The MARC: Our Final Words

Hey Jim, Thanks for bringing your comment here to the site! Love the discussion. If any of my responses are read in a tone that comes across as anything but cordial, my apologies, writing quickly for tone and clarity is difficult. And I’d enjoy continuing the discussion over a beer sometime, I’m always willing to talk Minot issues. I’ll respond to your concerns inline. I’m not sure about the Nancy Pelosi comment; the famous one is about passing the bill so we can see what’s in it — if that’s the one you’re referring to, I don’t see any legitimate comparison there at all. The business plan and feasibility study for the MARC is 130 pages long; I’ve read it twice myself. I also spent 45 minutes on the phone with Donna Jarmusz, the President of IBIS Enterprises — the company for responsible for the plan. She earned my trust. Furthermore, I’ve had the plan read by a personal contact with no skin in this game to comment on its legitimacy. His comments, it’s a just a plan, it can change, but it is a legitimate, honest plan. Feasibility studies can be made to look however the interested parties want them to look, or they can be honest too. My research has led me to believe that we’re looking at an honest plan. Have I thought about the impact of having an 8.5% sales tax? Yes, I have. I scoured the Internet looking for research on the effect of raising sales tax by a penny. I was surprised by how little I found — and I’m pretty good at research through the web. What I did find doesn’t favor your argument that the impacts will be traumatic, but I did not publish it because I felt the language was a bit too academic and did not translate perfectly to our scenario in Minot ND. You can read the research here, but basically what it says is that when making purchases, buyers act based on the price on the tag, not the price at the till. Do you want Minot to be the laughing stock of North Dakota? No, I most certainly do not. It’s partly why I started The Minot Voice — Minot needs more oversight, more push back, more knowledgeable and less apathetic citizens. But that doesn’t mean The Minot Voice is going to pre-set on ‘oppose’ for every issue that’s brought before the citizens. Do you really believe they will be able to fund this monstrosity? Yes, it’s why I looked so closely into our sales tax history. What I discovered — over the period that we have data for (dangerous I know) — is that Sales Tax has been a reliable revenue source, showing predictable annual growth over time. Does it occasionally walk back a bit? Yes, but over the term we’re talking about here — 20-25 years, our 30-year experience with sales tax shows reliable growth. What about staffing the building (not your exact words)? If they can do it in Williston, then I believe we can do it in Minot. As far as citing the YMCA with regards to this matter, I’m not inclined to blindly accept what they say as a final answer. Do I honestly believe there will be no further property taxes levied by the Park District? Yes, I have spoken to the Park District’s attorney, I have listened our Park Board President and Director share their feelings. I have no reason to distrust any of them. The requirement to leave the ability to levy property tax in place is tied to the fact that we have existing flood recovery bonds that are secured by that ability. Would it be better if we could go back in time and change the terms of those bonds so this election could be more straight forward? Yes, but in this case I’m again inclined to trust what we are being told. Property Taxes will not simply be able to be reinstituted on a whim by a money hungry Park Board — I simply will not accept that argument as I believe it is a matter of law on how the Park District would be required to act if the proposal were successful. Don’t you see the problems Minot has and the stupidity that continues to happen? Yes, Minot has some significant problems. As far as the Minot Voice is concerned, the City of Minot and Ward County are on double secret probation, we’ve had some pretty atrocious outcomes delivered by those organizations recently, but as I said in the editorial above, I don’t view past failures as grounds to quit trying. And with regards to the Park District, in my view they have been one of the more responsible and functional elected boards representing Minot. Do I have a few personal gripes about the occasional softball field that isn’t perfectly level? Sure, but I also see an organization that following the flood figured out a way to get back on their feet pretty damn fast and pretty damn efficiently. In my view, the citizens of Minot need a win, and this is the first project that’s been put in front us that doesn’t feel like a special interest piece. To me, this feels like taxpayer dollars being spent where they truly belong – in a building that will belong to the community and have facilities that are truly accessible and valuable to about 98% of us in one way or another. When you add up the water, the track, the turf space, the tennis, the golf, the senior citizen area, the playground, and the public space tying it all together, what you get is a Park. I love the concept. This is exactly the type of building I want the Park District presenting us with, and I have no problem letting the voters decide. This town needs to regain trust in leadership, and the only way that will happen is if we start witnessing some success. I believe the Park District has put a plan in place that will deliver it. Will they need continued oversight? Damn right, and The Minot Voice won’t walk away from that task if there is a successful vote tomorrow. As far as construction costs, I don’t believe they’re dreaming. Just this week West Fargo opened bids on a much more conservative 44,000 square foot building at a cost of $7.8 million. They are handy numbers because they are almost exactly 10% the size of what Minot’s proposing (a little alarming, I know), but if you run the multiplier, 444,000 square feet goes to $78 million, add some for land, furniture and opening costs… we get pretty damn close to that $88 million that’s been proposed. Is this a perfect comparison? No, but it is a helpful indicator does allow us to gain a bit of trust in what we’ve been told by the Park District. Once again, thanks for your continued support of The Minot Voice, I look forward to more great discussion in the future. Respectfully, Josh Wolsky Publisher, The Minot Voice