COEUR d’ALENE —  Money marked for future park expansion and improvements was significantly reduced in an updated plan presented to the Coeur d’Alene City Council on Tuesday.

Originally pegged at $16.9 million, the parks Capital Improvements Plan was lowered to $11.7 million.

Melissa Cleveland, project manager with Welch-Comer, said her firm found savings by cutting plans for the BLM Park at Harbor Center to $2.9 million. They also reduced the amount for acquiring future park land to $1.2 million by planning for 5 acres instead of 10.

Other changes cut potential park spending by $5.2 million.

The city is proposing to increase its impact fees, which haven’t changed since they were adopted in 2004. 

"I think you could definitely draw the conclusion we are a good bargain in Coeur d'Alene," said Councilman Dan English.

Public hearings are scheduled Jan. 16 for adoption of the Capital Improvements Plan for Parks, Transportation, Police and Fire in support of the development impact fees, and adoption of the new fees, including adoption of the Development Impact Fee Study.

The City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved amendments to Title 14 of the Municipal Code, the Development Impact Fee Ordinance.

The amendments clarify exemptions to development impact fees, how the fees will be collected and calculated and administration of the fees.

The move allows for cleaning up and updating  the code, and is a step toward raising impact fees to pay for future capital improvements.

"Title 14 will serve the city well into the future," City Attorney Randy Adams said.

 Adams said the code should be updated, regardless of what the City Council does in two weeks.

Under the CIP, future improvements and expansion in Coeur d'Alene to keep up with growth in transportation is pegged at $88 million, police at $6.7 million and fire at $8.8 million.

No one argued about the projected expenses for police, fire and transportation when it was discussed by the council in late November.

They would be funded primarily by impact fees assessed on new houses, apartments, condos, hotels, assisted living and nursing homes, churches and commercial development.

But the parks price tag and associated impact fees on new construction, particularly for hotels, was questioned.

Cleveland at the time said those staying at hotels use parks and were the targeted audience. 

Under the original plan, the impact fee for parks alone, for a new 89-room hotel in Coeur d’Alene, would be $194,304 based on a per room assessment, or $176,236 based on square footage.

Under the latest plan, the parks impact fees for that same hotel in Coeur d'Alene would be reduced to $105,821.

In comparison, the impact fee on that same hotel for fire would be $25,789, $13,430 for police and $85,262 for transportation. 

Post Falls, Nampa, Hayden and Twin Falls don’t charge new hotels impact fees to pay for parks.

Councilman Dan Gookin said he would prefer that new hotels, commercial buildings and restaurants not pay park impact fees.

“It doesn't make sense to me,” he said, adding, “I don’t think they have an impact.”

Councilwoman Kiki Miller disagreed.

“I feel our parks are a tremendous amenity to our hotels,” she said.

Miller said the more visitors there are in parks, the less space there is for residents.

She said she would like to see more and better parks, citing splashpads as possibilities, particularly in the north part of town. 

“I’d like to see that considered in the improvements plan.” she said.

    Miller