Fischbach Meets Fergus Falls Leaders to Discuss ESOPs, Infrastructure Funding

The list Mayor Anthony Hicks brought to his meeting with Congresswoman Michelle Fischbach was not short: aging water lines, a multi-year street improvement backlog and a federal funding conversation that could shape Fergus Falls' project calendar for years to come.

Fischbach, who represents Minnesota's 7th Congressional District, visited Fergus Falls to sit down with Hicks, municipal staff and representatives from Vistal and its engineering subsidiary Moore Engineering. Her congressional office published a press release on March 30 describing the session as a review of the city's practical needs, with discussion centering on two areas: federal dollars for water, sewer and road infrastructure, and how employee stock ownership plans can help local businesses stay rooted in the community when founders retire or consider a sale.

The infrastructure stakes for Fergus Falls are concrete. The city is currently working through improvements on Kabort Avenue, Cleveland Avenue and Douglas Avenue, along with a lead service line replacement project funded entirely by a Minnesota Department of Health grant. Fergus Falls receives $977,000 annually in Municipal State Aid funds for roads and can draw down up to five times that amount early for work on designated state-aid streets. Fischbach has pushed for similar funding across the broader 7th District, including more than $9 million secured for 11 infrastructure projects district-wide.

The ESOP conversation came with a local illustration already seated at the table. Vistal, formerly Moore Holding Company and based in West Fargo, is a 100-percent employee-owned holding company built on the ESOP model. Its operating company, Moore Engineering, has been contracted by Fergus Falls since 2025 to provide day-to-day engineering services at a flat $192,000 per year, after the city's own engineering position went vacant. Under the ESOP structure, every Moore Engineering employee holds a trust account containing company shares, meaning the engineers managing Fergus Falls' street and utility projects carry a direct financial stake in the firm's long-term health. For the workers, that account compounds alongside salary as a retirement asset tied to company performance rather than a separate pension or 401(k) match alone.

Fischbach "supports smaller communities and will continue to make sure rural areas have the resources they need," her office stated.

For city staff, the visit was an opportunity to put a specific project list in front of a federal decision-maker rather than wait on grant cycles. Whether concrete applications, accelerated appropriations or local policy changes follow will be visible in Fergus Falls' city council and EDA records in the months ahead.