Panel Thinks 5 Is Cheaper, Better Than 3 Group Launches Drive To Alter County Commission

Convinced that five part-time county commissioners would be better than three full-time commissioners, a coalition launched a petition drive Monday to put that option to voters.

The Kootenai County Senior Coalition’s effort will require signatures of 15 percent of the number of voters in the last general election - about 6,100 people.

The measure, which would appear on the November general election ballot, would require approval from a simple majority of voters.

But if the plan were to pass, transition to a five-commission governing body wouldn’t be so straightforward, said Dick Compton, chairman of the Kootenai County commissioners. “It’s a simplistic solution to a more complex problem.”

The ballot question would be fairly simple. Voters would choose either to retain the status quo - three commissioners - or switch to five commissioners.

By law, the ballot measure cannot mandate that the commissioners switch from full time to part time. Idaho law requires commissioners to make that decision.

But faced with clear support from the voters for the five commissioner alternative, the senior coalition believes county commissioners would take the hint and cut their pay to part time, Art Manley, a coalition member, said.

The measure would not affect current commissioners, two of whom are up for re-election this year.

Under the five-commissioner form of government, four of the commissioners would serve two-year terms and one would serve a four-year term, Manley said.

An expanded group of part-time commissioners has proven more efficient in other regions of the country, said Fay Harder, chairman of the Senior Coalition.

Manley points to two specific reasons for making the switch. Kootenai County now has a full-time county administrator “who we feel certain must be taking the burden of day-to-day administration off of the commissioners,” he said.

More commissioners also could mean better representation for the growing rural areas, Manley said.

By switching to part-time pay for all of the commissioners, the county should save money overall, he said.

The city of Coeur d’Alene’s part-time mayor and part-time City Council oversee about the same budget as the county, and supervise everything from a finance director to a fire chief. “And they are getting less than part-time pay,” Manley said.

The county commissioners do not have the authority to supervise the sheriff, prosecutor or any of the other major county officers. “So why do we need them full time?” Manley asked.

Commission chairman Compton says proposing the switch to part-time overlooks the number of tasks the commissioners are mandated to do by state law. For example, a quorum of the commissioners must hear property tax appeals.

Two years ago, that required non-stop hearings from June through August, Compton said.

Five commissioners? “I have no quarrel with that,” Compton said. “You could have any number of commissioners.”

Running the county with a couple of city-council style meetings each month, however, is more complicated because the commissioners are required to be involved in many more issues.

This is the second attempt to modify Kootenai County government since 1994, when Idaho residents resoundingly supported a constitutional amendment allowing changes. That prompted the Kootenai County commissioners to appoint a nine-member citizens commission to draft ideas.

That group presented its recommendation last June. It included not only expanding the county commission to five, but hiring a county manager, and then converting all of the other elected posts - from sheriff to coroner - to appointed positions.

The county commissioners voted to kill that proposal a month later.

Spokane County voters also have killed efforts to expand their county commission from three members to five.

THE PETITION The measure to have Kootenai County governed by five part-time commissioners requires signatures of 6,100 registered voters in order to appear on the November ballot.