County officials look ahead

COEUR d'ALENE - Kootenai County will be rolling out the first, complete draft of its new land use code this week, with ample opportunities for citizens to lay on their opinions.

Also, impact fees might be doomed, while construction in the county is hinting at a comeback.

These and other issues were discussed on Tuesday morning at the state of the county presentation, jointly delivered by all three commissioners at the Best Western Coeur d'Alene Inn.

"This board has a lot on their plates that has significant implications for all the citizens of Kootenai County," said Commissioner Dan Green.

Green noted that after two years, the new Unified Land Use Code is finally nearing completion.

The code updates and streamlines county development and land use ordinances. The first draft should be posted online by the end of the week, Green said, with readers encouraged to post comments.

Both the county Planning and Zoning Commission and the commissioners will hold public hearings for the final draft of the document, Green said.

"This has been the most open, comprehensive process I have ever been involved with," Green said of writing the code that implements the new county Comprehensive Plan.

Saving taxpayer dollars has been a priority for the commissioners, said Commissioner Jai Nelson.

She explained how county departments went paperless and wireless last year, with projected savings of $137,874 per year.

"We've already eliminated nearly 90 percent of paper moving around our office," Nelson said.

The county will also start using new credit cards with a cash-back program this year, she added.

The cash-back returns should net in $50,000 for the county in the first year, she said, and $200,000 by the fifth year.

Nelson reported that the commissioners just suspended collection of impact fees, charged to developers to fund the cost of new growth.

County officials are assessing how to ensure more equitable collection, she said.

"If that's not achievable, our course of action may be to abandon the program entirely," she said.

Meanwhile, there are signs of construction rebounding in the area, she said. In the last six months of 2012, the county recorded an 8.5 percent increase in new single family residential development, compared to that period the year before.

"These are indicators of a stronger local economy," Nelson said.

The overcrowded jail continues to be an issue, Green said, as voters have repeatedly shot down proposals to fund an expanded facility.

The commissioners are going to "explore other options," Green said. He didn't discuss a consultant's recent proposal to build a new facility through private investments.

The commissioners are also looking at reorganizing the 18 county departments that report directly to the three officials, Green said.

The goal is to better delegate responsibilities so the commissioners aren't "bogged down" in mundane administrative duties, he said.

Green also touted the opening of the gas-to-energy plant at the Fighting Creek Landfill last year.

The partnership with Kootenai Electric should earn the county $4 million in the next 20 years, Green said.

Commissioner Todd Tondee said the commissioners' new fiscal year budget granted county employees merit raises, without increasing property taxes.

He added that only 49.3 percent of the budget was funded by property taxes, and 50.7 percent covered by other sources, like user fees.

"This board of commissioners continues with the philosophy to have users of services pay for those services," Tondee said.

The commissioners have also opted to use fund balance dollars to cover capital expenditures, he added, instead of relying on property taxes.

"We're proud of that," Tondee said.