Raise, but no tax hike

By RALPH BARTHOLDT

Staff Writer

COEUR d’ALENE — City Council members will get a pay raise as part of next year’s proposed budget, which includes an entreaty by the mayor for no new property taxes.

Council members, in a series of workshops and meetings with department heads, have settled on a budget that includes adding a police detective, purchasing two pieces of equipment for the city, and giving raises to council members.

The raises aren’t a substantial part of the latest budget, but the increase has been a long time coming.

“It’s been a while,” said Ron Edinger who has sat on the City Council 43 years, and has taken part in a handful of salary increases since he was first elected in 1968 when council pay was around $50 per month.

The proposed $100 increase will raise council member pay to $850 per month. It’s the first increase the council voted for itself in a decade. Prior to a pay increase in 2007, council members were paid $500 per month.

The latest bump was spurred by a survey showing Coeur d’Alene council pay was lower than the average pay for similar size cities, including Post Falls where council members are paid $816 per month.

Voting for a pay increase is awkward, albeit necessary, council member Dan Gookin said. And even for a part-time job, the income is modest.

“It’s not a fortune,” Gookin said. “I believe public officials should be compensated. If you want them to do a good job, and they are spending a lot of time doing it. You want people to step up.”

Council members set an $89.5 million high-water mark for the budget last month, which included adding two pieces of equipment, a bucket truck and a paver, adding a part-time employee at the library, as well as utility workers and a police detective.

Police detectives juggle as many as 76 cases each, according to the city. Investigators focus the bulk of their efforts on crimes against people, such as domestic violence and assault. Adding a detective would help reduce property crime caseloads.

Council member Amy Evans said additional staff will increase public service without a raise in property taxes.

“Being able to increase staff without taking in more is significant,” Evans said.

In addition, the city saved money through a zero percent increase in its insurance premium.

“That’s a huge boon to the city,” Evans said.

One of the hallmarks of this year’s negotiations however was the push by Mayor Steve Widmyer to prevent a property tax increase.

Widmyer said the city’s 2.5 percent increase last year helped fund a fire station on the 6400 block of Atlas Road.

“Last year we increased taxes for public safety when we added a new fire station,” Widmyer said. “This year I felt we needed to put the lid on spending, and still take care of the things we need to take care of.”

Last year’s property tax increase was the first since 2013 when the city opted for a 2 percent increase in property taxes. The city raised property taxes by 1.5 percent in 2011, but did not raise them in 2012.

The council will continue budget discussions at next Tuesday’s regular meeting and through next month before passing an appropriations ordinance by the end of September.