Flood control, protection and prevention is a regional problem. Nobody buys or builds a home in the county or city with any expectations of losing that home to flooding. City and county building permits are issued with flood protection concerns addressed. If the 100-year-flood water level increases due to a flood event, as it did in the valley in 1997, the public entities should step up and protect the property owners, just like those entities did when they issued the building permits.
The Fargo region needs the new southside flood control project. Very few will object to that. The major concern is how to pay for it. To special assess homes that were built prior to the flooding event would be admitting that planners were negligent in their duties and wrong when they issued the building permits. This is not the time to blame anyone, just do it and pay for it. The regions economy depends on it.
The federal, state and local public entities should step up and pay the majority of the bill. Local funding should come from sales tax dollars, because all of us who spend money here benefit from a safe and healthy regional economy.
