County growth figures in race

Independent Kootenai County commission candidate Tom Macy wants to put a temporary stop on growth until the commission can “unscramble the mess” and get back into compliance with land-use laws.

Macy, who also ran in 2002 as a Libertarian, knows that moratorium is a dirty word and frightening to many – especially the developers, builders and real estate brokers profiting from the boom. Yet he said it’s the only way the county can regain control and stop the “free-for-all.”

“It’s absolutely decimating our rural areas,” said Macy, who said he is running because the Democrats don’t have a candidate and the Republicans picked someone who, in his opinion, promises more of the same.

He thinks the county is plagued with problems because its elected officials have refused to follow the law. One example is the commission’s recent decision to amend the comprehensive plan to allow for a luxury golf retreat near Harrison. He alleges that the change violates zoning laws.

Republican challenger Todd Tondee, a Post Falls city councilman who owns a pizza shop and a used-car lot, agrees that the county hasn’t handled its ever-increasing population well. But Tondee is adamant that a moratorium, no matter how temporary, isn’t the answer.

“Our economy is tied too much to the building industry,” Tondee said. “A moratorium would hurt the whole economy. It means no building in the county.”

Instead, he said, the commission should start charging developers impact fees and not allow variances or exceptions to land-use rules.

The county also is updating its comprehensive plan, the foundation of all land-use decisions, and Tondee said that should help fix some growth-related problems.

Tondee ousted Commission Chairman Gus Johnson in the May Republican primary. Commissioner Katie Brodie also lost that election, to Republican Rich Piazza. Piazza has no challenger in the Nov. 7 election.

Tondee described the primary as a “throw out the bums” political climate instead of a steadfast vote for himself and Piazza.

“Both Gus and Katie said, ‘We’re doing a great job and the county is run very well,’ ” Tondee said. “But they weren’t hearing what people were saying.”

He said he is realistic about the expectation voters will have for whoever is elected. “It puts pressure on me to come up with solutions.”

Macy also wants the county to charge impact fees for development, and he thinks developers should pay for the study needed to establish the system. He said developers are exploiting the area just like the fur traders, miners and loggers – groups he said grabbed a resource, made a huge profit and left a mess for locals.

“This is no different, but this resource is open space and natural beauty,” Macy said. “When this one is done, there is going to be no cleaning up.”

He argues the county is diminishing locals’ private property rights by kowtowing to developers.

Since June, when Planning Director Rand Wichman resigned, the county has been without one of its key positions. The current commission, including Rick Currie – the only commissioner who will remain on the board – has been trying to find a replacement. Macy and Tondee think the county should wait to make a hire until the newly-elected commissioners take office in January.

Currie recently invited Piazza, Macy and Tondee to participate in candidate interviews. Both Piazza and Macy declined, but Tondee attended an interview Monday.

Tondee’s top priorities are overseeing the comprehensive plan rewrite and ensuring that it meshes with rules for classifying and dividing land. He wants to have regular town hall meetings where residents can voice concerns, and he wants to boost employee morale, giving them more say in how the county operates.

He also wants to look at changing the style of county government, something voters ultimately must approve. He supports having a county administrator, similar to how cities such as Post Falls operate. One alternative form of county government is five part-time county commissioners instead of three full-time officials.

Macy opposes the idea of a county administrator, arguing it was tried before and didn’t work. He said it would only add an extra, unneeded layer and waste taxpayers dollars.

He also wants to make county employees feel more included and find a way for them to voice their opinions. He believes in a management style he calls “management by walking around” – spending time talking to employees, hearing their problems and working with them on solutions.

Besides confronting growth, Macy said his top priority is finding a solution for the overcrowded jail. This is a problem the currentcommission handed off to the new board when it opted not to put a $55 million sales tax proposal to expand the jail on the November ballot. The decision came after voters rejected a similar $50 million proposal last fall.

Macy opposes the $55 million expansion and said the county needs to explore other options such as treatment programs in lieu of jail. And if the county does need to ask taxpayers for money to expand the jail, he thinks the commission first must regain the public’s trust.

Tondee said the jail is a top priority, and the commission either has to expand it or find a way to reduce the number of inmates. He said the new commission will have to research its options, but regaining public trust is crucial.

Both candidates oppose Proposition 2, which also is on the statewide ballot and would enact a sweeping new regulatory takings law, requiring government to pay property owners if any land-use regulation diminishes their potential profits from full development of their land. They maintain it would erode current land-use laws and the county’s ability to plan for growth while costing taxpayers millions of dollars.

Tondee and Macy support a ballot measure to create an aquifer protection district over the Rathdrum Prairie aquifer, the sole source of drinking water for 500,000 in Kootenai and Spokane counties.

The district would generate about $300,000 a year to make up for aquifer protection measures that Idaho is no longer funding. The district could triple the amount of pollution prevention and monitoring programs aimed at keeping the aquifer clean. Households above the aquifer would pay $6 a year for its protection; businesses would pay $12.