The City of Minot Public Works Department is requesting City Council approve purchase of 7.5 acres of land immediately East and adjacent to the existing Public Works complex in Southeast Minot. The item is on tonight’s City Council agenda, and the request is for a budget amendment and purchase agreement approval in the amount of $920,000 to be taken from water-sewer-storm sewer cash reserves to pay for the acquisition.
The memo provided to Council from Utilities Director Jason Sorenson reads, as it relates to the existing City property, “… Most recently, two buildings were moved to the property that were acquired as part of a flood control project. The buildings will act as storage for all the flood control closure structures and other cold storage for public works equipment. With the addition of the two recently moved buildings, outdoor material storage is becoming more constrained. […] Based on growth experienced over the past ten years, a time will come when the current property isn’t large enough to house all the departments that it currently does. The purchase of this property will allow growth and expansion into the future.”
The property proposed for purchase is undeveloped and includes frontage along U.S. Highway 2/Burdick Expressway East. It is currently assessed at $834,000 and generates $15,237.18 annually in property tax revenue.
10-year revenue losses from converting the property to non-taxed public ownership amount to $152,371.80. 50-year loses amount to $761,859.
Existing property tax revenue and future loses are not included in the information provided to Council prior to their decision tonight.
