Why the State of the City was a bit more staid this year

Megan Raposa -

Simplified: Sioux Falls didn't get to be the community it is today by accident, Mayor Paul TenHaken said, and his seventh State of the City address this week painted a picture of some of the challenges future leaders might face when it comes to keeping Sioux Falls growing and thriving.

Why it matters

  • This year's State of the City address struck a different tone than previous ones during TenHaken's term. He took the stage at the Canopy Hotel in the Steel District Monday afternoon with no podium, no new, fancy renderings of parks and pools, and an overall no-nonsense demeanor about the real challenges Sioux Falls is facing from finances to finding future civic leaders.
  • While he did mention new projects like Jacobsen Plaza and the new pools in-the-works, the majority of his speech focused on wins in affordable housing, public safety, infrastructure, addressing homelessness and a detailed explanation of how the city takes on debt when big projects are needed.
  • TenHaken also left with a bit of a warning, stressing the need for Sioux Falls to develop the next generation of leaders and not to take the community as it is now for granted. He shared that he was 39 when he decided to run for mayor, but in the years since he's seen fewer people taking initiative to run for office.
"We have to be careful not to just let the loud voices be the ones we listen to," TenHaken said. "We have to make sure the smart, pragmatic, level-headed leaders are also in the room ... people who have no agenda other than to make Sioux Falls better."

Tell me more about the State of the City

TenHaken structured his speech around significant numbers, including:

  • 2,086 people helped by the city housing team,
  • 36.98 property crimes per capita and 5.65 violent crimes per capita – the lowest crime rate since 2019,
  • 13,118 triages done by The Link downtown,
  • $180 million spent on roads projects this year,
  • $1,639, which is the current debt per capita in the city – the lowest among other comparable cities in the region,
  • $25 million, which is the estimated loss in city revenue over the next decade due to statewide property tax relief efforts,
  • 5,442 day passes sold at the new Westside Recreation Center in the first quarter,
  • and 15 high schoolers on the Mayor's Youth Council.

What happens next?

TenHaken is on his way out at Sioux Falls' mayor as his term ends next year, and it's clear he wants to make sure he's leaving the city in good hands.

"The state of our city depends on the leaders in the next generation to step up and serve," TenHaken said. "The Sioux Falls that we all love today, the Sioux Falls that you brag about ... it didn't happen by accident. It didn't just happen. It took a lot of work."