Board of City Commissioners - June 8, 2026 Minutes

The Regular Meeting of the Board of City Commissioners of the City of Fargo, North Dakota, was held in the City Commission Chambers at City Hall at 5:00 o'clock p.m., Monday, June 8, 2026.

The Commissioners present or absent were as shown following:
Present: Kolpack, Piepkorn, Strand, Turnberg, Mahoney.
Absent: None.
Mayor Mahoney presiding.

A tribute to Scott and Cindy Liudahl was presented.

Order of Agenda Approved:
Commissioner Piepkorn moved the Order of the Agenda be approved, moving Item No. “3” from the Consent Agenda to the Regular Agenda.

Second by Kolpack. All the Commissioners voted aye and the motion was declared carried.

Minutes Approved:
Commissioner Kolpack moved that the Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Board held on May 26, 2026 be approved as read.

Second by Turnberg. All the Commissioners voted aye and the motion was declared carried.

Consent Agenda Approved:
Commissioner Kolpack moved the Consent Agenda be approved as follows:

1. Developer Agreement with Lennon Lofts, LLC.
2. Agreement with Spencer Halvorson, the City of Fargo and Lake Agassiz Water Authority (LAWA).
3. Ratification of the Mayor’s signature on the First Amendment to Memorandum of Understanding with Presentation Partners in Housing. (Move to the Regular Agenda).
4. 1st reading of an Ordinance Amending Section 21.1-0102 of Article 21.1-01 of Chapter 21.1 of the Fargo Municipal Code Relating to the International Residential Code.
5. 2nd reading, waive reading and final adoption of an Ordinance Amending Ordinance No. 5536 Pertaining to Zoning of EOLA Second Addition and J & O 45th Street Apartments Addition to the City of Fargo, Cass County, North Dakota; 1st reading, 5/26/26.
6. Resolution for the City’s Wildlife Management Program for 2026-2027 (Attachment "A").
7. Resolution Consenting to the Refunding of the Capital Financing Program, Series 2013A Bonds and the Capital Financing Program, Series 2014B Bonds by the Metro Flood Diversion Authority (Attachment “B”).
8. Site Authorizations for Games of Chance.
9. Applications for Games of Chance.
10. Receive and file the additional funding notification from the ND Department of Transportation for the alternative selection for the 64th Avenue South and I-29 Interchange Project.
11. Encroachment Agreement (Parking Lot Encroachment) with Farmers Union Oil Company of Moorhead, Minnesota for 3001 Main Avenue.
12. Change Order No. 1 in the amount of $1,550.98 and 2-day time extension for Project No.
BR-27-E4.
13. Negative Final Balancing Change Order No. 2 in the amount of -$23,432.87 for Improvement District No. BR-25-A1.
14. Access Easement (Storm Sewer Easement) with Southeast Cass Water Resource District (Improvement District No. BN-25-F1).
15. Create Improvement District No. BN-26-B and adopt Resolution of Necessity (New Paving and Utility Construction).
16. Contract and bond for Improvement District No. PR-26-F.
17. Items from FAHR Meeting:
a. Receive and file Sales Tax Revenue - Accrual Basis.
b. Agreement for Interim Health Officer Services with
Dr. Jessie Lindemann.
c. Purchase of Service Agreement with Kindred Public School District.
d. Contract with HS GovTech USA (RFP26033).
e. Sale of the City’s remaining inventory of new, stock water meters to Cass Rural Water Users District for the negotiated purchase price of $40,000.00 and related budget adjustment.
f. Budget adjustment to accurately reflect the gross expense and agency bill-backs associated with the GIS mapping project with Fugro USA Land, Inc. (RFP26019).
18. Set June 22, 2026 at 5:05 p.m. as the date and time for a Hearing on a dangerous building at
111-113 32nd Avenue North.
19. Resolution approving Plat of Jerstad-Thompson Second Subdivision (Attachment “C”).
20. Contract and bond for Project No. SW2601.
21. Contract and bond for Project No. WA2509.
22. Bid award to Johnson & Schock Excavating, LLC in the amount of $439,814.00 for Project
No. WA2513.
23. Bills in the amount of $12,572,268.

Second by Turnberg. On call of the roll Commissioners Kolpack, Turnberg, Piepkorn, Strand and Mahoney voted aye.
No Commissioner being absent and none voting nay, the motion was declared carried.

Construction Update:
City Engineer Tom Knakmuhs provided an update on the progress of construction projects overseen by the Engineering Department. The City of Fargo kicked off its monthly construction update with the excellent news that there have been no injuries or safety incidents reported on any city projects and progress is moving along across several key initiatives, including year two of the Gateway Fiber buildout and major road rehab on 45th Street South, 32nd Avenue South (where a new cul-de-sac and storm lift station are being installed) and NP Avenue, where work is moving slowly due to the discovery of very old underground utility infrastructure; he said, and neighborhood reconstructions are actively underway in block-length phases to minimize public disruption in the Longfellow, Hawthorne and Roosevelt areas. Additionally, he said pre-construction utility verification is happening on First Avenue North to save time and money on a future revamp. Excavation for the Southwest Metro Pond ("Lake Fargo") is 85% complete, he said and foundation work has begun on the Belmont Levee and floodwalls near the Water Treatment Plant. He said residents can find interactive maps, detour routes and upcoming project details on fargostreets.com or fargond.gov.

In response to a question from Commissioner Strand asking how the City prepares for future technology (like fiber optic cables) when ripping up old roads, Mr. Knakmuhs explained the City sometimes installs underground pipes (conduits) ahead of time so new wires can be easily threaded through later without tearing up the street again. He said while the City can't force private utility companies to upgrade their own lines during this time, he noted that companies like Xcel Energy are great partners who often update their gas lines a year before City construction even begins.

In response to a question from Commissioner Strand asking what would happen to these major construction projects if the City's 1% Sales Tax failed to pass, Mr. Knakmuhs warned that almost all road and utility repairs depend heavily on that tax money to pay for the City's share of the work. Without it, he said Fargo would either have to let its roads and pipes wear out and decline or make local residents and businesses pay higher utility fees and property assessments to cover the costs. He said the Sales Tax is highly beneficial because it allows visitors and shoppers from outside Fargo to help pay for the roads they use.

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)/HOME Investment Partnerships Program; 2026 HUD Action Plan, Budget and Amendments to the 2025 Action Plan and Citizen Participation Plan Approved:
Planning Director Nicole Crutchfield presented the 2026 HUD Action Plan, outlining a strategic shift in how the City of Fargo manages Federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and HOME Investment Partnership funds. She said the City is moving away from funding large-scale construction projects, which often face "capital stacking" delays and long-term administrative burdens, in favor of more resilient, direct-impact programs. The updated strategy focuses on four primary goals: preserving affordable housing through a new tenant-based rental assistance program and single-family renovations, preventing homelessness via street outreach staff, improving public infrastructure in low-to-moderate income areas like the Madison neighborhood and ensuring fair housing through partnerships with legal aid and education providers, she said. Ms. Crutchfield highlighted that these priorities are driven by sobering data, noting that over 8,000 Fargo households earn less than 30% of the area's median income and that the City needs roughly 250 new units annually just to meet basic demand. The 2026 budget specifically allocates $550,000.00 toward an alley paving program, she said and continues funding for a Fargo-based Fair Housing staff member to address rising eviction concerns. She said following this confirmation of Public Comments and the Commission's approval, the plan will be submitted to HUD to secure the next cycle of federal funding.

In response to a question from Commissioner Turnberg asking how the City monitors and polices organizations that receive City help, noting that some neighbors near the YWCA are unhappy with "bad activity" around its transitional housing, Ms. Crutchfield explained that the City uses the Police, Code Enforcement and neighborhood managers to handle these issues and pointed out that Federal HUD funds are not being used for that specific housing project; past City HUD funds only paid for a heater in the emergency shelter, while the housing itself is funded directly through the Regional Housing Authority.

In response to a question from Commissioner Kolpack asking how other cities across the country use this Federal money, Ms. Crutchfield said that these Federal rules are incredibly complicated and better suited for giant cities with massive housing departments because small cities only have six months to spend the money, Fargo is finding that the easiest and most successful strategy is using the funds for public neighborhood infrastructure. She gave the example of a highly successful walking trail the City built in the Madison neighborhood and noted that other regional communities often use this money for water infrastructure projects, which directly saves local residents from paying out-of-pocket costs.

Commissioner Strand said that housing is one of the most critical topics in the community, stating that the City Commission needs to move past brief, high-level overviews and instead spend months deeply analyzing affordable housing issues. He strongly advocated for launching a dedicated Housing Task Force to bring together local partners such as Beyond Shelter, Habitat for Humanity and the Fargo Housing Authority to plan for long-term solutions that extend beyond basic Federal grant funding. Looking to other successful cities across the country, he suggested Fargo explore progressive strategies like inclusionary zoning (requiring developers, especially those receiving tax breaks, to include affordable units), creating a land bank, establishing a rental registry, providing down-payment assistance and tackling eviction mitigation to keep residents from being permanently locked out of future housing. Ultimately, he challenged the City to show the same urgency and dedication toward solving the massive housing shortage as it does for major commercial economic developments.

Commissioner Kolpack moved Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)/HOME Investment Partnerships Program; 2026 HUD Action Plan, Budget and Amendments to the 2025 Action Plan and Citizen Participation Plan be approved.

Second by Piepkorn. On call of the roll Commissioners Kolpack, Piepkorn, Strand, Turnberg, and Mahoney voted aye.
No Commissioners being absent and none voting nay, the motion was declared carried.

First Amendment to Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Fargo and Presentation Partners in Housing Approved (moved from the Consent Agenda):
Commissioner Piepkorn requested an update on the Presentation Partners Housing project, noting that when the Commission originally voted on it, they wanted to ensure there was enough financial backing to actually build it.

Assistant City Administrator Brenda Derrig said the item before the Commission was a formal ratification to update the address on the original agreement between the City of Fargo and Presentation Partners in Housing, explicitly noting that the arrangement is not a legal partnership or joint venture. Addressing concerns about the finances, she confirmed that while the City is not charging this or other participating nonprofits a lease payment to use the available space, the tenants are not entirely free of cost. Presentation Partners in Housing has a more permanent presence in the building and is entirely responsible for paying for their own office outfitting, required infrastructure and cabling, she said.

Commissioner Strand moved the First Amendment to Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Fargo and Presentation Partners in Housing be approved.

Second by Kolpack. On call of the roll Commissioners Strand, Kolpack, Turnberg, and Mahoney voted aye. Commissioner Piepkorn voted nay.
The motion was declared carried.

Liaison Commissioner Assignment Updates:
The Commissioners gave reports on the Boards and Committees on which they serve.

Public Comments:
None

The meeting adjourned at 5:47 o’clock p.m.