OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Post Falls City Council Meeting – October 22, 2025

City Council — Wednesday, October 22, 2025
BodyPost Falls, Idaho
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, October 22, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:26:30

Transcript — Verbatim
0:42

Call the meeting to order.

0:43

Please rise for the pledge.

0:45

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

0:50

And to the republic for which it stands.

0:52

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:03

Welcome to the October 21st 2025 Pulse Falls City Council member meeting.

1:10

Shannon, please note all council members are present.

1:14

Tonight we have a couple of announcements.

1:18

This Halloween, we invite families to join us at City Hall to trick-or-treat on Friday, October 31st from 3 to 5 p.m.

1:25

City Hall will be decorated and our staff will be handing out candy, making it a fun and safe event for everyone.

1:32

The city's residential fall cleanup will take place on Saturday, November 1st.

1:37

This is an extra garbage pickup day for Pulse Falls residents.

1:40

Please make sure all items are begged or placed in your garbage tote and set out at the curb by 6 a.m.

1:46

And please note that the first council meeting in November has been moved to Monday, November 3rd, due to election day.

1:53

We had received some criticism because we had held uh council meetings on election day, and people felt that may negatively impact someone's people or some people's ability to vote.

2:03

So we're gonna move that uh our next council meeting up to the Monday as opposed to the Tuesday.

2:13

Tonight we do have one presentation with Kooteny County Fire and Rescue Levy Override information.

2:18

Please come forward and give your names for the record, please.

2:24

Good evening.

2:25

Uh I am Pete Hawley from uh Coonney County Fire and Rescue.

2:29

I'm Justin Kapal from Cootney County Fire and Rescue.

2:32

Uh Mr.

2:32

Mayor, Council members, we appreciate the opportunity.

2:34

My name is Pete Hawley, as I said.

2:36

Um interim fire chief for Kootney County Fire and Rescue, and we're here to provide just a little bit of information on our upcoming ballot measure, the levy override for Kootene County Fire and Rescue.

2:45

Uh Cootney County Fire and Rescue is a proud organization providing um emergency medical services to the cities of Post Falls, Dalton Gardens, Fernand Village, a lot of the unincorporated areas in the county.

2:55

Um we are an all-hazards organization providing emergency services for everything from fire suppression to um uh uh emergency medical services, including paramedicine and critical care.

3:06

Uh we also do technical rescue, uh swift water uh drone program.

3:10

We have uh we're we proudly answer the call virtually no matter what the call is.

3:16

So um uh just wanted to give that a little bit of a of a introduction to who we are.

3:21

Um we are uh taking the to the ballot a uh levy override for the fire district.

3:31

Um it's a six million dollar permanent override levy uh on the November 4th election.

3:36

The measure would cost taxpayers approximately 43 dollars per 100,000 uh dollars of a tax assessed value.

3:42

Uh funds are maintain staffing, support growth, and maintain our service levels as they currently are throughout the district.

3:48

Uh KC of R is committed to a responsible use of these funds and uh in sh and using these funds for to ensure timely and professional emergency response moving forward.

3:59

Uh KCFR has a longstanding uh fiscal di we have long-standing history of disfiscal discipline.

4:06

Um we uh comp constantly operate within our budget.

4:10

We uh fund our a majority of our capital in uh projects through budgetary measures, savings, things like that.

4:18

Uh we've never asked for a levy override in our 25-year history.

4:22

Um things have changed for us over the last several years, including in 2021, Idaho House Bill 389.

4:28

It permanently capped our butt how much our budget grows.

4:30

And uh I know that you guys are feeling that as well.

4:33

Um it's also changed how funding from URDs affect our fire district and uh ultimately has affected our finances.

4:42

Uh we've evaluated and and made necessary changes within our organization.

4:47

We've held ourselves accountable.

4:49

We've we've uh we operate with a very lean budget and could maintain that uh that budget without uh compromising service.

5:00

That's the current uh levy request is our next option for uh finance our financial uh future and maintaining that uh that level of service.

5:09

Over the past 15 years, a little bit of history, case of far as levy rates fluctuated quite a bit.

5:13

Um at its peak about uh 10 years ago, we were at a rate of $2.01 per hundred $1,000 of assessed value.

5:19

In 2022, it declined all the way to 87 cents per thousand dollars, uh less than half.

5:25

That decrease was driven by a number of things, including rapid and regional growth, um uh inflation that drove prices and and housing valuations and also uh the impact of House Bill 389.

5:38

This is all kind of a perfect storm that kind of drove the levy rate significantly down, but it uh uh with our proposed levy rate or proposed levy, the rate would rise to a dollar forty, which is still well below the highest uh levy rate we've seen in the last 10 years.

5:59

We're definitely seeing some challenges.

6:01

The impact of House Bill 389 has definitely restricts how much our budget can grow year over year.

6:06

And uh it doesn't keep pace with our inflation or our service demands.

6:10

Uh we have uh URDs that are also um sheltering some tax revenue that comes to the fire district, so it also limits um how much our our budget can uh grow regardless of the service requests into those areas.

6:25

Uh the levy would help us maintain that service for the community.

6:32

The uh one of the big questions that we always get is why is it you know can growth pay for growth?

6:38

Um we do uh and have established impact fees.

6:42

Um as you know, impact fees can be used to enhance service in the form of capital uh purchases.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Water And Wastewater Management███████████████████19%
Transportation Safety█████████████████17%
Engineering And Infrastructure██████████████14%
Procedural██████████10%
Public Safety██████████10%
HOA Management██████████10%
Zoning And Development██████████10%
Fiscal Sustainability████████8%
Environmental Protection█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Post Falls City Council Meeting – October 22, 2025

The October 22, 2025 Post Falls City Council meeting included a presentation on the Kootenai County Fire and Rescue levy override, approval of a drinking water system master plan contract, citizen testimony regarding a troubled subdivision, an update on regulatory compliance, and an overview of the regional transportation improvement program. The council also approved the consent calendar and entered executive session.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes from October 7, 2025, approved.
  • Payables for October 8–22, 2025, approved.
  • Kootenai County Public Transportation Agreement – annual agreement with a 3% funding increase; approved.
  • North Place East Third Edition Subdivision Plat – approved.
  • Removal of Item E from the consent calendar per council request, to be brought back at a future meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Raven O'Toole (Meadow Grove homeowner) detailed multiple failures in the Meadow Grove subdivision, including an unsafe playground structure, unresolved irrigation issues, improper HOA governance, and a lien placed on homes due to developer neglect. She asked the city for accountability and assistance to help homeowners take ownership of common areas in good working order. Council indicated they would review the matter further and provide information for a possible executive session discussion.
  • Asa Gray (Kootenai County Elections Director) announced early voting opportunities for the November 4 election (through October 31 at the elections office) and requested volunteers for poll workers; council noted the 14-hour commitment on election day.

Discussion Items

Kootenai County Fire and Rescue Levy Override Presentation

  • Pete Hawley (Interim Fire Chief) and Justin Kapal presented a $6 million permanent levy override on the November 4 ballot.
  • Cost: approximately $43 per $100,000 of assessed value; would raise the fire district levy rate from ~$0.90 to $1.40 per $1,000 assessed value.
  • Funds would maintain staffing, support growth, and preserve current service levels.
  • Chief Hawley explained that House Bill 389 limits budget growth and that growth cannot fully fund operational needs due to impact fee restrictions and urban renewal district sheltering.
  • Councilmember questions addressed the permanent nature of the levy, the ability to adjust the rate downward, and the number of administrative chiefs (currently 4-5) serving approximately 70,000 residents. The chief stated the board could choose not to take the annual 3% increase, allowing the rate to decline over time.
  • Mayor expressed understanding of the challenges and noted the city faces similar pressures from HB 389.

Drinking Water System Master Plan Contract

  • Greg (Public Works) presented a contract with Welch Comer for a water system master plan update (replacing the 2017 plan). Total cost not to exceed $286,000 plus a $28,600 contingency (total authorization $314,600).
  • Scope includes hydraulic modeling, condition assessment, capital improvement planning, and financial plan. The effort will take more than one fiscal year.
  • Council approved the contract (motion carried).

Utilities Division Regulatory Compliance Update

  • Greg reported that Post Falls is one of only 56 Idaho facilities with no pollutant discharge violations in the past year. Recent inspections by Idaho DEQ covered industrial pretreatment, stormwater (MS4), and drinking water systems. Upcoming work includes a local limit study and preparation for the next discharge permit.

Transportation Investment Program (TIP) 2026–2032

  • Robert Paulis (City Engineer) presented the KMPO-adopted TIP, which includes approximately $302 million in federally aided transportation projects in the region over seven years (54% federal, 46% local match; local match for city projects is 7.34%).
  • Major Post Falls area projects: Lancaster-Huetter roundabout (completed), I-90/Pleasant View interchange (ahead of schedule, completion mid-2026), Prairie Avenue widening (to bid winter 2025), Prairie Trail underpass (2026), and I-90 widening from SH-41 to US-95 (under construction, four-year project).
  • The Rathdrum Prairie Area Transportation Study (RPATS) is evaluating four design alternatives for north-south and east-west corridors, with an open house planned for spring 2026. Two alternatives (M and N) could impact the city’s land application sites; staff expressed concerns about potential loss of acreage.

Mayor and Council Comments

  • Mayor reminded drivers to be cautious during Halloween.
  • Mayor reported follow-up on the county assessor issue (previous citizen comment) and said the city is handling a public records request and is open to dialogue with county commissioners.
  • Council discussion: Councilwoman asked why subdivision plat approvals (final plats) appear on the consent calendar while planned unit developments (PUDs) and special use permits do not. Staff clarified that state law requires council to approve final plats, but the review is technical and perfunctory after planning commission approval of the preliminary plat; PUDs and special use permits are delegated entirely to the planning commission by city code and are not subject to final council approval.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar approved as amended (motion carried).
  • Water System Master Plan Contract approved (vote: all ayes).
  • Executive Session moved and approved under Idaho Code §74-206A to consider hiring a public officer/employee; no action anticipated to be taken in session; session lasted approximately 15 minutes.
  • No further action on the citizen complaint regarding Meadow Grove, but council directed staff to provide documentation and indicated willingness to revisit the issue, potentially in executive session.

Meeting Transcript

Call the meeting to order. Please rise for the pledge. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Welcome to the October 21st 2025 Pulse Falls City Council member meeting. Shannon, please note all council members are present. Tonight we have a couple of announcements. This Halloween, we invite families to join us at City Hall to trick-or-treat on Friday, October 31st from 3 to 5 p.m. City Hall will be decorated and our staff will be handing out candy, making it a fun and safe event for everyone. The city's residential fall cleanup will take place on Saturday, November 1st. This is an extra garbage pickup day for Pulse Falls residents. Please make sure all items are begged or placed in your garbage tote and set out at the curb by 6 a.m. And please note that the first council meeting in November has been moved to Monday, November 3rd, due to election day. We had received some criticism because we had held uh council meetings on election day, and people felt that may negatively impact someone's people or some people's ability to vote. So we're gonna move that uh our next council meeting up to the Monday as opposed to the Tuesday. Tonight we do have one presentation with Kooteny County Fire and Rescue Levy Override information. Please come forward and give your names for the record, please. Good evening. Uh I am Pete Hawley from uh Coonney County Fire and Rescue. I'm Justin Kapal from Cootney County Fire and Rescue. Uh Mr. Mayor, Council members, we appreciate the opportunity. My name is Pete Hawley, as I said. Um interim fire chief for Kootney County Fire and Rescue, and we're here to provide just a little bit of information on our upcoming ballot measure, the levy override for Kootene County Fire and Rescue. Uh Cootney County Fire and Rescue is a proud organization providing um emergency medical services to the cities of Post Falls, Dalton Gardens, Fernand Village, a lot of the unincorporated areas in the county. Um we are an all-hazards organization providing emergency services for everything from fire suppression to um uh uh emergency medical services, including paramedicine and critical care. Uh we also do technical rescue, uh swift water uh drone program. We have uh we're we proudly answer the call virtually no matter what the call is. So um uh just wanted to give that a little bit of a of a introduction to who we are. Um we are uh taking the to the ballot a uh levy override for the fire district. Um it's a six million dollar permanent override levy uh on the November 4th election. The measure would cost taxpayers approximately 43 dollars per 100,000 uh dollars of a tax assessed value. Uh funds are maintain staffing, support growth, and maintain our service levels as they currently are throughout the district. Uh KC of R is committed to a responsible use of these funds and uh in sh and using these funds for to ensure timely and professional emergency response moving forward. Uh KCFR has a longstanding uh fiscal di we have long-standing history of disfiscal discipline. Um we uh comp constantly operate within our budget. We uh fund our a majority of our capital in uh projects through budgetary measures, savings, things like that. Uh we've never asked for a levy override in our 25-year history. Um things have changed for us over the last several years, including in 2021, Idaho House Bill 389. It permanently capped our butt how much our budget grows. And uh I know that you guys are feeling that as well. Um it's also changed how funding from URDs affect our fire district and uh ultimately has affected our finances. Uh we've evaluated and and made necessary changes within our organization. We've held ourselves accountable. We've we've uh we operate with a very lean budget and could maintain that uh that budget without uh compromising service. That's the current uh levy request is our next option for uh finance our financial uh future and maintaining that uh that level of service. Over the past 15 years, a little bit of history, case of far as levy rates fluctuated quite a bit. Um at its peak about uh 10 years ago, we were at a rate of $2.01 per hundred $1,000 of assessed value. In 2022, it declined all the way to 87 cents per thousand dollars, uh less than half.

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