County committee directs staff to ask Bismarck about dedicating fairgrounds roads to city

The Burleigh County Fairgrounds Planning Committee voted to authorize staff to meet with the City of Bismarck to investigate conditions for dedicating rights-of-way and other infrastructure to the city, a move aimed at clarifying who would build and maintain roads and utilities for a planned replat of the fairgrounds complex.

Jason, the committee’s presenter on zoning and platting, told members the county and city are preparing parallel tracks: a zoning change and a replat process that could conclude with a recorded plat in early June if reviews go as planned. He said dedicating a public right-of-way would make the city responsible for operation and maintenance and could enable city-backed financing through special assessments spread over multiple years. “By dedicating the right-of-way, you are asking the city to operate and maintain that,” Jason said.

Committee members raised two central tradeoffs. Several members said city dedication creates permanence and access to city financing; another argued a private-road approach keeps county control and avoids user fees for event operators who currently pay little. One commissioner said the county could budget to pay city taxes or road maintenance, and voiced opposition to shifting costs to user fees: “I don’t think that it should ever be a user fee,” the commissioner said.

Staff described a range of financing and delivery options. A special-assessment district could amortize improvements over 15 years, spreading cost among benefiting properties rather than charging each user directly. Conversely, if the county retained private streets, the county would bear capital and maintenance costs and user groups might face higher charges. Jason warned that recorded leases would remain in county records even if lots are replatted: existing lease terms do not automatically vanish with a new plat.

The motion authorized staff (identified in the transcript as Swenson/Swanson Hagan) to “investigate” the public-right-of-way conditions with the City of Bismarck and report back to the committee. The motion was seconded and carried by voice vote; the transcript records members responding “Aye” and the chair announcing the motion carries.

Next steps: staff will meet with city staff to get specifics on allowable street cross-sections, maintenance agreements, special-assessment mechanics, and the city’s likely requirements for utilities and stormwater. The committee asked staff to present fiscal comparisons and the pros and cons of public dedication versus private streets at a future meeting so the county commission can be advised before any formal dedication or construction commitments.

Provable timing in Jason’s presentation: staff aims to have plat and zoning milestones that include a planning-and-zoning public hearing in late April and city commission hearings in May–June, with a potential recorded plat around June 10 if reviews proceed on schedule.