McCall City Council voted unanimously to authorize city staff to use municipal boat‑ramp user‑fee revenue to cover a $3,400 shortfall for nearshore water‑quality testing on Payette Lake in 2026.

The request, presented by Stephanie Bork, parks and recreation business manager, and Deb Fairday of the Big Payette Lake Water Quality Council, asked the city to cover the balance of a $12,000 annual testing budget prepared by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality (IDEQ). "IDEQ has created a spreadsheet of the costs for these samples and analysis," Fairday said, and the local group had secured $8,600 in LOT funding for 2026.

Council members pressed staff on what the $12,000 buys. Fairday said the IDEQ plan covers standard water‑quality parameters and, in 2026, IDEQ will perform both deep‑water and added nearshore sampling once a month from June through September. Councilmember questions also focused on whether continuous, real‑time monitoring (buoys) would be a better long‑term investment; Fairday said real‑time buoys exist but require a significantly larger capital outlay and would depend on grant funding and local fundraising.

City staff advised the council that one season of ramp fees collected about $35,600, and Finance staff expect the budget can accommodate the $3,400 request for 2026 while city staff draft an agreement governing future disbursements. "If we're going to make a commitment out to the future," a staff member said, "we probably need an agreement with the Water Quality Council or IDEQ to disperse those funds with parameters." Council also emphasized the value of nearshore sampling on busy weekends to capture use‑period impacts not typically sampled by IDEQ on quieter weekdays.

The motion to authorize spending authority passed on a roll‑call vote with all members present voting yes.

The council asked Parks staff and the Water Quality Council to provide the detailed IDEQ spreadsheet that breaks down sampling frequency and analytes, and to return with options for multi‑year monitoring or potential capital projects such as real‑time buoys.