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

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…