LID still raising tumult in city

SANDPOINT - Tumult over the city's 2008 Local Improvement District appeared to be over when the contentious ordinance was voted down last month, but some angry residents are bringing the issue back to the table.

The proposed LID would have required homeowners in certain areas to build or replace sidewalks on their property or pay the city to do the job for them.

The boundaries for the 2008 LID were both sides of South Fourth, both sides of Larch from Third to Boyer, both sides of Pine from Division to U.S. 2, and both sides of Michigan from Fourth to Olive.

Now some of the 40 property owners who installed sidewalks in advance of the LID are asking the city to reimburse them the money they spent.

The process began on May 25, 2007, when the city sent letters to the 260 property owners in the proposed area informing them that their neighborhood was part of the 2008 LID.

The letter said homeowners could wait for the city to install the sidewalks, but suggested that it would be more cost effective to hire a contractor to replace them prior to the LID going out to bid.

Drafted by Public Works Director Kody Van Dyk, the letter said bonding and city administrative costs, along with Public Works contracting rules, would make the job 25-35 percent more expensive for property owners if the city put in the sidewalks.

With a home on the corner of South Boyer Avenue and Michigan Street, Chris Rinehart has the unique distinction of owning property affected by both the 2007 and 2008 LID. Rinehart paid the city to put in the sidewalk for the 2007 LID, but when he received the letter informing him about the 2008 LID, he decided to do the work himself.

Rinehart now wants the city to reimburse him the $1,500 he spent on materials for the project.

Between the letter and a visit from a city engineer, Rinehart said he felt pressured to put the sidewalks in before the LID was finalized.

“The letter was misleading,” he said. “They never came forward to remind people that this thing might not go through.”

Rinehart said he knows of several homeowners in financial hardship because they borrowed money to put in the sidewalks and thinks it's only fair for the city to reimburse them.

The issue is on the agenda for Wednesday's council meeting, and Rinehart said he is hopeful the city will do what he thinks is the honest thing.

“I'll be disappointed if they don't reimburse us. I voted for them because I thought they were men and women of principle, so I hope they do the right thing,” Rinehart said.