North Dakota
Retired North Dakota county officials to keep pensions under temporary fix
BISMARCK — Nearly two dozen retired county employees across North Dakota will keep receiving their pensions, following a decision by the North Dakota Public Employees Retirement System Board on Tuesday, May 13.
Some retirees serving as elected county officials had their pension payments suspended earlier this year after federal regulators flagged a tax oversight. The issue involved officials who returned to county service after retirement and were allowed to opt out of contributing to the pension system — a violation of a 2007 change in federal tax code.
Among those affected was Grand Forks County Commissioner Bob Rost, who initially resigned when his pension was halted, saying he couldn’t live on his $22,000 annual salary as a commissioner.
“To me this is a no-brainer,” said Mike Seminary, NDPERS board chairman.
So far, 20 officials self-reported the conflict. In April, the Grand Forks County Commission reluctantly wrote a $20,000 check to PERS, covering the county and employee contributions that should have been made since Rost was elected six years ago. That payment will now be refunded.
“This would allow current elected county officials who are receiving retirement benefits to not have to repay the overpayment of benefits and this would eliminate the need for employers to make retroactive contributions back,” Seminary said.
The board has established a sunset clause for this decision, effective through Aug. 1, 2027. Until then, PERS staff and lawmakers are expected to develop a permanent solution.
“You can’t make a salary based on your elected earnings, so we count on those retired people to come over to county government and participate as a county commissioner,” said Aaron Birst, executive director of the North Dakota Association of Counties.
The PERS board plans to hold a special meeting next week to begin outlining future changes.
Matt Henson is an Emmy award-winning reporter/photographer/editor for WDAY. Prior to joining WDAY in 2019, Matt was the main anchor at WDAZ in Grand Forks for four years.
North Dakota State Bison (8-2) at Pepperdine Waves (7-2)
Malibu, California; Tuesday, 5 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: North Dakota State visits Pepperdine after Avery Koenen scored 22 points in North Dakota State’s 83-55 victory against the Eastern Illinois Panthers.
The Waves are 4-0 on their home court. Pepperdine is 1-0 when it turns the ball over less than its opponents and averages 18.2 turnovers per game.
The Bison are 3-0 on the road. North Dakota State scores 77.4 points and has outscored opponents by 15.3 points per game.
Pepperdine averages 8.1 made 3-pointers per game, 2.8 more made shots than the 5.3 per game North Dakota State gives up. North Dakota State averages 6.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.1 fewer made shots on average than the 7.3 per game Pepperdine allows.
TOP PERFORMERS: Seleh Harmon averages 2.7 made 3-pointers per game for the Waves, scoring 10.4 points while shooting 44.4% from beyond the arc. Elli Guiney is shooting 47.3% and averaging 14.4 points.
Molly Lenz averages 1.7 made 3-pointers per game for the Bison, scoring 7.8 points while shooting 39.5% from beyond the arc. Koenen is averaging 18.2 points, 10 rebounds and 1.6 steals.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
WEST FARGO — Three incumbents from West Fargo will run for reelection to their state legislative seats.
North Dakota Sen. Judy Lee and Reps. Jim Jonas and Austen Schauer, all Republicans, announced Sunday, Dec. 14, that they would campaign to represent District 13 in the state Legislature. The district covers much of north West Fargo.
Special to The Forum
Lee was first elected to the North Dakota Senate in 1994. Jonas and Schauer have served in the state House since 2023 and 2019, respectively.
The three ran unopposed in the 2022 election. The next election for their seats is in 2026.
Forum file photo
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
WATFORD CITY, N.D. (KUMV) – The North Dakota Department of Transportation awarded more than 150 million dollars in bids to continue expanding highway 85 south of Watford City.
More than $83.8 million will go to Park Construction out of Minneapolis for one segment. It covers about five and a half miles south of the Long X Bridge, going through another section of the badlands. It’s expected to be a three-year project due to the rough terrain.
The next segment covers 12 and a half miles south from the badlands to the highway 200 intersection. The winning bid went to Strata out of Grand Forks for $61.7 million. It will be a two-year project.
Funding for these projects were provided by both the state and federal government.
Copyright 2025 KFYR. All rights reserved.
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