Property tax bills out by today, after delay

Several thousand Kootenai County homeowners will get property tax bills this week, about a week later than scheduled because of a computer glitch at the county treasurer’s office.

Most of the 80,000 tax bills went out Nov. 27, but one group was delayed, county Treasurer Tom Malzahn said Monday. “We did encounter a glitch or hiccup in one of the groups that we sent out last week,” he said.

The problem, in a new computer system used to process tax statements, involved an apparent incorrect character in the address of one bill, which “screwed up everything from that point on,” Malzahn said.

The county contracts with a vendor to process and mail bills. The remaining statements were to go out by today and should be delivered no later than Thursday, Malzahn said.

By law, property taxes must be paid by Dec. 20.

Malzahn advised residents to call his office Monday if they still have not received their statements.

– Scott Maben

Sandpoint

Deal near for city to own rail depot

Sandpoint might soon own a train depot that’s on Idaho’s National Register of Historic Places, the mayor said.

Mayor Ray Miller said officials are considering a deal that would have the city buy the 90-year-old building and property from Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway.

The town would lease it back to the railway to use as its Amtrak station at a cost equal to operating and maintaining the building.

The railway is obligated to have Amtrak stations along its lines.

Miller is scheduled to meet with officials from the railway, Amtrak, Idaho Transportation Department and Gov. Jim Risch on Wednesday in Coeur d’Alene.

The railway had offered to sell the depot to the city three years ago, but city officials said they couldn’t afford it then because it didn’t include the lease deal.

The most recent deal would include renovating the depot.

A study by the state Transportation Department found that the depot was still structurally sound, but needed to be re-roofed.

– Associated Press