Over the last year, I have visited with many people about special assessments!  It’s a topic that comes up often through conversations and emails with West Fargo residents.  People often question the need for various projects, costs, and the overall process related to assessments.  This modest dislike for specials though turns to absolute hatred when people perceive the process (and final dollar amount) as not being fair.

Now, I remember my mother telling me that life isn’t fair.  Based on that guiding principal lets focus on the most egregious issue regarding special assessments in West Fargo; unannexed properties.  Currently, there are a handful of properties along the Sheyenne River south of I94.  These properties have been enhanced through numerous projects.  Unlike most residents, these property owners haven’t paid any assessments.  This is because they sit outside West Fargo (even though they are completely surrounded by West Fargo) and the city has no ability to assess them.  What makes this worse, is that the costs they would otherwise have paid is split up and forced upon everyone else.  Effectively, the city is making some residents pay for other’s taxes.  In my opinion this isn’t just wrong; but should be illegal. 

I brought up this same issue as it relates to the Red River Valley Fairgrounds this past winter in a commission meeting.  The approximate 400 acres of land owned by the Fair is NOT part of West Fargo; but, they use West Fargo water, sewer, garbage collection, and you can’t get there without driving on West Fargo roads.  When Main Avenue was reconstructed a few years back it was paid for with Special Assessments.  The Fairgrounds benefited greatly from this but paid nothing.  Many homeowners in Westside might be shocked to find out that their assessment was about 25% more than it could have been (if a few properties had been annexed first).  Therefore, through a tax, the city has forced Westside residents and businesses to pay higher than necessary assessments for decades and effectively subsidize entities outside of the city limits. 

Clearly, when you are financing projects through special assessments your annexation strategy must be considered.  We might not ever get rid of special assessments, but we must make sure they are more fair than they are today.