FARGO -- Fargo and Moorhead were chosen Wednesday by the Metro Flood Study Work Group to be the sponsors of a diversion to protect the metro area from Red River flooding.
Until now, Cass County officials had protested moving ahead without an agreement spelling out what a sponsor can or cannot do.
But with a preliminary task list provided by Fargo's city attorney in hand, Cass County Commission Chairman Darrell Vanyo was prepared to make "a leap of trust," and made the motion naming the project sponsors.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers set a deadline of July 15 for sponsors to be named.
"We've had these timelines put out for this and we've been able to keep up with these deadlines," said Kevin Campbell, co-chairman of the work group. "This is another one today that we're pleased its done."
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Cass officials also wanted assurances that they would be the government to present a sales tax measure this fall to voters to help pay for the project.
"We're in that eleventh hour, and we need to be done," Vanyo said after the meeting, "I think it's close enough, and we can just say we trust that we're not going to have big squabbles over those duties. So, it's kind of time to move on and get that behind us."
Fargo Mayor Dennis Walaker was pleased with the vote.
"Getting to this point, a big step," Walaker said after the meeting. "We've come a lot farther than I ever thought."
Still, the vote wasn't unanimous.
Tom Fischer, chairman the Cass County Joint Water Resource Board and the District 46 state senator, was the lone dissenting vote. He said he'll continue to vote against such measures until his board is fully included in decisions.
"They would like to come out and just use our authority" then "stuff us into a corner," said Fischer, who added that isn't acceptable.
North Dakota water boards can tax, gain access to land and invoke eminent domain.
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Fischer warned that unless everyone goes to the Legislature united, it will not look as favorably on funding the diversion.
"Legislators smell that dissension in a minute," Fischer said.
The work group's other co-chairman, Fargo City Commission Tim Mahoney, said they will address Fischer's concerns.
Mahoney said the water board will be very important to the long-term success of the diversion.
In a related issue, North Dakota Gov. John Hoeven and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty have said they'd like to be at the sponsorship signing, but because of scheduling conflicts, the day and time of that event has not been set. It can be no later than July 15, Campbell said.
Local groups must also declare by that day that they can pay their share of the costs of the nearly $1.5 billion project.
The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and the Herald are Forum Communications Co. newspapers.
