December 22, 2023

Greetings! On Behalf of the Board of City Commissioners and myself, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New year.

We always like to begin this note with a big thank you, whether you are an elected official or one of the many employees that make Mandan such a great place to call home, your dedication to this city is noticed and appreciated. This year, we presented several service awards that I would like to specifically call out:

• 35 Years: Bruce Beehler, Fire Captain
• 25 Years: Steve Nardello, Fire Chief; and Wayne Friesz, Part-time Fire Captain
• 15 Years: Jason Neuberger, Police Lieutenant; Devon Beehler, Firefighter; Jared Hopkins, Part-time Firefighter; Jordon Sivertson, Part-time Firefighter; Erick Schantz, Lead Water Treatment Plant Operator; and Dean Schmidt, Assistant Utility Maintenance Superintendent

It's rare to have employees for more than 5 years in today's world, so having these "long timers" is something we should all be proud of!

This year, we also celebrated the retirements of Cheryl Kroh, Melvin Gallaway, Scott Stromsodt, Jon Benz, and Steve Nardello. We are so grateful for the time they spent at the City of Mandan and wish them the best in their retirements.

It's safe to say that 2023 has been a year of planning for the future of Mandan. Whether it was what to do with the existing Mandan High School site after the school moves to its new location in north Mandan; future City Hall renovations; or how to approach much-needed and expensive road/street improvement projects; staff from all over has been a part of each phase.

It's exciting to think about what 2024 will bring, but even more thrilling to know we have such a good team here at the City of Mandan, ready and willing to put their best foot forward each and every day.

Thank you for your hard work this year and continued dedication to the City of Mandan.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year,

Jim Neubauer

At the Dec. 5 City Commission meeting, City Administrator Jim Neubauer presented the State of Mandan. This was an extended version of the Mayor's State of the Cities presentation to the Bismarck Mandan Chamber EDC in November. Click here to view slides or watch the presentation.

Senior Real Property Appraiser Brenda Johnson shares her talent of knitting with the New Years Babies at Sanford Hospital.

Each year, Johnson makes 12 New Years beanies for the babies, spending about 5 hours each on a hat with stripes and a patch.

What a fun, hidden talent!

Length of Service award policy changes

In October, the City Commission approved some changes to the length of service and retirement awards policy. Most notably, the City will now be recognizing employees with 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, etc. years of service during the quarter the milestone is reached in. Employees will be recognized at a City Commission meeting towards the end of the quarter their work anniversary falls in.

As part of the recognition for these anniversary years, an email will be sent to the full-time employee explaining the redemption process to choose a gift. The gift should be redeemed within 30 days of receiving the email, and it will be shipped to the employee's home address.

On Dec. 19, the Building Inspections & Assessing Department brought supplies to make lefsa over the lunch hour for all employees.

Thank you to the employees in this department for sharing their talent and traditions with us!

The Primary Residence Credit (PRC) was established during the 2023 Legislative Session under House Bill 1158. The credit provides all North Dakota homeowners with the option to apply for a state property tax credit through the North Dakota Office of State Tax Commissioner.

The Office of State Tax Commissioner will start accepting Primary Residence Credit applications Jan. 1, 2024 through the North Dakota Taxpayer Access Point (ND TAP).

Homeowners with an approved application may receive up to a $500 credit that would be applied to their property tax statement. 

The Mandan Tomorrow: Leadership, Pride and Image Committee in partnership with NDSU Extension Morton County is conducting a workshop for individuals exploring the possibility of running for local, elected leadership positions. Intended to encourage candidacy, the Empowering Tomorrow’s Leaders workshop will take place Wednesday, Feb. 7 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Mandan City Hall, 205 2nd Ave NW.

“Our goal is to promote interest in leadership so the public has more candidates than the number of positions available to choose from each open position with the City and County Commissions as well as school and park boards.” says Committee Chair Laurie Leingang. “Contested elections encourages voting, stimulates debate and conversation, which helps bring new ideas and perspectives. The workshop will provide insights on the rewards and challenges in these positions. We hope the workshop results in candidates who have the abilities to meet expectations.”

Positions up for election in 2024 include two seats on the Mandan City Commission plus the Mayor and Municipal Court Judge; three on the Morton County Commission; two on the Mandan Park Board; and four on the Mandan Public School Board.

Mike Anfinson has been with the City of Mandan for 22 and a half years. He is an Equipment Operator II at the Landfill.

Fun Fact about you: I enjoy sunrises and I have taken some really cool pictures of the sunrise from the Landfill.

What do you do in your role? Basic day to day duties at the Landfill but my main job is running the loader.

What do you love most about your job? The variety of jobs that I get to do day to day.

What’s a hobby you have outside of work? Snowmobiling.

What’s one item you can’t live without? My dog.

What’s your favorite thing to do in Mandan? Going to the parade.

What’s your favorite restaurant/business in Mandan? Old 10 Bar & Grill.

Mitch Bitz has been Public Works Director for the City of Mandan for 5 years. Now he's transitioning back to the Fire Department as Fire Chief, but will balance the responsibilities of each department until the Public Works Director position is filled. Mitch has enjoyed his time with Public Works and enjoys being able to highlight the people that make up the department and the great things they do.

1. What are the main responsibilities of your department? To operate and maintain City property and infrastructure such as, streets, traffic signals, street lights, water distribution, water meters, sewage collection, landfill, cemetery
2. What is the structure of your department? There are 35 full-time and approximately 12 part-time employees within the Public Works Department. The Public Works Department consists of the Utility Division (waterlines, sewerlines, street lights, traffic signals), Grounds Maintenance (Forestry & Cemetery), Street Division, and Landfill.
3. How can your fellow co-workers help your department? Be patient…most of the problems we deal with are expensive, labor intensive, and unpredictable so we appreciate peoples understanding when we get dealt unpredictable situations
4. What’s your favorite thing about your department? What we do matters to 25,000 people that call Mandan home.
5. Any special talents in your department? There are too many to list. In all honesty, if there is a problem chances are pretty high that we have someone in our department that can fix it. We have a lot of very experienced people working on our team.
6. Anything else you'd like your co-workers to know about your department? Thank you to our co-workers for the thanks the guys and gals of Public Works do get. Most of the time people call us to tell us there is a problem. There isn't a lot of praise or appreciation when things work, but the general public can be quick to enlighten us on how we can do better, so genuine appreciation goes a long way.

OCTOBER

Justin Schulz, Assistant Finance Director

Heather Krell, Police Evidence Technician

Johnathan Wagoner, Permit Technician (Building Inspection)

James Peterson, Equipment Operator I (Street)

Nathan Muri, Code Enforcement Officer

NOVEMBER

Alyssa McCulley, Police Officer

Kayla Schmidt, MMPL Community Engagement Associate

Elizabeth Acheson, MMPL Circulation Desk Assistant

DECEMBER

Brandon Long, Police Officer

Lance Hagel, Equipment Operator I (Street) 

Lisa Schobinger, Senior Accounting Technician