Post Falls Council Comes Out Against Refueling Depot

Another group has added its opposition to a plan to build a refueling depot over the area’s aquifer: the Post Falls City Council.

Tuesday night, Councilman Clay Larkin asked his fellow council members to oppose the proposed Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway depot. He suggested writing a letter to Kootenai County to say that allowing the depot would jeopardize public safety, health and welfare.

The majority of the council agreed.

Councilmen Ron Jacobson and Joe Bodman voted with Larkin in favor of writing the letter. Scott Grant opposed the idea, saying he would prefer suggesting that the county commissioners use caution in evaluating the proposal.

“This is something I’m really torn on,” Grant said, explaining that he’s impressed by the numerous safeguards the railroad is taking with its design but not sure about the risk posed to the region’s sole source of drinking water.

Larkin will write the letter.

In other council business:

The owner of a softball complex the city had considered buying said he will not pay the cost of an appraisal on the property.

The owners of Quad Park had asked the city if it would be interested in purchasing the facility for $1.5 million. The council decided to allow citizens to vote on the idea on Aug. 3, and voters rejected the proposal.

But owner Bob Townsend wondered if voters would have rejected it so soundly if they had known its true value.

The county assessor’s office estimated its value at much lower than the asking price. The city and Quad Park had agreed to split 50-50 the $4,000 cost of getting an appraisal.

But the appraisal took time to complete. During a public forum on the issue a few days before the vote, City Administrator Jim Hammond failed to mention the appraisal’s existence, though it had not yet been completed. Townsend didn’t receive his copy of the appraisal in the mail until after the election.

Because of that and because voters weren’t informed of the true value before they voted, Townsend told the council “we would be unable to pay our half of the appraisal cost,” and returned to his seat without further comment from either himself or the council.

Building a new police station won’t cost Post Falls taxpayers any extra taxes, according to Police Chief Cliff Hayes’ figures.

Hayes calculated that the city would need about $370,000 per year to pay for a new station. Of that amount, $35,000 could come from impact fees the city collects from new development, $75,000 could come from the general fund, and $200,000 could come from an area around West Seltice Way.

That area is currently a special taxing district, in which the city doesn’t collect all the taxes the area generates. Once the taxing district ends, an additional $200,000 will come into the city’s coffers.

“We still need to come up with the additional $60,000 and I’m not sure where that will come from, but we can find it,” Hayes said.

One possible location for the new station is on property the city owns near its wastewater treatment plant, a location Hayes told the council “would work, but I do not feel it would be ideal.”

It would be better for law enforcement to be closer to the Interstate 90 corridor, he said.

The council did not select a location Tuesday.