NO-GROWTH: The infrastructure question

No-growth advocates promote building schools, expanding, improving roads, extending sewer, water or other utilities before further development. When does a city decide to develop or improve infrastructure, and how to pay for it?

How does a city attract new industry and encourage small business growth if there is uncertainty when or if new residents or current residents will suffice to sustain any business? The monetary, logistic, and suitable economic conditions are necessary for any business to succeed, and since there will be no growth, a company will wait.

To build a school is a long process to make it to the ballot. If a bond passes, the increase of taxes will fall to current businesses and residences immediately at a higher rate, as other development would come later.

A mix of state, county and city roadways are in some combination for most of Kootenai County. Not having a development plan, how do they know where to expand or improve roads?

Current properties, the taxes increase to pay for expansion or improvements. The same would be valid for utilities, water and sewer. Current taxes would be raised before new growth would be added to the tax roll.

All the necessary considerations for expanding or starting a new business, can a company wait an unknown number of years for housing, schools and infrastructure to be ready? Without a long-term development plan, no growth is a death sentence to businesses and cities alike.

JONI MCCOURY

Post Falls