COEUR d'ALENE - The city of Coeur d'Alene has more than a few major decisions to make, but don't expect the current City Council or mayor to do that.

They are in transition mode, and with two new City Council members and a new mayor coming on board in January, the sitting city leaders are deferring those decisions to their successors.

"They have a lot of huge decisions to make, and they are coming in cold in terms of staff," said outgoing Councilwoman Deanna Goodlander. "I don't think it would be right for us to try and direct that on the way out."

Goodlander said the new city leaders will have the duty of replacing five out of the 10 department heads at the city.

"They really can't hit the ground running. They don't have the key staff, and losing Jon Ingalls was a pretty big loss," she said, adding the deputy city administrator coordinates a lot of the city's inner workings. "So, hopefully they can sit down, listen to staff and come up with a plan to get things moving."

Outgoing Councilman Mike Kennedy agrees with Goodlander. He said the biggest challenge will be assessing the personnel issues and coming up with a plan that they can put their own stamp on.

"Even though they have lost a lot of key staffers, they should be able to make the transition," he said, adding there is enough talent still in place to help with that.

Outgoing Mayor Sandi Bloem also agrees that the new council and mayor should take the time to analyze the staffing needs before filling those positions.

"The biggest challenge they have is putting together a new management team. They need to take a look at the structure and how that will work," she said. "We have been fortunate to have served with the team we had. It is going to be huge to replace that."

All three of the outgoing leaders have made themselves available to the council members- and mayor-elect, and they plan to stay involved for as long as they are needed.

Kennedy said the newly elected are faced with a lot of other major issues after getting the management team in place. They will have to transition onto many boards and liaison positions, and each of those positions has its own set of issues to contend with.

Both Kennedy and Bloem have been active in the Association of Idaho Cities. Bloem was set to be first vice president of the organization but she will resign from that position before the year ends.

"AIC is a big part of what we do," Kennedy said, adding the association is consistently dealing with urban renewal at the state legislative level, as well as other bills dealing with utilities and storm water.

"Bottom line is there are always issues pertaining to cities in the Legislature, and cities need to weigh in on those," Kennedy said. "Often times the road to Boise is long, but it's needed, and having relationships across the state helps a lot - it is vital."

Kennedy said he needs to tie up loose ends on the Parks and Recreation Commission, the North Idaho Housing Coalition and 10-Year Plan on the Homeless Committee.

"I'm winding down and taking care of what I can," he said.

Goodlander, who served 16 years on the council, said she will stepping off a few committees as well. She sat on the Arts Commission and was the council liaison to the Lake City Development Corporation.

"As a liaison to these committees, you really are just a conduit between the two bodies," she said, referring to her role on the LCDC board.

She said the new mayor will have to make that appointment after she is gone.

"All of these boards have talented people and will move on just fine," she said. "I will really miss the Arts Commission, though."

Bloem established the North Idaho Mayor's Association, and she will be talking with the mayor-elect about its function.

"I will talk with Steve (Widmyer) about what the association has accomplished, and it will be up to him and the rest of the mayors to decide if they will continue that," she said, adding she has already resigned from that organization.

Bloem said there are some pretty hefty challenges facing the new city leaders.

The four corners project is one of those challenges where the city will decide how to redevelop the area around the intersection of Government Way and Northwest Boulevard, she said.

Also, East Sherman Avenue is likely to become a challenge for the new council and mayor.

"They will have to be looking at ideas for pulling that end of town together," Bloem said. "It's going to take more than one development to fix that area. It will be complicated and take a lot of things to get that moving. But it's worth it. It is a gateway to our community."

In terms of long-range planning, Kennedy said the four corners project is probably one of the greatest challenges facing the new council.

Kennedy said the council members will have until about April to get loose ends tied up, and then it will be time to start the budget process.

That, he said, should give them the time they need to address staffing issues.

Another factor Goodlander and Kennedy see in the staffing discussion is the uptick in the economy and the need to process more and more building permits.

"They need to take a look at that with a new set of eyes," Kennedy said.

Goodlander said the planning and building departments are running "lean and mean" right now.

"I think they will have to add staff to get the job done," she said.

All three of the outgoing leaders said they are going to miss their jobs and the staff they have worked with for years.

"This truly has been the best 12 years of my life," said Bloem, the first female mayor of Coeur d'Alene, and the first mayor to hold three consecutive terms. "I could not have been more honored to serve this community."

Kennedy, who served eight years on the council, said he too was honored to serve, and was going to miss the city staff.

"But I am not leaving the city," he said. "So I will be around to help if I am needed."

Goodlander said if she is asked, she will also be around to help the new city leaders with a little guidance if needed.

"This is a great city. I am going to miss it a ton," she said. "But we are truly leaving it in good hands."