Fargo City Commission Meeting Wrap-Up - 04.15.2024
In case you missed the April 15, 2024, Fargo City Commission meeting, here are a few highlights we would like you to know about.
The City of Fargo Selects Student Artwork to Wrap City Bus
In January 2024, The City of Fargo invited middle and high school students to submit original artwork with the chance for their design to be featured on a local MATBUS bus. Students were encouraged to create artwork with the theme of environmental stewardship and climate resiliency. A review panel judged submissions based on how well the artwork reflects the theme, tells a story or message, incorporates ties in the Fargo community and provides an eye-catching design that translates well to a bus wrap.
The highest‐scoring submission belonged to seventh-grader Kaylee Trana. With the slogan of Far “Go” Green, Kaylee’s design features red pandas (well-known residents of Fargo’s Red River Zoo) enjoying the city and its environment. Her artwork will appear on a MATBUS bus for one year, and she will receive $500. The second‐highest scoring submission will receive $300, and the third‐highest scoring submission will receive $200. To be eligible, students had to live in Fargo, or be homeschooled or enrolled in a school within Fargo during the 2023‐2024 school year.
The top three submissions were:
- Kaylee Trana, age 12
Slogan: Far “Go” Green!
Grade: 7
School: Ben Franklin Middle School
- Mya Houston, age 14
Slogan: Conserve, Protect, Create
Grade: 9
School: Fargo Public Schools Virtual Academy
- Elizabeth Toomey, age 14
Slogan: Grow Wild Together
Grade: 9
School: Homeschool
The call for submissions for bus wrap artwork was a collaboration of the Sustainability and Resiliency Committee, Fargo Youth Initiative and Arts and Culture Commission. On March 27, the Arts and Culture Commission affirmed the review panel’s top three selections, and the City Commission unanimously approved those selections during Monday’s meeting. Production and installation of the bus wrap will be made possible by using renewable energy revenues through the Solid Waste Utility.
All 20 submissions of student artwork are currently on public display on the first floor of Fargo City Hall (225 4th St. N.) and will be available for viewing through early May.
Community-wide Juneteenth Celebration Scheduled for Saturday, June 15
Each year, The City of Fargo’s Human Rights Commission collaborates with the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Office to sponsor a local Juneteenth celebration, curated by the community group Fred’s Dissonance. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, June 15, at North Dakota State University Renaissance Hall in Fargo.
Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. The holiday was first celebrated on June 19, 1865, in the aftermath of the Civil War.
Participants of all backgrounds are invited to take part in this year’s festivities, which will include education, entertainment, virtual reality, art and volunteerism. The event will showcase the talents of local Black and Brown artists.
On Monday, the City Commission voted unanimously to approve The City’s sponsorship of the event, up to $15,000. Fred’s Dissonance, as it has done in past years, intends to receive financial and in-kind sponsorship from community partners to offset the cost to The City.
City Commissioners Update Policy to Encourage Removal of Blighted Properties
The City of Fargo’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) program has for many years offered economic incentives to remove blighted structures and support new, high-quality development.
Under the current TIF policy, the removal of blighted properties begins when a developer is ready to immediately start on the new development. Currently, there is no incentive to maintain deteriorated and/or vacant buildings.
To remedy this, the City Commission voted 5-0 on Monday to amend the TIF policy to encourage developers to remove blighted buildings in the first phase of redevelopment. Under the change, the developer will have up to five years to begin construction of new buildings. If the development does not start in the required time, the developer will not receive TIF assistance. More information on the new policy can be found here.
Fargo’s Water Utility Earns Certificate of Achievement
The City of Fargo Water Utility recently received a Certificate of Achievement for compliance with all national drinking water standards for the 2023 calendar year.
The Safe Drinking Water Act sets these federal standards through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The North Dakota Department of Environmental Quality regulates and enforces the standards on behalf of the EPA.
Through consistent investments in water infrastructure and multi-Department teamwork, The City of Fargo is well positioned for continued compliance with current and future EPA drinking water regulations.
City Commissioner Denise Kolpack, the Commission’s liaison to the Water Utility, shared this news at Monday’s meeting during her update to the Commission.
City Commission Appoints Airport Authority Member, Reappoints Fargo Dome Authority Members
The City Commission voted to appoint a new member of the Municipal Airport Authority, which governs Hector International Airport, and to reappoint two members of the Fargo Dome Authority, which oversees the FARGODOME.
The term of Municipal Airport Authority member Rick Engen expired on April 8, 2024. Dean Bresciani, a current faculty member and former president of North Dakota State University, applied for the opening. The City Commission approved Bresciani to a five-year term ending April 8, 2029.
“As an active member of the business communities of our city, region and state, I have a longstanding vested interest in transportation issues – specifically our growing Hector International Airport, and its implications for the economic success of those it serves,” Bresciani wrote in his application.
The City Commission also reappointed Fargo Dome Authority members Troy Goergen and Mike Ellingson. They each will begin a new four-year term that will end April 1, 2028.