| State of the Cities |
| 11/5/2009 |
| The mayors of Bismarck and Mandan say both cities are faring extremely well despite global economic troubles. They delivered their state of the city addresses before a crowd at the Seven Seas Hotel this morning. John Warford says Bismarck is in excellent shape compared to most other cities. The population is now over 60,000, and unemployment is up slightly, but still very low. Warford says investment in the community is continuing, and he says Bismarck will be ready for new business when the nation`s economy improves. Until then, the city is in a budget freeze. "We had 21 applications through all of the department in the city of Bismarck for new employees," says Warford. "We granted zero for 2010 because we think we need to show that responsibility." Mandan`s mayor says the population is now over 18-,000. The downtown diesel spill cleanup effort is going smoothly, while the rebuilding effort above ground is also picking up steam. Housing values are up, and home sales are on track to beat last year`s numbers, too. However, sales tax collections are down. "We are well aware what`s going on, and we`re working hard to bring these numbers back up," says Tim Helbling. Sales tax collections in both cities are used to help offset some of the property tax. |
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