Your week, simplified: May 21, 2025

Megan Raposa -

Happy Wednesday! Megan here.

First things first: This issue is brought to you by Familyfest Fun Cruise, an annual event hosted by 'hood Magazine.

  • The annual Familyfest Fun Cruise is back from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 31 with more than 40 stops for families to explore local businesses and find fun activities across the city. Two lucky families will also win a chance to cruise in style with a limo giveaway package. Learn more here.

Weather check: Are you there, summer? It's me, Megan.

This week, it's a little bit of "eat your broccoli" reporting, as they say in the news biz – boring, but important. So, before you let your eyes glaze over when you see "city budget," just remember that these budget discussions will ultimately affect things like how quickly your roads get plowed in the winter, when the playground equipment will be updated in your local park or whether the bus shows up when you need it to.

  • Beyond the budget stuff, you'll learn about a resource for interns, some good news for the Levitt and a whole bunch of fun to kick off the summer.

And now, news:

CITY

Why the city is tightening its belt and 'recalibrating' its budget

Simplified: The city is looking to "recalibrate" its overall budget in the coming years to account for less money coming in after state lawmakers voted in favor of property tax relief, Finance Director Shawn Pritchett told the City Council Tuesday afternoon.

Photo by Andre Taissin / Unsplash

Why it matters

  • Property taxes are historically one of the most reliable revenue sources for the city, but as folks pay fewer property taxes – prompted by Senate Bill 216 – the city will make less money. Conservatively, Pritchett estimates the city will lose $25 million in revenue over the next decade, but the actual number could be higher.
  • In addition, the city has seen lower-than-projected sales tax revenue increases for the last couple of years. Those types of fluctuations are easier to account for and average out over time, Pritchett said.
  • With sales tax fluctuations, the city can dip into reserves, and it all shakes out in the wash as sales tax hits highs and lows. But losing out on property tax revenue is a permanent hit.
"That's a permanent loss, and it requires a permanent recalibration of services in order to support that because if we do not make adjustments we will deplete our reserves in 10 years," Pritchett said.

Tell me more

SIMPLIFIED PRESENTS

Hosting an intern this summer? Show them how cool Sioux Falls is with these events

This is a paid piece from the Sioux Falls Development Foundation.

Simplified: The Sioux Falls Development Foundation is hosting a series of events this summer to help local interns connect with their peers, gain professional development experiences and see all of the reasons Sioux Falls is a great place to live and work.

Why it matters

  • The Foundation started the Intern Sioux Falls program in 2023 as a way to help businesses build their talent pipelines and give interns a chance to deepen their connections to the community.
  • Intern Sioux Falls will have six events throughout the summer with opportunities including networking, volunteering, getting a new headshot and even catching a Sioux Falls Canaries baseball game. Events are intended for post-secondary students interning for a company in the Sioux Falls area.
  • All events are free for interns to attend, thanks to the support of Forward Sioux Falls, and interns who make it to a certain number of events will also earn a digital badge and certificate recognizing their work going above-and-beyond their intern responsibilities.
"We're hoping that the interns see Sioux Falls in a different light and that they want to live and work here full-time after graduation," the Foundation's Talent Recruitment Coordinator Riley Johnson said.

Tell me more about the events

TL;DR

Super Simplified Stories

  • Chill at the hill.* Great Bear Ski Valley is bringing back its summer "Chill at the Hill" event series the last Wednesday of every month. Each family-friendly event will bring in a food truck and live music, and the bar will be open serving drinks for folks to enjoy as they take in the beautiful views. The fun kicks off at 5 p.m. Wednesday, May 28 with the 605 Island Guy food truck and music from Tony DePaolo. You can find a full lineup here.
  • New City Council leadership elected. Rich Merkouris is the new chair of the Sioux Falls City Council after a unanimous vote Tuesday night. (If you want to see a bunch of people all say his name in a slightly different way, you can fast forward to the 43 minute mark in yesterday's meeting.) At the same meeting, Councilor Jennifer Sigette was unanimously elected to take over as vice chair.
  • Levitt expansion is a go. Levitt at the Falls last week announced that it's officially completed its fundraising campaign to expand the Levitt Shell after a $1 million donation from billionaire philanthropist T. Denny Sanford. In total, the Levitt raised $5.8 million, which will fund a 6,000-square-foot addition. Learn more about the expansion here.

EVENTS

Stuff to do: May 21-27

  • Support local artists. The Falls Art Market is back for the summer at a new location east of the Levitt Shell. Meet local artists and shop their creations in the relaxed, outdoor market. More details here.
  • Kick off outdoor music season. It's opening weekend for Levitt at the Falls, and the fun kicks off 7 p.m. Friday night with a performance from Divinity Roxx, who's also doing a kids show Saturday morning at 10 a.m. Then you can catch Kinda Fonda Wanda on Saturday evening. Find a full lineup of concerts here.
  • Hang out at the zoo. The Sioux Falls Zoo & Aquarium is hosting its Summer Celebration event Saturday, which means the splash pad, farm feeding, carousel, and train are all open for the season. Plus, there will be face painting, yard games and characters from Simply Ever After. Learn more here.
  • Shop vintage. It's grand opening weekend for new secondhand retailer Uptown Cheapskate Sioux Falls, starting Thursday. Then, you can pop over to the Denny Sanford Premier Center for "Totally Rad Vintage Fest" from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. More details here.
  • Party with me! Sioux Falls Simplified is officially a member of the Sioux Falls Chamber of Commerce (yeah, it took me a few years...🤷‍♀️), and we're celebrating by hosting a Chamber Ribbon Cutting Event at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Startup Sioux Falls. There will be snacks. There will be cake. There will be opportunities to see my goofball children running around. All are welcome – come celebrate smarter, easier local news. More details here.

THIS AND THAT

What I'm falling for this week:

ICYMI

More Simplified Stories

One year after major expansion, Palisades to add more features
Palisades State Park doubled in size in the last year, with a new entrance, visitors center, camp sites and day-use area. Now, as the park gears up for another summer, even more additional recreation features are on the way.
Sioux Falls SimplifiedMegan Raposa
How the city is helping meet vulnerable people where they are
South Dakota Urban Indian Health (SDUIH) will continue working with the city to provide culturally responsive outreach to vulnerable people across the downtown area thanks to a renewed contract agreement approved by the City Council earlier this spring.
Sioux Falls SimplifiedMegan Raposa
Why you shouldn’t wait to teach your kids to swim
May is Water Safety Month, and as the weather warms up and folks prepare to spend more time in pools, lakes and rivers, it’s a good time to remember the life-saving importance of swimming lessons for kids.
Sioux Falls SimplifiedMegan Raposa

WANT TO HELP MORE PEOPLE FEEL THIS SMART?

Support Sioux Falls Simplified

Here are a few ways to ensure this smarter, easier local news outlet is here to stay:

  • Forward this to a friend. Sharing is caring, and the best gifts are the ones that make your life easier – like this smarter, easier local news.
  • Become a member. Consider buying into a smarter Sioux Falls by becoming a member and offering financial support to the no B.S. journalism you've been reading here.
  • Give a one-time gift. Not ready to commit to a membership? That's OK! If you want to help in a smaller way, you can give a one-time gift here.
  • Advertise with us. Tell the "simplified" story of your business to your target audience. Want more info? Reach out to megan@sfsimplified.com.

Thank you

Thank you to Sioux Falls Simplified sponsors, including Downtown Sioux Falls, Inc., Great Bear Ski Valley, Encompass Mental Health, Live on Stage, the Sioux Falls YMCA, EmBe, the Sioux Falls Development Foundation, Barre3 Sioux Falls, the Sioux Falls Zoo and Aquarium, the Washington Pavilion, and the Sioux Metro Growth Alliance. When you support them, you're also supporting Sioux Falls Simplified.

Oh, by the way

Your feedback is extremely helpful – hit the reply button and send any news tips, typos, complaints, compliments or cups of coffee my way. ❤️

Special thanks to Familyfest!

Make sure you check out the latest issue of 'hood Magazine to get all of the details on the 2025 Familyfest Fun Cruise. Learn more here.