County commissioners gear up for busy 2021

Last year brought tremendous challenges, which Kootenai County's commissioners believe helped prepare them for a strong 2021.

Commissioner Leslie Duncan said the brunt of their time last year was spent dealing with something they've never seen before — the pandemic, government shutdowns, and community quarantining. Still, she thinks the challenges had little effect on the board's ability to solidly represent taxpayers.

"Our jobs are reactionary for the most part, so we are dealing with things as they come up," she said. "My proactive steps are to try and create new, better processes, and ways to where if there is a turnover on the board, it is not so chaotic."

Kootenai County does have a higher turnover rate for commissioners, chairman Chris Fillios said. According to county records, two to three terms is the average, with the last four-term commissioner dating back to Henry Meyer, a Democrat who was elected in 1962.

This brews a problem, Fillios said, as it is hard to develop a five-year plan for the county when the board makeup changes every two to four years.

"For us to be able to think strategically and say 'in five years, this is where we need to be' is difficult when we turn over commissioners so frequently," he said.

Commissioner Bill Brooks has a potential solution, he believes, through a study on alternative forms of government.

There are options for government systems under the Idaho Constitution, and the implementation of a new one will largely depend on the study recommendation, Brooks said.

"I want to discuss what is good for Kootenai County, and whatever comes out of the study commission the board has committed to supporting 100% as a ballot measure," he said. "We will do whatever the study dictates. If they agree to no change, then there will be nothing on the ballot. If there is, it needs to go before the people."

Developing the study's bylaws has been a long process. Still, Brooks plans to have the bylaws introduced to his fellow commissioners in the coming weeks and is hopeful of forming the committee by the end of February.

Connecting with the community is a priority for commissioners this year, notably through a series of town hall events throughout the county, possibly starting in February, Fillios said. The "commissioner-road-show," as Fillios called it, would hit everywhere from Harrison to Post Falls.

"It lets people ask questions about how we function like a county, how we are trying to handle growth, as well as taxes," he said. "But also how we can better accommodate residents and how we can serve them."

The town halls will be one way Duncan continues her mission, protecting Kootenai County residents' rights, she said.

Some "wins" she saw from last year were the additions to waterway safety and re-entry center land-use language.

Looking ahead, she has four projects in the works, and while they are too early to discuss, she said she was inspired by "providing excellent service while limiting spending."

"My goals year over year are protecting the rights of all the citizens in Kootenai County. I'm talking about mask mandates, shutdowns, quarantining health people," she said. "Doing what I can in my position to make sure their rights are being protected, not giving up any more freedoms."

A significant focus for the commissioners during 2021 will be finding a balance between future growth and past trials.

"COVID has done serious structural damage to our community, plus we have the whipsaw effect of Coeur d'Alene being one of the most popular areas to move, and housing rates are through the roof," Brooks said. "We have a bumper crop of problems, and as commissioners, we have to find the best way we can solve them."

Topics on the commissioners' horizon:

• Taxing legislation from state lawmakers
• Tackling growth and how to maintain the same standard of public services
• Expanding county facilities for attorneys, public defenders, judges, and related amenities
• Honing county expenditures and developing the fiscal year 2022 budget
• Decreasing in-state resident parks and recreation impact fees and increasing out-of-state costs