By Dave Baumeister
County Correspondent
SIOUX FALLS – “To create a blueprint” for the future, the Minnehaha County Commission gave its final approval to the 2045 comprehensive plan at the Tuesday, Feb. 18, meeting.
Planning Director Scott Anderson presented the plan during the second reading/public hearing and final vote for the Envision 2045 plan.
Anderson explained that comprehensive plans are put into place about every 10 years.
“The purpose of a comprehensive plan,” he said, “is to serve as a blueprint for the county on how we will handle growth, and (it) serves as a method for land use.”
The efforts to update the Envision 2035 plan started approximately a year ago, Anderson wrote in a briefing memo, and has been discussed a great deal since then, culminating with three public meetings around the county.
Along with the input at those meetings, a website was set up where people could read about and comment on the plan.
After that, final changes were made by the Minnehaha County Planning Commission, and they recommend adoption of the proposal by a 5-0 vote.
Although the meeting for the final vote from the county commission was a public hearing, no additional comments – either for or against the proposal – were made.
One of the main areas of change in the Envision 2045 document is the classification of Additional Dwelling Units.
Late last year, these units were addressed and supported by the South Dakota AARP. The new comprehensive plan allows for an additional housing unit to be built on agricultural property.
The idea behind ADUs is to have a smaller dwelling built on the home place for elderly family, while younger family members could then take over the daily ag operations and live in the main house, giving farmers an incentive for keeping land in their families for future years.
The new 2045 Comprehensive Plan was adopted by the commission with a unanimous vote.
More kiosks needed
During the annual presentation from Treasurer Kris Swanson, commissioners learned that the use of kiosks around Sioux Falls, which make it easier to renews automobile license plate tags, grew in 2024 by a rate of over 36% from 2023.
Currently, in Minnehaha County, there are five kiosks, all located in Sioux Falls. Those kiosks are at the SD Driver Exam Station, Get-n-Go at 5400 Arrowhead Parkway, the HyVee stores at 37th and Minnesota and 41st and Louise. There is also a kiosk at the Minnehaha County Administration Building.
Swanson’s figures showed that in 2024, there were around 55,000 transactions conducted at the kiosks, resulting in $8.5 million in revenue.
She added that these transactions also helped to alleviate lines and wait times for customers at the treasurer’s office windows.
While Swanson presented many other numbers, the interest of commissioners was piqued by the increased use of kiosks and discussed the possibility of adding more.
Time change
For the next meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 25, the start of the Minnehaha County Commission meeting will be moved to 10 a.m.
Before that, there will be a joint meeting with the Dell Rapids City Council to consider three different amendments to the joint Minnehaha County/Dell Rapids zoning ordinance, plus an appeal on a conditional use permit,.
Since these measures are expected to take more time than usual, commissioners voted to meet with Dell Rapids earlier and start their regular meeting at 10 a.m.
For those interested in attending the meeting with Dell Rapids, it is also open to the public and is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 25, in the third-floor meeting room at the Minnehaha County Administrative Building at 6th and Minnesota in Sioux Falls.
The county commission meeting on Tuesday, March 4, will go back to the usual start time of 9 a.m.
