Joshua Haiar/South Dakota Searchlight
HARRISBURG — The Harrisburg City Council rejected an agreement Tuesday evening that would allow the state to connect its proposed men’s prison to the city’s wastewater treatment facility, but a state official said the decision wouldn’t prevent the state from moving forward.
The vote came after months of pushback from some locals opposed to the proposed prison location near the city, culminating in a tense council meeting. It was attended by over 100 people, many of them members of the local opposition group, Neighbors Opposing Prison Expansion (NOPE).
Some residents described the proposed deal as the state “dangling a carrot” in front of the city.
“Have you looked over this thing with a fine-tooth comb? Have you really dove into it? Because I guarantee there is fine print,” said Sam Eiesland, a NOPE member with land near the proposed prison site.
Ryan Brunner, a senior policy adviser to Governor Kristi Noem, attended the council meeting. He said the state is looking at two wastewater options: connecting to the city’s system, or building settlement lagoons.
“That’s it,” Brunner said. “Those are the options.”
Tobin Morris, vice president of Colliers Securities, has worked with the city and state. He was invited to offer a neutral perspective.
Morris told the council it would gain from the deal. He said the state would pay $7.1 million to the city upfront, which could be used to pay off debt on municipal water projects, ultimately lowering residents’ water bills by 20% to 30%. Plus, wastewater service payments from the state would net the city about $500,000 annually.
Some residents testified that the long-term costs of the prison outweigh the benefits.
“We always think about economic development, we always think about taxes, but we need to think about quality of life,” said Lincoln County Commissioner James Jibben. “If you lose quality of life, you never get that back.”
Some residents shared their concern that becoming a “prison town” would hurt future development and that prisoners and their families would stick around the area.
The state Department of Corrections announced last fall that it had selected a parcel of state-owned farmland about 6 miles south of Harrisburg to build a men’s prison. The announcement surprised neighboring landowners.
The Legislature has set aside $569 million for the project over the past several years while awaiting a final cost estimate. The 1,500-bed facility would largely replace the Sioux Falls penitentiary, which dates to 1881.
NOPE members filed a lawsuit last November challenging the state’s ability to bypass local zoning regulations. A judge heard arguments in January but has not issued a decision.