Aug. 22, 2019

This paid piece is sponsored by the Lincoln County Economic Development Association.

Jim Schmidt knows first-hand the opportunities and challenges that leading one of the state’s fastest-growing counties presents.

We caught up with the Lincoln County Commission chair recently for his perspective on what’s ahead.

Help us take the pulse of the communities within Lincoln County. What are some of the themes you’re seeing from them so far this year?

The growth is countywide. It obviously comes on the south side of Sioux Falls with all the new homes and apartments, but it’s proliferating into Tea, Harrisburg, Lennox and even Canton.

There’s a growing sense that Canton has tremendous growth potential. The city of Lennox also is on the verge of huge growth having a 150 new housing development.

Tea is probably one of the best-governed communities in Lincoln County. They have a great city council and mayor and have focused on the community itself. They centered around their school system and have spent money on infrastructure and roads. Tea is a very progressive community having annexed for growth and will take real advantage when the interchange on 85th Street comes to reality.

Harrisburg is entering its second round of growth with more upscale housing, and developers are doing a tremendous job. It now has some issues with traffic, but the key word is growth everywhere.

You’re a farm owner yourself, and your constituency in Lincoln County includes a significant ag presence. What are you hearing or experiencing from the ag community this season throughout the county?

I think the ag sector is really based around two schools of thoughts. You have folks who rolled the dice and planted the crop well beyond the maximum allotted time to put a corn or soybeans crop in. They’re gambling on a late frost and that things will turn out. If it doesn’t freeze until October, they may have a chance to make that. The other sector didn’t plant, wasn’t going to take a chance; they had crop insurance and decided to reduce spending and ride this out.

But overall there’s very grave concern. Many farmers were flush with cash because of great crops and good prices, and many bought land at inflated prices or refurbished their machinery line. When prices go down as far as they have been and cost of production goes up, trouble can’t be far behind. The banks will stay with them as long as the equity of the land holds, but if land prices decrease, their equity decreases, and that’s a real concern. What this means on the short term is less trips to Sioux Falls and no new pickups.

What are some of the bright spots as you visit with communities within the county? What kind of positive activity are they experiencing?

I think the communities and the county are aware of what it takes to grow. They are using existing economic policies that are available, including TIF districts, for example. We’ve had several communities that have approached the county on TIF districts for economic development of housing. The economic growth in their industrial parks has been encouraging. Municipalities are trying to keep taxes low as to become more attractive for business and housing to locate. Those are all positive signs. And I think the leadership is energized. I see solid leaders in their mayors and city councils.

What are some of the commission’s priorities for the remainder of the year and looking ahead to 2020?

The county has to come to grips with our jail issue. Is the county going to build a jail? All indicators point that the county is. That’s about a $30 million price tag. Where should it be located? We have the potential of working with the city of Sioux Falls Police Department.

Roads and bridges remain a big priority. We just finished a highway study that said the county should take control of up to 12 miles of township roads adjacent to Sioux Falls. The initial price tag was $11 million up to $20 million. We have the 85th Street I-29 interchange that has tremendous potential for economic growth for the county. To offset the cost for this county-sponsored project — along with the private landowners and the city of Sioux Falls — several grants will assist in reducing the cost to the county.

Transportation remains one of our highest priorities for not only the county but for the cities of Harrisburg with the intersection of Cliff and 110 and the city of Tea with the widening of Highway 106. The Tallgrass road will be a major artery to the city of Sioux Falls and with needed construction.

These and funds for our state’s attorney and sheriff to maintain the public safety and fight the ever-expanding drug problem, maintaining our 911 call center. These areas demand that the commission drill down and look at our future and do good planning.

What are some ways the county is supporting or planning to support the growth-related needs of its communities?

The county is proposing to raise the wheel tax from $4 to $5 per wheel. That’s really our only option at this time to address the need for more funds for roads and bridges. That would take effect in 2020.

We also continue to emphasize the need to grow our workforce in a variety of ways. For example, we have two dairies in Lincoln County; without immigrant labor to run them, they could not operate. Increased workforce helps our school districts by increased enrollment.

If residents would like to become more involved or otherwise connect with county government, what are some ways you suggest doing that?

The first thing to do is look at our website, lincolncountysd.org. You can also call the commissioners or email us if you have feedback or would like to become more involved. It’s incumbent on the commission to provide more avenues to participate, from planning and zoning to being involved with 4-H. I’d be happy to give constituents suggestions, ideas or listen to their comments.