Remarks by Chad Peterson
61 remarks on the record, newest first · Page 2 of 3
“Without objection, Mr. Mayor, thank you.”
“Mr. Mayor, thank you. Yeah, I've been very busy, as our predecessors have said, with portfolio assignments. Nothing really sticking out, and that's a good thing that we don't have anything catastrophic or of remark for me to comment on. So keeping busy, looking forward to the week or three days of camaraderie up north and I do think it's valuable for us to attend these things because we learn from our peers, we can share with our peers.”
“Mr. Mayor, I'd like to pull item number 21B and 21G for discussion, sir.”
“Mr. Mayor, thank you. Commissioner Strand, thank you. These are two topics that I've gone back and forth repeatedly since last week on these items, but I have no problem delaying both of them. One is just actually the G is not even an action item. It's just thoughts on the item to pull it. So without objection, I'd have no problem continuing it to the next meeting.”
“Per Commissioner Strand, I'd be happy to table these until next meeting and make a motion to do so. Thank you. Is there a second?”
“Mr. Mayor, thank you. Can you touch on the regional impact of this? I think you introduced a little bit here, but what's going to happen down in Wahpeton as well?”
“Thank you, Mr. Mayor. For our friends at the EDC, you and I sat down last week for a bit, a good couple hours, and walked through this project as well. Can you remind me what the current valuation of this building is relative to what it was five years ago? I think that's an important touch point.”
“Ryan? And then also, touch on, he alluded to it, but until you and I spoke, I had no context relative to, you said it's a pharmaceutical industry before. what you and I spoke, and I can maybe tell the story too, but it's better coming from you, I think. If someone else was to buy this building, what happens to the building?”
“Excuse me. I think we have a unique fit with our incentive program and building and user plus I wanted to touch on the regional impact. I kind of have some angst with our friends in Richland County for a number of reasons. They're good friends of mine. Most of them, if not all of them, are very good friends, some fraternity brothers even. So they should be thankful for the city of Fargo supplementing their economic industry. I think that what we've got is a building who is essentially based on not the proposed data but our own assessor's data, buildings and free fall and valuation. Further,…”
“Mr. Mayor, thank you. Ditto what you said. In addition, Commissioner Strand, to that point, we actually are compiling data right now, doing look-backs, not in a formal sense, but in an informational sense, data-gathering sense, with our friends at EDC, our friends in planning, and I think even the Chamber is getting involved in this, too, a little bit. finding out what those data points are and we can measure our victories and our losses in terms of exactly what Mayor Beauchesne just said is, seeing if we've made the right decisions over the past couple decades, we'll have real numbers from…”
“Mr. Mayor, thank you. Did that include staff time? I understand that was hard costs. That includes staff time also?”
“Okay, so it was just hard costs. Yep, thank you.”
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
“Mr. Mayor, thank you. The only thing I'll say is I find it fascinating from a group that wants to promote civic engagement, wants to promote the number of us sitting up here, actively chooses to have a special election knowing full well voter turnout could have been substantively higher but one month later. It would have been very interesting if they would have waited a month, done it in November. I think it was intentional that they did not. Thank you, Mr. Mayor.”
“Commissioner Peterson? Mr. Mayor, thank you. Commissioner Turnbig, exactly. I think this is a technical execution of a motion. As far as I'm concerned, I'm not satisfied with where we are right now either. And I think we will all do a great job. I would encourage us, as I do, look through your book. make cuts i think the ball can be squished i think we can still accomplish our mission and minimize the effects on our neighbors regarding our utility rates know full well that it's not going to be any easier over time but i think we can slow walk into the pain rather than driving headlong at 100…”
“Mr. Mayor, thank you. I know you answered this question, but I'm going to ask it again. For our transit folks, are we setting ourselves up to fail by accelerating this for a period of two weeks? I know you believe in the team. I just don't want to pressure them to the point where the building's not in an imminent state of implosion, right? So are you able to accomplish everything? And most importantly, maybe equally as importantly, making sure the public at large is informed as to our transition from the existing space to the old space? How comfortable are you?”
“Okay, Mr. Mayor, if I may. And then regarding the courthouse, CAS is packed. I can validate that. I'd hope more would be accomplished with our federal partners, but I'm hearing that's a no. So... There is a building to the west immediately outside the annex. So half a block, a block away from the courthouse. The old park district buildings. The county owns it. There is no program for that for the foreseeable future. It might be worth it. So it's fully accessible. Parking's available. Mass transit drop off right there. That may be if we're looking for an interim solution because the fiscal…”
“Mr. Mayor, that's the motion I would make, sir.”
“Mr. Mayor, thank you. Boy, have I been busy learning about water. As I said with this portfolio that my peers selected me to have, this is one of the things I knew the least about, and this has been an absolute blast. I've had tours of multiple sites, water utility, water reclamation, areas that I've driven by for decades. I mean, arguably most of my life in some cases, never even bothered thinking about what activities are taking place there. And as I said in the past with our budget hearings as we were sitting down here, the innovation that's taking place by our team members is substantive…”
“Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Gratitude to the department heads that were responsive to my myriad of questions. Grateful for you. I realize it's a bit of a pestering on occasion, so I apologize for that, but trying to educate myself. So thank you for your patience. Thank you for your information.”
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
“the important take away is that it does not go to a zero baseline right so the land value remains and accelerates over time this simply does not assess the new construction of the new work rights they still continue to pay taxes over time based on the current valuation it exempts the future or the the work that's being proposed right now that's the only thing that's exempt that's an important take away because folks talking to me did not realize that they had a myriad of conversations with me implied or otherwise it's thought they see an $800,000 number and they can, you know, none of us pay…”
Not quoted here: it may name a member of the public. Hear it at the meeting.
“No. Commissioner Peterson. Mr. Mayor, thank you. I think what would reset the application timeline is a no vote right now. A tabling would not. i'm not an attorney and i'm not a planner but i think if we said no then we're starting over from scratch if we simply table it then we can continue allow our team internally to gather more garner more information for us some data points working with our owner and maybe some of our neighborhood friends to figure out what a positive thing this could be so that would require withdrawing the motion if we So, thank you Mr. Mayor.”