The Fargo City Commission held its regular meeting on Monday, August 19, 2024, at 5:00 PM in Commission Chambers at City Hall. Mayor Timothy Mahoney presided, with Commissioners Denise Kolpack, Dave Piepkorn, John Strand, and Michelle Turnberg present. The meeting covered a range of items including consent agenda approvals, public hearings for affordable housing and development projects, a resolution to place a public safety sales tax on the November ballot, and several property tax exemptions. The meeting adjourned at 6:10 PM.
Camping on Public Property (Item 24): City staff explained the first reading of the ordinance and the accompanying resolution, which will be revised based on public comments. The ordinance would take 30 days to change, so priority enforcement details are placed in a flexible resolution. Questions were raised by commissioners about fines, location of camps, and camp size; staff agreed to provide mapping and data.
Beyond Shelter PILOT (Item 25): Dan Madler, CEO of Beyond Shelter, presented a request for a 17-year zero payment PILOT (Payment in Lieu of Taxes) exemption for a two-phase affordable senior housing project at 2131 and 2185 65th Avenue South. He highlighted that the project will add 78 units, of which 20% (16 units) will be fully accessible. Beyond Shelter has developed 580 affordable homes in Fargo, with 406 for seniors; 172 seniors are on the waitlist for the recently opened Plaza Apartments. Commissioner Kolpack praised the public-private partnership. Commissioner Strand asked about proactive partnerships; Madler indicated demand is increasing and is open to collaboration.
Schatz Fifth Addition (Item 26): Staff presented a request for rezoning to MR-3 with a PUD overlay, allowing a higher density (32 units/acre vs. standard 24) for an 82-unit apartment building at 5601/5671 34th Avenue South. The applicant, John Eunice of Eagle Ridge Development, explained that the project includes 74 underground parking stalls and retains some garages to meet market demand. The planning commission recommended approval, with a contingent approval for the plat. The first reading of the rezoning ordinance was also approved.
Renaissance Zone Rehab (Item 27): Nicole Crutzfield presented a Renaissance Zone application for a commercial property at 514 14th Street North. The project involves a $1.5 million investment (approximately $153/sq ft) to renovate the building into commercial space, with occupancy expected by June 2025. The Renaissance Zone Authority recommended unanimous approval. Discussion centered on the possibility of extending the exemption from five to eight years, which would require collaboration with the county and school district.
Fargo Growth Plan 2024 (Item 28): Mark Williams presented the City's new comprehensive growth plan, the first since 2007, covering the entire city. He noted the planning commission approved it unanimously. Commissioners discussed next steps, including a rewrite of the land development code (LDC) to accommodate higher-density development and modern needs, with a timeline of 18-24 months. Questions were raised about greenfield expansion, special assessments, and external boundaries; staff clarified that the plan includes tasks to evaluate southern and northern areas.
Police and Fire Sales Tax Resolution (Item 29): Eric Islendar, President of Fargo Firefighters Local 642, presented a request for a quarter-cent sales tax for 20 years, estimated to raise $8 million annually, to fund police and fire services. He cited rising call volumes, aging infrastructure (e.g., Fire Station #4 built in 1966), staffing challenges, and a building purchase for police. The motion to adopt the resolution passed 3-2 (Kolpack, Strand, Turnberg in favor; Piepkorn, Mahoney against). The ballot language was approved separately 4-1 (Piepkorn dissenting). Opponents (Commissioner Piepkorn and Mayor Mahoney) argued the tax was not fully vetted with finance, would burden taxpayers, and should wait until 2026; supporters viewed it as a way to let voters decide on funding for essential services.
Property Tax Exemptions (Item 30): Approved a series of 5-year property tax exemptions for improvements to buildings owned by Border Properties #1, LLC, Samantha Smestad and Ryan Thompson, Joe Boulger, Preston Nesemeier, Michael Shirk/Heath, KLH&J Land, LLC, Kristin Bode, and Mitchell and Kathleen Rumple.
Dangerous Building Extension (Item 31): Approved a 30-day extension to September 23, 2024, for the property at 909 4th Street North, recently acquired by Willington Savings Fund Society, to assess whether to repair or demolish the dangerous building. The representative also committed to cleaning up the lawn and backyard.
Liaison Commissioner Assignment Updates: Commissioners provided updates on boards and committees. Commissioner Strand highlighted the Human Rights Commission's focus on the Arbors community; Mayor Mahoney noted the importance of local ownership in that community.
Resident Comments: Katie Bunkelman requested the city increase the allowed number of backyard chickens from four to six, aligning with Moorhead and West Fargo.
We call the meeting to order. We'll begin with Pledge of Allegiance. I invite you to join us. Congratulations. One nation. Under God. Indivisible. Liberty and roll call. Colpack. Here. Pepcorn. Here. Strand. Here. Turnberg. Here. Mahoney. Here. Library. The Fargo Public Library has several events happening over the next two weeks. The senior book club will meet tomorrow, August 20th at 1 p.m. at Carlson Library to discuss James McBride's book, The Heaven and the Earth Grocery Store. The library will take part of PBS Kids in My Neighborhood Day on Thursday, August 22nd at the Civic Center Plaza. This is a free outdoor event for young children and families. Arthur Eric Larison will visit the main library on Thursday, August 22nd, to discuss his book, Grounding Global Justice, Race, Class, and Ground What's Global Globalism in the United States and Mexico. Larson is a professor at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, but he's also a proud graduate of Fargo North High School. John, when was he born? No. I don't know. I won't make you do that. I'll learn that. I'm sure you will. Library will have a booth at NDSU welcome week block party on Thursday, August 29th at NDSU. Librarians will be on hand to open library accounts. The library also will host food preservation bingo to help residents learn the best and safest ways to preserve bounty from their gardens. That event is set for Friday, August 23rd at 11 a.m. at the downtown Maine Library. Prizes will be given out. Boy, they're doing everything in the library now. Beginner yoga lessons for adults are set Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. through the summer at Carlston Library. And the library's design of bookmark contest opens up September 1st. All agents can submit entries. Contrast forms will be available at all library locations, and top designs will be made into bookmarks. This collaborative training allows our area first responders to be prepared for any large-scale emergencies in our community, to know how to communicate across the agencies, and to work quickly and effectively together while on the scene. Overall, there's always going to be human errors when it comes to communication. As far as having the recruits here, it's we love to get our recruits the experience early so that if when they get on the streets, they know what they're doing. If we were to ever have a scenario like this. So our motion to approve the minutes of August 5th, 2000 regular meeting and the August 12th special meeting. So moved.