The four candidates for two seats on the Fargo City Commission seemed to shelve the possibility Wednesday of dipping into the city's general fund to help pay for three new libraries estimated to cost $15.3 million.
In a candidate forum, those vying for commission seats were asked if they would support tapping the general fund if the half-cent sales tax and private fundraising fail to meet the cost of rebuilding the downtown library and building two new satellites. Nobody answered yes.
Tim Mahoney, a surgeon elected last fall to the commission, said voters should be asked if they would be willing to extend the sales tax if more money is needed, rather than drawing from the general fund.
"I'd ask the people," he said, noting the library is crowded on weekends and the special tax was popular among voters.
Frank Anderson said it was clear the original estimate for the library project, $12 million, was too low and said commissioners must "put the brake on" to hold down spending.
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"What do we want and how do we pay for it?" Anderson asked. "Do we want police protection or do we want library?"
On the issue of property taxes, Mahoney said the city is too reliant on residential property, which he said comprises40 percent of levies, the same as commercial properties. The city must boost the proportion of commercial properties, he said.
Brad Wimmer, a Park Board member whose family owns two jewelry stores in Fargo, said "good-paying jobs and economic development" offer the solution to holding down property taxes.
Anderson, a business owner, was the only candidate who endorsed a proposal to allocate a half-cent sales tax to reduce property taxes within the Fargo School District.
"My property taxes are way too high," he said. "We need to put on the brakes."
Rob Lynch, executive director of the North Dakota Horse Park who served on the commission from 2000 to 2004, said the secret to holding down taxes is vigilance on the myriad small issues that come before the commission, often noncontroversial items on the consent agenda.
"It's a lot of little minutia decisions," he said. To hold down taxes, commissioners must attack the root of the problem, embedded throughout the budget, "not just the big decisions."
Candidates generally supported the city's current form of government, a five-member commission including a part-time mayor, each representing the city at large.
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Mahoney said the city might want to expand the commission to seven members. Anderson supported expanding to six commissioners, each representing a ZIP code district, with an at-large mayor.
"Fargo's commission structure I think works fine," Wimmer said, adding the city might need a full-time mayor soon, or a city administrator.
Lynch agreed the five-member commission has worked well for the city, and said Fargo's rapid growth is a tribute to that success.
Growth on the city's southern and western borders could some day require additional sewage capacity, candidates said. Mahoney said it is important to search for collaborative infrastructure solutions.
Fargo's southwest borders often bump against West Fargo's and are approaching Horace's expanding territory - a concern because excess sewage from Horace spills into Rose Creek, which runs through areas of south Fargo after heavy rains, Mahoney said.
None of the four candidates supported an ordinance that would ban smoking in bars that don't include a restaurant, noting that is what voters have decided.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Patrick Springer at (701) 241-5522
