Mandan city staff asked the Morton County Commission on Aug. 26 to support a 10-year extension of the Mandan Renaissance Zone, and the commission voted to provide a letter of support.
Madison Cermak, business development director for the City of Mandan, told commissioners the Renaissance Zone has supported downtown and near-downtown investments since the early 2000s and that the city is seeking a program extension before the zone’s current expiration on Aug. 31, 2025. “Our current program expires 08/31/2025. So in a couple of days, we are seeking a 10 year program extension,” Cermak said during her presentation.
Cermak said the program has produced 97 completed projects and more than $30 million in private investment, and outlined how the five‑year local and state tax incentives are structured and recouped once properties reenter the tax rolls. She described the physical zone as roughly 34 contiguous blocks along Main Street with a small island added in 2020 that the committee may remove if property owners show no interest in redevelopment.
She also summarized recent legislative adjustments that affect Renaissance Zone incentives; she said the state legislature authorized longer extensions, which informed the city committee’s request to move the extension cap from five to 10 years.
Commissioners had no substantive questions and moved to provide a letter of support. A motion to provide a letter of support for a 10-year extension was made and seconded; commissioners voted in favor by voice. The chair announced, "Motion carries." The commission instructed city staff to send a Microsoft Word copy of the letter to the county auditor for signature and filing.
The request for county support was framed as one step in a process that also requires letters from other taxing entities; Cermak said the school board and park district had provided support earlier in August and the city held a public hearing on Aug. 4 with no feedback.
No formal county ordinance or funding change was proposed or enacted during the discussion; the action recorded is the commission’s letter of support only.