Water Projects Could Get 1.08 Cents of Minot Sales Tax
Souris River Joint Board asks the Minot City Council to update its shared agreement to reflect current tax collections.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Current Conditions
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The Souris River Joint Board presented an analysis to the Minot City Council on Monday, Nov. 2, showing that 1.08 cents of the city's 2-cent sales tax can carry water projects to completion. The board asked the council to update the original agreement, which called for a 0.5-cent allocation to flood control.
Why it matters
The current flood control allotment is 0.68 cents, and the local cost-share with the state on flood protection has been 35%, drawn from Minot's sales tax. Updating the agreement affects how Minot funds its share of flood protection for the Mouse River.
The analysis models allocations from 0.68 cents through 2031, with annual increases of 0.05 percent from 2032 to 2036 reaching a peak of 1 percent, and projects sales tax collection continuing through 2071. Whether the model holds depends on future appropriations and collection rates that remain projections.
The players
Souris River Joint Board
The regional body responsible for Mouse River flood protection planning that brought the sales tax analysis and agreement update request to the city.
Minot City Council
The elected governing body of Minot that will consider the agreement update and water project funding at its upcoming meeting.
The details
The updated flood protection project map reflects a footprint change from the original 2012 map, shaped by BNSF negotiations, property owner wishes, and efforts to limit acquisitions and contain costs. A $110 million appropriation plan was rejected in the Senate during the 2025 session, which instead approved $81.1 million for the Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project.
Timeline
Nov. 2: Souris River Joint Board presents analysis to the Minot City Council.
Nov. 16: Minot City Council expected to take up water projects discussion.
2031: Projected end of the 0.68-cent allocation period under current modeling.
2037-39 biennium: Final $104 million appropriation projected.
Seasonal Patterns
The Mouse River Enhanced Flood Protection Project, funded through a $81.1 million 2025 Legislature appropriation, sets the state-local cost-share framework that the Minot sales tax update must sustain. The 35% local cost-share has been drawn from city sales tax, and the revised allocation reflects how that framework must adjust to remain viable through 2037.
Minot residents should watch the Nov. 16 City Council meeting for action on the agreement update, since it determines how much of the city's 2-cent sales tax goes to water projects. Changes to the allocation would affect the sales tax local residents pay on purchases.
The takeaway
Minot's flood protection funding depends on how the sales tax split is adjusted over the coming decade, so the Nov. 16 council discussion is the next checkpoint for residents tracking water project costs.
What happens next
The Minot City Council is expected to take up discussion on water projects at its Nov. 16 meeting.
Further reading
Track more local flood status updates in Current Conditions for Minot.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Minot Daily News.
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