Council Kills Annexation Moratorium

The City Council on Tuesday shot down a proposed annexation moratorium, claiming it would eliminate caseby-case decision-making.

Councilman Ron Edinger and Dan English supported the measure. Both said it would give the city time to find new sources of money in the wake of an Idaho Supreme Court decision prohibiting impact fees.

The city also may give back the $476,000 in impact fees it collected since 1993 rather than challenge the court ruling. The council agreed to discuss that matter behind closed doors late Tuesday.

Given the potential loss of those funds and the uncertain future of an impact fee bill now before the Legislature, Edinger said the city needs to rethink its approach to growth. Two major proposed annexations now face the city: A 445-unit housing project and a 92-unit housing project.

“I think it’s time we step back and say ‘Hey, are we spreading ourselves too thin?”’ he said.

But four council members said their job was to resolve each request individually - not with a ban.

“If we are afraid of making a decision, then maybe we should step down,” said Councilman Kevin Packard. “We accepted that responsibility when we accepted this office.”

A legislative measure legalizing impact fees passed through the House and is now before a Senate committee. While this year’s bill has support of the state’s largest builders’ group and a Realtor group - a first - the chairman of that committee has promised to shelve the proposal.

Some residents downplayed that threat in opposing the ban.

“I think if the city would be patient and work with the already forged alliances and the Legislature, that would be better,” said Dirk Scott, a legislative affairs officer with the North Idaho Building Contractors Association.