Fargo City Commissioner works to end special assessments

(Fargo, ND) -- Fargo City Commissioner Dave Piepkorn tells WDAY Radio that he is putting together a plan that would end special assessments in Fargo.

At the December 26th commission meeting, the city’s engineering department presented its future plans for infrastructure, to be funded by an increase in special assessments which Piepkorn says would be approximately 20% each year.

Piepkorn, appearing on the Steve Hallstrom Show on WZFG Radio, says this creates an opportune time to end the concept of special assessments.

“No one else in the whole country uses (special assessments.) But you have to have a way to replace that (revenue) and one of the ways is that we have a half-cent sales tax that is expiring, and so, to me, if the voters vote on (extending that) I believe it would pass unanimously.  We’re still working on the specifics but the good news to me is that we’re going to be hopefully getting rid of special assessments.”

Piekporn says the current half-cent sales tax will expire in 2028 so there would still be a few years where an alternate solution would be needed.  He projects the sales tax extension would cover more than 75% of the revenue needed to replace special assessments.