Officials debate county government

COEUR d'ALENE - Tax dollar savings and government accountability were heated topics on Friday, at a debate between two Kootenai County officials over the proposed optional form of county government.

Commissioner Dan Green and Assessor Mike McDowell, both public about their respective support of and opposition to the measure, dueled over the pros and cons at a Kootenai County Democrats meeting at the Iron Horse Bar and Grill.

"If I asked you to start all over and set up an organization with 700 employees and a $70 million budget, what would you set up?" said Green, referring to the county government. "I bet it wouldn't look like what we have today."

The commissioners' Nov. 6 ballot measure will offer the option to create a county manager position and make the county clerk, treasurer, coroner and assessor hired positions, instead of elected. The changes will be proposed in one question.

Green recapped his prediction that the changes would likely save $1 million by addressing inefficiencies. The manager's work would allow the commissioners to become part-time, he said, meaning more working people could run for their seats.

"There are people in this room who won't serve as commissioner, because they have jobs," said Green, who was there speaking for himself and not the other commissioners. "We've capped the applicant pool, and that's fundamentally wrong."

He denied that unelecting the several officials would mean a loss of checks and balances.

"Checks and balances, there are none. This isn't Congress, this isn't the legislature," he said. "The other elected officials have no veto power over the decisions the commissioners make."

McDowell said he wouldn't mind seeing part-time commissioners, ideally five commissioners instead of three, as recommended by two past study commissions.

"But that's not what's on the ballot. What's on the ballot is three full time commissioners and a manager," McDowell said. "If (part-time commissioners) is where we're going to go, why wouldn't we put that on the ballot? Is that going to happen after the election? I don't think so."

He also questioned Green's promise of saving $1 million by reducing inefficiencies and staff.

County departments have already been cutting staff and running threadbare budgets, McDowell said.

"I'd call this optimistic speculation," he said of Green's calculations. "The only solid number we've heard is $120,000 to hire the county manager position. Are we reducing costs, or increasing costs?"

County elected officials do practice checks and balances, he added, by providing a different set of eyes on tax-related information.

"You're trading off that accountability, and for what?" he said. "Maybe a more expedited way for making decisions."

Green retorted that voters will still hold government accountable by electing the three commissioners, whose turnover is "like a shooting gallery."

He noted that commissioners' hours can't be mandated.

Green emphasized that he would want to hire the most qualified individuals for coroner, assessor, clerk and assessor.

So McDowell would probably keep his position, Green said.

"There's a really, really high probability that he would still be the guy," Green said.

McDowell responded that if he was a hired official, "I'd want a lot more money."

Green has created the organization Streamline Kootenai County to promote restructuring county government. McDowell is a member of the Kootenai County Republican Central Committee that passed a resolution against the ballot measure.

Post Falls resident Ron Johnson said after the debate that he wouldn't vote for the ballot measure.

"I don't like the idea of losing elected positions. That becomes a spoiled system," Johnson said.

Carol Stacey of Coeur d'Alene said she respected both men's opinions, and wasn't sure about her vote yet.

"Five part-time commissioners makes more sense," she said. "If you've got only three, it only takes two to make a bad decision."