Commission approves first reading of ordinance to allow USDA euthanasia under city agreement

The West Fargo City Commission on July 6 approved the first reading of Ordinance No. 1281, a change to city code that would allow persons participating in a city‑approved management plan or memorandum of agreement (MOA) to euthanize nuisance animals within city limits.

Commission President introduced the ordinance and asked Peter Nielsen, the city’s chief of police, to explain the proposal. Nielsen said the change would add a subsection permitting the city to enter an MOA with outside contractors such as the U.S. Department of Agriculture to perform euthanasia under defined procedures. "We think this is a good ordinance," Nielsen said, adding that the MOA would specify steps such as notifying Red River dispatch and the on‑duty sergeant when operations occur.

Nielsen told the commission the police department previously allowed USDA contractors to remove animals under a one‑year arrangement in June 2022, and the proposed ordinance would provide greater clarity and control through a formal agreement. He said breaking the MOA would remove the contractor’s authority to operate under the city’s procedures: "If they wouldn't do that, they would break the MOA," he said.

Commissioners asked whether the draft MOA was included in the meeting packet; one commissioner noted it was attached. After brief discussion, a commissioner moved to approve the ordinance’s first reading; the motion was seconded, the commission switched to a roll‑call voting procedure for the meeting, and the motion passed.

The first reading authorizes staff and legal counsel to finalize the ordinance language and related MOA language; the item will return for subsequent readings or final action per the city’s ordinance process.