Committee introduces RS 32654 to expand community infrastructure district authority for counties and fire services

Representative Jason Monks told the House Revenue and Tax Committee Thursday that RS 32654 makes limited changes to Idaho’s Community Infrastructure District (CID) statute to broaden where and how the tool can be used to fund infrastructure in growing areas.

"Currently in order to utilize this program…you have to be within a city or within a city's comprehensive plan," Monks said. RS 32654 would allow a county to form a CID for a development located outside a city’s comprehensive plan. The RS also would explicitly allow CID assessments to be used to pay for fire protection services in those districts, with parameters including a time limit discussed in the hearing.

Monks described the CID as a mechanism that lets new development “assess themselves so that they can build infrastructure,” noting it is intended to let growth pay for growth and that assessments must be fully disclosed to buyers. He said the RS would add a provision to permit fire‑related services and that the provision contains a five‑year limit and other safeguards to avoid indefinite assessments.

Representative Raybould and others asked how a CID differs from a fire district and how a CID would work alongside existing fire‑district levies. Monks explained that fire districts operate across broader taxing districts and may levy property taxes under cooperative agreements, while a CID assessment applies only to the new development within the district’s boundaries.

Representative Schuman asked about the distinction between a CID and a local improvement district (LID); Monks said the two are similar but deferred a detailed statutory comparison to later research. After brief discussion the committee voted to introduce RS 32654; Representative Monks will be listed as sponsor for the introduction.