Central ND News

Another round of the Human Relations Committee's Community Conversations is scheduled for May 8. The event will take place from 6 PM to 8 PM in the City/County Building's lower level, specifically in the Tom Baker Meeting Room at 221 North Fifth Street.

This session will address public transportation funding, approved by voters in a referendum last November. The decision resulted in a half-cent sales tax, allocating three-tenths to public safety and two-tenths to public transportation.

The Community Conversations forum will have two components. Initially, a panel of five individuals representing different community sectors will respond to predetermined questions. Following this, attendees can engage with panelists, contributing their insights on potential barriers and solutions. The panel comprises:

- Matthew Aricou, Fixed-Route Rider

- Susan Dingle, Paratransit Rider

- Heather May, City of Bismarck Community Integration Coordinator

- Sherrice Roness, Bismarck Public Schools Transitions Coordinator

- Trevor Vannett, Paratransit Rider

Bismarck City Commissioner and Transportation Steering Committee member Michael Connelly emphasized the forum's importance: “This Community Conversation forum should be seen as a critical opportunity for the public to share input on this topic,” he said. “We are also providing a mechanism for the public to share input leading up to this public forum and so it cannot be stressed enough that 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, moving forward.”

Community members are encouraged to share their views via an online submission form. It asks two questions about transportation challenges and possible solutions. This form will remain open until 11:59 PM on May 11. All submissions will be reviewed by the Human Relations Committee, the Transportation Steering Committee, and the Bismarck City Commission. The Transportation Steering Committee is tasked with setting funding priorities by June 2025, reporting their findings to the Bismarck City Commission.

Dakota Media Access will record the Community Conversation, broadcasting it on Government Access channels and online platforms such as FreeTV.org, ROKU, AppleTV, and Fire TV.