Coeur d'Alene council calls May bond election for $16.4 million fire package

Coeur d'Alene — The City Council voted to place a $16,400,000 general obligation bond measure before voters to replace aging fire apparatus and fund facility upgrades, the council decided after presentations and public comment. Mayor Woody Evans presided as the council adopted Council Bill 25-1005 by roll call, sending the measure to a May ballot.

The bond would fund two primary categories: roughly $10 million for apparatus replacement and about $6.3 million for station upgrades and related facilities work, according to a staff presentation from Fire Chief Tom Greet. The ordinance adopted by council sets ballot language and authorizes the city to levy taxes to repay the bonds if voters approve them.

Why it matters: Fire officials said equipment and construction costs have risen dramatically since the department’s prior bonds, increasing the price of engines and ladder trucks and shortening the useful life of older apparatus. Fire Chief Tom Greet told the council the package is intended to maintain response capability and modernize the busiest station in the department.

The decision follows public comments from local firefighters and residents. Gabe Eckert, president of Coeur d'Alene Fire Fighters Local 710 and a resident of the city, urged the council to approve the bond, citing increased call volume — 10,589 responses last year compared with 7,835 on the prior campaign — and equipment failures that left the department without a backup ladder truck. "Please vote yes tonight so that we can hit the ground running to give the citizens exactly that because they deserve nothing less," Eckert said in public comment.

Fire Department detail: Chief Greet and Captain Jeff Fletcher, who works at Station 2, described station and fleet needs. Station 2 was built in 1992 as a small, two-person house and now regularly staffs five firefighters; staff said the station lacks modern decontamination and gender-separated dormitory facilities, and bays are tight around current apparatus. Captain Fletcher said Station 2 handled roughly 30% of city calls in 2024 and that living and office space is cramped: "We utilize every single square inch of that station," he said, describing conduct-of-business compromises such as supervisors using dorm rooms for private meetings.

Officials also outlined procurement timing and tax impact. Fleet manufacturers quoted 36–48 month build times for new engines; staff said apparatus orders would proceed as soon as the bonds were sold. Using the ordinance's estimate, officials told council a house with a taxable value of about $425,000 would pay an estimated $69 annually (about $5.75 per month) under the proposed bond; staff noted the department's prior bond levy is scheduled to sunset before the new levy would take effect.

Process and next steps: Bond counsel and the city’s municipal advisor helped draft the ballot language and ordinance. The council dispensed with the rule and read Council Bill 25-1005 by title, then voted to adopt it. The council vote recorded in the transcript was: Yes — Wood, Evans, Miller, Gabriel, Gookin; Council member English was noted as absent. The ordinance calls the bond election and authorizes staff to proceed with ballot preparation and outreach. The fire department and the union indicated they will conduct separate, legally distinct outreach: staff will "educate" voters while the union may run an advocacy campaign.

Community response and concerns: Council members pressed staff on design choices and long-term planning. Several council members asked that the priority remain facility upgrades — particularly a meaningful rebuild of Station 2 rather than minimal remodels — and recommended building with future staffing and privacy needs in mind. Officials said the $6.3 million facilities estimate was modeled at approximately $400 per square foot with a 15% contingency because of construction-market uncertainty to avoid returning for additional funds.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to dispense with the rule and read Council Bill 25-1005 by title: moved by Councilmember Amy (name in transcript), seconded; roll-call vote recorded as yes (Wood, Evans, Miller, Gabriel, Gookin); outcome: approved. - Motion to adopt Council Bill 25-1005 (ordinance calling a general obligation bond election for $16,400,000): moved by Councilmember Amy, seconded; roll-call vote recorded as yes (Wood, Evans, Miller, Gabriel, Gookin), English absent; outcome: approved.

What’s next: Staff said contract and ballot materials will proceed to the next meeting’s consent calendar for administrative approval and that outreach and education efforts will follow in the lead-up to the May election.