Kootenai commissioners debate Citylink service
COEUR d’ALENE — County and city leaders may come back to the table to discuss whether cities should shoulder more responsibility for public transit services.
In a special meeting Wednesday that focused on transit, Kootenai County Commissioner Bruce Mattare again floated the idea of a joint powers agreement for local public transport. City leaders declined such an agreement last fall, indicating they were satisfied with their current level of involvement and the county’s management of public transit.
“Where are we going with this?” Mattare said of Citylink. “Why is the county backstopping a program that, if you look at the maps, serves the cities? Is there a benefit that a resident in Athol or Harrison is getting that a city resident is not getting from the county to offset that?”
Citylink serves Coeur d’Alene, Dalton Gardens, Hayden, Huetter and Post Falls, with three routes and 81 stops. The program also provides paratransit services for people with ADA-eligible functional limitations that prevent them from using the fixed route buses. There is no fare to ride Citylink buses.
The transit system is primarily funded by Federal Transit Authority and Idaho Transportation Department grants. The program receives match funds from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe and Kootenai Health, as well as contributions from participating cities. The city of Coeur d’Alene contributes the lion’s share of the municipal funds, about $104,000 this fiscal year, followed by Post Falls, which provides $41,000.
The Coeur d’Alene Tribe contributes about $250,000 to the program annually. Kootenai County budgeted about $64,000 for public transit for fiscal year 2025.
Because the county is responsible for managing the grant funds and making sure they’re used in compliance with state or federal requirements, Mattare said the funds are a liability to the county. He said he’d like to see the cities shoulder more of the burden and, in turn, have a bigger stake in transit services.
Commissioner Leslie Duncan said she believes Citylink is a “good and necessary” service and that the existing public transit model with the county at the helm is more efficient and cost effective than other options.
“You’re just going to grow government,” she said, referring to Mattare’s proposed joint powers agreement.
If the county’s concerns are primarily financial, Duncan said, she favors bringing together stakeholders to create a methodology that spreads the financial responsibility equitably, based on where service occurs.
Because cities make up about 55% of the property valuation in Kootenai County, Duncan said taxpaying city residents effectively subsidize county operations like community development and law enforcement.
Duncan compared public transit to public education, describing them as two systems that benefit everyone, though not all taxpayers use them directly.
“The places that they go and shop and eat are staffed by people who use this (public transit) system,” she said. “People are able to get to their (medical) appointments who don’t have cars. If this service didn’t exist, they would be using ambulances. They would be using the ER.”
Coeur d’Alene Mayor Woody McEvers, who attended Wednesday’s meeting, said he’s open to further discussions with county leaders about how public transit costs can be shared fairly.
He emphasized that the cities and Kootenai County have long worked together to provide various services for the benefit of all residents, with some give and take from all sides.
“I look at it as we’re all in this together,” he said. “It’s one big community.”
Mattare also questioned whether the county should continue to partner with Kootenai Health’s patient transport program, which provides free transportation for residents who live within the city limits of Coeur d’Alene, Hayden, Post Falls and Rathdrum. Kootenai Health covers the day-to-day costs of the program, which launched in 1995 and began partnering with the county in 2015.
Kootenai County facilitates and monitors grant funds that support the patient transport program. Mattare suggested that, as a nonprofit, Kootenai Health could apply for and manage the grants on its own.
“I kind of wonder why we’re in this business,” he said. “If they can do it themselves, why are we doing it?”
Mattare expressed concern that the county has not partnered with other area medical providers for similar patient transport services.
Citylink’s Ring-a-Ride program offers additional service to area residents over the age of 65 who have a physical mobility challenge and/or live where public transportation is insufficient, unavailable or inappropriate. Eligible riders can utilize up to eight round trips per month to access medical care, shopping and other destinations.
Duncan