OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Mandan City Commission Meeting - August 4, 2026

City Commission — Tuesday, August 4, 2026
BodyMandan, North Dakota
SessionCity Commission
DateTuesday, August 4, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:42:00

Transcript — Verbatim
0:07

I know that's not easy.

0:13

Good evening and welcome.

0:14

Today is August 4th, 2026.

0:17

We are in the Ed Bosch Frelic meeting room at Mandan City Hall.

0:20

It is 5:30.

0:22

Mr.

0:22

Newbauer, could you please call the roll?

0:25

Commissioners, Braun.

0:26

Yes.

0:26

Belavick.

0:27

Yes.

0:27

Schilberg.

0:28

Hein Chan.

0:29

Here.

0:29

Mayor Freelick.

0:31

Here.

0:31

At this time we will have Logan Weigel approach the podium.

0:36

He is the assistant IT.

0:39

And he will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:48

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

0:56

One nation under God, indivisible for liberty and justice for all.

1:05

Thank you, Logan.

1:06

At this time we will start out with announcements and construction project updates.

1:11

Jerek?

1:13

Mayor and Commissioners, good evening.

1:14

We have some familiar faces for project updates tonight.

1:18

I'll start off with Memorial Highway.

1:20

The east half of Memorial Highway is very close to being complete.

1:26

For final walkthroughs, we completed the surface improvement walkthrough last week with the DOT and the contractor.

1:32

And the underground improvement walkthrough is scheduled for tomorrow.

1:37

Final punch list items are going to be developed, and then the contractor will continue working on completing those over the next few weeks or months.

2:11

There are a few more other kind of high profile areas along 19th and along 40th that were also set for repairs.

2:20

So we should be made whole at the end of this project.

2:33

So it is included in the cost of the project.

2:43

Yes.

2:43

It gets repaired.

2:45

Yep, restored, restored at as much as you can or restored to a reasonable level.

2:51

So that uh you know you're made whole again after the project.

2:55

Yep.

2:58

Um for the west half, uh, Northern Improvement is getting started and getting going.

3:02

I guess they've been getting started for a while.

3:04

Uh the two eastbound concrete lanes were completed from Main Street to the flood wall.

3:09

And then paving preparation is uh following storm sewer installation on the rest of the segment that is uh kind of torn up right now.

3:19

On third street, there's traffic control up, but third is going to remain open um during the construction project.

3:27

There's a crane set up, uh kind of stage two construct a coffer dam associated with the outlet structure for 72-inch RCP storm sewer.

3:40

And then there's also some sanitary force main crossings that will be uh completed ahead of the storm sewer installation.

3:47

So we have a lot of a lot of work going on crossing third street, but um people should expect to be mostly unaffected or similar to to how it is uh set up right now.

4:00

How would you characterize their progress, Jerek?

4:03

I feel like Northern Improvement has been on top of it and they've been uh very they've been very flexible with their schedule and they've been very um every time that they've said that they're going to do something, they do it in the time that they say they're gonna do it.

4:18

So would you say they're ahead of schedule?

4:20

I would I would say that they're ahead of schedule, but I would have to confirm that with people uh keeping track of that more closely.

4:29

Okay, thank you.

4:31

Derek?

4:32

Yes.

4:32

Will this portion of Memorial Highway be uh one-lane traffic all winter, like last year at the East End?

4:39

Or will they be opening it up both directions?

4:44

Um could you maybe clarify that one one lane of traffic?

4:49

So uh last winter the east end of memorial highway was uh not two lanes both directions, it was one lane both directions for most of the winter.

4:58

Okay.

4:59

Uh they had half the highway closed.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████████████23%
Procedural███████████████████19%
Budget Equity Analysis████████████12%
Land Use Planning█████████9%
Public Engagement████████8%
Fiscal Sustainability███████7%
Economic Development██████6%
Water And Wastewater Management████4%
Arts And Culture████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Mandan City Commission Meeting - August 4, 2026

The Mandan City Commission convened on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at 5:30 PM in the Ed Bosch Frelic meeting room at Mandan City Hall. Mayor Freelick presided, with Commissioners Braun, Belavick, and Heinchan present; Commissioner Schilberg was absent. The meeting included project updates, public hearings, approval of budgets and audits, and the first reading of the annual appropriation ordinance.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the meeting agenda as presented (motion by Commissioner Heinchan, second by Commissioner Braun; unanimous roll call).
  • Approved the July 21, 2026 Board of City Commission meeting minutes (motion by Commissioner Bolavic, second by Commissioner Braun; unanimous).
  • Approved the consent agenda (motion by Commissioner Bolovic, second by Commissioner Heinchan; unanimous).
  • Approved Resolution determining insufficiency of protests for Street Improvement District 244 (8th and 27th phase two) (motion by Commissioner Heinchan, second by Commissioner Bolavic; unanimous).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made during the designated public comment period.

Discussion Items

Construction Project Updates (Jerek, City Staff)

  • Memorial Highway (east half): Nearly complete; final walkthroughs held for surface and underground improvements; punch list items to be completed over the next few weeks.
  • Memorial Highway (west half): Contractor Northern Improvement is ahead of schedule; two eastbound concrete lanes completed from Main Street to the flood wall; paving preparation ongoing. Traffic will remain one lane in each direction with a center turn lane. Work is expected to continue into November, with approximately 75 days of work remaining.
  • First Street Reconstruction: Phase one sidewalk and parking lane construction; phases two and three progressing; contractor is on schedule according to consultant KLJ.
  • Water and Sewer District 65: Substantially complete; punch list items being developed.
  • Street Improvement District 241: Asphalt paving in progress; minor concrete repair on Old Red Trail expected August 5-10.
  • New water tower: Complete; closing out contract items with additional site grading needed.
  • 14th Avenue Collins: Break repaired; area open with two-lane traffic; traffic cameras to gather updated data before any configuration changes.

Grow with a Cop Event (Chief Ziegler)

  • Ninth annual event scheduled for August 13, 2026, 5:30-7:30 PM at Eagle Park on North Collins. Sponsors include American Legion ($1,000 budget amendment) and Pepsi. Activities: free hot dogs, hamburgers, brats, snow cones, face painting, kid ID kits, canine demo, drones, police vehicles, and electric bikes. Participating agencies include Bismarck PD, Morton County Highway Patrol, and Metro Ambulance.

Special Use Permit for Multi-Use Shops (Lot 35, Block 1, Marina Bay Edition)

  • Applicant Landon Nyman (Swinson Hagen Engineering) presented for personal-use shop condos (34 units) on a site zoned CC (light commercial/industrial) within the Gateway Overlay District. The Mandan Architecture Review Board had previously discussed the proposal. Key features: 34 condominium lots for personal use only (no commercial businesses), no required off-street parking, buffers on east and west sides, drainage concerns addressed. Public hearing held with no opposition. The commission approved the permit (motion by Commissioner Bolovic, second by Commissioner Braun; unanimous).

2025 Audit Results (Mindy Piaz, Brady Marts)

  • Financial statements: Unmodified (clean) opinion – highest level of assurance.
  • Internal controls: Unmodified opinion under Government Auditing Standards, with two findings:
    1. Segregation of duties at the airport (component unit).
    2. Auditors prepared the financial statements (should be management function).
  • Federal compliance: Clean opinion on three tested programs (Highway Planning and Construction, Capitalization Grant for Drinking Water, Flood Mitigation Assistance). Two findings on the Flood Mitigation Assistance program: lack of internal controls over costs and lack of documentation for vendor debarment checks (corrective actions taken).
  • Financial highlights: Total assets increased $70.3 million; net position increased $59.4 million; general fund balance $10.7 million (7 months of operating expenses); water and utility operations profitable; debt increased $10.5 million.
  • Revenues: $107 million total; largest sources: capital grants ($60.6M, 57%), charges for services (16%), property taxes (8%), sales tax (8%).
  • Expenses: $33.8 million total; largest categories: public works (31%), public safety (30%), general government (17%).
  • Commission approved the audit results (motion by Commissioner Heinchan, second by Commissioner Braun; unanimous).

Morton Mandan Public Library 2027 Budget (Barb, Library Director)

  • 2025 accomplishments: Bush Prize finalist (highest level – future focused library; smallest library to achieve this); program attendance growth; bookmobile serves 820 miles/month with 800 visits/month; passport services processed 2,520 passports in 2025 (up from 1,985).
  • Upcoming initiatives: New branch and play lab opening fall 2026 in former Mandan Public Schools locker room; tourism makerspace hub with kitchen (ND Commerce grant); apprentice program for workforce development.
  • 2027 budget: $1.3 million proposed; 86% of revenue from city/county; 88% of expenditures on people/services. No new staff (16 employees: 11 full-time, 5 part-time). Includes ADA website compliance upgrade ($8,500). Event space rental fees: $200 for 4-hour block (individual), $400 for 8-hour block (full community room).
  • Cardholders: Approximately 20,000 active cards; percentage breakdown between city and county not available.
  • Commission approved the budget (motion by Commissioner Heinchan, second by Commissioner Belavik; unanimous).

Mandan Airport Authority 2027 Budget (Lindsay Gerhart, Airport Manager)

  • 2026 milestones: 106 based aircraft (up from 99); 5 airport-owned T-hangers at capacity with 12 on waiting list; 16 privately owned hangars; full-service aviation maintenance facility; 2 flight instructor businesses; EAA chapter with 40 members; ND Civil Air Patrol headquarters on site.
  • Events: Planes and Pancakes attracted 2,700+ attendees; July skydiving event had 100 participants from 180 sign-ups.
  • Services: Jet A full-service fueling (12,000 gal/year avg), 100 low-lead self-serve (30,000 gal/year avg); gross margin ~$54,500 on fuel. Hangar and other revenue $237,000; land leases $25,000.
  • Current projects: Apron access road mill and overlay starting late August; new airport sign under construction (dark until October due to electrical work); T-hanger door maintenance (estimated $15,000 vs budgeted $50,000).
  • 2027 major project: Fuel system upgrade – 12,000 gal Jet A and 12,000 gal Avgas tanks, new card reader, eliminate fuel truck costs. Total cost $1.2 million; 50-50 split with ND Aeronautics ($350,000 from airport savings). Decision early 2027.
  • Future T-hanger: Additional 10-unit T-hanger planned; pavement design eligible for FAA/aeronautics participation, but hangar structure requires airport funding (likely bond, similar to previous $1.2M bond being paid off in 3 years).
  • Commission approved the budget (motion by Commissioner Braun, second by Commissioner Heinshaw; unanimous).

Ordinance 1488: Annual Appropriations and Tax Levy (Justin, Finance)

  • Budget process: Need-based; department reviews January-April (10-year plan 2027-2036); finance review June; Budget/Finance Committee recommendations July.
  • Total expenses all funds: $43.3 million (5% increase from 2026). Key changes: salaries/benefits up $647,000 (no new positions; comp study minimum 3.5% increase; SAFER grant fire positions; health insurance 5% increase); operations/maintenance up $161,000 (MPO, professional fees); supplies up $72,000 (fuel); repairs up $258,000 (lift station, utility maintenance).
  • Revenues all funds: $49.6 million. Largest: charges for services $16.9M, sales/use taxes $8.9M, intergovernmental $5.8M, property taxes $7.5M (15% of total).
  • General fund: $21.8 million expenditures ($1.7M increase). Funding: property taxes $7.2M (33%), sales tax transfers $4.2M, investment earnings $1.6M, licenses/permits $1.3M. Use of $263,000 unreserved funds.
  • Property tax levy: $9.26 million (increase of $306,000 general fund; $32,000 library; $24,000 airport). Estimated $12.83 annual increase ($1.5%) for city portion under 3% cap.
  • Utility rates: No increase in water base/usage. Wastewater base charge increase due to treatment plant expansion ($114 million project; 30-year SRF loan). Five-year tiered impact starting 2026. Garbage/recycling up $0.47/month per contracts.
  • Budget calendar: First consideration and call for public hearing on August 4; public hearing September 15 at 6 PM; final adoption September 21.
  • Commission approved the first reading (motion by Commissioner Bolavik, second by Commissioner Heinchan; unanimous).

Key Outcomes

  • All consent items and budget approvals passed unanimously.
  • Special use permit for 34 personal-use shop condos at Marina Bay Edition approved without opposition.
  • 2025 audit accepted with noted findings; corrective actions already taken.
  • Morton Mandan Public Library 2027 budget and Mandan Airport Authority 2027 budget approved.
  • Ordinance 1488 introduced for public hearing on September 15, 2026; final adoption scheduled for September 21.
  • Future meeting dates: August 18, September 1, September 15, 2026 at 5:30 PM.

Meeting Transcript

I know that's not easy. Good evening and welcome. Today is August 4th, 2026. We are in the Ed Bosch Frelic meeting room at Mandan City Hall. It is 5:30. Mr. Newbauer, could you please call the roll? Commissioners, Braun. Yes. Belavick. Yes. Schilberg. Hein Chan. Here. Mayor Freelick. Here. At this time we will have Logan Weigel approach the podium. He is the assistant IT. And he will lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible for liberty and justice for all. Thank you, Logan. At this time we will start out with announcements and construction project updates. Jerek? Mayor and Commissioners, good evening. We have some familiar faces for project updates tonight. I'll start off with Memorial Highway. The east half of Memorial Highway is very close to being complete. For final walkthroughs, we completed the surface improvement walkthrough last week with the DOT and the contractor. And the underground improvement walkthrough is scheduled for tomorrow. Final punch list items are going to be developed, and then the contractor will continue working on completing those over the next few weeks or months. There are a few more other kind of high profile areas along 19th and along 40th that were also set for repairs. So we should be made whole at the end of this project. So it is included in the cost of the project. Yes. It gets repaired. Yep, restored, restored at as much as you can or restored to a reasonable level. So that uh you know you're made whole again after the project. Yep. Um for the west half, uh, Northern Improvement is getting started and getting going. I guess they've been getting started for a while. Uh the two eastbound concrete lanes were completed from Main Street to the flood wall. And then paving preparation is uh following storm sewer installation on the rest of the segment that is uh kind of torn up right now. On third street, there's traffic control up, but third is going to remain open um during the construction project. There's a crane set up, uh kind of stage two construct a coffer dam associated with the outlet structure for 72-inch RCP storm sewer. And then there's also some sanitary force main crossings that will be uh completed ahead of the storm sewer installation. So we have a lot of a lot of work going on crossing third street, but um people should expect to be mostly unaffected or similar to to how it is uh set up right now. How would you characterize their progress, Jerek? I feel like Northern Improvement has been on top of it and they've been uh very they've been very flexible with their schedule and they've been very um every time that they've said that they're going to do something, they do it in the time that they say they're gonna do it. So would you say they're ahead of schedule?

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