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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Coeur d'Alene City Council Meeting - July 22, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, July 22, 2026

BodyCoeur Dalene, Idaho

SessionCity Council

DateWednesday, July 22, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

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Transcript — Verbatim

0:10

Good evening.

0:10

It's July 21st, 2026.

0:13

This is the meeting of the Cordelane City Council, which I will call to order.

0:16

The clerk will take the roll.

0:18

Gabriel.

0:20

Miller here.

0:21

Evans.

0:22

Here.

0:22

English.

0:23

Here.

0:23

Sheckler.

0:24

Wood here.

0:27

Very well.

0:27

Next item is our invocation.

0:29

We have Matt Dean from the Berean Missionary Baptist Church.

0:33

Will everyone please rise?

0:37

Good evening.

0:37

Thank you for having me.

0:38

Let's pray.

0:39

Heavenly Father God, we love you and we thank you for this opportunity that we're gathered here tonight.

0:45

My prayer tonight is that you will be honored in everything that is done here.

0:48

God, we know that since the founding of our nation, our leaders have called on prayer to help guide and direct them.

0:55

So tonight, as these council members and the mayor represent those that have elected them, God, we just ask that you are honored in everything that they do, God, and we'll give you all the honor and glory in our lives.

1:05

God, we thank you so much for Jesus and what he means to us and who he is to each one of us.

1:11

It's in his name we ask and pray.

1:13

Amen.

1:14

Thank you, Matt.

1:15

Councilmember Gabriel will be just in my voice.

1:18

So I point to the flag of the United States of America.

1:26

One nation under God.

1:35

Item D, amendments to the agenda.

1:37

Does council have any amendments?

1:40

Seeing none, we're off to item E, which is a presentation of the North Idaho Sousa.

1:45

We'll find out what that means.

1:47

If uh Benjamin Allen, our Shoshone County prosecutor could come up, as well as Julia Zimney.

1:56

Yes, this is an introduction.

1:57

You have to be here for your introduction.

2:00

Benjamin, welcome.

2:02

Uh thank you, Mayor and Council, and we appreciate you guys uh setting a few minutes into your agenda tonight for this.

2:08

Uh I'm standing before you because I have with me our first ever North Idaho SAUSA.

2:17

Uh it was a long journey.

2:18

This project has been years in the making.

2:22

And uh you as City Council members uh you know heard the pitch of community collaboration in order to bring this position here.

2:31

And the city of Cordelaine was one of those pioneer cities that jumped on board, identified this as a priority and saw the benefit that it could provide to our communities, and as such, you are one of the original uh local partners, as we have identified it in our founding documents.

2:48

Uh once we rolled out the SAUSA initiative.

2:53

Obviously, administrative and procedural issues needed to be ironed out before we could even effectuate a hire.

3:00

And once we got to that point, we went out and we searched for somebody that was young, motivated, and had a heart for serving our communities.

3:09

And I feel fully confident that we found that in Miss Imney.

3:13

I want to give Ms.

3:14

Zimney an opportunity to just spend uh a few seconds sharing with you a little bit about who she is, where she came from, and uh what she's been up to in this position.

3:24

I will caution the council though that based upon the nature of her work, she won't be able to discuss logistics or specifics about any particular cases she's working on at the moment, but she'll give you guys just a general overview of of what it's looked like from her position thus far.

3:40

So, Ms.

3:41

Imney.

3:43

Hello, everybody.

3:45

I am so excited to be here.

3:47

I've been looking forward to uh tonight for um since I started.

3:51

I know we've been trying to get this on the calendar.

3:54

Um I started back at the end of April, and uh it has been such an honor to be able to contribute to the Cordelane community.

4:04

I've been able to work with some very important individuals in the area who share the same mission uh that I do and that my office with the United States Attorney Office does as well.

4:16

Um whether it's through working with prosecutors with Shoshone County or working with the prosecutors at the Cutney County prosecutor's office.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Public Safety██████████████████████████████30%

Procedural████████████████████████████28%

Affordable Housing██████████████14%

Technology and Innovation████████8%

Transportation Safety████████8%

Fiscal Sustainability████████8%

Community Engagement████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Coeur d'Alene City Council Meeting - July 22, 2026

The Coeur d'Alene City Council met on July 22, 2026, for a regular meeting that included a presentation on the newly created North Idaho SAUSA position, public comments on parking and community development, approval of a CDBG grant for St. Vincent DePaul, and authorization for police equipment upgrades. The meeting concluded with a recess to a budget workshop on July 27.

Presentation: North Idaho SAUSA

Benjamin Allen, Shoshone County prosecutor, introduced Julia Zimney as the first Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) for North Idaho. Zimney explained her role focuses on prosecuting federal drug crimes along the I-90 corridor, having handled approximately 20 narcotics cases since starting in late April 2026. She highlighted that the position saves state tax dollars by adopting state cases federally. Councilmember English inquired about the acronym; Zimney clarified that SAUSA stands for Special Assistant United States Attorney, dedicated to drug prosecutions.

Public Comments & Testimony

Matt Macnack (Roosevelt Avenue resident): Expressed gratitude to the mayor for meeting with him and a neighbor to discuss parking issues on their street, which he said resulted from the removal of resident parking signs. He noted that traffic from the I-90 exit creates a burden on the neighborhood, contrary to the city's goal of supporting commercial growth while protecting residential areas. He requested consideration of reactivating restricted parking.
Scott Ferguson (CEO, St. Vincent DePaul North Idaho): Thanked the council for their potential approval of a CDBG grant to renovate the kitchen at the women and children's emergency transitional shelter. He reported that the shelter serves roughly 310 women and children annually, helping them move from emergency shelter to permanent supportive housing. He stated the grant would improve safety, accessibility, and functionality, supporting self-sufficiency.

Council Announcements & Appointments

Councilmember Kenny welcomed Michael Dominguez, the new seat administrator, and the mayor echoed the welcome.
The mayor responded to Mr. Macnack's parking concerns, noting that the previous pilot program would require a council decision on permanent reinstatement and that there may be similar requests citywide. He acknowledged the validity of the concern regarding the city code on commercial-residential transitions.
Appointment: Mayor nominated Daniel Roop to the Urban Forestry Committee. A motion to confirm was seconded and passed unanimously by voice vote.

Consent Calendar

The consent calendar (item H) was approved unanimously by roll call vote. (Specific items on the consent calendar were not listed in the transcript.)

Discussion Items

Resolution 26058 – CDBG Grant for St. Vincent DePaul: Sherry Bettisher from the CDBG division presented a request to award $3,799.89 from plan year 2025 community development block grant funds to St. Vincent DePaul North Idaho for public facility improvements—specifically, kitchen renovations at the women and children's emergency transitional shelter. The funds were reallocated from unused plan year 2022 and 2024 funds. The activity falls under the consolidated plan goal of public facility and infrastructure projects. Councilmember Christie noted a newspaper article with photos highlighting the need. The resolution was approved unanimously by roll call vote.
Resolution 26059 – Police Equipment Purchase: Police Chief Yeager requested authorization to purchase 15 Taser devices (Taser 10 model, not to exceed $19,037.94) and 6 ballistic helmets (not to exceed $9,497.70), utilizing remaining personnel budget authority in the department's existing general fund appropriation. The tasers replace outdated models (X-26 and Taser 7) that are no longer supported, and the helmets are part of a five-year rotation schedule for SWAT team members. Chief Yeager noted that paying for these items from the current year's remaining budget reduces next year's budget request. A councilmember asked if the purchase was an addition or replacement; Chief Yeager clarified it was a replacement. The resolution was approved unanimously by roll call vote (Mayor asked for a clarification on the resolution number, then the vote proceeded).

Key Outcomes

Daniel Roop appointed to the Urban Forestry Committee (unanimous).
Consent calendar approved (unanimous).
Resolution 26058 approved: $3,799.89 CDBG grant to St. Vincent DePaul North Idaho for kitchen improvements (unanimous).
Resolution 26059 approved: Purchase of 15 tasers ($19,037.94) and 6 ballistic helmets ($9,497.70) for the police department (unanimous).
Council recessed to July 27, 2026, for a budget workshop in the library community room at noon (motion carried).

Meeting Transcript

Good evening. It's July 21st, 2026. This is the meeting of the Cordelane City Council, which I will call to order. The clerk will take the roll. Gabriel. Miller here. Evans. Here. English. Here. Sheckler. Wood here. Very well. Next item is our invocation. We have Matt Dean from the Berean Missionary Baptist Church. Will everyone please rise? Good evening. Thank you for having me. Let's pray. Heavenly Father God, we love you and we thank you for this opportunity that we're gathered here tonight. My prayer tonight is that you will be honored in everything that is done here. God, we know that since the founding of our nation, our leaders have called on prayer to help guide and direct them. So tonight, as these council members and the mayor represent those that have elected them, God, we just ask that you are honored in everything that they do, God, and we'll give you all the honor and glory in our lives. God, we thank you so much for Jesus and what he means to us and who he is to each one of us. It's in his name we ask and pray. Amen. Thank you, Matt. Councilmember Gabriel will be just in my voice. So I point to the flag of the United States of America. One nation under God. Item D, amendments to the agenda. Does council have any amendments? Seeing none, we're off to item E, which is a presentation of the North Idaho Sousa. We'll find out what that means. If uh Benjamin Allen, our Shoshone County prosecutor could come up, as well as Julia Zimney. Yes, this is an introduction. You have to be here for your introduction. Benjamin, welcome. Uh thank you, Mayor and Council, and we appreciate you guys uh setting a few minutes into your agenda tonight for this. Uh I'm standing before you because I have with me our first ever North Idaho SAUSA. Uh it was a long journey. This project has been years in the making. And uh you as City Council members uh you know heard the pitch of community collaboration in order to bring this position here. And the city of Cordelaine was one of those pioneer cities that jumped on board, identified this as a priority and saw the benefit that it could provide to our communities, and as such, you are one of the original uh local partners, as we have identified it in our founding documents. Uh once we rolled out the SAUSA initiative. Obviously, administrative and procedural issues needed to be ironed out before we could even effectuate a hire. And once we got to that point, we went out and we searched for somebody that was young, motivated, and had a heart for serving our communities. And I feel fully confident that we found that in Miss Imney. I want to give Ms. Zimney an opportunity to just spend uh a few seconds sharing with you a little bit about who she is, where she came from, and uh what she's been up to in this position.

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Coeur d'Alene City Council Meeting - July 22, 2026

Presentation: North Idaho SAUSA

Benjamin Allen, Shoshone County prosecutor, introduced Julia Zimney as the first Special Assistant United States Attorney (SAUSA) for North Idaho. Zimney explained her role focuses on prosecuting federal drug crimes along the I-90 corridor, having handled approximately 20 narcotics cases since starting in late April 2026. She highlighted that the position saves state tax dollars by adopting state cases federally. Councilmember English inquired about the acronym; Zimney clarified that SAUSA stands for Special Assistant United States Attorney, dedicated to drug prosecutions.

Public Comments & Testimony

Matt Macnack (Roosevelt Avenue resident): Expressed gratitude to the mayor for meeting with him and a neighbor to discuss parking issues on their street, which he said resulted from the removal of resident parking signs. He noted that traffic from the I-90 exit creates a burden on the neighborhood, contrary to the city's goal of supporting commercial growth while protecting residential areas. He requested consideration of reactivating restricted parking.

Scott Ferguson (CEO, St. Vincent DePaul North Idaho): Thanked the council for their potential approval of a CDBG grant to renovate the kitchen at the women and children's emergency transitional shelter. He reported that the shelter serves roughly 310 women and children annually, helping them move from emergency shelter to permanent supportive housing. He stated the grant would improve safety, accessibility, and functionality, supporting self-sufficiency.

Council Announcements & Appointments

Councilmember Kenny welcomed Michael Dominguez, the new seat administrator, and the mayor echoed the welcome.

The mayor responded to Mr. Macnack's parking concerns, noting that the previous pilot program would require a council decision on permanent reinstatement and that there may be similar requests citywide. He acknowledged the validity of the concern regarding the city code on commercial-residential transitions.

Appointment: Mayor nominated Daniel Roop to the Urban Forestry Committee. A motion to confirm was seconded and passed unanimously by voice vote.

Consent Calendar

The consent calendar (item H) was approved unanimously by roll call vote. (Specific items on the consent calendar were not listed in the transcript.)

Discussion Items

Resolution 26058 – CDBG Grant for St. Vincent DePaul: Sherry Bettisher from the CDBG division presented a request to award $3,799.89 from plan year 2025 community development block grant funds to St. Vincent DePaul North Idaho for public facility improvements—specifically, kitchen renovations at the women and children's emergency transitional shelter. The funds were reallocated from unused plan year 2022 and 2024 funds. The activity falls under the consolidated plan goal of public facility and infrastructure projects. Councilmember Christie noted a newspaper article with photos highlighting the need. The resolution was approved unanimously by roll call vote.

Resolution 26059 – Police Equipment Purchase: Police Chief Yeager requested authorization to purchase 15 Taser devices (Taser 10 model, not to exceed $19,037.94) and 6 ballistic helmets (not to exceed $9,497.70), utilizing remaining personnel budget authority in the department's existing general fund appropriation. The tasers replace outdated models (X-26 and Taser 7) that are no longer supported, and the helmets are part of a five-year rotation schedule for SWAT team members. Chief Yeager noted that paying for these items from the current year's remaining budget reduces next year's budget request. A councilmember asked if the purchase was an addition or replacement; Chief Yeager clarified it was a replacement. The resolution was approved unanimously by roll call vote (Mayor asked for a clarification on the resolution number, then the vote proceeded).

Key Outcomes

Daniel Roop appointed to the Urban Forestry Committee (unanimous).

Consent calendar approved (unanimous).

Resolution 26058 approved: $3,799.89 CDBG grant to St. Vincent DePaul North Idaho for kitchen improvements (unanimous).

Resolution 26059 approved: Purchase of 15 tasers ($19,037.94) and 6 ballistic helmets ($9,497.70) for the police department (unanimous).

Council recessed to July 27, 2026, for a budget workshop in the library community room at noon (motion carried).

Meeting Transcript