Cd'A budget plan includes property tax increase

COEUR d’ALENE — The Coeur d’Alene City Council may take action regarding its 2023-24 budget when it meets at 6 tonight in the Coeur d’Alene Public Library Community Room.

The spending plan calls for setting a public hearing for Sept. 5 and setting the high-dollar amount of $130.5 million in expenditures, up from the current $123 million.

The proposal seeks a property tax increase.

The revenue includes $27.5 million in property tax revenue — an increase of $990,162 over the previous year.

“This increase includes estimated new growth of $226,424 and a 3% increase over taxes levied this fiscal year of $767,514,” a city report states.

The budget includes $21.8 million for the police department; $13.6 million for the fire department; $7.2 million for streets; $3 million for the parks department; and $5.4 million combined for municipal services, the finance department and the legal department.

Comptroller Vonnie Jensen will present the financial plan to the City Council.

It was noted at a recent City Council meeting that the property tax hike may not mean higher property taxes.

In the most recent Kootenai County property value assessment notices, many went down.

In other business, Gynii Gilliam, executive director of the Coeur d’Alene Economic Development Corp., will give an update on the organization, which recently received some bad news.

The Hayden City Council, in its proposed $39 million budget, did not fund the CDAEDC.

Hayden opted not to pay $10,000 a year to the organization.

“I used to see the benefit to Jobs Plus," Councilman Roger Saterfiel said. "I don’t see it now."

Gilliam, in a previous article in The Press, said she was "very disappointed."

From 2015 to 2022, CdAEDC assisted 67 companies — including Stancraft Jets, Dauntless Air, River City Fabrication and Kenworth Truck Company — that created 3,500 jobs, annual payroll of $182 million, capital investment of $253 million and annual tax revenue of $1.7 million, Gilliam said.

She said they will likely have to do more fundraising to make up the difference after losing the city of Hayden's funding.