[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6264417,"mediaKeyId","3096468-74215d7e41c6cc4406c274ca6bc97433","parentId",3096468,"title","Appropriations panel refines Transportation Department budget; cities gain funding while some township and bridge allocations fall","audioSeconds",667,"startMs",1578000,"endMs",2245000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3096468-74215d7e41c6cc4406c274ca6bc97433&start=1578&end=2245","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3096468-74215d7e41c6cc4406c274ca6bc97433/thumbnail_1578000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6264417/North-Dakota/Appropriations-panel-refines-Transportation-Department-budget-cities-gain-funding-while-some-township-and-bridge-allocations-fall","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6264417-26bb831632ff11274c7cc7cf98a041bc/orig.mp4?Expires=1771120948&Signature=XBIKNqe~8tyA8ZR9Y4CoFEU6J-pqME7sPShbRE01aO6-MyuZnY~MqL-58wDgr5VPcKzfuFebxSHPI6XiRNoPuJ4hs1N2j9UzrxC4FsVAqGRXfk36DNt-sLreq~taZjrU-YpQ9M9oIzqs9qCaTeyKCjQ26MKbLBJhNwyl1MLshxKG2txwDZVaHIddwv~kW4gXGJwFvk3MD17AFzbhkp2fFBUIUXhJX8M5mc3NoDfVNjlhzlc6OEvPmSVdmYKOYr9y23cwPGhJgvthM679ONOh15GZBm5-m0kCi3xGZ8~6k0ycOhjHiB6DPdPaiOsZAzrnGHKO2SzFri1L5PIv7aR2kg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","North Dakota Legislature","date","2025-04-23T00:00:00Z","article","The Appropriations Committee voted to further amend Senate Bill 2012, the Department of Transportation budget, adopting a negotiated package that shifts funds among city grants, county distributions, township allocations and DOT programs, Representative Brandenburg said.

Representative Brandenburg told the committee the revised package increases city grants by roughly $13 million and adds about $8.8 million in city distributions, while township grants and some bridge and DOT line items were reduced. \"If you look at those two and compare them, you'll see that the city grants ... we're adding 13,000,000 to the city grants so that we can get back to ... taking care of the cities,\" Brandenburg said.

Why it matters: committee members said the rebalancing was intended to keep allocations fair across cities, counties and townships while preserving critical programs. Brandenburg and staff described the package as the product of negotiations among multiple members, DOT staff and conferees.

Key changes and trade-offs: committee discussion noted a $370 million versus $380 million comparison for total flexible funds and identified net increases for cities (about $23 million total across grants and distributions) and net reductions for townships (roughly $10 million), a roughly $1.1 million reduction in one DOT line and an $880,000 decrease in bridge funding as presented by Brandenburg. Representative Bosch successfully moved language removing an ordinance-eligibility criterion from grant scoring language; that amendment was combined with the dollar rebalancing.

Process and contingency: Representative Nikki asked whether a proposed 5-cent gas tax increase (the highway distribution fund increase referenced in the bill) could be line-item vetoed by the governor and what the impact would be. Committee members who are conferees said the package depends on conference outcomes and that if the 5-cent gas tax fails or is vetoed, about $70 million would be missing from the package and the difference would need to be found from SIF or other sources. \"If the gas tax doesn't happen ... there would be 70,000,000 less,\" one member said.

Committee action: Representatives Brandenburg and Bosch moved and combined amendments; Representative Bosch seconded the combined motion. The roll call recorded the motion to amend carried (recorded as carried by the committee) and the committee then voted to pass the further-amended Senate Bill 2012 (house version 2012) with a recorded favorable vote. Representative Bridal Berg was named the bill carrier for the floor and conferees were expected to continue negotiations in conference committee.

What was not resolved: Members said conferees will proceed in conference committee and that final outcomes depend on agreement with the Senate and possible executive action. The amendment package did not name a final mechanism to replace gas-tax revenue if the tax fails or is vetoed; members said they would return to that in conference as needed.

Next steps: The bill, as further amended, will go to the floor and then to conference; conferees will continue to refine funding language and distribution details.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Appropriations Apr 23, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Appropriations Committee voted to further amend Senate Bill 2012, the Department of Transportation budget, adopting a negotiated package that shifts funds among city grants, county distributions, township allocations and DOT programs, Representative Brandenburg said.","taxTitle","Appropriations, House of Representatives, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28310,"location","North Dakota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6264421,"House panel shifts Hub City Debt Relief Fund into oil-producing counties’ share, reduces appropriation",781,751000,1532000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3096468-74215d7e41c6cc4406c274ca6bc97433&start=751&end=1532","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3096468-74215d7e41c6cc4406c274ca6bc97433/thumbnail_751000.jpg","/articles/6264421/North-Dakota/House-panel-shifts-Hub-City-Debt-Relief-Fund-into-oil-producing-counties-share-reduces-appropriation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6264421-87f7e5c3a4aa1793d1a080b3cac0dac1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771120948&Signature=aK9KFiZLzXbiMkChdS6cNDe9eMjab-4i-V0OWTqRVCj50siV8B4u34APY2gCIfIg3V5anCbG8wV38s4lCLvAodcxBB134cR9O-rkn2NWtrLA6QzurHdllsIx~YsPavhVz2m1IgqGbfiXRhTCy2A3qTEkzaQDq7myQMsNVicU5GybjBmlwX0hbl2vu9eQlvIu3wgKQ85758a7YABw7xravaIG~LgOUeOYnNbMnmBWb-GVIXBUwNT~Jh8AleUrriqWeXP8du5FHbWLpUXYBFrKSjCdkQSgWjGqwm78wZHz77vPHpLZOFAentCISI0h0pbDbJXe4Rr9qPDoDENd1RLErA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to Senate Bill 2323 that moves a proposed Hub City Debt Relief Fund out of the state share of the oil-and-gas gross production tax and into the distribution to oil-producing counties, Representative Richter said.

The change shifts the $50 million funding source away from the state 1% share and instead takes the money from the four large oil-producing counties’ distributions; the amendment also reduces the program’s effective allocation to about $10.5 million per year (roughly $21 million per biennium), Representative Richter said. \"This bill is to create a Hub City Debt Relief Fund. What the amendment does is it moves the Hub City Debt Relief Fund from the 1% side of the gross production tax to the 4 fifth side,\" Richter told the committee.

Why it matters: the panel’s move is intended to return $50 million to the State Investment Fund (SIF) that otherwise would have been taken from the state share, while limiting Hub City relief to debt incurred during the oil boom years. \"The debt that they accrue has to be the debt that was accrued between 2012 and 2025,\" Richter said, specifying the program targets legacy infrastructure bonds and similar obligations tied to oil-related buildout.

Details of the amendment: Richter and staff described several technical changes. The amendment converts what had been a one-time appropriation into a monthly allocation in the distribution formula, narrows eligible debt to obligations incurred from 2012 through 2025, and lowers the annualized distribution to the hub cities to approximately $10,500,350 (combined) per year, for about $21,000,700 per biennium instead of $50,000,000. The counties identified as the primary funding base were described in committee as the large oil-producing counties: Mountrail, Dunn, McKenzie and Williams.

Representative Pyle asked whether the program pays cities’ general bond debt or special assessments assigned to property owners; Richter said eligibility depends on the local debts each city accrued and that, for example, Williston’s debt included water treatment and other infrastructure bonds. \"I believe it's to pay on their bonds that they have incurred,\" another committee member added.

Committee action: Representative Richter moved approval of Amendment 4007 to engrossed SB 2323; Representative Kompanik seconded. The roll call recorded 22 yes, 0 no and 1 absent and the amendment carried. The committee then voted to advance Senate Bill 2323 as amended; the motion to pass carried by the same recorded margin and Representative Richter agreed to be the bill carrier.

What the committee did not decide: The amendment narrows eligibility, but committee discussion did not specify administrative rules, application deadlines or an implementing department. Committee members said cities and counties had been consulted, but no implementation timeline or department assignment was named on the record.

Next steps: With committee approval, the amended Senate Bill 2323 will move to the floor and then to conference as required. Committee members said counties and cities affected had been consulted and conferees will carry the provision forward.","The Appropriations Committee approved an amendment to Senate Bill 2323 that moves a proposed Hub City Debt Relief Fund out of the state share of the oil-and-gas gross production tax and into the distribution to oil-producing counties, Representative Richter said.","actionData","errors"]

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Appropriations panel refines Transportation Department budget; cities gain funding while some township and bridge allocations fall

House panel shifts Hub City Debt Relief Fund into oil-producing counties’ share, reduces appropriation