Mayor says Richmond missed NDOT Community Crossings grant; councilors discuss local wheel tax and state changes

At the start of the Dec. 15 meeting, the mayor told the Richmond Common Council that the city was not awarded the NDOT Community Crossings grant for 2026. City officials said the program’s statewide funding was reduced from $350,000,000 to $100,000,000 and that roughly 450 applicants competed for awards that ultimately went to 191 cities; Richmond did not receive an award this cycle.

Several councilors asked whether the city could seek an explanation from NDOT. The mayor said staff will contact the consultant who assists with applications to better understand what could strengthen future submissions.

Councilors used the report to raise longer-term revenue options. One councilor noted state tax revenues are declining and urged consideration of a local vehicle (wheel) tax to preserve eligibility for matching funds in future rounds. The mayor and other councilors discussed a recent legislative change that created a separate "last lane miles" funding bucket tied to local wheel taxes; under that change, some money in the program is now distributed based on lane miles for cities that have adopted a local wheel tax, a structure that could disadvantage cities without a local tax.

Council members expressed concern about potential double taxation where both counties and cities adopt similar taxes (they cited food-and-beverage tax double collection as an example) and said they will work with county officials and watch the next legislative session for potential fixes.

City staff also announced holiday closures: City Hall will be closed on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.