[{"_1":2,"_86":-5,"_87":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},"mediaId",6533830,"mediaKeyId","3653191-019ccad7221681fc9f9dee38f7571270","parentId",3653191,"title","Council approves partnership to fund North Idaho Special Assistant U.S. Attorney position","audioSeconds",1009,"startMs",522000,"endMs",1531000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3653191-019ccad7221681fc9f9dee38f7571270&start=522&end=1531","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3653191-019ccad7221681fc9f9dee38f7571270/thumbnail_522000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6533830/Coeur-dAlene/Kootenai-County/Idaho/Council-approves-partnership-to-fund-North-Idaho-Special-Assistant-US-Attorney-position","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6533830-429ff99bebd43807224794ab140444a6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199263&Signature=a~5rg1TuPYNB-85LQegHgfFdk3Ep8N1EZA6DtcZa~XPHBRbEzWw9FpH5Znf-DrtMqMt92sNQe-h7Leaxi4uLubxaSJK0uD~91R8Bq178-Ebv3X9iy0XJSsamlC5hWlgkJkko384b-soBEnpFY5i1lWE6V4pTFbgT99nZ7wjw3lO9aQYWkDqmppASkMXR3aVM~eyIcKgqsVSMLD45-99RSVQ8L-6N8AZJK9V9l7~AaBBWYo3Yo72SiYcD77szVt08lnKnF3FmKvb0hgloAs82WpG5yRlvORVinGkkOzM3-WANrtqxc5xLdXClfRaPVZjxih04uresK7IYOjygU0Ku5w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-06-04T02:31:22Z","article","The Coeur d'Alene City Council voted to approve Resolution 25029, authorizing the city to join a regional partnership to help fund a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) for North Idaho focused on drug trafficking and related violent crime. Councilmember Jamie moved approval; the motion passed on a roll-call vote.

Presenters told the council the North Idaho SAUSA would be a federal prosecutor assigned to handle a caseload from participating local jurisdictions and that the program aims to increase federal prosecutions of major drug trafficking and related crimes. A presenter said similar SAUSA initiatives in other parts of Idaho have resulted in prosecutions and lengthy federal sentences; the presenter cited Eastern Idaho's program (started in 2016) as having prosecuted about 200 traffickers as of the end of 2023.

The initiative's annual operating cost was described as $140,000. According to the presentation, the governor's office committed $75,000 per year and an Oregon-Idaho HIDTA program committed $50,000; the remaining $15,000 was to be shared among participating local governments. The presenters said Coeur d'Alene's share would not exceed $3,000 per year and that the city could withdraw after one year or in subsequent years if the program did not meet expectations. Staff noted the SAUSA position would begin July 1 but local contributions would be covered by the governor's office until the city's budget year begins Oct. 1, and the city had included the $3,000 in its proposed budget for the next fiscal year.

Shoshone County Prosecutor Ben Allen, identified in the meeting as a driving force for the initiative, said the position will provide quarterly reports and local partners will be invited to periodic briefings to review caseload statistics. Ben Allen said the position will be housed in Shoshone County and that quarterly reporting and an annual review comparing outcomes to other SAUSA programs are planned.

Councilmembers asked how success would be measured; presenters suggested metrics such as numbers of federal prosecutions, trends in drug seizures and other crime statistics. A presenter said local police and sheriffs will remain responsible for arrests and investigations; the federal SAUSA would prosecute qualifying cases in the federal system, shifting incarceration and post-sentencing costs to the federal government when cases meet federal thresholds.

Councilmember Jamie moved to approve Resolution 25029 \"approving a memorandum of understanding for a partnership to fund a Special Assistant United States Attorney for North Idaho to help combat drug trafficking.\" The roll-call vote recorded Wood, Evans, Miller, Gabriel and Bookin as voting yes. The motion carried.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Coeur d'Alene - City Council Meeting - June 3, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The council approved Resolution 25029 to join local partners in funding a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) position for North Idaho; the city’s share will not exceed $3,000 annually and initial local contributions will be deferred until the next budget year.","taxTitle","Coeur d'Alene, Kootenai County, Idaho","taxId",3568,"location","headline","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":56,"_73":56},6533834,"Coeur d'Alene council tables water-rate discussion, requests workshop on $16 million capital plan",507,0,507000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3653191-019ccad7221681fc9f9dee38f7571270&start=0&end=507","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3653191-019ccad7221681fc9f9dee38f7571270/thumbnail_0.jpg","/articles/6533834/Coeur-dAlene/Kootenai-County/Idaho/Coeur-dAlene-council-tables-water-rate-discussion-requests-workshop-on-16-million-capital-plan","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6533834-b0eb7d9395ef4efff87e1af05005e92c/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199263&Signature=Syx1dg2m9aXFG71ynG4NXz8Ksm~iqzPmwIBSr8sGRhgDJSWYtBPJBaW6QXKE6OQnr9ZbHiA769iWUatwvinPnEdeuVYbZGhpTUDDstqihWaorTa4Z3iwQ3-ntqHGsNYxPxpL9MMt66dv24mZYCFBDFEJ-OZEuPsRnW~dRf5FVBA7NFQ2u-hBpwD4kmDv9EJka-5tkldZET1r~Ae3s1ATMY67JWoGL6IGgb2XzYywFoZm0FGXVsxI8fIR8KD7ukXoK5fjKTajC6YX3cIjXwkPhan0t-6Ub14PdQMvNipbnzB55Roe924sQ~kDgkB17tkGR57vkLVlnoOmSGQ9FhVjLA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Councilmembers in Coeur d'Alene voted unanimously to table action on a proposed multi-year water capital plan and related rate scenarios and directed staff to schedule a workshop for further review. The motion to table was made during a discussion of a proposed $16,000,000 scenario that city staff described as including higher-cost repairs and replacements.

The tabling motion followed questions from multiple councilmembers about the plan's assumptions, projected costs and how a rate increase would affect customers. Councilmember Merritt said he did not want to raise rates without being able to justify them to ratepayers and called several of the plan's risk items \"iffy,\" noting the document used conditional language such as \"could\" multiple times. \"You could be driving to the doctor and get a flat tire,\" Merritt said, criticizing what he called speculative risk descriptions.

City staff told the council the $16,000,000 figure reflects projects after removing amounts already budgeted in certain years and that staff attempted to be conservative in cost estimates. A staff speaker said the city currently puts roughly $700,000 to $800,000 back into the system annually for mains, services and hydrant replacement, but noted rising material costs have reduced what the city can afford to replace each year. The speaker also said meter box replacements that cost about $3,040 per set when the program began have risen to roughly $1,000 per set now (as phrased in the transcript), and that staff are exploring compatible materials and approaches to lower costs.

Councilmember Amy asked specifically about \"scenario 2,\" and whether a listed $400,000 for new meters, hydrants and lines was included in the $16,000,000 and whether that $400,000 could increase because of repair costs; staff replied the figures were conservative and could change as projects mature. Councilmember Kiki Miller asked the staff to include alternatives to raising rates — such as deterrents or demand-management tools — for reducing peak summer usage rather than relying primarily on a price signal.

Under the plan discussed, staff confirmed scenario 2 would raise the base monthly water rate by $2. Councilmember Gookin and others said they wanted more time to review the longer capital plan (described in the meeting as a roughly 288-page document) and suggested a short workshop later in June would permit more detailed questioning. A motion \"that we table this until a time determined by [the] water administrator for a workshop to bring forward to council\" was made and seconded; Councilmembers Wood, Evans, Taylor and Gabriel were recorded as voting in favor during the roll call. The motion carried.

The tabling vote halted immediate action on any rate change; staff said the $2 base increase under scenario 2 was the staff's estimate for a base user and that additional details and project-level clarifications remain in the comprehensive capital plan. Several councilmembers expressed concern about asking ratepayers to shoulder increases before the council had time to review the plan's full detail and supporting documentation.

The council did not set a firm workshop date during the meeting. Staff said some information could require additional time to prepare for council review and public consideration.","Councilmembers asked for more time to review a multi-year water capital plan that lists roughly $16 million in potential projects and voted to table formal action until a staff-led workshop is scheduled.","actionData","errors"]

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Council approves partnership to fund North Idaho Special Assistant U.S. Attorney position

Coeur d'Alene council tables water-rate discussion, requests workshop on $16 million capital plan