City of Bismarck Approves Final 2025 Budget

At its final meeting in September, the Bismarck City Commission unanimously approved its 2025 budget.

The 2025 budget is at just over $370 million. Of that, general fund expenditures are expected to be just over $69 million. The general fund budget will operate at a deficit for one year that will be covered by the City's reserves. Future revenues will be needed to cover this deficit.

"I'd like to thank the Budget Committee and the City Commission for the exceptional work completed during this budget cycle," said Finance Director Dmitriy Chernyak. "I feel like we have been able to address the growing need for service from our citizens while maintaining a mostly balanced budget that is critical to long-term success for the City of Bismarck."

This year's budget includes additional public safety and service components:

• Police drone program to assist with specific emergency response situations
• Runway rehabilitation projects at Bismarck Airport
• Additional software for police body camera integration
• South Bismarck flood protection project
• Water Treatment Plant expansion
• Haycreek lift station and interceptor projects
• Purchase of a landfill compactor
• A 5.6% staff salary increase to remain compliant with compensation plan
• East Century Avenue reconstruction project funded by half-cent sales tax
• Replacing High-Pressure Sodium (HPS) streetlights with Light-Emitting Diode (LED) counterparts
• Supporting 13 of 24 staff requests

The City of Bismarck is dropping property taxes in coordination with Burleigh County funding more of Bismarck-Burleigh Public Health's budget.

"We appreciate Burleigh County's ongoing financial commitment to its residents," said City Commissioner Anne Cleary, who holds the budget and public health portfolios. "We believe this continued cooperative approach ensures a safe and healthy community and we are excited to see where these next steps take us."

A proposed reduction to the base charge associated with water rates on every City utility account is also being considered. This five percent reduction is in response to the $50 million grant awarded by the State Legislature last year to financially assist the City with the much-needed water treatment plant expansion. This specific reduction will be discussed further and potentially finalized at the next City Commission meeting on October 8.

"The City of Bismarck is certainly grateful for the legislature's grant in 2023 and that money is making this reduction possible," said Bismarck Mayor Mike Schmitz. "We need to give something back to the taxpayers and this was one way that everyone can get some relief."

The Bismarck City Commission meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of each month at 5:15 PM in the Tom Baker Room at the City/County Building (221 North Fifth Street in Bismarck). Agendas, meeting minutes and video from the meetings are available online. Information about previous budgets is available online.

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