City of West Fargo special assessment forums

Agenda Background Objective Goals Approval

Special Assessments Financing method establised by North Dakota Century Code Utilized to allocate costs of an infrastructure improvement project to property owners that benefit from the infrastructure Commisioner Gjerdevig brought forward a motion to schedule community forums to engage West Fargo residents in a discussion on special assessments and it was approved by the commission Proposed goals and objectives to lead city staff in planning events Example projects include water lines and storage, sewer lines, storm sewer, road and sidewalk paving and flood protection

OBJECTIVE Host community events to provide education on special assessments and an opportunity for West Fargo property owners to provide input. Event to include: An introduction/goal of the event Pre-event survey Brief overview of Fargo special assessment committee Education on the City of West Fargo’s special assessment process Portion will also include information on property taxes, enterprise funds, sales tax, state funds and other funding areas to provide participants with a full picture of the city’s funding framework City staff and commissioners should be available to answer any questions Time for small group discussion of special assessments Carefully select facilitators who can make participants comfortable with providing feedback, guide the conversation and capture the input Post-event survey

TARGET AUDIENCE Primary: City of West Fargo property owners Secondary: Other City of West Fargo taxing agencies State legislative representatives Primary – Audience we would like to participate in events and provide input on special assessments City of West Fargo property owners who contribute funding via property taxes, special assessments and enterprise funds Secondary – Audience that would benefit from observing events; learning residents feedback and collaborating with City to address issue City of West Fargo taxing agencies – school district, park district and Cass County – who also collect funds from property owners State legislative representatives who help build the funding framework used by cities and help distribute funding through grants and other special projects

PARTICIPATION GOALS By Dec. 31, 2018, hold five community forums with an average of at least 50 attendees at each to provide participants with special assessment information and opportunity to provide input By Dec. 31, 2018, hold five community forums with an average of at least 50 attendees at each forum to provide residents of West Fargo with an opportunity to learn and provide input on special assessments Communications – media relations, social media, website, paid social and digital ads

HOMEOWNER DISTRIBUTION Westport Beach neighborhood Meadow Ridge neighborhood Eagle Run neighborhood Elmwood Court neighborhood 13th Avenue E. corridor, between Ninth Street E. and Sheyenne Street HOMEOWNER DISTRIBUTION Identify five most populous sections of the City of West Fargo to identify a location for each forum Identify dates that do not conflict with major community events

PARTICIPATION GOALS By Dec. 31, 2018, 3,700 forum participants via digital tools, as measured by website traffic, social media engagement and video views By Dec. 31, 2018, 3,700 forum participants via digital tools, as measured by website traffic, social media engagement and video views Utilize digital tools to broadcast events, deliver education to broader audience, and elicit feedback from residents unable to attend the meetings

DIGITAL TOOLS SURVEY By Dec. 31, 2018, 3,700 forum participants via digital tools, as measured by website traffic, social media engagement and video views Utilize digital tools to broadcast events, deliver education to broader audience, and elicit feedback from residents unable to attend the meetings Website with educational content Facebook Live PEG Access Channel Twitter Q&A YouTube video Incorporate surveys into each platform to capture success of education

EVENT IMPACT GOALS By Dec. 31, 2018, a 30 percent increase in forum participant knowledge of special assessments, as measured by pre- and post-event surveys and online survey for digital participants By Dec. 31, 2018, a 30 percent increase in forum participants’ feeling of providing valued input, as measured by pre- and post-event surveys

POST-EVENT GOAL By March 2019, launch and achieve 3,700 views of special assessment website for further education and outreach, as measured by website traffic By March 2019, announce at least one idea from the forums for further review and possible implementation by the City of West Fargo Develop special assessment website that will continue to provide updates and information on special assessments, post feedback from forums and track any changes to special assessment progress

Approval requested Objective Host community events to provide education on special assessments and an opportunity for West Fargo property owners to provide input. Goals By Dec. 31, 2018, hold five community forums with an average of at least 50 attendees at each forum By Dec. 31, 2018, 3,700 digital community forum participants By Dec. 31, 2018, a 30 percent increase in forum participant knowledge of special assessments By Dec. 31, 2018, a 30 percent increase in forum participant feeling of providing valued input By March 2019, launch and achieve 3,700 views of special assessment website for further citizen engagement By March 2019, announce at least one idea from the forums for further review and possible implementation by the City of West Fargo