Bismarck and Mandan garnered rave reviews from their respective mayors Thursday during the State of the Cities Address, held at the Radisson in Bismarck.

Hundreds crowded the hotel for an update of the business climate, response to emergency needs, housing developments, infrastructure and more during the Bismarck Mandan Chamber of Commerce function.

"Mandan has gone through some tough times over the years," began its Mayor Tim Helbling.

However, he said the town has advanced with new business development, a population growth, a new middle school and more housing.

He said building activity and sales tax revenue are up.

He cited a substation for the fire department, south of Kist Livestock as a sign of expansion.

He said the city's population grew by 2.3 percent in 2007, more than 407 people. Since 2000, nearly 1,600 new residential units have been added to the city, according to Helbling.

He added that commercial and retail opportunities are growing along Memorial Highway and Interstate 94.

Helbling noted the remediation of the fuel spill in downtown Mandan has been a hot topic, but in recovery, he also has witnessed a resurgence of community pride and reinvestment in the community.

"It has been a really tough thing for the people and Mandan businesses. … I am just so proud when people come up and say, 'What can I do to make Mandan better?'"

He estimated it will be two more years before the removal of the base product from the diesel spill and five to seven years for recovery of the the soil residue of the diesel, "Some areas of Mandan are close to being ready to really to rebuild on."

He said every effort was taken to keep historical buildings like the base fire hall, but many historical sites were lost.

Helbling said the storefront improvement project was making a positive difference, leveraging city funds with private partnerships to boost the appearance of the city. "We saw an immediate transformation," he said.

Helbling said the city is seeing investment come from outside the city.

He said Mandan provides popular big events such as the Independence Day parade and racing events. He said people love Mandan for its party, but controlled atmosphere.

He recognized Deputy Auditor Phyllis Hager for 42 years of service to the city.

He lauded other entities for their work such as the school district in funding and building its new middle school.

"There is just so much positive happening with Mandan."

He said in the past eight years, Mandan has added 42 miles of new streets and 32 miles of new water mains.

"We have 140 miles of paved streets in the city of Mandan.

He said other infrastructure improvements include the 4-million gallon southside water project and related transmission and sewer improvements for $8.6 million, its $4.5 million water treatment plant improvements, and waste water treatment improvements for $1.8 million.

Helbling said the city must keep up with demands and that also means passing some of the cost to taxpayers and users of utilities.

He said the city receives about a 21 percent share of the property taxes.

He said the new city-county library was a big success.

"We took two government entities, combined their services and saved the taxpayers money. It's something we're really proud about," Helbling said.

He said 40 percent of sales tax revenue is used to reduce property tax levels.

"About 17.5 mills were replaced by sales tax this year," he said. "We are using our sales tax for some good things - sales tax reduction at 38 percent, municipal debt reduction at 5 percent, water and sewer improvements, 29 percent; and jobs/economic development, 28 percent. The taxable sales and purchases are up 12.3 percent for the first quarter of 2008 over 2007.

He said the city received a record $1.47 million in sales tax collection in 2007.

Bismarck Mayor John Warford gave an equally optimistic report.

"The state of the city of Bismarck is excellent," he commented. "In Bismarck you can still achieve the American Dream. You can own your own home, have a safe community, you can have a great school, you can have a safe school, you can have a good job and have quality of life. You can see we are bucking the national trends in Bismarck .-

He said the city is becoming nationally recognized as it attains sustained growth on its own. "We are number five this year in Forbes magazine in business and careers. … This leads to investment in the community. We have people outside our community investing in our community," Warford said.

He said Harvard University ranked Bismarck among the safest cities.

He said an additional fire hall is in the process of being built and additonal police officers will be hired to ensure the city protects its people.

"We are a vibrant community." He said there was a balance between small-town values and big-city look.

"We've got pro basketball, pro hockey, a symphony and recreational opportunities, and first-class restaurants." He credited the Bismarck Civic Center for drawing a large amount of recreational revenue to the city.

He said there is a steady growth in building permits, though it slowed a little.

He said the city has dedicated funding to the new Memorial Bridge, boosting and continuing its multiple flights to Minneapolis, Denver, Las Vegas and now Phoenix. "We are constantly striving to get better air service and bigger planes," Warford said.

Motorists and other travelers have or will have more options as the city applies more funding to road repairs, road expansion and the inner-city transit system, according to Warford.

Warford said funding also is being dedicated to apply asphalt to old roads around the city and the East Centennial Road project should should spur more developement in that area of town in the next three years.

Water capacity and the city's ability to process waste water are being increased to meet a growing community's demands, according to Warford.

He added jobs creation is strong and unemployment low.

He said the Renaissance zone and CORE Initiative programs have created a more attractive look in Bismarck and brought economic growth.

"Bismarck is the fastest growing city in North Dakota," Warford said. "Bismarck is the destination for people." He stressed why its strong management plan was key to continued development.

"We are on that national radar screen," Warford said. "We are a destination where people want to live. We are the safest city, the least stressful city. The state of the city is excellent," Warford said.