July 24, 2025 • 37 mins
Tom Gerhardt talks to Jason Tomanek about the Bismarck City Commission meeting that took place on 7/22/25.
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
City Current produced by Dakodemedia Access in depth discussion with
Bismarck and Mandan city officials. Watch on Government Access channel
six OZHO two HD, or tune in to Radio Access
one O two point five FM, Always Local, Always Current.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Welcome to City Current Bismarck Edition. I'm Tom Gerhart with
the Codemedia Access Align with Bismarck City Administrator Jason Tamonic.
Good to see you today.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Thank you for hosting once again. Pleasure to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
We got a lot to talk about. Let's go right
to our slate of talking points for this edition of
City Current. Last night we had, of course, the recognition
of outgoing Police Chief Dave Dreyevich, so we'll see how
he was honored at the commission meeting last night. We'll
talk about the Bismarck Airport study updates, some really interesting
things happening there, and some graphics to show you. We'll
(00:59):
go through the twenty twenty six city budget, and then
will end with the new police chief recommendation. You call
it the worst kept secret in Bismarck last night, so
in case you don't know, we'll reveal that shortly. But
let's start with Chief Dreyevich, and we've talked about him.
(01:19):
We've known you've gone through this process of hiring the
new chief and just give you an opportunity. You said
some words last night. You've called him a very humble man.
I had the opportunity to work for him when I
worked for local TV. And this CAP's off quite a career,
I think, Commissioner clearly last night I mentioned that he
started the year she was born.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
In nineteen eighty nine, Dave joined the police force as
an officer. He's spent fourteen years on patrol and then
worked his way through a variety of other positions. Canine handler,
he was a lieutenant, he was a deputy chief, he
was chief. He became chief in twenty eighteen. So it's
spent the last seven years as the leader of the
(01:58):
Bismarck Police Department. Some of the thoughts that I shared
last night that I've shared with others along the way.
When I think of Dave and the time that he
spent as the leader, I will think of how we
have embraced technology in the police department. We've adapted to
body Warren cameras. We've got a very robust and in
some cases envious drone program when we're talking with other
(02:19):
law enforcement agencies in the state, and then also the
importance of being an accredited law enforcement agency. There's only
two other accredited law enforcement agencies in the state of
North Dakota, State Highway Patrol, which has been longer than
the City of Ismark, but then also City of Grand
Forks's police department is accredited twice. Under Dave's leadership, we
(02:41):
have gone through the reaccreditation process and have come out
on the very high side of that recognition as well.
So Dave's done so many different things for the police department,
so many things for the community and the organization in
his free time. Of course, it was mentioned as well
that he's a mentor with Runners against Destructive Decisions and
(03:03):
the recovery community, and just it leaves a great indelible
mark on Bismarck's history. I think one of the things
that his successor will inherit a very well run and
very high functioning police department. And I think we're very
proud of that as a citizen here. As the administrator,
(03:24):
I know the next chief is going to be getting
a really, really good department to continue to lead.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
And you mentioned that last night. This isn't a case
where we needed to sort of start from scratch and
bring in somebody from the outside.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
This is a case of more of the We want
more of the same, more of the same, which means
promoting from within. And we're kind of teasing towards the
answer here of the worst kept secret of Bismarck. But
we have in my time with the city, I've seen
I think five different chiefs, and Dave has served the
longest of all of those five and just continues to
(03:57):
grow and excel that department. And I think our community
would agree. And thanks to the community. We often say
that this is a very supportive community. When people say
they back the Blue, they're not kidding. They actually very
much support the Bismarck Police Department, and we are very
appreciative of that as well.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
A couple of photos of Chief Dreevich still has a
few days to go, I guess before he officially hangs
things up, But I think it also should be said
navigating the department through COVID, I mean during that time,
I think probably some tremendous challenges HEREA is with Judge Severn,
who retired a little of the chief in action. But
(04:36):
I think that probably needs to be mentioned too, that
that was a challenging time for so many but.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
It was a very strange time for everybody. Law enforcement
had head their hands full, no question about it, between
overcrowding and putting people in the jail versus serving warrants
and arresting people, and just what are we doing day
by day? Things were changing constantly and in the end
(05:02):
we're better off because of the day's leadership and very
grateful for his thirty six years of service. His final
day will be July thirty first, so the end of
this month, and then the new chief will take over
on August first.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Well, a nice moment from last night's commission meeting where
Commissioner Rish had some really nice things to say. Let's
take a listen.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
Congratulations Chief on making it to retirement. I'm from the
railroad industry, and we say when somebody retires, he's pulling
the pin. There's a pin between each car. You pull
the pin and the car rolls off into the sunset.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I want to thank you for your service.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
You've made a tremendous impact on the department and the
safety of our community, and I'm grateful for that. The
chief started his career in nineteen eighty nine, fourteen years
on patrol. From two thousand and six three to two
thousand and six, he was a patrol supervisor and became
a lieutenant in two thousand and six, deputy chief in
(05:57):
twenty thirteen, and chief of police in So we got
about seven years out of you anyway. As police chief
are Chief Darevich led the department and implementing body worn cameras,
upgraded ballistic protection, launched a drone program, and adopted intelligent
led policing. He also led the apartment in twenty twenty
(06:18):
one and twenty twenty five for reaccreditation process for the
Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies called SELA the
gold standard for credentially public safety eight agencies. And we're
the only police department in the state.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Correct No.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Grand Fork said, Okay, well sold a little.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Thunder, But it's very difficult to get this.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
And I was interviewed actually as part of the process,
and you've got to be a top shelf police force,
playing by all the rules and proper procedures and everything
like that to get that recognition. K nine handler. During
his patrol years, Chief Drevich worked closely with K nine
partners BO and Kodiak, and was widely regarded as a
(07:02):
corner zone of the patrol Division where he spent much
of his career. He loves dogs, and he told me
numerous times, I don't dare go out to the pound
because I might bring home another I might adopt another dog.
So appreciate that the Chief is a public servant on
the forest, but he's also a public service in other ways.
(07:22):
He serves as a mentor for runners against destructive decisions,
promoting healthy activities, and providing social support for referrals from
drug court and residents of the Missouri River Correction Center.
It's an incredible commitment showing up several hours a week
on his off time and never calling attention to himself.
But time goes on like it always does, and even
(07:43):
good guys like Chief Drevich gets to retire. But your
positive impact on the police department in our community will
be felt long after you retire as a citizen and
as certainly as a commissioner. Thank you for your service,
and I wish you all the best as you entered
this next chapter of your life.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Thank you. And the Chief came up and said a
few words as well, but really nice to honor him
last night. Again you said he's got a weaker and
we can change left on the job, but appreciation for
(08:23):
all those years of service dating all the way back
to nineteen eighty nine.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Tremendous career.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Also switching gears a little bit. The Human Relations Committee
gave out their annual awards last night, and we wanted
to show you the humanitarian awards quickly that were presented,
and there was a Youth Individual Award, an adult Individual award,
and a business slash nonprofit award, and so congratulations tall
(08:49):
who were recognized last night. Well on to the regular agenda.
We're just getting started. It was thick with content last night,
and right off the bat, I wanted to talk about
the airport terminal study. I think it was in twenty
twenty three that UBLE was given the nod to complete
(09:10):
a study looking at the terminal or at feature and
current needs, and that was all unbundled last night.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
As we move closer, closer and closer towards a about
one hundred and sixty million dollar project, it's kind of
a staggering number when you think about it, But what's
causing all of this is the increase in passenger traffic
plane and simple. We are not quite to the record
numbers that we were at as far as in plainments
(09:38):
people getting on the plane's BIS park. Twenty nineteen I
believe was the record high, but we are definitely on
the rebound side of kind of that dip in travel
in twenty twenty and twenty twenty one. What we're noticing
is that the air carriers are starting to up gauge,
which they're starting to talk about bringing in larger play,
(10:00):
which means more travelers, which means more congestion in those
high traffic areas. And so the study is looking at
an expansion of the terminal area which you mentioned, which
would essentially take the four gates that we have today
and broad them into six dedicated areas, and the possibility
would exist that there could be some apron expansions to
(10:21):
allow for those jetways to connect to multiple planes, not simultaneously, obviously,
but park two planes in the same vicinity as one jetway,
essentially doubling your gate capacity there as well.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
We're showing a picture not to interrupt you here quickly,
just of the terminal as it is. And then you
mentioned this project phasing, and as you're talking about what
some of the things you just mentioned, maybe you can
walk us through some of the items you just mentioned.
So Phase one is a ticketing and south departure expansion,
and that's in the green with the black or the
(10:55):
number one circled there. Not only are we getting back
to pre COVID numbers, but then of course this looks
at the future where it's going to get more crowded,
more crowded, and so the knee is definitely there with
passengers and baggage and all the things that come along
with it.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Absolutely. Phase two would be concessions, and phase three is
relocating the TSA, so that's obviously a big part of
the screening process to get passengers safely on and off
the planes. And then phase four would be looking at
a north side expansion, going expanding the terminal to the north.
Phase one would be to the south, Phase four would
(11:33):
be to the north and then increasing some of the
area for the arrivals. And then also the final phase
would be what they call the landside development, expanded parking,
maybe some relocation of the rental car agencies down near
the baggage areas, again trying to reduce some of those
conflict zones where people are gathering, because that's where you
(11:55):
need to get your baggage, your rental car, you're ticketing,
whatever the case might be. So yeah, it's a really
big study, it's a really big project. It's a really
big number on the back end as well. But I
think it's important to note that with any airport project
there is always a blend of funding, typically federal funds
from the FAA, state funds from State Aeronautics Association, and
(12:17):
then local dollars as well, and the intentions would be
that they would be spent in that order as they
become available as well.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Here's a photo Djason of the preferred alternative. This is
the departure levels. This would be the second floor, so
to speak. And it was interesting that you noted if
people can see my cursor, this is the existing building,
existing facility right here, which is in a purple color.
I don't know if that's noticeable on your screen, so
(12:46):
it kind of gives you a pretty good idea of
the size of this.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
It's an expansion, fairly significant increase in square footage in
the terminal area, which is why it's called the Airport
Terminal study. It is creating more room for passengers to
move about the airport comfortably and safely.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
And that was another not getting too far into the weeds,
but in the middle you can see tsa queuing and
that would change the way. Now when we go up
the stairs or the escalator, that can get pretty congested,
so this would actually change the flow and provide for
more room for people to get through at an additional lane.
I think ultimately for security is some of the design
(13:25):
options that are being looked at too to bring the
airport up to speed.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Yeah, you see a lot of these amenities in other
places when you travel. I think the one that sticks
out in this photo that I noticed years ago and
it kind of made me smile, and not a pet owner,
but a service animal relief area. That is a very
important feature in airports today as we see people relying
on service animals more and more. Obviously, children's play areas,
(13:51):
mother's rooms for privacy, and a number of things, and
it just it's the right time, it's the right location.
We've invested a lot in our airport, but it is
an important economic generator in our community, having business and
leisure travel right in and out of Bismarck is a
tremendous asset, and we want to make sure that our airport.
For a lot of people, it is their first impression
(14:12):
of Bismarck. It is the welcome att when they come
to our community door front door, and we want them
to realize that they are in a special place. And
we are proud of that airport. And I think today
it looks great. It served a wonderful purpose and it
will continue to do so in the future. So I'm
looking forward to watching this one continue to build momentum.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Here's some other areas of interest, potential for some outdoor spaces,
premium restrooms. I think everybody elso wants to know about
concessions and some of those options for food and beverage.
So a lot of things under consideration in this study that,
as we've said, started. I think they got the green
light in twenty twenty three, so this is the result
(14:52):
of a lot of work. It is yep, and moving forward.
I guess we should mention that I think they need
to finalize study and then they'll come back and work
on a path forward. This isn't say this project has
been green lighted at this point. But just here's what
they've come up with in this last couple of years.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Right in dealing with the Federal Aviation Administration, it's a
little more I don't want to use word cumbersome, but
it's a little more difficult. In just local government, there's
obviously a lot of a lot of red tape, a
lot of reviews, a lot of people looking over things
for all the right reasons, and so that goes into
the design and that all gets considered when this project
(15:33):
is brought forward.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
I also wanted to talk about the bulk item collection
pilot program that began last November in six months was
a pilot period time which leads us to July. So
Steve Sally came last night and gave us an update
on how that program has been going, how many people
have been using it. Of course, in the past, there
was a spring and a fall cleanup. The idea, i think,
(15:57):
or one of the ideas behind this ball pickup was
to get rid of one of the fall pickup time
and allow people to schedule items to be picked up
for a fee. And it sounds like it hasn't been
used tremendously, but enough that we want to continue this program. Right.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
The averages I believe was, you know, ten to twenty
items a month, and there is a fee. There is
a fee to pick up the item. I believe that's
a twenty dollars fee per visit. But then there's also
a disposal fee. So whatever the normal disposal fee would
be for the item, whether it be a dishwasher or
a piece of furniture, that is also part of the
(16:38):
fee that is charged. But I appreciate that this program
is continuing to move forward. I think it gives citizens
an alternative and it may not have the largest uptake
of usage, but it is still providing a service that
otherwise might not be there for some folks. And I
think that's a good program that we're going to continue.
(16:59):
And I think over time we will probably see an
increase in so NOE of the usage because it becomes
people more aware of it. I never realized that, Oh,
I didn't realize I had that option before.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Well, it's nice to have somebody come and pick it up.
Maybe you don't have a truck, maybe you have some
reasons that you can't do things, and maybe you just
don't want to drive out. And sometimes sometimes there can
be a line, so It's just kind of nice to
have that option. Another big talking point last night was
a fall leaf clean up.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
I'd got more airtime than I thought it would, but
it was an interesting discussion, and I again kind of
hinging on this. We're no longer picking up extras, those
items that would be left next to the trash container.
A lot of people are in the habit of putting
their leaves in a bag and then setting the bag
next to the curb and trash would pick it up.
(17:48):
So the question was do we provide some type of
an alternative service in those situations. And I think where
consensus seemed to formulate was around this idea that the
city would be able to provide a thirty gallon compostable
paper bag that people could pick up with their leads
in those bags, and then those would be picked up
(18:11):
during select weeks in October by public works employees, and
so it would be an alternative for those that may
not have the means or the ability to get their
leads to the recycling sites, because those will still be
open as well. Yeah, but if you would like, if
you just maybe have a vehicle that doesn't accommodate large
bags of leaves, this would be an alternative for you
as well. And so where the conversation ended last night
(18:34):
at the meeting, director saw why will go back and
find out more information on sourcing the bags, availability of
the bags, and then looking at what would be the
appropriate dates and times. Obviously we can't do the entire
city all in one day, so there's going to take
some coordination communication. Obviously, this is part of the success
of this program is our ability to get the information
(18:56):
out to people so they can plan and be prepared
for that.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
So interesting point from the mayor last night too. So
I think Steve's looking into the city providing these bags,
not finalized again yet, but looking into the cost. He's
going to come back in August with an idea of
what it would cost the city provide these bags. But
the mayor made the point that he'd rather pay for
the bags than the cost of digging another hole at
(19:19):
the landfill. Was correct extremely expensive.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
Right, And the point there is the paper bags would
be put into the recycling with the other leaves and
grass clippings, whereas if they're in a plastic bag, they'll
end up in the hole in the landfill, taking up
very valuable space that is very expensive to create, and
so I think from an environmental perspective, that's a good
approach to take on and hopefully Steve's able to come
(19:44):
back with some information that makes this a reality for
us as well well.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Moving along, preliminary approval of the twenty twenty six city
budget was given last night, but under that umbrella there
was a lot of conversation.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
So a lot of information.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
I did have a graphic I thought we'd pop up
quickly that Dmitri did a nice job with his presentation.
But maybe this gives people an idea of the process.
Right now, we're at that July twenty second where the
City Commission last night did approve the twenty twenty sixth
preliminary budget. Then in early September there would be the
(20:20):
final approval. But again, underneath this process a lot of
talk about House Bill eleven seventy six last night, which
was passed by the legislature with the intent of providing
property tax relief, which it will do, but it's such
a large bill that I think there's still a lot
(20:41):
sure seems that all of us don't know about. And
one of the ideas of that bill is this three
percent cap on municipalities right before, so take it from there.
That's where Commissioner's Anchor brought up a point. I think
there's some confusion. Maybe an education piece about what this
(21:02):
is going to mean for people like you and me
who live in Bismarck in terms of our property taxes
enter home values.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
Maybe the easiest way to distill the confusion. So a
three percent cap, yes, there's no doubt about that. That
was the end result of part of the end result
of House Bill eleven seventy six. So three percent on
the city's annual budget. That doesn't necessarily translate to a
three percent increase for every property owner across the community.
(21:32):
And I think that's where there's going to be confusion.
I think that was the discussion that Commissioners InCor raised
last night when we talk about legislative intent versus messaging,
What are we saying and then what are the people understanding.
We've got three different potential conversations going on, all focusing
around the same topic, which is property tax reform. We
(21:54):
heard that throughout the entire Legislative Assembly. We understand the intent.
We are working within those parameters, as are all three
hundred and fifty four other cities in North Dakota. But
three percent might translate differently if your property is worth
more than an adjacent property, or if you've made improvements
to your property, or if your property is going the
(22:17):
other direction and the value starting to decrease, and so
there is some confusion. There needs to be some messaging.
What we have now is a baseline for the conversation.
We have the recommended budget moving forward for twenty twenty six,
and what we focused on for the overall budget was
(22:37):
obviously a number one balance budget. We're not looking to
deficit spend. When we develop our budget. One of the
first things we look at is maintaining our assets. And
one of our greatest assets are the employees that we have,
the six hundred and seventy plus full time employees, and
so how do we continue to adequately pay them and
provide benefits to them that help them want to continue
(23:00):
to work with us as a retaining but then also
to help recruit talent. As we continue to see people
retire and move on to other positions, we are forever
looking for new talented employees, and so what are those
ways that we can attract them by paying them and
treating them in a way that is very commensurate with
other jobs in the community. This year, one of the
(23:22):
I guess fortunate experiences that we had is that we
had a little bit of a lull in our necessary
fleet purchases, and so several years ago we developed a
fleet plan identifying a life cycle for all the equipment
that our staff uses on a regular basis, and this
year we were fortunate that we didn't have some of
those larger purchases. In the past, we've been buying front
(23:43):
end loaders and motor graders and fire trucks. We didn't
see quite the volume of those types of purchases, which
ultimately frees up cash for other projects that are part
of the request. One of the other things we get
asked a lot by the fifteen different departments is for
additional staff. There were close to a dozen more than
(24:04):
a dozen requests for additional staff. The budget committee recommended
half of those positions come forward, and two of those
six positions are actually in our human resources department. As
I mentioned, six hundred and seventy full time employees, plus
depending on the season, retirees, and then we've got more
time in seasonal employees. We're dealing with thousands of people
(24:25):
when it comes to payroll, benefits, pension and having more
staff to provide those services in addition to training and
safety procedures and a variety of other things that human
resources takes care of, it's time to help staff them
up appropriately. So right now there are six employees in
(24:46):
a department for human resources for over six hundred and
seventy full time employees. The ratio is it's a little
out of whack, yeah on that one. So and then
also we're obviously always looking at software upgrades to stay
on point with security. You heard the commissioners talk about Axon.
Axon is the company that we have aligned with for
(25:06):
body warm cameras and other technologies within our police force.
We are all in with Axon and continue to see
the value in that investment. It makes our law enforcement
their lives are easier, their jobs, or are more effective
and efficient. And we're continuing to find ways that the
technology that is coming forward is going to improve the
(25:27):
efficiencies of our law enforcement officers and that's just tremendous.
And so with those types of things, obviously we've got
other projects. We've got building maintenance projects. We own a
number of buildings throughout the community just like a homeowner.
Just like a regular property owner, we face those projects
as well, whether it be a new roof, parking lot, repair, remodeling,
(25:47):
you have it. All of that stuff gets wrapped up
into this budget for next year. And as Dmitri Chriniak,
our finance director, pointed out, we're in the middle of
twenty twenty five and we're projecting expenses through the end
of twenty twenty six. The City of Bismarck is not
immune to the fluctuations in the economy like everybody else,
and so we are subject to higher price increases and
(26:09):
procurement issues and it's a change. Yeah, great word, And
so what is the takeaway for the citizens here? I
would encourage anybody to go back and consume the entire
discussion because there's a lot of insight, there's a lot
of ideas, there's a lot of information that came forward.
But also the budget will be posted, all of the information,
(26:31):
the full three hundred and some page document will be
available on our website. I would encourage anybody go through that.
If you have questions, you can contact staff. I'm sure
our finance director would love to have a conversation if
you have a simple email, you can feel free to
email them. Stop by the office you might want to
make an appointment interest in case staff's not always available
at a pop in. But as you noted on the timeline,
(26:55):
the preliminary budget was approved last night. We will be
looking forward to early September for the final budget, public
hearing and hopeful adoption for twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
So changes can be made between now and then, just
not additions.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
Is that that is correct the number, the dollar amount
cannot go up, but reductions can still be part and
shuffling things around, moving things around, But the high dollar
number has been established and that would be the mark
that would either be set or lower than that going
forward for twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Moving along, the best kept secret in Bismark, which is
no secret anymore, but the recommendation to hire a new
police chief. And you have the honor of being on
the hiring committee and then making the recommendation.
Speaker 3 (27:41):
Last night I did, and I was very pleased and
proud to offer the name of Jason Stugelmeyer, twenty four
year veteran of the Bismarck Police Department. Stuges to a
lot of people. If you know him. He's a Bismarck guy,
born and raised here, graduated from Bismarck High School. As
I mentioned, he's been with the department over two decades
and started out as officer and worked his way up
as a sergeant, as a lieutenant, as a deputy chief,
(28:03):
and did both sides of the deputy chief. We have
two deputy chief positions. One is more of the administrative
support services and the other is field services. Stubelmeyer did
both sides of that position, and so he understands all
the facets, all the components of the police department. He
was the leader of the swat team for quite some time.
His name came out loud and clear many times during
(28:26):
the Dapple situation back in twenty sixteen. He became a
leader and a very strong presence from the law enforcement
side of that, and all of that resonated throughout the
entire hiring process, and there were very qualified candidates that
he faced, and in the end it was a decision
that was in some ways very easy to make to
(28:48):
continue to support the department. I mentioned this to the
commissioners that in my mind, there's a time to bring
in an outside person to lead a department and there's
a time to hire from within. Was absolutely the time
to hire from within because things are in great shape.
Police Chief Dreevich has led this department very well, as
we mentioned at the onset of the program, and I
(29:09):
know from being in that number two position personally, I
know that when Deputy Chief Stugelmeyer becomes a chief, he
has his own ideas of how to lead this department,
and it will be fun to watch him continue on
this path of leadership but also to direct the course
of the City of Bismyer's law enforcement team. And I'm
anxious to work with him. I'm excited to watch him
(29:32):
evolved in his career as he takes on this new challenge.
So congratulations to him and best of luck.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
Nice nod to his family last night, Yeah, kind of
smile about it, but it was a heartfelt moment. He
mentioned the sacrifice a wife and the commitment a wife
and a family make to a position in a police
department or as now as police chief. So it was
nice to hear from Jason last night, and congratulations on
the promotion. And they'll take over August first, Yeah, so
(30:02):
just around the corner is just a few days away.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
He'll have cake on the thirty first with the outgoing
chief and then he'll have his hands full on the
next day.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
A couple more topics to talk about the request to
discuss the extra territorial of the ETA on the August
fifth meeting. Now, the county met earlier this week they
were going to address that didn't happen for whatever reason.
But what I took out of last night is there
(30:32):
will be a meeting August fifth that'll be informational for
both the county and the city to really help understand
what the ETA is and the help in the process
of moving forward.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
YEP, exactly. So August fifth, four pm to code to
media access will cover the program. That is the normal
scheduled time for the Bismarck Burley Combined Commissions meeting, which
is Mayor Schmitz and myself and then Auditor Splenskowski and
Commissioner Baching. That meeting will be replaced by a joint
meeting of all five committee or I'm sorry, all five
(31:02):
commission members from Bismarck and Burley, with the primary topic
of talking about the extra territorial area of the ETA.
So what is the ETA.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
It is a.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Construct of the North code centric code where cities can
have zoning and building inspections jurisdiction outside of city limits.
And what is the purpose of that. It is a
tool for growth, is a tool for planning to help
cities that are growing work their way into these areas
around the fringe of its community. And since my time
here with the city, starting in two thousand and six,
(31:34):
it frankly has been a point of contention between the
city and the county and the residence. And I think
where we are today, where we will be in the
two distant future is a point where we are going
to be looking at the boundary again and making some adjustments.
And what does that mean maybe condensing the ETA a
little bit and being a little more intentional about where
(31:55):
are the areas that we can provide services and we
actually will grow as the city Bismarck versus you know,
these areas are going to be challenging from a utilities perspective,
it would be millions of dollars of infrastructure. Maybe that
needs to stay rural. And we walk back from that
a little bit. But the purpose of the meeting on
August fifth will be to allow staff from both the
city and the County primarily engineering and building inspections and
(32:20):
planning to come forward and talk about the similarities between
the city Bismarck and Burley County and their zoning and
building ordinances, but then also the differences and where is
Bismarck maybe more ledient and Burley County would be a
little more restrictive or vice versa. And so we'll hear
a lot of information primarily from our Community Development Director
(32:41):
Ben Eric, likely our city Engineer Gabe Shell, and our
Public Works Utility Operations Director Michael mart But then on
the county side, they would have staff as well to
be able to speak to some of those situations. And
from there, the commissioners anticipate that there will likely be
a need for a second meeting because there will be
public comment, and part of the public comment I anticipate
(33:03):
will be people raising concerns from their own personal experiences
or their own personal property with the ETA, and rather
than try and address all of those concerns at one time,
I think it would be more effective to capture those
concerns schedule of future meeting and then come back with
some explanations and try and get to the bottom of
some of those answers.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
So August fifth, le'll mark that on our calendars and
follow up at the appropriate time. Finally, an update, there's
a citizen group they want to offer an amendment to
the half sent sales tax the home rule charter. Where's
that at after last night?
Speaker 3 (33:38):
So after a brief discussion, Commissioner Conley is working with
a group of citizens that are intending to proceed with
their own amendments and draft ballot language that would cause
a half sent sales tax collection with the intention of
paying for arterial roadway projects. Commissioner's inncer who holds the
(34:00):
portfolio for the Engineering Department, He and Commissioner Conley, myself,
City Engineer Gabe Shell, and one individual from the committee
that is working on the half since sales tax ballot
language have met a couple of times, and I think
where we are after last night is the two sides
have agreed to kind of go with their own separate ways,
(34:21):
and so Commissioner's anchor would prefer to follow the model
that was established in twenty seventeen when the project was
really led by the city. City staff were involved, but
then a very large group of stakeholders, a task force,
a couple of different task forces came together and then
provided recommendations for the City commission. Ballot language was drafted
(34:43):
at that time. It went to the voters in twenty eighteen,
it was approved. It was approved with a ten year sunset,
and so we're getting close to that ten years, and
so Commissioner's anchor has asked to work with Mayor Schmidz
and then establish a task force that would also include
Brendan Egg Brenda is the CEO of the Bismark Mandan
Chamber ADC, the voice of the business community in many cases,
(35:07):
and then also Kevin Stregi, who Kevin was part of
the original task force many many years ago. Bring those
groups together, bring city staff together, kind of constitute a
reconstitute a plan, and then come forward with recommendations again
and city staff would be a part of that effort
and would be available as a resource for the other
(35:28):
group should they have any questions along the way. So
kind of two similar paths, but two different projects, two
different groups, I guess ultimately looking forward to June of
twenty twenty six, that would be the goal for both
groups to have something on the ballot at that time
to address special assessments sales tax, street maintenance projects, more
(35:54):
to come.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
Big items. Well, it was quite a meeting last night.
A couple of final details to offer. If you want
to find out about the latest and street construction in
the City of Bismarck, please visit Bismarck Indi dot gov
slash streets and you can find out up to date
what's happening in Bismarck. And finally, if you can't watch
(36:17):
us on TV, you can chure download our apps. Our
DMA app gives you access to our government Access channel
and our Community Access channel and you can watch us
whenever you want, wherever you are. And of course you
can also download our Radio Access app, which gives you
access to local music producers and multiple local podcasts. So Jason,
(36:39):
thanks for all the information and recapping last night's City
Commission meeting. A lot of really informative items that we
were able to talk about, and thanks for watching. We'll
see you next time.
Speaker 5 (36:54):
For more information on what was discussed in this episode
of City Current, visit bismarckend dot gov or call seven
zero one three five five one three zero zero if
you have suggestions, comments, or issues you would like addressed
in future episodes. Contact us at info at free tv
dot org. This program airs on Government Access channel two
(37:15):
and six oh two in HD, or on Radio Access
one oh two point five FM. It's also available as
a podcast on Radioaccess dot org and as a video
viewing link at free tv dot org. Thanks for tuning
in to this edition of City Current.
City Current produced by Dakodemedia Access in depth discussion with
Bismarck and Mandan city officials. Watch on Government Access channel
six OZHO two HD, or tune in to Radio Access
one O two point five FM, Always Local, Always Current.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Welcome to City Current Bismarck Edition. I'm Tom Gerhart with
the Codemedia Access Align with Bismarck City Administrator Jason Tamonic.
Good to see you today.
Speaker 3 (00:32):
Thank you for hosting once again. Pleasure to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:36):
We got a lot to talk about. Let's go right
to our slate of talking points for this edition of
City Current. Last night we had, of course, the recognition
of outgoing Police Chief Dave Dreyevich, so we'll see how
he was honored at the commission meeting last night. We'll
talk about the Bismarck Airport study updates, some really interesting
things happening there, and some graphics to show you. We'll
(00:59):
go through the twenty twenty six city budget, and then
will end with the new police chief recommendation. You call
it the worst kept secret in Bismarck last night, so
in case you don't know, we'll reveal that shortly. But
let's start with Chief Dreyevich, and we've talked about him.
(01:19):
We've known you've gone through this process of hiring the
new chief and just give you an opportunity. You said
some words last night. You've called him a very humble man.
I had the opportunity to work for him when I
worked for local TV. And this CAP's off quite a career,
I think, Commissioner clearly last night I mentioned that he
started the year she was born.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
In nineteen eighty nine, Dave joined the police force as
an officer. He's spent fourteen years on patrol and then
worked his way through a variety of other positions. Canine handler,
he was a lieutenant, he was a deputy chief, he
was chief. He became chief in twenty eighteen. So it's
spent the last seven years as the leader of the
(01:58):
Bismarck Police Department. Some of the thoughts that I shared
last night that I've shared with others along the way.
When I think of Dave and the time that he
spent as the leader, I will think of how we
have embraced technology in the police department. We've adapted to
body Warren cameras. We've got a very robust and in
some cases envious drone program when we're talking with other
(02:19):
law enforcement agencies in the state, and then also the
importance of being an accredited law enforcement agency. There's only
two other accredited law enforcement agencies in the state of
North Dakota, State Highway Patrol, which has been longer than
the City of Ismark, but then also City of Grand
Forks's police department is accredited twice. Under Dave's leadership, we
(02:41):
have gone through the reaccreditation process and have come out
on the very high side of that recognition as well.
So Dave's done so many different things for the police department,
so many things for the community and the organization in
his free time. Of course, it was mentioned as well
that he's a mentor with Runners against Destructive Decisions and
(03:03):
the recovery community, and just it leaves a great indelible
mark on Bismarck's history. I think one of the things
that his successor will inherit a very well run and
very high functioning police department. And I think we're very
proud of that as a citizen here. As the administrator,
(03:24):
I know the next chief is going to be getting
a really, really good department to continue to lead.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
And you mentioned that last night. This isn't a case
where we needed to sort of start from scratch and
bring in somebody from the outside.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
This is a case of more of the We want
more of the same, more of the same, which means
promoting from within. And we're kind of teasing towards the
answer here of the worst kept secret of Bismarck. But
we have in my time with the city, I've seen
I think five different chiefs, and Dave has served the
longest of all of those five and just continues to
(03:57):
grow and excel that department. And I think our community
would agree. And thanks to the community. We often say
that this is a very supportive community. When people say
they back the Blue, they're not kidding. They actually very
much support the Bismarck Police Department, and we are very
appreciative of that as well.
Speaker 2 (04:13):
A couple of photos of Chief Dreevich still has a
few days to go, I guess before he officially hangs
things up, But I think it also should be said
navigating the department through COVID, I mean during that time,
I think probably some tremendous challenges HEREA is with Judge Severn,
who retired a little of the chief in action. But
(04:36):
I think that probably needs to be mentioned too, that
that was a challenging time for so many but.
Speaker 3 (04:42):
It was a very strange time for everybody. Law enforcement
had head their hands full, no question about it, between
overcrowding and putting people in the jail versus serving warrants
and arresting people, and just what are we doing day
by day? Things were changing constantly and in the end
(05:02):
we're better off because of the day's leadership and very
grateful for his thirty six years of service. His final
day will be July thirty first, so the end of
this month, and then the new chief will take over
on August first.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
Well, a nice moment from last night's commission meeting where
Commissioner Rish had some really nice things to say. Let's
take a listen.
Speaker 4 (05:23):
Congratulations Chief on making it to retirement. I'm from the
railroad industry, and we say when somebody retires, he's pulling
the pin. There's a pin between each car. You pull
the pin and the car rolls off into the sunset.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
I want to thank you for your service.
Speaker 4 (05:36):
You've made a tremendous impact on the department and the
safety of our community, and I'm grateful for that. The
chief started his career in nineteen eighty nine, fourteen years
on patrol. From two thousand and six three to two
thousand and six, he was a patrol supervisor and became
a lieutenant in two thousand and six, deputy chief in
(05:57):
twenty thirteen, and chief of police in So we got
about seven years out of you anyway. As police chief
are Chief Darevich led the department and implementing body worn cameras,
upgraded ballistic protection, launched a drone program, and adopted intelligent
led policing. He also led the apartment in twenty twenty
(06:18):
one and twenty twenty five for reaccreditation process for the
Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies called SELA the
gold standard for credentially public safety eight agencies. And we're
the only police department in the state.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
Correct No.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Grand Fork said, Okay, well sold a little.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Thunder, But it's very difficult to get this.
Speaker 4 (06:39):
And I was interviewed actually as part of the process,
and you've got to be a top shelf police force,
playing by all the rules and proper procedures and everything
like that to get that recognition. K nine handler. During
his patrol years, Chief Drevich worked closely with K nine
partners BO and Kodiak, and was widely regarded as a
(07:02):
corner zone of the patrol Division where he spent much
of his career. He loves dogs, and he told me
numerous times, I don't dare go out to the pound
because I might bring home another I might adopt another dog.
So appreciate that the Chief is a public servant on
the forest, but he's also a public service in other ways.
(07:22):
He serves as a mentor for runners against destructive decisions,
promoting healthy activities, and providing social support for referrals from
drug court and residents of the Missouri River Correction Center.
It's an incredible commitment showing up several hours a week
on his off time and never calling attention to himself.
But time goes on like it always does, and even
(07:43):
good guys like Chief Drevich gets to retire. But your
positive impact on the police department in our community will
be felt long after you retire as a citizen and
as certainly as a commissioner. Thank you for your service,
and I wish you all the best as you entered
this next chapter of your life.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Thank you. And the Chief came up and said a
few words as well, but really nice to honor him
last night. Again you said he's got a weaker and
we can change left on the job, but appreciation for
(08:23):
all those years of service dating all the way back
to nineteen eighty nine.
Speaker 3 (08:27):
Tremendous career.
Speaker 2 (08:28):
Also switching gears a little bit. The Human Relations Committee
gave out their annual awards last night, and we wanted
to show you the humanitarian awards quickly that were presented,
and there was a Youth Individual Award, an adult Individual award,
and a business slash nonprofit award, and so congratulations tall
(08:49):
who were recognized last night. Well on to the regular agenda.
We're just getting started. It was thick with content last night,
and right off the bat, I wanted to talk about
the airport terminal study. I think it was in twenty
twenty three that UBLE was given the nod to complete
(09:10):
a study looking at the terminal or at feature and
current needs, and that was all unbundled last night.
Speaker 3 (09:16):
As we move closer, closer and closer towards a about
one hundred and sixty million dollar project, it's kind of
a staggering number when you think about it, But what's
causing all of this is the increase in passenger traffic
plane and simple. We are not quite to the record
numbers that we were at as far as in plainments
(09:38):
people getting on the plane's BIS park. Twenty nineteen I
believe was the record high, but we are definitely on
the rebound side of kind of that dip in travel
in twenty twenty and twenty twenty one. What we're noticing
is that the air carriers are starting to up gauge,
which they're starting to talk about bringing in larger play,
(10:00):
which means more travelers, which means more congestion in those
high traffic areas. And so the study is looking at
an expansion of the terminal area which you mentioned, which
would essentially take the four gates that we have today
and broad them into six dedicated areas, and the possibility
would exist that there could be some apron expansions to
(10:21):
allow for those jetways to connect to multiple planes, not simultaneously, obviously,
but park two planes in the same vicinity as one jetway,
essentially doubling your gate capacity there as well.
Speaker 2 (10:33):
We're showing a picture not to interrupt you here quickly,
just of the terminal as it is. And then you
mentioned this project phasing, and as you're talking about what
some of the things you just mentioned, maybe you can
walk us through some of the items you just mentioned.
So Phase one is a ticketing and south departure expansion,
and that's in the green with the black or the
(10:55):
number one circled there. Not only are we getting back
to pre COVID numbers, but then of course this looks
at the future where it's going to get more crowded,
more crowded, and so the knee is definitely there with
passengers and baggage and all the things that come along
with it.
Speaker 3 (11:12):
Absolutely. Phase two would be concessions, and phase three is
relocating the TSA, so that's obviously a big part of
the screening process to get passengers safely on and off
the planes. And then phase four would be looking at
a north side expansion, going expanding the terminal to the north.
Phase one would be to the south, Phase four would
(11:33):
be to the north and then increasing some of the
area for the arrivals. And then also the final phase
would be what they call the landside development, expanded parking,
maybe some relocation of the rental car agencies down near
the baggage areas, again trying to reduce some of those
conflict zones where people are gathering, because that's where you
(11:55):
need to get your baggage, your rental car, you're ticketing,
whatever the case might be. So yeah, it's a really
big study, it's a really big project. It's a really
big number on the back end as well. But I
think it's important to note that with any airport project
there is always a blend of funding, typically federal funds
from the FAA, state funds from State Aeronautics Association, and
(12:17):
then local dollars as well, and the intentions would be
that they would be spent in that order as they
become available as well.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Here's a photo Djason of the preferred alternative. This is
the departure levels. This would be the second floor, so
to speak. And it was interesting that you noted if
people can see my cursor, this is the existing building,
existing facility right here, which is in a purple color.
I don't know if that's noticeable on your screen, so
(12:46):
it kind of gives you a pretty good idea of
the size of this.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
It's an expansion, fairly significant increase in square footage in
the terminal area, which is why it's called the Airport
Terminal study. It is creating more room for passengers to
move about the airport comfortably and safely.
Speaker 2 (13:03):
And that was another not getting too far into the weeds,
but in the middle you can see tsa queuing and
that would change the way. Now when we go up
the stairs or the escalator, that can get pretty congested,
so this would actually change the flow and provide for
more room for people to get through at an additional lane.
I think ultimately for security is some of the design
(13:25):
options that are being looked at too to bring the
airport up to speed.
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Yeah, you see a lot of these amenities in other
places when you travel. I think the one that sticks
out in this photo that I noticed years ago and
it kind of made me smile, and not a pet owner,
but a service animal relief area. That is a very
important feature in airports today as we see people relying
on service animals more and more. Obviously, children's play areas,
(13:51):
mother's rooms for privacy, and a number of things, and
it just it's the right time, it's the right location.
We've invested a lot in our airport, but it is
an important economic generator in our community, having business and
leisure travel right in and out of Bismarck is a
tremendous asset, and we want to make sure that our airport.
For a lot of people, it is their first impression
(14:12):
of Bismarck. It is the welcome att when they come
to our community door front door, and we want them
to realize that they are in a special place. And
we are proud of that airport. And I think today
it looks great. It served a wonderful purpose and it
will continue to do so in the future. So I'm
looking forward to watching this one continue to build momentum.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
Here's some other areas of interest, potential for some outdoor spaces,
premium restrooms. I think everybody elso wants to know about
concessions and some of those options for food and beverage.
So a lot of things under consideration in this study that,
as we've said, started. I think they got the green
light in twenty twenty three, so this is the result
(14:52):
of a lot of work. It is yep, and moving forward.
I guess we should mention that I think they need
to finalize study and then they'll come back and work
on a path forward. This isn't say this project has
been green lighted at this point. But just here's what
they've come up with in this last couple of years.
Speaker 3 (15:09):
Right in dealing with the Federal Aviation Administration, it's a
little more I don't want to use word cumbersome, but
it's a little more difficult. In just local government, there's
obviously a lot of a lot of red tape, a
lot of reviews, a lot of people looking over things
for all the right reasons, and so that goes into
the design and that all gets considered when this project
(15:33):
is brought forward.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
I also wanted to talk about the bulk item collection
pilot program that began last November in six months was
a pilot period time which leads us to July. So
Steve Sally came last night and gave us an update
on how that program has been going, how many people
have been using it. Of course, in the past, there
was a spring and a fall cleanup. The idea, i think,
(15:57):
or one of the ideas behind this ball pickup was
to get rid of one of the fall pickup time
and allow people to schedule items to be picked up
for a fee. And it sounds like it hasn't been
used tremendously, but enough that we want to continue this program. Right.
Speaker 3 (16:18):
The averages I believe was, you know, ten to twenty
items a month, and there is a fee. There is
a fee to pick up the item. I believe that's
a twenty dollars fee per visit. But then there's also
a disposal fee. So whatever the normal disposal fee would
be for the item, whether it be a dishwasher or
a piece of furniture, that is also part of the
(16:38):
fee that is charged. But I appreciate that this program
is continuing to move forward. I think it gives citizens
an alternative and it may not have the largest uptake
of usage, but it is still providing a service that
otherwise might not be there for some folks. And I
think that's a good program that we're going to continue.
(16:59):
And I think over time we will probably see an
increase in so NOE of the usage because it becomes
people more aware of it. I never realized that, Oh,
I didn't realize I had that option before.
Speaker 2 (17:08):
Well, it's nice to have somebody come and pick it up.
Maybe you don't have a truck, maybe you have some
reasons that you can't do things, and maybe you just
don't want to drive out. And sometimes sometimes there can
be a line, so It's just kind of nice to
have that option. Another big talking point last night was
a fall leaf clean up.
Speaker 3 (17:27):
I'd got more airtime than I thought it would, but
it was an interesting discussion, and I again kind of
hinging on this. We're no longer picking up extras, those
items that would be left next to the trash container.
A lot of people are in the habit of putting
their leaves in a bag and then setting the bag
next to the curb and trash would pick it up.
(17:48):
So the question was do we provide some type of
an alternative service in those situations. And I think where
consensus seemed to formulate was around this idea that the
city would be able to provide a thirty gallon compostable
paper bag that people could pick up with their leads
in those bags, and then those would be picked up
(18:11):
during select weeks in October by public works employees, and
so it would be an alternative for those that may
not have the means or the ability to get their
leads to the recycling sites, because those will still be
open as well. Yeah, but if you would like, if
you just maybe have a vehicle that doesn't accommodate large
bags of leaves, this would be an alternative for you
as well. And so where the conversation ended last night
(18:34):
at the meeting, director saw why will go back and
find out more information on sourcing the bags, availability of
the bags, and then looking at what would be the
appropriate dates and times. Obviously we can't do the entire
city all in one day, so there's going to take
some coordination communication. Obviously, this is part of the success
of this program is our ability to get the information
(18:56):
out to people so they can plan and be prepared
for that.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
So interesting point from the mayor last night too. So
I think Steve's looking into the city providing these bags,
not finalized again yet, but looking into the cost. He's
going to come back in August with an idea of
what it would cost the city provide these bags. But
the mayor made the point that he'd rather pay for
the bags than the cost of digging another hole at
(19:19):
the landfill. Was correct extremely expensive.
Speaker 3 (19:22):
Right, And the point there is the paper bags would
be put into the recycling with the other leaves and
grass clippings, whereas if they're in a plastic bag, they'll
end up in the hole in the landfill, taking up
very valuable space that is very expensive to create, and
so I think from an environmental perspective, that's a good
approach to take on and hopefully Steve's able to come
(19:44):
back with some information that makes this a reality for
us as well well.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Moving along, preliminary approval of the twenty twenty six city
budget was given last night, but under that umbrella there
was a lot of conversation.
Speaker 3 (19:58):
So a lot of information.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
I did have a graphic I thought we'd pop up
quickly that Dmitri did a nice job with his presentation.
But maybe this gives people an idea of the process.
Right now, we're at that July twenty second where the
City Commission last night did approve the twenty twenty sixth
preliminary budget. Then in early September there would be the
(20:20):
final approval. But again, underneath this process a lot of
talk about House Bill eleven seventy six last night, which
was passed by the legislature with the intent of providing
property tax relief, which it will do, but it's such
a large bill that I think there's still a lot
(20:41):
sure seems that all of us don't know about. And
one of the ideas of that bill is this three
percent cap on municipalities right before, so take it from there.
That's where Commissioner's Anchor brought up a point. I think
there's some confusion. Maybe an education piece about what this
(21:02):
is going to mean for people like you and me
who live in Bismarck in terms of our property taxes
enter home values.
Speaker 3 (21:09):
Maybe the easiest way to distill the confusion. So a
three percent cap, yes, there's no doubt about that. That
was the end result of part of the end result
of House Bill eleven seventy six. So three percent on
the city's annual budget. That doesn't necessarily translate to a
three percent increase for every property owner across the community.
(21:32):
And I think that's where there's going to be confusion.
I think that was the discussion that Commissioners InCor raised
last night when we talk about legislative intent versus messaging,
What are we saying and then what are the people understanding.
We've got three different potential conversations going on, all focusing
around the same topic, which is property tax reform. We
(21:54):
heard that throughout the entire Legislative Assembly. We understand the intent.
We are working within those parameters, as are all three
hundred and fifty four other cities in North Dakota. But
three percent might translate differently if your property is worth
more than an adjacent property, or if you've made improvements
to your property, or if your property is going the
(22:17):
other direction and the value starting to decrease, and so
there is some confusion. There needs to be some messaging.
What we have now is a baseline for the conversation.
We have the recommended budget moving forward for twenty twenty six,
and what we focused on for the overall budget was
(22:37):
obviously a number one balance budget. We're not looking to
deficit spend. When we develop our budget. One of the
first things we look at is maintaining our assets. And
one of our greatest assets are the employees that we have,
the six hundred and seventy plus full time employees, and
so how do we continue to adequately pay them and
provide benefits to them that help them want to continue
(23:00):
to work with us as a retaining but then also
to help recruit talent. As we continue to see people
retire and move on to other positions, we are forever
looking for new talented employees, and so what are those
ways that we can attract them by paying them and
treating them in a way that is very commensurate with
other jobs in the community. This year, one of the
(23:22):
I guess fortunate experiences that we had is that we
had a little bit of a lull in our necessary
fleet purchases, and so several years ago we developed a
fleet plan identifying a life cycle for all the equipment
that our staff uses on a regular basis, and this
year we were fortunate that we didn't have some of
those larger purchases. In the past, we've been buying front
(23:43):
end loaders and motor graders and fire trucks. We didn't
see quite the volume of those types of purchases, which
ultimately frees up cash for other projects that are part
of the request. One of the other things we get
asked a lot by the fifteen different departments is for
additional staff. There were close to a dozen more than
(24:04):
a dozen requests for additional staff. The budget committee recommended
half of those positions come forward, and two of those
six positions are actually in our human resources department. As
I mentioned, six hundred and seventy full time employees, plus
depending on the season, retirees, and then we've got more
time in seasonal employees. We're dealing with thousands of people
(24:25):
when it comes to payroll, benefits, pension and having more
staff to provide those services in addition to training and
safety procedures and a variety of other things that human
resources takes care of, it's time to help staff them
up appropriately. So right now there are six employees in
(24:46):
a department for human resources for over six hundred and
seventy full time employees. The ratio is it's a little
out of whack, yeah on that one. So and then
also we're obviously always looking at software upgrades to stay
on point with security. You heard the commissioners talk about Axon.
Axon is the company that we have aligned with for
(25:06):
body warm cameras and other technologies within our police force.
We are all in with Axon and continue to see
the value in that investment. It makes our law enforcement
their lives are easier, their jobs, or are more effective
and efficient. And we're continuing to find ways that the
technology that is coming forward is going to improve the
(25:27):
efficiencies of our law enforcement officers and that's just tremendous.
And so with those types of things, obviously we've got
other projects. We've got building maintenance projects. We own a
number of buildings throughout the community just like a homeowner.
Just like a regular property owner, we face those projects
as well, whether it be a new roof, parking lot, repair, remodeling,
(25:47):
you have it. All of that stuff gets wrapped up
into this budget for next year. And as Dmitri Chriniak,
our finance director, pointed out, we're in the middle of
twenty twenty five and we're projecting expenses through the end
of twenty twenty six. The City of Bismarck is not
immune to the fluctuations in the economy like everybody else,
and so we are subject to higher price increases and
(26:09):
procurement issues and it's a change. Yeah, great word, And
so what is the takeaway for the citizens here? I
would encourage anybody to go back and consume the entire
discussion because there's a lot of insight, there's a lot
of ideas, there's a lot of information that came forward.
But also the budget will be posted, all of the information,
(26:31):
the full three hundred and some page document will be
available on our website. I would encourage anybody go through that.
If you have questions, you can contact staff. I'm sure
our finance director would love to have a conversation if
you have a simple email, you can feel free to
email them. Stop by the office you might want to
make an appointment interest in case staff's not always available
at a pop in. But as you noted on the timeline,
(26:55):
the preliminary budget was approved last night. We will be
looking forward to early September for the final budget, public
hearing and hopeful adoption for twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (27:04):
So changes can be made between now and then, just
not additions.
Speaker 3 (27:07):
Is that that is correct the number, the dollar amount
cannot go up, but reductions can still be part and
shuffling things around, moving things around, But the high dollar
number has been established and that would be the mark
that would either be set or lower than that going
forward for twenty twenty six.
Speaker 2 (27:26):
Moving along, the best kept secret in Bismark, which is
no secret anymore, but the recommendation to hire a new
police chief. And you have the honor of being on
the hiring committee and then making the recommendation.
Speaker 3 (27:41):
Last night I did, and I was very pleased and
proud to offer the name of Jason Stugelmeyer, twenty four
year veteran of the Bismarck Police Department. Stuges to a
lot of people. If you know him. He's a Bismarck guy,
born and raised here, graduated from Bismarck High School. As
I mentioned, he's been with the department over two decades
and started out as officer and worked his way up
as a sergeant, as a lieutenant, as a deputy chief,
(28:03):
and did both sides of the deputy chief. We have
two deputy chief positions. One is more of the administrative
support services and the other is field services. Stubelmeyer did
both sides of that position, and so he understands all
the facets, all the components of the police department. He
was the leader of the swat team for quite some time.
His name came out loud and clear many times during
(28:26):
the Dapple situation back in twenty sixteen. He became a
leader and a very strong presence from the law enforcement
side of that, and all of that resonated throughout the
entire hiring process, and there were very qualified candidates that
he faced, and in the end it was a decision
that was in some ways very easy to make to
(28:48):
continue to support the department. I mentioned this to the
commissioners that in my mind, there's a time to bring
in an outside person to lead a department and there's
a time to hire from within. Was absolutely the time
to hire from within because things are in great shape.
Police Chief Dreevich has led this department very well, as
we mentioned at the onset of the program, and I
(29:09):
know from being in that number two position personally, I
know that when Deputy Chief Stugelmeyer becomes a chief, he
has his own ideas of how to lead this department,
and it will be fun to watch him continue on
this path of leadership but also to direct the course
of the City of Bismyer's law enforcement team. And I'm
anxious to work with him. I'm excited to watch him
(29:32):
evolved in his career as he takes on this new challenge.
So congratulations to him and best of luck.
Speaker 2 (29:39):
Nice nod to his family last night, Yeah, kind of
smile about it, but it was a heartfelt moment. He
mentioned the sacrifice a wife and the commitment a wife
and a family make to a position in a police
department or as now as police chief. So it was
nice to hear from Jason last night, and congratulations on
the promotion. And they'll take over August first, Yeah, so
(30:02):
just around the corner is just a few days away.
Speaker 3 (30:04):
He'll have cake on the thirty first with the outgoing
chief and then he'll have his hands full on the
next day.
Speaker 2 (30:11):
A couple more topics to talk about the request to
discuss the extra territorial of the ETA on the August
fifth meeting. Now, the county met earlier this week they
were going to address that didn't happen for whatever reason.
But what I took out of last night is there
(30:32):
will be a meeting August fifth that'll be informational for
both the county and the city to really help understand
what the ETA is and the help in the process
of moving forward.
Speaker 3 (30:41):
YEP, exactly. So August fifth, four pm to code to
media access will cover the program. That is the normal
scheduled time for the Bismarck Burley Combined Commissions meeting, which
is Mayor Schmitz and myself and then Auditor Splenskowski and
Commissioner Baching. That meeting will be replaced by a joint
meeting of all five committee or I'm sorry, all five
(31:02):
commission members from Bismarck and Burley, with the primary topic
of talking about the extra territorial area of the ETA.
So what is the ETA.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
It is a.
Speaker 3 (31:13):
Construct of the North code centric code where cities can
have zoning and building inspections jurisdiction outside of city limits.
And what is the purpose of that. It is a
tool for growth, is a tool for planning to help
cities that are growing work their way into these areas
around the fringe of its community. And since my time
here with the city, starting in two thousand and six,
(31:34):
it frankly has been a point of contention between the
city and the county and the residence. And I think
where we are today, where we will be in the
two distant future is a point where we are going
to be looking at the boundary again and making some adjustments.
And what does that mean maybe condensing the ETA a
little bit and being a little more intentional about where
(31:55):
are the areas that we can provide services and we
actually will grow as the city Bismarck versus you know,
these areas are going to be challenging from a utilities perspective,
it would be millions of dollars of infrastructure. Maybe that
needs to stay rural. And we walk back from that
a little bit. But the purpose of the meeting on
August fifth will be to allow staff from both the
city and the County primarily engineering and building inspections and
(32:20):
planning to come forward and talk about the similarities between
the city Bismarck and Burley County and their zoning and
building ordinances, but then also the differences and where is
Bismarck maybe more ledient and Burley County would be a
little more restrictive or vice versa. And so we'll hear
a lot of information primarily from our Community Development Director
(32:41):
Ben Eric, likely our city Engineer Gabe Shell, and our
Public Works Utility Operations Director Michael mart But then on
the county side, they would have staff as well to
be able to speak to some of those situations. And
from there, the commissioners anticipate that there will likely be
a need for a second meeting because there will be
public comment, and part of the public comment I anticipate
(33:03):
will be people raising concerns from their own personal experiences
or their own personal property with the ETA, and rather
than try and address all of those concerns at one time,
I think it would be more effective to capture those
concerns schedule of future meeting and then come back with
some explanations and try and get to the bottom of
some of those answers.
Speaker 2 (33:23):
So August fifth, le'll mark that on our calendars and
follow up at the appropriate time. Finally, an update, there's
a citizen group they want to offer an amendment to
the half sent sales tax the home rule charter. Where's
that at after last night?
Speaker 3 (33:38):
So after a brief discussion, Commissioner Conley is working with
a group of citizens that are intending to proceed with
their own amendments and draft ballot language that would cause
a half sent sales tax collection with the intention of
paying for arterial roadway projects. Commissioner's inncer who holds the
(34:00):
portfolio for the Engineering Department, He and Commissioner Conley, myself,
City Engineer Gabe Shell, and one individual from the committee
that is working on the half since sales tax ballot
language have met a couple of times, and I think
where we are after last night is the two sides
have agreed to kind of go with their own separate ways,
(34:21):
and so Commissioner's anchor would prefer to follow the model
that was established in twenty seventeen when the project was
really led by the city. City staff were involved, but
then a very large group of stakeholders, a task force,
a couple of different task forces came together and then
provided recommendations for the City commission. Ballot language was drafted
(34:43):
at that time. It went to the voters in twenty eighteen,
it was approved. It was approved with a ten year sunset,
and so we're getting close to that ten years, and
so Commissioner's anchor has asked to work with Mayor Schmidz
and then establish a task force that would also include
Brendan Egg Brenda is the CEO of the Bismark Mandan
Chamber ADC, the voice of the business community in many cases,
(35:07):
and then also Kevin Stregi, who Kevin was part of
the original task force many many years ago. Bring those
groups together, bring city staff together, kind of constitute a
reconstitute a plan, and then come forward with recommendations again
and city staff would be a part of that effort
and would be available as a resource for the other
(35:28):
group should they have any questions along the way. So
kind of two similar paths, but two different projects, two
different groups, I guess ultimately looking forward to June of
twenty twenty six, that would be the goal for both
groups to have something on the ballot at that time
to address special assessments sales tax, street maintenance projects, more
(35:54):
to come.
Speaker 2 (35:54):
Big items. Well, it was quite a meeting last night.
A couple of final details to offer. If you want
to find out about the latest and street construction in
the City of Bismarck, please visit Bismarck Indi dot gov
slash streets and you can find out up to date
what's happening in Bismarck. And finally, if you can't watch
(36:17):
us on TV, you can chure download our apps. Our
DMA app gives you access to our government Access channel
and our Community Access channel and you can watch us
whenever you want, wherever you are. And of course you
can also download our Radio Access app, which gives you
access to local music producers and multiple local podcasts. So Jason,
(36:39):
thanks for all the information and recapping last night's City
Commission meeting. A lot of really informative items that we
were able to talk about, and thanks for watching. We'll
see you next time.
Speaker 5 (36:54):
For more information on what was discussed in this episode
of City Current, visit bismarckend dot gov or call seven
zero one three five five one three zero zero if
you have suggestions, comments, or issues you would like addressed
in future episodes. Contact us at info at free tv
dot org. This program airs on Government Access channel two
(37:15):
and six oh two in HD, or on Radio Access
one oh two point five FM. It's also available as
a podcast on Radioaccess dot org and as a video
viewing link at free tv dot org. Thanks for tuning
in to this edition of City Current.
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