By Carleen Wild
Moody County Enterprise
If you’ve been wondering what’s weighing on the minds of local voters this legislative session, Saturday morning offered a fairly predictable snapshot.
How to rein in property taxes, whether any real relief is coming this spring, how to support strong local schools while balancing rising Medicaid costs, government transparency and private property rights were all on the table during the latest Legislative Cracker Barrel in Flandreau.
For many in the room, the conversations weren’t abstract policy debates — they were questions about household budgets, school priorities, jobs at stake and whether neighbors on fixed incomes can continue to afford the homes they’ve lived in for decades.
While there were some frustrations, few questions seemed to catch anyone off guard, and the tone in the room stayed cordial — something the legislators thanked the crowd for.
Rep. Jon Hansen, who is running for governor, joined Rep. Leslie Heinemann and Sen. Tom Pischke in taking questions for about an hour from a full room of familiar, engaged locals, including two candidates eyeing a seat at the table.
Education funding and property taxes were among the first topics raised. Some questioned whether major projects should automatically go before voters. Others defended the authority of locally elected school boards. The tension reflected a broader debate happening across the state as communities balance growth, expectations and limited dollars.
How those limited dollars are prioritized also drew pointed questions, particularly around whether teaching positions might be cut in lieu of other non-educational expenses at a time when education funding itself feels uncertain.
Pischke noted December revenue numbers came in stronger than expected when the governor delivered his budget address, potentially allowing for a 1–1.5% increase for education, state employees and Medicaid providers. Still, conversation quickly turned to the reality that Medicaid spending has now surpassed education spending for the first time in state history — a shift Hansen said has “put a squeeze” on the state budget.
Heinemann, who opposed expansion when it was on the ballot, said enrollment has plateaued and even declined slightly, easing some of the pressure lawmakers initially anticipated.
There was also discussion about recording county meetings and funding for South Dakota Public Broadcasting to ensure continued public access to state government proceedings.
As for what to watch in the coming weeks: Heinemann is carrying legislation clarifying long-standing sales tax exemptions for soil amendments used in agriculture — a practical fix, he said, for producers who have operated under that understanding for decades. Hansen is sponsoring a proposal aimed at protecting ratepayers and water resources as large-scale data centers consider South Dakota, saying he wants to ensure local utility customers aren’t left subsidizing massive energy users. And Pischke continues advancing Senate Bill 114 to expand public access to certain cast vote records in larger counties in the name of election transparency.
All three measures are expected to move quickly — possibly this week — as the session continues to unfold.
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