BROOKINGS – Candidates for Brookings City Council met for a Saturday morning forum at the Brookings City & County Government Center – but this weekend’s event was different from years past, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Brookings Area Chamber of Commerce called it the 2020 Virtual City Council Candidate Forum, broadcasting live on its Facebook page and on the City of Brookings television channel. The live audience at the government center was limited to the candidates and the city and Chamber staff and volunteers running the event. Questions were submitted in advance and via text and email.

Vying for two three-year seats on the Brookings City Council are Joey Collins, Cassie Juba and incumbent Ope Niemeyer. Council member Dan Hansen is not seeking re-election.

The election is currently scheduled for April 14, but that could change as the South Dakota Legislature meets remotely today for veto day. The lawmakers will consider a series of bills related to COVID-19, including one that would allow for the rescheduling of upcoming local elections and the presidential primary in the state.

Sales tax

One of the first questions posed to the council candidates was about sales tax. Moderator Tim Reed asked how the council should work to confront the impact COVID-19 will have on sales tax in Brookings, and what can be done long term to grow tax revenue for the city.

Niemeyer said sales tax is a major revenue source for the city, and the city is taking a hit due to necessary business closures and residents staying home.

“We’re going to have to look at possibly closing down facilities. But before we do that, we need to look at maybe cutting almost 30 percent of our budget. We’re going to lose about 30 percent of our revenue through this whole process,” he said.

Niemeyer said there are some capital improvements the city can hold off on, and the city may have to dip into reserves, because that’s what they’re there for.

Collins said city sales tax was already down prior to COVID-19, and it will be difficult to rebound. Business closures is something his family is experiencing personally as his wife had to close her day care business.

“I appreciate all the business owners who had to close down. ... We have to figure out how we can get more sales tax from different areas of the city.”

Juba said she’s proud of the businesses that are doing what’s necessary to keep the community safe and keep their businesses afloat.

“Having an organization that is only a year old, I understand those struggles. And we are going to need to take a look at our reserves and also stay in constant communication and be in the doors of these local businesses to see what we can do to help them recover from this crisis.”

Budget cuts

Later, Reed asked the candidates what specific cuts they would make when faced with a city budget shortfall.

Niemeyer said he’d first focus on some of the big-ticket items for capital improvements. 

“Maybe equipment that we have cited for replacement that we can get by another year. Like I said, we’re already looking at cutting the whole budget across by 30 percent and holding off on nonessential things … or delaying purchases.”

Collins said the city needs to make cuts “across the board.”

“Talk to our department heads and see what they can go without for a while, and not order anything big,” he said. “I think we need to slow everything down for a while, like the improvement at the (20th Street South and) I-29 corridor. I think we need to stop on that for a while and save that money as much as we can.”

Juba said, when safe, it’s a good idea to hold off on capital improvements and maintenance.

“Staying in constant communication with city staff and heads of departments is very important right now. We have a fantastic city staff that are very good at their jobs, so spending time going through a detailed budget with each of them and understanding what things can wait and what things are still important … to make sure we get through this without losing a significant amount of money.”

Affordable housing

Reed asked the candidates what they can do to lower the cost of housing in Brookings.

Collins said the city needs to do more for low-income families, and he’s willing to listen to any ideas anyone has and work with different entities.

“I know there’s grants that we can get through the government that might be able to help out,” he said.

Juba said collaboration is key, and the council has done a good job in the past at granting variances to make affordable housing more realistic.

“In the last few months, I’ve spent a lot of time with developers and also nonprofits working in affordable and workforce housing. General consensus is that developers, at the end of the day, do need to make money, but they are open to and would like to commit themselves to affordable and workforce housing,” she said.

Niemeyer said previous affordable housing projects using TIF districts and stimulus tax credits have been successful.

“They were done in less than two years, and they were very successful. Every one of these homes sold immediately,” he said. “We have not had something like that since. I would highly suggest that we consider doing that again. It was a good way to do it.”

Niemeyer said he would reconsider previous designs of smaller lots and narrower streets, which can cause problems. “I think we should go back to square blocks with alleys.”

Jail expansion

Since a judge ruled that the county does not need a city building permit to construct its Brookings County Detention Center expansion, should the city council have any more involvement in the process?, Reed asked.

Collins said no, the council should not be involved. 

“We spent a lot of money going to court, things like that. I really wish we wouldn’t have spent all that money. It is … a county issue. ... We need the jail, and they need it to be right there. I have no issue with the jail,” he said.

Juba agreed that it was time for the city to move on.

“I understand both sides of the argument, but it is a county issue, and a lot of time and resources have already been spent. And I think when you have conversations with law enforcement officers, that is always the first thing they bring up, whether you’re having a professional or personal conversation with them,” she said.

Juba added that the expanded jail would be a safer setting for staff and inmates should another pandemic happen again.

Niemeyer said when they city decided to go against the county on the project, he didn’t like the idea, “spending taxpayer money to sue taxpayer money. We spent $29,500 on this trying to make a point, and judge ruled against the city. I think it’s time to move on.”

Niemeyer said the expansion is necessary, and what the county has now is antiquated and insufficient.

“I’m still not a fan of the expansion at the courthouse location. I think it could have been put somewhere else.  There are communities in the state of South Dakota that have jails that are not connected to the courthouse or near the courthouse. I wish the county would have taken a little bit more time on an alternative location,” he said. “But it is what it is, and we need to move on. There are other things to be concerned about.”

Watch the full video of the virtual candidate forum on the Brookings Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.

Contact Jill Fier at jfier@brookingsregister.com.