Jill Schramm/MDN
Workers with a city contractor were working on the lights at the Burdick Expressway and Broadway intersection Monday. The City of Minot’s proposed 2025 budget includes a number of street-related projects.
Minot homeowners would see their property taxes go down by $21.87 per $100,000 of property value in a proposed 2025 budget presented to the Minot City Council Monday.
The tax per $100,000 of home value is estimated at $517.82 in 2025, compared to $539.69 in 2024 and $540.36 in 2023.
“I believe that we worked hard to meet the commitment that I made back in February,” City Manager Harold Stewart told the council, referring to his pledge to present a budget without a property-tax increase. In addition, he added, “We’re projecting based off of historical data and trends, an additional $1.5 million in sales tax revenues in 2025 over 2024.”
The only fee increase in the proposed budget is a plan review fee to support a new commercial plan reviewer position. The fee would raise about $126,000 toward estimated costs of $100,000 for a planner, Stewart said.
However, Stewart added the city hasn’t yet concluded a rate study for water, sewer and storm sewer rates. Any changes to those rates haven’t been determined yet.
Stewart outlined plans in the budget to delay some equipment purchases and infrastructure projects in 2025. One project still on the drawing board is updates to the legacy city hall used as a police station.
City Finance Director David Lakefield said some of the city’s reserve cash will need to go to the project.
“Overall, the money that we have set aside for that is not enough to address the needs over there,” he said.
Stewart added about $500,000 already has been set aside for that building, but no new money is being set aside in the 2025 budget.
The proposed budget allocates $11 million for street improvements, up from $8 million in the current budget.
“All of that $11 million in the 2025 budget is being paid for with Hub City fund revenue – that’s our oil revenue funds that we get – and sales tax revenues. None of that is being supported by property tax,” Stewart said.
The proposed budget projects an increase of $2.3 million in employee wages and salaries based on pay-plan step increases and a market-rate salary study. Benefits would increase accordingly, and a 5% increase in health insurance has been built into the budget for now.
Stewart outlined alternatives such as eliminating either the market rate increases or the step increases. He said a hybrid model to allow employees the choice of one or the other of the raises, while limiting department head raises, would save about $700,000.
In addition to a commercial planner, the budget includes a new position in human resources, 12 new operator positions that will be federally reimbursed at the Northwest Area Water Supply biota treatment plant and a permanent, part-time code enforcement officer.
The police department has 14 vacant positions that will remain authorized but only eight are projected to be filled in 2025, saving $524,280. Plans in the fire department are to upgrade a battalion chief to an assistant fire chief.
The city council will hold a budget discussion session on July 30 with department heads and the public. The meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall.
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Jill Schramm/MDN
Workers with a city contractor were working on the lights at the Burdick Expressway and Broadway intersection Monday. The City of Minot’s proposed 2025 budget includes a number of street-related projects.
