SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Thousands of dollars are pouring into campaign organizations regarding a Sioux Falls ballot measure to ban future slaughterhouses from opening in city limits.
The latest campaign finance reports for the municipal ballot committees were released by the city clerk Wednesday evening.
The newest committee, Sioux Falls Open for Business, reported raising nearly $170,000. The committee, chaired by former city council member Christine Erickson, brought in $169,134 in total income with the South Dakota Soybean Association contributing $125,000. Pipestone Holdings gave $10,000.
More than $32,000 was raised from people in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa. You can view the report attached below.
The committee says it spent nearly $37,000 on advertising and credit card fees.
In the upcoming election, registered Sioux Falls voters will vote on whether new slaughterhouses are banned from being built and permitted to operate inside the city limits of Sioux Falls. It would not pertain to any existing slaughterhouses constructed and operating before the effective date of the measure.
The group Smart Growth Sioux Falls started the petition and turned in more than 10,000 signatures in favor of the initiated measure to get it on the ballot. The group raised more than $90,000 in September’s campaign finance reports.
In the October report, Smart Growth Sioux Falls reported a total income of $80,849. TCB, LLC gave $10,000, while seven other businesses or organizations combined to give $37,000.
Brian Gunderson gave $10,000, while nine other people helped total $42,500. You can view the report in the attachment below.
Smart Growth Sioux Falls reported spending $31,340 on advertising.
Luke Minion, CEO of Pipestone Holdings and Chairman of the board for Wholestone Farms, told KELOLAND News construction to finish the smaller-scale hog processing shop is on schedule to be finished by the middle of October.
Wholestone Farms wants to have the facility up and running before a November 8 vote on whether the city of Sioux Falls will prohibit construction of new slaughterhouses within the city limits.