County expected to OK refugee resolution

COEUR d'ALENE — Kootenai County is expected to have a voice on government record should refugee resettlement ever occur here.

County commissioners are expected to approve at Tuesday's business meeting at 2 p.m. a resolution ensuring that, if resettlement occurs, the federal government will fund such activity so the financial burden does not fall on local taxpayers. It also supports a thorough investigation of each refugee to reduce the threat of terrorism.

Resolutions are non-binding and have no statutory authority.

Commissioners heard an earful from several of about 25 people who packed into the board's meeting room on Wednesday for a discussion that was resumed from Monday.

"We can't take care of our own," said Marty Lang, Zone 1 leader for a group called 3% of Idaho, which opposes refugee resettlement. "I know people who served in wars in this town who are homeless."

Johanna Gehlker, of Rathdrum, said until it can be proven that refugee resettlement benefits our government, we should stay out of it.

"It's a fleecing of the American taxpayer," she told the commissioners.

Mark Kadel, director for the World Relief office in Spokane, one of nine agencies contracted by the State Department to provide resettlement to refugees, said the resolution is redundant and unnecessary because the refugee program is already federally-funded.

Kadel said he doesn't foresee any possible resettlement of refugees in North Idaho on the horizon, but it's not out of the question.

While the meeting was not a public hearing, the commissioners allowed attendees to express concerns they have on a possible refugee resettlement here.

Wade Williams suggested sectioning off part of refugees countries such as Syria, make it a no-fly zone and have them taken care of there.

"Leave them there to end all of this hubbub," he said.

A proposed resolution was presented to the commissioners by Coeur d'Alene's Brent Regan on Monday. However, Commissioner Marc Eberlein drafted his own resolution proposal without as many references to ethnic backgrounds and specific incidents and presented it at the meeting.

Most of the attendees supported the resolution and sought to add more provisions.

After some citizens inquired, Eberlein said he checked into whether impact fees can be imposed on the resettlement of refugees and he learned that the county does not have authority to do that.

Regan said while some may believe resolutions don't have teeth, he believes differently.

"The audience for this isn't refugees or citizens of Kootenai County; the audience is government itself," he said. "It should coordinate with (county leadership) if they bring refugees here. We want to put them on notice that you are the government of the county and you expect to be notified."

The resolution, if finalized as expected on Tuesday, will be sent to Gov. Butch Otter's office and state lawmakers. Other counties, including Bonner and Boundary, have also bantered refugee-related resolutions.

Otter and some other governors called on President Obama last month to halt the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program until the vetting process for all foreigners crossing U.S. borders is fully reviewed and state concerns about the program are addressed.