The Mandan city commission is investing $100,000 in the Mandan Progress Organization hoping to spur revitalization of the community.

Ellen Huber made the proposal at a city commission meeting Tuesday. Among her duties as the city's business development director is to work with the MPO.

The request coming from the organization calls for financial support which will allow for the full-time employment of Del Wetsch as executive director, a position he currently holds in a part-time capacity.

Along with the $5,000 the city annual contributes to the MPO, an additional $40,000 will be used for the executive director salary and benefits, $10,000 for office rental and equipment, and $45,000 for operating expenses including community activities along with promotion and outreach.

The funding will come from the city's sales tax collections, which Huber said is up 18 percent through the first seven months of this year.

The MPO is looking to create a third community festival of the same order as Rodeo Days and Buggies n' Blues, Huber said. One suggestion is a holiday event such as the Dickens festival in Garrison, but based on Mandan's western motif, which would be called "Country Christmas."

Other events which may help draw people to Mandan include an expanded farmers' market, art show, cowboy poet gathering, music and concert events, snowman building and ice sculpture displays. They could use Dykshoorn Park and the new green space and plaza being built through the remediation effort.

"We have the activities that could bring people to Main Street on a weekly basis, but it's going to take a lot of time and energy," Huber said.

Funding will also be used to establish a visitors' center; improve and promote the Mandan Bucks program; and help foster joint marketing efforts for Mandan businesses.

In the interim, the MPO office and executive director may be housed at city hall, but eventually will move into their own facility. That the MPO will remain a separate entity from the city was stressed by commissioners.

The request calls for sales tax money to offset salary, benefits and office expenses for three years not to exceed $100,000. The funding will be reduced to 75 percent of actual costs in the fourth year, 50 percent the fifth year and 25 percent the sixth year.

Commissioner Tim Helbling, who is a member of the MPO's board of directors, said one of the problems facing the organization is that it is so loosely run it doesn't have the business support it should.

"They are willing to give dollars but not the time and effort," Helbling said. "We need to have someone in there full time to get all the paper work in order. But this position, in no way, will be a city employee."

Because of his involvement, Helbling did not participate in a vote on commissioner Dan Ulmer's motion to provide the funding. It passed on a 4-0 vote.