Cda City Budget Hearing Is Tonight

Taxpayers get a shot at questioning, applauding or criticizing the city of Coeur d’Alene’s annual budget tonight.

The first of three budget hearings on the $33.4 million spending plan begins at 5:15 p.m. in the City Council chambers at city hall. While citizens turn out for hearings on annexation requests and development proposals, they rarely show up for budget matters, city officials say.

“I would say if you don’t attend any other council meeting in the year, you should attend this one,” said John Austin, city finance director. The public hearings will show people where their tax dollars go and “I don’t think anything hits people harder than what comes out of their wallet.”

Concerned Businesses of North Idaho shares Austin’s concern for citizen participation in the tax-and-spend process. “If we want our property taxes to go down, taxpayers need to attend budget hearings,” said Pat Raffee, executive director of the group.

“Our taxing districts need to know we want lower budgets,” Raffee said.

The preliminary city budget calls for spending about $4 million more in 1995-96 than this year. But most of the increase is for water and sewer projects.

The money to pay for those projects comes from sources like sewer and water funds. These funds are built with money set aside from utility bills.

Under the proposed budget, property tax levy rates will drop for the fifth straight year, Austin said. The net effect is that people with homes that have increased as much as 14 percent in value can expect to pay the same amount of taxes to the city as last year, he said.

Coeur d’Alene could have increased property taxes 3 percent, according to legislation passed this year by the Idaho Legislature. But the council decided against that move, Austin said.

The only additional property tax money in the city spending plan - some $216,000 - comes to the tax rolls from new construction.

The council also has scheduled public hearings on the budget for Aug. 29 and 31, starting at 5:15 p.m. in the council chambers. If there isn’t sufficient public interest, the third hearing may be canceled.

, DataTimes