Dell Rapids candidates focus on water, parks and transparency at April 8 forum

Dell Rapids — Candidates for Dell Rapids city council used a candidate forum hosted by the Dell Rapids Chamber of Commerce and the city to emphasize infrastructure, parks planning and transparency ahead of the municipal election set for Tuesday, April 8.

Steve McFarland, Dell Rapids city administrator, opened the event at the new Dell Rapids City Hall and reminded residents that voting will be held April 8 from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at City Hall and that absentee voting ends Monday. McFarland said winners will be seated at the May 5 council meeting.

The forum, moderated by Andy Wright, pastor of River Community Church, gave each candidate two minutes per question and concluded with a public Q&A. Candidates who spoke at the event included Wendy Nelson (Ward 2 candidate), Marcy Stichel (Ward 3 candidate), Amanda Hein (candidate), Fran Rousink (candidate), Megan Penning (candidate), Chuck Jones (candidate) and Bob Meyer (incumbent council member).

Why the story matters: The candidates’ remarks highlighted the trade-offs Dell Rapids faces as it grows — particularly choices about water infrastructure funding, the master parks plan and how the city communicates with residents. Those topics directly affect household bills, municipal projects and local businesses.

Candidates on priorities and funding

Several candidates said long-term infrastructure — water, sewer and streets — must be prioritized even if it requires higher charges or surcharges. Chuck Jones, a candidate with municipal experience, said the community will need to plan now to secure water for the future: “We’re going to run out of water here. The next 5 to 10 years, and we need to renegotiate for that,” he said. Jones framed the issue as a necessary, if difficult, investment.

Bob Meyer, who identified himself as an incumbent and described seven years on the council, emphasized continuing infrastructure work and attracting employers. Multiple candidates described the capital improvement plan (CIP) as the tool for setting annual priorities.

Parks and master-plan follow-through

Marcy Stichel said following through on the master parks plan will be a priority. She noted the city solicited community input — more than 200 responses to earlier surveys, she said — and argued the council should align funding with those survey results rather than substitute other projects.

Transparency and community engagement

Several candidates urged more direct outreach and clearer explanations of charges on resident utility bills. Megan Penning said she seeks “more transparency and diversity within our council” and encouraged residents to raise questions directly at meetings or contact council members. Amanda Hein described the city’s existing public-record and meeting-posting practices, and told voters the council meets the first and third Monday of each month at 7 p.m.

Water funding, surcharges and sales tax

Audience members pressed candidates about water-rate surcharges and whether sales-tax revenue could fund infrastructure. A resident referenced the state-level change that allowed municipalities to raise a second penny of sales tax and the post-Wayfair expansion of collected sales tax; candidates and current council members said they would review the budget and finance officer analyses to determine feasible funding mixes. Several candidates said residents need clear explanations of why bills change: “If we don’t know why, then you have angry people,” one candidate said.

Housing, seniors and local business support

Affordable housing and housing for older residents came up in both audience remarks and candidate responses. Bob Meyer and others said Dell Rapids needs housing that allows younger families to move in and provides accessible options for older residents. On using local contractors for city projects, candidates and current council members explained that large projects are typically awarded to general contractors via competitive bid processes and that subcontractor selection is often part of the general contractor’s package. Candidates said they would encourage bids to include local subcontractors when feasible.

Public participation and next steps

The forum ended with a public question-and-answer session in which residents asked for clearer communication about water interruptions, for consideration of senior housing, and for city procurement that favors local firms where legally possible. No council action or vote occurred at the forum; candidates repeatedly urged residents to vote on April 8.

The forum also included administrative reminders: City Hall opened last summer, the city plans to implement online budget-review software later this spring, and winners of the election will be seated at the May 5 council meeting. Absentee voting ends the Monday before the election and in-person voting runs 7 a.m.–7 p.m. on April 8.

For residents: the forum reiterated that the municipal election determines local representation on issues that affect taxes, utility bills, parks and development, and candidates asked the public to use available voting options and attend regular council meetings to raise concerns.

No formal motions, votes or policy decisions were made at the forum; it was an informational event for voters.