Sandpoint to dig into 2025 budget, discuss local sales tax
Photo by ERIC WELCH
SANDPOINT — City councilors will meet Wednesday, Aug. 7, to review the latest draft of the 2025 budget and discuss a potential 1% local sales tax to fund road repairs.
The preliminary draft of the 2025 budget was released in July along with a list of proposed changes to city fees. An updated draft of the fee changes list released Aug. 1 shows a reduction in the projected cost of monthly memberships at the soon-to-be-completed James E. Russell Sports Center.
The council will host a hearing at its next scheduled meeting Aug. 21 to receive public comment for the 2025 budget and the proposed fee changes.
Wednesday’s meeting will also include a presentation from Mayor Jeremy Grimm regarding a potential 1% local option sales tax to fund street and sidewalk construction.
In an Aug. 2 memo to councilors, Grimm reported that Sandpoint’s streets are degrading faster than the city can fund repairs. According to Grimm, a 7% increase in lodging tax implemented in November 2022 has supported road work but has not generated sufficient funds to properly maintain city streets.
He then expressed his intent to ask the council to place the tax measure on the November ballot.
Additionally, councilors will vote on a $432,920 contract with Keller Associates for a preliminary engineering report as part of Sandpoint’s initiative to replace its wastewater treatment plant.
If approved, the resulting report will be a key early step toward overhauling the deteriorating facility.
Finally, councilors will be asked to approve three proposed change orders: an additional $30,157 to replace outdated hardware as part of Sandpoint’s SCADA upgrades project; a $9,200 supplement to the Travers Park skatepark expansion project for a retaining wall that will prevent erosion; and a $19,121 add-on to the Travers Park renovations project due to unforeseen circumstances.
Wednesday’s meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. at City Hall, 1123 Lake St., and livestreamed on Zoom.