DeLange seeks sixth council term

Jeri DeLange announced Thursday she is running for a sixth term on the Hayden City Council.

“Since 2002 when I began my first term, the city has experienced tremendous growth that has resulted in transportation and infrastructure issues," she said in a press release.

During the past 20 years, DeLange has represented the city in a range of leadership positions. She served as president of the Association of Idaho Cities in 2017, eight years as an AIC executive board member and 15 years as an AIC legislative committee member.

For the past 10 years, she has served as an executive board member on the Panhandle Area Council, and was recently appointed to the Board of the Kootenai Metropolitan Planning Organization.

“Transportation issues impact our region greatly and some take several years to plan," she said. "Being a part of this board will help me to better understand local transportation and infrastructure needs, not only in Hayden, but all of Kootenai County."

Last week, she was appointed to the EPA’s federal advisory committee — Small Communities Advisory Subcommittee.

DeLange has over 28 years of business experience and has been involved in community organizations over the years, including the Hayden and Coeur d'Alene chambers and the Hayden Rotary Club.

In addressing current issues, DeLange said the city spent two years updating its comprehensive, transportation, parks and sewer plans to keep up with growth. However, some of the proposed zoning changes increased the amount of density that could occur and also impacted the zoning for some current residents.

DeLange said that after hearing from Hayden citizens about the rezoning process, the council decided to propose an interim ordinance to re-instate the residential multi-family zoning up to a year to allow for more review.

She said another issue facing Hayden, with a population of 16,000, is that it has one of the lowest tax levy rates in Idaho.

"This low levy rate makes it difficult to budget for the needs of the city, but the city staff does an excellent job of managing its expenses to provide services even though the 2020 tax levy rate is about $1 per thousand," she said.

DeLange is a lifelong resident of North Idaho. She and her husband, Barry, have five children between them.