It’s a priority of mine to open up the lines of communication, conversation, and collaboration with the residents of Minot and the community. As part of this effort, I will be penning a column to all of you every other week in this publication. I’d like to thank Minot Daily News Publisher Dan McDonald and Editor Michael Sasser for the opportunity to present these columns. Ideally, this space will provide the City of Minot with an outlet to share information about upcoming meetings or events, and to provide insight into important issues and discussions.

Our City faced many challenges in 2018, but we are committed to focusing on creating a better future. We know there are more demands ahead, including our massive flood control project, completing the Northwest Area Water Supply project, an ongoing landfill expansion discussion, the 2020 City budget process, and legislative issues that could affect Minot, just to name a few. Just as we did in 2018, we will meet those challenges head-on as we focus on our future.

As part of our ongoing effort to maintaining a positive relationship with the residents of Minot, we recently held our second annual State of the City. Our message of Focus Forward involves all aspects of the City, from customer service improvements to flood protection construction to embracing our community’s changing culture and demographics. Those who came to Magic City Campus were inquisitive and looking for information about topics important to them. Our department heads and other staff members answered a lot of questions that day; our staff is a tremendous resource, and I encourage you to take advantage of opportunities to interact with them. If you weren’t able to attend the State of the City, you can watch the video and read a copy of the City of Minot’s 2018 Annual Report at https://www.minotnd.org/666/State-of-the-City.

As we reflect briefly on this past year, we were honored when Minot was named the 2018 City of the Year by the North Dakota League of Cities. While we, as elected representatives of the city, accepted this award on behalf of Minot, it is our residents that truly make Minot a special place. To be recognized by our peers was remarkable; it says a lot about our accomplishments, and it speaks even louder about the direction our City is heading.

As a City, we’ve remain committed to providing as much information as possible to our residents, and we continue to search for ways to accomplish that goal. Our monthly electronic City of Minot Newsletter is growing, we’ve increased our presence on social media in recent years, and we’ve added more information to our website, which will soon be redesigned. In everything we do, our goal remains the same: To provide accurate and timely information so residents are up to date on what’s happening at the City and in our community.

Again, we thank The Minot Daily News for providing this opportunity to share information with you on an ongoing basis. We look forward to discussing a broad list of topics in future columns.

Sincerely, City Hall

You can find more about what’s happening at the City of Minot at minotnd.org, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. We also encourage you to subscribe to our monthly electronic newsletter on our website.