Critical Financial Report Stirs Up City Hall Concerned Businesses Prepares Detailed Analysis Of City Spending

City employees and department heads were rushed into staff meetings Thursday for a warning about a critical report due out any day from a local business lobbying group.

Concerned Businesses of North Idaho is preparing a detailed analysis of city spending that apparently includes the charge that city employees are far better paid than the average wage earner in North Idaho. The study also is expected to say city employees earn far more than their counterparts in other communities in Idaho.

Top city officials, including Mayor Al Hassell, City Administrator Ken Thompson and Councilman Kevin Packard were allowed to see an advance copy of the report Thursday. They convinced Concerned Businesses not to release the information to the press Thursday.

“We asked for 24 hours to notify our people,” said Thompson. But as to the specifics, all Thompson would say is “we had some discussions with staff.” And “I feel an obligation to make sure my people hear what’s in the report before it’s released to the press.”

Mayor Al Hassell also declined to comment. “Our council hasn’t even seen it,” he said.

The city of Coeur d’Alene has 235 full-time staff members. They are scheduled for a 4 percent salary increase this fall, part of a contract negotiated last year.

Last year staff received a 3 percent raise, but the year before they didn’t get any salary boost.

This summer, Concerned Businesses attended the preliminary budget meetings that happen each year between city department leaders and the financial staff.

The group is analyzing the city budget much the way it analyzed Kootenai County’s budget last year. The 1997 city spending plan will be presented to the council on Tuesday.

Concerned Businesses’ executive director Steve Judy was reluctant to comment on the report. “It’s not some big secret,” Judy said. “We wanted to have a chance to meet with the council people and talk about what we’re talking about.”

The report is “a letter from our organization about what we learned,” he said.

Concerned Businesses attended the budget hearings for all of the county’s taxing districts last year and presented testimony about ways to cut spending at several of those meetings. That critique has drawn fire from some government officials - who are constantly peppered with requests for services - and people like firefighters who stand to lose pay and training.

, DataTimes