Working for ‘no’ vote

NAWS Only Committee takes on community bowl measure

By JILL SCHRAMM, Staff Writer, jschramm@minotdailynews.com
Two Ward County farm organizations have teamed up to oppose a Minot ballot measure that would redirect tax money from water to a community bowl.


The Ward County Farmers Union and Farm Bureau have formed the NAWS Only Committee to campaign to maintain a 1 percent sales tax for the Northwest Area Water Supply Project. The measure proposes to redirect half of the tax for three years for construction of a community bowl.


“Measure 2 on the Minot city ballot will divert approximately $9.5 million from the NAWS project at a time when this money is needed to move the project ahead at the greatest possible speed,” said Ron Kramer of Douglas, president of the Ward County Farmers Union. “It is important we complete the NAWS project as quickly as possible. Diverting money from NAWS would be a mistake and irresponsible.”


Although membership of the farm organizations consists largely of rural residents who won’t be voting on the city measure June 10, Kramer said NAWS Only has support from some residents of Minot who aren’t organization members.


The group hopes to gain more support through education and advertising. It plans to hold townhall meetings and will be doing live radio broadcasts and advertising. It plans four billboards in Minot. The group has a Web site at (www.nawsonly.com).


Kramer said the NAWS Only Committee would welcome a debate with measure supporters and noted the townhall meetings will be open to anyone wishing to speak.


“Our group is not opposed to the community bowl project but is adamantly opposed to use of NAWS funds for this purpose,” Kramer said.


The Farmers Union and Farm Bureau have cooperated previously on water issues. They had joined to oppose transferring interest from NAWS tax collections into the city’s general fund. A court ruled against such transfers. They also had opposed diverting NAWS money to the MAGIC Fund when it was mentioned to relieve depletion of the fund. Years earlier, they were united in their opposition to the Burlington Dam, a proposed flood control project that never happened.


Kramer said the current NAWS measure raises the issue of trust.


“The rural communities surrounding Minot were very supportive of the NAWS sales tax when it was first presented. We feel that continued attempts to divert the NAWS money breaks down the trust between Minot and the surrounding communities,” he said.


Dan Deaver of Berthold, president of the Ward County Farm Bureau, said lack of funding is a primary reason for North Dakota’s struggle in completing its water projects. Water will become more important as oil activity increases in the region, putting pressure on supplies, he said.


The NAWS Only Committee  objects to the wording on the ballot, which refers to the tax as the 1 percent Municipal Water Supply Improvement Sales Tax without directly mentioning NAWS.


The committee  also objects to what it considers an editorial statement within the measure, which states, “The use of existing municipal water supply improvements sales tax will not delay or interfere with the completion of any current area water project.”


John Fjeldahl of Berthold, a Ward County commissioner and Farm Bureau member, said financial figures from NAWS officials don’t necessarily support their statements that the NAWS project won’t be delayed with the tax diversion. Fjeldahl said the figures rely on more federal assistance than may actually be available.


The state and city previously have advanced money to keep the project moving when federal dollars were short, he said. There’s no guarantee that won’t need to happen again or that the federal share will ever materialize in full, he said.


“Making a statement that it wouldn’t affect anything is pretty precarious,” Fjeldahl said.


Kramer said the measure is actually a tax increase because it will extend the tax. In addition, by reducing the growth of NAWS reserves, more tax money will be needed to make up the difference in interest earnings, he said. That lost income could be as significant as $1 million over three years, he said.


The committee is urging the city to consider the use of MAGIC Fund dollars to construct a community bowl.


The Community Bowl Committee estimates the construction cost of the bowl at $11 million, of which about $9 million would come from the sales tax redirection. Any additional money needed but not covered by the three years of sales-tax receipts will be raised privately. The city’s NAWS account currently has $25.5 million in unspent funds.