COEUR d’ALENE — Amid discussions this week between county, city and tribal representatives about the future of their Citylink partnership, two commissioners questioned whether Kootenai County should operate a public transit program at all.

“I like the concept of Uber,” Commissioner Marc Eberlein said during a special meeting on Wednesday that focused on Citylink. “It’s the private sector, instead of taking a big monstrosity of a big bunch of buses and all this foofaraw coming around. It’s ridiculous, I think, in my opinion. We don’t need it. If a city wants to do it, go for it. They do it in Seattle.” 

Coeur d’Alene City Councilor Christie Wood asked Eberlein if he was considering eliminating Citylink for constituents.

“You can do it. These guys are doing it,” Eberlein replied, apparently referring to the Coeur d’Alene Tribe. “Why are we going to do it? Are we welfare?” 

Commissioner Bruce Mattare also shared his view. 

“Frankly, I don’t think the county should be in the business of providing public transportation,” he said. “I believe the cities should be in that business because that’s who Citylink serves. I’m trying to find a way where that responsibility, liability and contribution can be taken over by the cities. That’s the whole point.” 

Citylink serves Coeur d’Alene, Dalton Gardens, Hayden, Huetter and Post Falls, with three routes and 81 stops. The program also provides paratransit services for people with ADA-eligible functional limitations who cannot use fixed-route buses. There is no fare to ride Citylink buses. 

Mattare has long pushed for cities to shoulder more responsibility for public transit services, arguing that Citylink primarily serves city residents. 

Last fall, city leaders declined Mattare’s proposal for a joint-powers agreement, indicating they were satisfied with their current level of involvement and the county’s management of public transit. 

Since then, a working group comprising representatives from different Citylink stakeholders has examined the program’s costs, the financial implications of changing how it operates, and how existing resources might be better leveraged to make Citylink financially self-sufficient. 

The Federal Transit Authority and Idaho Transportation Department grants primarily fund the transit system. The program receives match funds from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and Kootenai Health, as well as contributions from participating cities. The city of Coeur d’Alene contributes the lion’s share of the municipal funds, about $104,000 this fiscal year, followed by Post Falls, which provides $41,000. 

In fiscal year 2024, the Coeur d’Alene Tribe spent about $700,000 on operations for Citylink’s urban route, Citylink North, and received a reimbursement of about $276,000 from the county. Tyrel Stevenson, legislative director for the Coeur d’Alene Tribe, noted that the tribe also operates and funds the transit system’s rural route, Citylink South. 

Kootenai County is responsible for the oversight and management of Citylink. The county budgeted about $64,000 for public transit for fiscal year 2025, though that figure may not reflect the county’s full contributions. 

“We suspect the number might be more than that, because the county also provides finance services, human resource services and attorney services that grants aren’t paying for,” Stevenson said. “We spent a lot of time trying to dig into what that would mean and also what an equitable contribution method might be for cities to bear some of that cost.” 

The working group drafted a rough proposal for an intergovernmental agreement and brought it forward for discussion Wednesday. The proposal includes a transit advisory committee composed of one elected representative from the county, the tribe and each participating city. The committee would make recommendations to the county commissioners, who would retain the authority to implement. 

“Standing up a joint-powers agreement is really not something that the cities are looking to get into,” said Troy Tymesen, city administrator for Coeur d’Alene. “From a staff perspective, we are supportive of this intergovernmental agreement.” 

Mattare said the proposed agreement doesn’t shift enough responsibilities or liabilities from the county to the cities. 

“What does the county get with this intergovernmental agreement?” he said. “What are we getting?” 

Commissioner Leslie Duncan pushed back against the idea of a joint-powers agreement on principle.  

“I don’t want to grow government,” she said. “I don’t want another governmental body that’s not responsible to the voters and the county taxpayers.” 

She advocated instead for an intergovernmental agreement that gives the cities a more active role in Citylink’s management but allows the county to retain control and overall responsibility for the program. 

Wood said Citylink’s stakeholders need to focus on the best way to leverage their resources to benefit their constituents. 

“How do we come together to support the tribe, who’s been magnificent in this community, and support all the people who use Citylink?” she said. “It doesn’t come about by planting our own flags. We have to work together.”