Councilor Rick Kiley, one of the sponsors of Sioux Falls' mask mandate.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Sioux Falls has passed a mask mandate on its second try.
The city council reconsidered the proposal in a marathon meeting Tuesday night and approved it 6-2.
The mandate specifically says it will not be enforced, one of the reasons it was able to get the votes Tuesday when it hadn’t before.
“It’s probably only a one-in-a-hundred chance that I would find myself supporting something like this,” said Marshall Selberg, one of the councilors who changed his mind. “We’re in a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic right now.”
Councilor Curt Soehl, one of the mandate’s original sponsors, said mask-wearing was not “a silver bullet,” but “a step in the right direction.”
Councilors Greg Neitzert and Christine Erickson were the ‘no’ votes. Neitzert said the lack of an enforcement arm would make the ordinance unnecessary. He said private businesses will be forced to carry it out, which many are already doing through mask mandates on their property.
City attorney Stacy Kooistra said a mandate without an enforcement arm is “pretty unique,” but said it reflected the unprecedented nature of the pandemic.
Hours of public input preceded the vote, with passionate arguments from supporters and detractors of the ordinance. The mandate was passed over three hours into the meeting.
A similar mandate, but without the explicit pledge for non-enforcement, failed at the council’s November 10 meeting. A 4-4 vote meant Mayor Paul TenHaken’s ‘no’ vote broke the tie.
The mandate includes several exceptions, like those sitting to eat at a restaurant, receiving medical treatment, or playing a sport.
