[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6577432,"mediaKeyId","3141907-e54738a4e9eaf22fd07be91f7426c3f7","parentId",3141907,"title","Yankton commission meeting roundup: contracts, permits and licenses approved","audioSeconds",168,"startMs",4592000,"endMs",4760000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3141907-e54738a4e9eaf22fd07be91f7426c3f7&start=4592&end=4760","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3141907-e54738a4e9eaf22fd07be91f7426c3f7/thumbnail_4592000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6577432/Yankton-City/Yankton-County/South-Dakota/Yankton-commission-meeting-roundup-contracts-permits-and-licenses-approved","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6577432-520834d4c95956691aaff7e8816dd94d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771181977&Signature=NCEPLAHykkHtpbC8LNXQWgQ2NwwWI4E~7QfUY8lJiRfxbLIct~fF6AtiHoXgh-o4LHfPQ~6Egjs-KDxoAWr4tInRCdv9cAymEu5D~lV2zAYDWvC1H8AGghQW5b81cneva7oWMQj0TWdy3aEy0aOjUNmiVkydhrqU4e5F~tSgoTZZWpRs2-z-oMyOFE~MpOokBtAmtTmTgaOaQGXYT9d299yMTDh7wxUSVLjUlwLKHhtX~nxccvTbjF2aY2VWDRiiv4Z-5J2RUoGogLqGRIBXCmEC-ggxKw6h5ZEqXvReS5jTA2s6YGkJpF~NQrd4~k09162ZK2Ac9v2BAzSHkVuK2A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Yankton City","date","2025-04-29T01:55:31.96Z","article","The Yankton City Commission conducted routine business and approved a set of motions and contracts in addition to the high-profile decision to increase the sales‑tax rebate cap for the Yankton Mall.

Votes at a glance

- Sales-tax rebate for Yankton Mall: approved (see separate article) — increase of cap to $3,300,000 over 10 years, 2% city rebate; vote 8–1.
- Minutes and bills: the commission approved minutes from the April special and regular meetings and authorized payment of the bills by roll call (unanimous votes recorded at the start of the meeting).
- Consent agenda: transient merchant license application approved (consent item passed unanimously).
- Sidewalk café permit (101 Douglas, Curex Bistro) and Resolution 205‑21: approved by roll call.
- Airport hangar assignment (Airport Hangar No. 14 transfer from Dave Tungi to Dale Bakke; Resolution 205‑18): approved.
- July 4 concert funding: commission authorized the city manager to fund the July 4 concert from the Bridal B fund in the amount of $24,000 (approved by roll call).
- Settlement agreement (Resolution 25‑19): commission authorized the city attorney to execute and file a settlement agreement resolving a dispute over maintenance obligations for a drainage way and boulevard; funds from developer heirs ($40,000 contribution) will be held in trust for maintenance and initial repairs were estimated during staff remarks.
- City attorney professional services agreement and salary update (effective May 1): approved; the revised agreement converts prior blend of salary and billable time into a salary with a quarterly review mechanism and a reduced market rate ($200/hour) for any additional time beyond an agreed‑upon monthly threshold; it also includes office hours access for city staff and limited reimbursements for specified research tools and continuing-education travel.
- Street and utility contracts (Walnut Street; Twelfth Street & Locust): awarded to low bidders as presented — Walnut Street (Eighth to Fifteenth) awarded to Holstein Excavator, Inc. for $2,316,787.25; Twelfth Street reconstruction and Locust Street project awarded to Masonry Components Inc. for $1,069,709.09 (both approved by roll call).
- Special one‑day liquor licenses at Meridian Venue: several Riverfront Brewery and Premier of Print Brewery one‑day licenses for dates in June, August, October and November were approved after the required public-hearing opportunity.

What the items mean

Most approvals were routine or required by schedule. The two largest dollar authorizations were the Walnut Street replacement contract (~$2.32 million) and the Twelfth/Locust reconstruction (~$1.07 million); staff and the commission said both are standard capital projects for the city’s street and utility program. The July 4 funding approval increases the event budget to support a larger concert and family programming.

The settlement agreement resolves a neighborhood maintenance dispute by accepting a developer‑heirs’ contribution and applying it to repairs and maintenance of the drainage way and adjacent boulevard; staff said the city will hold that payment in trust and use it for agreed maintenance tasks.

The city‑attorney agreement reorganizes compensation to provide predictable access for city staff while preserving a reduced hourly market rate for extraordinary additional legal work; the commission approved the effective date referenced in the resolution as May 1.

Process notes and next steps

For items requiring contract execution staff will return with finalized documents as needed. The commission asked staff to confirm project timelines for active street projects; staff said a Summit Street intersection water‑main portion of an ongoing project should be substantially completed in a few weeks with final testing and surface work to follow. Liquor licenses and sidewalk café permits were approved subject to the city’s standard terms and local licensing rules.

Ending

The commission recessed briefly after the mall vote, then completed the remainder of the new-business agenda and moved into executive session on contractual matters at the end of the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","April 28, 2025 Regular Commission Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","At its regular meeting the Yankton City Commission approved the mall rebate increase and a series of other items including street and utility contracts, several one‑day liquor licenses, the city‑attorney agreement, a July 4 funding request and other routine permits.","taxTitle","Yankton City, Yankton County, South Dakota","taxId",64144,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6577436,"Yankton commission approves $3.3 million sales-tax rebate cap for mall redevelopment",3030,760000,3790000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3141907-e54738a4e9eaf22fd07be91f7426c3f7&start=760&end=3790","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3141907-e54738a4e9eaf22fd07be91f7426c3f7/thumbnail_760000.jpg","/articles/6577436/Yankton-City/Yankton-County/South-Dakota/Yankton-commission-approves-33-million-sales-tax-rebate-cap-for-mall-redevelopment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6577436-34ae57aaadd7f8a499ed25db4e0f92d7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771181977&Signature=NCV7nCbKCanietgmpm4wVwhEXwAcHg0V~sxx83QgGizZKVf1~DeT5w3fCCDRZp-wAGqhWoEPbYTCo4R9VZY4RJ5KNO18TSYxs7Rvrr4KBmEVSVSAwogR~p7ji1HFVOHtBk8~P2QFV1DIFIZGbg38Fq2nfYKZkUCrexXZB0cVZ3S-4zE7dLPImSyy2OcoT~hvMlRqXlUMqkqCjURtKf1yJwdR9VN~FreHkxnVb1sTUWPeaRCuvvdUHJ8y8WUB1gU2LOGk6dwYT6HnPCl8VJ26-5NkVHCkncVI0tFMnKbEp1EexM3yHhgaLZbIaZTsxfbzw1S38h9PmyfiJGxkTjP64w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Yankton City Commission voted 8–1 to raise the cap on an existing, performance-based sales-tax rebate for the Yankton Mall from $1,700,000 to $3,300,000 over the same 10-year term, keeping the rebate at the city’s 2% portion of eligible sales tax.

City Manager Amy Leon explained to the commission that South Dakota state law lets municipalities offer sales-tax rebates to encourage retail development and that the city’s portion of sales tax from eligible retailers would be rebated only after the tax is generated and verified. “The sales tax rebate is a tool that the South Dakota codified law makes available for cities to utilize,” Leon said during staff remarks.

The rebate increase was requested by mall owner Matt Evans and his representatives to cover additional build-out and tenant improvements needed to recruit national retailers. Community economic development director Dave Mingo told the commission the mall is currently about 71% leased and that the new anchor tenants under development — including Hobby Lobby, Marshalls and 5 Below — are expected to open by the holiday season. Staff recommended approval, noting the proposal is performance based and that eligibility of individual retailers would be determined under the contract terms.

How the rebate works

Under the contract structure described by staff, each eligible retailer would continue to remit sales tax to the South Dakota Department of Revenue as usual. The Department of Revenue reconciles and remits the city’s share, and the city would then rebate its share, dollar for dollar, back to the mall owner (via the economic-development intermediary named in the agreement) only for sales that meet the contract’s eligibility criteria. Leon and Mingo emphasized that state and other portions of sales tax are unaffected.

Owner and lender controls

Evans’s representatives said any rebate proceeds would be sent directly to his lender as required by his loan agreements. Broker Ryan Tisdall told the commission that rebate payments “immediately go to First Dakota National Bank” under Evans’s loan documents. Representatives also said the owner is the sole investor in Evans Enterprises and that leases include co-tenancy protections common with national retailers.

Public comment and commission debate

More than a dozen members of the public spoke during the hearing, several in favor and several opposed. Supporters said the project would reduce retail “leakage” to larger regional centers, bring jobs and visitors, and raise future property and sales-tax revenue. Opponents urged the commission to avoid setting a precedent of repeated increases to the same rebate and questioned whether private financing or investors should shoulder more of the cost.

Evans addressed the commission before the vote, saying he wanted to complete the redevelopment and asking commissioners to “put your faith in me and I will get this done for you.”

Vote and immediate effect

Commissioner Brunick voted no; commissioners Sarta, Hanoff, Minor, Mosher, Villanueva, Weber, Benson and Mayor Schromm voted yes. With the vote the commission directed the city attorney to prepare the contract documents and authorized the city manager to sign them following any final edits required by the commission’s direction.

What the agreement does not do

Staff and the contract language the commission discussed exclude certain existing nearby businesses from eligibility and specify that eligibility will be determined store by store under the agreement. Dave Mingo and City Manager Leon said the agreement would not function as a direct loan: the rebate pays only for sales actually generated at eligible stores. The existing tax-increment-district repayment that covers earlier facade improvements remains a separate obligation and is not changed by this action.

Next steps

City staff will finalize contract language following the commission’s direction, and the city attorney will prepare required documents for execution. The rebate is limited to the city’s portion of eligible sales tax, will be processed only after documentation and verification, and will run up to 10 years or until the $3,300,000 cap is reached, whichever comes first.

Ending

Commissioners framed the approval as a calculated, performance-based step to complete a long-running mall redevelopment effort; staff and mall representatives said construction and tenant build-outs are already under way and that tax revenues will return to the city after the cap is reached.","The Yankton City Commission approved increasing the cap on a performance-based sales-tax rebate for the Yankton Mall from $1.7 million to $3.3 million over the same 10-year term, clearing the way for more tenant build-outs and national retailers; the vote was 8–1.","actionData","errors"]

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Yankton commission meeting roundup: contracts, permits and licenses approved

Yankton commission approves $3.3 million sales-tax rebate cap for mall redevelopment