SD-DOGE Setup

April 22, 2025
Seal SD Liberty

🕵️ Structure and Setup of SD-DOGE: Building Transparency and Efficiency

🏛️ SEAL SD Outlines the Framework

At SealSD.com, the South Dakota Department of Government Efficiency (SD-DOGE) is a key component of the Core GRT Plan, part of the Maximum Liberty Plan (Plan 2), which replaces all state taxes with a single 5% Gross Receipts Tax (GRT), generating $3.6 billion and saving you $3,000–$5,000 annually by eliminating property taxes. Inspired by the federal Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) but tailored to South Dakota’s needs, SD-DOGE ensures transparency, accountability, and efficiency in managing GRT revenue while preserving local control [Memory: April 14, 2025, 14:00]. This page details SD-DOGE’s organizational structure, leadership setup, operational framework, and integration with state and local governance, complementing our deep dive on its functions (Page 29: Deep Dive: How SD-DOGE Will Function) to show how it’s built to serve South Dakotans effectively.

🏢 Organizational Structure: A Lean, Focused Agency

SD-DOGE is designed as a lean, independent agency within South Dakota’s state government, structured to prioritize efficiency and transparency without bureaucratic bloat:

  • Small Core Team: SD-DOGE will operate with a core team of 15–20 staff members, including financial auditors, data analysts, and community liaisons, based in Pierre to coordinate with state agencies. This small footprint ensures agility while minimizing costs, with an estimated annual budget of $2 million, funded from the $95.8 million GRT surplus.
  • Regional Representatives: To ensure local input, SD-DOGE will have 5 regional representatives—one each for the East River, West River, Black Hills, Sioux Falls Metro, and Rural Counties—responsible for gathering community feedback and monitoring local spending in areas like Pennington and Minnehaha counties.
  • Citizen Oversight Committee: A 10-member citizen oversight committee, elected by South Dakotans from diverse regions, will work alongside the core team to review audits, approve transparency reports, and recommend actions, ensuring grassroots accountability (Page 15: What Happens When Representatives Fail to Honor Their Duty).

Analogy for Clarity: SD-DOGE is like a small picnic watch team—a few picnic referees in Pierre, regional picnic scouts checking every picnic spot, and a picnic friend council making sure the picnic rules work for everyone, keeping the picnic lean and fair!

👥 Leadership Setup: Independent and Accountable

SD-DOGE’s leadership will be structured to ensure independence from political influence while remaining accountable to South Dakotans:

  • Director Appointment: SD-DOGE will be led by a Director, appointed by the Governor but confirmed by a two-thirds vote of the South Dakota Legislature, ensuring bipartisan support. The Director serves a 5-year term, renewable once, to maintain continuity while preventing entrenchment.
  • Citizen Oversight Chair: The citizen oversight committee will elect a Chair annually to act as the public face of SD-DOGE, ensuring community voices lead the agency. The Chair will report directly to the public through transparency reports and town halls, building trust.
  • Independent Oversight Board: An independent oversight board, composed of 5 non-partisan financial and legal experts selected by the citizen committee, will conduct annual reviews of SD-DOGE’s operations, ensuring the agency itself remains efficient and free from political interference [Memory: April 14, 2025, 14:00].

Analogy for Clarity: SD-DOGE’s leadership is like a picnic team captain—the picnic boss picks the captain, but picnic friends approve them, a picnic friend leader speaks for the team, and a picnic judge team makes sure the captain keeps the picnic fair, so everyone trusts the picnic plan!

🔧 Operational Framework: Efficiency in Action

SD-DOGE’s operational framework is designed to enforce fiscal discipline, transparency, and local control, integrating Zero-Based Budgeting (ZBB) and public reporting into its daily work:

  • ZBB Implementation: SD-DOGE will enforce ZBB across state and local budgets, requiring agencies to justify every expense annually. A dedicated ZBB team of 5 analysts will work with counties to identify waste, such as untracked expenses in Fall River and Custer counties, redirecting funds to priorities like first responders (Page 29: Deep Dive: How SD-DOGE Will Function) [Memory: April 14, 2025, 14:00].
  • Transparency Hub: SD-DOGE will maintain an online transparency hub, updated monthly, where South Dakotans can access GRT revenue data, audit reports, and ZBB justifications. This hub will include interactive tools to track spending in regions like Sioux Falls or rural Harding County.
  • Community Engagement: Regional representatives will hold quarterly town halls in each region, gathering feedback on spending priorities and ensuring local control remains intact. For example, a town hall in Rapid City might prioritize funding for wildfire response, reflecting community needs (Page 17: Supporting First Responders).

Analogy for Clarity: SD-DOGE runs the picnic like a pro—it makes sure every picnic snack is needed with a picnic checklist (ZBB), shares a picnic scoreboard online for everyone to see, and hosts picnic meetings to hear what picnic friends want, keeping the picnic party local and fun!

🤝 Integration with State and Local Governance: A Collaborative Approach

SD-DOGE will integrate with state and local governance to ensure seamless collaboration while preserving local autonomy, a key concern for South Dakotans:

  • State-Level Coordination: SD-DOGE will work with the South Dakota Department of Revenue to collect and distribute GRT revenue, ensuring $960 million reaches schools and $1.5 billion supports local governments (Page 16: Implementation Plan). It will advise the Governor and Legislature on fiscal policy but remain independent to avoid political bias.
  • Local Autonomy: SD-DOGE will not dictate local spending but provide oversight and recommendations. Counties like Pennington and Minnehaha will retain control over their $1.5 billion allocation, with SD-DOGE ensuring transparency through audits and citizen oversight, addressing past mismanagement concerns (April 14, 2025, 14:00).
  • Policy Influence: SD-DOGE will influence policy funding by recommending priorities based on ZBB findings and community input, such as redirecting funds to rural broadband or first responders, while ensuring alignment with liberty-based principles (Page 29: Deep Dive: How SD-DOGE Will Function).

Analogy for Clarity: SD-DOGE is like a picnic helper—it works with the picnic boss to share the picnic cake, lets each picnic town decide their picnic games, and gives picnic advice to make the picnic better, keeping the picnic free and local for all picnic friends!

💡 Why It Matters: A Structure for South Dakota’s Future

The structure and setup of SD-DOGE—a lean agency with a small core team, regional representatives, a citizen oversight committee, independent leadership, and a collaborative framework—ensures that the Core GRT Plan’s $3.6 billion in revenue is managed with transparency, efficiency, and local control. By integrating ZBB, public reporting, and community engagement, SD-DOGE empowers South Dakotans to hold government accountable while preserving the autonomy of local communities. This setup not only supports the immediate benefits of tax freedom—saving you $3,000–$5,000 annually—but also lays the foundation for a South Dakota where fiscal discipline, citizen empowerment, and liberty thrive for generations to come.

Analogy for Clarity: SD-DOGE is built like the perfect picnic team—a small group of picnic referees, local picnic scouts, and picnic friends working together, using a picnic checklist and sharing picnic news, so every picnic town enjoys a free, fair, and happy picnic for years to come!

🚀 Join the Movement

Got more questions? We’re here to help. Join the movement to learn more, volunteer, and help secure tax freedom for every South Dakotan. Your voice can make a difference.

👉 Join the Movement Now →
Your voice. Your state. Your moment. Get involved today.

📂 Learn More

📅 Freedom Feast — May 10, 2025 | 4:00 P.M. – 6:00 P.M.
📍 First Assembly of God, Rapid City, SD — 💲 $9 Meal — RSVP Now!

📬 Stay in the Loop — SEAL SD Newsletter

Want updates on how we’re ending property taxes, defending your home, and building a stronger South Dakota? Sign up for the SEAL SD Newsletter.

  • 🗓️ Be the first to know about events, livestreams, and Q&As
  • 📊 Get early access to transparency reports and tax reform updates
  • 🛡️ See how SD-DOGE is protecting your rights and holding government accountable

No spam. No gimmicks. Just liberty in your inbox.