Due to a budget shortfall, the proposed Spearfish Canyon land transfer is on hold.
The legislature adopted revenues that were $25 million shorter than previously projected.
That’s mostly due to lagging state sales tax revenue.
Governor Dennis Daugaard says the public input sessions will continue. He says even if they’re only about land the state already owns.
“We began a public process designed to solicit public input for the larger footprint if the land exchange occurred," Daugaard says. "But I think it makes sense to continue that public input for the footprint that exists already.”
The proposed Spearfish Canyon land transfer had a cost of about $2.5 million. It was one of the first appropriations to get pulled.
Revenue projections for the next fiscal year are about $28 million lower than previously projected.