City council approves fireworks for New Year’s

By Wendy Sweeter

The Tea City Council met Dec. 19 and approved fireworks on New Year’s Eve.

Fireworks may be shot off in the city for 2.5 hours from 10 p.m. Dec. 31 until 12:30 a.m. Jan. 1.

The council held two public hearings. The first public hearing was for a conditional use permit for an in-home massage therapy business at 601 W. High Pointe St. She plans to have 4-5 clients a week. No one from the public spoke on the permit and the council approved the CUP.

The second public hearing was the first reading of ordinance 297 to rezone tract 1 in GC Estates Addition from agriculture to R2 residential. They had seen the preliminary plans earlier this fall and planning and zoning administrator Kevin Nissen noted there were not any changes from the initial plan.

Under planning and zoning, Nissen presented building plans for Empire Companies at 2035 Merchant St. in Bakker Landing. The plans call for a 16,000-square-foot office with workshop behind it. The council had reviewed the site plan and approved the foundation permit in September. They approved the building plans.

They approved the pay application for the Hagedorn Industrial Park from Asphalt Surfacing Co. for $515,087.38. HDR engineer Ben Scholtz said that the work on that project has stopped for the year because of weather.

The council discussed the resolution with the city of Tea as a participant in the Sioux Metro Growth Alliance and appoint a member to the advisory board. Commissioner Jim Erck questioned the value they are getting out of the membership. Mayor Casey Voelker said they have been questioning that for a few years, but doesn’t think they have given the new structure a fair shake. Commissioner Ruby Zuraff thought if they could get someone from the city to regularly attend the meetings they would see more benefit. They approved the resolution and councilmen Lynn DeYoung and Aaron Otten volunteered to split the duties of attending the meetings.

They approved the plats for tract 1 in GC Estates Addition and lots 3, 4 and 5 in block 8 in Bakker Landing First Addition.

They approved the Unified Planning Work Program agreement between the city and the South Eastern Council of Governments.

They approved the contract with the Sioux Falls Area Humane Society with rates at $45 per hour plus mileage during regular hours and $58 per hour plus mileage for after-hours calls.

The council also approved the contract for on-call services with HDR. Scholtz noted this contract is set up like it has been the last few years and only a few rates have changed by $5 or $10.

Finance officer Dawn Murphy provided information on supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2022 for a first reading. The council approved the contingency transfers of $54,000.

City administrator Dan Zulkosky said he will be meeting with Confluence about the design for three ball fields with the plan to bid out the project March 1.

The council went into executive session at 8:07 p.m. for personnel.