RAPID CITY, S.D. — Rapid City residents got a preview Wednesday of the Vision Fund Citizens Committee’s recommendations for how to allocate $12 million in available funding. The proposals will be formally presented to the Rapid City Common Council during its meeting on Monday.Mayor Jason Salamun and committee chair John Kaiser outlined the list, which focuses heavily on projects with widespread community benefit.
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Kaiser said the committee prioritized proposals that would impact the greatest number of residents.“The community impact was extremely important to us,” Kaiser said. “If a project benefits 100 people versus another that might impact close to 1,000, that has to be taken into consideration.” Half of the total funding is being recommended for parks and recreation improvements.The Vision Fund originated from a half-cent sales tax introduced in the 1970s to help build the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. In the 1990s, voters approved keeping the tax in place to support ongoing community projects.Last year, Mayor Salamun recommended — and the council approved — changes to the fund’s focus. It now prioritizes civic improvement projects.More than $74 million in project proposals were submitted this year, making the committee’s job a difficult one.“All of these projects are sensational,” Kaiser said. “They would each have a significant impact on the community. I wish we could fund them all. I wish the mayor had given me $74 million, but that’s not how it works. I think we did the best we could with what we had.” The Rapid City Common Council will review and vote on the committee’s recommendations during its regular meeting Monday at 6:30 p.m.
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2025 Vision Fund Citizen Committee
Project Recommendations/Allocations
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