Rapid City committee approves alder pay change, supplemental budget for police precinct; tables proposal to move public comment

The Rapid City Legal and Finance Committee voted June 11 to approve a resolution adjusting annual pay for alderpersons and the mayor and to advance a supplemental appropriation package that includes a $1.8 million increase to the police budget for purchase of a North Rapid City precinct.

The actions matter because they change elected-official compensation going forward, move city budget dollars into ongoing projects and a property acquisition now, and set up a tax-increment financing (TIF) request to recoup some precinct costs.

The committee approved a resolution establishing annual pay of $21,582.50 for alderpersons (and an aligned adjustment for the mayor) effective July 1, 2025, and amended the resolution to tie future annual adjustments to the nonunion consumer price index for the Midwest region. Finance Director Daniel Ainsley said the Midwest CPI has increased 39.93% since the council’s last adjustment in 2011 and that the new figure reflects population and CPI changes; “the CPI... has increased 39.93%,” Ainsley said. The committee approved the change on an amended effective date of July 1, 2025.

Committee members also approved the introduction and passage of Ordinance No. 6,673, a 2025 supplemental appropriation. Finance Director Daniel Ainsley told the committee the supplemental moves previously budgeted, but unspent, 2024 project funds into 2025, shifts some funds into the city’s CIP streets program for LED streetlight conversion and increases the police budget by $1,800,000 to buy the North Rapid City precinct. Ainsley said the precinct purchase will be funded from undesignated general-fund cash in the near term and that the city will present a TIF request in July intended to repay some of those costs; final TIF increment amounts remain pending developer-provided calculations.

The committee received and approved several consent and noncontroversial items: confirmation of appointments to the Public Parking Advisory Board (appointment of Corey Condon; reappointments of Aaron Krueger, Mark Bachman and D’Amico Rodriguez), a three-year use agreement with Harney Little League for ballfields on East Fairmont Boulevard and East Main Street North, surplus declarations for obsolete equipment including a wastewater autoclave, and a series of small assessments for cleanup on five parcels (individual assessments reported to range from $360 to $570). Parks Director Jeff Beagler described the Harney Little League agreement as a standard three-year use agreement that expanded field coverage after the Rapid City Youth Baseball group dissolved and split fields with Canyon Lake Little League.

City staff presented a year-end 2024 population estimate of 84,930 for Rapid City, a 3.5% increase from 2023. City staff member Kelly Brennan explained the methodology: “we look at every single building permit for single family and multifamily and demolition,” then apply the census-derived occupancy rate (reported to be 93.2%) and a persons-per-household factor of 2.39 to convert household gains (1,127 households reported for the year) into a population estimate. Brennan cautioned the committee that the city must use census-provided occupancy figures per state law and said local multifamily vacancy may be higher than the census rate.

The committee approved a request to waive a $100 late fee for the owner of 133 East Saint Charles Street after city staff described a missed sidewalk-abatement notice; Vicky Fisher, Community Development director, told the committee the owner lives part of the year outside Rapid City and had no prior compliance issues. Alderman Bill Evans thanked staff “for showing some empathy toward the citizen.” Pat Roseland also noted constituent appreciation for the waiver.

City Attorney Joel Landin updated the committee on the sale of a city-owned parking lot at 416 Saint Joseph (the Stockgrowers lot). Landin said the city closed on the property May 28 and that title transferred to the developer’s successor entity. The city and developer executed an assignment and acknowledgement binding the successor entity to the original purchase agreement, and the parties also agreed to a short-term arrangement allowing the city to continue using the lot through the end of June while vehicles are removed. Landin said he had no update on construction start dates and that the previously approved TIF would proceed.

An aldermanic proposal from Alderman Ham to move the general public-comment portion of the council meeting from the beginning to the end of the agenda drew objections from several committee members, who said moving public comment would force citizens to wait through lengthy agendas and could suppress participation. Aldermen Kevin Maher and Pat Roseland opposed the change for those reasons. The committee voted to table the item; a committee member explained tabling will forward the item to the council with the committee’s recommendation to table.

The meeting included routine procedural approvals (adoption of an amended agenda, approval of minutes) and ended after committee acknowledgement of the items described above.

Votes at a glance: - Adopt amended agenda — motion carried (unanimous on voice vote). - Approval of minutes, May 28, 2025 — motion carried (voice vote). - Confirm appointment of Corey Condon and reappointments of Aaron Krueger, Mark Bachman and D’Amico Rodriguez to the Public Parking Advisory Board — motion carried (voice vote). - Approve finance consent items 3–7 (workman’s comp volunteers, surplus property declarations including two trailers and a wastewater autoclave, five parcel cleanup assessments totaling individual assessments $360–$570, downtown BID assessment hearing set for July 21) — motion carried (voice vote). - Approve three-year use agreement with Harney Little League (Resolution No. 2025-058) — motion carried (voice vote). - Acknowledge and approve Rapid City 2024 year-end population estimate (84,930; +3.5%) — motion carried (voice vote). - Approve resolution establishing annual wage rates for alderpersons and mayor ($21,582.50 for alderpersons; annual CPI adjustments thereafter), amended effective date July 1, 2025 — motion carried (voice vote). - Introduction/reading and approval of Ordinance No. 6,673 (2025 supplemental appropriation; includes $1,800,000 police budget increase for North Rapid City Precinct) — motion carried (voice vote). - Approve forgiveness of $100 late fee for 133 East Saint Charles Street (reducing the owner’s outstanding bill to $110, per staff description) — motion carried (voice vote). - Acknowledge closing on sale of city-owned parking lot at 416 Saint Joseph (Stockgrowers lot); transfer to successor entity and short-term use agreement through end of June — motion carried (voice vote). - Aldermanic request to move general public comment to end of meeting (Alderman Ham) — motion to table carried; item will be forwarded per committee procedure.

What the committee did not decide: staff said final TIF repayment amounts for the North Rapid City precinct remain dependent on developer calculations; committee approved using undesignated cash in the short term but will consider TIF repayment details when those figures are available.

Next steps and calendar notes: the downtown business improvement district assessment roll will be heard by the full council July 21; the city will present a TIF request regarding the precinct purchase in July; staff continue work on a new utility-billing interface intended to simplify payments for residents.