Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the City Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Minot outlines budget scenarios and adopts 2026–30 capital plan after removing Anne Street bridge placeholder
Summary
City staff briefed the council on a multi‑scenario budget process and finance tools; the council approved the 2026–30 Capital Improvement Plan after voting to remove a long‑standing Anne Street pedestrian bridge placeholder from the CIP.
City Manager Harold Stewart and finance staff outlined the 2026–28 budget development process and presented a multi‑scenario approach intended to force departments to identify program impacts under different revenue conditions.
Finance Director David Lakefield described the exercise: each department prepared a flat operating budget for 2026 and +/-3% scenarios for the out‑years, with assumptions about salary and benefit trends. “The idea is once we get all this information, we'll be able to upload each of these scenarios into our system, and then we'll move through the process of evaluating some of the decisions that were made at the department level,” Lakefield said. City staff said the exercise is intended to surface service reductions or tradeoffs before the manager presents a recommended budget in mid‑July.
Staff demonstrated an online workbook and a Power BI visualization connected to the city finance system (Munis) to allow council and the public to explore nine years of actuals, original budgets and revisions by department. The manager and finance director emphasized the need to identify core and non‑core services and to prioritize capital replacements and legacy projects while managing new long‑term obligations such as equipment replacement funds.
On a separate but related agenda item, the council considered and approved the 2026–30 Capital Improvement Plan. The CIP vote followed a motion by Alderman Sanders to remove the Anne Street pedestrian bridge project — a long‑standing placeholder in the CIP that had been discussed as contingent on external grant funding. Sanders moved removal; Alderman Blessum seconded. The amendment passed 5–1 with Alderman Pittner dissenting. Council then approved the CIP as amended; the final motion passed unanimously.
Council members debated the Anne Street item at length. Supporters of removing the project said it consumed staff time and implied an expectation of local funding that is unlikely; proponents of keeping the placeholder argued it would strengthen any future state or federal grant application if the project remained in the formal CIP.
The manager also reminded the council that staff plans to present the police department facility analysis and recommendations during the department budget hearings in late June; the council had earlier tabled that topic until the police budget session.
Ending: Staff will continue to refine revenue projections, review department submissions due May 23, and bring a recommended budget and supporting materials to council in mid‑July. The CIP as adopted will be incorporated into that broader budget and capital planning process.
