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Residents criticize council responsiveness, praise Pre-Sturgis turnout and press for public consultation on Corn Palace expansion
Summary
During public comment, speakers praised the Palace City Pre-Sturgis event and estimated attendance at 5,000–6,500, urged more visible mayoral and council engagement at community events, and expressed concern that a proposed $20 million Corn Palace expansion lacked public discussion.
Mitchell — Several residents used the public-comment period to praise recent community events, press the city for more public engagement and question planning for a proposed Corn Palace expansion.
Aaron Heap, speaking on behalf of the Palace City Pre Sturgis Party, thanked sponsors and volunteers and said the July 31 event drew an estimated 5,000 to 6,500 people to the Corn Palace Plaza and surrounding areas.
"...it's a rough estimate, 5 to 6,500 people," Heap said, listing sponsors and thanking the Mitchell Police Department, Mitchell Fire EMS and other contributors.
Several speakers urged greater mayoral and council presence at the event. One council member later noted they had spent the weekend at Arts in the Park and had not observed council support for the mayor’s event.
During a longer public comment, Lacey Golock, who said she has lived in Mitchell her whole life, urged the council to pursue broader public input on major projects.
"We are in a redundant cycle of doing nothing about the things that matter," Golock said. She questioned how a reported $20 million proposal for a Corn Palace expansion had been arrived at and expressed concern that residents had not been consulted.
"We have a $20,000,000 proposal for a Corn Palace expansion that has not even been talked about with anybody in the city," she said, asking who proposed and supported the idea.
Other commenters expressed stronger frustrations. One speaker who did not give a name criticized council members personally and said the mayor was the only member who seemed to be actively engaged; the speaker used profane language in criticizing other council members, saying, "You guys are scared to say anything. You're all chicken shits."
Doug Backlund, who identified himself as having served in the same council seat about 17 years ago, urged the council to show greater respect to longtime community contributors, mentioning Roger Musick by name and calling for recognition of his contributions to jobs and local development.
Speakers also encouraged the council to support neighborhood-focused business opportunities. During discussion on the planning item later in the meeting, a resident and former council member urged passage of a zoning amendment to allow alcohol sales as a conditional use in neighborhood shopping districts as a way to make small businesses more viable.
The public-comment period included both praise for event organizers and pointed criticism urging clearer public involvement in proposals affecting city spending and planning.
