Sandpoint council OKs roundabout
SANDPOINT — Discussion about a proposed community center monopolized most of Wednesday’s City Council meeting, but that didn’t stop the council from delving into several other hot-button issues.
In an about face from its decision last month, the council approved a plan to install a one-lane roundabout at the intersection of Larch and Boyer. At its May 28 meeting, the council rejected the same plan in favor of a traffic light. The group voted 5-1 for the roundabout, with Councilman John Reuter dissenting. Public Works Director Kody Van Dyk said the project, which is contingent on Super 1 Foods building a Sandpoint location, will likely cost $250,000, plus the cost of purchasing land on two adjacent corners.
The council also found common ground on Councilman Stephen Snedden’s controversial plan for a year-long hiring freeze for city employees. The original resolution gave the council authority to fill vacant positions through a petition process, but was amended Wednesday to give Mayor Gretchen Hellar responsibility for hiring.
Voters rejected it less than a month ago, but the council unanimously agreed to place a water bond back on the ballot, this time in November. The $20.5 million bond would have paid for improvements to the city’s lake water treatment plant. In one of the lightest turnouts in years, voters rejected the bond 141-104 on May 26. Of the city’s 3,912 registered voters, only 245 — or 6 percent — showed up at the polls.
Councilwoman Helen Newton suggested the city skip a second vote on the bond in favor of obtaining judicial confirmation, which would allow a judge to decide the project’s fate
“I think that when we get to the November election, it’s going to be the same proportion or ratio of yes to no, and it’s still going to be no,” she said. “So why don’t we get to the judicial confirmation and move ahead?”
In the end, the council chose to put the decision back in the hands of the voters.
The council also welcomed in a new member, John O’Hara. O’Hara was unanimously approved to replace former Councilman Doug Hawkins Jr. Before the vote, Hellar asked if O’Hara would like to make a statement before he was “grilled” by council.
“I look forward to the opportunity that the mayor has provided to me to lend my voice to the decision-making process of the city. I look forward to working with all of you, should I be confirmed,” O’Hara said.
Despite Hellar’s warning, the council didn’t ask O’Hara a single question, nor was there any discussion about seating him before the vote.
The council was able to mow through a number of import issues before adjuring at 2:15 a.m., but a handful of agenda items were tabled.
On June 24 the council will again take up the issue of a proposed community center on land occupied by the former St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. The council also tabled a proposed taxicab ordinance until its July meeting, as well as a lease modification for the Cedar Street Bridge.