Finance Committee Meeting – June 21, 2023

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A regular meeting of the Metro Flood Diversion Authority Finance Committee was held on June 21, 2023. The following members were present: Bernie Dardis, Mayor, City of West Fargo; Dr. Tim Mahoney, Mayor, City of Fargo; Chad Peterson, Cass County Commissioner;  Rick Steen, Cass County Joint Water Resource District; Susan Thompson, interim Finance Director, City of Fargo; Lori Johnson, Clay County Auditor/Treasurer; Mike Redlinger, Administrator, City of Fargo; Tony Grindberg, Cass County Commissioner; Dave Piepkorn, Fargo City Commissioner; Shelly Carlson, Mayor, City of Moorhead and Brandy Madrigga, Cass County Finance Director.

Member(s) absent: Mike Rietz, City of Moorhead Assistant City Manager.

1. CALL TO ORDER

Mayor Dardis called the meeting to order at 4:00 PM. Roll call was taken, and a quorum was present.

2. APPROVE MINUTES FROM THE MAY 2023 MEETING

MOTION PASSED

Mayor Mahoney moved to approve the minutes from the May 2023, meeting and Mr. Piepkorn seconded the motion. On a voice vote, the motion carried.

3. APPROVE ORDER OF AGENDA

MOTION PASSED

Mayor Carlson moved to approve the order of the agenda and Mr. Grindberg seconded the motion. On a voice vote, the motion carried.

4. APPROVAL OF BILLS

Ms. Thompson reported that the bills payable through June 14, 2023, total $2,940,522 and are payable to the usual vendors.

MOTION PASSED

Mayor Mahoney moved to approve the bills as presented and Ms. Madrigga seconded the motion. On a roll call vote, the motion carried.  

5. FINANCIAL REPORT

Ms. Thompson reported that total assets as of May 31, 2023, are $185,273,274; liabilities are $485,289 and the current net position is $185,014,599.

MOITION PASSED

Mr. Steen moved to approve the financial report as presented and Mr. Piepkorn seconded the motion. On a roll call vote, the motion carried.

6. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FINANCIAL REPORT

Mr. Nicholson reported that the revenue for May 2023 is $5,157,000; the approved budget is $233,799,000 and the fiscal year to date revenue is $40,976,000. Mr. Nicholson indicated that the sales tax revenue reporting is a couple of months behind and is not reflected in the May total. Overall, things continue to track on target.

7. CONTRACTING ACTIONS

a. DA Board Approval Contracting Actions

Mr. Nicholson provided an overview of the following contracting actions:

• Task Order 102, Amendment 5 – H & H, Mitigation and Permitting Support – Revise Section 3.3, Upstream Mitigation by removing reference to updating “mitigation concepts” for Christine and Wolverton (future work will be done by others), add language for preliminary engineering for UMA ring levees/site improvements, and add Section 4.3, Wetland and Forest Mitigation Monitoring scope and fee. HMG – $360,000.
• Services Agreement 2023, Amendment 0 – Videography Services – Provide videography services for the FM Area Diversion project from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024. Includes providing time-lapse cameras for the Maple and/or Sheyenne River Aqueducts. C Three Media – $167,000.

MOTION PASSED

Mayor Mahoney moved to approve both the contracting actions as presented and Mayor Carlson seconded the motion. On a roll call vote, the motion carried.

8. MOUs and AGREEMENTS

Mr. Shockley provided an overview and summary of the following Agreements:

• Salem Cemetery (Wolverton) & MFDA Agreement Cemetery Mitigation
  In accordance with the Settlement Agreement and the PRAM, the Authority adopted a Cemetery Protection Plan to identify potential impacts and mitigation measures for cemeteries within the staging area. The Authority and Salem Cemetery Board have determined that the Wolverton Project mitigates potential impacts from the Comprehensive Project operations. The Funds for the Wolverton Project have been previously approved as part of the BRRWD District MOU for the Wolverton Project.
• BNSF Construction & Maintenance Agreement SWDCAI

The BNSF Construction and Maintenance Agreement outlines roles and responsibilities of BNSF and the MFDA during the design and construction of the BNSF infrastructure at all three crossings over the SWDCAI. This agreement also provides the MFDA with a permanent easement across BNSF land for the SWDCAI and Temporary Easements to construct the infrastructure. Finally, this agreement outlines the roles and maintenance responsibilities of BNSF and the MFDA for all future maintenance on all three crossings over the SWDCAI. The fee for this agreement includes administrative fees, Temporary Construction License fees, Permanent Easement fees, site personnel fees and Lifespan Maintenance fees.

MOTION PASSED

Mr. Piepkorn moved to approved both agreements as presented, and Mayor Carlson seconded the motion. On a roll call vote, the motion carried.

9. OTHER BUSINESS

There was no other business to report.

10. NEXT MEETING

The next meeting will be July 26, 2023.

11. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 4:18 PM.