Twin bills seeking support for developments at Ellsworth Air Force Base near Rapid City have been moved into the appropriations committee.
While not a loss for the bills’ backers, it symbolizes the long road they have to become law.
The bills, SB 6 and SB 16, both seek legislative approval for funding support connected to looming developments at Ellsworth Air Force Base, the only military installation of its kind in South Dakota.
Because of the B-21 project coming to the base, thousands of Air Force staff and their families are expected to land in Box Elder, a suburb of Rapid City.
The bills seek to provide funding and change the taxing standard for projects as the base expands. They were brought by Rapid City Republican Sens. Helene Duhamel and Taffy Howard.
Howard said the move to the joint appropriations committee does not mean the bill is lost.
“That was expected," Howard said. "All the spending bills right now are going to be referred to appropriations until we know the final numbers on what is our revenue and what our budget looks like. It is not over yet.”
Howard said she sees economic development all over the state as the reward for supporting Ellsworth growth.
“We’re going to see 1.5-2 billion dollars’ worth of construction projects going on base, and that’s before you talk about all the additional projects they may need, like new dorms," Howard said. "Those are just related to the B-21. That has a ripple effect throughout our whole state. However, what we are seeing is some unintended consequences from that in the local communities. A prime example of that I like to use is they have 200 to 250 double semi-trucks going on and off that base every day. The roads are being destroyed.”
However, not every testifier was convinced, and there was steep debate regarding the bill. Some argue issues like accommodations for local schooling should be handled with a local bond issue. Others suggest there is little for residents in other corners of the state to gain by investing tax dollars into this project.