Fargo Wards for Equal Representation

The next step is the approval of the signatures - the City Auditor has 30 days to complete. Once the signatures have been approved, the City Commission must schedule the special election to be held within 60-90 days. ND State law requires this type of initiative to be a special election with it being the only issue on the ballot. So, as everything goes, hopefully the election will be in September.

Approval of the initiative requires 50%+1 of the votes cast. If the initiative is approved by the public, the City Commission will appoint a boundary-setting committee, with members appointed from the community - no elected officials. That group will present the boundaries to the City Commission for their approval.

The switch to Council with Wards would happen with the 2028 election. In that election, there will be six wards with 3 Council members elected to 2y terms and 3 elected to 4y terms.

This morning, we successfully submitted 4947 petition signatures for Fargo Wards for Equal Representation, surpassing the minimum requirement by 19%. The group's hard work over the past two months yielded this impressive result!!

This is a bit long - but it explains the projected costs with a change to Council/Wards. Accurate information must be a part of the public discussion.

The most recent claim by Mayor Mahoney regarding the cost of implementing the proposed change to a Council/Ward system is completely out of line. His claim is that it will cost $250,000 to $500,000 to implement. Let me spell out our exact projected costs and request that he itemize his numbers accordingly.

There will be two more members at a projected salary/benefits cost of $70,000 per year. Interestingly enough, he does support increasing the number of Commissioners by two, so that’s a wash. There would be a one-time cost for a special election required by state law, which runs approximately $40,000. Beyond that, his claim is additional cost for materials/signage and ordinance changes.

Whenever there’s a changeover in membership on the Commission, which happens with virtually every city election, there are costs for changing things like letterhead, business cards, etc.. That would be no different with the ward system in place. There may be some minimal cost for signage changes (I’d like to see specificity on what signs – I cannot think of one).

That leaves the ordinance changes. The petition language, which was prepared by our attorney, contains most, if not all, language changes needed in city ordinances. The City Charter has not had a comprehensive update and is out of compliance with state law, but that has nothing to do with this initiative. That review and subsequent update was brought up, with a request to do that work, a few years ago. There was no support from the Mayor and some of the Commissioners at that point.

The real cost for this initiative is $70,000 annual cost in salaries and a one-time cost of $40,000 for a special election. If he is going to continue putting out questionable numbers, the Mayor needs to itemize his projected costs.

FARGO RESIDENTS: If you support bringing ward representation to Fargo, now is the time to act. Fargo Wards for Equal Representation petition volunteers will be collecting signatures this weekend at the Red River Valley Sportsman Show at the Fargodome. This is the final major push to get ward representation across the finish line and onto the ballot.

Find the booth to sign the petition from:
• Friday, March 6: 12 PM to 9 PM
• Saturday, March 7: 10 AM to 8 PM
• Sunday, March 8: 10 AM to 5 PM

If you live in Fargo and want your neighborhood to have a seat at City Hall, stop by, sign the petition, and enjoy the event.

Let’s get this done.

ONE LAST PUSH AND WE WILL HAVE IT!

If you want Wards in Fargo, I need YOU to volunteer. This is our BEST LAST opportunity to hit our goal for signatures to get Wards on the ballot this SPRING.

We have openings at the Sportsman's Show at the Fargo Dome:
Thursday, March 5: 5pm - 9pm
Friday, March 6: 12n - 9pm
Saturday, March 7: 10am - 8pm
Sunday, March 8: 10am - 5pm
We're hoping to pick up at least 1000 signatures from this event.

Message me here or at our email address to volunteer. Lets make it happen!

We are so close to our goal! We need your help to get across the finish line. If you can help pls visit https://www.fargowards.com/ and sign up to gather signatures

Fargo Wards for Equal Representation Better representation for Fargo residents Electing city leaders by wards means equal representation for residents across Fargo. Learn more Sign up to receive our updates or volunteer to collect signatures on our petition. Join Us Equal Representation for Fargo

Two local unions are endorsing a change in the City of Fargo's government - KVRR Local News FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — The petition created by two former city commissioners is gaining traction, with over halfway to their goal of 6,000 signatures. Fargo Firefighters Union President Ron Guggisberg explained why the union is supporting the change. “We have eight stations in the community, and s...

Want to sign the petition? Please go to Freedom Chiropractic @ 3587 45th St S, Fargo, ND 58104. Dr. Jake has petitions available at the front desk.

Want to host petitions at your location? Please contact us!