Tamarack, Valley County discuss using community infrastructure districts to finance Heritage infrastructure

Tamarack Resort representatives briefed the Valley County Board of Commissioners on May 27 on using a community infrastructure district — a state law financing tool adopted in 2008 — to pay for infrastructure in the resort’s Heritage area and on alternatives including a local improvement district for water and sewer.

The resort’s representative said a CID would allow the developer to front the cost of roads, water, sewer and other public infrastructure through bond proceeds, with the assessment repaid by property owners inside the district; he added that “ultimately, this is a tax. Right? There’s no way around it.” The presentation noted differences between CIDs and LIDs: Idaho’s CID statute limits borrowing relative to assessed value to about 3-to-1, while the LID statute historically allows roughly 1-to-1, and CIDs require public bidding for infrastructure contracts.

Why it matters: a CID would place an assessment on properties inside the drawn boundary and is disclosed on title and purchase agreements, so buyers would know of the obligation. The county’s role matters because if a CID is formed in an unincorporated area the county serves as the CID governing board and would…