Kootenai County commissioner proposes billing cities for law enforcement services

To address rising costs of law enforcement in fast-growing communities like those in Kootenai County, Commissioner Bruce Mattare has proposed that lawmakers empower counties to bill cities without their own police departments or a contract with the county sheriff’s office for “city-incurred law enforcement services that are in excess of what city taxpayers pay to the county.”

Mattare said he believes this proposal, outlined in a white paper, is a “fair and impartial solution” that accounts for county law enforcement services and how those services can be tracked and priced.