A PUBLICATION OF THE NORTH DAKOTA LEAGUE OF CITIES STRONG. DYNAMIC. CITIES. MARCH 2018 A workshop for Elected and Appointed Officials March Madnessvs. See page 7-9 Sense & Sensibility CITY Minot PROFILE See page 15 Your community’s future is here Partners in building an even stronger North Dakota More than 80 North Dakota cities rely on us to help their residents thrive. Let’s talk about your community. Contact us today. 701.282.4692 · mooreengineeringinc.com [email protected] 2 March 2018 | CITYScan FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE From the NDLC Executive Director . 3 Municipal Law Book AVAILABLE! . 18 From the NDLC President . 4 NDLC’s Auditor’s Certification Program . 19 Product and Services Guide Now Available! . 5 An Election Primer for 2018 . 20 If I Were Mayor Essay Contest Rules . 5 Tiniest Town . 24 Try a Webinar! . 6 Resolve + Resourcefulness . 26 March Madness Information . 7-9 Tax Increment Financing & Renaissance Zone Reminders . 27 How to #Hashtag . 11 North Dakota Cares Community Program . 27 LAST CALL! 2018 Scholarship Application . 13 Leadership Exchange Program . 28 Unmanned Aircraft Coverage . 14 CITY PROFILE: The Magic of Minot . 15 Cooperative Purchasing – Get What You Need! . 29 Applause, Applause . 16 Supreme Court to Decide Billon Dollar Sales Tax Case . 32 Business Incentive Accountability Law Annual Report Due . 16 Building HR Together . 34 APWA 2018 Project of the Year Nominations . 17 Community Forestry Grants Available Now . 36 IN EACH ISSUE Ask NDLC . 23 Webinars . 37 Meeting Procedure . 30 Municipal Calendar . 38 Hometown, Homegrown . 35 Community Calendar . 39 CITYBeat . 35 Bulletin Notes . 40 ADVERTISERS INDEX Ackerman-Estvold . 38 Moore Engineering . Inside front cover AE2S . 34 Nationwide Retirement . 37 AE2S Nexus . 35 North Dakota Insurance Reserve Fund . 14 Black Mountain Software . 27 North Dakota State Procurement Office . 10 Bolton & Menk, Inc . 19 NRG Technology Services . 18 Brosz Engineering . 1 Rath & Mehrer . 32 Dougherty & Company LLC . Outside back cover Short Elliott Hendrickson Inc . (SEH) . 17 H & H Coatings, Inc . 25 SRF Consulting Group, Inc . 36 Houston Engineering, Inc . 22 Interstate Engineering . 29 Stantec . 24 KBM GeoSpatial LLC . 26 Starion Bond Services . 28 KLJ . 4 T&R Electric Supply Co ,. Inc . 13 Lewis & Clark Development Group . Inside back cover Widseth Smith Nolting . 30 Maguire Iron . 23 Wold Engineering . 21 CITYScan | March 2018 1 About NDLC The North Dakota League of Cities has served as a key resource for CITYScan is published 10 times yearly by the cities and park districts since the early 1900s when the League of North Dakota League of Cities at 410 E Front Ave, North Dakota Municipalities was organized in Grand Forks . City Bismarck, ND 58504 . Subscriptions are $20 per year . Advertising rates on application . Deadline for officials had a vision – they recognized the importance of joining advertising and copy is the first of the preceding together to speak as one voice for the benefit of all . month . Permission to use any original article if credit given . Opinions expressed in articles do not necessarily express the position taken by NDLC . Those early city leaders also understood the benefits of sharing experiences . From the Editor: Chelsey Benson, NDLC Advertising/Circulation: Carissa Richter, NDLC account of the first meeting on September 25, 1912: "Another object of the League is Design Director: Chelly Bosch, Elegant Designs to disseminate the information which the different cities may have on these and other city problems, so that when one has met and solved any problem, the other members ND League of Cities Staff: of the League may have the benefit of its experience, without having to pass through (701) 223-3518 • www .ndlc .org the perplexities and uncertainties of the experimental stage." Blake Crosby • blake@ndlc .org Executive Director The League works with the Legislative Assembly to address the needs for our cities and Stephanie Dassinger • stephanie@ndlc .org municipal parks, and the staff informs city leaders about legislative changes that may Deputy Director/Staff Attorney affect cities . The League offers seminar and training opportunities for city elected and Carissa Richter • carissa@ndlc .org appointed officials through the year . Many of these opportunities are offered by the Member Services and Office Manager League’s Municipal Government Academy (MGA) . MGA offers a four-tiered certificate program that provides tools for effective leadership . Chelsey Benson • chelsey@ndlc .org Training Services & Communications Manager Today, the League continues to encourage dynamic local leadership by providing educational opportunities and myriad services to city officials, by connecting resources POSTMASTER: SEND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: with needs, and by representing the interests of municipalities in state and federal NORTH DAKOTA LEAGUE OF CITIES, 410 E FRONT AVE, BISMARCK, ND 58504 public policy discussions . About the Cover Drew has been a real estate agent for 12 years in the city of Minot. The cover photo was Issue 3 used in his “Minot Life Channel” and campaign to push positive messaging about the state ■ of North Dakota and the city of Minot. This campaign encourages people to post pictures of what they love about Minot on social media and tagging Minot. The campaign is up and running at www.facebook.com/minotrealestatecoach/ Cover Photo Credit:Drew Wierson | State Fair credit (left): Minot CVB Do you want to see your city on the cover? Volume 86 Volume Send your North Dakota city photo ideas to [email protected]. NDLC Executive Board 2017-2018 President: Katie Andersen, Mayor, Jamestown Vice President: Dan Stenvold, Mayor, Park River Past President: Chris West, Mayor, Grafton Highlights NDLC Regional Executive Board Members Diane Affeldt, City Auditor, Garrison Chuck Andrus, Council Member, South Heart SOCIAL MEDIA Darrell Bjerke, Mayor, Beulah Has your city Tate Cymbaluk, City Commissioner, Williston gone social? Todd Feland, City Administrator, Grand Forks Next time you Tina Fisk, City Administrator, West Fargo post on your Aaron Gravos, Council Member, Watford City social media accounts Tag April Haring, City Auditor, Oakes #NDLCsocial Jeffrey Russo, Mayor, Lakota on your city Mike Seminary, Mayor, Bismarck postings to be Kevin Ternes, City Assessor, Minot featured here in upcoming issues . Wanda Zimmerman, City Auditor, Lehr 2 March 2018 | CITYScan Blake Crosby, Executive Director (701) 223-3518 [email protected] From the NDLC Executive Director Here it is March and winter has only two weeks left. I know this because Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on February 2 which meant six more weeks of winter. Now four weeks have gone by so using the calculator app on my smartphone that leaves only two weeks to go. We’ll see if my smartphone is really that smart. March Madness is a big event this month taking place on March 6 and 7 and you can always register at the door if need be. This event is a great time to have a little “Spring Break” with your colleagues and take home some valuable and important information you can use in your job and for yourself. The election cycle for local and state positions is here and candidates are announcing their intentions. It is important to reach out to all candidates on a regular basis to make sure they understand the workings of local government. Be sure to correct any misinformation that may become part of public discussion as soon as you hear about it. In today’s news cycle we can’t afford to wait a day or two to respond. A number of state initiatives have been rolled out over the past few months under the direction of Governor Burgum. A recent initiative launched by NDDOT is “Vision Zero.” The objective is to work towards zero motor vehicle fatalities. There were 113 motor vehicle fatalities in 2017 and, as in 2016, the majority of them were due to not using seat belts and alcohol related. Those are easy fixes that all of us need to be aware of and as elected or appointed officials you have a responsibility to share that awareness with your citizens. The Governor’s Main Street Initiative Summit was February 12 and 13. We will be asking a variety of city officials to provide us with notes and comments which we will be posting to our website for those of you unable to attend. The League continues to partner with the Governor’s office and the ND Department of Commerce on development of the Initiative as the framework is being built out. And again, look for information on our website as the Initiative progresses. The opioid crisis is not letting up anywhere across the entire country and North Dakota is no exception. North Dakota could have 70+ deaths attributed to opioid addiction in 2017. Many states, cities, counties and other jurisdictions across the United States are suing pharmacy companies and distributors to recover the costs of law enforcement, incarceration and rehabilitation attributable to opioid addiction. Your city council/ Do you want to see your city on the cover? commission may be approached by law firms asking if your city wishes to participate. Several different law Send your North Dakota city photo ideas to [email protected]. firms are involved in this litigation with different levels of experience and different rates of compensation based on recovery. Listen carefully and have your municipal attorney in on the discussion. If they sue on behalf of your city and are successful in being awarded damages, a portion of those funds will go directly to your city. Enjoy the end of winter…first day of Spring is March 20. Daylight Savings Time begins on March 11…set your clocks ahead. Celebrate with the Irish on St. Patty’s Day…March 17. Have a great March and don’t forget to stop and smell the crocuses. The BEST government, is LOCAL government. As you’re reading through this month’s CITYScan be on the lookout for this image .