South Dakota House of Representatives. KELO.com News file photo by Todd Epp.
PIERRE, SD (KELO.com) — A heated debate in Pierre over long term leases and financial responsibility. The focus was the new One Stop Government service centers recently built in Sioux Falls and Rapid City. State officials signed 30 year lease agreements for those centers, which included sharply higher lease payments. Yankton Representative Julie Auch is critical of those leases.
The Sioux Falls One Stop rent is 270-percent higher than previous arrangements, with offices scattered across the city. Doland Representative Lana Greenfield questioned what she calls a lack of legislative involvement.
Sioux Falls Representative Jack Kolbeck defended the leases, saying he was on the appropriations committee that participated in the lease contracts.
A bill calling for renegotiation of the lease agreements failed in the State House. There’s a similar bill being considered in the state Senate.
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