State of the County in 3 acts

COEUR d’ALENE — Kootenai County’s three commissioners took very different approaches Tuesday when giving their State of the County presentations.

Each of the three commissioners was allotted time to speak to the more than 150 people in attendance at the luncheon at the Best Western Plus Coeur d’Alene Inn, beginning with Commissioner Marc Eberlein.

Eberlein, the only commissioner to have served previously on the board, highlighted the county’s comprehensive financial report. According to Eberlein, the county has no outstanding debt and has been able to increase wages for county employees alongside budgeting for facility improvements and construction.

Transportation funding was another focal point for Eberlein. He said the county is 10 to 15 years “behind the 8 ball” when it comes to transportation, and encouraged attendees to support increased funding for local infrastructure at both the state and national levels.

“It’s getting to be where there’s no easy routes around the traffic,” he said. “We need to have a way to be able to flow traffic around this county.”

Instead of providing remarks on the state of the county, Commissioner Bob Bingham introduced criminal investigator Paul Farina. Farina, who works with the Kootenai County Prosecutor’s Office and is focused on apprehending and prosecuting individuals who use the internet to criminally exploit children, talked about what he does in the community.

At the conclusion of Farina’s speech, he encouraged attendees to teach their children about appropriate use of the Internet.

“I hope, if you weren’t aware of the value we have in the county, that now you’ve seen a little bit,” Bingham said following Farina’s remarks.

Commissioner Chris Fillios then gave attendees a look inside the daily life of a county commissioner.

“As an individual commissioner, I have no authority. Neither does Marc or Bob,” Fillios said. “As a board though, we have a collective authority.”

Fillios, who like Bingham just began his first term as a commissioner, said they typically attend up to 40 meetings a week and are tasked with handling administrative, judicial and legislative issues. In some instances, Fillios said, the commissioners must meet in executive session, behind closed doors.

The reasons for those sessions vary, he added, but some common cases include protecting the county’s interests during legal situations and dealing with personnel issues.

Fillios also answered a question he said he commonly gets — is the job fun?

“Well, yes. And for me it’s fun because at my age I can’t handle eight hours on the same subject,” Fillios said, adding the subjects he deals with range from interesting to heartbreaking. “We do behave as budget watchdogs as well. We agonize over every request that comes in front of us.”