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Don’t cut flood control

In good times, it has been easy for the state of North Dakota to be a hero.

Need $40 million for a new medical center, you got it. Need another $100 million for roads, you betcha. A few million here and a few million there have been no problem over the last four years or so because the state has been flush with cash. In fact, North Dakota has billions in the bank even after spending has risen quickly.

But things may be different in 2015. As the Legislature gets serious about a budget for the next two years, the economic news is not so good. With the price of oil falling, the tax revenue from oil may not be what many lawmakers had hoped. Drilling has slowed, workers are being laid off and the celebratory mood North Dakota has had for so long is dimming.

But the need for financial help is not waning. In Minot, we need the state to step up and keep its promises … even in rough times.

In Gov. Jack Dalrymple’s proposed budget, Minot would receive $50 million in jumpstart funding for infrastructure projects. The city is waiting to see if the money is approved before signing off on major sewer projects. Building sewer lines is not exciting, but it is one of basic services every resident expects. We need new and improved sewer lines, and we need the state to keep its word.

Maybe even more importantly, we need the Legislature to appropriate the $110 million in flood control funding the governor proposed. That funding is not just something we want, it is something we need.

With the memories of much of Minot underwater just a few years ago, there is no doubt flood control will remain a hot topic and a big concern until a diversion project is completed. The entire project costs $1 billion, and the city of Minot is looking in many different places to try to secure funding. So far, the state has been generous. But so far, most of the work has been planning.

This year, we expect to see dirt moving as flood control becomes less of a dream and more of a reality. But in Minot, we need the state’s help. We aren’t asking North Dakota to fund the entire project. Local governments and local residents will have to do their share. But we do need the state to provide the money it promised.

There are places where the budget could be cut, and we would support many of those moves. But when it comes to infrastructure and flood control, the Legislature needs to do what it has promised.

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