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Commission debates 2026 budget ordinance; proposed conditions on Thrive funding spark transparency fight
Summary
At the second reading of Ordinance No. 1099, the 2026 budget, commissioners debated an amendment by Commissioner Conkling to condition Thrive funding on public posting of minutes and broader bidding requirements.
The Yankton City Commission held the second reading and public hearing on Ordinance No. 1099, the 2026 budget ordinance, and members debated an amendment conditioning part of the city's contribution to Thrive on public access to Thrive meeting minutes and on publication of bids for public projects.
City Manager Amy (referred to in the meeting as “Amy”) explained the budget item is in two parts: approval of the budget itself and a separate resolution that would direct the city manager to administer the budget if adopted. “The first one is the consideration of the actual budget... The second part of the motion is adopting the budget and directing me to administer the budget,” Amy said, adding that administration authority is subject to state bid laws and other requirements.
Commissioner Conkling moved to approve the budget with two conditions tied to the donation to Thrive: that Thrive post all minutes on its website for public review and that all bids for public projects be published in the newspaper and open to all businesses, not only Thrive members. A second was offered; the roll-call and final vote on the amended budget were not captured in the provided transcript excerpt.
Conkling said the conditions were intended to increase transparency because Thrive receives city funding: “I think the public, a lot of the public would be interested in that information,” he said, adding that Thrive receives roughly 24% of its budget from the city, about $460,000.
Other commissioners and the city manager questioned whether the city could legally impose the conditions as part of the budget ordinance. Amy noted she was unfamiliar with including such a condition inside the budget ordinance and described the practical effect as a condition on releasing funds: “...the part b of this is the consideration of resolution that that would be the fiscal year budget and then directing the city manager to administer the budget as required by state law,” she said.
Commissioner Conkling and others cited South Dakota Codified Laws in arguing for members' access to Thrive records. Conkling referenced S.D. Codified Law 47-24-2 and 47-24-1, saying those statutes allow members to inspect records and require minutes; he stated, as recorded in the meeting, that the organization was not cooperating with requests for minutes.
Other commissioners proposed compromises. One commissioner proposed purchasing individual Thrive memberships for commissioners so each commissioner could access minutes through membership, noting Thrive membership is available to individuals for $120 and suggesting the commission could pay for multiple memberships so commissioners could review material. Concerns were raised about nondisclosure agreements (NDAs) tied to access and about whether membership fees or NDAs would limit public disclosure.
The transcript excerpt ends during the debate; the commission did not complete a recorded vote in the provided text. The budget item includes both (a) adoption of the budget and (b) a resolution directing the city manager to administer the budget if adopted; staff said amendments to the budget would trigger a need for a second reading if approved.
