McKenzie County Farmer - Latest News

M.K. French
Farmer Staff Writer

“Housing is their primary hurdle,” says Vawnita Best, Community & Business Development Director for Watford City, speaking about local employers and their struggle to attract and retain a workforce. A new bill, SB 2225, aims to tackle this very issue, and Watford City is pushing hard for its passage.

In a recent interview with The Farmer, Best explained that SB 2225 would create a grant program through the North Dakota Department of Commerce, providing up to $20 million for communities like Watford City to match local dollars for residential lot infrastructure costs. “The intent is to push grant funded savings directly to home buyers through lower purchase prices,” Best stated.
For McKenzie County residents, this bill is particularly relevant due to the rapid growth the area has experienced. “We were the fastest growing community under 10,000 people between the 2010 and 2020 decennial census in the United States,” Best noted. This growth, coupled with high-paying jobs, has driven housing prices to a point where McKenzie County is among the “15th percentile of most expensive counties in the United States to purchase a home.”

The bill seeks to address the high cost of constructing new homes in rural communities, where a lack of builders and skilled trades makes housing unattainable for working families. “The cost of constructing/creating new rooftops in rural communities, where the lack of builders and skilled trades cause new homes to be unattainable by working families,” Best explained.

According to Best, the $20 million allocation for communities like Watford City is crucial. “This is due to several factors, including: 1) supply and demand, 2) cost to build a house here, 3) cost of infrastructure per unit for a residential home. For these reasons, and the grant dollar amount proposed to communities the size of Watford City, [this bill] provides an opportunity to bring new rooftops down $15,000 - $20,000 from where they currently are, without the match grant funds.”

The grant, if approved, would be administered by the Department of Commerce, which Best says is fitting given their role in workforce development. “Housing is a workforce attraction and retention hurdle across North Dakota,” she emphasized.
Watford City is actively supporting the bill and has even requested an amendment to increase the maximum grant award for communities in their population range. “If the H.O.M.E. program was available to support $3.3M in residential infrastructure funding to buy down lot prices in Watford City and incentivized the creation of 150-200 rooftops, that would help our businesses lower their self-identified primary barrier to attracting workforce to McKenzie County and retaining them there,” Best stated in her written testimony to the House Political Subs Committee.

Best also highlighted the projected workforce growth in Region 1, which includes McKenzie County. “One in every three jobs created in North Dakota through 2031 is expected to be in McKenzie, Williams and Divide counties,” she said. “A projected workforce without realistic affordable housing solutions at this point in time.”

Best offered an optimistic assurance to citizens regarding support of and communication about related developments: “The bill is currently in the legislative process, and residents can track its progress on the North Dakota Legislative website. “As more details become available, all entities that work on rooftop creation in our community will provide information on how to participate in the H.O.M.E. program funding opportunities.”

Ultimately, Best believes that Bill 2225 and the resulting grant program will have a significant positive impact on McKenzie County: “more rooftops, providing [opportunities] for people to relocate here for great careers,” she stated. “As supply catches up with demand through rooftop creation, housing becomes more affordable for working families.”

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