GRAND FORKS – Now that Grand Forks residents have allowed the amendment of the home-rule charter to allow an extension and modification of the city’s 0.75% sales tax, the processes of amending codes and planning of the Altru Sports Complex can begin.
On Tuesday, Nov. 14, voters approved extending the tax to allow the city to raise money for the complex, to be built just south of the Alerus Center between 42nd Street and Interstate 29. There were 2,358 “yes” votes and 1,190 “no” votes.
The tax, which has been in place since 1996, has generated $181 million in revenue and is projected to bring in an additional $70 million to $90 million by 2029.
The sports facility – likely to cost approximately $100 million – is expected to have indoor turf, a competition-sized pool and other amenities available to the public.
The first step is to canvass the results of the election and make them official. The canvassing of the special election results will occur on Monday, Nov. 27, at City Hall. Once the results are canvassed, the city will have to extend and modify the sales tax in its codes.
Similar to how the constitution and laws passed by Congress work, the Grand Forks City Council will have to pass city ordinance changes to reflect the changes in the city’s charter. The ordinance that governs the 0.75% sales tax and likely those that deal with sales tax collection and allocation will have to be amended to be in line with the charter. The process will likely start at the Dec. 11 Committee of the Whole meeting, according to City Administrator Todd Feland.
While ordinance changes are happening, agreements between Altru Health System and the city will have to be finalized for naming rights. Altru has committed $10 million to the project.
Additionally, the city has one final parcel of land to acquire; that hasn’t happened yet, since the proposal first needed to be approved by voters.
In the new year, the city will have to decide how it would like to move forward with the construction and design of the new facility. Soliciting architects and designers, approving bids, and deciding on the construction management model for the project. A final design also still needs to be chosen.
During the first quarter of the year, the city and Grand Forks Park District will discuss and likely enter into an operating agreement for the facility. The city will own it and the park district will run it. What is still yet to be determined is whether the city will set up a governing commission similar to those that oversee Grand Forks International Airport or the city-owned Alerus Center.
“The Alerus Center is the most comparable and equivalent facility the city owns,” Feland said. “It requires more nuance than a typical city project; we didn’t want to get in front of the horse and now (that we have a vote result) we get a lot of the detail work done.”
The city has had preliminary discussions and commitment from the park district about the operation of the facility, but the specifics — such as potential memberships, schedules, and programming — haven’t been decided, as what the final facility will include hasn’t been determined. The goal is to have the Altru Sports Complex operational between 2026 and 2027.
Voigt covers city government in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks.
