'll try to address those right away.

Unassigned speaker

12:09

So

Speaker 4

12:10

go ahead, Michelle.

Speaker 6

12:11

Yep.

12:11

So we'll start off the evening.

12:13

We have items from visitors, uh High Plains Western Heritage Center.

12:17

We're going to be acknowledging the retirement of Carlos Cavell as the executive director and welcoming Julie at Maine.

12:25

She is the new executive director for them.

12:27

They will both be here.

12:28

And then we also will have a proclamation uh for travel and tourism week.

12:34

Still working on the language for that.

12:36

That's when there's a blank in there.

12:37

I don't remember if it's a day, a week, a month,

Unassigned speaker

12:40

but

Speaker 6

12:40

we'll get that updated and into the packet.

12:43

Uh consent agenda, just minutes from our last meetings, and then we have a temporary construction easement agreement uh as well.

12:51

And then

Unassigned speaker

12:53

I

Speaker 6

12:53

don't see HR here, but we do have uh three positions.

12:58

Uh these are all budgeted positions and just advertising the position and the wage.

13:06

And then under city attorney items, we do have uh the second reading of the two ordinances that were presented at last council meeting.

13:15

Uh first one is on the art and public places.

13:20

That's combining the language into one section.

13:24

Uh the second one is on the airport

Unassigned speaker

13:28

uh

Speaker 6

13:29

moving that to an airport advisory board instead of a task force within ordinances.

13:35

There have been no changes since the first reading of those two ordinances.

13:41

And then I'll turn it over to Peter for community development.

Speaker 7

13:45

Yes, thank you, council.

13:46

Uh, for item 13A, we're actually gonna pull that item, it's just not ready.

13:51

Uh this was just a placeholder, but uh the item's not ready to proceed.

13:55

And then items 13B and C, of course, are related to tonight's presentation on a proposed uh TIFF.

14:04

So on Monday we'll be seeking council's approval for a resolution adopting the district boundary, and then subsequent to that on the item 13 C will be a resolution adopting the project plan for uh for the TIF district if approved.

14:20

So kind of basically similar to identical to what we did with TIFF night.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing██████████████████████████26%
Transportation Safety██████████████████████22%
Procedural█████████████13%
Economic Development██████████10%
Public Engagement██████6%
Tax Increment Financing██████6%
Public Works█████5%
Water And Wastewater Management█████5%
Zoning Regulations██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Spearfish City Council Study Session - April 29, 2026

The Spearfish City Council held a study session on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 4:15 PM in the City Council Chambers. Mayor Senden presided, with council members Hafner, Klarenbeek, Myers, and Rath present. Hourigan and Jacobs were absent. The session previewed the upcoming May 4 City Council agenda and included discussions on a proposed Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district and prioritization of Safety Action Plan projects.

Consent Calendar

  • The study session agenda was approved unanimously via a motion by Myers and a second by Rath.
  • Staff reviewed the draft City Council agenda for May 4, 2026, including upcoming resolutions, ordinances, change orders, and financial statements.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • The formal public comment period at the end of the session was opened at 5:32 PM and closed with no comments received. Public questions and statements were instead offered during the discussion items.
  • Jeremy Smith questioned the "citizen" versus "resident" language in the proposed Art in Public Places ordinance composition clause, expressing concern it might limit committee eligibility. Clarification was deferred as the city attorney was absent.

Discussion Items

Tax Increment Financing District for The Pines at Elkhorn Ridge

  • Community Development Director Wysocki introduced a proposed TIF district for a 98-unit affordable apartment complex on approximately 7 acres in the Elkhorn Ridge development. The applicant (Toby Morris, Colliers Securities) is seeking ~$2 million in eligible costs for site work and utility connections, explicitly excluding vertical construction and land costs.
  • The project features a 10-year cap on rental rates at 80% of Area Median Income, exceeding the state-required 5-year minimum.
  • Wysocki cited a 2022 housing needs assessment projecting a deficit of 224–280 apartment units by 2030 and noted the comprehensive plan identifies 45% of residents as housing cost-burdened.
  • Both the TIF advisory committee and the Planning Commission have unanimously recommended approval.
  • Public and Council Positions: Doug Markworth expressed a position of caution, requesting a complete fiscal analysis of total TIF costs and benefits over the 20-year term. Council member Dean questioned market saturation given other projects coming online. Wysocki acknowledged these as important future policy questions for the council.

Safety Action Plan Project Prioritization

  • Staff Engineer Abby Larson presented the public input and staff rankings for projects from the Safety Action Plan. The top priority for both the public (16 open house attendees, ~39 online survey responses) and staff was the North Avenue Sidewalk Connection.
  • The recommended project includes a sidewalk on the east side of North Avenue, a boulevard buffer, signalization improvements at the Hillsview intersection, and a 40% crash reduction factor. Larson noted the $248,000 cost estimate from the plan is likely too low due to needed stormwater and grading work.
  • Larson recommended this project for a Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant application due May 26. The city would fund a 20% match, which can include in-kind contributions.
  • Public and Council Positions: A council member expressed strong enthusiasm for the North Avenue project, citing dangerous conditions for children biking to school. Mistie Coldwell expressed concerns about mini dirt bikes using the paths unsafely. Rick Furnish advocated for prioritizing deer-vehicle crashes on Colorado Boulevard near Exit 14, which staff noted typically does not qualify for this specific safety funding as it results in property damage only.

Departmental Discussion

  • Public Works Director McMahon stated staff is evaluating the best option for the downtown mill & overlay and chip seal project. Colorado Boulevard between Rainbow Road and Aurora Avenue is closed for widening for most of the summer.
  • Recreation Superintendent Rauterkaus reminded the council that waterpark passes are half off until May 1.

Key Outcomes & Next Steps

  • TIF District: The Council will consider resolutions to adopt the district boundary and project plan for The Pines at Elkhorn Ridge at the May 4 regular meeting.
  • Safety Action Plan: The Council will consider a resolution to authorize the SS4A grant application for the North Avenue Sidewalk Connection at the May 18 meeting.
  • The study session adjourned at 5:34 PM, to be followed by a Financial Town Hall.

Meeting Transcript

I know. Stand up and wave. Okay, Fabi. I know. Stand up and wave. What? Order one open? That's going to be a ladder and horizontal line. Welcome everybody to tonight's uh city council study session as we get ready for next Monday night's uh city council meeting. Still got my gravelly voice going here, so we'll try to get uh through this the best we can. Uh we have an agenda before us. I have no changes. Is there a motion from council to approve? So move. Second. We have a motion and a second. All in favor. Okay. All right. Um thank you for joining Larry and we're not feeling the best today, so I appreciate you participating via Zoom. Okay, with that, we'll go through item number two, which is the review our city council agenda. And Michelle will roll through it and if there's uh questions, I'll try to I'll try to uh uh address uh if there's questions from the audience, we'll try to address those right away. So go ahead, Michelle. Yep. So we'll start off the evening. We have items from visitors, uh High Plains Western Heritage Center. We're going to be acknowledging the retirement of Carlos Cavell as the executive director and welcoming Julie at Maine. She is the new executive director for them. They will both be here. And then we also will have a proclamation uh for travel and tourism week. Still working on the language for that. That's when there's a blank in there. I don't remember if it's a day, a week, a month, but we'll get that updated and into the packet. Uh consent agenda, just minutes from our last meetings, and then we have a temporary construction easement agreement uh as well. And then I don't see HR here, but we do have uh three positions. Uh these are all budgeted positions and just advertising the position and the wage. And then under city attorney items, we do have uh the second reading of the two ordinances that were presented at last council meeting. Uh first one is on the art and public places. That's combining the language into one section. Uh the second one is on the airport

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