The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper The Spokesman-Review
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883
Current Temperature
45°F
Current Conditions
Scattered clouds
View complete weather report
Subscribe now

Group Rethinks County Government Citizen Panel Presents Its Ideas Today; Possible Modifications Stem From Statewide Vote In 1994

By Ken Olsen keno@spokesman.com

Should there be more Kootenai County commissioners? Or an appointed sheriff instead of an elected one?

All are possible changes to the way Kootenai County voters and elected officials do business. A citizen commission will present its recommendation to Kootenai County commissioners this afternoon.

Voters may have their say on any proposed changes during the 1998 general election.

Idaho voters overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment in 1994 allowing counties to modify their governments. The Legislature then passed specific guidelines.

The measure applies to the commissioners and the six other elected officials - the sheriff, coroner, treasurer, clerk, prosecutor and assessor.

It allows for a variety of changes, including expanding the Board of County Commissioners from three members to seven. People could be appointed to fill the other offices instead of being elected and some of the offices could be combined.

A nine-member commission, chaired by retired telecommunications executive Mike Anderson, was appointed by the county commissioners last fall to consider the options and recommend a course. They met as often as biweekly, held a public forum, and solicited ideas from current and former county officials and the mayors of the major communities.

Anderson won’t say what the group will recommend until the commissioners have the opportunity to review the group’s report. But there are hints of suggested changes.

The current form of county governance “was created at a time when we had a rural economy and communication was slow,” Anderson said. “More than 100 years later, it might be time for a change.”

The county commissioners have 30 days to decide whether to ignore the recommendation, modify it or take it to the voters as presented. When the citizens group was appointed, they said they would allow the voters to decide, Anderson said.

That’s not exactly the message the commissioners sent, said Dick Compton, chairman of the Kootenai County Commission.

“We assured them we would take this very seriously, that this was not a drill,” Compton said. “And we would go to the voters with something.”

The study group is a bright group that has worked quite hard, he added. But it is premature to say that the commissioners will take exactly what the study group recommends and put it on the ballot.

A vote to send the recommendation to the ballot won’t be unanimous, at a minimum. Since the study group was appointed, Commissioner Bob Macdonald was replaced by Ron Rankin, who adamantly opposes any changes in county government. Rankin especially is opposed to appointing the six county officials.

“I think it’s getting government away from the people,” Rankin said. “If you have a corrupt sheriff or county prosecutor, you can’t recall them.”

Based on preliminary reports from the study group, Rankin also opposes putting any proposed change to the voters. But if it goes to the ballot, Rankin said he will make it a key element in his own re-election campaign.

Anderson is disappointed by Rankin’s opposition.

A majority of Kootenai County voters supported looking at alternatives, Anderson said, referring to the 1994 constitutional amendment. “People in this county think it’s worth pursuing.”

The citizens commission also would be unhappy, he predicted. The group spent nine months and about 1,000 hours exploring the options.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: POSSIBLE CHANGES The Kootenai County Commissioners will receive a report from a citizen commission today recommending possible changes to county government. The commissioners have 30 days to decide what to do with the recommendation, including giving voters the chance to make the final decision. The options include combinations of the following: Expand the county commission from three members to five or seven members. Elect a manager to oversee all county operations. Have commissioners appoint a manager to oversee all county operations. Have the commission appoint the county coroner, clerk, treasurer, sheriff, prosecutor and assessor instead of having the voters make the decision. The county manager would oversee these officials. Allow the county manager to appoint the coroner, etc., and supervise them. Combine some of these six county positions. However, there are exceptions. The county clerk’s job cannot be merged with the sheriff or prosecutor’s job. The sheriff’s duties cannot be combined with the prosecutor or district court clerk. The prosecutor’s office cannot be combined with the sheriff or district court clerk.

This sidebar appeared with the story: POSSIBLE CHANGES The Kootenai County Commissioners will receive a report from a citizen commission today recommending possible changes to county government. The commissioners have 30 days to decide what to do with the recommendation, including giving voters the chance to make the final decision. The options include combinations of the following: Expand the county commission from three members to five or seven members. Elect a manager to oversee all county operations. Have commissioners appoint a manager to oversee all county operations. Have the commission appoint the county coroner, clerk, treasurer, sheriff, prosecutor and assessor instead of having the voters make the decision. The county manager would oversee these officials. Allow the county manager to appoint the coroner, etc., and supervise them. Combine some of these six county positions. However, there are exceptions. The county clerk’s job cannot be merged with the sheriff or prosecutor’s job. The sheriff’s duties cannot be combined with the prosecutor or district court clerk. The prosecutor’s office cannot be combined with the sheriff or district court clerk.