Hemmer says she and Davis were not involved in utility fee decision

The Jamestown City Council unanimously approved a monthly light and signal utility fee on July 6, the same day Mayor Katie Hemmer and newly seated Councilwoman Shannon Davis were sworn into office. Hemmer said she and Davis were not involved in Jamestown’s decision to add the charge to residents’ and businesses’ bills.

Council members also approved creating a light and signal utility fund to pay for street light and traffic signal expenses and to capture that revenue separately from the general fund.

City Administrator Sarah Hellekson told council members that Jamestown’s franchise agreement with Otter Tail Power Co. allows the utility to install poles and transmission lines, and that the city had been paying more than $120,000 a year for poles through the general fund. The new fee schedule was set at $4 a month for a wooden pole, $6 for a decorative or fiberglass pole, and $8 for tall metal poles used on commercial and industrial properties. Officials estimated the change would bring in more than $357,400 a year.

Council member David Steele said the move would remove some of that burden from the general fund and that the new charges were lower than comparable fees in Fargo, Bismarck and Wahpeton. The Finance and Legal Committee had already advanced the item on June 23, approving it without recommendation before it went to the full council a little less than two weeks later.

Hemmer said she received numerous reports after the earlier story ran. The mayor campaigned on giving voters more clarity about city budgeting and accounting, saying many felt “left in the dark” about those practices.

In November 2024, the city council approved utility rate increases that took effect Jan. 1, 2025, including sewer, water and related fees.