Bemidji Mayor Jorge Prince Emphasizes Storm Recovery, Housing and Unity

Mayor Jorge Prince delivered a 35-minute State of the City to the Bemidji City Council on Feb. 19, 2026, laying out storm-recovery projects that include replacing damaged light posts on Paul Bunyan Drive and launching a city replanting program after the June 21, 2025 windstorm. Prince described recovery as a top priority as he reviewed 2025 accomplishments and set goals for 2026.

Prince opened the address by detailing storm impacts, saying the city lost more than 9 million trees in the June windstorm and naming specific repair work. The mayor outlined a project to replace light posts along Paul Bunyan Drive that were damaged in the storm and said the city will begin a coordinated tree-replanting effort to restore canopy and parkland lost in 2025.

Housing and public-safety issues formed the next section of the speech. Prince urged the Bemidji City Council to pursue solutions to the long-standing housing shortage that has plagued the city for years and recognized first responders for making the community feel safe during the recovery period. He encouraged council action on housing while balancing public-safety priorities.

Prince reviewed fiscal and operational figures from 2025 and measures planned for 2026. He said the city secured more than $6 million in grant funding for projects in 2025, reported $155,000 in THC sales at city-owned liquor stores, and noted a $198,000 savings achieved by charging consumers credit card fees rather than absorbing those costs. Prince referenced the city’s budgets, noting a $64 million 2025 budget and a $61 million 2026 budget, and that the council set a 4% increase in the tax levy while implementing a plan to reduce departmental expenses in 2026.

He closed the address with a direct appeal for unity in an election year, framing cooperation as central to recovery and future growth. “It’s a challenge for all of us. In an election year, and in a world where it seems divisions grow every day, can we lay aside our differences, commit to treating others as we want to be treated, and build a better Bemidji?,” asked Prince. “I know we can, because I see it happen in our city every day, and our shared future depends on it. And I look forward to our shared future as we work together to make Bemidji a better place for all.”

After the State of the City, the council turned to online meeting access rules following a Feb. 5 session that was interrupted by participants shouting racist and antisemitic language; council members voted to hold a work session to consider changes to online public access. Prince’s sixth State of the City can be reviewed on the City of Bemidji’s website, and local radio programs BemidjiNow and KB101FM have repackaged highlights in Chatabout segments titled “02-21 STATE OF THE CITY.”