Hartford, SD (KELO AM) - More than 200 residents, many of whom didn’t even get inside City Hall, showed up to support the city of Hartford keeping a full-time development director on Tuesday.
Following 2 and a half hours of what was at times a heated discussion, the City Council voted to put the fate of the position in the hands of voters. A referendum will be held August 25th, with the Council agreeing to abide by the results of the yes or no vote. KELO Radio’s Bill Zortman said the mood of the meeting was “the people came, they saw, and they got their August 25th referendum date.”
Zortman said that many placed added importance on the position because of the new Foundation Park that’s set to be built in Northwest Sioux Falls. “With 8,000 new jobs, the feeling of this group is this is no time to fold our tent, it’s time to expand.” He added that Hartford is the closest town outside of Sioux Falls to the 825 acers that will house the park.
As for the overflow of residents at the meeting, the Mayor of Hartford turned down a proposal to move to a bigger venue. Still scores of residents lined up outside City Hall for the duration of the meeting, which clocked in at over two and a half hours.
The city caused a stir when they proposed eliminating the positon a few weeks ago. Business owners say the position is not just a luxury, the city needs someone to stand up and attract and grow businesses. City leaders countered that the money to fund the Development Director’s office could be better used for things like roads and infrastructure.
In the spirt of full disclosure; KELO Radio’s Bill Zortman, host of Its Your Business, is also the president of the Hartford Chamber of Commerce.