editorial: Idaho cities' finances laid beautifully bare

The city of Coeur d’Alene pays part-time swim instructor Bailey Andrews $18 an hour.

Wastewater Department boss Michael Anderson receives an annual salary of $134,388.80.

For leading the lawyers who watch over the legal affairs, city attorney Randall Adams earns $168,625.60 annually.

In fiscal year 2023, Post Falls collected $18.59 million in utility fees, $13.72 million in property taxes and assessments, and $9,000 in fines.

Over in Hayden, the city spent $4.71 million on wastewater/sewer, $2.66 million on parks and recreation and $50,000 on economic development in fiscal year 2023.

These figures were easily and almost instantly gleaned from a state-generated website called Transparent Idaho. More specifically, the mother site has born a new child: the cities page. 

Managed by the Idaho State Controller’s Office, Transparent Idaho’s latest feature includes financial details of 198 Idaho cities. Tiny Fernan Lake Village is in there; Huetter is not. Otherwise, cities in Kootenai County are thoroughly covered.

Categories include budget, revenue, expenditures, salaries, documents and fund balances.

This is as good a time as any to acknowledge that fiscal watchdogs and curious journalists aren’t very representative of the average citizen. 

Most folks will never attend a city council meeting, let alone dive into a website that shines light on municipal finances. In Netflix vs. Rathdrum FY 23 Fund Balances, Netflix likely remains undefeated.

But for the most serious, active citizens, Transparent Idaho is a treasure chest and the new cities feature is a collection of rare gems. 

As Idaho State Controller Brandon Woolf envisions, some public records requests are now unnecessary. A few minutes at a computer can provide citizens the exact information they’re seeking and have a right to know.

At or near the top of that list is city salary information. Did you know that Fernan Lake Village Mayor Heidi Acuff’s reported monthly salary is $150? That Spirit Lake Public Works Director Tim Wilkerson earns $75,920 annually and that his hire date was Aug. 10, 1993? Or that Hayden Lake Police Chief Jason Wiedebush is paid $48 an hour?

Here’s a link to the cities portion of Transparent Idaho: https://transparent.idaho.gov/City

Thanks go to Controller Woolf and to all the city leaders who ensured this information is now fingertips away from anyone who wants it.