I’ve written about the topic of annexation before and how it impacts Special Assessments.  Let me start by saying Special Assessments suck.  However, it’s the tool we have today to pay for our city infrastructure needs and if we are going to use them, we need to make sure we strive for making the assessments as fair as possible. 

How would you feel if the city rebuilt the street in front of your house and only made your side of the street pay the bill?  The neighbors on the other side got the same benefit for $0 and your bill was twice what it otherwise would be.  You’d be rightfully mad.  This example is EXACTLY what has been happening for decades regarding the Fairgrounds.  Main Avenue businesses and Westside residents have been forced, by city government, to pay excessive assessments to effectively subsidize the fairgrounds. 

How would you feel if the city said your neighbor is having hard times, so we have decided that you need to pay their special assessments from now on?  You might love your neighbor and want to help but I’m confident you don’t want government forcing their hand in this way.  This is what the Fair board is asking for by saying they can’t figure out how to run their business in a way to pay their fair share; so those Main Avenue businesses and Westside residents should just step up and pay more with no regard to their financial ability or willingness. 

I empathize with the Fair and Bonanzaville regarding their position.  Maybe they should be primarily funded by the county; at least then everyone would share in that property tax burden equally.  What’s not fair is forcing a subset of residents and businesses of West Fargo to pay higher assessments than they should be.  Unfortunately, we don’t and can’t take a person or company’s financial ability to pay an assessment into consideration when they are handed out.  If we did, I’m sure there would be a long line of people with equally as compelling reasons why they can’t pay them.

There are no pending assessments in the pipeline that would hit the Fairgrounds, but this issue will simply continue until the city acts around annexation.    The Fairgrounds and Bonanzaville then need to figure out their funding in a way where they contribute what they should instead of putting it on the backs of their neighbors.