Public safety? Yes

COEUR d'ALENE - With only 8 percent of registered voters casting ballots, the city of Coeur d'Alene's public safety bond passed with overwhelming support Tuesday night.

All but two of the incumbents in five highway district races retained their seats, while the incumbents on the Bayview Water and Sewer board were defeated by their challengers.

The public safety bond - which will fund $5 million in city firefighting equipment and nearly $1 million in city police vehicles - passed with 85 percent or 2,258 of the total votes cast.

A supermajority, meaning two-thirds of the voters, had to approve the bond for it to pass. Approval of the replacement bond will actually result in a reduction in taxes for all city property owners because it will replace a $7 million bond passed by voters in 2005.

The actual cost of the bond for the average homeowner with a $200,000 home is $46 per year with the homeowner's exemption. The average homeowner is currently paying $56 per year with the homeowner's exemption.

There was one upset in the three Post Falls Highway District races, while two incumbents held their seats. Incumbent Robert Miller was defeated by challenger Randy Oaks, who took 43 percent of the vote with 542 votes. Jeff Tyler came in second with 372 votes and Miller landed 344 votes.

The other two Post Falls Highway District seats were retained by incumbents Lynn Humphreys, who beat Elaine White with 65 percent of the vote, and Terry Werner, who beat out Michael Scott with 823 votes to Scott's 450 votes.

Lakes Highway District incumbent Dan Malcolm was narrowly defeated by challenger Diane Fountain who garnered 51 percent of the vote in a 1,212 to 1,146 race.

Chris Fillios will retain his seat on the East Side Highway District after shutting down two challengers, Terry Wall and Graham Christensen. Fillios garnered 45 percent of the vote for a total of 311 votes. Wall received 123 votes, and Christensen landed 251 for second place.

There was a very close double upset in Bayview, where challengers Sharon Meyer and Stephen May narrowly beat out Bayview Sewer and Water Board incumbents Kimberly Mattern and Charles Murray. Meyer took her seat with 96 votes, over Mattern's 84 votes in that race. May took his seat by just two votes in a 91-89 vote race against Murray.

Overall voter turnout was extremely low with only 5,209 ballots cast - exactly 8 percent of registered voters cast ballots.