Citizen Portal
Sign In

Sandpoint weighs SURA dollars, resort-tax sidewalks and competing downtown projects

Sandpoint City Council ยท April 9, 2026

Loading...

AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Staff outlined $4.3M projected SURA North receipts (expiring 2029) and approximately $500K/year from resort-city lodging tax for sidewalks/streets; councilors and staff debated whether to continue downtown Phase 3 southward, fund City Beach or Farm & Park concepts, or prioritize intersection and stormwater needs.

City staff presented SURA and resort-tax project lists and asked council to prioritize how limited funds should be spent before Urban Renewal (SURA) dollars expire in 2029.

Holly (planning) said the SURA North account was projected at roughly $4.3 million (through 2029) and that downtown Phase 3 (First Avenue reconstruction and related utility/stormwater work) is budgeted at $4 million with potential grant supplements (an $1.8 million small urban grant ranking highly). She said the resort-city lodging tax (passed in 2022) typically yields about $500K a year to be split for sidewalks and street projects and will expire in 2035.

Council discussed trade-offs: whether to push downtown Phase 3 further south to finish a corridor and associated stormwater upgrades, or divert SURA funds to other adopted concepts such as City Beach improvements, Farm & Park, or intersection fixes (1st & Superior) and stormwater relief. Staff noted SURA board priorities historically favor Great Northern corridor work and the SURA board ultimately allocates the funds; collaboration with SURA will be necessary.

On sidewalks, council members urged prioritizing continuous pedestrian corridors rather than isolated sidewalk segments. Staff said ballot language does not specify precise project-by-project allocations, but projects were proposed to match the purpose described at the time of voter approval. Council requested a workshop to clarify SURA priorities and a decision timeline for using grant opportunities and SURA funds before the 2029 deadline.

"With these funds expiring in 2029, you need final decisions as to how this money is going to be spent by the end of this year, if not before," Holly told the council.