is fighting tooth and nail to keep body and dashcam video from being considered pubic record. Of course it is public record, as so many other states have decided, but not South Dakota. Here we have legislators who will tell you they are strong advocates of government transparency. And then they will just stop discussing…
By [Your Pen Name/South Dakota Opinions]January 2, 2026 What happens in South Dakota when a private citizen creates a website to track public spending and document the secret meetings of a local road district? In a healthy democracy, you get a debate. In my County, you get the police called on you. We are currently…
In South Dakota, when a developer wants to build a new apartment complex or a luxury hotel, a specific and controversial government tool often appears: the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district. TIFs are currently used across our state to subsidize private development with public money. They represent the ultimate “Closed Loop”—a process designed to enrich…
As the 2026 South Dakota Legislative Session kicks off, the air in Pierre is thick with talk of “transparency” and “taxpayer protection.” We’ve seen the reports from the 2025 Property Tax Task Force, and we’ve heard the promises of new oversight. But for those of us living in the “Closed Loop” of small special districts,…
In South Dakota, while both special assessments and maintenance fees fund local improvements, they are distinct legal mechanisms with separate procedural requirements within the municipal code (SDCL 9-43). Special Assessments A special assessment is used by a city to finance the construction of new, permanent local improvements (e.g., a new street, curb, or sewer line)….
In South Dakota, we are told we live in a state of “personal responsibility” and “limited government.” But when a citizen tries to hold the most powerful arm of that government—Law Enforcement—accountable, they quickly discover that the doors are locked and the windows are barred. Recently, I reached out to our elected leadership regarding a…
As we enter the 2026 election cycle, South Dakota stands at a definitive crossroads. For the last several years, our state’s economic strategy has been dominated by a “recruitment first” mentality—the idea that the health of our economy is measured by how many out-of-state license plates we can attract and how many high-profile corporate logos…
In many of South Dakota’s rural neighborhoods, the most direct form of government we encounter is the special purpose district—whether it’s for roads, water, or sanitation. Under current state laws, these districts often operate with a small board of just three trustees. While a three-person board might seem efficient on paper, it has become a…
In the hierarchy of South Dakota county government, the State’s Attorney is the chief law enforcement officer. They are the sworn gatekeeper of the law, tasked with ensuring that both citizens and government boards play by the rules found in the South Dakota Codified Laws (SDCL). But what happens when the gatekeeper decides the law…
In South Dakota, we pride ourselves on local control. However, there is a dark side to “local control” when it manifests as Special Purpose Districts (Road, Sanitary, Irrigation). These districts were designed to give neighbors a way to manage shared infrastructure, but the laws governing them—specifically SDCL 31-12A—have created a constitutional crisis in our rural…