POST FALLS - The Post Falls City Council on Tuesday night unanimously approved Viking Construction's 87-lot, 37-acre Viking Estates subdivision south of Post Falls High.

The project east of Greensferry Road and west of Cecil Road will include a 1.3-acre park and be developed in three phases.

"This project is all single-family lots that are larger lots than the surrounding area," Scott Krajack, Viking Construction's land development director, told The Press. "It's going to have a very nice entry, where we will be keeping the existing mature trees."

No public comment was received at the public hearing on the subdivision proposal in July held by the Planning and Zoning Commission, which recommended the project be approved.

Dave Fair, the city's parks and recreation director, requested the need for pathways and trails in the final plans.

In other business, the council approved the fiscal 2016 General Fund budget of $17.17 million without a tax increase.

"It is so gratifying to have a budget resolution with no tax increase," Councilwoman Kerri Thoreson told city staff members at the meeting. "That doesn't happen without a lot of effort on your part to be good stewards of taxpayer money."

The budget includes a 1 percent cost of living increase for employees and merit raises as large as 3 percent based on performance evaluations.

The amount budgeted for the cost of living increase is $96,500, while $289,500 is set aside for the merit hikes.

The budget includes adding an emergency communications officer budgeted for $54,459 and a street worker for $52,892.

Other budget highlights include: Police vehicle replacements, $130,000; street reconstruction, $80,000; ADA sidewalk improvements, $100,000; striping, $5,000; a radio system for the street department, $20,000; ADA improvements to city buildings, $40,000; and legal services, $25,000.

Gary Nystrom was the lone person who offered comment during the public hearing on the budget. He believes the city should do more with ADA improvements and specifically along Mullan Avenue between Super 1 Foods and Wal-Mart.

"You're inviting a lawsuit to happen (without improvements in the corridor)," he told the council.

City Administrator Shelly Enderud told Nystrom that the city and urban renewal agency are working on a solution to his concern.

The council also approved a water rate increase of 3 percent, a sewer rate hike of 10 percent and an impact fee increase of 2.48 percent.

For the average homeowner, the sewer rate increase - the largest of the hikes - will be $3.87 per month.

City staff said the water hike is needed to cover expenses and such increases are intended to be in smaller increments per year to be easier on residents than having one large hike all at once. The sewer increase was needed to pay for future improvements to the treatment plant, necessary to meet federal mandates to clean up the Spokane River where the city discharges treated wastewater.

There will be no increase to the street light fee and the garbage fee will decrease 1.58 percent. The fees go into effect Oct. 1.

The council also approved adding a half-day exclusive use fee of $125 for the City Hall Plaza so groups don't have to pay the full-day fee of $250 for only using the space for a few hours.

• Planning workshop is Friday

The Post Falls City Council and Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a three-hour joint workshop starting on Friday at 2:30 p.m. at City Hall.

The workshop will include a one-hour overview of planning concepts, including the relationship of the city's comprehensive plan to implementing regulations.

Issues concerning multi-family land use, commercial development and the location of neighborhood commercial uses will be discussed during the second and third hours.

The public is welcome to attend, but public comments will not be taken.