Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Capital Projects Police Facility topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council delays major police facility decision; directs staff to return in May with design options and $42,000 budget amendment
Summary
After extensive debate over short-term renovations versus a new facility or a build-on-parking-structure option, the council voted unanimously to revisit the police facility study in May and requested staff include the quoted design-fee amount (the meeting record referenced $42,000) as a budget amendment.
The Minot City Council on Feb. 18 declined to approve immediate studies of certain police facility options and instead directed staff to return in May with further analysis and a budget amendment. The council voted unanimously to revisit the issue after extended debate over short-term renovations, long-term replacement, and a developer-built parking-structure option.
Why it matters: Councilmembers and staff debated trade-offs between a short-term, low-cost retrofit of the existing police facility (including relocating functions into vacant city space), a mid-range renovation (staff-referenced $12 million option), and a larger new-construction approach (staff-referenced $25 million option). One proposed alternative — placing police facilities on top of an existing downtown parking structure — drew particular interest because the city already owns the ramps, but council members differed on cost, feasibility and downtown-development trade-offs.
What happened in the meeting: EAPC president Alan Dossert presented a fee summary and described three study tracks: a combined analysis of $12M and $25M options, a separate review of the parking-structure build-on option, and an evaluation of adjacent commercial space for municipal courts. Councilmembers debated whether to fund all tracks now, to rely on a police working group to develop low-cost interim solutions, or to delay major study work until after the state legislative session and further budget clarity. Multiple motions to advance particular study options either failed for lack of a second or were defeated by vote.
Final direction and budget: The council ultimately passed a motion (unanimous) to bring the item back at a May meeting after the legislative session is complete, and amended that motion on the record to include the design-fee amount referenced in the meeting packet (the record reflects “the 42,000” as the budget amendment to fund the next step). Staff and EAPC said a focused study would take roughly four to six weeks to produce cost and scope options.
Next steps: Staff will return in May with the requested studies and a formal budget amendment so the council can consider appropriation at subsequent hearings. Councilmembers asked staff to coordinate with the police working group on interim space changes so short-term improvements are not delayed while long-term planning occurs.
