Incorporation mulled in Sagle

SAGLE - A movement is afoot to incorporate the community of Sagle into a city.

“It's in its infancy, but it has started,” said Bonner County Commission Chairman Lewie Rich, who met with business and landowners in Sagle last month to discuss the idea.

Idaho law allows residents of any contiguous, unincorporated area with at least 125 qualified voters to petition the county for incorporation. A majority of those within the proposed city would also have to support incorporation.

If the incorporation does not conflict with annexation designs of neighboring cities, commissioners can call for a public hearing to decide the request, according to state law.

The incorporation question comes amid a development standstill in Sagle. The Southside Water & Sewer District was forced to implement a building moratorium in 2004 because it's treatment system had reached capacity.

In the intervening years, the sewer district investigated ways of resolving the capacity shortfall, including transferring raw sewage across the Pend Oreille River for treatment in the city of Sandpoint and annexation.

The annexation effort, however, never gained traction and district officials ultimately opted to seek permission from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to discharge some of its treated wastewater into the river. The EPA declined to act on a previous discharge request in 2005 due to public opposition.

A modified discharge request is pending.

Rich said resolving the water and sewer dilemma would be an essential component of incorporation. There has been no small amount of interest in commercial development in the U.S. Highway 95 corridor south of Sandpoint.

“They've had requests from several vendors - supermarkets, hardware chains, et cetera,” said Rich. “None of that will work until the water and sewer is done. It's all tied together.”

Incorporation backers are also looking into ways of coping with other costly public services, such as law enforcement.

“Some of the expenses involved in incorporation are overwhelming, so they're going to have to look at contracting,” Rich said.