Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sanford Bond Hearing topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Williston holds tax‑code hearing for Sanford project expected to spend up to $4 million locally
Summary
At a May 27 meeting, the Williston City Commission held a statutorily required public hearing and approved Resolution 25‑009 enabling Sanford to use tax‑exempt bond proceeds; city officials were explicitly told the city bears no liability for the bonds. The hearing drew no public protests.
Ronnie Martin, an attorney with Chapman and Cutler representing Sanford, told the Williston City Commission on May 27 that Sanford expects to spend up to $4,000,000 of tax‑exempt bond proceeds in Williston and asked the city to hold a public hearing required under section 147‑F of the tax code. "It is important to note that the city is not at all liable on the bond debt, and neither is the state of North Dakota," Martin said during the hearing.
Mayor Howard Klug opened the hearing, asked three times for public comments or protests and, hearing none, closed the hearing. The public hearing is a tax‑code procedural requirement to permit use of tax‑exempt bond proceeds outside the issuing jurisdiction.
Commissioner James Bervig moved to adopt Resolution 25‑009, and Commissioner Victoria Siemieniewski seconded the motion. The resolution passed with recorded ayes from Siemieniewski, Bervig and Klug (3‑0); no abstentions or nays were recorded in the minutes.
The resolution authorizes documents necessary for issuance of revenue bonds by the South Dakota Health and Educational Facilities Authority for the benefit of Sanford; Martin said proceeds may be spent on Sanford activities in Williston but emphasized the city will not be obligated on the debt and that the action satisfies federal tax‑code recordkeeping requirements. The minutes do not specify a repayment source, project budget line items or a final bond closing date.
Next steps: Having held the public hearing and adopted the resolution, the city record reflects compliance with the tax‑code hearing requirement; the minutes do not record further city approvals or oversight actions tied to the underlying Sanford capital expenditures.
