[{"_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",6166899,"mediaKeyId","5413922-1062db101bfdd1f08de57bd319ac13f1","parentId",5413922,"title","Sandpoint reviews FY2026 budget workshop: police, parks, recreation and utilities spending priorities","audioSeconds",6735,"startMs",1634000,"endMs",8369000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5413922-1062db101bfdd1f08de57bd319ac13f1&start=1634&end=8369","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5413922-1062db101bfdd1f08de57bd319ac13f1/thumbnail_1634000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6166899/Sandpoint/Bonner-County/Idaho/Sandpoint-reviews-FY2026-budget-workshop-police-parks-recreation-and-utilities-spending-priorities","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6166899-0ead93e6897595a8d499f351772973b4/orig.mp4?Expires=1775727530&Signature=J0~j50ugmfiZne0ieWUTjdunt8Rzr~wph-5k-zLK4gVNpFha1BSLJ31K-C3G4CFooqF7eQMVkW-VM~R32MH2TXeIgHCCbIqvdg3OWr8gj-N0Pbw0zYI2MznuiJr1H2nzpOHOkORyeveM6EufNZw~NJSOGuZZXfmYVbAkTczBWfeC2xIc~HzyijhtPPPefMaEaGeJsLVhSRE1LTqCqS87gkc0tFRV7BmCZ9m4yt0kh9OratYdR7DBIZ3ZiJ3SP5-TTgj6iiXLblaZYBsyai-1ZBd~ofVt2vK5Wh4z~Q0DjWonxhLrGgSzzLgkNTuBdEz8KUspKEmKzy2MTqsIxuVbIQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","","date","2025-07-17T15:28:40Z","article","Sandpoint city staff presented department budget proposals and citywide revenue projections at a July 16 budget workshop, walking the council through police, community planning and development, parks, recreation and public-works utilities spending for FY2026.

Why it matters: the workshop identifies candidate allocations that will feed the city’s tentative FY2026 revenue and expenditure schedule and help shape the annual budget and fee ordinance. Staff repeatedly cautioned that several key revenue inputs (state-shared distributions, taxable valuation and new-construction rules) are not final until late July or early August and that the general fund cannot be finalized until those numbers arrive.

Police: Chief Corey briefed council on department staffing and equipment needs. The department will maintain 26 employees (21 sworn), restructure supervisory ranks after a retirement, and continue a take-home vehicle program aimed at retention. The chief outlined capital requests including radio replacements ($60,000), replacement of body-worn camera infrastructure ($70,000) and a vehicle purchase (roughly $60,000), and said about 87% of the police operating budget is wages and benefits. On parking-management rollout, the chief said staff will evaluate technology and enforcement needs and hopes the existing three community-resource officers plus automation will be sufficient to start the program.

Parks and recreation: Community Planning & Development Director Jason Welker presented parks maintenance and parks-capital requests. Highlights:

- Parks maintenance: the division maintains roughly 88 acres of parks plus multiple city pathways and downtown streetscape elements. The budget includes $55,000 for a replacement tractor and $51,300 for operational supplies. Staff emphasized that park crews perform many capital-support tasks in-house and praised long-serving employees.

- Invasive aquatic-weed mitigation: the parks budget includes $40,000 for annual invasive species hand-harvest and mitigation work at City Beach and within the Sand Creek corridor. Staff said the city moved away from chemical treatments to hand-harvest methods and that the mechanical/hand approach is costlier but reduces chemical use.

- Parks capital: the draft CIP contains a $300,000 line for parkland acquisition (plus additional potential sources including impact fees and SURA funds), $150,000 for other park projects, and line items for RV-park/snack-shack maintenance and a future turf replacement fund.

- Recreation: the city is shifting from a city-run programming model toward a facility-provider model centered on the James E. Russell (JER) Sports Center. The recreation division's personnel budget decreased because the city no longer carries a recreation superintendent; the JER partnership with outside providers (for example USTA for tennis programming) is expected to increase facility revenue and free staff capacity to reintroduce some city programs. Staff noted lifeguard staffing is not budgeted for FY2026 because the city has been unable to reliably recruit lifeguards; councilors urged clarity and the opportunity to restore lifeguards if funds and operations permit.

Public works — water and wastewater: Public Works Director Holly Ellis and utility supervisor Rod Burgett outlined water and wastewater budgets and capital needs. Key points:

- Water treatment & distribution: the city operates two water treatment plants (Little Sand Creek and the Lake Plant). Staff proposed a Little Sand Creek facility planning effort and a risk-and-resiliency plan (budgeted at about $140,000) and a $150,000 repair for a raw-water intake screen. Meter replacement was flagged as a high-priority operational item, with roughly $170,000 budgeted to accelerate replacement of aging meters and address nearly 200 meters that were not reporting.

- Wastewater collections and treatment: collections staff maintain 19 lift stations; capital includes pump replacements and work required to support a future wastewater-plant replacement program and solids-handling improvements.

Revenue and taxes: Finance staff (Sarah) walked council through citywide revenue sources and timing. Staff stressed three major timing constraints: state revenue-sharing projections (mid-May release), county new-construction rules (third Monday in July) and final taxable valuation (first Monday in August). The presentation also flagged the city’s resort-city (lodging) tax, which funds some police, fire and recreation services and an existing public-transportation contract. Staff noted a potential near-term loss of resort-city revenue if a downtown hotel is demolished; city staff and councilors said the project’s schedule could push demolition into September, but the timing remains uncertain.

Council discussion and next steps: Council asked staff for clearer historical comparisons (actuals vs. budget for the last several years) and asked departments to examine lease vs. buy and other options for large equipment. Some councilors asked staff to prepare alternate funding plans for select capital items, and one councilor requested staff seek potential grant opportunities tied to watershed and wildfire mitigation work in the Little Sand Creek watershed.

A vote to convene an executive session under Idaho Code for personnel and exempt records (Idaho Code 74-206(1)(b) and (d)) passed by roll call at the end of the meeting.

What was not decided: workshop sessions are informational and produce direction for staff and council; the FY2026 revenue and expenditure schedule remains tentative until final state and county inputs are available and until council takes formal action at upcoming meetings and public hearings.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City of Sandpoint | City Council Special Meeting | 07/16/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Sandpoint city staff presented department budget proposals and citywide revenue projections at a July 16 budget workshop, walking the council through police, community planning and development, parks, recreation and public-works utilities spending for FY2026.","taxTitle","Sandpoint, Bonner County, Idaho","taxId",52019,"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},6166904,"Sandpoint council adopts new impact fee schedule, approves fees at full recommended level",1485,145000,1630000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5413922-1062db101bfdd1f08de57bd319ac13f1&start=145&end=1630","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5413922-1062db101bfdd1f08de57bd319ac13f1/thumbnail_145000.jpg","/articles/6166904/Sandpoint/Bonner-County/Idaho/Sandpoint-council-adopts-new-impact-fee-schedule-approves-fees-at-full-recommended-level","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6166904-cc4e8a85f0cfba6c04078ad484e27286/orig.mp4?Expires=1775727530&Signature=IvASi93fKqPDni8k710v0M75B3nGc-vGZphSh3DB80eSROTdz7UelIXDnoFpnh~zs~6C4QvFPjhYnUupk42GKUN83IvMmk7VttxzJq3v61qyZHN~xdRvKw5~IboXFmb~8cDDFxMMTyPPLioVfBo7Syzic26mTuk2O17LDellTY4ljezoMmcyMkWr9c2RciA37dUdIk1SHRbQ-bBzFNmyP-RdIC0pHGYB6WvIuDcZprxalwxb2O4jtmapiG5zLZeVLNupL7nJtAiCKKAJAn8lsZXPFhvWq9wClJ4JqRS4HRhP2YSRAV3Dh5jNrTpciX~ubyuHzwpDN9HTn~YH03M~rA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Sandpoint City Council voted Wednesday to adopt a new development impact fee schedule tied to the 2025 Capital Improvement Plan, approving implementation at 100% of the consultant's recommended maximum supportable fees.

The public hearing on the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) and development impact fee study opened and closed with no members of the public testifying. Council deliberations followed testimony from city staff and the consultant, Nicholas Hough of TischlerBise, who joined the meeting remotely.

Why it matters: impact fees are one-time charges on new development intended to recover growth-related costs for parks, pathways, police, fire and streets. Council members debated whether to phase increases over three years or put new rates in place immediately; proponents said full implementation aligns with a “growth pays for growth” principle, while supporters of phasing said the city should avoid overcommitting the community if projected capital needs outpace the city’s ability to deliver projects.

Community Planning & Development Director Jason Welker summarized the study and the options considered. Mayor Jeremy Grama reminded council that, under Idaho law, a developer may ask for a site-specific analysis to contest a fee amount: “If a developer or property owner chooses to contest their impact fees, they do have the right under Idaho code to ask for a site specific analysis,” Grama said. Consultant Nicholas Hough replied, “To the best of my knowledge, yes. It doesn't happen very often, but I do believe that that's true.”

Council members pressed staff on how the CIP and the fee schedule interact. Hough explained the study used an incremental-expansion approach for parks, pathways, police and fire — meaning fees reflect the city’s current level of service and future incremental expansions, not a mandatory project list — while the transportation (streets) fee is tied to a plan-based approach and a growth-related percentage of specific street projects. Hough said the city generally has up to eight years to spend fee revenues and that fees based on current level of service do not automatically obligate the city to build every listed CIP project.

Councilman Rick Howarth raised concerns about potential effects on development, asking whether higher fees could discourage building. The consultant provided an example: on a 2,000-square-foot house at an assumed $250 per square foot construction cost, current fees represent about 1.06% of construction costs and the proposed maximum-supportable fee would be about 2.5% — a difference of roughly 1.4 percentage points in total construction cost.

After deliberation, President Ruhl moved to adopt the fees at the 100% level; the motion was seconded by Councillor Schreiber. The roll-call vote left the council evenly split until Mayor Grama cast the tie-breaking vote in favor. The motion passed and the fee schedule will be incorporated into the city’s annual fee schedule and into the budget process.

What council decided and next steps: Council adopted the impact fees at the full recommended level and will set the specific fee schedule formally in the annual budget and fee ordinance. Staff told council the implementation of fees is administered through the annual fee schedule and that council can revisit and adjust fees at future annual budget hearings. Welker and the consultant also said staff will continue to refine the streets-related CIP and traffic-engineering inputs used to calculate that component of the fees.

Votes at a glance: Motion to initiate impact fees at 100% — moved by President Ruhl, seconded by Schreiber. Roll call produced a tie which Mayor Grama broke in the affirmative; the motion passed.

Background: The study and staff report, prepared with TischlerBise, described roughly $58 million in identified capital needs, of which staff said about $15 million are eligible for impact fees. The remainder, staff said, would need to be funded by other sources (general fund, grants, bonds or phased construction). The council discussed the accounting and legal requirement that impact-fee collections must be tied to allowable projects and that unspent fee revenues may require tracking or return under certain circumstances.

Council members emphasized the distinction between the CIP (a project list and planning document) and the incremental fee calculations for most service categories. Several members asked staff to ensure that projects listed in the CIP are not implied mandates to obligate the city unless council separately approves each project.","After a public hearing with no speakers, the Sandpoint City Council voted to adopt the development impact fee schedule recommended in the 2025 Capital Improvement Plan and impact fee study, approving implementation at the full (100%) recommended level by a tie-breaking vote of Mayor Jeremy Grama.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Sandpoint reviews FY2026 budget workshop: police, parks, recreation and utilities spending priorities

Sandpoint council adopts new impact fee schedule, approves fees at full recommended level