Downtown blossoming by Karina Rose, Mankato.

STATE OF THE CITY A report on Mankato’s accomplishments, and a look into future opportunities. Mankato City Council Eric Anderson, Mayor [email protected] 204 Emerson Lane Mankato, MN 56001 I’m pleased to share this year’s “State of the City offices: 507-387-8693 City,” reflecting on city accomplishments, Home: 507-386-1750 such as energy cost savings, improvements to facilities, a focus on safety and engaged Mike Laven, President—serves At-Large residents. Investment in employees helps [email protected] us continue to operate at a level of service 405 Cardinal Drive customers have come to expect. Mankato, MN 56001 Mobile: 507-720-8674 The city continues its pursuit to look for ways to be a lean innovative organization that Karen Foreman, serves Ward 1 Dear resident, [email protected] operates interdependently and efficiently. 212 Diamond Creek Road Mankato, MN 56001 There continues to be plenty of work to do to Home: 507-382-4256 keep Mankato’s quality of life sought after. Providing outstanding service is a top priority, Dennis Dieken, serves Ward 2 and citizen feedback is important and helpful [email protected] when making city decisions. Please contact me 15 Belleview Avenue or city staff anytime we can be of service. Mankato, MN 56001 Mobile: 507-720-1817 At your service, Mark Frost, serves Ward 3 [email protected] 100 Essex Road Patrick Hentges Mankato, MN 56001 Home: 507-387-3169 Mankato City Manager 507-387-8695 Jenn Melby-Kelley, serves Ward 4 [email protected] [email protected] 116 East Pleasant Street Mankato, MN 56001 Mobile: 507-720-2502

Trudy Kunkel, serves Ward 5 [email protected] 115 Lillian Drive Mankato, MN 56001 Mobile: 507-317-6990 Home: 507-388-7580

2 STATE OF THE CITY VISIOLeading the way as a vibrant,N diverse regional community.

Public service principles Responsive–Prompt to respond and serve. Efficient–Highest performance at greatest economy. Greater good–Serve for the good of the community and region. Innovation–Embracing new ideas and methods to improve service delivery. Open–Spirit of accessibility in policy making and operation. Neighborly–Concern and compassion for others.

Core values Respect–We treat others with courtesy and dignity and value their perspectives, embracing our differences. Integrity–We lead by example by being honest, doing the right thing and by having actions that reflect our words. Positive attitude–We use a positive approach, take initiative, are motivated to perform a good job and take pride in the work we do. Teamwork–Together, we collaborate on ideas and share information, resources and responsibility for the best possible outcomes. Accountability–We take responsibility for our actions and the completion of our work.

Leadership philosophy We belong to an organization that cares about making a positive difference in the lives of others. Our work is challenging and has purpose. We listen and engage with each other and our community. We are empowered and trusted to make good decisions that align with the public service principles and core values. Our organization is committed to investing and developing each other. We will recognize and celebrate our collective achievements and individual accomplishments.

Downtown lights at night on the intersection of Cherry Street by Sam Csizmadia, Mankato.

STATE OF THE CITY 3 River walk at Riverfront Park by Jacelyn Hanson, Mankato.

Awards that put Mankato, on the map

Affordable City of Mankato receives award for Mankato, Minnesota has been named the fifth most affordable advancing racial equity place to live in Minnesota by Livability.com. The ranking The city of Mankato is one of 10 includes a high quality of life that features excellent school cities recognized with the League of systems, low unemployment rates and many amenities--at a Minnesota Cities President’s Award price that’s affordable. for participation in the Government Alliance on Race and Equity Cohort to Fiscally sound advance racial equity. Mankato has earned a ranking as one of the most fiscally healthy communities in Minnesota. Out of more than Awards for Mankato’s water treatment 800 communities, Mankato has one of the highest average backwash reclamation project credit scores, one of the criteria for being recognized as being The American Public Works Association named Mankato’s fiscally secure through good financial decisions. water treatment backwash reclamation project as “Project of the Year,” and the Humphrey School of Public Affairs awarded it honorable mention as a Local Government A “Best small college town” Innovation Award. This project involved converting water Mankato ranks second #2 holding tanks to reclaim tanks, resulting in 450,000 among top 25 “Best small gallons per day of useful water being cycled back through college towns” by the water treatment process. The amount of water saved Schools.com. There were is equivalent to the daily use of 5,000 residents. The dual 170 cities evaluated on benefit is a decreased amount of source water being several criteria, including drawn from city wells and less water needed for treatment economy and quality of life. Best small college town at the wastewater resource recovery facility. College Values Online has also named Mankato, Minnesota as one of the “Best small Forbes ranks Mankato 42nd in the nation—“Best college towns in America.” small places for businesses and careers” The Mankato/North Mankato Metropolitan Statistical Mankato’s Ribfest event earns Hospitality Award Area (MSA) was ranked 42nd in the nation on Forbes Greater Mankato Growth awarded Mankato’s annual Ribfest list of “Best small places for businesses and careers” event with the Visit Mankato Hospitality Award. This award among MSAs with populations less than 250,000. Items recognizes a person, group or organization that has gone considered to earn the ranking: job growth, business above and beyond to provide outstanding hospitality to and living costs, income growth, educational attainment, Greater Mankato visitors or has helped promote the area as projected economic growth, net migration patterns, cultural a great destination to visit. Ribfest draws more than 20,000 and recreational opportunities and the number of highly people to Mankato. ranked colleges in the area.

4 STATE OF THE CITY Sibley Farm, 900 Mound Avenue, in the fall by Todd Hanselman, Mankato.

Sibley Farm named one of Minnesota’s coolest playgrounds Mankato’s Sibley Farm playground in Sibley Park, 900 Mound Avenue, was named one of Minnesota’s nine coolest playgrounds. The playground features farm-themed play equipment, including a real tractor, and alpacas, calves, goats, peacocks and horses, to name a few.

Mankato named one of the 14 coolest urban spaces in America Thrillist placed Mankato on its list of top 14 coolest urban spaces in America. It was recognized for the year-round CityArt Walking Sculpture Tour exhibit featuring work from all around the world.

Mankato named as one of the top 10 “Best small cities in America” Mankato was named a NKAT top 10 “Best small cities A O M in America,” earning the

#5 spot. Mankato was B e a s ic t r recognized for its consistently #5 e s ma m low jobless rate (lower than ll city in A national average) and its arts and cultural offerings-- galleries, sculpture displays A summer afternoon in Old Town by Mary Kay Ash, Mankato. and biking and hiking trails.

STATE OF THE CITY 5 Beyond the bridge by Jason Landrum, Mankato.

COMMITMENT Quality of life and excellent city service Staff continuously looks for ways to provide excellent customer service. This includes the work staff do to keep city operations moving forward. Other elements include a sound financial foundation, investments and reinvestments in infrastructure, water quality and environmental stewardship.

Parks are a destination LED lights installed throughout city Mankato’s parks continue to be destination spots for A $4.6 million investment in city Savings of residents and visitors, with Sibley Park, 900 Mound improvements through a guaranteed $330,000 Avenue, the go-to place for large events such as 5-K energy savings agreement with over 17 years runs and weddings. This year alone there were more Ameresco enabled improvements than 3,300 reservations at park facilities. to be made to city facilities and streetlighting. Street light bulbs More than have been updated to Light Emitting 7,700 lights Diodes (LEDs), which help light converted the way in energy savings and to LED environmental benefits. More than 7,700 building interior and exterior fixtures and street lights have been updated to LED. Longer lasting lights Pool passes means staff can save time by not having to 3,300 282 change out light bulbs as much. These improvements will be Park Reservations paid for through energy, operations and maintenance savings of $330,000 per year over a 17-year period. New parks signage New signs displaying the Mankato park’s name have been installed in: Jaycee, Peace Pipe, Beinapfel parks Bike repair stations and the community athletic fields. The signs help create Seven bike repair stations are located a consistent image of Mankato’s park system with an throughout Mankato easily identifiable, contemporary and timeless look. giving cyclists a way Signage includes the city logo and address. to fix bikes while riding the city’s bike New playground equipment at Southview Park trails. These stations Swings, monkey bars, slides, balance beam and a can be helpful jungle gym were installed with the help of community considering there are volunteers at Southview Park, 1201 Stoltzman Road. more than 75 miles Through volunteer efforts, the project was completed at of bike trails in the Tom Engstrom with Greater Mankato a cost of $75,000—a savings of more than $50,000. area, with two miles Bike Walk Advocates demonstrates recently added. how to use a bike repair station. 6 STATE OF THE CITY Financial stability Mankato’s financial foundation continues to be healthy, strong and flexible with its two-year budget stable. As staff works on longer projects, they are working to keep taxes collected stable and ensure enough funding is available to sustain facilities. View Mankato’s budget online at mankatomn.gov.

Safe exchange at Public Safety Center, Building inspections increase 4,500 710 South Front Street Mankato’s building inspectors annual Mankato has joined cities across the country providing a conducted 4,500 inspections inspections location to serve as an optional exchange site for child this year, an increase of 700 custody situations and to complete online sales with its inspections. These inspections “Safe exchange” location. In addition to a 24-hour video help ensure existing buildings and new construction are camera, a sign is in the designated area. aligned with the building code and other regulations.

Public safety takes on additional inspections Insurance Service Officer (ISO) rating holds as Commercial, rental and medical facility inspections have high rating transitioned from the state of Minnesota to Mankato’s The ISO grading schedules is important for underwriting firefighters. A benefit is that firefighters review building insurance. High ISO ratings, such as the city of elements for safety by ensuring they meet fire code. Plus, Mankato’s, which is 3, generally correlates with lower it increases firefighters’ response since they have an insurance premiums for property owners. Ratings understanding of the building’s layout. indicate that a community’s fire response system is prepared to prevent and respond to incidents, which Enhanced safety can result in lower fire loss. Ratings are based on Mankato is a safe community, and the numbers show that. adequate water supply to fight fire, capable and Less serious crime, such as alcohol-related incidents, and high-performing fire equipment, adequate amount of serious crime are down. fire staff for responses and an effective reporting and dispatching system.

Affordable housing and redevelopment Two building complexes— 110 combined total units—are moving forward at 920 Patriot Avenue and at the corner of Timberwolf and Heron drives. Made possible through partnerships with CommonBond and Joseph Development, these developments will help provide increased access to affordable housing. Mankato also received a $300,000 grant to focus on redevelopment efforts in the Sibley, Tourtellotte, Washington, Lincoln and Germania park neighborhoods.

Old town in the city center by Fernando Alvarado, Willmar.

STATE OF THE CITY 7 COMMITMENT Facilities, streets and infrastructure maintained for the future Infrastructure and facilities are consistently reviewed to achieve the goal of increased longevity by making the appropriate repairs at the right time while focusing on cost-effectiveness and efficiencies. $11.5 million in economic Mankato Regional Airport impact and Mankato’s airport operations continue to soar with more than 120,000 operations last 165 jobs in year. New at the airport are taxiway signage and lighting. The airport’s total annual the region. economic impact is $11.5 million and 165 jobs countywide. It is one of the city’s best positioned assets for growth. The market for aviation jobs is strong, and the Mankato Regional Airport, 3030 North Airport Road, continues its partnership with North Star Aviation and Minnesota State University, Mankato to house a large flight school with 250 students enrolled.

A plane readies for take-off at the Mankato Regional Airport, 3030 North Airport Road.

Stormwater pond clean-up Sedimentation has been removed from Rosewood Water quality The polymer system, which benefits water Pond and 8,600 cubic yards of the stormwater pond Mankato’s has been excavated, creating additional capacity. quality, at Mankato’s water treatment plant water meets and This work helps enhance protection against city floods has been upgraded at a project cost of exceeds federal and and filters pollutants before water flows back to the $40,000. Pilot testing, design, engineering state standards river. Vegetation designed to protect the pond will be all done in house will reduce usage and for high quality planted, sidewalk replaced and the boulevard restored. annual cost by about 60 percent. drinking water. Equipment for street operations Four ultrafiltration membranes were New equipment purchased helps enhance sealcoating replaced at the water treatment plant at a effectiveness and allow for in-depth repairs. cost of $300,000. Ultrafiltration membrane filters are capable of blocking the smallest Mankato has more than and most difficult microorganisms for 170 miles of city streets. safety. Daily testing of Mankato’s water, Sealcoating helps increase confirms water quality is well ahead of a streets lifespan, improves state and federal water safety standards. street surface and enhances drivability. Streets continue to be highly drivable and rated with a paver rating of more than 78, to show good overall road condition and 170 miles performance. of city streets in Mankato Ready to play by Jason Landrum, Mankato.

8 STATE OF THE CITY Verizon Center delivers outstanding experiences Mankato’s Verizon Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza, continues to provide quality entertainment. Home to Minnesota State University, Mankato’s Division 1 hockey teams, the Verizon Center typically hosts more than 200,000 people a year at its diverse event offerings. Entertainment includes theatrical shows, symphony performances, expos, shows and a variety of musical acts. Performers have included Kenny Rogers, the Beach Boys, Justin Moore, Lee Brice, Alice Cooper, Styx, Tesla, Vince Gill and World Wrestling Entertainment. The Verizon Center has an annual economic impact of more than $42 million. A performance in Verizon Center Grand Hall, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Mankato. A number of events, including Ribfest, the city’s largest annual event which draws in more than 20,000 people are hosted by the Verizon Center. RibFest won Greater Mankato Growth’s Visit Mankato’s hospitality award this year. Riverfront Park at Vetter Stone Amphitheatre is the location of Red, Hot, Boom annual Fourth of July show.

Recently added software helps customers who book an event at Verizon Center design and layout events and the team operate more efficiently.

An expo in Verizon Center Grand Hall, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Mankato.

More than 575 Events in 2017

Verizon Center, 1 Civic Center Plaza, Mankato. STATE OF THE CITY 9 INSPIRATION Volunteers, staff, the arts and partnerships Volunteers contribute to Mankato’s quality of life; staff are committed to providing excellent customer service; the arts contribute to community livability and economic vitality; and partnerships help unify the region.

Employees—the city’s greatest asset Vetter Stone Company, Mankato is the Employee investments contribute to retention rate and employee generous donor of Minnesota Stone, native satisfaction, resulting in significant cost savings and quality work to the area and used around the world in the done by staff. Staff throughout the organization have been trained outdoor space at Mankato’s Verizon Grand in leadership, facilitation, workplace safety and racial equity. Hall. It creates a gathering space that draws Specialized trainings have also been offered for police and fire staff. off natural beauty to create Vetter Stone Plaza, pictured above, at Second and Walnut streets. Flexibility, openness to change and creativity are necessary to The space includes art which builds from a keep Mankato, an organization of 300 staff, lean. As positional compressed image of the and opportunities arise, a best option may be to mentor and promote art benches that encourage public gathering qualified people within the organization. Utilizing employees and socializing to add to City Center identity. capitalizes on institutional knowledge, skillsets and talents and builds The donation was made to help carry on the capacity. Hiring a balance of qualified people externally remains legacy of Ann Vetter, who was involved in important also. Since it’s also important to meet strategic goals, it is supporting the local arts. necessary to reach outside the organization to attract quality people who can help the city be successful in reaching those goals. All contributes to quality staff who are committed to providing a level of quality service the public expects.

Mankato’s orientation program, newly renamed Infuse, completed its first year with more than 20 employee graduates, and 20 more staff recently began the program’s second year. The program helps new employees become familiar with the city’s mission and knowledge enables them to work cross-departmentally to gain a better understanding of how the overall city organization operates.

By decreasing age requirements for some city positions, youth had more seasonal job opportunities to apply for. The city benefited from increased job retention along with work quality. Staff participate in development opportunities.

10 STATE OF THE CITY Volunteers can help make a difference More than 29,000 volunteer hours were contributed to Mankato’s quality of life this past year. Volunteers participate as volunteer firefighters, Volunteers in Police Service, the Community Emergency Response Team, at More than 29,000 the animal impound, and in volunteer hours neighborhood walks, organics contributed. recycling and parks. Community Emergency Response Team volunteers train to be prepared.

Collaboration The Arts The city partners with groups to provide maximum service Arts in the city helps build pride and can transform a and quality of life options to residents. Partners include community. Artistic inspirations in Mankato’s landscape Greater Mankato Growth, the Mankato/North Mankato from the “White Buffalo” by Tom Miller, Mankato, Area Planning Organization (cities of Mankato, North Minn. in Reconciliation Park to “Look up” by Nicholas Mankato, Eagle Lake and Skyline; counties of Blue Earth Legeros in Riverfront Park. Twin Rivers Center for the and Nicollet; townships of Belgrade, Lime, South Bend, Arts serves as the city’s arts commission. LeRay and Mankato and the Minnesota Department of Transportation), Mankato Area Public Schools, the Greater This year’s art additions include: Mankato Diversity Council, the YWCA, Twin Rivers Council for the Arts (the city’s arts commission) and the Mankato , to name a few.

The city continues to work with Mayo Clinic Health System and Gold Cross to find a way to eliminate duplication and enhance emergency medical response. Doing so “Kites” mural on Riverfront Drive by Michael Cimino can contribute to better patient outcomes and allow fire of St. Peter, MN. staff to focus resources in specialized areas, including the hazardous materials team, confined space rescues, regional airport suppression and building inspections of high-risk occupancies.

Since 1938, the city of Mankato has owned the “Lean Back” in Riverfront Park by Haptic Design– R.D. Hubbard House and W. Tyler Whitehead of Eagan, Minn. and Charles assisted the Blue Earth Steward of , MN. County Historical Society with maintenance.

“River Wall” by Greg Mueller of Grand Marais, Minn. and “Arch Span” by Korrin Lohmann of Minneapolis, Minn. in Vetter Stone Plaza.

Summer colors by Julie Oachs, Mankato. STATE OF THE CITY 11 INVOLVE Community engagement Collaboration. Deliberation. Dialogue. Citizen involvement. This is public engagement. Mankato provides a number of ways for people to come together to address topics of common importance, to solve shared problems and to bring about positive change.

Open houses Neighborhood Open houses were held for Mankato’s Community associations Investment Plan, Arts and Culture plan update, food Mankato’s neighborhood truck ordinance and fire safety week. These events associations of Highland provide an opportunity for staff to connect with the Park, Lincoln Park, Ticket public while learning about projects and providing Tourtellotte Park and Ticket input. Hundreds attended to give input and learn about Washington Park help Connecting youth with police— proposed plans. contribute to neighborhood More than 50 youth were safety and quality of life. rewarded with an “ice cream” Night to Unite These organized groups ticket for wearing a bicycle More than 55 neighborhoods participated in Mankato’s foster communication helmet. Positive relationship annual Night to Unite. Held purposely in late August, and interaction between building helps promote residents and university students can be brought neighbors. citizenship, good stewardship together, build neighborhood involvement and raise and a safe environment. awareness about crime prevention efforts. A tour of the city Mankato’s Water Resource Recovery Facility team gives Strategic planning community groups facility tours to teach more about the Citizens are an important part of Mankato’s strategic wastewater treatment process. Community members are invited planning process through surveys and focus groups. to take part in the Heritage Commission’s bus tour to learn Input contributes to the city’s final strategic plan, which aspects of building and development history. If interested in a serves as a roadmap to guide the city through the next tour of city facilities, or to learn more about the bus tour simply few years. call 311 or 507-387-8600.

Neighborhood meetings City staff met with neighborhoods affected by various city projects to provide more information about the project and to listen to resident feedback.

Mankato’s Water Resource Recovery Facility, 701 Pine Street. 12 STATE OF THE CITY Next steps and continued focus Mankato’s Community Investment Plan presents significant projects planned. This multi-year plan helps identify, prioritize, budget and plan for needed improvements to streets, parks, utilities, including water and wastewater, facilities and major projects and purchases, such as airport improvements, surveillance cameras and city vehicles.

Projects include: u Southeast water quality project to implement drainage management and associated water quality enhancements focused in the southeast drainage district. A presentation was made to the State of Minnesota for a $14 million water quality initiative bonding request that includes three Mavericks on the ice by Todd Hanselman, Mankato. areas of focus: wastewater, domestic water treatment and surface management. Mankato’s state bonding Projects just getting started request includes $10 million in state bond funds and the remainder through a local sales tax match. Work on the Verizon Center arena will focus on building u Drainage improvements at Wilson and Barnes creeks. dehumidification for asset preservation at a cost of u Prairie Winds Park. $700,000. u Cherry Street reconstruction. u Riverfront Drive and Highway 14; Madison Avenue and On deck is Franklin Rogers Park, 601 Reed Street. Haefner Drive roundabouts. The park’s groundbreaking launched the first phase of u Buildout at Prairie Winds and housing development on ballpark improvements to enhance safety, meet standards, either side of Highway 22. and contribute to overall spectator and player experience. u Proposals are being requested for the purchase and redevelopment of site at 221 Lamm Street. An economic development grant of more than $750,000 u Engagement efforts for Tourtellotte Pool are in progress. made it possible to begin work on the Adams Street extension. Work so far includes utility installation along View Community Investment Plan projects online at the future Carver and Fern Lake roads and on Adams mankatomn.gov/communityinvestmentplan. Street (from Roosevelt Circle to Carver Road). Continued areas of focus for the city of Mankato: Work has begun to make seating in Riverfront Park u Be a good environmental steward through sustainability American with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant. This efforts, such as recycling, water protection and includes industry-standard spacing between seats, steps, preservation and stormwater management. railings and lighting in the seating area. u Build organizational capacity and high performance, and continue to look for new and effective ways to The study on the Riverfront Drive Corridor Study is provide service delivery. Partner with jurisdictions to help complete, and the next phase is to conduct a test study ensure customer needs are met and resources are used on converting a four-lane section of Riverfront Drive to a effectively. three-lane section. This test will be done in the areas of u Work with the League of Minnesota Cities and Greater Warren and Cherry streets to Vine Street. Mankato Growth to monitor state and local issues because they can impact local jurisdictions. The community solar garden is moving forward in u Grow feedback and engagement opportunities to provide Sakatah Industrial Park and includes several partners, ways for citizens to provide input on city initiatives, such as Geronimo. assets and projects. An updated communications and The city sold the land engagement plan has been developed. to Geronimo for u Recognize volunteers for their contributions to Mankato’s $1.2 million and is quality of life. expected to benefit u Partner with jurisdictions to help ensure customer needs from a total energy $1.4 million are met and resources are used effectively. savings of in savings u Look for new and effective ways to provide service $1.4 million over delivery. over a a 25-year period. 25-year period u Commitment to community-based policing principles.

STATE OF THE CITY 13 Street lighting 1% Parking 3% A look at the city’s financesStorm water 3% Refuse 4% Financial information as of December 31, 2016. Airport 4%

City of Mankato balanceUtility sheet operations and administration 4% Government activity SewerBusiness-type collection activity Total 5% Assets $247,917,056 Mass$234,181,286 transit $482,098,342 8% Liabilities $111,507,257 Wastewater$69,900,650 $180,407,907 12% Total net position $136,409,799 Water$165,280,636 $301,690,435 17% Housing and economic development 17% City of Mankato statementCivic of center/arena activities 21% Government activity Business-type activity Total Revenues $13,391,482 $37,100,912 $50,492,394 Expenses $39,621,893 $39,203,990 $78,825,883 Transfers $27,797,849 $6,381,308 $34,179,157 Increase in net position $1,576,438 Community$4,278,230 development $5,845,668 2% Housing and economic development 4% Statement of business-type activity expenditures Interest on long-term debt 1% 3% 3% 4% Department Amount % 4% Street lighting General government 4% 5% Street lighting $463,482 1% Parking Parking $1,280,481 3% Cultural and Recreation 10% 21% 5% Storm water Storm water $1,130,538 3% Public works 35% 5% Refuse Refuse $1,584,680 4% Public safety 41% Airport Utility operations and administration $1,714,572 4% 17% 8% Airport $1,725,826 5% Utility operations and administration Sewer collection $1,943,202 5% 12% Sewer collection 17% Mass transit $2,969,748 8% Mass transit

Wastewater $4,613,522 12% Wastewater

Water $6,702,415 17% Water Housing and economic development $6,778,791 17% 2% Housing and economic development Civic center/arena $8,296,733 21% 4% 4% Civic center/arena 5% Statement of general government expenditures Department Amount % 10% Community development $897,656 2% 40% Housing and economic development $776,666 4% Interest on long-term debt $1,663,645 4% Community development General government $2,031,948 5% 35% Housing and economic development Cultural and recreation $3,869,272 10% Interest on long-term debt Public works $13,948,882 35% General government Public safety $16,433,824 40% Cultural and Recreation

14 STATE OF THE CITY Public works

Public safety 2017 Highlights

Civic Center Public Information Public Safety Public Works Public Utilities Transit Ridership

579 48,148 197 14,922 2,286 694,400 Events 311 total calls Volunteers Boulevard Recycling Ridership scheduled trees processed maintained (tons)

City of Mankato fast facts

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Population 40,459 40,409 40,837 41,044 41,406 41,720

Civic center economic impact $40,267,657 $41,623,559 $39,882,629 $42,836,939 $41,010,277 42,388,004 Civic Number of events 433 428 436 362 477 579 Center Total attendance 204,433 212,808 199,435 204,711 220,045 208,865

Building inspections performed 4,100 3,552 4,100 3,607 3,469 4,500

New single family, detached 53 96 49 56 79 176 Community Development New multi-family units 306 91 293 549 104* 285

Building permit valuation $72,530,721 $95,526,325 $177,445,700 $132,254,277 $75,862,750 $151,366,574

Public 311 total calls 29,175 30,199 36,228 49,388 48,403 48,148 Information City of Mankato social network subscribers 3,001 3,906 4,917 5,891 7,389 12,203

Part I crimes (violent) 2,056 1,893 1,599 1,765 1,509 1,441

Part II crimes (non-violent) 3,121 3,004 3,059 3,134 3,239 3,353

Structural building fires 32 23 25 27 25 21 Public Safety Medical/ambulance assist calls 1,162 1,260 1,564 1,725 1,714 1,748 All other fire calls 955 961 1,069 977 879 835

Number of volunteers (Volunteers in Police Service; 100 100 175 200 205 197 part-time and reserves; Community Emergency Response Team)

Boulevard trees maintained 12,540 13,441 14,322 14,479 14,536 14,922

Parks maintained 45 48 48 49 49 49 Public Works Inches of snow plowed 37 48 48 42 37 40.5

Lane mileage maintained 430 439 465 482 485 485

Annual amount of water treated (billion gallons) 1.974 1.8 1.8 1.84 1.85 1.78

Annual amount of wastewater treated (billion gallons) 2.396 2.6 2.94 2.931 3.158 2.86 Public Utilities Refuse processed (tons) 6,455.2 7,339.1 7,096.6 6,943.5 6,784.5 6,887.4

Recycling processed (tons) 1,758.9 1,631.6 1,511.8 2,291.5 2,255.3 2,286.27

Ridership 478,281 678,158 751,779 763,315 784,738 694,400

Transit Route miles 273,461 267,901 297,321 335,803 341,044 368,374

Para transit - ridership 9,587 9,764 10,004 9,938 9,246 9,907

STATE OF THE CITY 15 Play ball at Mankato East by Jacelyn Hanson by Jason Landrum, Mankato.

Sustaining the community’s vitality

The passage of the sales tax extension helps provide funds other than property tax to pay for necessary infrastructure needs, such as supporting ongoing maintenance and operations, and other quality of life projects to sustain the community’s vitality:

u improvements to flood control and levee system for u matching funds for improvements to publicly-owned continued safety; regional facilities, including a historic museum, supportive u water quality improvement projects in Blue Earth and housing and senior center; Nicollet counties; u maintenance and projects at the Verizon Center and u expansion of regional transit building and related related downtown enhancements; multimodal transit improvements; u capital projects at Mankato Regional Airport. u regional public safety and emergency communications enhancements and equipment; Additionally, sales tax allows other matching funds from u construction and improvements to regional recreational federal, state and private sources to support proposed projects facilities, including existing hockey and curling rinks, and help fund regional partnerships. baseball park, youth athletic fields and facilities, municipal swimming pool and indoor regional athletic facilities;

Welcome to Mankato by Rick Bustmister, Mankato.

16 STATE OF THE CITY MSA Unemployment Rate

How does Mankato’s tax capacity compare?

City Total tax capacity Population Total tax capacity (2016 estimates) per capita 2.30 3.10 Mankato 41,720 $41,106,660 $985

Moorhead Duluth Duluth 86,293 $67,423,379 $781 2.30 Moorhead 42,492 $32,093,238 $755

St. Cloud Rochester 114,011 $123,385,067 $1,082

1.80 St. Cloud 67,641 $45,083,059 $667 2.10

Source: League of Minnesota Cities, “2017 City-by-City Market Value and Tax Capacity Composition,” Mankato https://www.lmc.org/page/1/property-tax-reports.jsp#proptx17 Rochester

How does Mankato compare with other regional centers?

Metropolitan MSA median MSA Labor force MSA Labor participation Minnesota city MSA GDP Populations MSA median Statistical Area household unemployment participation rate MSA rank retail sales growth % (2016) house value (MSA) income rate (ages 25-65) (ages 25-64) (per capita) (2015-2016)

Duluth 86,293 $148,000 $45,950 3.10 77.10 177.00 $16,920.29 0.90%

Mankato 41,720 $159,500 $43,808 1.80 86.60 1.00 $29,368.22 3.75%

Moorhead 42,492 $166,000 $55,343 2.30 86.50 3.00 $11,194.52 2.32%

Rochester 114,011 $167,800 $65,195 2.10 86.40 4.00 $21,261.81 3.57%

St. Cloud 67,641 $144,100 $45,223 2.30 85.30 7.00 $14,293.40 5.33%

Comparative rank 5th 3rd 5th 1st 1st 1st 1st 2nd

U.S. Census Bureau and Greater Mankato Growth

Government scorecard: How is Mankato doing? (Percent responding excellent or good in citizen’s survey) 100%

84% 79% 72% 72% 66% 62% 50%

Service Welcoming Overall Confidence Acts in Customer value for business direction in city the best services taxes paid involvement government interest of Mankato

0%

STATE OF THE CITY 17 Mankato’s Strategic Plan

Mankato’s Strategic Plan is a road map that leads the way by guiding city decisions about service delivery. Through citizen and business surveys, community conversations and focus groups, three themes have emerged: affordability, stewardship and community building.

Affordability

Leading the way as a vibrant diverse regional community

Stewardship Community Building

18 STATE OF THE CITY Guiding framework for Mankato’s strategic plan To be successful, it is important to have a framework to help meet goals. To do so, economic sustainability, financial sustainability, organizational development, communication and collaboration, and race, equity and leadership will be used to help guide and implement initiatives identified in the strategic plan’s themes of Affordability, Stewardship and Community Building.

Economic sustainability

The opportunity: The business environment impacts the city’s ability to achieve success in affordability, stewardship and community building. It may grow if themes are accomplished and aligned with economic needs. If the economy shrinks and financial sustainability is affected, the plan would shift accordingly.

How Mankato plans to address it: u Support economic development that grows tax base. u Leverage agricultural assets in balance with sustainability goals. u Support collaborative community development service model that welcomes business and simplifies processes.

Financial sustainability

The opportunity: Mankato’s financial sustainability is communicated and achieved through accurate forecasting and budget creation. It’s maintained through budget monitoring and policy decisions that arise as the forecast changes, which may limit achievability of accomplishments within affordability, stewardship and community building or require policy shifts to achieve goals.

How Mankato plans to address it: u Maintain levy. u Look at partnerships to grow programming. u Assure new growth can be sustained operationally.

Organizational development The opportunity: Mankato’s commitment to organizational development includes fostering a nimble and high performance organization that prepares and adjusts for change while continuously engaging the community.

How Mankato plans to address it: u Grow capacity of existing organization before adding positions. u Support recruitment, development and retention programs in line with values and culture. u Align performance evaluations and compensation with high performance.

Communication and collaboration Citizen and business surveys, community conversations and focus groups helped determine areas of focus for Mankato’s Strategic Plan. It continues through: u Expanded partnerships and collaboration. u Being more multi-lingual and culturally aware. u Promoting education about city services, activities and events. u A commitment to increased inclusivity and sense of belonging.

Race, equity and leadership Equity and inclusion is critical to the success of our community, and we will continue to work toward four key goals by normalizing, operationalizing and organizing for change: u City employees understand and are committed to achieving racial equity. u City of Mankato promotes inclusion and engagement of all community members. u Neighborhoods and people are safe and racial disproportionalities in the criminal justice system are decreased. u City of Mankato and the community provide programs and services that are responsive and reflective of community needs.

STATE OF THE CITY 19