POST FALLS - When Post Falls City Council candidates were asked how to ease the budget crunch - either increase taxes or decrease levels of service - a variety of responses were given during a forum on Thursday night.

Seat 3 candidates - incumbent Scott Grant and Joe Malloy - differed on the topic.

Grant, who has served on the council 21 years, said he supported raising taxes 2 percent because he believed the city had cut to the bone and services would have suffered.

The city's budget had been reduced by more than $2.7 million over the past three years, no tax hike was taken the previous two years and he believed the additional $8.05 per year in taxes for the owner of a $150,000 home was warranted for maintaining services.

"We held the line for the last two years," Grant said. "In an election year, the easy thing to do would have been to say no (to taxes). But it boiled down to what services are you willing to eliminate."

Grant said if services such as street maintenance fall behind, it may end up costing more down the line to fix problems, so he believed it was the fiscally responsible thing to do.

Malloy said he supports a decrease in services during tough times over raising taxes.

"Everybody can adjust and get used to the new normal," he said. "People can't raise their revenue; the city can. I understand the justification behind (raising taxes), but as much as everybody is struggling, it's the wrong thing to do."

Malloy said $8 per year may not seem like much, but when you tack on any other increases from other taxing agencies, it adds up. He suggests cutting Post Falls Days out of the city's budget because he doesn't believe the event is essential during a recession. Another idea is having police officers pay for their own POST training as some other agencies have had to do.

Seat 5 candidates - incumbent Skip Hissong and Barry Rubin - differed on raises for some employees.

Hissong said he supported raises for select employees, including some police officers and a wastewater treatment operator, because those are skilled positions that are expensive to train if they leave for higher-paying agencies.

Hissong said he supported raising taxes this year to slow down police turnover and keep pace with road maintenance.

But Rubin said he believes more examination of turnover is needed before giving raises.

"Before we immediately throw more money at merit increases, we need to look at why voluntary employee attrition is taking place," he said. "In many cases, it's not just the money."

Rubin said spending priorities need to be set during tough times, and that takes leadership.

"Spending priorities opens up avenues to cut back," he said. "But without that basic parameter, you are locked into raising taxes."

The Seat 1 race features incumbent Kerri Thoreson, former council member Joe Bodman and political newcomer Jim Edgington.

Edgington said he would bring a fresh perspective to the council and his knowledge of budgets from working as a police officer in South Dakota.

"I think the city needs to go after businesses and there's ways to bring in more revenue without taxing the people," he said.

But he said if the city recruits a business, it should make sure the majority of the people hired will be from the local area rather than transfers with the company.

Thoreson said if she's re-elected she'll be transparent and responsive to all inquiries. She said gaining a long-term vision from the citizens of what they want their community to be will be critical in the next four years.

"That community dialogue will be a priority," she said.

Bodman said he's frustrated the City Council decided to not keep the Greensferry overpass or interchange alive by extending the East Post Falls Urban Renewal District. He said he believes that project would have gone a long way toward keeping businesses alive due to improved mobility.

Bodman said he would stay true to his philosophy from serving on the council before.

"I made the promise to the citizens that I'd always vote the way the majority of the citizens want me to vote," he said.

If you missed it

The Post Falls City Council candidate forum will rebroadcast on the city cable channel 13 on Sundays at 3 p.m. and Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 6 p.m. through Nov. 7. The forum will also be available as video on demand at www.postfallsidaho.org.