POST FALLS — With the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare considering moving from Coeur d’Alene to Riverbend Commerce Park and demand from businesses on Post Falls’ west side, a fourth Citylink bus route in the urban area of the county is being considered.

The Post Falls City Council will review the bus proposal tonight at 6.

The total estimated annual cost of the new route is $170,000. The cost for the five cities that use the bus service would be half of that — $85,000 — divided proportionately by population. Grant funding would pay the other half. The cost would be an additional $27,218 per year for Saturday service.

"The issue for Health and Welfare is they would like a commitment of a bus stop in Riverbend prior to them making any decisions on where to locate their new facility, so they are requesting a process outside of the normal budget process," Post Falls City Administrator Shelly Enderud wrote in a memo to the council. "Most of their clients reside in Post Falls and they would like to be closer to the clients they serve by locating in Riverbend."

Post Falls’ cost for the new weekday route would be $27,152.24.

The route would also provide public transportation to the Tullamore, Woodbridge and The Pointe developments, according to city staff.

Multiple businesses and nonprofits, including Wal-Mart, Kootenai Health, Newby-ginngs, Suntree RV Park, Raycap, Sysco, ATC Manufacturing and Tapmatic, wrote letters of support for the new route.

"As an employer with approximately 200 employees over three shifts, it would be beneficial to both the local economy and employment to have a public route accessible, thus providing alternative options for employees to commute to work," wrote Grant Birch, Sysco’s vice president of human relations. "This (new route) would also help employees have a choice and help continue positively develop this area of Post Falls."

There was formerly a bus route on Post Falls’ west side several years ago before it was discontinued.

In other business, the council will hold public hearings on three annexation requests with single-family residential zoning, including:

- a 31.6-acre request by Tony and Lindsay Rude on both sides of Greensferry Road between Bluegrass and Killdeer lanes;

- a 10.4-acre request by JT Holdings, LLC, east of Chase Road and north of Fisher Avenue; and

- a 2-acre proposal by the Louis G. Sachwitz Living Trust east of Syringa Street and north of Horsehaven Avenue.

The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended in December that the council approve the proposals.

The council also is expected to accept a 20-year, $24.1 million loan through the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality to finance upgrades to the water reclamation facility that are required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.