Election Day: Fargo voters approve a 10-year excess mill levy for Fargo Public Schools with 62.98% of the vote in unofficial results

L2Who’s affected

Who is affected: InForum says voters "approved what is essentially a continuation of a tax to fund salaries, programming and other general fund expenses for Fargo Public Schools." "Superintendent Cory Steiner said previously if the vote failed, direct impacts would include larger class sizes and cuts to programming and electives." (InForum)

L3Why it’s quiet

Why it is quiet: Our headline search of 13 major U.S. outlets found none with this story as of our publish date; see the O-Score proof page.

L4Deeper impact

Deeper impact: "Approval authorizes Fargo Public School District No. 1 to levy up to 110.00 general fund mills effective Dec. 31, 2027." "The ballot measure does not increase the district's taxing authority." A rejection would have frozen revenue "until statutory limits caught up around 2042, leaving the district with an estimated annual budget gap of $2 million to $2.5 million." (Valley News Live) InForum reports Steiner said earlier that "the district would have to cut more than $2 million from its budget every year for the next 15 years, starting with 2028-29", and "In the most recent budget, the district cut $5 million, leading to its first balanced budget in several years."

L5Full context

Full context: "Voters previously approved a 127-mill general fund levy in 2017, set to expire after Dec. 31, 2027." "Under North Dakota law, an excess mill levy cannot remain in effect for more than 10 taxable years without voter reauthorization." (Valley News Live) School board president Katie Christensen Mineer told InForum: "This tells me people did their homework...they attended presentations, they asked questions, they talked to friends and neighbors about what this vote means". She credited the superintendent, "who she said held more than 60 public presentations to explain the mill levy vote." (InForum) Sources: Valley News Live (Bobby Falat) and InForum (Robin Huebner).

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