Tim Reisch is a Republican state representative from District 8, which includes Brookings, Kingsbury, Lake and Miner counties.

The main run of the 100th session of the South Dakota State Legislature is in the books. We will return to Pierre on March 31 to consider any bills that Gov. Larry Rhoden decides to veto.

This session was challenging in many ways, but revising the fiscal year 2025 budget and developing the fiscal year 2026 budget in response to dropping revenues was probably the toughest. I’m very thankful to the joint committee on appropriations for getting us across the finish line. Through their efforts we were able to restore budget cuts proposed to:

• South Dakota Public Broadcasting
• South Dakota State Library
• Civil Air Patrol
• Veterans’ burial and headstone stipends
• County veterans service officers
• Graduate medical education program
• Subsidized assisted living

Several different legislators introduced bills aimed at reducing property taxes during this session. One of the bills would have rolled the value of owner-occupied homes back several years. Another would have raised the sales tax rate. Others would place limits on how much local budgets could grow in the years ahead.

As I wrote in a previous column, a legislative study will be conducted this summer to try to figure out how to reduce property taxes. There are only three ways to reduce property taxes without shifting from one type of property (residential, agricultural, non-agricultural) to another. They are cutting spending, identifying a new source of revenue (tax or fees), or a combination of both.

Many of our schools and counties, and municipalities that are the recipients of property taxes struggle to make ends meet right now, so the likelihood of significant budget cuts is probably not realistic. Historically, the legislature has been extremely resistant to impose any sort of tax increase, so don’t hold your breath on significant property tax relief anytime soon.

Over the next four months I will serve as a member of the task force that will study the needs of our prison system. The Legislature rejected the plan that the Department of Corrections proposed, which had been recommended by a group of prison experts hired by the state a few years ago. A new consultant will be selected by the task force, and that firm will conduct an analysis and develop recommendations for consideration by the task force and ultimately the entire legislature during a special session scheduled for July.

One thing to keep in mind is that nobody wants the state to build a prison anywhere near their property. Nobody! Prisons require many employees, so they must be built near an available workforce. The original prison facility on the grounds of the penitentiary in Sioux Falls is 144 years old and needs to be replaced. I look forward to serving on the task force to develop a plan that addresses the state’s correctional needs.

Thank you for the privilege of serving as your state representative. If you want to get in touch with me, my legislative email address is Tim.Reisch@sdlegislature.gov.