City of Williston

City of Williston Welcome to the official page for the City of Williston, North Dakota. Posts violating this policy shall be removed from the page effective 12/7/2018.

This page is maintained by the City of Williston and complies with the City of Williston’s Social Media Policy. This page does not allow the use of profane language or content; content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, or status with regard to public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation, as well as any other category protected by federal, state, or local laws; sexual content or links to sexual content; solicitations of commerce; conduct or encouragement of illegal activity; information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems; or content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party. This Institution is an Equal Opportunity Provider.

❗Landfill Closure❗-UPDATE 9.14.2026 2:00pmDue to the high winds, the Landfill will be closing at 2:30pm today September ...
09/14/2026

❗Landfill Closure❗-UPDATE 9.14.2026 2:00pm

Due to the high winds, the Landfill will be closing at 2:30pm today September 14, 2026. Staff will monitor conditions throughout the day and reopen if conditions improve and it is safe to do so.

We appreciate your patience and understanding.

_____

❗Closed to Light Loads❗

Effectively immediately, Monday, September 14, 2026, the City Landfill will NOT be accepting light loads, due to wind conditions (16-24mph).

⚠ Light loads are classified as loose debris, cardboard, plastics, insulation, etc.

Landfill Hours:
Monday-Friday: 8am to 4:30pm
Saturday: 8am to 11:30am

If you have any other questions, please contact the Landfill at 701.577.8123.

❗️4-Wheel Drive Only & No Trailers❗️Due to excessive water and unpleasant roadway conditions, the City Landfill will res...
09/14/2026

❗️4-Wheel Drive Only & No Trailers❗️

Due to excessive water and unpleasant roadway conditions, the City Landfill will restrict loads to Four Wheel Drive only and no trailers due to these conditions, on Monday, September 14th, 2026, effective immediately.

The Landfill will return to regular operations when conditions allow.

Landfill Hours are:
M-F 8a to 4:30p
Saturday 8a to 11:30a

If you have any other questions please contact the Landfill at 701.577.8123.

🚧 Public Parking Lot Improvements 🚧Beginning September 21st, weather permitting, the following public parking locations ...
09/14/2026

🚧 Public Parking Lot Improvements 🚧

Beginning September 21st, weather permitting, the following public parking locations will be closed to allow for a mill and overlay as part of a parking lot improvement project:

🅿 Great Northern Lot (North lot)
🅿 City Hall Lot
🅿 Gate City Bank Lot (South lot)

These three lots are expected to be closed for approximately one month once construction begins.

We ask that employees and customers find alternative parking during this time. Thank you for your patience and understanding during these improvements!

Questions or need more information? 📞Engineering at 701.577.6368

🌳 Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week | September 13–19Williston Public Works is dedicating the week of September 13–19, 20...
09/13/2026

🌳 Emerald Ash Borer Awareness Week | September 13–19

Williston Public Works is dedicating the week of September 13–19, 2026, to raising awareness about the spread of the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB). Invasive beetle infestations have now been confirmed in central North Dakota.

🪵 Help us slow the spread! One of the best ways to protect our ash trees is to avoid moving firewood between communities. Ash trees make up a significant portion of Williston’s urban forest, making it especially important that we work together to protect them.

🌳 By keeping firewood local, we can help prevent the artificial spread of EAB and protect Williston’s trees for years to come.

Don’t move firewood. Protect our trees.

For additional details, please visit 👉https://bit.ly/EABproc

🍂 MARK YOUR CALENDARS! The City of Williston’s annual Fall Clean Williston event just got even easier! 🙌Instead of squee...
09/12/2026

🍂 MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

The City of Williston’s annual Fall Clean Williston event just got even easier! 🙌

Instead of squeezing your cleanup into one day, you now have an entire week to choose when it works best for you. Have plans on the weekend? No problem! Cold or rainy one day? Pick another! ☀️

📆 Fall Clean Williston: September 27th - October 3rd, 2026

Choose a day (or days!) that work for you and help keep our community clean. Individuals and groups can register for one of 40 cleanup zones at bit.ly/CleanWilliston.

We’ll provide the supplies!

🦺Safety vests
🧤Gloves
🛍Garbage bags

📍 Supply pickup: Public Works, 1121 5th St. E., Door #32

Groups larger than 8 people are asked to call ahead to ensure supplies are available.

Once you’ve finished your zone, leave your full garbage bags along the road for pickup and call Public Works at 701.577.6368 to let us know where they are. You can also return unused supplies and/or bring your bags to Public Works for disposal.

📸 While you’re cleaning, snap a photo and share it on social media using and tag the City of Williston!

Let’s make Williston cleaner, one zone, one bag and one day at a time. 💚

👉 Register and view the cleanup zones: bit.ly/CleanWilliston

Questions❓Call 📞 Public Works at 701.577.6368 or 📨email [email protected]

💰 When will the City pay off this debt?The City pays down debt through steady annual payments using dedicated revenue so...
09/11/2026

💰 When will the City pay off this debt?

The City pays down debt through steady annual payments using dedicated revenue sources like sales tax, public safety sales tax, water/sewer fees, and special assessments.

Over the past five years, the City has already paid off over $226 million and has also refinanced some debt at lower interest rates to save money and reduce costs faster.

📅 When will it be paid off?
City debt is structured to be paid off over time, with each bond or loan on its own schedule. Some will be paid off sooner, while others, like a USDA loan, extend out to 2055.

For example, USDA loan has a very low interest rate (around 2%). Because of this, it can actually be more beneficial for the City to keep that loan and invest available funds elsewhere (like CDs or Treasury investments) that earn a higher return. This helps generate additional revenue for the City over time.

Debt schedules can be found on our City of Williston website or linked here: https://www.cityofwilliston.com/departments/finance_department/finance_charts_and_reports.php

📸Snapshot of progress:

▪2020 Debt: $286.7M
▪2025 Debt: $247.6M
▪2026 Current Debt: $245.9M
▪2026 End of Year (projected): $231.1M

With no new debt issued since 2023 and continued annual payments, the City expects debt to keep declining year over year.

📉 The Goal
The City is on a long-term, downward path, consistently paying off debt while saving money through refinancing and using dedicated funding sources, not relying heavily on property taxes.

🌐Residents can view the City’s current debt can be found on our City of Williston website or linked here: https://www.cityofwilliston.com/departments/finance_department/finance_charts_and_reports.php

The City of Williston is audited annually by an independent CPA auditing firm. This audit includes our debt information. Both audits and debt information are easily found on the City’s website under finance.

The City’s finances are held to strict national standards, not just monitored internally.

✅Credit Ratings: Agencies like Standard & Poor’s review our finances and help us maintain strong credit and lower borrowing costs.
✅Annual Reviews: Bond investors check each year to make sure we are meeting our financial obligations.
✅Lender Rules: Groups like USDA require us to follow strict financial standards and provide clear reports.
✅Accountability: Auditors, lenders, and rating agencies help ensure every dollar is managed carefully.

The City remains committed to transparency and fiscal responsibility to ensure Williston stays strong for current and future generations.

💰 How has the City retired debt in last 5 years?From 2020–2025, the City paid off over $226M in debt through steady annu...
09/10/2026

💰 How has the City retired debt in last 5 years?

From 2020–2025, the City paid off over $226M in debt through steady annual payments and refinancing to lower interest costs.

✔️ What has been paid off?
The City has fully retired several older debts, including:

💲TIF bonds
🚧Water & sewer projects
💧Storm sewer and treatment projects
🚒Fire truck loans
✈Airport-related debt

The Finance Department has actively refinanced debt when market conditions allowed for savings. Refinancing occurs at lower interest rates when bonds reach their callable dates, reducing long-term interest costs.

💰The savings are measured using net present value (NPV), which represents the total value of future interest savings in today’s dollars. Just in 2020 to present, these efforts have resulted in $3.5M cost savings for taxpayers just by refinancing.

📉 The result:
Debt continues to trend down — with no new debt since 2023 and a projected drop to $231M in 2026.

"Like many growing communities, Williston uses debt responsibly to fund long-term projects such as airport improvements, fire trucks, water and sewer upgrades, and public safety facilities — projects that improve quality of life without raising taxes dramatically." said Hercules Cummings, City of Williston Finance Director

The City’s strategy has been to borrow only when necessary, pay down principal steadily, and refinance when interest rates allow us to save money.

The City’s finances are held to strict national standards, not just monitored internally.

✅Credit Ratings: Agencies like Standard & Poor’s review our finances and help us maintain strong credit and lower borrowing costs.
✅Annual Reviews: Bond investors check each year to make sure we are meeting our financial obligations.
✅Lender Rules: Groups like USDA require us to follow strict financial standards and provide clear reports.
✅Accountability: Auditors, lenders, and rating agencies help ensure every dollar is managed carefully.

🌐Residents can view the full debt details, annual budgets, and audited financial statements anytime on the City website at https://www.cityofwilliston.com/departments/finance_department/finance_charts_and_reports.php

💰What is the City’s debt?The City of Williston’s current debt is about $247.6 million as of the end of 2025. By the end ...
09/09/2026

💰What is the City’s debt?

The City of Williston’s current debt is about $247.6 million as of the end of 2025. By the end of 2026, that number is expected to decrease to about $231.1 million.

The City has been steadily paying down its debt over time. Since 2020, total debt is projected to drop by more than $55 million, as the City is now paying off debt faster than it is taking on new debt.

What is included in the debt?
The City’s debt comes from investing in large, long-term community projects and essential equipment, including:

✈Airport improvements
🏢Public Works facility
💧Water and sewer infrastructure
🚧Roads and storm sewer systems
🚒Public safety equipment

These are major projects that are built to last many years, so the cost is spread out over time rather than paid all at once.

💸How is the debt paid for?
The City does not rely only on property taxes to pay this debt. Instead, it uses dedicated and reliable funding sources such as:

💲Sales tax (including public safety sales tax)
💲Gross production tax
💲Water and sewer fees
💲Special assessments

❓What does this mean for residents?

▪The City is actively reducing its debt
▪No new debt has been taken on since 2023
▪Existing debt is being paid down each year
▪Refinancing has helped save money on interest over time

🌐Residents can view the full debt details, annual budgets, and audited financial statements anytime on the City website at https://www.cityofwilliston.com/departments/finance_department/finance_charts_and_reports.php

The City’s finances are held to strict national standards, not just monitored internally.

✅Credit Ratings: Agencies like Standard & Poor’s review our finances and help us maintain strong credit and lower borrowing costs.
✅Annual Reviews: Bond investors check each year to make sure we are meeting our financial obligations.
✅Lender Rules: Groups like USDA require us to follow strict financial standards and provide clear reports.
✅Accountability: Auditors, lenders, and rating agencies help ensure every dollar is managed carefully.

The City remains committed to transparency and fiscal responsibility to ensure Williston stays strong for current and future generations.

The next City Commission meeting is today, Tuesday, September 8th at 6pm CT.Individuals can attend via GoToMeeting or in...
09/08/2026

The next City Commission meeting is today, Tuesday, September 8th at 6pm CT.

Individuals can attend via GoToMeeting or in person in the John Kautzman Chamber Room at 22 East Broadway. Agenda, materials, and dial-in information can be found at 👉 https://bit.ly/citycommission

If dialing in, please mute your devices.

Regular City Commission meetings are held the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month.

❗Landfill Closed | High Winds❗Beginning at 10:00 a.m. today, Tuesday, September 8th, 2026 the Landfill will be closed du...
09/08/2026

❗Landfill Closed | High Winds❗

Beginning at 10:00 a.m. today, Tuesday, September 8th, 2026 the Landfill will be closed due to high winds.

Conditions will be monitored throughout the day, and the Landfill will reopen if conditions improve and it is safe to do so.

Residential collection will continue until notified otherwise.

We appreciate your patience and understanding.

If you have any other questions, please contact the Landfill at 701.577.8123.

Address

22 East Broadway
Williston, ND
58801

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+17015778100

Website

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