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Fargo City Commission Meeting Wrap-Up - 12.09.2024

In case you missed the December 9, 2024, Fargo City Commission meeting, here are a few highlights we would like you to know about.


City Commissioners Approve Infrastructure Projects for 2025 and 2026

City Commissioners voted unanimously Monday night to move ahead with plans for several infrastructure projects for 2025 and 2026.

As part of the vote, Commissioners gave the greenlight to the City’s 2026 Core Neighborhood Reconstruction and Prairie Dog projects. Approval of these projects allows the Engineering Department to initiate the project design process and communicate with impacted property owners a year in advance of construction occurring.

Here is a summary of the 2026 Core Neighborhood Reconstruction Projects:
• Evergreen Road North from 28th Avenue North to 29th Avenue North; Longfellow Road North from 28th Avenue North to 29th Avenue North; 29th Avenue North from Elm Street North to Longfellow Road North.
• Willow Road North from South Woodcrest Drive North to Lilac Lane; South Woodcrest Drive North from Evergreen Road North to Lilac Lane.
• 11th Avenue South from 8th Street South to 5th Street South; 12th Avenue South from 7th Street South to 5th Street South; 7th Street South from 11th Avenue South to 13th Avenue South; 6th Street South from 11th Avenue South to 13th Avenue South.

Here are the 2026 Prairie Dog Projects:
• 4th Street North from 7th Avenue North to 9th Avenue North; 3rd Street North from 7th Avenue North to 9th Avenue North; 8th Avenue North from 4th Street North to the alley between 3rd Street and 2nd Street.
• NP Avenue from Broadway to 4th Street North; 4th Street North from Main Avenue to 1st Avenue North.

With Monday’s vote, Commissioners also approved the City’s 2025 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), a set of priority projects that preserve, rehabilitate, replace and/or newly install City-owned infrastructure. The 2025 Capital Improvement Plan can be found here.

Additionally, the Commission’s vote updated language to the City’s infrastructure funding policy regarding special assessment caps, which limit how much property owners pay for nearby projects. The current policy states that all special assessment caps shall increase by 2% annually. Given that the average annual rate of construction inflation from 2008 to 2022 was 7.19%, maintaining a 2% annual cap increase while inflation exceeds 7% poses ongoing challenges to the sustainability of the CIP funding model. To address this, the City Commission revised the policy so that all caps shall be increased by 5% annually. The change will take effect with the 2026 CIP.


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MATBUS to Increase On-Demand Service near NDSU, End Route 32

Due to North Dakota State University budget constraints, NDSU and The City of Fargo Transit Department began in the summer of 2024 discussing the elimination of Route 32. The route, which served off-campus housing south of the main NDSU campus, was suspended for the faII 2024 semester. MATBUS sought public comments on proposed changes to the service area and held an informational meeting December 2 at the Ground Transportation Center to gather public input.

In response to requests from NDSU students and staff for some level of service to the area, MATBUS will add two hours of On-Demand service from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. to help those south of 12th Avenue North access the main NDSU campus and downtown campus. MATBUS On-Demand allows passengers to use an app to request a ride.

The City Commission voted 5-0 on Monday night to approve the additional On-Demand service and eliminate Route 32.


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The City of Fargo Updates Renaissance Zone Development Plan

In July 2024, Fargo’s Renaissance Zone Authority and City staff kicked off the 2024 Renaissance Zone Development Plan update, a process required by the State of North Dakota. City Commissioners voted 5-0 Monday night to approve the update which provides the development framework of Fargo’s Renaissance Zone for the next five years, through 2029.

The most significant change to the development plan is the addition of two blocks to the City’s Renaissance Zone. Through public outreach, City staff learned of several projects in the planning phase, located in northeast and west areas of downtown Fargo that are seeing transition. In response, the zone boundary was updated to include blocks 58 and 59.

It’s anticipated that the Renaissance Zone Development Plan will be updated again once the revision of Fargo’s Land Development Code and the review of economic incentive policies – both informed by Fargo Growth Plan 2024 – have been completed.


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City Commission Fills Opening on Civil Service Commission

The City Commission voted 5-0 Monday evening to appoint Kelsey Roseth to Fargo’s Civil Service Commission.

A vacancy has existed on the Civil Service Commission since Paul Grindeland's partial term ended on December 31, 2023. The City Commission approved Roseth for a term ending June 30, 2026.

Roseth, who grew up in Fargo, was a TV news anchor and reporter at the beginning of her career, and she now owns a marketing and advertising agency, according to her application.

Residents are encouraged to research and apply for appointment to any of The City of Fargo’s boards, commissions and committees for consideration in the event of future vacancies.

For more information on the responsibilities of each board, commission and committee, please visit FargoND.gov/GettingInvolved.


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FEMA Recognizes Chief Dirksen’s Service on Advisory Council

Fire Chief Steve Dirksen recently received a letter of recognition from the Federal Emergency Management Agency Regional Administrator who commended the Chief for his “outstanding leadership and unwavering commitment as Chairperson of the FEMA Region 8 Regional Advisory Council.”

In his ten years on the council, the Chief’s strong advocacy “for citizens in rural communities has profoundly influenced the council's discussions and decisions,” Regional Administrator Nancy Dragani wrote in the letter.

Dragani added that the Regional Advisory Council has benefited from Chief Dirksen’s 30-plus years of emergency management experience and his unique perspective as Fargo’s Fire Chief.

Deputy Mayor Denise Kolpack, the City Commission’s liaison to the Fire Department, shared this news during the Liaison Commissioner Update portion of Monday’s meeting.