The original item was published from April 22, 2023 to April 20, 2023 3:06 PM
Dear Minot:
What do cities need to be successful? The list is endless, and will certainly vary depending on who you ask. Here are some of my thoughts, although I certainly recognize that this is nowhere near a comprehensive list. But it’s a good place to start the discussion.
Top-notch education services and facilities. With a mixture of public and private education facilities, Minot has something to offer every family in our area. Minot High School and the coming Minot North High School offer a wide variety of educational opportunities available through larger school districts. Area Class B schools like Nedrose and South Prairie showcase smaller class sizes and a small school atmosphere, and private schools like Bishop Ryan and Our Redeemer’s offer unique settings for those seeking faith-based educations for their children.
Quality health care services that are available and affordable. Minot has long been blessed with quality health care facilities that serve much of northwest North Dakota. And now, with Trinity Health’s massive new state-of-the-art medical campus opening in southwest Minot, the future looks even brighter for our residents when it comes to health care. The new facility will help Minot continue to serve as a regional hub for residents of neighboring communities searching for quality, affordable, and available health care services.
Access to quality and affordable child care, so residents can be part of the community’s workforce. Minot’s situation is similar to a lot of cities in North Dakota; child care can be expensive and hard to find. At the City, we’ve formed a committee to study how we can help alleviate the child care concerns even as the state of North Dakota and the Legislature continue to look for ways to help parents with children remain part of our state’s workforce.
Dedicated elected leadership. I’m proud to serve as your mayor and as a member of the Minot City Council. As we embark on the journey to a new City Hall and new City Council chambers, I’ve used this opportunity to reflect on the great things that have taken place at our current City Hall. History has been made there, from flood recovery decisions to budget compromises and everything in between. I believe every member of City Council that has served in our community’s history brought their own unique perspective to the position. Our current Council members are genuinely concerned about the future of Minot, and are dedicated to working together to best serve all the residents of our community moving forward.
Local government that is fiscally responsible, with an eye on future growth. Like every community in North Dakota, Minot has experienced some stressful economic times in the past decade. Together, our local elected leaders and those in positions of leadership at the City of Minot have made difficult budget decisions to keep our community moving forward. Those decisions are made with one eye on the past to ensure we don’t repeat mistakes, and one eye squarely focused on the future. Just as the decisions of our predecessors impact us today, the decisions we’re making in 2023 will have lasting influences on those who serve in municipal government roles in the future. For everyone at the City of Minot, our goal is to be good stewards of public money, while balancing the needs vs. the wants of our organization and our community.
Community members who are involved in the political and government processes. Local government works best when community members are active participants. That doesn’t mean simply commenting on social media outlets, although there is certainly a place in government for constructive criticism and disagreement. But being actively involved, to me, means attending or watching City Council meetings to stay informed, asking City officials for accurate information, respectfully questioning processes or projects that you don’t think make sense, and accepting that you aren’t going to agree with every decision your local government makes. As council members, we are tasked with listening to our constituents, but we’re also sworn to consider what’s best for everyone in Minot.
A safe community for residents and visitors. As expansion and growth broadens our community, our Police Department and Fire Departments are tasked with the ever-changing duty of protecting the lives of our residents and their property. The brave men and women of these departments often put their own lives at risk to protect us, and we are thankful for their willingness to serve their community. And we can’t forget the employees of our City’s Public Works and Engineering departments, who are on call for other types of emergencies, like water leaks, snow removal, traffic signal repairs, and maintaining a source of clean water for our residents. It definitely takes a village to protect a village, and we know the work these departments do takes a personal toll on every individual involved.
Taking care of the needs of others. Minot has always been known as a community that takes care of itself. We’ve proven that through our history of natural disasters, from the massive floods of 1969 and 2011 to the deadly train derailment west of Minot in 2002. But we also prove it every day through smaller efforts like volunteering for Meals on Wheels, Backpack Buddies, the Men’s Winter Refuge, or one of the hundreds of other programs that are in place to help the residents of Minot. When a need arises, there are almost always folks willing to step up and help. That’s what makes Minot a great community.
I could go on forever, and this list really never ends. I firmly believe Minot is a great community, and these are only a few of the reasons why. The question is daunting: What do cities need to be successful? I challenge you to take a few moments and think about what might be on your list. Perhaps your list will be much different than mine, and that’s kind of the point.
A community needs so many different things to be successful. A community needs a wide variety of opinions, strengths, skills, and resources. Perhaps above all, a community needs an unbreakable spirit, a resilient attitude, and a willingness to work together for the common good. We have that right here in Minot.
You can find more about what’s happening at the City of Minot at minotnd.org, or find us on Facebook and Twitter. We’d also encourage you to sign up for our monthly electronic newsletter on our website.