Local option tax heads to Sandpoint voters

SANDPOINT — Following in Ponderay’s footsteps, the Sandpoint City Council is sending its own version of the local option tax to the ballot.

At the regular City Council meeting Wednesday, members voted to refer the 0.5-percent sales tax with a five-year life span to voters for approval this November.

Unlike Ponderay, which listed several projects that would benefit from the increased revenue, Sandpoint council members chose to list only the Memorial Field restoration as a supported project.

Sandpoint Parks Director Kim Woodruff was careful to point out that the organization spearheading restoration fundraising, the Friends of Memorial Field, is neutral on the proposed local option tax.

However, he said that the group faces a serious financial hurdle as it attempts to raise about $1.5 million to repair the Memorial Field grandstands.

Council members agreed that Memorial Field was a project worth supporting, describing it as a city staple providing the setting for school events, tournaments and festivals. Furthermore, the out-of-towners who arrive for sporting events and concerts provide an economic boost for many businesses in town.

“Look at what happens to downtown when there’s a soccer tournament going on,” Councilwoman Carrie Logan said. “Look at what happens when there’s a Festival.”  

However, the amount of money that a local option tax would generate is somewhat unpredictable at this point. City Planner Jeremy Grimm placed the figure at a minimum of $200,000 per year for Sandpoint alone.  

“That’s a very conservative estimate,” he said.

Based on that unpredictability, some council members argued it would be beneficial to keep the list of tax beneficiaries highly focused. That way, voters would know exactly what they were supporting.

Half of the council felt that some funds should also be set aside for downtown street reconstruction along First Avenue. A project envisioned once Sandpoint reclaims its downtown streets, revisions to First Avenue will add traffic, aesthetic and accessibility improvements to the downtown core based on concepts created by SERA, a Portland, Ore., consulting agency.

The other half of the council argued that people need to see what they’ve helped build, and if there isn’t much money left over from Memorial Field support for city streets, it could prove alienating. Logan summarized the issue by relating the damage in reputation Lake Pend Oreille School District took 20 years ago when officials didn’t initiate promised facility renovations after passing a levy.

A motion to include consideration for city streets appeared to succeed after the council split 50-50 and Mayor Marsha Ogilvie cast a favorable vote. However, City Attorney Scot Campbell advised the council that the mayor could only cast a tie-breaking vote on the resolution itself and not a motion to amend. Because of that, only Memorial Field will be listed on the ballot as a beneficiary.