Cass County commissioners accept space-needs study, appoint emergency manager and approve cyber grant; Board of Equalization finalizes appeals

The Cass County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday approved a series of administrative items: it received and filed a 15-year space-needs assessment from JLG, appointed Michael Cole Hunter Baker as the new emergency manager, adopted a Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee charter, accepted a State-Local Cybersecurity Grant award, and reconvened the Board of Equalization to finalize property valuation appeals.

Robert Wilson, county staff, introduced the JLG space-needs assessment, which the consultant prepared after interviewing department heads and the courts. The study recommends three primary priorities over a 15-year planning horizon: identify a permanent location for the county's information-technology office, reconfigure the first floor of the annex for higher public traffic human-services work, and create more efficient office space for the state's attorney. "This report is a phased concept of how we can accomplish the various needs," Wilson said; the board voted to receive and file the final report.

On staffing, commissioners appointed Michael Cole Hunter Baker (who goes by Cole) to the county Emergency Management Coordinator position following a finalist interview process led by Ms. Peters and county staff. Ms. Peters said Baker has a degree in emergency management and experience with FEMA and the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services. The commission approved the hire and an initial placement on the recommended pay step.

The board also approved a Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee charter. County staff framed the committee as a mechanism to formalize countywide drills (including the annual tornado drill), coordinate active-shooter/active-threat training, and act as a liaison between departments for safety training. "We do not have that formalized organization as a whole," Robert Wilson said, emphasizing the need for regular, organizationwide drills.

In grant action, Brandon Henderson reported that Cass County received an award under the State Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (IIJA) for about $147,000. The federal program requires a 30% local match; Henderson said the local match is roughly $44,000 and will come from the asset-forfeiture fund, leaving about $103,000 in federal funding for the county's digital evidence modernization for the state's attorney. Commissioners voted to accept the award and the associated funding plan.

The Board of Equalization reconvened to finalize numerous 2025 appeals carried over from a prior session. The county assessor reviewed appeals across Fargo, West Fargo, Horace and township properties and recommended retaining or adjusting values in specific cases. Examples: Sterling Properties LLC received a reduction to $2,111,000 after a low-income housing covenant was applied; a West Fargo property appeals relied on an income approach but the county retained the city's valuation; a property in Horace was reduced to $3,498,400 from $4,145,400; and a Klinger parcel's metal shop value was reduced by $285,300 to a building value of $542,600. The commission approved the assessor's recommendations in a single motion.

Commissioners also approved the vouchers presented, after Commissioner Breitling questioned two identical Consolidated Communications invoices dated June 3. County staff explained the duplicate appearance resulted from a billing error by the vendor and timing; the payments were approved.

Why it matters: The actions advance a multi-decade facility plan, finalize leadership for emergency management, formalize countywide safety planning, secure federal funding for digital evidence modernization, and conclude a component of the 2025 tax-equalization process.

Next steps: Staff will proceed with design and further assessments for space projects, on-board the new emergency manager, and implement cybersecurity upgrades funded by the grant.