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Timber harvest to help fund Rathdrum projects

by Brian Walker
| August 27, 2014 9:00 PM

RATHDRUM - Rathdrum projects will benefit from $510,000 in revenue from a selective timber harvest on city-owned property on Rathdrum Mountain.

The harvest awarded to Idaho Forest Group, LLC, will begin this fall and end in October 2015.

How the funds will be spent will be determined after a public planning process on the 557 mountain acres is complete. Public input meetings on the city's mountain site will be held this fall or winter.

"The money from the tree harvest may be spent on improvements to roads or the property on the mountain," said Brett Boyer, city administrator.

The last time Rathdrum's property was selectively harvested was 13 years ago. Funds from the timber sale have been used for projects such as constructing City Hall.

The revenue from the upcoming harvest is the biggest reason why the city's General Fund budget will increase to $8.25 million for fiscal 2015 from $6.74 million this year.

One of the largest expenditures in the upcoming budget will be $225,000 for pathway projects, an increase of $145,000 from the previous two years.

"We are trying to loop the entire city in a pathway as well as do some internal routes," Boyer said.

The pathway system goes along highways 41 and 53, and up Nagel and down Meyer. There are sections along Meyer that the city will be working on during the next year.

"When done (the entire project will last another two years), people will be able to walk or ride to the high school, stores, library or just walk or bike around the city," Boyer said.

The budget also includes:

* A 1.34 percent tax increase, $27,517

* A 2 percent cost of living salary increase for all employees ($33,000) and a 2.5 percent merit pay hike for some employees based on an annual review

* Adding two full-time positions, including a police officer job that was left vacant for the past three years and a parks and recreation office specialist position being converted from part-time to full-time

* City Hall roof repair and the addition of an office/storage area, $100,000

* Street maintenance, $200,000

* Stub Myers Park paving, $90,000

* Police car video equipment and computers, $36,000.

Boyer said the tax increase funds will go into the General Fund to offset an increase in costs.

"We have not taken the full 3 percent (tax increase allowed under law) in seven years and have averaged 1.34 percent for the last five years, trying to remain low but cover increases in costs," Boyer said. "We have been steady in trying to keep up with improvements and maintenance while minimizing any tax increases. We have not had a merit (pay) increase in seven years."

The city's medical insurance cost is increasing 2.3 percent.

A new water well, which will be funded with water capitalization fees from new growth and has been planned for several years, will be constructed on the southwest side of the city.

"The project will provide additional capacity, pressure and fire flow protection for the city," Boyer said.