Finance Committee Meeting – October 25, 2023

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A regular meeting of the Metro Flood Diversion Authority Finance Committee was held on October 25, 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, Finance Director, City of Fargo; Mike Redlinger, Administrator, City of Fargo; Dave Piepkorn, Fargo City Commissioner; Mike Rietz, City of Moorhead Assistant City Manager and Brandy Madrigga, Cass County Finance Director.

Member(s) absent: Lori Johnson, Clay County Auditor/Treasurer; Tony Grindberg, Cass County Commissioner and Shelly Carlson, Mayor, City of Moorhead.

1. CALL TO ORDER

Mayor Dardis called the meeting to order at 4:03 PM. Roll call was taken, and a quorum was present.

2. APPROVE MINUTES FROM THE SEPTEMBER 2023 MEETING

MOTION PASSED

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

3. APPROVE ORDER OF AGENDA

MOTION PASSED

Mr. Steen moved to approve the order of the agenda as amended, removing item 9b., and Mr. Piepkorn seconded the motion. On a voice vote, the motion carried.

4. APPROVAL OF BILLS

Ms. Thompson reported that the bills payable through October 18, 2023, total $20,688,626 and are payable to the usual vendors with Cass County Joint Water Resource District being the largest at $17,276,409.

MOTION PASSED

Mr. Steen moved to approve the bills as presented and Mr. Redlinger seconded the motion. On a roll call vote, the motion carried.

5. FINANCIAL REPORT

Ms. Thompson reported that the total assets to date are $220,540,678, liabilities total $1,619,444 and the current net position is $218,921,233.

MOTION PASSED

Mr. Redlinger moved to approve the financial report as presented and Mr. Steen seconded the motion. On a voice vote, the motion carried.

6. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR FINANCIAL REPORT

Mr. Paulsen reported that the annual revenue is tracking as expected and it is anticipated that we will reach our goal this year, likely under budget in all areas. The operations budget also continues to track on budget and there are no concerns.

2023 costs to date are $97,169,669, with $137,875,874 remaining. It is anticipated there will be significant costs in land and property acquisitions forthcoming.

7. DA BOARD APPROVAL CONTRACTING ACTIONS

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

• New Services Agreement – Weather Gauges – NDAWN will purchase, install, operate, and maintain fifteen (15) all-season weather gauges in locations upstream of the FM Area Diversion Project. NDAWN will monitor snow depth, precipitation, and flood predictions at location upstream of the Project. North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network (NDAWN) – $250,000.

MOTION PASSED

Mayor Mahoney moved to approve the NDAWN NSA as presented, and Mr. Piepkorn seconded the motion. On a roll call vote, the motion carried.

• CH2M Hill Engineers TO 5, Amendment 13 – This amendment includes additional scope and fee for a project manager for the Sheyenne Benching Project, the Recreation Feasibility Study, and additional meetings for the RRVA’s resilience initiative. This amendment also reallocates budget between subtasks completed in 2023. CH2M Hill Engineers, Inc., – $1,275,000.

MOTION PASSED

Mayor Mahoney moved to approve the CH2M task order as presented, and Mr. Steen 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 MOU:

• Maple River WRD & MFDA MOU, Amendment 1 SWDCAI. This MOU amendment sets forth additional property interests needed from the district for a crossing of Drain 14B at 166th Avenue Southeast, which will be constructed by the developer, and describes the roles and responsibilities of the district and the Authority for the inlet transition of Drain 14B into the diversion channel. The district will be responsible for designing, constructing, and maintaining the Drain 14B inlet transition, with reimbursement from the Authority for acquiring property rights, permitting, design, and construction.

MOTION PASSED

Mayor Mahoney moved to approve the MOU as presented and Mr. Redlinger seconded the motion. On a roll call vote, the motion carried.

9. OTHER BUSINESS

Mr. Paulsen and Mr. Barthel provided an overview of version 2 of the 2024 draft cash budget. Mr. Barthel noted that the most significant change was the reduction in MOU costs and an increase in land purchases. The final budget will be presented at the December board meeting.

10. NEXT MEETING

The next meeting will be November 15, 2023.

11. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 4:33 PM.