The City of Valley City Assessor’s Office will soon be mailing assessment notices to all property owners in Valley City.

Due to a recent change in state law, the Assessor’s Office is now required each year to send an assessment notice for every parcel in Valley City.  The notice will show both the current proposed assessment and the previous year’s assessed value.

The purpose of this notice is to provide full transparency for the property owner regarding the proposed property value. The assessment notice will replace the estimated tax statement normally sent out in August.

Residents with questions about their property value notice are encouraged to contact the City Assessor’s Office by calling 701-845-8122 or visit valleycity.northdakotaassessors.com.

Hey There,

• This Saturday, March 21st, at 6:00 PM, the Valley City Fire Department (VCFD) will host its annual fundraiser at the Valley City Eagles Club. Join us to support a great cause! 
• March 20, 2026 at 9:46 Central Time in the Northern Hemisphere is the Spring Equinox.  It is the first day of spring and the time of the year when there is nearly equal time of sunlight on each side of the equator.
• The Valley City Volunteer Firefighters held their annual Spouse and Significant Other Banquet and Awards Night. There was a great turnout and good food, made complete by a ‘fire call’—away they all went to serve! Thank you and congratulations to all the firefighters, especially those who achieved awards.     
• Over the past six years, I’ve had the privilege of serving on the Missouri River Energy Services (MRES) Board. The entire MRES staff is made up of wonderful, caring people who are exceptionally good at their jobs, providing reliable and affordable power to our 61 members. Thank you to the employees and board members for your kindness and acceptance over the years. The hospitality you showed me at my final board meeting was truly beyond anything I would have imagined.
• The Hi-Line Train Set in the Barnes County Museum continues to grow! Thanks to Bill Cochran, a water tower and a model of the Valley City Barnes County Public Library have been added. Bill also included a “gun pit,” where Company F would have been stationed to guard the Hi-Line Bridge from sabotage during WWII.  As a vital transcontinental transportation conduit, the bridge was critical to the war effort. Huge kudos to Jeff Bergner, who works diligently to keep the trains running. Thank you, Bill, Jeff, and Wes, for your great work!
• While reading the news the other day, I found it interesting that so many candidates around the country are bypassing their party’s endorsements in favor of running directly in the primary.
• Thank you to all who provided material and to Sue for proofing this column.
• “Golf isn’t about being perfect. It’s about how well you handle the imperfections.”   ~ Rory McIIroy

Blessings, Prayer, Respect and Gratitude,
Dave Carlsrud

Greetings,

• Congratulations to the Hi-Liners Girls Basketball Team for its back-to-back North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA) State Championships. The Hi-Liners fought back from a large deficit in the first half. With grit, determination, and a few shots falling, the game began to go their way. From there, thanks to some clutch free-throw shooting, the game was theirs. It is something the players, coaches, and all who had a part in “making it happen” will always remember, Hi-Liners – 69, Royals – 62.
• “It is not whether you get knocked down, it is whether or not you get up”.  ~ Vince Lombardi
• Geez, I just have to mention the weather. Sunday afternoon my phone showed 64 degrees with nice sunshine and a soft breeze.  One weather service showed the record high that day in Fargo to be 60 degrees. I am grateful and hope all who were able got out and enjoyed some of the good, clean air with which we were Blessed.
• Due to a rise in litigation during the mid-1980s, insurance companies began canceling policies for individuals and local governments, leaving many without coverage. North Dakota was hit hard, leading local political subdivisions to form the North Dakota Insurance Reserve Fund (NDIRF)—an insurance pool dedicated to local governments. Today, we are celebrating the NDIRF’s 40th Anniversary and the reasonably stable rates it provides to North Dakota communities. Congratulations and thank you to the forward-thinking individuals who made this a reality!  Some quotes are from “Participator”.
• “Opportunity knocks? Get the door.”  ~ Anonymous
• North Dakota League of Cities (NDLC) will hold its 2026 Spring Workshop and Elected Officials Training later this month.  Some of the topics covered are “3% Tax Refresher”, “Addressing Blighted Areas in Our Communities”, “Tornadoes: The Before During and After” and “The City Financial Quarterback: What Your Auditor Really Does” to name a few.  It is a great conference.  Thank you to Matt Gardner and the NDLC Team for their great work.
• “Kids have the potential, Teachers unlock it”.  ~ Anonymous
• Municipal electric power provides us with abundant power and great rates.
• Thank you to all who provided material and to Sue for proofing this column.
• “Age is no barrier.  It is a limitation you put on your mind.”   ~ Jackie Joyner-Kersee

        Blessings, Prayer, Respect and Gratitude,

Dave

Dave Carlsrud

Hello Folks,

• Beginning Tuesday, March 3, 2026, Moore Engineering staff will conduct door-to-door surveys in Valley City for the Water Service Line Inventory. Teams of two Moore employees, each wearing official Moore Engineering identification, will visit homes where the water service line material is currently unknown. You will be asked to help identify your service line material, or—if preferred—a Moore employee can perform the identification for you. We anticipate these surveys will take approximately two weeks to complete. 
• Next weekend, Sunday morning the 8th, Daylight Savings Time begins.  The day length increases by 1 hour, 41 minutes over the course of March 2026 in Valley City, ND – from 11 hours, 9 minutes on the first day to 12 hours, 50 minutes on the last day, enjoy.
• We are grateful to the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame (NDCHOF) for holding its annual meeting in Valley City a week ago, thank you. Saturday evening, approximately 260 guests enjoyed dinner and entertainment at the Eagles. If you haven’t visited the NDCHOF in Medora, please do—it is a wonderful experience.”  See: https://northdakotacowboy.org/
• The American Public Power Association (APPA) held its Legislative Rally last week in Washington, D.C.  As guests of Missouri River Energy Services (MRES), we met with Congresswoman Julie Fedorchak, Senator John Hoeven, and staff from Senator Kevin Cramer’s office on behalf of Public Power. As a member of the MRES Joint Action Agency, we believe it is vital to share the challenges facing public power in our ongoing efforts to maintain adequate, affordable power. Thank you to Deb Birgen, Sam McDonald, and the many others who facilitated a very beneficial rally for us.
• We seldom recognize the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.
• Mayor Jon Cole of Vermillion, SD, recently shared an article regarding the value of systematic maintenance, replacement of streets, infrastructure, and equipment. He pointed out this proactive approach allows for “deliberate planning” rather than “reactive decision-making.”  Thank you for the insight, Jon.
• Thank you to all who provided material and to Sue for proofing this column.
• “Things are never quite as scary when you have a best friend.”    ~ Bill Watterson

        Blessings, Prayer, Respect and Gratitude,

Dave Carlsrud

Greetings Everyone,

• Likely, during my lifetime, there were stretches of mild February weather like we’ve had the last couple of weeks, but I don’t remember them per se. Perhaps the most interesting part to me was the duration. The amount of thick ice in the alleys that melted was amazing. Whatever thoughts we may have about the phenomenon, we can be grateful for “lots of good weather in the bank”.
• The 2026 Winter Olympics are nearly in the books. Two commentators were discussing which Olympics is more difficult: summer or winter. One said, “The Winter Olympics, because the contestants often have something attached to their feet.” Interesting! The skeleton competition is especially crazy; they go head-first on a tiny sled, holding their chins just an inch off the ice while traveling 80 to 90 mph. Congratulations and thank you to all who competed!
• If you think your garbage pickup has been missed, please wait until after 3:00 PM to call the Transfer Station at 701-845-0314. Collection times can vary due to uncontrollable events. For water, electric, or street issues after hours, please call Public Works at 701-845-0380, and an after-hours operator will connect you to the appropriate department for assistance.
• The Christian season of Lent and the Muslim season of Ramadan began last Wednesday, February 18.
• The American Public Power Association (APPA) 2026 Legislative Rally will take place February 23-25 in Washington DC. Missouri River Energy Services (MRES), along with APPA, monitors public power legislation at the state and federal levels to maintain favorable rates for us. Watch for an update next week regarding some specific issues for which we will be lobbying.
• * Please continue watching for the Disaster Mitigation Survey and complete the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BarnesCountyMHMP.  For further information, please contact  Daniel Schwartz at dschwartz@nexusplanco.com  or Jessica Jenrich at jjenrich@barnescounty.us. Thank you.
• Thank you to all who provided material and to Sue for proofing this column.
• “If you don’t know what tomorrow holds, you need who holds tomorrow.”                 ~ Jesse Jackson

Blessings, Prayer, Respect and Gratitude,
Dave Carlsrud

“Hei”    (Pronounced “Hey”, is the most common Norwegian “Hello”)

• Sunday the 22nd, the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina will conclude. This year’s Winter Olympics have made for great television viewing, as the performances have been fabulous. If you aren’t familiar with a particular sport, it is okay—the announcers will share insights about the event and its intricacies. A couple of examples might be how players use sweeping to influence the stone’s path in curling, or how ski jumpers can fly 120+ meters (131+ yards). Think of a football field: it’s 100 yards plus 20 yards for the end zones, and they flew another 10 yards past that! I hope you can arrange a little time to watch a few of these amazing performances.  Google, 2026 Winter Olympics” and enjoy! 
• Thank you to the North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA) for selecting our community, and to Valley City Public Schools (VCPS) for hosting the Boys and Girls East Region Wrestling Tournaments over the weekend. It was wonderful to see the Hi-Liner Activity Center full of energy and to welcome so many wrestling fans to town!”
• With the beautifully warm weather we have been experiencing, much of the pet waste accumulated over the winter has been exposed. It is important to remember that pet waste left in the environment poses serious health risks, as these harmful organisms do not die in the cold. Instead, they linger in the soil. The bacteria and parasites found in waste cause zoonotic diseases in humans—such as hookworms, roundworms, Salmonella, E. coli, and Giardia. These pathogens can persist in the ground for weeks or even years, posing a significant threat to children, the elderly, and immunocompromised individuals who frequent our parks and sidewalks. Please help keep our community safe and our water clean: scoop the poop and dispose of it in a trash bin. Your neighbors (their shoes and your house) will thank you!
• * Please continue watching for the Disaster Mitigation Survey and complete the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BarnesCountyMHMP.  For further information, please contact  Daniel Schwartz at dschwartz@nexusplanco.com  or Jessica Jenrich at jjenrich@barnescounty.us.  Thank you.
• Thank you to all who provided material and to Sue for proofing this column.
• “Keep your eyes on the stars, and your feet on the ground.”  ~ Theodore Roosevelt

        Blessings, Prayer, Respect and Gratitude,

Dave Dave Carlsrud