As federal stimulus evaporates, South Dakota county told to start planning for tax hikes

Minnehaha County Commissioners urged to find more revenue streams

Minnehaha County property owners might want to brace for some future tax increases as federal stimulus funds begin to dry up.

South Dakota’s largest county saw about $6 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds filter into its coffer following its passage in Congress in March 2021. A panel of financial experts, though, is warning that the stream of federal dollars is gone and a need for additional opt-outs is fast approaching if the county is going to keep pace with the added demands that come with population growth.

“(ARPA) helped the taxpayers of Minnehaha County. Those items were items that needed to be funded. And with that gone, that funding needs to be made up, it needs to be replaced,” said Robert Thimjon, chairman of the county’s Financial Action Network (FAN), a panel of business, accounting and finance experts that spent the winter studying Minnehaha County expenses, revenues and future needs.

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