City budget leaner by $10 million

Coeur d’Alene isn’t getting a lot of extras in its new city budget.

Even though the City Council made hiring more police officers and firefighters a priority, there isn’t enough cash in the fiscal year 2004-2005 budget to get it done.

“Good protection will erode over time if we don’t get officers on the street,” Councilman Al Hassell said.

But he knows there isn’t enough money available in the proposed $51 million budget, which is about $10 million less than this year’s budget.

Spending is decreasing because Coeur d’Alene has fewer large projects, such as expansion of the wastewater treatment plant and improvements to Government Way.

The City Council will hold a public hearing Tuesday on the proposed budget.

The proposal would raise property tax revenues by 3 percent, but homeowners might not see an increase in their tax bills because the city’s total property value has jumped about $73 million, meaning the tax burden will be spread over a wider area. Some property owners might see a tax increase if their home or land value was assessed higher, as many downtown properties were, Finance Director Troy Tymesen said.

The owner of a $132,500 home, with exemptions, will pay about $470 a year.

“Forty dollars a month to plow the streets and give you police, parks and recreation isn’t bad,” Tymesen said. “It’s about the cost of the cable bill.”

The only new program in the budget is the $1.1 million the city plans to collect from the new storm water management fee that the council approved in June. Starting in October, the city will charge residents $4 per month for storm water improvements and maintenance. Storm water has a direct impact on the water quality of Lake Coeur d’Alene and the Spokane River.

The storm water division includes a new position, but the city will use an existing street department employee to help out with those duties instead of hiring a new person. The money will come from the new fee. Streets and storm water workers will cross over and do both jobs.

This is the second year the council was presented with a balanced budget. The city’s directors battle out how to divvy up the cash so the budget is balanced when the council gets it. Before, the council would spend months figuring out how to cut money from departments’ wish lists.

“I have no concerns,” Council President Dixie Reid said. “The staff did an excellent job.”

Reid said the council hasn’t yet heard any comments about the budget and doubts many people will attend the hearing.

“That apathy bothers me, but by the same token it is kind of a vote of confidence for how we are handling people’s tax money,” she said.

The 6 p.m. hearing is at City Hall, 710 E. Mullan Ave. For more information, call 769-2300.