Final State of the City Reflects on Tenure, Optimism for the Future

Published on March 23, 2026

Mayor Paul TenHaken delivered his eighth and final State of the City address Monday afternoon, reflecting on his tenure while delivering an optimistic message for Sioux Falls’ future.

During the address, TenHaken reflected on his administration through his camera roll, using several photos he took over the years to highlight the challenges and opportunities that shaped his time in office. Since 2018, Sioux Falls has responded to several challenges, including multiple floods, tornadoes and derechos, the COVID-19 pandemic and 12 emergency operations center activations, more than the total from the previous 20 years combined. At the same time, Sioux Falls navigated incredible population and building growth that added more than 38,000 new residents and $9 billion in construction valuation.

“Sioux Falls has taken bold strides over the past eight years,” TenHaken said. “We are different in so many ways – our skyline is taller and broader, our people are more diverse, our roads are busier. But through this transformation, we stayed the same in the ways most important: We are a proud, resilient and perseverant community.”

TenHaken also emphasized several key accomplishments that have set Sioux Falls in a positive direction, including the administration's emphasis on fiscal responsibility, public safety, public-private partnerships and investing in relationships both inside city government and across the community.

During TenHaken’s tenure, the city committed to fiscal responsibility while still delivering transformational investments in infrastructure, quality-of-life amenities and essential services. Since 2018, the city significantly decreased its debt load by limiting new bond issuances and prepaying $25 million in debt. With fewer taxpayer dollars being used to pay off debt, more funding is then available to pay for critical infrastructure, public safety and quality of life projects in cash.

“The city's dedication to fiscal responsibility has been recognized many times by third parties and we have been ranked among the top best-run cities in the country,” TenHaken said.

The growing trend of private philanthropic support for public parks and amenities was also a major accomplishment during TenHaken’s administration. Since 2018, $79 million in private donations were secured for various projects, ranging from recreation trail expansions to creating community gathering spaces, like Jacobson Plaza.

Among the top priorities for the community is public safety. TenHaken noted Sioux Falls currently has its lowest violent crime per capita since 2019 and the lowest property crime per capita in the past 10 years. These achievements, despite incredible population growth, reflect the city’s ongoing public safety investments in advanced technology, law enforcement collaboration, recruitment and retention efforts and proactive community engagement.

“A source of pride for me is that Sioux Falls remains a safe community,” TenHaken said. “A growing city brings more people and more opportunities for crime. However, our public safety teams have faced this challenge head-on through collaboration and proactive enforcement to ensure Sioux Falls remains a community people want to live, work and invest in.”

TenHaken recognized the city’s workforce as a central driver of these successes. In the early days of his tenure, his administration launched new initiatives that focused on strengthening organizational culture and enhancing employee development that have improved retention, recruitment and workplace satisfaction. City leadership also established the “One Sioux Falls Framework” to guide city priorities, set the core values of safety, teamwork, innovation, character and respect to inspire employees, and adopted the city motto: “Taking care of today for a better tomorrow.”

“I took office committed to building a people-first culture, and I am incredibly proud of, and honored to stand alongside, the 2,094 full and part-time team members at the city who embody those core values and take seriously their responsibility to take care of today for a better tomorrow,” TenHaken said.

Above all, TenHaken underscored relationships as the achievement he is most proud of throughout his tenure. From building relationships with South Dakota’s congressional delegation, state and business leaders to creating mentorship opportunities for youth and justice-impacted individuals, TenHaken has demonstrated the powerful roles connection and relationships can have for a community.

“I am proud of what we have overcome and accomplished, and what we are handing to the next generation,” TenHaken said. “We led with bold leadership, leaned on faith over fear, built relationships and intentionally chose positivity over negativity. We have planted many trees under whose shade we are never going to sit, and we have lived up to our motto of ‘taking care of today for a better tomorrow.’ Thank you, Sioux Falls, for entrusting me to lead this community the past eight years.”