ND: Bismarck meeting set on public transit funding OK'd by voters; online comment form available

A public meeting is scheduled early next month on funding that Bismarck voters approved last November to boost public transportation, and the city also has set up an online form for comments.

The installment of the Human Relations Committee’s Community Conversations will be from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, May 8, in the lower-level Tom Baker Meeting Room of the City/County Building at 221 N. Fifth St. downtown. It also will be livestreamed.

Bismarck voters in the general election approved a half-cent sales tax to fund public safety and public transportation, with 60% in favor.

The tax allocates three-tenths of a cent to public safety, for use in building police and fire stations, acquiring emergency vehicles and paying the costs of the city's use of the Burleigh Morton Detention Center.

The remaining two-tenths of a cent goes toward supporting the public transit and paratransit system. That includes Capital Area Transit fixed-route bus services, and the paratransit door-to-door rides made available for seniors and people with disabilities.

A similar measure was approved by 60% of voters in Mandan in last year's June primary election.

The May 8 forum in Bismarck will have two components — a panel of five community members representing a diverse population will answer a variety of predetermined questions, then time will be made available for attendees to ask panelists questions and provide input about their perceptions of barriers and solutions.

The five panelists are fixed-route rider Matthew Aricou, paratransit riders Susan Dingle and Trevor Vannett, city Community Integration Coordinator Heather May and Bismarck Public Schools Transitions Coordinator Sherrice Roness.

“This Community Conversation forum should be seen as a critical opportunity for the public to share input on this topic,” said City Commissioner Michael Connelly, a member of the Transportation Steering Committee. “We are also providing a mechanism for the public to share input leading up to this public forum ... we want to hear from anyone who has thoughts on how we can make public transportation for the elderly, disabled and people of low socioeconomic status in our community better, more viable, more accessible, more cost-effective and something that will truly be a resource for all our citizens.”

An online submission form at https://bit.ly/4cPG6lh asks people to detail transportation challenges and potential solutions. The form will be available through Sunday, May 11. Submissions will be provided to the Human Relations Committee, the Transportation Steering Committee and the City Commission. The Transportation Steering Committee is expected to report funding priorities to the City Commission by the end of June.

Dakota Media Access, at https://bit.ly/42tXUz1, will livestream the forum, and also record it for later public viewing.

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