OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

West Fargo City Commission Meeting – January 5, 2026

City Commission Meetings — Monday, January 5, 2026
BodyWest Fargo, North Dakota
SessionCity Commission Meetings
DateMonday, January 5, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 27:19

Transcript — Verbatim
1:18

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Monday, January 5th, 2026, City Commission meeting.

1:26

Would you please join the commission in a pledge of allegiance?

1:31

I pledge allegiance to the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

1:39

One nation under God with liberty and justice for all.

1:47

Thank you.

1:48

Madam Secretary, would you please call a roll?

1:53

Commissioner Jorgensen?

1:55

Here.

1:55

Commissioner Zondell?

1:56

Here.

1:57

Commissioner Jardis.

1:58

Here.

1:58

Commissioner Olsen?

1:59

Here.

1:59

Commissioner Anderson.

2:01

Here.

2:01

That's a record show.

2:03

All commissioners are present.

2:04

Item D of the of our meeting agenda is to approve the order of the agenda.

2:09

It has been presented and in your packets.

2:12

Motion to approve.

2:12

Commissioner Jorgensen moves to approve.

2:14

Is there a second?

2:15

Second.

2:16

Commissioner Anderson seconds.

2:17

I have a motion and a second to approve the order of the agenda for Monday, January 5th as presented.

2:22

Is there any discussion?

2:25

Hearing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying aye.

2:28

Aye.

2:29

Opposed?

2:30

Motion carried.

2:31

Next order of business is to approval of the minutes of December 15th, 2025.

2:36

Again, they have been distributed and are in front of you.

2:39

Move to approve.

2:40

Commissioner Olson moves to approve.

2:41

Is there a second?

2:42

Second.

2:43

Commissioner Zondell, second.

2:44

I have a motion and a second to approve uh the minutes of December 15th.

2:49

Is there any discussion?

2:53

Hearing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying aye.

2:56

Opposed.

2:57

Motion carried.

2:58

Thank you.

2:59

Item F building permits.

3:00

Commissioner Jorgensen.

3:02

I would like to recuse myself from the vote, please.

3:04

The record show that Commissioner Jorgensen is recused from the building permit report.

3:08

Again, Commissioners, it have been distributed in your packets.

3:13

Commissioner Zondell moves to approve.

3:14

Commissioner Anderson seconds.

3:16

We have a motion and a second to approve the building permits as presented.

3:20

Is there any discussion?

3:22

Hearing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying aye.

3:25

Aye.

3:26

Opposed.

3:28

Motion carried.

3:30

Next order of business is the consent agenda.

3:32

On the consent agenda this evening, we have items A through Foot.

3:40

Commissioner Olson moves to approve.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████████████████████████35%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████████████████32%
Public Safety███████████11%
Budget Equity Analysis██████6%
Fiscal Sustainability██████6%
Emergency Preparedness█████5%
Personnel Matters█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

West Fargo City Commission Meeting – January 5, 2026

The West Fargo City Commission met on Monday, January 5, 2026, with all five commissioners present (Jorgensen, Zondell, Jardis, Olson, Anderson). The agenda included approvals of routine items, a zoning change, a floodplain ordinance amendment, a major infrastructure bid and contract, a water purchase agreement, municipal judge ordinance adoption, a Moody's ratings report, and a proposal for a backup generator at City Hall. All votes were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the order of the agenda as presented.
  • Approved the minutes of December 15, 2025.
  • Approved building permits (Commissioner Jorgensen recused from this vote).
  • Approved the consent agenda (Items A through F).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No members of the public signed up to speak; public comment period closed.

Discussion Items

Zoning Change – A25-23 (Meyer 2nd Edition)

  • Public hearing held; no comments for or against. Aaron Nelson, Director of Planning and Zoning, presented staff recommendation for approval, noting consistency with city plans. The Commission approved the first reading of the ordinance to rezone from R2 (limited multiple dwelling residential) to C (light commercial).

Floodplain Management Ordinance Amendment

  • Jerry Wallace, City Engineer, presented the second reading to adopt amendments required by Senate Bill 2027 for continued in-house floodplain management compliance. Approved unanimously.

Improvement District 2265 – 9th Street and 7th Avenue Northeast Reconstruction

  • Dan Hanson, Senior Director of Community Development, reported nine bids opened December 12, 2025, ranging from $13,755,418.30 to $18,623,902.84. The lowest responsible bidder, Northern Improvement Company, bid $13,755,418.30, which is 28.78% below the engineer's estimate of $19,313,000. Federal STBG funds and state flex funds will cover nearly all construction costs, reducing the local share to approximately $5.8 million (including water/sewer costs and 70/30 soft cost split per policy). The state flex funds were also applied to soft costs and a lay-down yard, saving the city about $2.5 million. The actual capital improvement sales tax contribution is estimated at $1.4 million. The Commission approved the bid and awarded the contract to Northern Improvement.

Water Purchase Agreement with Cass Rural Water Users District

  • Matt Andrick, Senior Director of Public Works, presented a five-year agreement for West Fargo to sell treated water to Cass Rural Water at $1.10 per thousand gallons above Fargo's wholesale rate (2026–2029). Approved.

Ordinance 1266 – Municipal Judge

  • Dustin Scott, City Administrator, presented the second reading and final adoption of an ordinance regarding the municipal judge. A public hearing had been held December 15, 2025, and no changes were made. Approved.

Moody's Ratings Report (Informational)

  • Dustin Scott announced Moody's reaffirmed the city's Aa3 rating (maintained since 2022), reflecting strong financial health and management. Commissioner Anderson asked about tracking metrics that could lead to upgrade/downgrade; Scott noted such data is tracked through audits and debt service monitoring.

Backup Generator for City Hall

  • Dustin Scott reported that a power outage on Friday, January 2, 2026, affected City Hall for about two hours. A prior grant application for a backup generator was unsuccessful. He requested authorization to issue an RFP for various generator capacities (basic lighting/IT to full building power) and to revisit grant opportunities. The Commission approved moving forward with the RFP, with discussion about potential use as an emergency operations center.

City Administrator's Report

  • Scott updated on the HR Director search: 34 applications received, six invited to interview, four accepted. Interviews will be conducted the week of January 5, with a goal of selecting finalists for late January.

Key Outcomes

  • First reading of zoning change A25-23 approved.
  • Floodplain management ordinance amendment adopted.
  • Contract for Improvement District 2265 awarded to Northern Improvement Company for $13,755,418.30.
  • Water purchase agreement with Cass Rural Water Users District approved for five years.
  • Ordinance 1266 (municipal judge) adopted on second reading.
  • Authorization granted to issue RFP for backup generator at City Hall.
  • HR director search continues with four candidate interviews scheduled.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the Monday, January 5th, 2026, City Commission meeting. Would you please join the commission in a pledge of allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God with liberty and justice for all. Thank you. Madam Secretary, would you please call a roll? Commissioner Jorgensen? Here. Commissioner Zondell? Here. Commissioner Jardis. Here. Commissioner Olsen? Here. Commissioner Anderson. Here. That's a record show. All commissioners are present. Item D of the of our meeting agenda is to approve the order of the agenda. It has been presented and in your packets. Motion to approve. Commissioner Jorgensen moves to approve. Is there a second? Second. Commissioner Anderson seconds. I have a motion and a second to approve the order of the agenda for Monday, January 5th as presented. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carried. Next order of business is to approval of the minutes of December 15th, 2025. Again, they have been distributed and are in front of you. Move to approve. Commissioner Olson moves to approve. Is there a second? Second. Commissioner Zondell, second. I have a motion and a second to approve uh the minutes of December 15th. Is there any discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor, please signify by saying aye. Opposed. Motion carried. Thank you. Item F building permits. Commissioner Jorgensen. I would like to recuse myself from the vote, please. The record show that Commissioner Jorgensen is recused from the building permit report. Again, Commissioners, it have been distributed in your packets. Commissioner Zondell moves to approve.

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