Voters Deciding District’S Future Sandpoint Highway District To Face Election On Dissolution

City residents will get a chance to vote on disbanding the Sandpoint Independent Highway District, the Bonner County Commission decided Wednesday evening.

In a 2-to-1 vote, the commissioners instructed the county attorney to draw up findings of fact to defend their decision to hold an election. When they approve those findings, they’ll also set a date for the election.

“There is enough testimony that you can conclude it should be dissolved,” Commissioner Dale Van Stone said as he voted with Commissioner Bud Mueller.

Commissioner Brian Orr said he struggled with the decision, but he could not conclude that the district should be eliminated.

“If there’s dissatisfaction with this organization, then it needs to be changed,” he said. But, he said, the district is solvent and “they are taking care of streets.”

That comment drew a chorus of boos and hisses from the crowd of about 75 people who turned out for the second county hearing on the issue.

The crowd cheered after Van Stone broke ranks with Orr and joined Mueller, who said, “It’s very important that people get a chance to vote.”

All commissioners agreed that the Idaho statute governing the process of dissolution is vague and puts the county at risk of a lawsuit. But, Mueller said, “I don’t know how we’ll solve this except through court.”

The commissioners were forced to make a decision after being presented with a petition from residents earlier this year calling for dissolution.

The petitioners complained that the district did a poor job of maintaining roads, wasted tax dollars and duplicated services.

The city of Sandpoint has championed the cause and is in the process of expanding its public works department to take over street maintenance and construction.

The city has the help of the highway district’s road superintendent, who quit the district last week and is now working on a contract basis temporarily with the city.

Sandpoint Public Works Director Kody Van Dyk said he is ready to hire four street department employees as soon as the City Council approves a resolution to expand the department. The resolution and accompanying ordinances were approved this week by a council subcommittee.

“We have been at work. We have a plan,” he said.

Highway district officials warned that if the district is dissolved, the citizens of Sandpoint would lose significant funding for roads and could lose federal dollars for current and proposed construction projects.

City Planner Kevin Clegg said he checked with state Department of Transportation officials and was assured that the city would receive those funds as “the succeeding operational unit” to the highway district.

City Finance Director Sandy Lamson addressed the commissioners with spreadsheets, outlining the finances for the proposed city street department. According to her projections, the annual tax bill for the Sandpoint owner of a home with a taxable value of $100,000 would increase by about $60.

She also noted that the highway district now spends $24,000 per mile of street, compared with Coeur d’Alene which spends $11,000 per mile. The city, she said, would spend about $18,000 per mile.

Bonner County Clerk Marie Scott noted that other cities in the county stand to lose a total of $15,000, because of the effect dissolution would have on the county’s road and bridge levy, and the corresponding portion that’s distributed to the cities.

That loss of revenue prompted the mayor and a city councilman from Dover, Idaho, to testify against the election.

“We’ll have to ask for a tax increase,” Dover Mayor Randy Curless said.

Highway District attorney Bruce Greene said that state law only calls for the dissolution of highway districts when they become bankrupt.

He was skeptical that dissolution would have any tangible benefits.

“You’re going to have decreased services, no matter what the claims are,” Greene said.