What is this guide all about?

Civic health (i.e. how you can influence the future of Sioux Falls by participating in local democracy and community building.)

Let’s start with a definition of civic health:

  • Civic health is how people in communities organize to define and address public problems, as defined by the National Conference on Citizenship. 
  • Others define civic health as the degree to which citizens participate in their community via local and state governance. 

There’s not any overarching data on the civic health of Sioux Falls, but it’s worth noting the areas where there’s obvious room for growth. That includes things like: 

  • A decreasing percentage of voters participating in local elections,
  • Very few residents (if any) speaking at public meetings,
  • About 16% of statewide legislative seats going entirely uncontested. 

So, how will this guide help? 

It’s impossible to make change or solve community problems if you don’t know how the systems of power operate in Sioux Falls. 

The goal of this guide is to simplify how local government works.

  • Then, when you understand how local government works, you’ll learn how to take action and work with your friends and neighbors to make sure all voices are heard in shaping the future of Sioux Falls. 

How to use this guide

This guide has two parts: education and action. 

  • Education 101 answers questions like what does local government do? How does it work? Who can I go to? 
  • Action 101 tells you what you can do about all of this. It’ll answer questions like How can I get involved? How do I take my seat at the table in these conversations? 

Click through the infographic above to learn how local government works, then move on to action items that can be tailored specifically to you.

  • You can also just skip ahead to taking action if you’re confident about how everything works.

Who put this together? 

The Sioux Falls Simplified team, including Founder Megan Raposa, and Makayla Voris, a Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) summer fellow. We created this two-part guide as a resource for the Sioux Falls community.

Government 101

Talkin' about the government and how its arranged

What will I find in this guide?

There are four facets of local government we'll cover in this guide.

If you're planning to get involved or need to contact someone, it's important to know what each different governing body does so your ideas or concerns can be addressed efficiently.

  • You wouldn’t want to call the school board about a pothole, for example, and you won’t get very far complaining about downtown noise ordinance enforcement to your state senator. 

Get to know your government

  • State Government: The State of South Dakota is run by a single executive – the governor – and a legislative branch made up of 35 elected officials in the South Dakota Senate and 70 elected officials in the South Dakota House of Representatives.
    • These leaders are also supported by several departments with leaders who’ve been appointed by the governor and approved by the legislature. At this level, representatives, senators and state departments set the tone for state-wide budget, policy, educational standards and other laws that govern the state.
  • School Board: Five elected officials make up the Sioux Falls School Board (though there are several other school boards that fall within the city – also with five members each).
    • Board officials create policies, budgets and goals based on curriculum standards handed down by the state.
    • Most policy the school board acts on comes from the superintendent or within the district administration.
  • County Commission: The City of Sioux Falls spans across both Lincoln County and Minnehaha County.
    • Each county has its own five-member board of commissioners, who oversee county offices, create budgets and policy, and often collaborate with city officials on issues that impact both the city and county.
  • City Government: The City of Sioux Falls is governed by a single mayor and an eight-member city council. These leaders are supported by a variety of departments and citizen-led boards,
    • The City of Sioux Falls oversees much of what impacts your everyday experience, from parking fees to local parks to when your streets get plowed. 

Need more info? I’ve got you covered! Keep clicking through the infographic to learn more about each specific level of government.