Fargo City Commission Meeting - April 28, 2025
Fargo City Commission Meeting - April 28, 2025
The Fargo City Commission convened at 5:00 PM on April 28, 2025, in the Commission Chambers at City Hall. The meeting included a consent agenda with 24 items, presentations on homelessness and forestry, public hearings on zoning changes and liquor licenses, a police department annual report, and a key vote to extend the winter warming shelter for one month.
Consent Calendar
- Approved 24 consent items (excluding item 5a, withdrawn), including contract awards, ordinance adoptions, gaming licenses, a downtown parking study ($180,375.00), mosquito control agreement, multiple bid awards (e.g., $3,550,272.03 for BR-25-A1, $1,837,589.00 for PR-25-H1), donation of 169 elm trees from ASN Constructors, purchase of fire station alerting equipment ($101,575.00), and other routine actions. Bills totaling $10,469,154.33 were approved.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Following the presentation on homelessness, Commissioner Piepkorn argued that law and order must be restored and that camping should end, while Commissioner Strand emphasized that extending shelter prevents people from dying on the streets and avoids worsening problems for downtown businesses.
- Fargo resident Olivia Fischer (online) criticized the camping ban, stating it criminalizes homelessness and does not solve the underlying issues. She noted that winter warming does not allow lying down and is uncomfortable, and argued that the community, not the government, kept people warm during the winter.
Discussion Items
- Presentation from FM Coalition to End Homelessness and United Way of Cass-Clay (Item 25): Chandler Uslinger (FM Coalition) and Taylor Sievertson (United Way) reported progress since December 2024. Achievements include 14+ educational events reaching 250+ individuals, a 15-member steering committee, a $2.5 million fundraising goal, and identification of 22 housing units with a need for 40–50 more. They aim to serve 55–65 individuals currently in temporary winter programming. A long-term Cass-Clay Interagency Council on Homelessness will launch in June 2025.
- Action: Director of Public Health Jen Fall proposed extending the winter warming shelter at Fargo Cass Public Health through May 31, 2025, using grant funds at no cost to the city, to bridge the gap until permanent housing units are available. After debate, a motion to extend for one month passed 3–2 (Commissioners Kolpack, Strand, and Mahoney in favor; Commissioners Piepkorn and Turnberg opposed).
- Public Hearing – Selkirk Place Third Addition (Item 27): Donald Kress (Planning) presented a zone change from AG Agricultural to SR-4 (single-dwelling residential) and P/I (public/institutional) for 143 lots (142 single-family and one park lot) at 3040 and 3200 67th Avenue South. Approved unanimously (5–0).
- Public Hearing – Golden Valley Sixth Addition (Item 28): Zone change from SR-4 to SR-5 for a 0.9-acre lot at 6788 27th Street South to allow 11 attached rental units (two four-plexes and one three-plex) instead of 10. Approved unanimously (5–0).
- Public Hearing – Nicole’s Fine Pastry & Café Class F Liquor License (Item 29): License for full alcohol service at 13 8th Street South, requiring food sales exceed alcohol sales and no physical bar. Approved unanimously (5–0). Commissioner Strand disclosed his business works with Nicole’s but stated no personal profit.
- Public Hearing – Target Wine & Spirits Class B-Limited Liquor License (Item 30): Continued from March 31, 2025. The license is for off-sale alcohol at the southeast corner of 38th Street South and Alexander Drive South, with the store not expected to open until May 2027. Commissioners discussed the six-month shelf-life ordinance being drafted; approval includes a condition that if not open by November 2027 (May 2027 plus six months), the license reverts to the city. Approved unanimously (5–0).
- Forestry Department Update (Item 31): City Forester Scott Liudahl reported on the 51-year-old division. Budget: ~$3 million annually, staff of 13 full-time and 6–12 seasonal. Manages over 61,000 street trees (top species: ash, elm, linden, maple). In 2024, pruned 9,200+ trees, planted 1,300+, removed 700+ (primarily due to Dutch elm disease and emerald ash borer preparation). A residential brush chipping program cost $250,000 in 2024; 2025 program runs May through September. Residents pay $5.98/month per single-family home. Canopy assessment shows 15% coverage citywide.
- Camping on Public Property Reminder (Item 32): Commissioner Piepkorn reminded that the camping ban takes effect April 30, 2025. Olivia Fischer’s public comment followed (see above).
- Liaison Commissioner Assignments (Item 33): Commissioners provided updates on boards and committees.
- 2024 Police Department Annual Report (Extra item after recess): Chief David Zibolski presented the report. Overall crime decreased 6.8% in 2024 compared to 2023. Violent crime (aggravated and simple assaults) down, robbery flat, arson down, burglary down, motor vehicle theft and shoplifting remain high volume. Shots fired incidents continued a downward trend. Real-time crime center (first in North Dakota) operational; 21 new officers hired (one vacancy remaining); traffic safety team formed September 2024; House Bill 1229 (fleeing vehicle accountability) passed and awaits governor’s signature. Officer wellness program expanded with a dedicated unit.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda: Approved in full (excluding withdrawn item 5a).
- Winter Warming Shelter Extension: Extended through May 31, 2025 (one month), using existing grant funds, to provide overnight shelter for approximately 45–55 individuals until permanent housing becomes available June 1, 2025. Vote: 3–2 (Ayes: Kolpack, Strand, Mahoney; Nays: Piepkorn, Turnberg).
- Selkirk Place Third Addition: Zone change and plat approved unanimously; first reading of rezoning ordinance passed.
- Golden Valley Sixth Addition: Zone change approved unanimously; first reading of rezoning ordinance passed.
- Nicole’s Fine Pastry Class F License: Approved unanimously.
- Target Wine & Spirits Class B-Limited License: Approved unanimously with condition of six-month review after expected opening (May 2027); if not operational by November 2027, license returns to city.
- Forestry Update: Received and filed; no formal action.
- Camping Ban: Reminder issued; enforcement begins May 1, 2025.
- Police Annual Report: Received; no formal action.
- Other: Various contract awards, bid approvals, and routine items approved as part of consent agenda.
The meeting adjourned at 6:32 PM.
Meeting Transcript
We call the meeting to order begin with the pleasure of allegiance. I invite you to join us. Roll call. Here. Here. Tonight we continue our effort to recognize and highlight the outstanding work of the city departments do every day to serve the residents of Fargo. Our team is dedicated to ensure operations run smoothly, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred and sixty-five days a year. Tonight we are highlighting the City of Fargo's administrative team. The team includes the city administrator, the assistant city administrator, strategic planning director, and our commission office staff. Our administrators, Mike Redinger and Brenda Derek work tirelessly behind the scenes to bring together the efforts of twenty-two different city departments. They do an excellent job of communicating with city commission and all the city departments as they help commissioners and the city staff identify priorities for our community. We help the city commissioners as well. So we are legally required to send out our agendas. We're also legally required to create meeting minutes from the city commission meetings. The city commission office helps coordinate various meetings within our office space. The City Commission office is also a wayfinder for citizens with concerns or questions about various things throughout the community. The digit planning involves economic development, uh trying to bring new jobs to town, as well as trying to redevelop older neighborhoods and uh bring new development to the downtown. We work with uh Greater Fargo Moorehead EDC to bring more primary sector jobs to Fargo. That might be a manufacturing company, a distribution company, a medical device manufacturing company, but something that adds high quality jobs that boost our economy. So it's kind of fun to come downtown even on a weekend and see these different projects, see more places to park, see new businesses, see vacant buildings become occupied. And I hope we can continue that. So the city of Fargo is really a catalyst for a lot of regional projects and a lot of big big picture thinking in the metropolitan area. So Fargo is going to typically be that home where we talk about things like water supply. We talk about the the flood diversion project, the Red River uh Regional Dispatch Center. You know, we're really the home for a lot of some of that strategic thinking about partnerships across the two counties, the two states, and the multiple cities within this metropolitan area. And so we typically are convening from those conversations, we're hosting those conversations in our spaces, and then also providing that strategic leadership so that we keep things moving forward, not only in Fargo, but in Fargo Moorhead West Fargo and the greater Cast Clay area. We do more than just working up here with city commissioners and department heads. We do work with other boards and commissions. You know, working with the HRC with the MLK Day was extremely exciting, and I really enjoyed it. I have worked for the city of Fargo for 16, almost 17 years. I enjoy the people and the citizens in which I have um come to know. I've been with the city a little over 30 years now. I started as a community development planner, moved on to planning director, and I'm working in administration on these redevelopment projects. Um I just enjoyed working with the people with the city, uh working with developers and the people uh in the community that care about this community and want to make it a better place. I've been with the city now for 33 years, trained as a civil engineer, and then I was city engineer for a while. And I truly, I do. I truly love working for the city of Fargo and I'm just super proud to work here. And you know, to be honest, working at the city gave me the flexibility as an engineer to be able to raise my family, yet still do what I wanted to do and what I love to do. So I joined the city of Fargo in 2016. I got a great opportunity to come join this organization as the assistant administrator at the time. And so I've been very grateful, very thankful that this has been an organization that's been home for nearly the last 10 years of my professional career. And to have that opportunity to be able to stay here and to fulfill the city administrative role here has been quite meaningful for me. I'm very appreciative to the community, very appreciative to my teammates, and we've got a great, great crew here at Team Fargo. Time goes past, doesn't it, Kimber? 16 years. Holy cow. Good job. Is there a motion to approve the audit of agenda withdrawing item 5A from the consent agenda and adding extra item at the end of the regular agenda to present uh the 2024 police department's annual report? So moved. Is there a second?
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