OPERATIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

MARRYING SERVICES

The City actively led and studied the efficiency of merging the City’s Recreation Department with the Minot Parks Department, which was completed in April 2019.

POLICING PAPERLESS

The Police Department implemented new $70,000 Brazos ticketing software that eliminates the use of paper tickets, increasing efficiency both for the officers in the field and by eliminating the need for data entry by records department staff

OPERATING AT A HIGH LEVEL

STRIVING TO WORK HARDER & SMARTER: Much of 2019 went into tasks that made our services better and easier for our staff and the community. This section will continue to highlight those efforts.

GOING WITH THE FLOW The Water Department performed sewer main televising on more than 59,188 feet of sewer line through October. Using cameras to examine sewer pipes helps prevent sewer back-ups and identifies any potential repairs. The department cleaned 25.7 miles of sewer pipe through October, helping to prevent sewer back-ups in homes and businesses, and checked 369 gate valves through October, which helps crews find valves that need repairs or replacement. A NEW WAY TO AUCTION The City disposed of five pieces of equipment using the GovDeals online auction, netting the City $31,751 in revenue, more than five times the amount the City would have normally received by disposing of the equipment at local auction. TAKING CONTROL OF OUR GHOSTS The City successfully asserted operational control for both downtown parking structures, instituted cleaning and repair of both ramps, updated infrastructure, mitigated poor construction work, preserved both structures with protective measures, and moved to legally hold the developer accountable. The property maintenance staff created a maintenance program for the structures to ensure equipment is efficiently maintained rather than replaced. These changes improved the workings of the control gates, the ticket system, and the structure’s fire suppression system. All while making the structures safer and more inviting to the public.

SCALING OPERATIONS FOR A BUSY LANDFILL T he City landfill completed an expansion of its inert site by removing an unnecessary leachate pond, regrading perimeter drainage and building a new access road. The project added 213,000 cubic yards of space to the existing inert disposal site, and was done with existing staff and equipment. Just how busy was the landfill this past year? Here’s our data:l

51,000 | SCALE TICKETS PRODUCED 55,000 | TONS OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE 20,500 | TONS OF INERT WASTE

2,200 | TONS OF COMPOST 2,400 | TONS OF TREES 340 | BULK ITEMS COLLECTED

A project to install the final cover on Cell 2 at the City landfill began in May, with the final portion of the project to be completed in 2020. The project utilized existing staff and equipment, and completion will ensure permit compliance as set forth by the North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality.

POUNDING THE PAVEMENT T he Engineering Department completed the City’s largest budgeted street maintenance program in history, at a cost of $4.72 million. The department has been utilizing pavement condition data to prioritize maintenance projects, thereby optimizing all dollars allocated to the project. This use of data is an example of how the City, across all departments, is starting to make operational and organizational decisions. By collecting and monitoring more (and the right) data, the City will be more effective with its services. The PCI index also shows the City’s street conditions rate as Satisfactory.

Setting a standard T he Engineering Department completed the first update since 2013 of the City’s Standard Specifications and Details for Construction. These provide contractors, developers, engineers, and the public in general with information regarding the requirements for infrastructure construction within the City of Minot. This updated many City standards to more closely follow NDDOT standards.

The City Council adopted updates to the 2018 International Code Council set of codes (six different codes in total). They also adopted the new 2018 International Existing Building Code. It keeps Minot’s codes in line with other cities and counties in the state and provides clarity for contractors. Fire up the upgrades T he Minot Fire Department went live in January with Emergency Reporting, a new software system that not only manages all records within the different disciplines but also provides for maintenance, asset management, and training. With a budget impact of $10,521, this will help today’s administrators and public officials with data that captures all of the daily activities conducted by local government — including fire, EMS, police, zoning, and public works. Fire Station 3, located near the Minot International Airport, was remodeled to

address multiple issues, including code compliance, space, and aging building issues. The $1.1 million project also provides an improved living space for firefighters and will greatly extend the life of the building. The cost was split between the City (50%), the Federal Aviation Administration (45%), and the state of North Dakota (5%).

For Transit, the two-way radio systems in the buses were upgraded, at a cost to the City of only $1,139. This will improve the communications and safety of the transit system by eliminating the shared use of radio frequency and lost radio transmissions due to four other departments using the same frequency.

City’s PCI Index: A complete assessment of the City’s streets produced some favorable data, and aided in helping the Engineering Department prioritize maintenance and construction projects. Overall, the City’s Pavment Condition Index is in satisfactory condition. The full index, including a street to street ranking is available on the Engineering Department’s page on the City’s website.

SAFETY FIRST The Minot International Airport improved its safety programs through several methods in 2019.

1. A Certified Airport: For the third year in a row, the Minot International Airport passed its certification with no discrepancies. The Certification Inspection is an important validation that the airport is in compliance with all of the regulatory and safety responsibilities. This ensures that the airport remains eligible for federal funding, and verifies that City staff is operating at the highest possible standards.

2. Prepared for the Unthinkable: Every three years, the Minot International Airport is required to perform a full-scale emergency drill which simulates a real world aviation-related disaster. Emergency response agencies from the City of Minot, Ward County, and Homeland Security all participate to ensure readiness. This exercise gave

the teams an opportunity to face the types of challenges they are likely to encounter in the event of a real disaster..

3. Fighting Mother Nature: Federal funds were allocated to improve the safety of the airport and the traveling public by reducing wildlife habitat on the 1,600 acres of airport property. In addition, planning how storm water runoff from the airport is managed is critical to the City’s overall flood control project. The new terminal increased the amount of impervious surfaces dramatically with more parking lots, taxiways, and commercial aircraft parking ramps. The additional runoff of storm water needs to be managed in a way that does not create an inviting wildlife habitat which is dangerous for aviation.

4. Doing Due Diligence: MOT staff members, with the City of Minot and Fire Department inspectors, made detailed inspections of 27 hangars located on airport property. To ensure compliance with building code, fire safety, and their airport leases.

ADDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTS The City instituted nearly two dozen ordinance changes to update and improve city policy and operations. These changes resulted in clarified operations, modernized policy-making, business-friendly improvements, and liability mitigation.

Security was increased at the Public Works building by adding 26 cameras, both inside and outside the building. The building has frequently been the target of vandals, and the new $30,000 system will help improve security for break-ins as well as day-to-day operations. New, more efficient LED lighting was also installed at the Public Works complex.

Council adopted a new Capital Improvement Plan in 2019, a document that lays out the top capital projects based on an objective scoring system. 800 hours of work went into creating the detailed document. The engineering department compiled the data, with major input from other City departments. Projects are scored using written criteria that is now formalized and standardized.

There are several advantages to the new method of creating the capital improvement plan. Departments all use the same process for each project. Each department’s projects are combined into a single spreadsheet and rankings are created based on project scores. A summary spreadsheet is used to collect data from all departments.

OUR TOP FOCUS

IS YOU

CUSTOMERS: The City of Minot is a service-based organization. Our purpose is to serve the citizens and the surrounding community. Everything we do is to better serve you, the public. This section highlights a few ways we are working to do that.