COEUR d'ALENE - As the month of August comes to a close, the city election cycle gets into full swing with candidates declaring their intent to run.

Beginning Monday at 8 a.m., anyone who wants to run for a local nonpartisan city council or mayor position can file a declaration of candidacy with the city clerk in his or her city of residence. The deadline for filing is 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4.

In order to run for city office, state law requires a candidate must be at least 18, be a U.S. citizen and must have lived within his city's limits for at least 30 days prior to submitting a declaration of candidacy.

Candidates must also be registered to vote at the addresses where they currently reside.

A few things candidates should also be aware of are the rules for declaring campaign contributions and spending in cities that have a population of 5,000 or more. Most of the cities in Kootenai County have this information on their websites, or it can be found online at the Kootenai County Elections website.

The first rule in campaign finance disclosure is before taking any contributions or spending any money on a campaign, the candidate must certify a treasurer and file the proper forms with the city clerk's office. Full campaign disclosure packets are available in those cities where disclosure is required by law.

Below is the list of seats open in each city (except for Huetter and Stateline which have no information online) in Kootenai County:

• Athol - With a population of approximately 700, candidates are exempt from state campaign finance laws. The mayor's seat and two council positions are up for grabs. Incumbents include Mayor Darla Kuhman, and Councilmen Lewis Miller and Josh Spencer.

• Coeur d'Alene - With a population of just more than 44,000 people, all candidates will be required to follow campaign disclosure laws. There are three council positions up for grabs in Coeur d'Alene. Incumbents are Councilmen Ron Edinger, Dan Gookin and Steve Adams. One candidate has already announced he will run against Adams: Dan English, a former city councilman and county clerk.

• Dalton Gardens - With a population of roughly 2,400 people, Dalton candidates are exempt from campaign finance rules. The mayor's seat and three council positions are up this election cycle. Incumbents include Mayor Dan Franklin and Councilmen Steve Roberge, Dick Epstein and Butch Blanchette.

• Fernan Village - With roughly 170 people living in the village, candidates are exempt from campaign disclosure laws. The mayor's seat and two council positions will be on the ballot this fall. Incumbents include Mayor Richard Jurvelin and Councilmembers Heidi Acuff and Pete Job.

• Harrison - With a population of just more than 200 people, Harrison candidates are also exempt from campaign disclosure. Three of the six city council seats are up for election. Those are seats currently held by Mark Wagner, Russell Riberich and Jeff Hall.

 • Hauser - This city has a population of nearly 700 people, but it too is exempt from campaign disclosure laws. There appears to be only one city council seat open, which is currently held by Councilman Darin Sitko.

• Hayden - With a population of just more than 13,000 people, candidates running for a seat in this city will have to file campaign disclosure forms. The seats for mayor and council positions are up for re-election. Incumbents include Mayor Ron McIntire and Councilmen Roger Saterfield and Tim Timmins.

• Hayden Lake - This city has a population of nearly 600 people, but is exempt from campaign disclosure laws. The Mayor's and two council seats are going to be on the ballot. Mayor Chris Beck and Councilmen Ed Graves and Tommy Frey are the incumbents.

• Huetter - This town of 100 people is the smallest incorporated town (by area) in the United States. Candidates are exempt from campaign finance laws. While there is no official website for the City of Huetter, which underwent some controversy during its 2011 city elections, it is apparent that Mayor Bradley Keene will have to run again if he intends to keep his seat. It is unclear how many council seats may be open, or who the incumbents are.

• Post Falls - Candidates in this city of nearly 28,000 people will have to file campaign disclosure forms if they choose to run for one of three seats that are available this fall. Incumbents include Councilmembers Skip Hissong, Joe Malloy and Kerri Thoreson.

• Rathdrum - With a population of fewer than 7,000 residents, Rathdrum candidates will have to file campaign disclosure reports. The seats for mayor and council positions are up for grabs. Incumbents include Mayor Vic Holmes and Councilmembers Fred Meckel and Debbie Holmes (no relation to the mayor).

• Spirit Lake - This town has a population of nearly 2,000 and is exempt from campaign rules. Two council seats are up for grabs in Spirit Lake. Incumbents are Councilmembers Diane Berg and Gary Ventress.

• State Line - Very little political information was available on this city of 38 people. Obviously candidates in this city are exempt from campaign disclosure, but it was uncertain which seats are available this year. However with only 20 homes and nine families, a majority of the population is bound to be related to someone on the council.

• Worley - With just more than 250 residents, Worley candidates are also exempt from campaign disclosure. The mayor's seat is up for grabs along with two council positions. Incumbents include Mayor Charlene Waddell and Councilmembers Karen Babbitt and Robert Wienclaw.