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Post Falls council approves fee, budget and street grants; tables obstruction ordinance
Summary
At its Nov. 19 meeting, the Post Falls City Council approved a sanitary fee update, a FY2025 budget amendment (including $492,000 for patrol vehicle replacements), a right-of-way vacation and a Prairie Avenue federal grant application, and tabled a draft ordinance addressing obstruction of city operations.
Post Falls City Council on Nov. 19 approved a package of administrative and capital measures and delayed action on a proposed ordinance to expand criminal enforcement for interfering with city workers.
In a series of unanimous roll-call votes, the council approved an amendment to the city's sanitation fee resolution to add ADA-compliant 6- and 8-yard front-load dumpster services and a six-days-per-week pickup option for some businesses; staff also corrected the per-pickup price for a 96-gallon cart to $12.86 for each additional pickup and set the 2x-week price at $36.44. The sanitation changes were introduced during the public hearing and went forward with no public testimony.
The council adopted Fiscal Year 2025 Budget Amendment No. 1, which adds police patrol vehicles to the city's vehicle replacement program. Staff proposed replacing six patrol vehicles at a total cost of $492,000, funded from the vehicle-replacement fund rather than general-tax revenue. The same amendment approved replacement of electrical pedestals at Chameleon Park; staff said the low bid was $71,195 and that work would be paid from the special-events fund.
Council also approved an ordinance vacating approximately 0.034 acres of right-of-way near West 17th Avenue and North Catherine Street (VAC-24-1) and adopted a housekeeping ordinance to reduce planning commission membership from eight to seven and update references to the National Electrical Code, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
The council authorized staff to apply for a federal-aid state block grant to widen Prairie Avenue between Greens Ferry Road and Cecil Road to five lanes, a project staff estimated at about $4.4 million in today's dollars. Staff said about 93% of project costs would come from the state block grant, leaving an estimated city match of $308,000 plus roughly $25,000 in in-kind staff time; estimated project cost could grow to about $5.3 million by 2031. City Engineer Robert Paulus presented the proposal and council voted to authorize the grant application.
By contrast, the council tabled a proposed ordinance that would expand the city's interference/criminal enforcement language to cover obstruction of city operations and employees. Councilors raised concerns the draft's broad phrasing (including "harassment" and acts that "impede" city work) could sweep in lawful protest or ordinary homeowner actions; police representatives said the language was intended to address incidents that physically prevent employees from performing duties, such as lying in front of a snowplow. Council voted to table the measure to a future meeting for clearer drafting and more background from the chief/prosecutor.
Other votes included approval to remove outdated or missing items from the city's fixed-asset inventory after staff reconciliation, following council discussion about inventory controls and cybersecurity implications.
All motions and votes were taken during the Nov. 19 council meeting at City Hall; council announced a special meeting on Nov. 26 to interview applicants for a vacant council seat.
