The Fargo City Commission held a public hearing on its preliminary 2026 budget. No final budget vote occurred at the meeting; staff said the commission will return in two weeks for final approval after considering public comment.

Multiple residents urged the commission to reconsider proposed service cuts and to weigh alternatives. Christopher Cohn said the budget’s proposed reductions would disproportionately affect vulnerable and low‑income residents and criticized deep cuts to mass transit (described in his testimony as up to a 33% cut for some services), the removal of snow‑assistance programs and reductions in affordable‑housing supports. He urged spreading reductions across multiple areas rather than large cuts to single programs and suggested modest fee increases and small franchise‑fee adjustments to close revenue gaps.

Resident Glenn Knutson raised public‑safety concerns, questioned whether the police‑department staffing and response assumptions reflected reality, and reported anecdotal accounts from retail workers and residents who said they do not receive timely police responses. Knutson also said he believed turnover in the police department had been substantial since the current chief's tenure, and he criticized some downtown service choices as enabling behavior that discourages downtown commerce.

City staff said the preliminary general‑fund budget is balanced at just over $140 million and that the final budget vote is scheduled for two weeks, after staff incorporate public input. The commission did not take any budget votes at the meeting. Citizens suggested alternatives including reducing some street paving cuts less steeply, smaller nonprofit grant reductions, modest increases to excavation or utility franchise fees and small cuts to airport funding rather than transit. Staff noted they will consider public input before the final budget vote.