Post Falls City Council Meeting - January 21, 2026
Post Falls City Council Meeting - January 21, 2026
The Post Falls City Council met on January 21, 2026, to address a range of items including a proclamation for America 250, approval of a design contract for the Fisher Lift Station project, introduction of an electronic storage detection dog for the police department, and citizen comments about local history. The meeting also included an executive session and a motion to table a discussion on adding an invocation to council agendas.
Proclamation and Announcements
- America 250 Proclamation: Mayor Randy Westland proclaimed 2026 as the year Post Falls joins the nation in celebrating America's 250th anniversary. Representatives from the Post Falls Historical Society (Catherine McClintick, Carol Yoast) and the Daughters of the American Revolution (Kathy Swanson) accepted the proclamation.
Consent Calendar
- Approved unanimously (5-0): Minutes of the January 6, 2026 City Council meeting; Payables for January 7-20, 2026; November Cash and Investments; West Fork Townhome Subdivision Final Plat; Kildare Meadows Subdivision Final Plat.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Kim Brown, Past President of the Post Falls Historical Society, thanked the council for the proclamation and urged public engagement with local history. She announced upcoming events: a heritage food festival on May 30, 2026, oral video history projects with the Idaho State Historical Society, and a living history presentation featuring George Washington. She noted that Post Falls has several National Register historic sites on city property and encouraged the council to promote heritage preservation.
Discussion Items
- Fisher Lift Station Design Contract: Jackson Fleshman, project manager, presented a design and engineering services agreement with Welch Comer Engineers for $350,790 (including 10% contingency). The existing Fisher Lift Station (constructed 2002) will be replaced by a regional station on an adjacent site purchased in 2023-2024. The project addresses high-priority improvements from the 2019 collection system master plan and will increase capacity to serve future development. Funding will come from capacity fees, with a possible analysis of using maintenance funds for condition-driven improvements. Council discussed the decommissioning of the Guy Road Lift Station, capacity fee usage, and potential land use after decommissioning. The total project cost is estimated at $3.5 million.
- Canine Agreement for ESD Dog Uno: The council introduced Detective Jason Cope and his new partner Uno, a 3.5-year-old yellow lab trained to detect electronic devices. Uno was obtained at no cost through the Secret Service program; the city is responsible for ongoing veterinary care and food. The dog will assist in investigations, particularly Internet Crimes Against Children cases, and can locate hidden electronics such as tracking devices. Council members expressed appreciation for the commitment and noted the regional benefit.
Executive Session
- The council unanimously voted to enter executive session for approximately 12 minutes pursuant to Idaho Code 74-206d to discuss records exempt from disclosure. No action was taken during the session.
Key Outcomes
- Approved: Engineering design services agreement with Welch Comer Engineers for the Fisher Lift Station (unanimous).
- Approved: Canine agreement for Detective Jason Cope and ESD dog Uno (unanimous).
- Tabled: Consideration of adding an invocation to council agendas was tabled to a future meeting (unanimous).
- Other: The council noted a follow-up on the Harmony Place HOA issue raised at the previous meeting.
Meeting Transcript
All right, we'll call the meeting to order. Please rise for the pledge. Pledge leads to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands. One nation under God. Okay, the clerk will note all members are present and accounted for. Ceremies ceremonies and announcements. We have one proclamation tonight for America 250. Whereas the United States of America is celebrating its independence in 1776 and its rich history from that date forward. Whereas Post Falls citizens, past and present, have contributed to the history of the United States from the American Revolution to the settling of the country from coast to coast. Whereas Post Falls citizens have served their country with military service and community service throughout the United States and the world. Whereas Post Falls joins cities and towns throughout the state of Idaho in commemorating this 250th year celebration event with activities and events. Now therefore be it resolved that I, Randy Westland, mayor of the city of Post Falls, Idaho, do hereby proclaim that Post Falls joins our nation in the celebration of America's rich history and heritage throughout 2026. Should we do the photo now? Because we've got an executive session at the end. Oh, we love it. Let's do that now. Yeah, that'd be great. Who's got the camera? We get out of here. I'd be glad to introduce them. You probably met, but I'm not sure about names. All right. Um, Carol. Well, just for this is Catherine McClintick. She's president of the Post Falls Historical Society. I'm a past president. And this is a past president Carol Yoast of the Post Falls Historical Society. And this is Regent of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Lieutenant George Farragut chapter, Kathy Swanson. She also has family year in Pulse Falls, so we work on historic projects. Um not just for the year, day in and day out. Thank you for coming. Thank you so much. No, it's okay. I'll take her here. Switch me, switch together. Yeah, scooch together down, Catherine. You can come around to this side too. Oh, sure. Sure. You go. Go. Scooch. Oh. Oh, we're gonna go to our face forward. Thank you. Also don't take message. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you very much.
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