File Photo Maysa Arena is in an area of future expansion for the Minot Park Board. A neighboring land purchase is included in the 2020 budget.

The Minot Park Board approved a $14 million budget for 2020 Tuesday.

The budget calls for nearly $9 million in property taxes, or 43.02 mills. That is up from the $12.8 million budget for 2019 that required 35.41 mills. The 7.61 additional mills is the result of the absorption of the city’s recreation department this year, Parks Director Ron Merritt said.

A levy of 43.02 mills generates about $194 on $100,000 of home value. No one from the public spoke at the hearing on the budget Tuesday prior to its adoption by the board.

The budget includes $137,313 toward the $1.3 million purchase of land near Maysa Arena that the board approved this summer. The park board also used $200,000 set aside this year as a down payment for the purchase, which is being financed over 10 years.

The budget includes $400,000 for future development, down slightly from the 2019 budget. Among potential uses are continued work on an outdoor recreation area in west Minot and continued planning and possible infrastructure work on Overlook Park on North Hill, where a children’s museum is planned.

This fall, the board will be discussing projects for 2020. Merritt said construction on a leopard exhibit at the zoo is a possibility in 2020 if a fundraising campaign is successful. The board also has been evaluating the condition of the water slide in Roosevelt Park each year, and slide replacement will be reviewed again for possible inclusion among 2020 projects to be bonded. Both the leopard exhibit and water slide are just under $1 million each, Merritt said. The park district has funds set aside for a mountain bike trail and frisbee golf near Maysa Arena but is waiting on approval from the Environmental Protection Agency to begin construction, Merritt said. The property is a former landfill.

Representatives of Minot’s pickleball league appeared at the meeting to request creation of three courts in Riverside Park. Currently, there are two pickleball courts in Leach Park and one in Green Valley Park. Pickleball is a growing sport, but the league indicated the lack of courts is hindering participation in Minot.

Merritt said board hasn’t planned for three new courts for pickleball in 2020, but the project will be investigated to see if funding can be arranged. The court being considered for conversion in Riverside Park currently is striped for tennis and basketball.