Coeur d’Alene School Board cancels special meeting, saying contested trustee intends to return to qualifying residence

The Coeur d’Alene school district canceled a special board of trustees meeting scheduled for Wednesday to discuss the residency qualifications of a trustee after the district’s legal council determined her residency is in the zone she represents.

The board on Monday called Wednesday’s special meeting to evaluate Zone 1 trustee Allie Anderton’s residency after a citizen email alleged she had vacated her zone 1 address. In order to hold office, a trustee must live in the zone they’re elected to represent, per Idaho code.

Anderton is temporarily staying in an out-of-zone address, she confirmed on Tuesday, but wrote in an email to Board Chair Rebecca Smith she intends to return to her zone 1 residency once her divorce is finalized.

The district’s legal council determined trustee residency allows for temporary leave from an address without it qualifying as vacating the residency, so long as the trustee intends to return.

“I am comfortable with Trustee Anderton’s explanation and statement of intent to return to her residence in zone 1. Therefore, we will not proceed with a special meeting today to discuss the matter,” Smith wrote in a news release. “We will continue to work through the issue with Trustee Anderton to ensure compliance with applicable board policies and state statutes regarding trustee residency.”