Fargo City Commission Regular Meeting - April 14, 2025
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Fargo City Commission Regular Meeting - April 14, 2025
The Fargo City Commission met on Monday, April 14, 2025, at 5:00 PM in the Commission Chambers. The meeting lasted until 6:32 PM and covered a range of items including consent agenda approvals, public hearings on zoning, alcohol licenses, tax increment financing, a research update on a full-time mayor and additional commissioners, and adoption of two ordinances addressing public safety and alcohol restrictions. The meeting featured a special recognition of the Solid Waste Department and the presentation of the Fargo Rising Star Award to Dustin Halsne.
Consent Calendar
- Approved items 1–24 (excluding items 4 and 5, which were moved to the Regular Agenda) unanimously. Key approvals included:
- Non-exclusive right-to-sell agreements with commercial real estate firms.
- First readings of ordinances amending food service establishment regulations and ordinance violation classifications.
- Site authorizations and game of chance applications for multiple organizations.
- An encroachment agreement with Bell Bank for landscaping at 520 Main Avenue.
- Revised excavation fees and guidelines effective May 1, 2025.
- A special assessment deferral agreement with NICD, LLC.
- Bid advertisement for Project UR-25-D.
- Contract and bond for Project PR-25-A1.
- Rescission of contract award to Master Construction Company and rejection of all bids for Improvement District BR-25-A1.
- Bid award to Northern Improvement Co. ($2,958,513.60) for BR-25-C1.
- Bid award to Key Contracting, Inc. ($1,323,620.00) for NR-24-C1.
- Creation of Improvement District BR-25-G1 and adoption of Resolution of Necessity.
- Contracts and bonds for Improvement Districts PR-25-C1 and PR-25-E1.
- Items from the FAHR meeting (point-of-sale system, FARGODOME upgrades, indigent defense agreement, meeting room chairs, recycling agreement, stockpile agreement).
- Amendment to Purchase of Service Agreement with ND Department of Health and Human Services.
- Notice of Grant Award for Ryan White Part B program.
- Direction to draft revisions to Fargo Municipal Code Article 11-04.
- Piggyback purchase for an articulating sidewalk tractor ($214,428.51).
- Bills totaling $8,079,399.99.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No resident comments were made.
Discussion Items
- Application for Tax Abatement #4592 (85 22nd Avenue North): Assessor Mark Spolankowski presented the case for a reduction in 2024 value from $319,000 to $308,100, citing sales comparison analysis and assessment fairness metrics. The Commission approved the abatement unanimously.
- AAB Addition (Major Subdivision and Zone Change): Donald Cress of Planning and Development presented the rezoning of two parcels (4672 100th Avenue South and 10245 45th Street South) from Agricultural (AG) to Public and Institutional (P/I) for the Metro Flood Diversion Authority’s office and maintenance facility. The Planning Commission had recommended approval 10–0. Commissioner Strand expressed concern about a double standard for leapfrog development, but staff clarified that basic utility needs are exempt. The rezoning and plat were approved 4–1, with Commissioner Strand dissenting.
- Class A Alcohol Beverage License Transfer (Borrowed Bucks to Lyv at Uptown Main): Steve Sprague reported that a police report credit history issue was resolved, and the Liquor Control Board recommended approval. No public testimony. The transfer was approved unanimously.
- Class A Alcohol Beverage License Ownership Change (518 Properties, 4609 33rd Avenue South): The applicant (No Blue, LLC) is removing partners and holding the license for about one year while developing a concept. Commissioner Strand moved to amend the motion to limit the extension to six months, which passed unanimously. The underlying license transfer was then approved unanimously. Discussion included liquor license valuation and transfer policies.
- Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District No. 2018-03 Renewal Plan (Skyline, LLC/Roers): Jim Gromer presented the renewal plan for the 1100 block of 18th Street North, which has been under discussion since 2018. The plan offers an 11-year, 100% tax exemption to support a 88-unit apartment building with main floor parking. The Fargo School District voted to participate; Cass County will decide later. The Commission approved the renewal plan and developer agreement unanimously, noting the removal of blighted properties.
- Update on Full-Time Mayor and Two Additional Commissioners: Mike Redlinger presented research on transitioning the mayor from part-time to full-time (a budget decision) and adding two commissioners (requires a home rule charter amendment and voter approval). Commissioner Turnberg moved to table the item for 30 days to allow more public input. The motion passed unanimously. Commissioners expressed differing views: some supported a full-time mayor to recognize the role’s demands and encourage younger candidates, while others raised concerns about cost and questioned the need for change.
- Property Tax Exemptions for Building Improvements: Eleven applications were approved unanimously.
- Liaison Commissioner Assignment Updates: Commissioners reported on various boards and departments, including library activities, airport construction progress, and the Fargo Youth Initiative.
- Second Reading of Ordinance Enacting Section 10-0327 (Public Safety, Morals and Welfare): Chief Zabowski explained the ordinance changes public consumption/possession of alcohol and public urination penalties from non-criminal fines to infractions, allowing arrests at officer discretion with fines up to $1,000. Commissioner Kolpack requested the pull from consent to increase community awareness. After debate about downtown conditions and unintended consequences for marginalized individuals, the ordinance was approved 4–1 (Commissioner Strand dissenting).
- Second Reading of Ordinance Amending Sections 25-1518 (Alcohol Restrictions) and Section 1-0305 (Ordinance Violations): This ordinance updates restrictions on sale, service, and dispensing of alcoholic beverages. It was approved 4–1, with Commissioner Strand dissenting.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda approved unanimously.
- Tax Abatement (85 22nd Avenue North) approved unanimously.
- AAB Addition rezoning and plat approved 4–1 (Strand dissenting).
- Alcohol license transfer to Lyv at Uptown Main approved unanimously.
- 518 Properties license ownership change approved with six-month extension limit (amendment passed unanimously, then transfer approved unanimously).
- TIF District No. 2018-03 renewal plan approved unanimously.
- Full-time mayor and two commissioners update tabled for 30 days (motion passed unanimously).
- Property tax exemptions approved unanimously.
- Ordinance enacting Section 10-0327 approved 4–1 (Strand dissenting).
- Ordinance amending Sections 25-1518 and 1-0305 approved 4–1 (Strand dissenting).
- Fargo Dome Authority reappointments approved unanimously.
- Municipal Airport Authority reappointment approved 4–1 (Commissioner Kolpack dissenting).
- Meeting adjourned at 6:32 PM.
Meeting Transcript
Call the meeting to order. I invite you to join us for the Pless of Allegiance. Model agency of the United States of America. Roll call. Coal pack. Here. Pepcorn strand. Here. Turnbrig. Here, Mahoney. Here. Tonight we will continue to recognize and highlight the outstanding work of our city departments do every day to serve the residents of Fargo. Our team is dedicated to ensuring operations runs smoothly, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. As part of the commission meeting, we're taking time to spotlight one of our departments and honor their hard work and exceptional customer service. These teams are the pillars of local government, and it's important we recognize the people who make it all happen. We're looking forward to sharing these stories with our community, demonstrating our commitment to going above and beyond to our residents. Tonight we are highlighting the City of Fargo's Solid Waste Department. The team is responsible for managing all aspects of Fargo's waste collection, disposable, and recycling. Every week, solid waste drivers make their way through the neighborhoods to do the essential work of collecting trash and our recyclables. All told they serve 29,000 residential accounts and 1,000 commercial accounts. The Solid Waste Department also does an amazing job of handling our landfill, household hazardous waste facility, and compost sites. Now we're gonna show a video that underscores the excellent work of the Solid Waste Department. We provide affordable services for all garbage collection recycling within our department. We have seven divisions of our 58 staff. Some has to do with cell construction, which a cell is where all the garbage is placed. There are some closure projects that we have to keep up on as well. And a formal closure entails thousands of yards of dirt to be moved, compacted, placed, and tested. So we've been able to perform those projects as well. And within the last year, we've completed two of those projects encompassing about 10 total acres, and it saved the city about 700,000. There's a lot of environmental concerns that we follow every year. We're regulated by the EPA as well as uh the state of North Dakota to be sure that we're being good neighbors to everyone around us. We're keeping water clean, we're keeping our site clean and managed well. We have our renewable energies program, which is methane capture. We pull the methane that's generated from the in-place garbage, and it serves two purposes. We send the bulk of that to a partner that we have locally who uses that for a fuel heat in their boiler system. And we have an on-site generator that uses the methane to generate electricity, which we put back on the grid. To date, in that program, we have captured and destroyed the equivalent of over two million metric tons of CO2. Our part in cleanup week, it works hand in hand with our public works department and some other contractors in town that help us haul material. We've set aside a handful of staff who are taken off of their daily duties, and they're just 100% cleanup week. And what we do at the landfill with that material that comes in is make sure that of the 300 trucks that we do get in per day on a typical day at the landfill, the added cleanup week trucks get to go to a different spot and be able to find an easier time in and out, easier path. So we're managing essentially two disposal sites during those two weeks. One of the helps that we've had here is in 2021, we opened the residential transfer station. The transfer station was created, I guess, in 2021 as another option for residents that might have extra household garbage to get rid of, so they don't have to hold on to that mattress or old couch until cleanup week. We really are on a push to keep recycling out of our landfills, specifically scrap metal, cardboard are the two main focuses. But in this facility, we have containers for all of those items I just mentioned. There's no reason to bury that in the landfill. It's not going to go anywhere. We can save that room for for municipal solid waste, which is what the landfill is meant for. I actually uh am retired, and uh this is a part-time job for me. I enjoy it.
openpublica.com