Compton Rethinks Opposition To Building Commissioner Blasted Plan During Campaign; Now Wants Taxpayer Comment

Kootenai County Commissioner Dick Compton has warmed to the idea of erecting a new multimillion dollar county office building without voter approval.

During his campaign, though, Compton lambasted commissioners for pursuing such a plan.

Now, Compton wants taxpayers to comment, at least, on a variety of space needs and construction alternatives before he makes his final decision.

“We’ll work up a plan, run it up the flag pole and see what we get,” he said Tuesday.

Last summer, commissioners earmarked $500,000 for the first phase of a new 30,000-square-foot building.

It would house prosecutors, the building and planning departments and other county employees.

Compton said the estimated $3 million project should go to the public for a vote.

State law requires voter approval to seek long-term debt.

Fearing the public would reject the needed expense, the county had proposed bypassing the requirement through a lease-purchase agreement with the Idaho Association of Counties.

Tuesday, Compton acknowledged that a lease-purchase deal might be the best option. He has no intention of seeking a public vote on the project, he said.

“It would never sell with the taxpayers’ mood,” he said.

“I said I would get in here and see what needs to be done and that’s what I’m doing.”

County Clerk Tom Taggart has said the leasepurchase proposal would save money in the long run.

For the first seven years, the county would pay $350,000 to $400,000 on the lease, then the county would own the building.

The county currently pays about $145,000 a year in rent to house several departments outside the courthouse.

The project has been relocated and scaled back from an $11 million plan adopted two years ago by a citizens committee. Compton said Tuesday he would like to reorganize that nowdefunct group and have it review the new plan.

Architect Mike Patano said the new offices could be built this year if commissioners are prepared to start construction in the spring.

Before making that decision, Compton and Commissioner Bob Macdonald want to see cost estimates and a long-range plan for adding space to the county jail and constructing another courtroom.”Somewhere down the line, we’ll have to decide whether to do this or not, but right now I think everybody is leaning toward moving ahead with it,” Taggart said.