(FARGO) – The Fargo City Commission has voted to cut positions within the city.
The commission voted 4-1 Monday night, with commissioner John Strand casting the lone dissenting vote, to eliminate the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Department; and a total of 4.2 full time equivalent positions within Fargo Cass Public Health, including one public health analyst and operations lead, an occupational health nurse, a nutritionist, a public health nurse and a .2 full time equivalent nurse practitioner.
The occupational health nurse, nutritionist, public health nurse and nurse practitioner positions are currently vacant.
The cuts would save the city nearly $683,000.
Commissioner John Strand says he supports ‘pulling in’ the city’s budget.
“I would like to be able to get to support the four-and-a-half COLA (cost of living adjustment), but I’m not there yet,” he said. “I am not sure I will be able to get there until I see broader base trimming in our other departments, and our other budget aspects.”
Strand said the city ‘didn’t do a very good job growing this department that was brand new.’
“We didn’t manage it well,” he said. “We didn’t direct it well.”
Commissioner Denise Kolpack said she asked administration and the cabinet ‘to do everything they could to find cuts, so that we could get to the target of four-and-a-half to five percent COLA.’
“That’s what happened,” she said. “Administration, working with leadership, came back with these recommendations. And it’s important to know that, with these reductions-in-force, there were conversations in every department.”
Fargo Mayor Dr. Tim Mahoney said thanked the commissioners for their communication with City Administrator Michael Redlinger and Assistant City Administrator Brenda Derrig.
Mahoney said the administrative team will continue to look at things that may need to be cut.
