Minot has more than $1 billion in unmet, flood-recovery needs, according to a new study.
The Minot City Council commissioned the study, budgeting $125,000 from a $67.5 million federal Community Development Block Grant, to obtain information that will be helpful in requesting additional federal and state assistance. The council received the results and approved the 87-page report at a special meeting Wednesday.
An unmet need is defined as any need for funding that remains after the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Small Business Administration, insurance and nonprofit agencies have been tapped. The study looked at financial needs for disaster recovery, long-term financial recovery, restoration of infrastructure, housing and economic revitalization.
Given the city's 2012 budget of $85 million and current rate of inflation, the study concluded that it would take the city about 45 years to pay off unmet needs of $1.09 billion on its own.
In other business Wednesday, the council approved a downtown street lighting improvement plan. The city had received protests from only 6 percent of the land area. The estimated cost is $1.5 million, which will be assessed to downtown property owners within the district. The district runs from Broadway east to Third Street and from Burdick Expressway to First Avenue North.
The city plans to develop a comprehensive plan for the downtown that will give property owners input into street lighting types and other downtown improvements.