MFDA Planning Committee Meeting – August 12, 2025

See full minutes.

A meeting of the Metro Flood Diversion Authority Planning Committee was held on August 12, 2025. The following members were present: Bernie Dardis, Mayor, City of West Fargo; Kevin Campbell, Clay County Commissioner; Shelly Carlson, Mayor, City of Moorhead; Tony Grindberg, Cass County Commissioner and Rick Steen, Cass County Joint Water Resource District.

Member(s) absent: Dr. Tim Mahoney, Mayor, City of Fargo.

1. CALL TO ORDER

Mr. Grindberg called the meeting to order at 1:00 PM. Roll call was taken, and a quorum was present.

2. APPROVAL OF THE JUNE 2025 MINUTES

MOTION PASSED

Mayor Dardis moved to approve the minutes from the June 2025 meeting and Mayor Carlson seconded the motion. On a voice vote, the motion carried.

3. APPROVE THE ORDER OF THE AGENDA

MOTION PASSED

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

4. MINNESOTA FUNDING UPDATE

Mr. Benson reported that there has been no update from the Minnesota DNR/State of Minnesota regarding who will be the recipient(s) of the $9 million in flood control funding.

Mr. Benson suggested meeting with Moorhead and Clay County government members who met weekly during the 2025 legislative session to start meeting ahead of the 2026 session. Mr. Benson noted that at a recent meeting with several local state senators and representatives, the potential for a bonding bill in 2026 was discussed, with it likely being around $1 billion, focused more on local government aid. Benson suggested that we focus our FM Diversion related project funding requests to specific projects, allocating specific funding rather than asking for the larger $60 million for the wider range of projects.

Mr. Benson shared the six-month Settlement Agreement Status Report and noted that it addresses the projects that are required to be completed per the Settlement Agreement.

5. MFDA FALL RETREAT AGENDA

Mr. Benson shared the DRAFT agenda for the September 16, 2025, board retreat. The suggested topics are:

• MFDA Governance Policy
• 2026 budget timeline
• Financial plan
• O&M
• P3 settlement update
• 12-month outlook for project completion

6.  MFDA BOARD PROJECT TOUR

Mr. Benson commented that it may be beneficial to have a project tour prior to winter, potentially in late September or early October. After dialogue, it was suggested that the tour could be done on September 16 prior to the retreat and the retreat continue into the evening.

7. OTHER BUSINESS

There was no other business to discuss.

8. NEXT MEETING

The next meeting will be September 9, 2025.

9. ADJOURNMENT

Mayor Carlson moved to adjourn, and Mr. Campbell seconded the motion. The meeting adjourned at 1:30 PM.