Mike Williams: A School too Far?

To the Editor:

Fargo and North Dakota are currently in a strong financial situation, but we have important decisions to make as to how best to invest our public resources in the highest priorities and to obtain the most public good.

We can continue to grow Fargo by protecting our public and private property and working towards more efficient use of current public assets, infrastructure, and buildings.

I believe we need to encourage more development of property in our current footprint before expanding our boundaries prematurely, to make the best use of public funds and to deliver city services in the most efficient, productive manner.

Fargo has been working hard and investing large amounts of money and hours to plan, develop and improve our growth strategies, transit system, and land use policies.

The purpose is to create a more safe, efficient, and attractive city where people come to live, work, and play; a community that provides our residents and students healthy, safe, and economical opportunities to walk, ride bike, take transit or drive. This would also help improve our quality of life.

I believe it’s very important to work together with the school board toward this goal.

Road construction, energy, heating, and fuels costs are at an all time highs.

Sprawl will not help reduce those costs to our residents, where good urban design can.

The school district is now considering an earlier bid letting this fall for start of the proposed new high school.

Before that decision is made, it may be very worthwhile to consider some of the long term ramifications and possible impacts on residents’ property taxes and future City of Fargo budgets due to an increase of hours, equipment, and fuel costs incurred by extending city services to 70th Ave in an undeveloped, currently unprotected area outside the Fargo boundaries.

What fiscal effect could prematurely stretching city boundaries and services along with adding to already high energy costs have for all the citizens of Fargo?

There is still time consider and evaluate some of the many factors listed below that may have some impact on our current funding sources, local, state and federal. Some of the main issues that are unknown and that will be known by spring of 2009, the original start date of the new high school:

::Outcome of new legislative session and potential property tax relief (We’ll know April 2009)

::Unknown impact of less driving and less gas tax revenue (state and federal) to transportation funding structures.

::Unknown response (approved or denied) of residents for assessments for comprehensive flood plan

::What effects on stretching city services of Fire, Police, Garbage, Street Dept., Forestry on future Fargo budgets?

::What effect on developing a more efficient, and effective transit system?

::Is this site conducive to helping students choose to walk, bike or ride a bus, or does it encourage more driving and more roads to get there in a currently undeveloped area?

There’s still time to find answers to these important questions and more, by opening a public dialogue between the Fargo School Board and the Fargo City Commission before the new school’s building contracts are let.

Without consensus, and more due diligence on these unanswered questions, the consequences may be long term and staggering.

Mike Williams
Fargo

The writer is City Commissioner for the City of Fargo.