Kootenai County details Kootenai Health transit partnership and $1 million grant match requirement

Kootenai County commissioners met January 15, 2025, to review the county's transit partnership with Kootenai Health and to clarify how a recently amended federal grant and its $1,000,000 match are being documented and accounted for.

The discussion focused on a partnership that county transit staff say began around 2015 under which Kootenai County Public Transportation uses Federal Transit Administration (FTA) grant funds to purchase buses while Kootenai Health covers most operating expenses, and those operating expenses are claimed as match for FTA programs. "The partnership with Kootenai Health has been something that we've had in place since about 2015," transit staffer Chad Ingram said.

Commissioners said auditors had difficulty locating clear, centralized documentation showing how the match is accumulated and made available. Commissioner Eberlein asked specifically about the performance period for the $1,000,000 amendment and matching funds; county staff said the grant's performance period ends March 31, 2026, and that match funds must be available to draw on through that date. "We have to have it available ready to use if needed," transit staff said in reply.

Why this matters

County officials said the arrangement…