This is June 23rd, 2026.

We are in the Tom Baker meeting hall, and this is the Board of City Commissioners.

We are going to go ahead and start with Chaplin Holhalter.

Can you double check for me?

There he is.

Thank you.

With prayer and pledge.

That's pretty good.

And I think that the honor we have to do that.

All right, we will go ahead and call roll.

Commissioner Wish.

Here.

Commissioner Zanker?

Here.

Commissioner Connolly?

Here.

Mayor Schmitz.

Here.

Commissioner Cleary.

Here.

All right.

Before we go on to public comment, we have the humanitarian award presentations that I believe Sargiana, Tia, and Katie are going to come present.

Good evening, Commissioners and members of our community.

My name is Katie Hoole, Chair of Bismarck Human Relations Committee.

Joining me this evening are fellow committee members, Sargiana Witzki and Tia Jorgensen.

We're honored to be here tonight to present the 2025 Humanitarian Awards.

The Bismarck Human Relations Committee was established to celebrate the value of a diverse and compassionate community.

Each year, the committee presents humanitarian awards to individuals and organizations who embody that mission.

People and groups who stand up for others, treat every person with dignity, and make our community a more welcoming place for all.

This year we received nominations that moved us very deeply.

They reminded us of something important that the work of building a more welcoming and compassionate community does not happen in grand gestures or headline moments.

It happens in quiet, consistent acts of courage, kindness, and service.

It happens in schools, in recovery houses, in after school programs, and in one-on-one conversations that never make the news.

This year's recipient is Levi Englstad, a young man from Bismarck who was nominated by Rhonda Styles Roadie.

Rhonda has known Levi since he was young and has watched him grow from an eager small child who wanted to help in any way he could into a thoughtful, dependable young leader.

Levi has spent his teenage years putting his values into action.

He's now in his fourth year of the Avid program that builds skills and critical thinking, leadership, cross-cultural understanding, and community engagement.

Beyond the classroom, Levi has volunteered consistently across the community, serving as a junior group leader at St.

Mary's Faith Formation, supporting Roosevelt Elementary Title I events, volunteering with Ministry on the Margins, and leading activity stations at community family nights.

What makes Levi stand out is not just the list of activities of the ways that he's involved, but the spirit he brings to them.

He created welcome kits for new students at his school, ensuring that every peer, regardless of the back of their background or circumstance, feel supported from the very first day.

He helped create Mayday cards for classmates, staff, and community members who might be struggling or feeling overlooked.

These are the kind of gestures that cost little but mean everything to the people that receive them.

Rhonda captured it this way.

Levi's leadership is rooted in compassion, humility, and a genuine desire to make life better for others.

He leads not by authority, but by example, through kindness, reliability, and a steady commitment to human dignity and Cuban service.

Levi, on behalf of the Bismarck Human Relations Committee, it is our honor to present you with the 2025 Youth Humanitarian Award.

This year's recipient is Megan Frankel Mann, director of Hope Manor, nominated by Sally.

Megan's story is one that begins inside the very organization she now leads.

She first walked through Hope Manor's doors as a participant in 2014.

She became instructor in 2023.

That arc, from resident to leader, shapes everything about how she does this work.

People in recovery are the most easily overlooked members of our community.

They're often turned away from housing, employment, and face insurmountable stigma.

Megan has built her life's work around the steady, quiet insistence that they are full human beings with dignity and worth.

As our nominator Sally wrote, she doesn't talk about the people Home Manor serves as a recipients of help.

She talks about them as colleagues in recovery, neighbors, future alumni, and future leaders.

That stance shows up in small, repeated acts of dignity.

Sally writes character references.

Megan writes character reference letters for residents headed to court.

She drafts pardon applications.

She designs participation policies that treat residents as adults with agency, not subjects to be managed.

Megan has built something lasting for Bismarck.

The men's program, the women's sober living house, and the hub together form a recovery ecosystem our city did not have before.

The hub is especially significant.

Rather than operating as a closed recovery center, it opened its doors as a coffee shop and community gathering space where anyone can walk in.

We are also grateful that a family who was touched deeply by Megan's work wanted their story shared tonight.

Sally, a mother who lost her son to addiction, wrote to us, and with her permission, we want to share a piece of what she said because it captures who Megan is as a humanitarian.

Sally wrote, My son applied to Hope's manor several times.

I would take him to meet Megan, and she always greeted him with respect, dignity, and understanding.

No matter how many times he blew her off, no showed for an interview, or didn't appear for his intake, Megan kept working with him.

There were no lectures, no shame.

She told him the truth about his actions and what they were costing him, not just to him, but to his family.

She didn't let him walk over her the way I often so did.

She would name his disrespect plainly and then tell him she understood because she had been there herself.

But that nothing would change until he took the first small step.

Sally's son lost his battle with addiction.

And she shared, when my son died in an overdose, Megan was the first person I called.

Not my new husband, not his sister.

A woman the world might have called a stranger.

She cried with me on the other end of the phone, and she just listened.

She didn't try to fix my pain.

She asked when the funeral was and offered to come, but by then we had moved out of state.

She sent a card I've kept all these years.

After he died and went through his phone.

What I found broke me open again.

For nearly three years from the day she first met him, Megan had been messaging my son.

Names of sponsors, meeting times, quietly, regularly, almost as if she had it on her calendar.

Sometimes he wrote back, and she would share her own experience.

Two months before he died, she sent him this.

I know you're hurting.

I know you think it's impossible, but your life has meaning.

It can get better, and you aren't alone.

When you're ready to take the first step, please reach out.

I'll do my best to help you.

But remember, it's not a negotiation.

This is your life.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Take care of yourself till then.

Sally could not be here tonight to say thank you in person.

So I'm honored to share this on behalf.

Sally said, Megan is so deserving of this award.

I wish I could be there in person to tell her this.

What she did for my son and for me will stay with me until the day I die.

On behalf of all the family she has held up through her quiet, extraordinary kindness, directly or indirectly, I want to thank her.

You have no idea what finding those messages on my phone son's phone meant to me.

Even though he died alone, I'd like to think he knew that at least one person in this world understood what he was going through and did not judge him for it.

Megan, on behalf of the Bismarck Human Relations Committee, we are honored to present you with a 2025 Adult Humanitarian Award.

Nominated by Kenda Kendra Vanderwall and sponsored by advisor Sarah Bohr.

The peer-to-peer program pairs students together with a clear purpose to build connections, share knowledge, and strengthen both or academic and social belonging with a particular focus on creating meaningful inclusion for students with disabilities.

What these students do goes well beyond a school program.

They show up in classroom, after school events, and community spaces to make sure that individuals with disabilities are not just accommodated, they are welcomed, valued, and given a role.

They take initiative to build genuine friendships and create opportunities for participation that fosters a sense of true belonging.

One powerful example is the Neurodiversity Palooza, a community event where students from multiple schools came together to create and run interactive booths.

Peer-to-peer students work side by side with individuals with disabilities to design, operate, and engage visitors at every booth.

As Kendra described, everyone had a role in engaging with visitors and sharing in the experience, regardless of disability.

The focus was not on limitations, but on participation and connection.

This event helped show the community what inclusion looks like in action.

By working together, all participants had a meaningful role.

These students, through their daily actions at school and in the community, are building a culture where differences are respected and inclusion is not a policy but a practice.

They are proof that young people have extraordinary power to shape the kind of community we all want to live in.

To the students of Century High School's peer-to-peer program, advisor Sarah Boer, Activities Director Ben Lervick, on behalf of the Bismarck Human Relations Committee, thank you for the work you do every single day.

We are proud to present you with the 2025 Humanitarian Award.

All right.

Before we move on, I just want to say thank you to the award winners for all the meaningful work you've done in our community.

And thank you to the HRC again for uh presenting our award winners this year.

Um we're going to move on now to the public comment portion of the meeting.

Um public comment is restricted to items on the consent agenda, regular agenda, or the prior commission, prior city commission agenda, excluding any public hearing items.

First call for public comment this evening.

I would like to thank uh Commissioner Zecker and Commissioner Glue for their service for the disability community.

I also would like to thank Kendra and a peer-to-peer program.

They do a lot of good work and they're well deserving.

And I thank Sarah Bore and Kendra for nominating them.

Thank you for your service both.

You've done a lot for transit.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Second call for public comment.

Third and final call for public comment.

Public comment period is now closed.

Moving on to the consent agenda.

What are the wishes, Commissioners?

I'll make a motion to approve as presented.

Thank you.

So motion and a second.

Any further discussion.

Go ahead and call roll.

Commissioner Zenker.

Yes.

Commissioner Connolly.

Yes.

Mayor Schmitz.

Yes.

Commissioner Rish?

Yes.

Commissioner Clarity.

Yes.

All right.

Moving on to the regular agenda item A.

Public hearing on request for the release of existing temporary turnaround easement.

I believe.

Oh, Gabe.

I thought it was going to be Jenny.

Surprise.

So this is Vice Chair Cleary, Commissioners.

Uh this is a request from the landowner to release a non-platted easement, so therefore it's something that goes before the engineering department.

Uh platted easements would go before planning.

Uh but what you have on the screen here is a temporary turnaround easement on Paradise Drive on your consent agenda earlier, uh, just approved was the creation of a new special assessment district that would extend Paradise Drive, thus negating the need for this temporary call to sack.

So our requests are the developers landowner's request is to uh vacate or I guess release the temporary turnaround easement.

Um just also wanted to note that we would typically notify all the abutting landowners of of the easement release, but since the abutting landowner in this situation is the developer as well as the land outside of that is also the developers, no additional notifications were provided because they were the ones requesting the release.

So with that, I guess I would recommend uh opening the public hearing and then releasing easement uh nine six nine one five nine per the agenda.

All right, this is a public hearing.

Anyone who wishes to speak on item A, please come forward.

Second call for public hearing.

Third and final call for public hearing.

Public hearing is now closed.

What are the wishes of the commission?

I'll move the uh approved as presented.

Second.

Motion and a second.

Any further discussion.

Seeing none, go ahead and call roll.

Commissioner Connolly.

Yes.

Mayor Schmitz.

Yes.

Commissioner Rich?

Yes.

Commissioner Zenker?

Yes.

Commissioner Cleary.

Yes.

Item B, public hearing on ordinance sixty-six seventy, a zoning map amendment from A agricultural zoning district to R 10 residential and P public zoning districts for major subdivision final plat titled Boulder Ridge 8th edition.

Jenny.

Thank you.

This request is located in North Bismarck, east of North Washington Street between 43rd Avenue Northeast and East LaSalle Drive.

It consists of 13.6 acres with 19 blocks or excuse me, 19 lots and four blocks.

I should note that the land development code and official zoning mapper recently approved and take effect on October 1st.

The zoning ordinance for the proposed map amendment includes the existing zoning districts and their equivalents outlined in the LDC.

In this case, R 10 residential will become RS residential suburban and P public will become OS open space.

The property has been identified as urban neighborhood in our future land use plan.

These areas are for places of quiet enjoyment of home life.

The proposed zoning districts would conform to the character of this district.

Adjacent uses include developing single family residential to the north, south, and west, and a remnant agriculture zone property to the east.

The planning and zoning commission held a public hearing on this request on May 27th.

Staff received one written comment outlining traffic concerns before the hearing.

Additionally, two members of the public spoke during the hearing inquiring about landscape buffer requirements and special assessments for a proposed park on lot one block two of the plat.

At the conclusion of the hearing, the planning and zoning commission voted to recommend approval of the ord of ordinance 6670 and made uh for the zoning map amendment and major subdivision final plated Boulder Ridge 8th edition.

Do you have questions?

Doesn't look like it.

Thank you.

Thanks, Jenny.

This is a public hearing for ordinance 6670.

Anyone who wishes to speak, please come forward.

Thank you, Commissioner Clear.

Lennon Nymaroswins and Hagen Engineering representing the applicants on this one.

Um yeah, this is an infield project here in Bismarck.

This is an area that's been waiting a long time to get in to get a park and that connected road with uh with Normandy there.

That's been sort of this gap in the infrastructure for for quite some time.

So this is our shot here to to make that infill happen and get a couple lots to sell as well.

But I can certainly answer any questions if you have them.

Commissioner Rish.

Um Madam Chair Landon.

I just see to the east of there there's some vacant land looks to be.

Is that any plans for the future for that?

Thank you, Commissioner.

Um there are plans uh that maybe a few years down the road yet.

That would be Boulder Ridge 9th at some point.

Um there's some difficulties in the area.

There's some some wetlands there, there's some drainage issues, there's difficulty of access.

So at some point we will develop that part, but for now we're we're leaving that alone so that we can we can finish this part up.

All right, I don't think any other questions for you.

Thanks, Linda.

Thank you.

This is a public hearing.

Anyone who wishes to speak, please come forward.

Second call for public hearing.

Third and final call for public hearing.

Public hearing is now closed.

What are the wishes of the commission?

Move to approve is presented.

Second.

Uh with a motion and a second.

Any further discussion?

Hearing none, go ahead and call roll.

Mayor Schmitz.

Yes.

Commissioner Risch?

Yes.

Commissioner Zanker.

Yes.

Commissioner Connolly?

Yes.

Commissioner Cleary.

Yes.

Item C public hearing for major subdivision final plat titled Clear Sky 2nd edition and ordinance 6671, a zoning map amendment from R5 Residential and A Agricultural Zoning Districts to R5 Residential Zoning District.

Thank you.

Vice Chair Clary.

Commissioners, FRF Investments and 94 Investments LLP.

Request approval of Zordin of Zoning Ordinance 6671, a zoning map amendment from the R5 residential and A Agricultural Zoning Districts to the R5 Residential Zoning District, and Major Subdivision Final Plat titled Clear Sky 2nd Edition.

This request is located east of Bismarck, east of 52nd Street, Southeast and North of Apple Creek Road.

It can six consists of 19.18 acres with seven lots in four blocks.

Again, the land development code and official zoning mapper recently approved and take effect on October 1st.

The zoning ordinance for the proposed zoning map amendment includes our existing zoning districts and their equivalents in the land development code.

In this case, R5 residential will become RS residential suburban.

The property has been identified again as urban neighborhood in the land use plan.

The proposed zoning districts would conform to the character of this district with future residential development of the plat.

Adjacent land uses include developing single family residential to the north, undeveloped residential to the to the west, and agricultural land to the south and east.

The planning and zoning commission held a public hearing on this request on May 27th.

No members of the public spoke and no written comments were received.

At the conclusion of the hearing, the public the planning and zoning commission voted to recommend approval of ordinance 6671 and major subdivision final plat for clear sky second edition with the following conditions.

Additional off-site storm water and drainage easements for the adjacent property as noted in the conditional approval of the PCSMP are received prior to recordation of the plat and a waiver of minimum lot with sub with subdivision standards for lot three in the southeast corner of the plat is uh approved with this request.

Do you have questions?

Thank you.

This is a public hearing for final plat titled Clear Sky Second Edition and Ordinance 6671.

Anyone who wishes to speak, please come forward.

Second call for public hearing.

Third and final call for public hearing.

Public hearing is now closed.

What are the wishes of the commission?

I'll move we approve as presented.

Second.

The motion and a second.

Any further discussion?

Seeing none, go ahead and call roll.

Commissioner Ish?

Yes.

Commissioner Zanker?

Yes.

Commissioner Connolly?

Yes.

Mayor Schmitz.

Yes.

Commissioner Cleary.

Yes.

Item D consider the request to receive an update on the half cent sales tax for roadways.

Gabe again.

Good evening again, Vice Chair and Commissioners.

I'm here to present just uh some initial thoughts on the half cent sales tax.

So as you as we well know, the half cent sales tax was passed by uh the citizens, the voters of Bismarck at the most recent primary election.

Uh in the consent agenda, there is a uh a request for a um future ordinance uh public hearing that would set forth uh some of the language that we'd have an ordinance that would then reflect what was approved in the home rule charter.

Um what I'm asking tonight, or what I want to have a discussion on tonight is just setting some initial direction, um, fully understanding that this board is not the same board that will be here in a couple of weeks to make other decisions.

Um so no decisions trying to get made here, but uh do want to recognize the timeliness of some of these things that if the effort and energy is is desired to put forward a project in 2027, we kind of need some direction as soon as possible to do some of that.

So, what I'm proposing is some evaluation uh methodology and a matrix to help prioritize projects, uh and we'll get into that here uh in the next couple minutes.

So on the screen now is the revised project list.

Those are all the eligible projects.

What's a little bit different about this go round of the half cent sales tax compared to the the one previously passed by the 2018 voters is that there's a mix of projects.

So it's not just uh extension because it's not just reconstruction of our arterial roads.

There are some uh extension projects to new developing areas.

There are some more local and collector type routes on there.

There's arterial roads that really don't have that have less traffic today than some of our local roads do.

So it's just kind of a mix of things.

So it was probably a little more straightforward under the earlier program to say what's they're all kind of the same types of roadways, same types of facilities.

What's the one in the worst condition, or what's the one that had the most pressing issues, and let's pick that one to move forward with and advance into a product development state.

This one's gonna be a little mix of of lots of things.

We probably need a little more uh analysis to be able to decide as as a commission and as a community what is the priority, which ones we want to advance in what order.

So this is a community-wide investment uh that we get from sales tax.

We're intending to try to deliver a community-wide benefits uh both to our citizens and non-citizens.

Uh, as I mentioned before, we need ways to evaluate those different types of projects, a reconstruction of a road under some uh viewpoints under certain lenses looks better than a construction of a new extension, but all depends on that perspective and what you're using to evaluate those.

Uh but the main goal is to figure out a framework to compare these.

So, with that, our our first go-round to trying to develop a framework uh includes some some technical exercises.

Many of these we will not be able to be, I guess, quantified in the way that you'd like because it's it's more of a yes-no, or it's more of a qualitative how well does this perform.

Um, we're not trying to show that this one will create a safety benefit of a measured X versus Y.

We're just trying to say that inherently uh an improvement that puts a turn lane on a really high speed facility is probably has more safety benefits than improvement of a turn lane on a really low speed facility just because of the inherent nature of the crashes that could occur there.

So, what we put together is uh the first five bullets here are connectivity and network completion, uh, traffic operations, safety, pedestrian bicycle transit connectivity, and then existing infrastructure deficiency.

The goal of this criteria development is to try to establish um different types of buckets so that if uh if something maybe performs poorly on an existing infrastructure deficiency, that doesn't give it points or or or or doesn't count towards uh scoring metrics in the other categories.

So trying to have them be as well as we can self-sufficient and independent of each other.

Um so we'll throw in some context of what we mean when we say traffic operations or safety uh here, the elements that we're trying to achieve with with these sorts of criteria.

Um when we did this, I kind of ran through this internally, and we would find ourselves with a project that, according to those things and those things alone, should be the number one project that we pick, but for some reason it's not.

So try to better understand well, why is that?

Why would a project, and I'll use the example of uh a state street reconstruction project from Calgary Avenue North.

Very, very valid project, capacity constraints, safety, all those sorts of things.

But our ability to deliver that project in a timely manner is difficult because of the additional, I guess, uh feasibility concerns we would have with our state partners at the DOT and federal partners and funding some of those things.

So we try to establish what are some of those other factors that would influence the prioritization.

And some of those probably have a little more little more weight early in the program compared to later in the program.

If we're just looking to establish what do we want to do in 2027, we would say how can you build it in 2027 would be very important.

If we're looking at what sort of project we're looking for for 2030, the implementation feasibility probably wouldn't be as high of a concern because we have time to work through on any of those those challenges.

I also added a concept called community benefit.

Um that was in an attempt to try to decipher the difference between potentially an extension of a roadway between two neighborhoods that exist right now, that both of those parties would be able to use that.

There's a great community benefit from that compared to an extension of a roadway that maybe isn't even in the city of Bismarck proper right now or not into the city.

So they both might be extensions, they both might provide connectivity and network uh improvements, but one connects things that already exist today compared to maybe a different type of project that connects something into the future.

Um I guess that's the the prioritization concepts that we're looking at as we then look at our ability to rate those.

It's a lot of words on this one.

This is all in the the agenda memo, but I thought it'd just be a fun slide to put up with all the crazy words all at the same time.

Uh but this is the same criteria, the description that was just on the screen.

Our draft weighting that we would recommend, and then a rubric that would we would use to establish you know what does a score of you know one through five look like on something like this.

Um not asking for approval on the rubric necessarily.

Uh I think that's still be kind of kind of in flux, or if we forgot to have a particular word in there, we we don't want to get locked into that just yet.

Uh but we are just trying to establish that you know there's gonna be projects that have really very little safety benefit to them and projects that have a lot of safety benefit to them.

And that's probably how we'll describe them as a one through five for each one of those um sorts of categories.

But up here on the screen should give uh uh the audience, you, anyone else kind of uh peer into when we're evaluating that we put a three of a score or five as a score, what does that mean?

So as we work this thing through, this would just be an example of what you'd like to uh likely see if this is approved in terms of methodology.

We would run each project through that methodology and come back with a score that would be weighted.

We would rate each one of these activities, each one of these projects into against those criteria, and then uh score them, and you'd see something like this, except it'll have all 35 projects or whatever would be available to you.

Um I want to stress that it's probably not so important to make the distinction between whether something got a four or a five, and or the net score was 4.2 versus 4.3.

Really, this exercise is mostly just to get kind of the the grouping of projects that are higher on the list to understand that those are the ones that we should probably look for to be uh establishing or implementing in this nearer term, and with full understanding that at any given time, if the circumstances change, and all of a sudden that's a community benefit of a project could drastically change from a one to a five if that's the new road to the new high school, the new amusement park, the new amazing thing that the community wants, then all of a sudden that community benefit score could change in in the blink of uh an eye, and the commission could could re-evaluate that decision at that point in time.

So, what I see for next steps.

Here we are today in June, uh talking about methodology to prioritize these projects.

I'd like to come back in July with then applying that methodology to help prioritize select and advance projects for implementation.

And then at the same time in July, we'll come back to discuss the use of special assessments for both any of the roadway improvements if that's desirable, as well as any of these water and sewer lines that are in some of these corridors when it comes to some of these extensions that are not there today.

So that's been something that in the past the utility has paid for those improvements.

When we've reconstructed Nash Cooley Drive, we would not be recommending that the utilities paying for the extension of water mains or uh sewer mains in some of these local or collector type roadways when everyone else adjacent to that already paid for their water and sewer lines.

So those are the types of things we get into a little bit bigger discussion at our our next opportunity to talk on this, but it's kind of let wet in your whistle a little bit to know that that's something that will be forthcoming.

So with all of that, uh my recommendation is to consider approval of the criteria that we'll use as a guide to prioritize half cent uh sales tax projects and would take any questions that you may have.

As well as any other recommendations for um criteria if there's something that we're we're missing here.

Sounds good.

Uh Commissioner Rish.

Your second to the last slide, it says um discuss use of special assessments for roadways, water and sewer.

I understand the water and sewer, but I thought the sales tax was specifically uh would address the roadways themselves.

Sure, commissioners, Commissioner Rish.

Um one of the comments that we received during the public involvement process was like how do we treat some of these let's say local roads when it's a a Lee Avenue or uh Ottawa Street where the the neighbors down the street from many of these local roads paid for their facility should what what sort of financial involvement or or uh impact should the adjacent properties have of some of these more local type roadways.

Uh the city commission since the passage of the half cent sales tax in 2018 has elected to not use special assessments on any of the arterial roadways.

So that has been a precedent set.

Um so that'd be something to reaffirm if that's what you want to do moving forward, uh, but then understand should there be a carve out for those non-arterial roads to say what is the financial participation?

Um not saying it should be 100%, but what what is the meaningful but yet not overly burdensome number or percentage that we would find appropriate for those sort of facilities?

So that's kind of the analysis that we'd try to get a handle of what those costs might be uh to be able to make a policy decision or have the board make that sort of policy decision in the near future.

Uh myor, my only comment is hey, I'm glad you come up with a matrix Gabe to use and we'll have to see how it all shakes out.

There's a lot of potential projects, so we're all gonna get weighted and at least it gives us a roadmap.

I appreciate it.

Thank you.

I mean yeah, I don't have anything else.

The rubric looks very well rounded to me.

I think yeah, it'll be interesting to see how how the projects shake out because I know there's uh a long list of them.

So Madam Chair Gabe, but this will be an initial weighting system.

I mean, the city will develop and we're gonna have to react six years down the road to other um uh priorities.

Isn't that correct?

Mayor and commissioner, commissioner Rish, I would certainly think that that's the case.

This would just be uh what is the next two to three years look like?

What do we think for a 20 um seven, twenty-eight, twenty-nine sort of program?

Those will be the types of projects we'd want to get going.

And then whether it's on an annual basis or biannual basis, kind of rehash that look at it, remove the projects that we've completed, and then take us take stock of what the community has for needs and then reassess, do any of those projects, move up or down the list accordingly.

So, in theory, the rubric will be reassessed potentially annually to watch them shift as like depending on how things grow and like maybe a project becomes more important or less important as the community grows.

Is that what you're implying?

Or commissioners, Commissioner Cleary.

I would think yes to some extent.

I mean, if something at the very bottom of the list, my my example for a project on the bottom of the list will be the reconstruction of South Washington Street from Burley Avenue north to the Bismarck drainage ditch that we just reconstructed.

Sure.

That's a real low priority for us to go in and do something.

So I don't see that one probably moving up or down the list.

But if there was new activity or new annexations that were driving uh traffic demands, we'd want to be able to take that into account and reanalyze how our project list fares.

Sure.

Makes sense.

Any other questions for Gabe?

I guess in that case it would be to add an extra lane, possibly if we had tremendous amount of traffic.

Correct.

So it could be a five-lane facility tearing up the three-lane facility that we haven't made the final payment to the contractor on just yet.

So unlikely, but but not very likely, but we will hey who knows what could happen.

Sounds good.

Uh are you looking for any action tonight or was it more just if there's I guess consensus on on the criteria that we use, that's that's probably fine that I would need at this point in time.

Like I'm saying, we're we're not needing a commission action.

We're not uh looking for a vote on the ideas, but if there was another type of criteria that you wanted us to evaluate and include in the first run of this, we just want to know that now.

I think that'll make this process a little faster.

I don't have anything to add.

I would concur.

Yeah, consensus is that it looks appropriate to us to move forward.

Okay.

Thank you.

Thank you, Gabe.

All right, item E is to receive a presentation from Will Sattler with FNATIC events relating to the second annual red white and boom 4th of July celebration at the MDU resources community bowl.

Good evening, Madam Chair, Commissioners.

Thank you for having me.

I'm the general manager with Fanatics Events.

As Madam Chair mentioned, I'm here to provide an update and extend an invite to the community to uh Bismarck's Red White and Boom celebration, the 4th of July celebration that it's crazy to think that Saturday will be one week away from the 4th of July.

So first I I just wanted to throw back, give kudos where kudos is due to Jason Tomonik.

Um when we uh when FNAX was approached for this event in 2025, uh there were concerns that it would not be able to continue because of construction at the Capitol.

Uh he was one of the many people that gathered a group of community members and stakeholders to continue this event um for years, and I'm excited to share an update today of what 2026 is shaping up to be because if that if the event had died, we would not be here today for an awesome celebration coming up.

So uh the basics, of course, the event is Saturday, July 4th.

It's the 4th of July celebration.

Um it'll take place at the MDU Resources Community Bowl on the Bismarck State College campus.

One call out here is that it won't actually take place on the turf field at the community bowl.

It'll take place on the Babadick grass soccer field off to the side there.

Uh gates will open at six o'clock and it'll wrap up roughly around 11 o'clock after the displays.

Uh what's new this year?

Of course, it is America's 250th birthday.

Uh so it's a milestone.

We only get to celebrate once.

Uh so we have three big headline elements.

Uh we'll have a uh a drone light show from Sky Elements.

There'll be our traditional uh display from J and J Fireworks and Awesome Fireworks display, as well as a special presentation from the Bismarck Mandan Symphony Orchestra, who has been doing this for over 30 years.

So we're excited to have them all back.

Uh from the start to finish, there'll be family programming, uh local artists Savannah Benz and the Braveheart band will take the stage.

Savannah's anticipated to start around 6 37 o'clock with Braveheart to follow and then the symphony to uh conclude the action on the stage.

Uh we have about an expanded lineup.

I had to scratch out my list because we had two additional food and drink vendors join us today.

Um so we have over 14 food and drink vendors that'll be on hand uh to serve the community, and that does not all include what also will be open the concession stand inside the bowl.

So there'll be options for everyone there.

Um and complimentary water will be available.

Uh ABC Boat Docs is is donating this while supplies last.

So that's an awesome addition for this year's event.

Um the evening is built for families.

There'll be 10 interactive inflatables, there'll be carnival style games, we'll have creative stations and hands-on activities, uh, something for all ages.

That's what we're really looking forward here.

Um we heard the feedback from the community last year.

Uh we've added additional viewing screens for viewing the symphony performance and for viewing the displays throughout the night.

Um, we've coordinated and a huge kudos to the Bismarck Police Department.

There'll be uh additional traffic control this year, uh which will help smooth and and create an easy access or exit for people as they leave the event.

That was a big focus for us as well as the other many partners that we've worked with across the city, whether it's Bismarck Fire Department, uh Metro Area Ambulance.

Um even got to give a shout out to Gary Stockard, the emergency planner.

Uh we had an incredible meeting getting prepared for this event with all the different stakeholders that will help continue to keep this event safe.

Um and one thing that was mentioned is it was they were very thankful for everyone to get back together.

I know they meet regularly, but to bring people together for this event is really what we're aiming to do, and and that was awesome.

Um the one one final thing I wanted to say this is not really a fanatics event, this is a community event.

Uh there are many different stakeholders between the city of Bismarck, Burley County, Bismarck Parks and Recreation, the Bismarck Mand CVB, Bismarck Chamber Foundation, Fort Abraham Lincoln Foundation, and many more that I failed to mention.

In uh 2025, we had over 8,000 people join us on campus uh for this event, and we're planning to have that, if not more, for an awesome celebration.

Uh the best way to learn more.

We have frequently asked questions on the website.

That's Bizforth.com, the number 4 TH.

Uh or you can check out the Facebook page or Facebook event, that's Bismarck's Red White and Boom.

I do know we are working with uh Bismarck City communications officials to get some additional information out on platforms uh here in the coming days.

So ultimately I want to say thank you to the city and to this commission for standing behind this event.

Um and I'd be happy to answer any questions you guys might have.

Any questions for Will?

Commissioner Resch.

I just want to add that and great will, and I loved it last year.

And I'm glad the only issue a bit was leaving with the traffic, and I'm glad you're working on that.

But for anybody that's watching it, this is free.

You don't have to pay anything.

It's completely free.

So thank you for your work on this, and I really look forward to attending.

Thanks, Commissioner.

Yeah, I appreciate all the efforts that have gone into this.

I sat in on a couple of the initial meetings when we were the conversation of moving it from the Capitol.

It's been such a longstanding event that wasn't going to be able to take place anymore.

And I feel like last year, you know, the first go-around at a new facility is always like you learn a lot of things, and I feel like we learned a lot of things, and I just think it's only going to be better this year.

And it was already great last year.

So I'm excited.

All right.

Thanks for having me.

Thanks for good.

Thank you, Will.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right.

Item five is Commissioner Send off that I believe Jason has something.

Good evening.

Um Chair Cleary, Mayor, Commissioners.

Let me get a bit of a visual recollection of the last eight plus years.

I got really excited when we got here.

The room was full, and I thought, oh, they're all here to hear my jokes, but then everybody left.

So now I guess we're just gonna have to do this one straight.

So I need to start out by just saying uh Commissioner Zenker, you've been here eight years.

Uh Commissioner Cleary, four years on behalf of the organization, on behalf of the community, uh the citizens here, we thank you for your time.

Uh we also need to be very mindful of the uh the commitments your families have offered as well.

We know that there are sporting events, family activities, a variety of things that uh occur on Tuesday nights, and sometimes your role here has to take your priorities.

So we we need to recognize that your friends and family uh gave up some things along the way as well.

And I think that's important to recognize that it's more than just two meetings a month.

There's a lot that goes on in this organization.

We ask a lot of you uh for for your time and for your leadership and expertise, and for that we need to say thank you.

But if I can, I'd like to maybe just do a little a little bit of a walkthrough of a timeline what we've accomplished over the last eight years and and four years.

Uh we've been busy, no doubt about it.

And I think it's it's kind of interesting that we just ended our regular agenda talking about a half cent sales tax extension.

Uh we started in 2018, Commissioner Zenker, with a half cent sales tax extension.

And I think it's also worth noting that Commissioner Zanker, who has been here for eight years, has held the engineering portfolio that entire time.

And I I talked with Gabe this morning.

Um most of what Gabe said I can't repeat publicly, but he did say some nice things as well.

And uh I I joke, of course.

But uh I think it's it's an important distinction to note that you held the engineering portfolio for that entire period of time because there are some very significant accomplishments and projects that we've we've worked on as an organization.

And uh in addition to 2018 half cent sales tax, we quickly drifted into water rates in 2019.

Uh that was no small feat.

Uh we adopted a fleet plan in 2019, and we brushed off our strategic plan in 2019, and we converted Main Avenue from four lanes to three.

Um so it was a busy year in 2019.

I need to also mention we had a little discussion about 717 North Mandan Street in 2019, and that may or may not have caused Commissioner Cleary to want to get involved in local government.

Um course, 2020, we didn't welcome, but we dealt with uh a global pandemic, and at the same time we refreshed our logo, our website, our communications efforts, and I think we are a better organization today because of uh the work that we did uh collectively in 2020.

Um in 2021, again with Commissioners Anchor's help, we welcomed our first roundabout in Bismarck at 19th and 43rd Avenue, and that was something that Gabe had noted this morning that without your leadership and and willingness to listen to all sides, we may not have those traffic improvement devices throughout our community.

So 2019 uh 2021, sorry, was the first year we started talking about roundabouts.

In 2022, who could forget?

We celebrated 150 years with our Sasqua Centennial.

We be embarked on the new construction of public health and the expansion at public works.

We also spent a little bit of time talking about the Highland Acres Historic District and its sidewalks.

Um Gabe assured me that that conversation isn't over yet either.

We could always come back and revisit that in the future.

Um we started talking about riverfront development in 2022, and for those of you that have driven along River Road lately, you have seen that we are well on our way to a brand new community space uh as well.

And so for your vision and your willingness to uh uh create a new public opportunity for it and engaging and enhancing the riverfront.

We were very grateful for that as well.

Uh speaking of the river in 2022, we welcomed a new FEMA floodplain map, which kicked off a number of conversations, including one that we are continuing to have today with the South Bismarck Flood Control Project.

Um 2023, we cut the ribbon at public health and at uh public works for the additions there.

We also welcomed a flock of bird scooters in 2023, another engineering portfolio component.

I think today they're still here.

Most people seem to find them as a good means of alternative transportation or recreation.

In 2024, you saw some new faces in the administration department, and some of you were part of the process that both Doug Wiles and I went through to uh earn the positions that we have today as your administrator and assistant administrator.

We also said goodbye to a historic water tower in 2024.

Um and then we moved into garbage for 2025 where we got rid of extras.

That was a pretty lively discussion.

Um and we created the bulk item collection.

Uh also in 2025, we began the land development code rewrite.

And for all of you, you remember very recently that that land development code was adopted and is uh talked about earlier, it will be implemented in October of this year.

Uh that was a generational project for this organization, no doubt about it, and uh we know that you were a big part of that as well.

I have to mention chickens.

Um twice we went through the chicken process, and both times um I guess we decided not to have chickens, so I I felt the need to mention that.

Um again, Commissioner Zenker, in 2025, you helped us with a strategic plan.

And as Will just mentioned, we started the first ever Fourth of July celebration at the MDU resources community bowl.

And this year uh the commission has chose to invest in that um celebration again, and and for that I think uh many of us are grateful and and the community will appreciate that, whether they realize you were part of that or not.

Uh also in in 2026, we said goodbye to a good chunk of the ETA.

Uh that has been a discussion that has been long uh long uh much long had for many, many of us over the years.

Um 2026, as we as I mentioned earlier, the uh voter approved half cent sales tax extension.

So that will keep us uh very active in that discussion as we go forward and and the commission behind you works to implement uh the recommendations and the goals of that as well.

Uh we didn't get it all done, obviously.

We still have plenty of work to do, and the street utility fee is something that we will likely talk about with our new commission.

We will continue to work on the community triage center, the expansion at the airport, police department headquarters, fire station six, and one that we probably didn't share with you yet, but I'll let the cat out of the bag.

We're looking at how to better renovate this building as Burley County exits this property in 2027.

So that'll be a project that we'll pick up on in the future.

So I guess with all of that, it's it's a pretty sizable task, and now I realize I've left your items at my table.

Hold on.

So in addition to the lovely City of Bismarck hockey jerseys that you uh took with you last week, we also have uh a plaque for each of you, and you can put this in your showcase or your uh time capsule or whatever it says, or whatever you got, but it says uh in this case I'll just read Commissioner Zenker, it says presented to Commissioner Greg Zanker, Bismarck City Commission.

Thank you for your hard work and outstanding dedication to the City of Bismarck 2018 through 2026.

Commissioner Cleary, yours of course would say 2022 through 2026, and it would have your name instead of Commissioner Zenker's.

So we will give these to you as you depart us.

Um I certainly need to give you time to offer any remarks that you might wish to bestow upon us, but uh on behalf of the organization, on behalf of all the staff, on behalf of the committee the citizens in this community, I just want to say thank you to both of you for your time.

We know it's not easy to put your neck out there and and run for something, and not every decision you make is popular or or unanimous.

And so uh just uh uh uh a word of gratitude for both of you and uh best of luck as you go forward and do your things.

I have both of your cell phone numbers, you have mine, so I trust that we will keep in communication.

And uh with that, I would get away from the podium and offer an opportunity for both of you to share your thoughts.

I guess I don't have much to say other than I just would like to say thank you to all the staff that I've gotten to work with over the last four years.

Um I got to participate in quite a few uh hiring processes for directors and watch kind of a shift in leadership at the city that I think has left us in a really great position.

Um I think it's really easy to sit in this uh chair and have um some level of imposter syndrome where you question decisions that you're making, and I think that I've always felt confident in the uh choices that we've made for our community, and a lot of that comes back to um the support that I've had from staff uh educating me, helping me through the process of being able to make those decisions and feel good about them.

So I'm just very thankful for uh the staff I've gotten to work with over the last four years.

You hear it from the Citizens Academy every time they're here, but uh our organization is so fortunate to have such great leaders and staff members, and I just would like to echo that on my way out.

So thank you for all of your time that you put in.

I wrote some stuff down because I knew I'd forget some stuff.

So obviously, I just want everybody to take a look at those first pictures.

I had way less gray hair than I do today.

So it had not has nothing to do with my wife and 30 years of almost 31 years of marriage.

It really has stuff to do with the city.

No, I'm kidding.

Um, I I do I as I go out, um, I do want to express gratitude to the citizens of Bismarck.

It's not easy, and I'm gonna this could be a little bit tough today.

I'm all in kind of guy.

When it's game time, it's game time, and that's the way I roll.

Um it's it's tough to get elected the first time, and I was lucky enough to get elected both times that I ran.

So I'm very, very fortunate.

Um I'm gonna thank my fellow commissioners and mayors.

Um I'll miss our our conversations.

Uh obviously we don't talk about city stuff when we're having those conversations, right?

It's jesting back and forth, and I'm 100% sure you're gonna miss my dad one-liners that I give you.

Because it's really important that I you get the knowledge that I had, right?

Um city staff, you you're fantastic.

Um it's really hard to make a large city like this run every day.

And it's super hard when when things get a little crazy, right?

There's been a couple times we've walked out of these meetings a little bit later, and all of a sudden there's three and a half or four or five inches of rain that comes and water's running where it's not supposed to, you know.

So I appreciate those times when it's chaotic and and city staff gets after it.

Um to the portfolios that I held held over the past eight years.

Um you found out what it's like to be on the Z team.

I'm a hands-on kind of guy with a with a quadruple A personality.

Um, I don't have a lot of patience.

My family can attest to that.

Um, but I had to learn some patience just because of how government works, you know.

So um I'm sure you I'm sure I tested your patience with the amount of questions that I had for you or the challenges that I made you endure.

But um on the bright side of us, we we all got through it and we're better for it today.

This is really gonna get tough here.

Gabe, big fella.

Eight years.

I really don't know if you took it if you had the short straw or if you just took one for the team for eight years.

That's why I had to write this stuff down because I'd have just babbled through it.

I will I will miss our our days and conversations that we had when we had our big topics, like how are we gonna get some of these stuff done when that when that half cent sales tax first was passed and it was accelerated, and we had to we had to do interviews and get the project going, and 43rd was the first one that got done.

Um it was fantastic.

And again, that was that was approved by the citizens, and the citizens trusted us the second time to get it done.

That have sent sales tax has been one of the proudest things that I've been accomplished through through my eight years.

Finally do my wife stand up.

Stand up.

This is a lady who held our family together for eight years.

When I wasn't at home, supper was always ready for me.

It'd be a text, they I didn't want to make supper, so pick something up, which is okay.

It's not a big deal.

Sometimes it would be in a it would be in uh the oven, those types of things.

She held it all together for eight years.

She did some things she probably didn't want to do, but she always supported me.

Um last year was 30 years of marriage, and we couldn't go on a vacation because commission stuff and those types of things.

So the first thing that happened when I told her we're I'm not running, and she's scheduled a uh 30-year anniversary trip on her 31st year.

It's all about timing sometimes.

So finally, I'm gonna leave you with two thoughts.

One, I'm not leaving the city of Bismarck, and don't be surprised if I'm on the other side of that podium.

Okay.

And if you ever get in trouble, if you're ever wondering what you should do, what decision you should make, it's WWG.

What would Greg do?

Okay.

And that will get you out of a lot of trouble.

So with that, I'm sorry I was a little teary at a little soft at 54.

Um, but thank you.

Thank you to everybody in this room, everybody that I asked a question to, um, the citizens who would call me and trust me, citizens who would call and yell at me.

I those are all things go with the job.

I did it to my best of my ability.

And um I look forward to leaving you guys here.

So thank you.

Jeez.

Can I say something?

Yes, absolutely.

I I just want to say thank both you, Commissioner Killary and Commissioner Zenker, for your public service.

And for teaching me a lot of things.

I I worked with you on finance.

Uh you taught me so many things about zoning and engineering projects and all of that, even if you did vote wrong on the chicken thing.

But um this is a big loss.

This is our most experienced team that's um leaving now.

So but we've got a couple of good can or new commissioners coming in, but it's it's it's a lot to know, and you guys helped me along the way, and you've easily amused.

I get you to chuckle once in a while.

So anyway, all the thanks again and uh all the best as you proceed forward and whatever life brings you.

Thank you, Commissioner Rish.

I would like to also thank both Commissioner Clear and Zenker.

Um Commissioner Zinker and I go back a long ways.

Uh he coached my kids, and so I know I know his passion, and I really do appreciate it.

And Commissioner Cleary, you you and my son we know we're in the same class, so I appreciate everything you both have brought to the city of Bismarck, and as Commissioners, you both have mentioned, it's not easy to put your name out there on the ballot, and uh it we've been rewarded by your service as a city.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Yes, Commissioner Conway.

I'd also like to uh echo the thoughts of everybody as far as thanking you both for running in.

Um it's an interesting path to lead.

Um, but I've huge thanks to uh Commissioner Zenker.

You were the one that appointed uh the approved or made the motion to appoint me.

And it was uh a touch and go thing, it was a two-two tie for a long time, and you stuck to your guns and all uh I'll I hold you in high regard for that, and we don't always agree.

And we're passionate about that, but um I appreciate it, and um thank you both for what you've done.

Thank you.

Thank you.

All right, I think we can move on to other business if anyone has anything else that we need to discuss.

Not hearing anything from the mayor, so I believe we are adjourned.

Z is ours.