Fargo Voters Approve Excess Mill Levy to Secure School Funding

“This tells me people did their homework…they attended presentations, they asked questions, they talked to friends and neighbors about what this vote means,” said Katie Christensen Mineer, president of the Fargo school board.

Fargo voters handed their public schools a decisive mandate on Tuesday, Nov. 3, approving a 10-year excess mill levy with 62.98% of the vote, Valley News Live reported. With all 17 precincts fully reporting in Cass County, the measure passed 18,305 to 10,759, out of 29,064 total ballots cast. Inforum tallied the unofficial results at roughly 63% in favor and 37% opposed.

The approval authorizes Fargo Public School District No. 1 to levy up to 110.00 general fund mills effective Dec. 31, 2027, securing local property tax authority for the next 10 taxable years. North Dakota law requires voter reauthorization for an excess mill levy after 10 taxable years, meaning an excess mill levy cannot stay in place beyond that period without voter approval.

Why 110 Mills Instead of the 127 Approved in 2017

The 110-mill figure represents a reduction from the 127-mill general fund levy voters approved in 2017, which is set to expire after Dec. 31, 2027. According to Valley News Live, the district reduced its ask after the Fargo Board of Education split the general fund levy into separate state-allowed components: 109.98 mills for the general fund, 12 mills for the miscellaneous fund, and 4.8 mills for the tuition fund. The tuition and miscellaneous fund mills continue outside the excess levy measure.

Critically, the ballot measure does not increase the district’s taxing authority. Instead, it allows local tax revenue to adjust as Fargo’s taxable valuation grows, supporting district programs, services, and educational opportunities as the city expands. A “yes” vote means the district will receive tax dollars based on the true assessed value of individual property and will continue to provide quality educational opportunities for all students.

082726.N.FF.FargoFirstDay1.jpg — Photo: inforum.com

The 2042 Freeze Voters Rejected

Had the measure failed, district property tax revenue would have frozen at collections from the 2027-28 fiscal year until statutory limits caught up around 2042. Valley News Live reported that scenario would have left the district facing an estimated annual budget gap of $2 million to $2.5 million.

Inforum detailed the longer-term consequences: without the new levy, the district would have needed to cut more than $2 million from its budget every year for the next 15 years, starting with the 2028-29 school year. That pressure would have come on top of recent austerity measures; the district cut $5 million in its most recent budget, leading to its first balanced budget in several years.

FPS Mill Levy – What Happens After the Vote

For students and families, the district warned that a failed vote would have meant direct impacts on programming and services, requiring budget adjustments including cuts, reductions, and reorganizations to programs, staffing, and services. Christensen Mineer described the alternative as a perpetual deficit. “We would always be kind of trying to play catch up,” she said, according to Inforum.

Board President Highlights Community Trust

Katie Christensen Mineer, Fargo school board president, credited the outcome to sustained public engagement. She said the approval signals a community that believes in public education. “I think his commitment to open communication through this process was really quite remarkable,” she added, referring to Superintendent Cory Steiner. Inforum reported that Steiner held more than 60 public presentations to explain the mill levy vote.

The district’s own voter materials framed the choice starkly: a “no” vote would have frozen the district at actual property tax dollars collected in the 2027-28 fiscal year, meaning no additional general fund tax dollars based on true assessed value as the city grows or property values change.

Questions Fargo Voters Still Ask

Does this raise my property taxes? No. The measure does not increase the district’s taxing authority; it maintains the ability to collect based on current assessed values rather than freezing revenue at 2027-28 levels.

Why did the district restructure the levy into separate funds? For the 2025-26 school year, the Fargo school board chose to structure its general fund levy authority into separate levies as allowable by law—109.98 mills for the general fund, 12 for miscellaneous, and 4.8 for tuition—which allowed the excess levy request to drop from 127 mills to 110 while keeping those other funds separate.

When does the new levy take effect? The 110-mill authorization begins Dec. 31, 2027, picking up exactly where the 2017 levy expires, ensuring no gap in funding authority.

What happens when the 10 years end? The excess levy expires after 10 taxable years, meaning voters will need to reauthorize it around 2037 if the district wants to maintain the same mechanism for adjusting revenue with property growth.

With the levy secured, Fargo Public Schools now has a decade of predictable revenue to plan around—a rarity in school finance that Christensen Mineer says reflects a community willing to invest in its classrooms.