A Local Voice for Every Part of Fargo

Fargo is growing and changing. The Fargo Wards proposal would change how residents elect their local representatives—from Fargo’s current citywide commission system to a City Council with geographic ward representation.

The proposal would create a seven-member City Council: six members elected from geographic wards and a mayor elected citywide.

How Fargo Is Governed Today

Fargo currently has five City Commissioners, including the mayor.

All commissioners are elected at-large, which means voters across Fargo vote for every commission seat. Commissioners may live anywhere in the city and also have direct oversight responsibilities for assigned city departments.

What Would Change?

Under the proposed system:

• - Six council members would each represent one geographic ward.

• - Each council member would be required to live in the ward they represent.

• - Only residents of a ward would vote for that ward's council member.

• - The mayor would remain elected citywide and would serve as the seventh member of the City Council.

• - The six wards would be designed to have approximately equal populations and would be geographically contiguous.

An independent boundary committee appointed by the City Commission would develop a proposed ward map and submit it to the Commission for approval.

What Would a Ward Representative Do?

A ward representative would still be responsible for decisions affecting all of Fargo.

Council members would vote on citywide issues including public safety, roads, infrastructure, development, taxes, budgets, housing, and city services.

The difference is that each of the city's geographic areas would also have a specific council member who lives there and is elected by the residents of that area.

The goal is a clearer connection between residents and City Hall.

Why Consider Wards?

Fargo has grown significantly in population and geography. Different parts of the city can experience growth, development, transportation, public safety, housing, and city services in different ways.

Supporters of the ward proposal believe geographic representation could help ensure that these different perspectives are represented in city government.

The proposal is based on four central ideas:

Local government should feel local.
Residents would have a specific council member responsible for listening to and representing their part of Fargo.

Fargo has grown. Our representation should keep up.
A larger, more geographically diverse city may benefit from a system that gives different areas a direct representative.

Better representation can lead to better-informed decisions.
Council members would bring knowledge of their communities to discussions and decisions affecting the entire city.

Government can change while city services continue.
A transition to a ward-based council would change the structure of elected leadership, while professional city staff would continue managing day-to-day services and ongoing projects.

Will Wards Divide Fargo?

No. Council members elected from individual wards would still govern for the entire city.

A ward system would change how six council members are elected and whom they are directly accountable to. It would not limit their responsibility to their individual neighborhoods.

The proposal is intended to give each part of Fargo a voice in citywide decisions while maintaining a City Council responsible for the community as a whole.

What Happens During the Transition?

Changing the structure of Fargo's elected government would require a transition.

The proposed process includes creating geographic wards with approximately equal populations and establishing the framework for electing council members from those wards.

Professional city staff would continue providing city services and managing ongoing operations during the transition.

Frequently Asked Questions

“Don't commissioners already represent the whole city?”

Yes. Under the current system, all commissioners are elected citywide and make decisions affecting Fargo as a whole.

Under the proposed system, council members would continue making citywide decisions, while six members would also have a specific geographic constituency they live in and represent.

“Would ward representatives only care about their own neighborhoods?”

No. Council members would continue voting on issues affecting the entire city.

Their geographic representation would provide an additional connection to the residents and neighborhoods where they live.

“Is Fargo's current system broken?”

The proposal does not depend on the idea that Fargo's current government is broken.

The question is whether Fargo's current commission structure remains the best fit for a city that has grown substantially in population, geography, and neighborhood diversity.

“Would changing the system disrupt city services?”

Changing the elected structure would require planning and adjustment, but city staff would continue operating municipal services and managing ongoing projects.

“How would the wards be drawn?”

The proposed wards would be geographically contiguous and contain approximately equal populations.

An independent boundary committee appointed by the City Commission would develop a proposed map and submit it to the Commission for approval.