Nancy Edmonds Hanson
Moorhead’s City Council has extended the property tax rebate for new homes in the city for another two years. Under the measure, taxes paid by owners of newly build residences are not collected by the city, Clay County and the Moorhead school district for the first two full years of occupancy. Though the program is widely supported, it automatically “sunsets” at the end of every two years and must be reauthorized.
The program dates back to 2009, when the Minnesota Legislature funded the then-new tax break to assist with flood recovery. The city, county and school district picked it up in 2012. Since then, nearly 1,100 homes have received the two-year breaks. The combined taxable value of that real estate exceeds $240 million, according to government affairs director Lisa Bode; it generates about $3.2 million in revenue each year.
Bode told the council that the measure, known as the “Make Moorhead Home” property tax rebates, have helped offset the competitive disadvantages of choosing to live on this side of the border. Seventy-one houses have been built here in the first six months of 2020, she noted, of a metro area total (including Fargo and West Fargo) of 351new-home starts.
Upon the council’s approval, she said, presentations will be made to the county commission and school board to extend their participation as well.
Partnership with River Keepers
The nonprofit group River Keepers has been working with Moorhead for the past five years in offering canoe and kayak rentals from a base near the Hjemkomst Center, as well as operating educational paddling excursions on the Red. Now the council has formalized the long-running partnership.
The two entities share responsibilities for the popular program, according to parks director Holly Heitkamp. River Keepers owns most of the watercraft, while Parks owns and operates the rental shack and dock. The city manages all operations, with a line item of $6,700 in the parks budget.
Women’s Equality Day
Mayor Johnathan Judd proclaimed Wednesday, Aug. 26, as Women’s Equality Day in Moorhead in honor of the centennial of passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. In introducing the proclamation, council member Shelly Carlson noted that – while a landmark in women’s gaining the right to vote – not all women were initially included. Native Americans of both genders only gained that right in 1972, and Asian and Pacific Islanders in 1952. Many African Americans and Latino citizens were denied the vote until the Civil Rights Acts of 1965 and 1975.
Historian Markus Krueger recounted some of the early suffragists in Moorhead history, including Cornelia Probstfield Gesell, daughter of pioneer farmer Randoph Probstfield. The entire family was pro-suffrage. “The Probstfields were the political radicals of their day,” Krueger observed.
He noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has derailed many of the events planned by the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County to commemorate the ratification. “Hopefully we’ll be able to get together in person in 2021 to celebrate its 101st anniversary,” he said.