Standing Up for Taxpayers, Transparency,
and Responsible Government 

Why We’re Asking for Community Support

For years, Steele County residents have engaged in good faith—attending public meetings, requesting public records, submitting environmental comments, and trusting that decisions affecting our neighborhoods, farmland, and tax dollars would be made openly and lawfully.

Instead, residents were met with denied and delayed public data, predetermined decisions, and actions taken before meaningful public review was complete. When transparency fails, accountability does not disappear—it shifts to residents.

The East Side Corridor is not a NIMBY dispute. It is a case of improper environmental review and failed public process. When decisions involve tens of millions of taxpayer dollars, resident safety, and the permanent loss of prime farmland, the public deserves a complete, accurate, and lawful environmental review—one that evaluates the full scope of impacts, considers reasonable alternatives, and meaningfully involves the public. Environmental reviews cannot be written to justify a predetermined outcome, nor can decisions be made while excluding residents from access to information and participation.

We have taken the County on once before—and won, representing ourselves pro se. That case established violations of public data access laws and confirmed that residents were right to demand accountability. This time, however, the stakes are far higher. The project has grown in scope, complexity, and cost, and meaningful accountability now requires experienced legal guidance.

The East Side Corridor project surpassed $30 million more than a year ago, and scope creep has continued. While the County has not publicly disclosed a current total project cost, it is reasonable to conclude that the project now far exceeds earlier estimates. As costs rise, so does the importance of lawful process, public oversight, and responsible fiscal decision-making.

We are seeking community support to ensure lawful environmental review, address violations of public data access requirements, and promote compliance with open meeting and public participation laws, so that decisions involving taxpayer dollars are made transparently and in accordance with the law.

Donations help cover the costs of preparing for environmental appeals, obtaining legal guidance, maintaining public records, and ensuring resident voices are heard. These efforts are about protecting neighborhoods and farmers, enforcing transparency, and ensuring public funds are spent responsibly—not politics.

Legal accountability and environmental challenges are not inexpensive. Based on guidance and experience, the cost of pursuing environmental appeals and related oversight is expected to range between $30,000–$50,000, depending on how the process unfolds. These costs arise in stages, and community support allows residents to take each step as it comes.

When many people give a little, communities can stand up for fairness, lawful process, and the responsible use of public funds.

Transparency is free. Accountability is expensive.