Agenda

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Did you know the city is spending $3.8 million more than available revenue over the last two years? I will create a budget that doesn't use reserve funds. We have to balance the budget! I would love to see a budget that accounts for replacing fire trucks and other capital expenses currently paid for by bonds. My goal is to avoid property tax increases and maintain a balanced budget.

Tourism drives much of CDA. However, your tax dollars can only go so far. We need tourists to pay their fair share. I will work with hoteliers and the short-term rental community to come up with a way for tourists to contribute more to the maintenance and health of our lakes, trails, rivers, streets, and more. Increasing permit fees for short term rentals and creating a local lodging tax will erase budget deficits.

Legal notices are currently made in the CDA Press. Most people don't subscribe to or read the press. On Day 1, I will direct city staff to work with additional outlets for publication of all legal notices. One example is North Idaho News on Facebook. Additionally, we will direct the public to the posted notices in the Press. Local newspapers prevent extremism in commiunities.

When citizens are engaged, Coeur d’Alene gains over 50,000 allies in safety, stewardship, and community pride. 

Government is not the solution to most problems. However, we can help direct volunteers! Local faith organizations and non-profits provide so many necessary services. Some volunteers look for ways to serve the community but don't know where to go. I will work with the city administrator to create and maintain lists of service opportunities by department. This will preserve taxpayer dollars and maximize volunteer impact. 

Too many of our citizens have to leave to receive education and training that will increase their earning potential and services offered in our city. I will work with the Economic Development Corporation, NIC, Idaho universities, and local stake holders to identify and attract key learning opportunities.

Sunshine Minting owns a 36,000 square foot building, valued at $6.37M on  Canfield Ave. The mint recently closed and is taking over 125 jobs with it to Nevada. As mayor, I will work with CdAEDC and other stakeholders to help recruit and retain a variety of businesses.

Tourism drives much of CDA during the summer, and then disappears for much of the year. I will work with Urban Renewal to create an indoor sports and training complex that will allow our children to train year-round. We can also host regional tournatments that attract tourism dollars, hotel revenue and, subsequently tax dollars, year-round.

I will work with city staff, council, and local builders to remove obstacles that otherwise increase the cost of homes. 

The city posted four free ADU plans. I will work with city staff and Council to ensure permitting and construction of ADUs is feasible.

Airplanes, jet skis, and boats come near or, in some cases, right up to City Beach. As mayor, I will work with all stakeholders to explore enhancing the safety and attractiveness of the lake, trails, and streets. 

When I first moved here in 2008, you would expect to get a speeding ticket for going over 40 mph on Ramsey Road. Now, drivers routinely travel 45 mph (if it's not a parking lot). I will work with Council, the police, and street departments to evaluate enforcement or increasing the speed limit on some streets.

The increasing use of e-bikes, with their high speeds, must be evaluated. I'll meet with stakeholders, including the ped-bike committee to explore solutions.

Coeur d'Alene is close to receiving a designation of top walkable city. I will work with city staff to continue toward this milestone.

Citizens and companies that work hard to maintain and preserve historic structures should receive a property tax break for their efforts. I will work with Council and staff to determine what is possible to incentivize and reward preservation of historic homes and commercial buildings in our city.

I will work with the parks department and city arborists to treat ash trees in City Park to eliminate blue ash aphids, if possible.

I will work with the parks department and city arborists to responsibly manage Tubbs Hill and other city properties to minimize risks of fire.

I will work with the streets department to responsibly manage the streets. Some streets appear at significant risk, in my opinion, for flooding and sinkholes. Since I'm not an engineer, I'll rely heavily on the talented team at the city.

Generally, our locally elected officials do a good job. I would like to hear from voters to see if they would like term limits. 

Our current city council members live in diverse parts of the city. So, I'm not sure this is a big issue. But, I worry that city government may tend to be too much about downtown. The city is a lot bigger than downtown and we need it to be about a lot more than tourism.