OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Fargo City Commission Meeting - August 18, 2025

City Commission — Monday, August 18, 2025
BodyFargo, North Dakota
SessionCity Commission
DateMonday, August 18, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 58:56

Transcript — Verbatim
0:42

We'll call the meeting to order.

0:43

I invite you to join us with a pledge of allegiance.

0:48

I pledge allegiance.

1:04

Roll call, please.

1:05

Colpack, here.

1:06

Pepcorn.

1:08

Strand.

1:08

Here.

1:08

Turnberg?

1:09

Here.

1:10

Mahoney.

1:11

Here.

1:11

We came out of the executive session and I have two motions.

1:15

Motion one, I move to approve the city of Fargo opting into a settlement agreement regarding opioid litigation with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family.

1:24

And authorize the city attorney's office and mayor to complete any necessary forms and paperwork to complete the settlement process.

1:30

We have a motion.

1:33

Move.

1:34

Sir second.

1:35

Second.

1:36

Moved and seconded.

1:37

Any discussion?

1:38

Roll call vote, please.

1:40

Strand.

1:40

Yes.

1:43

Turnberg?

1:44

Aye.

1:44

Mahoney.

1:45

Aye.

1:46

Motion two.

1:48

I move to approve the city of Fargo opting into a settlement agreement regarding opioid litigation with AvaGen Amnian Apotex.

2:02

Zidus, and authorize the city attorney's office and mayor to complete any necessary forms and paperwork to complete the settlement process.

2:09

Do I have a motion?

2:10

So second.

2:13

Uh roll call vote again.

2:16

Strand.

2:16

Yes.

2:17

Pepcorn?

2:18

Aye.

2:18

Colpac.

2:19

Aye.

2:19

Turnberg?

2:20

Aye.

2:20

Mahoney.

2:21

Aye.

2:22

Tonight we'll be showing a video featuring first responder training held earlier this summer in Fargo.

2:28

Participants included the Fargo Police Department, Fargo, West Fargo, and Moorhead Fire Departments, Gas County Sheriff's Department, Red River Regional Dispatch Center, Sanford Ambulance, Simulation in Motion, North Dakota, as well as Fargo and West Fargo emergency management.

2:44

The training exercises were designed to be realistic scenario to practice security, sheltering, and evacuation plans.

3:02

Purpose of our training is for a quick response and a coordinated response.

3:05

We want to work with all agencies to quickly and efficiently extricate patients from the building.

3:10

Training is always important to prepare yourself for any type of incident.

3:13

We've seen an uptick in violent crimes over the last decade.

3:15

And we just want to make sure as a community we are prepared if something were to happen in the city of Fargo, Moorhead or West Fargo.

3:21

The scenarios that we train for, we hope they never happen, whether that be fires, active shooter, car accidents, but we have to be prepared for all those types of situations.

3:28

Hands-on training is always vital to our response.

3:31

By doing hands-on training, we're able to be better prepared.

3:33

We want to get those mental reps in.

3:35

We want to be able to have hands-on training.

3:36

When your stress level goes up, you revert back to your training.

3:39

And so when we do hands-on training, it better prepares us for scenarios.

3:42

We had an opportunity to get in the schools this year, and we want to jump at that opportunity as it's a great building that presents a lot of challenges for us as far as corridors that intersect.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Economic Development███████████████████████████27%
Public Safety████████████████████████24%
Procedural█████████████████████21%
Fiscal Sustainability██████6%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%
Public Health█████5%
Public Engagement████4%
Community Engagement███3%
Military Affairs██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Fargo City Commission Meeting - August 18, 2025

The Fargo City Commission met on August 18, 2025, beginning with an executive session at 4:30 PM to discuss opioid litigation, then reconvening at 5:00 PM for the regular meeting. The commission approved settlements with Purdue Pharma and other opioid manufacturers, received a fire department accreditation renewal, passed amendments to the home rule charter, and debated several economic development and public safety items.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved 35 consent items, including purchase agreements, ordinance readings, grants, change orders, and bills totaling $13,967,513. Items 25 (HVAC design for Police HQ) and 31 (Scheels MOU) were moved to the regular agenda.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Brad Shafer expressed concern about city leadership and the jail situation, urging the commission to strive for greatness.
  • Brandon Baity, executive director of the Indigenous Association, highlighted the organization's community programs and requested continued funding.
  • Candi Smith, a nurse and lactation consultant, described the new Milk Run Bridge Bags program providing donor breast milk to families.
  • Christopher Coen discussed the $6.8 million budget deficit, noting lost federal grants and rising costs, and urged public input on service cuts.

Discussion Items

  • Opioid Settlement Opt-Ins: The commission unanimously approved opting into two settlement agreements: one with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, and another with Alvogen, Amneal, Apotex, Hikma, Indivior, Mylan, Sun, and Zydus. Both motions passed 5-0.
  • Fire Department Accreditation: The Fargo Fire Department received its fourth accreditation renewal from the Commission on Fire Accreditation International. It is one of 336 accredited departments worldwide and 127 with an ISO 1 rating.
  • Home Rule Charter Amendments: To comply with state law (HB 1297 and HB 1307), the commission approved resolutions removing approval voting, changing the signature threshold to 300 signatures, and requiring nine months of residency prior to election. Amended ordinances regarding election dates and procedures were received and filed. Unanimous approval.
  • Grove Enclave Developer Agreement (Item 38): Approved a second amendment to the developer agreement for the former Kmart site redevelopment, reducing the required number of outbuildings from two to one. The developer built 30,000 square feet (exceeding 20,000 requirement). Approved 4-1 (Strand opposed).
  • PILOT Policy Change (Item 39): Adopted a policy requiring business operations or construction to start within three years of receiving a property tax exemption. Approved 4-1 (Strand opposed).
  • Core Neighborhood Housing PILOT Guidelines (Item 40): Approved new guidelines simplifying the tax exemption to 100% for seven years instead of a tiered structure. Approved 4-1 (Strand opposed).
  • Planning Commission Reappointments (Item 41): Approved reappointments, with one member extended for one year to complete the land development code. Unanimous.
  • HVAC Design for Police Headquarters (Item 25): Approved a $182,000 bid award to KLJ Engineering for HVAC design and construction planning services. The project aims to replace 40-year-old equipment and switch from electric to hot water heat, projected to save 30% on utility costs ($26,000+ in first half of 2025). Unanimous.
  • Scheels Remote Workstation MOU (Item 31): Approved a no-cost MOU with Scheels All Sports to establish a remote police workstation at their 45th Street South location. The agreement provides a secure location for officers to file reports. Approved 3-2 (Kolpack, Strand, Mahoney aye; Piepkorn, Turnberg nay).

Key Outcomes

  • All votes were recorded with tallies as above.
  • The commission set a public hearing for September 2, 2025, on a dangerous building at 1202-1204 1st Avenue South.
  • Commissioner Kolpack reported on the Metro Fire Academy's 10 recruits and a "boss flight" event with the National Guard.
  • Commissioner Strand reminded of the airport parking ramp ribbon cutting on August 19, 2025.

Meeting Transcript

We'll call the meeting to order. I invite you to join us with a pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance. Roll call, please. Colpack, here. Pepcorn. Strand. Here. Turnberg? Here. Mahoney. Here. We came out of the executive session and I have two motions. Motion one, I move to approve the city of Fargo opting into a settlement agreement regarding opioid litigation with Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family. And authorize the city attorney's office and mayor to complete any necessary forms and paperwork to complete the settlement process. We have a motion. Move. Sir second. Second. Moved and seconded. Any discussion? Roll call vote, please. Strand. Yes. Turnberg? Aye. Mahoney. Aye. Motion two. I move to approve the city of Fargo opting into a settlement agreement regarding opioid litigation with AvaGen Amnian Apotex. Zidus, and authorize the city attorney's office and mayor to complete any necessary forms and paperwork to complete the settlement process. Do I have a motion? So second. Uh roll call vote again. Strand. Yes. Pepcorn? Aye. Colpac. Aye. Turnberg? Aye. Mahoney. Aye. Tonight we'll be showing a video featuring first responder training held earlier this summer in Fargo. Participants included the Fargo Police Department, Fargo, West Fargo, and Moorhead Fire Departments, Gas County Sheriff's Department, Red River Regional Dispatch Center, Sanford Ambulance, Simulation in Motion, North Dakota, as well as Fargo and West Fargo emergency management. The training exercises were designed to be realistic scenario to practice security, sheltering, and evacuation plans. Purpose of our training is for a quick response and a coordinated response. We want to work with all agencies to quickly and efficiently extricate patients from the building. Training is always important to prepare yourself for any type of incident.

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