Bismarck city commissioners expressed concerns over staffing and costs associated with a city, county government consolidation study, but appear willing to push forward.

"It's a matter of timing and the time is right," commissioner Bryce Hill told fellow commissioners at Tuesday's meeting.

Hill has been the consolidation's biggest proponent and has been shopping the concept around the community.

"I believe it's the right thing to do right now," Hill said. "I sense a lot of interest in talking to people across the community."

But Hill, who turns 73 soon, also has said he won't be running for re-election come June's municipal election. "I think 12 years on the city commission are long enough," he said. "I do want to be part of the task force on consolidation. I'm not going to throw this out and then walk away from it.

"We can't accomplish this ourselves and we're going to need a variety of resources. For this project to work we're going to need a lot of help. It's going to take time, personnel and funds,"Hill said. "I envision a core committee or task force made up of 12 of the community's best. People willing to roll up their sleeves and go to work. It will need strong leaders as there may be five to eight subcommittees."

The Bismarck-Mandan Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors has made the consolidation issue one of its top priorities, according to Hill. The chamber's leadership class has made consolidation one of its two field projects, said chamber director Kelvin Hullet.

The leadership class is looking at the process of consolidation and what exists in state law that will allow consolidation, Hullet said. The study will look at public perception and understanding of consolidation.

The study is expected to be completed and presented to the chamber board near the end of March. Hill feels the study will answer many of the questions that have been raised by the city commission and public.

"We always hear the question on whether we should consolidate city and county government. But there's never an answer on what the next step is," Hullet said. "So that's the reason for the leadership field project, to get an understanding of the process."

Commissioner Sandi Tabor expressed her concerns about staffing a study that will involve several committees and may take years to accomplish.

She suggested the additional work will be too much for existing staff and a full-time person with strong organizational skills may have to be hired to keep the study on track. Tabor noted past projects have involved several subcommittees and a great deal of time.

"I guess, as we move forward, I would like to know who will be doing this and how the staffing will happen,"Tabor said. "Then there's the question of funding. We've always put aside some money for special studies, but we kind of need a budget."

Commissioner Connie Sprynczynatyk agreed that existing staff couldn't absorb the type of work which will be needed. The city would likely need someone in a full-time position to pull it all together during the course of the study.

There are a lot of people who are skeptical it can be done and others who want to see consolidation fail, according to Hill. One of the reasons people like the idea is because they feel money can be saved.

"Perhaps we could realistically look at cost savings down the pike, but not immediately," Hill said. "What we need to look at is the inefficiencies and duplication of effort. These are what make this viable. It will increase the resource base, tax base and provide more legal powers. It enhances planning and land development, allowing us to control sprawl and streamline the process. It also provided improved accountability."

Hill told commissioners that the leadership field study might provide them with a lot of information and an idea of where to start. He asked that further consideration be held until the study was ready for review.

(Reach reporter Gordon Weixel at 250-8255 or gordon.weixel@;bismarcktribune.com.)