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Sioux Falls council advances several ordinances to second reading, approves license package and library alcohol prohibition proposal
Summary
Council set Oct. 1 for second readings on rezoning and code changes including a disorderly conduct clarification and an ordinance to prohibit alcohol on library property, approved multiple liquor licenses and several citizen appointments, and heard police and library staff explain enforcement and incident trends.
The Sioux Falls City Council on Tuesday advanced multiple items to second reading, approved a package of liquor licenses and took up proposals addressing public-space behavior and alcohol on library property.
Licensing staff presented a grouped slate of new and transferred 2024 and 2024–25 retail liquor and malt-beverage licenses and one-day wine permits for a downtown art-and-wine walk. Jamie Palmer of Licensing said she was available for questions, and the council voted unanimously to approve items 31 through 38.
Planning staff presented a rezoning application from Empire Companies and Jesse Morris for about 3.17 acres south of West 41st Street to allow townhome development. Jason Bieber of Planning and Development Services described the site and said the Planning Commission recommended approval 5–0; the council set second reading for Oct. 1.
The council also heard a first reading from Police Chief John Toome on an amendment to Chapter 131 (disorderly conduct). Chief Toome said the draft is not a new ordinance but a cleanup that removes outdated language, aligns city language with state disorderly-conduct wording and eliminates a requirement to give a warning before enforcement. He said officers would typically use citations and retain discretion. "This allows us to proactively say, 'Hey, yeah, we can't obstruct the sidewalk,'" Toome said.
Jody Fick, director of Siouxland Libraries, urged the council to adopt an amendment to Chapter 111 that would make alcohol prohibited on library property (inside buildings and on library grounds). Fick said the downtown library experienced 141 incidents involving alcohol in the first half of 2024, compared with nine incidents and two police calls in the same period in 2023; she said staff had to call police for 26 of the 2024 incidents. Fick said the change would give the library another enforcement option beyond internal policy.
Councilors set Oct. 1 as the second-reading date for the disorderly-conduct and library-alcohol items and voted 6–0 to advance the measures. The mayor presented a slate of citizen-board appointments, which the council approved unanimously.
Next steps: second readings for the rezoning, disorderly-conduct amendment and library alcohol prohibition are set for Oct. 1; staff will provide committee and council follow-up as needed.
