DEVILS LAKE, N.D. – The Devils Lake City Commission met first as the Jobs Development Authority on Tuesday, Feb. 17 at 5:30 p.m.in City Hall. There were four items on their agenda: Call to Order, Pay Application Number Six of the Housing Incentive Project to Gleason Construction, Cash Farm Lease on JDA Land, and the FlexPACE Interest Buydown for Devils Lake Doughnuts.
City Administrator Spencer Halvorson updated the JDA on Pay Application Number Six of the Housing Incentive Project to Gleason Construction. “There are two more to come; the project’s 80% done,” Halvorson said, adding that he has received photos of what the construction looks like from the inside. “Kitchens are coming together, and then they’re going to do the carpeting and whatnot. Should be pretty show-ready relatively soon.”
Halvorson said that they should be able to arrange tours for City Commissioners soon and recommended approval of Pay Application Number Six, which the JDA approved unanimously.
The next item on the agenda was the Cash Farm Lease on JDA Land. The Commission heard from Brady Ash, executive director of Forward Devils Lake Corporation, who reviewed the request submitted to the JDA in a memo the previous week on Feb. 11. According to the memo, an area farmer has requested to lease the land owned by the JDA, formerly known as the Industrial Park Addition, for farming purposes. This lease will begin March 1, 2026, and expire Dec. 31, 2026, at $75 an acre, for a total of $9,450.00 with half of the rental amount ($4,725.00) due on May 1, and the other half due on Nov. 1. Ash noted that Larry Weed farmed this land until the lease expired at the end of 2025, and that the unnamed farmer would be succeeding Larry in farm operations. The Forward Devils Lake Board approved the request at its Feb. 4 meeting, and Ash recommended that the JDA also approve it, according to the terms provided in the lease. The JDA approved unanimously.
Ash then reviewed the FlexPACE Interest Buydown for Devils Lake Doughnuts, a locally owned doughnut shop/bakery in Devils Lake, which offers a variety of fresh, daily made doughnuts, as well as sandwiches, pepperoni rolls, and other assorted products. Recently, the current owners of the business, who are moving out of state to be closer to family, agreed to sell to another Devils Lake resident Angela Sainsbury, who is seeking assistance with the purchase of the real estate and some equipment. Sainsbury was approved to participate in the FlexPACE Interest Buydown program with the Bank of North Dakota. An amount of $25,444.18 was approved by the Forward Devils Lake Board at its Feb. 4 meeting and will be counted towards the Community Buydown Portion of the entire interest buydown. The board recommended that the request be approved at 0% with a 60-month amortization, upon completion of payment to the Bank of North Dakota. “I think this has been in the works for a while,” Ash said. “And now, finally, someone has come forward and was able to purchase it.”
Sainsbury was present to address the JDA. “I am truly looking forward to this new journey and continue this wonderful service in our community,” she said, adding that she was currently consulting with multiple contractors on making physical improvements, both inside and out, including the kitchen area, cosmetic changes to the outside of the building, as well as changes to the parking lot area to provide easier access. Halvorson pointed out for the record that it was because of the proposed improvements that the FlexPACE Buydown was considered the best option.
Mayor Jim Moe got a laugh from Sainsbury and others present at the meeting when he wryly asked if she had a “happy face” when waking up at 3 a.m. to get to the shop to make the donuts; he was glad to see someone taking over the business. The Authority approved unanimously and Moe congratulated Sainsbury on her new venture, then closed the meeting of the JDA and opened the regular meeting of the City Commission.
Halvorson requested that the approval of the minutes for the City Commission meeting on Feb. 2 be tabled until the next meeting, which was approved by all Commissioners.
Portfolios were then reviewed, starting with Commissioner Jason Pierce, who said he would be attending a committee meeting on the Law Enforcement Center on Wednesday, Feb. 18, and a planning committee meeting on Thursday, Feb. 19 for Devils Lake’s celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Pierce is also waiting for one more photo before finalizing the special banners to adorn streetlights in the city to honor veterans during May.
Prior to those announcements, Pierce turned to Fire Chief Nate Bennett who provided his annual report from the Devils Lake Fire Department. In summary, DLFD continued to expand its operational responsibilities during the year, including the integration of Airport Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) operations, while sustaining a high level of service in regional technical rescue, hazardous materials response, fire prevention, and community support functions.
Sound fiscal stewardship was also demonstrated, as a planned reallocation within the 2026 operating budget transferred funds into a designated equipment reserve account to support future capital purchases; this adjustment didn’t result in reduced staffing levels or diminished service capability, and core operational readiness was maintained. Additional state grants, Department of Emergency Services (DES) funding, and fundraising efforts further offset equipment and training costs, reducing the financial impact on the City.
Bennett invited Commissioners to email him with any questions regarding details of the report. Two members, one full-time and one volunteer—attended the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC), the largest firefighting conference in the world, last year Apr. 7-12 in Indianapolis, Ind. to enhance skills and share current best practices with DLFD, and firefighters will attend this year’s FDIC, also in April. Also, approximately four or five DLFD firefighters will be in Minot Feb. 26 – March 1 to participate in the North Dakota State Fire School.
Bennett said that they may also possibly apply for a regional grant to help replace their self-contained breathing apparatuses (SCBAs) that are coming due next year.
Police Chief Jason Toso also reviewed his annual report in which the Devils Lake Police Department continued its transition under the guidance of Mayor Moe, the Devils Lake City Commission and Halvorson. The report said that the creation of the Corporal position in 2025 strengthened their agency structure, and there were detailed talks regarding DLPD’s future location. Toso reported that Det. Sgt. Samantha Rodriguez, who’s been attending North Dakota’s Leadership in Police Organizations (LPO) program during February, is doing well in the position for the past year and a half. The rest of the staff will also soon be engaged in Phase 2 of their Defensive Tactics Training program.
Public Works Director Mike Grafsgaard addressed the possible aftereffects for the Street Department regarding the snowstorm which began later on the evening of Feb. 17 and continued throughout the following Wednesday. “The warm temperatures in February have offered some challenges because you have very cold pavement temperatures yet you have melting snow so you’ll see some ice buildup in some gutter lines and things like that, but we’re working to address those things,” Grafsgaard said.
“Looks like we’re going to talk about mosquitoes later,” Uhlenkamp said with a laugh.
Moving on to Commissioner Rob Hach’s portfolio, regarding Engineering, Grafsgaard said that he and his staff were working to complete projects planned for the summer, including the probable assessment letters out for the week ending on Feb. 20 for the Highway 2 Frontage Road Project.
After discussing Old Business about City/County Dialogue on Public Safety Facility Partnership and the Police Department Relocation, the Commission proceeded on to New Business, which included the second readings of several new ordinances like floodplain regulations and non-exclusive franchise for cable communications systems. The meeting later adjourned for Executive Session.
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