COEUR d’ALENE — Time hasn’t cooled a heated discussion over creating a Kootenai County position that would give data analysis to commissioners, helping guide their financial decisions.

When Commissioner Bob Bingham brought the proposal back for consideration this week, the flurry of comments picked up where they’d left off six months ago, late in the budget crunch season when the board opted to table the proposal until cooler heads prevailed.

After a tense Round 2 exchange involving multiple county officials, Bingham and Commissioner Chris Fillios were open to combining the job with some duties in the Grants Management Office, prompting the majority of the board to ask Human Resources to craft a job description and salary for a new position. The estimated salary is expected to be between $50,000 and $70,000.

"We did budget for the (Grants Management Office) position and we’re almost halfway through the fiscal year," Fillios said. "I don’t have a problem with it if the individual is shared. I don’t think I’d go so far as making it a stand-alone position."

Bingham added: "If it’s a starting point to split it with another department (GMO), I’d be open to that."

Commissioner Marc Eberlein is against creating the position, saying he believes there are more pressing needs in the county.

"I’d rather have an administrator if we’re going to do something like this," he said, referring to the debate over whether Kootenai County should have an administrator or manager. "This almost seems like a fourth commissioner because it could be a very influential position. We’ve got a lot of balls in the air (with other positions), and it’s all going to come to a head."

Eberlein said he also has logistical concerns over how the person will report to two bosses, but Fillios said the county has other dual-reporting positions that have worked out fine.

Members of the Clerk’s Office said they have questions and concerns about the position because part of their role is providing data to employees and the public.

"This kind of looks like my job in a lot of ways," said Dena Darrow, finance director.

Darrow said there are staffers within the Clerk’s and Auditor’s offices who specialize in finances, ranging from taxes to the budget.

"This (new position) could create more work just to make sure the information is vetted and reviewed," she said, adding that’s the responsibility of the auditor.

But Bingham said other elected county officials already have staffers who can provide them with information and commissioners don’t have that directly available. He said a past request for information from the Clerk’s Office wasn’t fulfilled in a timely fashion and his request was bumped behind information for a citizen.

"I'm busy enough with the duties of being a commissioner... it takes time to dive into that (data)," Bingham said during an earlier meeting, adding that he has spent early morning hours doing research. "Not a day goes by in which I want more (data) to be dived into."

Human Resources Director Skye Reynolds said, from her perspective, it’s not uncommon for county commissioners or similar government boards elsewhere to have a financial analyst available.

Bingham said he thinks the position could also bring more stability to the county by providing background on topics because commissioners come and go.

Clerk Jim Brannon said the job description of the business analyst/strategic planner needs to be clear because duties could easily overlap with those of his office.

"I’d ask that the clerk-auditor not have to guess about what you’re thinking," Brannon said.