Cole Heisey for Minnehaha County Commission

05/08/2026

Congrats!

Congratulations to my friend, Minnehaha County State's Attorney Daniel Haggar, for being named as the Prosecutor of the Year. He is an outstanding public servant who works hard to serve the citizens of Minnehaha County.
https://sdcsm.servicenowservices.com/news?id=news_kb_article_view&sys_id=345d9d1497bccbd095b5791ad053af3d

04/28/2026

The Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office is extending our full support to the Sioux Falls Police Department following today’s shooting that left an officer seriously injured.

The safety of our community and the men and women who protect it is our highest priority. We are grateful for the swift action of all agencies involved and for the continued support of the public as the investigation continues.

Please keep the officer and their loved ones in your thoughts tonight.

04/26/2026

04/24/2026

In-person absentee voting has begun in Minnehaha County!

04/22/2026

🚨 **SCAM ALERT – FAKE COURT NOTICE** 🚨

Residents are reporting letters that look like an official South Dakota Traffic Division Court Notice with threats of license suspension, collections, and a QR code to “pay immediately” being sent via text.

💡 Remember:
Real courts do NOT demand payment via QR codes, random links, or use threatening letters without proper legal service.

• Do NOT scan the QR code or send money
• Do NOT call numbers listed on the letter

Please share to warn others. Scammers rely on panic and urgency. Stay safe!

04/17/2026

Congrats Bill!

“Bill Hoskins of Sioux Falls is being honored with the prestigious Doane Robinson Award. Hoskins, the Director of Siouxland Heritage Museums, is being recognized for his lifetime contributions to preserving South Dakota’s history.”

{KXLG - Pierre, SD} The South Dakota State Historical Society (SDSHS) will be honoring multiple individuals and organizations with awards Wednesday June 3, 2026, during the annual state history conference

04/15/2026

Early voting stalled across South Dakota

Election officials say statutory deadlines, candidate filing volumes delayed ballot printing

Story: https://www.thedakotascout.com/p/early-voting-stalled-across-south

04/13/2026

Some of you may know that I was appointed to the Advisory Task Force on Open Meetings Laws. Its core purpose is to review South Dakota’s open meetings statutes—often called “Sunshine Laws”—and recommend changes that make state and local government more transparent, responsive, and accountable to the public.

A number of the task force’s recommendations were enacted into law this year following our meeting late last year. Several additional proposals are currently being developed and will be introduced during the 2027 legislative session, with the hope that many of them will also become law.

The task force met again this past Tuesday morning. I wanted to update you on a couple of the more significant reforms we discussed.

One proposal that received media attention was the requirement for public bodies to audio-record their official meetings. While the current version of that bill did not pass (see item #8 in the link below), I am optimistic it will move forward at our next meeting in a few months.

There was a thorough discussion about the language, and several technical issues still need to be clarified and refined. However, a strong consensus emerged that all counties — regardless of population — should be required to audio-record their meetings. In addition, most members supported extending the requirement to cities with populations above approx. 1,500 to 2,000. I expect this proposal to pass at our next meeting after we make some targeted improvements to the language.

Article: https://www.siouxfallslive.com/news/south-dakota/task-force-tables-recording-requirement-for-local-governments

Article: https://www.keloland.com/news/capitol-news-bureau/task-force-wants-changes-to-states-open-meeting-laws/

I also brought forward my own proposal (No. 10), which would require public bodies to allow members of the public to comment on each individual agenda item before the body discusses or votes on it.

While the proposal did not pass in its original form, the task force voted unanimously in favor of an amended version that requires a period for public comment at the beginning of every official meeting. Although this is a more modest step than I originally proposed, it is still meaningful progress and a step in the right direction!

Task Force Agenda:https://atg.sd.gov/docs/2026-04-07%20Agenda%20PROPOSED.pdf

04/06/2026

04/03/2026

As most of you know, the SD Legislature passed property tax reform this session—two bills in particular (SB 96 & SB 245) stand out. I wanted to briefly walk you through how these changes will affect you and hear your thoughts (comment below).

Here’s what SB 96 does:

Starting July 1, this bill gives county commissioners the option to impose a sales tax of up to 0.5%. The money raised would go straight to reducing the county portion of property taxes on owner-occupied single-family homes. If the county chooses to move forward, the tax would take effect January 1. In Minnehaha County, projections show this would cover basically the entire county share—roughly 20% of a typical homeowner’s property tax bill.

Here’s what SB 245 does:

This one works a little differently but achieves the same goal. It takes 0.3% of the state sales tax revenue and puts it into a dedicated fund. That money will be used to reduce the general education portion of property taxes on owner-occupied homes. With more than $100 million expected to flow into the fund each year, this will deliver a meaningful cut to your bill.

The link below shows the projected dollar savings for both bills, based on a typical home valued at $325,000. In Minnehaha County, for example, a homeowner with a house at that value could save about $1,500 a year once both reforms are fully in place.

Property Tax Savings Estimate by County: https://governor.sd.gov/priorities/property-tax-savings.aspx

SB 96:https://mylrc.sdlegislature.gov/api/Documents/306476.pdf
SB 245:https://mylrc.sdlegislature.gov/api/Documents/306673.pdf
Gov. Rhoden Press Release: https://news.sd.gov/news?id=news_kb_article_view&sys_id=f7cdd7ac974c0f9042f3b546f053af81