Stand with Us
We urgently call on all voters to act against the $125 million Rapid City Destination Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District, also known as Libertyland. This TIF district directly impacts taxpayers and threatens future funding for our schools and infrastructure, all while keeping our property taxes high. We do not oppose responsible growth in Rapid City, but we cannot stand by as tax breaks are handed out at the expense of our community’s future. Right now, Rapid City and Pennington County are losing out on property tax revenue from $700 million in assessed valuation tied up in 18 active TIF districts. These handouts must stop. Stand with us to protect our schools and neighborhoods. Help us spread the word: Vote NO to Corporate Welfare. Vote NO on January 20, 2026!
Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Common TIF Pitfalls
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Revenue diversion: Funds that would support schools, libraries, and public safety are redirected to developers.
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Overuse and misuse: Cities sometimes use TIF for projects that would have happened anyway, undermining its “but/for” justification.
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Lack of transparency: TIF decisions are often made outside normal budget scrutiny, reducing public accountability.
Our Mission
Our mission is to provide Rapid City voters with comprehensive information about the Destination Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District, also known as Libertyland. If approved, this $125 million TIF district would be the largest TIF district in South Dakota’s history, making it a weighty decision for the community. Through the efforts of more than 80 concerned citizens carrying petitions across Rapid City, we collected over 5,000 signatures to ensure that the people of Rapid City have a voice on the Libertyland TIF. We encourage you to review our resources, ask questions, take part in the voting process, and help protect Rapid City taxpayers from unnecessary financial burdens.
There is a lot of spin going on over the Libertyland Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District.
Here are some FACTS:
Fact 1:
Prior to passing the Catalyst TIF ($84M) and the Libertyland TIF ($125M), Rapid City had 18 active TIFs at an average amount of $12.6M.
Fact 2:
Only five of Rapid City’s 20 TIFs, including Catalyst and Libertyland, contain discretionary grants. TIFs are generally used only for infrastructure.
Fact 3:
The Libertyland project plan states that discretionary grant funds “will” be used “for the development of the commercial and entertainment zone and amenities of the resort village.”
Fact 4:
The Secretary of the SD Department of Revenue has stated “but for TIFs, all (city, county, and state) property taxes would be lower.”
Fact 5:
To date, there have been no audits to establish whether TIFs have historically had a Return On Investment (ROI) high enough to justify the loss in property tax revenue caused by TIFs.
Fact 6:
Pennington County is currently losing revenue from $700M in property valuation due to Rapid City TIFs. Remember, “but for the TIFs”, your mill levy*, and thus your property tax, would be lower.
* Mill Levy: Property tax rate per thousand dollars of assessed value.
Fact 7:
When a city grants a TIF, that decision affects ALL state and county residents.
Fact 8:
The city captures ALL property tax revenue from the increased value of property in the TIF district, including the money that would otherwise go to schools, the county, and other taxing entities.
Fact 9:
All South Dakota property owners pay increased property taxes to make up for lost revenue to the schools, but counties are just out of luck.
Fact 10:
Historical background: TIFs originated in California in 1952 to raise local funds to match federal grants but were repealed in 2012 due to overuse and abuse. In 2014, California replaced TIFs with Enhanced Infrastructure Financing Districts that have stricter limitations. TIFs came to South Dakota in 1978 with a narrow purpose: to address blighted urban areas. Over the years, lawmakers have broadened the use of TIFs without providing firm guidelines or oversight. TIF laws need to be reformed.
Fact 11:
The former legislator who sponsored the 1978 South Dakota TIF law signed the petition to vote on the Libertyland TIF.
Fact 12:
The Libertyland TIF assumes that no development will occur on this land in the future. An unreasonable assumption, considering the rate at which our city is growing.
Fact 13:
Any gain in sales tax revenue from new development areas could result in losses in other areas of the city, resulting in zero net gain. Rapid City has seen the displacement phenomenon before, from the shuttering of downtown business to the emptying of the Rushmore Mall. Development of new local commercial areas will often cannibalize existing businesses.
Additional resources on Libertyland and Tax Increment Financing Districts
David Merriman, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Merriman’s comprehensive review of over 30 studies concluded that TIF districts rarely increase overall economic activity. He found that many projects would have occurred without TIF incentives, undermining the “but/for” justification.