Bonding bill e mail

[StL Bison Fan]

I received an e mail about the bonding bill for NDSU buildings. It was signed by Joe Hellman, Chair of the Bison caucas. I took the e mail list off because it was so long.


SB 2297 is a bonding bill that is critically important to the advancement of two much-need building projects at NDSU: the Agricultural Products Development Center (APDC) and the replacement of Dunbar Hall, the university’s chemistry building. The APDC will replace Harris Hall and the NDSU meats lab.

This bill is still in the House Appropriations Committee and is in danger of a Do Not Pass recommendation. We need your help contacting the committee members to urge their support of the bill.

You can view members of the House Appropriations Committee here.

If you have limited time, you can copy and paste all the email addresses below to send an email to the entire committee. Alternatively, by individually clicking each email address below, you can send a personal note to each member of the committee (usually much more effective).

Background Information---

Dunbar Hall, Harris Hall, and the meats lab pose a variety of well-documented safety concerns as well as severe limitations in their ability to continue supporting advances in research and education. Fargo Fire officials have said Dunbar Hall is aging so poorly, that fire crews may let it burn if it catches on fire. Faculty and students who occupy Harris Hall and the meats lab face their own research and educational challenges. Here are a couple video reports about Harris Hall and the meats lab:

Fargo Forum Article
AgWeek TV clip
ND Grain Growers Video

[GOB1SON]

It is imperative that this bill pass; or some other way is found to make these projects happen.

Dunbar is falling apart. Harris Hall is an embarrassment. The meats lab in Shepperd is 30 years behind modern safety and teaching standards.

My side of this, of course, is the APDC project to replace the meats lab and Harris Hall. NDSU needs these improvements so it can serve ag at a high level.

Also part of this is a new Northern Crops Institute to replace the current building that is attached to Harris. The present plan is to put this west of 18th across and south of the Wellness Center.

If you have any interest in Ag, contact your rep, particularly if they are on house appropriations, and tell them to support SB 2297.

Thanks.

[WhoRepsTheLurker]

Can you guys give us a little more back info on this? No links came through in StL’s post. In particular, who on the HAC is trying to shoot this down? I want to look up their voting history, where they went to school, etc.

[BisManBison]

Can you guys give us a little more back info on this? No links came through in StL’s post. In particular, who on the HAC is trying to shoot this down? I want to look up their voting history, where they went to school, etc.

Jeff Delzer will work feverishly to kill this bill and any other bonding bill. I don't agree with his approach, but as long as there is some other plan to fund the buildings I guess I don't care how they do it, shortsighted as it may be.

I know there was a group of legislators that proposed a bill to issue a billion $$ bond for infrastructure projects across the state using legacy fund earnings as a payment source for the bond. Delzer successfully worked to make sure Mike Nathe was not elected House Majority, killing that bill before it was ever introduced. There's so much we could accomplish in this state if we can get our legislators to invest in North Dakota first.

[StL Bison Fan]

This was the link
https://www.legis.nd.gov/lcn/assembly/constituentViews/public/findmylegislator.htm

[bisonaudit]

Jeff Delzer will work feverishly to kill this bill and any other bonding bill. I don't agree with his approach, but as long as there is some other plan to fund the buildings I guess I don't care how they do it, shortsighted as it may be.

I know there was a group of legislators that proposed a bill to issue a billion $$ bond for infrastructure projects across the state using legacy fund earnings as a payment source for the bond. Delzer successfully worked to make sure Mike Nathe was not elected House Majority, killing that bill before it was ever introduced. There's so much we could accomplish in this state if we can get our legislators to invest in North Dakota first.

Where is this guy coming from with the no bonding notion? What is the rationale?

[1998braves64]

They've been talking about Dunbar for over 20 years? (Don't remember anything about Harris lab, but think Sheppard came up as well) Pretty sure Dunbar already was an issue when I was there in 98... it's probably about time for it, are there any other buildings more critical on campus at this point than the ones listed here? Seems the others have all been addressed far as I know, outside of the dorm buildings which several have not been remodeled much at all since they were built I don't believe? Which are probably the next big ticket item? Or have they been doing stuff to those as they go that don't make big news items?

[tony]

They've been talking about Dunbar for over 20 years? (Don't remember anything about Harris lab, but think Sheppard came up as well) Pretty sure Dunbar already was an issue when I was there in 98... it's probably about time for it, are there any other buildings more critical on campus at this point than the ones listed here? Seems the others have all been addressed far as I know, outside of the dorm buildings which several have not been remodeled much at all since they were built I don't believe? Which are probably the next big ticket item? Or have they been doing stuff to those as they go that don't make big news items?

Dorm construction projects are paid for with bonds backed by room and board payments, I believe.

[1998braves64]

Dorm construction projects are paid for with bonds backed by room and board payments, I believe.

Probably so would make sense. Since 98 have there been any wholesale remodels to any of them? I'm assuming light fixtures and the such that are generally pretty easy to redo are being done. Would seem like "modernization" of some of them would be in the plans coming up here in the next 10 years or so? Especially now that they have somewhat resolved the housing crunch on campus, and with several projects close to campus as well.

[StL Bison Fan]

Probably so would make sense. Since 98 have there been any wholesale remodels to any of them? I'm assuming light fixtures and the such that are generally pretty easy to redo are being done. Would seem like "modernization" of some of them would be in the plans coming up here in the next 10 years or so? Especially now that they have somewhat resolved the housing crunch on campus, and with several projects close to campus as well.

The field office I worked in was filthy and falling apart. We built a large, new shop building to store a tractor. That was the way it worked when I worked for Missouri too. Build new let stuff fall apart.

[roadwarrior]

Churchill Hall was completely rebuilt inside a couple of years ago. The other "low-rise" dorms have been getting new roofs, new elevators, and complete remodeling of the bathroom facilities. These dorms are Reed, Johnson, the Weibles, Stockbridge, Dinan and Burgum.

All of these projects are funded by the residence housing income.

[BisManBison]

Where is this guy coming from with the no bonding notion? What is the rationale?

Wear's the fact that the state has no debt like a badge of honor, nothing more than keeping the state "debt" free. Needless to say, very conservative. I'm not sure if he lines up entirely with the Tea Party faction in the state legislature, but he has strong support amongst that group. I don't understand that logic. The legacy fund money gets invested and ultimately is used by other states that do bond to invest in their infrastructure. Why we don't leverage that money to invest in North Dakota is beyond me.

[bisonaudit]

Wear's the fact that the state has no debt like a badge of honor, nothing more than keeping the state "debt" free. Needless to say, very conservative. I'm not sure if he lines up entirely with the Tea Party faction in the state legislature, but he has strong support amongst that group. I don't understand that logic. The legacy fund money gets invested and ultimately is used by other states that do bond to invest in their infrastructure. Why we don't leverage that money to invest in North Dakota is beyond me.

The notion the you should have cash in hand to build a 50 or 100 year asset doesn’t make much sense in most contexts. Also, in seems like the idea of more closely matching the timing of payments with the benefits of public goods and services is consistent with conservative principles.

[CAS4127]

The notion the you should have cash in hand to build a 50 or 100 year asset doesn’t make much sense in most contexts. Also, in seems like the idea of more closely matching the timing of payments with the benefits of public goods and services is consistent with conservative principles.

Right, and perhaps financing with Legacy Funds at a given interest rate for guaranteed return on LF investments. Part of the LF investments have to be guaranteed interest I would assume. Could be wrong, but makes sense that some are.


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[bisonaudit]

Right, and perhaps financing with Legacy Funds at a given interest rate for guaranteed return on LF investments. Part of the LF investments have to be guaranteed interest I would assume. Could be wrong, but makes sense that some are.


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To me the Legacy Fund portfolio is a whole separate thing. The investment portfolio, last time I looked was more conservative than the state’s employee pension the teacher retirement funds which makes zero sense. Sure there should be a healthy mix in the portfolio but the Legacy Fund should be invested more aggressively than it is currently.

[CAS4127]

To me the Legacy Fund portfolio is a whole separate thing. The investment portfolio, last time I looked was more conservative than the state’s employee pension the teacher retirement funds which makes zero sense. Sure there should be a healthy mix in the portfolio but the Legacy Fund should be invested more aggressively than it is currently.

I feel there could be a percentage set aside to assist campus funding.


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[bisonaudit]

I feel there could be a percentage set aside to assist campus funding.


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I don’t disagree necessarily. Seems like it’s compatible with the expressed purpose. But it also seems like everyone and their mother has an idea about what to use the Legacy Fund for and no one has a comprehensive plan for managing it. So until I see that my default position is skepticism. And as above it would have to be done in the context of an endowment type portfolio, more aggressive than exists today.

[Civil06]

Jeff Delzer will work feverishly to kill this bill and any other bonding bill. I don't agree with his approach, but as long as there is some other plan to fund the buildings I guess I don't care how they do it, shortsighted as it may be.

I know there was a group of legislators that proposed a bill to issue a billion $$ bond for infrastructure projects across the state using legacy fund earnings as a payment source for the bond. Delzer successfully worked to make sure Mike Nathe was not elected House Majority, killing that bill before it was ever introduced. There's so much we could accomplish in this state if we can get our legislators to invest in North Dakota first.


WARNING: Link is to Rob Port opinion. He is spot on about Delzer and his power grab through the appropriations committee, downplaying revenue forecasts, etc.: https://www.inforum.com/opinion/columns/995656-Port-Fiscal-conservatism-should-be-a-choice-not-a-product-of-cooked-books