COUNTY: Yes to form change

I have been following the work of the committee studying Optional Forms of Local Government. I support their recommendations to expand the Board of County Commissioners from the current three to five and adopting a county manager position.

Although I am a native of North Idaho, I have lived and worked in a variety of towns and cities in other parts of the country before retiring in Coeur d’Alene. Each of the communities where I have lived, including towns the size of Coeur d’Alene and counties the size of Kootenai, have had a County Manager and a board of commissioners larger than three. They have all worked well.

I believe Kootenai County, given its size and rate of growth, would benefit greatly from additional commissioners and a County Manager. The problems are too many and too complex for three commissioners to stay on top of. Five commissioners would provide greater representation and closer communication with the public.

Although there will be an additional expense in personnel costs, I believe these will be more than offset by better planning and management of the county’s many activities. The county is entering a critical phase due to our rapid growth.

Decisions made in the next few years will have a very long-range impact. This issue is far too important to be limited by short-term partisan considerations. I support the recommendations of the committee.

RICHARD CRIPE

Coeur d’Alene