
South Dakota House of Representatives. KELO.com News file photo by Todd Epp.
PIERRE, SD (KELO.com) — Expensive long-term leases on the state government “One Stop” centers in Sioux Falls and Rapid City are provoking the legislature to action. Many legislators say they weren’t consulted on the lease agreements, which totaled over nine-million dollars a year in rent over a 30-year term. Assistant Majority Leader Marty Overweg told fellow House members it’s too late to change those lease contracts. But, he encouraged House members to approve a bill requiring legislative approval of similar proposals in the future.
The measure would force state agencies to obtain legislative approval for leases with a duration of more than 15 years, with lease payments toraling more than nine million dollars over the term of the contract, or exceed 50-thousand dollars per month. The House voted unanimously in favor of the measure, which is the first of several bills to regulate executive branch agencies in the future.
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