Sandpoint has tough choices ahead of it

Sandpoint’s City Council has interesting, complex issues before it. I’ll explore two here.

What are the priorities for our limited public funds? Downtown Sandpoint needs improvements to lighting, parking, streets, sidewalks and alleys. It has been a long term economic mainstay for the city. Downtown is our civic/cultural/commercial center with a variety of small and larger businesses, many of which have been in our city for years. Its businesses pay to support the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association (DSBA). The ones whose frontages are “revitalized” contribute via an LID.

We have other important business centers such the one on Great Northern (GN) Road. There companies decided to build at the edge of the city and its services because land was less expensive and several have free airport access. They are employers as are businesses downtown. They are asking to have Great Northern Road improved at public expense, and have not offered a cost sharing partnership. Supporters have sent me 70 e-mails. It would be nice to have GN Road paved, of course, and it would better serve many county residents, and some city ones as well.

It is difficult to balance the needs of our downtown center with those of other parts of the community and with the desire to pave GN road. The city’s budget is limited because its tax rate can increase a maximum of 3 percent a year. We all see costs going up much faster than this in the rest of our lives and costs for the city are also. So the city will be making tough budget choices.

Another important issue is expansion of our lake water treatment plant. A $20 million one. With around 4,000 users, we are looking at about $5,000 per user (meter) for this upgrade. The city would float a bond to pay for the plant over perhaps 20 years; so add interest to the total.

The current water treatment plant would suffice for many years except that, in summer, lawn watering dramatically drives up usage. Should City Council decide to constrain summer water use rather than increasing water fees to raise about $5,000/water meter?

Many people don’t realize that unwatered lawns don’t die. They go dormant and green up when the rains return. So we’re not talking “lawn death,” but temporary brown spots. In localities where water is scarce, “xeriscape” landscaping is popular, as it dramatically cuts water use.

I welcome your thoughts. To contact me, call 255-7336 or e-mail yachthaloyahoo.com.

Steve Lockwood is a Sandpoint City Council member.