June 19—EAST GRAND FORKS — The East Grand Forks City Council approved several citizen services contracts and approved the final ordinance to allow a deer bow hunt this fall at Tuesday’s meeting.
The final approval of the ordinance, which changes the city’s gun code, was the last major step in the process the city had to go through before hosting a hunt in November. Before the change, the city was not allowed to hunt because of the way the hunting and gun use ordinance was structured. The change gives the city council the freedom to conduct a hunt with safety controls, such as the ability to use a bow, conducted by the East Grand Forks Police Department.
The second ordinance reading and approval for changes to the city’s gun code will now allow for a bow hunt in November.
The hunt will take place in some of the most remote parts of the greenway, mainly on the south side of the city.
The aim is to reduce the deer population in the city, about which there are many complaints
from residents because of the damage caused by deer.
The council-approved contracts will extend the city’s waste and recycling contract with Countrywide Sanitation for an additional five years and provide building inspection services in a two-year contract with True Check.
The waste and recycling contract was discussed during last week’s council meeting. Countrywide has been the city’s waste and recycling hauler for about a decade and its current contract was due to expire at the end of June. The extension lasts until June 2029.
The rates charged to the city increase between 0.48% and 71.29% depending on the service. The contract includes incremental changes over the five years, with the first rate increase taking effect in July 2025. Residents are not allowed to make these exact changes, if any, as Countrywide does not bill for them directly; the company bills the city, which in turn bills residents, and the calculation is not one-to-one.
The rate increases, especially for recycling fees, result from the economics of the current recycling market and the costs of shipping to processing facilities.
National President Rachel Gornowicz said this last week.
The municipality’s approval of the building inspector contract with True Check will come next
Wideseth terminated its contract in May because it could no longer provide the service.
True Check is based in Newfolden, Minnesota, and is paid $115 per hour for its certified building inspectors.
The inspector verifies plans and specifications for projects and also verifies compliance with building codes. The contract with True Check also means the city won’t have to adjust its construction permit administration and fee schedule like some of the other companies it had been looking at.
Other news from the municipality:
*Received the city’s 2023 financial audit report. Brady Martz and Associates conducted the independent audit and found no inaccuracies in the city’s financial figures.
* Approval of an agreement with BNSF for the right-of-way and reconstruction of the Central Avenue intersection. The reconstruction is part of the
a larger quiet zone project currently being implemented by the city.
