Fargo delays voting on annexing AI data center land north of Fargo, also rejects pausing Harm Reduction Program

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — Harwood Mayor Blake Hankey appears at the latest Fargo City Commission meeting to ask the city to “back off” of a land grab for a proposed AI data center.

The city has done just that, but just for two weeks.

Commissioners voting 4-1 to delay a decision on annexation of three plots of land north of Fargo until their November 24 meeting.

A representative for Applied Digital also appeared before the commission saying Fargo has no legal claim to the land.

He says Harwood has voted to retain that jurisdiction and annex the same land into its own city limits.

“Well here we are two months later, Fargo hasn’t backed off. So I’m going to ask here in a public forum in front of everybody with the newspapers here with the TV cameras here, back off,” Hankey told the commission.

Nick Phillips, Executive Vice President of External Affairs at Applied Digital, told the commission, “I urge you to rescind this annexation and begin rebuilding trust so that we can move forward together on what is the largest development project in Cass County history.”

Applied Digital is building its $3 billion data center just south of Harwood.

In other business, the nearly three hour meeting ended with a 3-2 vote against Commissioner Michelle Turnberg’s motion to halt the Harm Reduction Program.

She says a Fargo Police officer reached out asking if the city was handing out pipes for drug users and found out Fargo Cass Public Health had implemented a safer smoking program.

Health leaders say they did it after the success of the needle exchange program in helping save lives.

The pipe program, which had been running since February, has been suspended until further clarification on policies.