OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Fargo City Commission Meeting - May 12, 2025: Fiber Agreements, Fire Chief Retirement, and Public Safety

City Commission — Monday, May 12, 2025
BodyFargo, North Dakota
SessionCity Commission
DateMonday, May 12, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:31:50

Transcript — Verbatim
3:57

Good evening.

3:58

We'll call the meeting to order.

4:00

I invite you to join us with the Pledge of Allegiance.

4:21

Roll call, please.

4:22

Coal Pack.

4:23

Here.

4:24

Pepcorn.

4:25

Strand.

4:26

Here.

4:26

Turn bright.

4:27

Here.

4:28

Mahoney.

4:29

Here.

4:31

Good evening.

4:32

Tonight we're going to take a moment to honor a leader who has made a lasting impact on the safety and strength of our city.

4:38

Fargo Chief, uh, fire Fargo Fire Chief, Steve Dirksen.

4:43

Under Chief Dirksen's leadership, the Fargo Fire Department has grown stronger, more efficient, and better equipped to serve our residents.

5:06

His leadership also guided the department to a Class 1 ISO ready, the highest possible fire protection designation.

5:14

This mark of excellent not only reflects in the top tier department, but also delivers real savings to the Fargo homeowners through reduced insurance cost.

5:23

Chief Starkson legacy is one of service innovation and unwavering commitment to public safety.

5:38

Chief Street Dirksen.

5:47

My career started in a volunteer fire department in 1989 in Rock Valley, Iowa, where I grew up.

5:53

And then I saw an advertisement for uh the firefighter position in the city of Sioux Falls.

5:58

I took a test.

5:59

There was about 700 folks that sat down for the initial test, and I was fortunate enough to be one of the ten people out of that group that got hired for a career in the fire service.

6:09

While I was there, the fire chief was in place.

6:11

He was going to be there for a while.

6:12

There was a whole group of us that were about the same age.

6:15

I made a decision to kind of explore things and see where where we were at.

6:20

And uh the job in Fargo opened up, put an application in, and the city of Fargo welcomed me in for a uh interview, and I was selected as the fire chief in 2011.

6:30

The great thing about the fire services over the years, uh, we've continued to use technology to develop and make the profession safer.

6:38

So we've you know gone to the improvements in turnout gear.

6:41

I believe there's probably been about five or six iterations of improvements in the standard of turnout gear over the 36 years that I've been in the fire service.

6:48

We've also improved, you know, what the health and wellness of firefighters and making sure that we have policies in place to make sure that firefighters do things and operate in a safe manner.

6:58

The trucks that are out there today are changing all the time.

7:01

I started on a gas-driven uh truck and moved on to diesel trucks and now with the emissions, and then just overall in the building classifications and and uh the code enforcement within the fire service, making sure that we build buildings as safe as possible, uh, first of all for the occupants and then for the firefighters that would have to operate in them.

7:21

Adding the fire station eight this last year was a big accomplishment within the city.

7:25

That was one of the questions that was always asked of me when I got here is when is station eight going to happen.

7:30

We are a large city that really comprises multiple cities in the region here.

7:36

And we've all made the decision that you know what we can work better together if we train together and do things like that, knowing that not all of us are gonna have all of the resources to handle every situation.

7:45

So I worked really hard over the last number of years with the different fire chiefs in the region to ensure that we have a strong relationship for mutual aid, uh, automatic aid, and then also developing the joint fire training academy with West Fargo initially, and then adding more hit here last year.

8:01

You know, it's been great within the city of Fargo.

8:04

I was welcomed early on uh by all city departments.

8:07

Uh we worked together, we tried to figure out how we could uh operate, try to make sure that we all receive the needs that we have.

8:13

You know, I think of working with Ben Dow as we purchase our trucks, and I would think about working with HR as we added people, uh, working closely with the police department.

8:22

I never thought over the the last 36 years uh that we would be buying ballistic gear for our firefighters, and now we have that on our trucks uh to protect them just because of the change in the landscape.

8:33

But just making sure that we can operate safely and protect the citizens as best as possible.

8:38

I'm very very proud of the part of the spot where we're where I'm leaving uh the department.

8:42

We have great leadership internally.

8:44

They're great people.

8:45

There's nothing I had to do with that other than I helped to educate them, provide them opportunities to learn and to grow.

8:51

I'm looking forward to uh watching the fire department continue to advance, providing for the the safety of this the community as they move forward.

8:59

You know, I feel great uh that I'm at a good spot to hand off the department to the next uh round of leadership.

9:04

Over the last 36 years, I can't say thanks enough to my family.

9:08

Um they've supported me uh in all things, even when I said to my wife uh 14 years ago, let's uh let's look at this thing in Fargo, and she said, really?

9:16

And I said, Yeah, let's just let's take a look at it and see where it might go.

9:20

And she was very willing and supportive.

9:21

We were at a good spot um with our family to take that opportunity and my kids.

9:26

They've uh they've been around, they've had a lot of great opportunities, and they were supportive, and my grandkids as well.

9:31

Um, and my brothers and sisters and my parents have just been phenomenal in uh developing who I am, and and uh I thank them all for their support over the last 36 years.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Technology and Innovation█████████████████████████████████33%
Fire Department████████████████████████████28%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████10%
Public Engagement███████7%
Public Works██████6%
Procedural████4%
Public Health████4%
Economic Development██2%
Public Safety██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Fargo City Commission Meeting - May 12, 2025

The Fargo City Commission met on Monday, May 12, 2025, at 4:15 PM in City Commission Chambers. The meeting included an executive session (4:20-4:53 PM) for attorney consultation regarding litigation at 501 Main Avenue, then reconvened publicly at 5:00 PM. The Commission honored retiring Fire Chief Steve Dirksen, discussed proposed fiber optic right-of-way agreements with Ubiquity and Gateway Fiber, received the 2024 Fire Department Annual Report, and heard public comment regarding police use of force. The meeting adjourned at 6:28 PM.

Consent Calendar

  • The Commission approved the consent agenda (items 1–30 and 32, excluding item 31 which was withdrawn) unanimously on a roll call vote. Items included:
    • Receive and file several ordinance amendments (traffic code, dog at large, liquor licenses).
    • Final adoption of two rezoning ordinances (Selkirk Place Third Addition, Golden Valley Sixth Addition).
    • Site authorizations and applications for games of chance (various charities and teams).
    • Change orders, contract awards, and bid awards for multiple improvement districts and projects (e.g., SR-24-A1, BN-23-F1, BR-25-B3, PN-25-A1, PR-25-F1).
    • Sole source procurement for gateless security at ROCO Parking Ramp ($244,002).
    • Elimination of RFP for transit driver contractor, transitioning to city employees.
    • Purchase of service agreement with Kindred Public School District.
    • Notice of grant award for Title X Family Planning.
    • Consulting services agreement with CPS HR Consulting.
    • Third Amendment for property at 1011/1013 University Drive North.
    • Resolution of annexation (87.89 acres, public hearing on protests set for 6/23/25).
    • Plat approvals for Cottonwood Corner and The Pass at Woodhaven additions.
    • Bid awards for quadruped tactical robot ($393,500) and online auction services.
    • Street snow plowing services agreement for 2025/2026.
    • Bills in the amount of $8,121,891.43.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Olivia Fischer (Fargo resident) spoke against police use of lethal force, specifically referencing the killing of 65-year-old veteran Peter Greco by Sergeant Lucas Mock and Officer Princeton Harris during a mental health crisis call. She argued that police should not be first responders for mental health crises, criticized the lack of de-escalation protocols for suicide-by-cop situations, and demanded that Officers Mock and Harris lose their positions and that suicide-by-cop de-escalation training be implemented within the year. She also expressed concern about police cooperation with ICE.

Discussion Items

  • Retirement Tribute to Fire Chief Steve Dirksen: Mayor Mahoney and Commissioner Kolpack honored Chief Dirksen for 36 years of fire service (13 years as Fargo Fire Chief). A video was shown. Chief Dirksen spoke about his career, achievements (Class 1 ISO rating, opening Fire Station 8, joint fire training academy), and thanked the community. The Commission adopted a resolution of appreciation unanimously.
  • Fiber Optic Right-of-Way Agreements (Ubiquity and Gateway Fiber): Division Engineer Kevin Gorder presented two draft Non-Exclusive Right of Way Occupancy Agreements for installing a citywide fiber network. Ubiquity is an open-access provider; Gateway Fiber is a traditional ISP. Both would reimburse the city $350,000 annually for engineering costs (later clarified that Gateway also agreed to $350,000 without a phase-in). The city would also be reimbursed for additional staffing or consultant costs. Both companies described their business models, community engagement, and damage prevention processes. Commissioner Strand asked whether the city initiated the proposals (no—companies approached) and whether an RFP process should be used (Gorder noted the right-of-way is open; more providers would cause congestion). The Commission took no action; the decision is expected at the May 27 regular meeting.
  • Construction Update: City Engineer Tom Knakmuhs reported a safety incident (employee hand injury on 45th Street project; returned to work). He highlighted ongoing projects: 45th Street concrete repair (phase one), sanitary sewer lining, shared-use paths, and new developments (Dakota Commerce Center, Interstate Business District). Upcoming: citywide concrete spot repairs including Broadway & 2nd Avenue (closed May 19 for 9 days), and four core neighborhood reconstruction projects. He noted a redesigned streets.com mapping tool for residents.
  • 2024 Fire Department Annual Report: Chief Dirksen presented the report. Key statistics:
    • Total incidents in 2024: 14,222 (down from 14,546 in 2022).
    • Fire fatalities: 1; civilian injuries: 2; firefighter injuries: 5.
    • Property loss: ~$4 million (below national average of $5–7 million for comparable cities).
    • Inspections: 6,709 (prevention) plus 8,918 crew inspections.
    • Occupants alerted by alarms: 76% of active fires.
    • Fire contained to room of origin: 78% (goal 90%).
    • Fires: 239 (139 unintentional, 22 intentionally set).
    • Response times: Medical incidents – 8 minutes 50 seconds (goal 6 min); Fires – 6 minutes 20 seconds (goal met); Effective response force (17 personnel) – 13 minutes.
    • Special teams: 151 hazmat calls (majority natural gas leaks), 85 technical rescues, 15 water rescues.
    • Recruitment: 13 new firefighters hired, 8 in current Metro Academy (graduation May 16), interviews for August academy (planning 6-7 more hires).
    • Chief Dirksen reflected on challenges and expressed gratitude.
  • Liaison Commissioner Reports:
    • Commissioner Turnberg: Fargo Fire Department accreditation site visit completed; final vote at CFAI August 5. Fargo Youth Initiative met May 4, discussed cell phone ban in schools and suicide prevention summit.
    • Commissioner Strand: Fargo Cass Public Health hosting an MMR vaccine clinic May 15 (7 AM-1 PM) at 1240 25th Street South (walk-in). Two measles cases reported in Cass County.
  • Reappointment to Board of Appeals: Commissioner Piepkorn moved, seconded by Kolpack, to reappoint Kevin Bartram. Approved unanimously on roll call.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously (items 1-30, 32; item 31 withdrawn).
  • Reappointment to Board of Appeals: Kevin Bartram reappointed unanimously.
  • Resolution Honoring Fire Chief Dirksen: Adopted unanimously.
  • Fiber Agreements: No action taken; staff directed to bring final agreements for approval at the May 27 regular meeting.
  • Executive Session: Held from 4:20-4:53 PM for attorney consultation on litigation at 501 Main Avenue (no public action reported).
  • Public Comment: No direct Commission response; issue noted.
  • Upcoming: MMR vaccine clinic May 15; 2024 Fire Report accepted; construction projects ongoing.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. We'll call the meeting to order. I invite you to join us with the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll call, please. Coal Pack. Here. Pepcorn. Strand. Here. Turn bright. Here. Mahoney. Here. Good evening. Tonight we're going to take a moment to honor a leader who has made a lasting impact on the safety and strength of our city. Fargo Chief, uh, fire Fargo Fire Chief, Steve Dirksen. Under Chief Dirksen's leadership, the Fargo Fire Department has grown stronger, more efficient, and better equipped to serve our residents. His leadership also guided the department to a Class 1 ISO ready, the highest possible fire protection designation. This mark of excellent not only reflects in the top tier department, but also delivers real savings to the Fargo homeowners through reduced insurance cost. Chief Starkson legacy is one of service innovation and unwavering commitment to public safety. Chief Street Dirksen. My career started in a volunteer fire department in 1989 in Rock Valley, Iowa, where I grew up. And then I saw an advertisement for uh the firefighter position in the city of Sioux Falls. I took a test. There was about 700 folks that sat down for the initial test, and I was fortunate enough to be one of the ten people out of that group that got hired for a career in the fire service. While I was there, the fire chief was in place. He was going to be there for a while. There was a whole group of us that were about the same age. I made a decision to kind of explore things and see where where we were at. And uh the job in Fargo opened up, put an application in, and the city of Fargo welcomed me in for a uh interview, and I was selected as the fire chief in 2011. The great thing about the fire services over the years, uh, we've continued to use technology to develop and make the profession safer. So we've you know gone to the improvements in turnout gear. I believe there's probably been about five or six iterations of improvements in the standard of turnout gear over the 36 years that I've been in the fire service. We've also improved, you know, what the health and wellness of firefighters and making sure that we have policies in place to make sure that firefighters do things and operate in a safe manner. The trucks that are out there today are changing all the time. I started on a gas-driven uh truck and moved on to diesel trucks and now with the emissions, and then just overall in the building classifications and and uh the code enforcement within the fire service, making sure that we build buildings as safe as possible, uh, first of all for the occupants and then for the firefighters that would have to operate in them. Adding the fire station eight this last year was a big accomplishment within the city. That was one of the questions that was always asked of me when I got here is when is station eight going to happen. We are a large city that really comprises multiple cities in the region here. And we've all made the decision that you know what we can work better together if we train together and do things like that, knowing that not all of us are gonna have all of the resources to handle every situation. So I worked really hard over the last number of years with the different fire chiefs in the region to ensure that we have a strong relationship for mutual aid, uh, automatic aid, and then also developing the joint fire training academy with West Fargo initially, and then adding more hit here last year. You know, it's been great within the city of Fargo. I was welcomed early on uh by all city departments. Uh we worked together, we tried to figure out how we could uh operate, try to make sure that we all receive the needs that we have. You know, I think of working with Ben Dow as we purchase our trucks, and I would think about working with HR as we added people, uh, working closely with the police department. I never thought over the the last 36 years uh that we would be buying ballistic gear for our firefighters, and now we have that on our trucks uh to protect them just because of the change in the landscape. But just making sure that we can operate safely and protect the citizens as best as possible. I'm very very proud of the part of the spot where we're where I'm leaving uh the department. We have great leadership internally. They're great people.

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