Fargo City Commission directs staff to prepare Winter Warming Plan

FARGO (KVRR-KFGO) – After some heated debate, the Fargo City Commission voted 3-2 to direct city staff to prepare a winter warming plan.

The approved motion, brought forward by Commissioner John Strand, gives city staff approval to run a program to keep the homeless population warm during the winter months. Last winter, the program warmed 40-50 people a night.

Commissioner Dave Piepkorn says he has some concerns about the homeless population.

“What’s happening now is the taxpayers of Fargo are in charge of paying for hospitality for vagrants,” Piepkorn says. “So, we’re a magnet community, and the taxpayers of Fargo have to pay for it. They’re not Fargo citizens. The majority of them are from all over the place, but the word is spreading and they’re coming to Fargo. I think the residents are very tired of it.”

Strand agrees there are problems, but says something needs to be done to protect people who are in Fargo.

“What are our options,” Strand asks. “Do we just start letting people freeze to death? I’ll go back to when I got to Fargo the last time in 1998, and I’ll say the name – Clovia White Lightning showed up at a shelter in town and there was a blizzard coming. It was a different time then, but she was turned away and they found her frozen to death the next day. That’s the alternative.”

Piepkorn and Commissioner Michelle Turnberg were the two ‘no’ votes.