JILL SCHRAMM/MDN Minot City Manager Tom Joyce speaks at a budget review meeting with city council members Monday, March 16. Also shown are department heads, from left, Utilities Director Jason Sorenson, Public Works Operations Director Bryan Banfill and Assessor Ryan Kamrowski.

Plans for a new water and sewer building were put on hold and a proposed police vehicle purchase was scrutinized as the Minot City Council reacted to a bleak budget forecast Monday, March 16.

Due to price discrepancies and an inadvertent item omission by a low bidder, the Public Works Department had recommended rebidding for a new water and sewer building to replace an existing building that has been described as cramped and inefficient with major roof issues.

County member Mike Blessum moved to reject the bids and shelve the project. The city budget $2.5 million for a new building and bids exceeded $3 million, with the highest approaching $4 million. Prior to the regular council meeting, council members had met to assess the status of a 2027 budget, and those numbers, as in earlier discussions, show the city in a tough financial situation.

“When you don’t have the money to drop $3 million on a building, you don’t drop $3 million on a building,” Blessum said. “Sometimes we decide that building brand new is a better alternative because in 30 years, that’s the better alternative. But sometimes, as I think we’re in right now, we have to look at the budget realities.”

The council voted 6-1, with Lisa Olson dissenting, to sideline the project.

In shelving the project, the council will review it again in its regular process of developing a capital improvements plan.

Blessum also questioned the purchase of a new Ford Explorer, fitted for use by K-9 units. He noted the police department has grown its force from 70 officers to 80 officers, making the need for more regular patrol vehicles a higher priority.

Chief Michael Frye explained new officers typically are in training or working with other officers and will not require vehicles of their own for several months to a year. Those costs of new officers and equipment eventually will work their way into the city’s budget, though.

City Manager Tom Joyce and he and Frye have discussed what that might mean in tight budget times, including doubling up officers in vehicles.

“We may have to put a pause on some of these things,” Joyce said. “Sometimes the desired equipment that goes with the desired increase of patrol officers may not happen on your one-to-one basis.”

The council voted unanimously to purchase the Ford Explorer for K-9 unit use. Joyce had recommended buying a K-9 vehicle because retrofitting an existing vehicle isn’t feasible.

“But when we get back to other vehicles and some of the other things that the chief has planned, we might have to take a different look at the best use of the overall fleet of the police department,” Joyce said.

Frye added the extra officers will mean more use of police vehicles, whether they are one-person or two-person squads. The 24-hour operation of those vehicles will rack up mileage faster and shorten their lifespan, he said of the trade-off to adding more vehicles.

Frye said he plans to meet with his staff and Joyce to determine the best course of action with equipment requests for 2027.

The council has been looking for ways to continue holding the line on property tax after levying $20.1 million for 2026.

“To get to the budget with a tax levy around $20 million is going to take significant cuts,” Joyce told council members at Monday’s meeting on the 2027 budget. Options include cutting back on street maintenance funds, postponing police station remodeling or putting large infrastructure projects on the back burner. Another option is increasing the levy up to the $29 million allowed under state law.

“There’s that option that potentially increasing the revenue a bit more would make the expense reductions just more manageable and give us maybe options that are just more feasible and sustainable,” Joyce said.

Blessum responded the answer to the budget dilemma is not increasing taxes because homeowners also face budget crunches. He suggested the city should be talking about reducing employee numbers.

“Either that or we just stop infrastructure, which is malpractice on all of our part,” he said. “We have to build our roads, our bridges. We have to provide public safety.”

Information on city employee numbers showed 478 staff members as of last December. Since the oil boom of 2015, full-time staff members are up 55 workers and part-time staff numbers are down by 64, for a total change of nine fewer workers.

In other business, the council voted 6-1 to call for qualifications and rates to fill a position for assistant city attorney for legislative matters.

Shane Goettle has been handling the role since it was created, and the council had been asked to renew the contract, set to expire May 31. The cost is $3,500 a month and $7,500 during the 2027 legislative session.

“We need to make sure that we’re going out into the market and getting market rates,” said Blessum, who praised the job Goettle has done while calling for additional proposals.

The council voted 6-1 to request proposals, with Mayor Mark Jantzer dissenting.