BIA Advocacy Update

By Elizabeth Kosel

4/29/2024

BIA monitors elections to be decided June 11 and Nov. 5

BIA-RRV monitors several political races that matter locally and on the state level. The North Dakota Primary Election is June 11 and the General Election is Nov. 5.

We invite you to get involved!

Locally, BIA is involved with the races for Fargo City Commission, West Fargo Commission and Horace City Council and mayor. They will be decided June 11.

BIA-RRV is hosting candidate forums soon to help educate and inform members on the candidates’ stances regarding industry issues. Click the links below to read more and register:

Other races to watch:

Winners of these races on June 11 will advance to the General Election Nov. 5, 2024:

North Dakota Legislature Cass County districts 10, 16, 22, 44 and 46.
Cass County Commission (Districts 1, 3 and 5)

*We will also monitor Moorhead City Council, Clay County Commission and Minnesota Legislative races.

Building Officials Roundtable

BIA-RRV hosted our annual roundtable on April 23. Inspectors from Fargo, Moorhead, Horace, West Fargo and rural areas attended and gave members updates and reminders on code compliance and best practices. Main topics included:

Deck inspections
Airbnb and rental regulations
Pool ordinances
Land Use Ordinances and more.

If you are interested in purchasing a recording of the session, email elizabeth@hbafm.com or call our office at (701) 232-5846.

Building Industry Connect

April's event featured local bedroom communities. We were joined by officials from Barnesville and Dilworth, Minn. and Casselton, Colfax/Richland County and Hillsboro/Traill County, N.D.

We were able to learn more about new events in each community, including

businesses starting, expanding and job opportunities
amenities like stores, clinics, parks and great school systems
ordinance and planning updates
housing developments and more.

NAHB News

New Energy Codes Mandate a Blow to Housing Affordability

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have issued a new requirement that all HUD and USDA-financed new single-family construction housing must be built to the 2021 International Energy Conservation Code (IECC) and HUD-financed multifamily housing be built to 2021 IECC or ASHRAE 90.1-2019.

Studies have shown that building up to the 2021 IECC can add up to $31,000 to the price of a new home and take up to 90 years for a home buyer to attain a return on investment. All in all, it will have little energy savings and increase housing costs, leading to more potential home buyers being priced out of the market.

The rule's effective date is May 28, 2024, but HUD did extend the compliance dates.

Compliance dates are:

18 months after the effect date for single-family homes
12 months after the effective date for multifamily projects
24 months after the effective date for homes in "persistent poverty rural areas."

Read more about the rule, its impacts and NAHB's response here. It is sure to be a major topic at the upcoming NAHB Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. June 12.

Biden Administration Releases Decarbonization Plan for Homes and Buildings

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently released a blueprint for decarbonizing buildings in the country, including homes. The stated goal of the plan is to reduce carbon emissions from buildings 90% by 2050 compared with the 2005 baseline, with an interim goal of a 65% reduction by 2035.

Although the blueprint was created in consultation with other federal agencies and includes many state, local and federal policy ideas, it is a non-binding document that does not make specific regulatory or policy proposals.

BIA Advocacy Update

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