OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Post Falls City Council Meeting – August 19, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, August 19, 2026
BodyPost Falls, Idaho
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, August 19, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:47:32

Transcript — Verbatim
0:50

All right, I'll call the meeting to order.

0:52

We'll begin with the invocation of the pledge.

0:54

Almighty God send down upon those who hold office in this city the spirit of wisdom, compassion, and justice.

1:00

Grant that with steadfast purpose we may faithfully serve our community, seeking the common good, protecting the vulnerable, and promoting the well-being and harmony of all who dwell here.

1:07

Amen.

1:19

Indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:27

Okay, all members are present and accounted for.

1:30

No announcements tonight.

1:31

Do we have any amendments to the agenda?

1:34

We have none tonight, sir.

1:36

Declarations of conflict, ex parte contact, or site visits.

1:40

Seeing none, please present the consent calendar.

1:43

Item A's minutes from the August 3rd, 2026, City Council special workshop.

1:48

Item B as minutes from the August 4th, 2026 City Council meeting.

1:53

Item C as payables, August 5th through August 19, 2026.

1:57

Item D is the May Cash and Investments Report.

2:00

Item E is Kootenia Electric Service Proposal and Easement for the Quarry Sports Complex.

2:05

Item F is G2 Development Subdivision Master Development Agreement.

2:10

SUB A 26-1.

2:13

And item G is Klondike Place Subdivision Master Development Agreement.

2:17

SUBDA 26-2.

2:20

Questions on the consent calendar.

2:23

I move to approve the consent calendar as presented.

2:26

Second.

2:26

Motion and a second for the discussion.

2:28

Roll call, please.

2:30

Stig leader.

2:31

Hi.

2:31

Plue.

2:31

Hi.

2:32

Mulway.

2:32

Hi.

2:33

Zeke.

2:34

Hi.

2:34

Mosby.

2:35

Hi.

2:35

Luca.

2:36

Hi.

2:36

Motion passes.

2:37

We're on to public hearings.

2:39

First up is Beck and Bow right of way vacation.

2:42

I will open the public hearing.

2:57

Evening, Mayor, Council members.

2:59

Ethan Porter, one of the planners here with the city to present the Beck and Baugh vacation VAC dash 26-2.

3:09

Uh the owner of this area that we're talking about for the vacation, it's public right-of-way within the city of Post Falls.

3:15

The applicant uh requesting to vacate this piece is Giovanni and Mahler.

3:20

Um and I believe Nate Ballett's here too to represent as well from the applicant's side.

3:24

And so they're requesting from Wadsburg Development Group is requesting on behalf of the point partners LLC to vacate a portion of the existing road extension known as South Beck Road.

3:39

And so it's a little kind of extension in to kind of the vacant property there south of South Beck Road.

3:48

And so looking kind of more closely at this spot, we can kind of see what the water context looks like.

3:55

Currently, as you can see, there is water and utilities in this area as well as sewer, which that green line there on this map kind of shows where that sewer line is.

4:05

Currently there are easements for that.

4:07

Um sewer and water, and so those would be retained uh as well as part of probably you've seen in the staff report, but those utility easements would be retained.

4:17

Um so they're just looking to kind of vacate it as public right-of-way for that little piece there, and then um look to kind of develop that area into kind of a plan to help the developer kind of get more of their general idea, which they'll talk about more for their plan, but it opens up more possibility essentially for the development of the site.

4:38

And so kind of as I mentioned, I mean, staff kind of went through and looked at this, and our staff report kind of highlights this as well, but there's no concern, you know, vacating this piece of property in the public right-of-way.

4:50

Um like I said, the sanitary sewer and the water mains, they do exist in that area, but like I said, the easements will be retained for those identified utilities.

5:08

We got four of them back.

5:10

So there's Phillips 66, they don't have any utilities or um for their um company in the project vicinity.

5:18

Um BPA didn't have any comments, Post Falls Highway District didn't have any comments, and DEQ as well didn't have any comments to that.

5:25

So kind of looking at that, there was no major concerns from the agencies that we notified.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Fiscal Sustainability██████████████████████22%
Zoning And Development████████████████████20%
Budget Equity Analysis█████████████████17%
Water And Wastewater Management████████████12%
Procedural██████6%
Engineering And Infrastructure████4%
Parks and Recreation████4%
Public Engagement████4%
Transportation Safety███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Post Falls City Council Meeting – August 19, 2026

The Post Falls City Council met on August 19, 2026, to consider a consent calendar, two public hearings on land-use matters, and the annual budget and fee schedules for fiscal year 2027. The council approved the consent calendar, a right-of-way vacation, an annexation with zoning, the FY2027 budget as presented, and the FY2027 fee schedule.

Consent Calendar

  • Minutes approved: August 3, 2026, special workshop and August 4, 2026, regular meeting.
  • Payables: August 5–19, 2026.
  • Financial reports: May Cash and Investments Report.
  • Service agreements: Kootenia Electric Service Proposal and Easement for Quarry Sports Complex; G2 Development Subdivision Master Development Agreement (SUB A 26-1); Klondike Place Subdivision Master Development Agreement (SUBDA 26-2).
  • All items approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Randall Hildebrand (resident and business owner) spoke in opposition to the proposed budget increase. He argued that the city has $255 million in cash and investments, a $17 million facility reserve, and $2.7 million in public safety impact fees, and that the police expansion project is already funded. He urged the council to take 0% increase, use reserves, and cut overhead. He stated, "Taxation without consent is theft."

Discussion Items

  • Beck and Bow Right-of-Way Vacation (VAC-26-2): Ethan Porter (planner) presented the request to vacate a portion of South Beck Road public right-of-way. The applicant (Wadsburg Development Group) intends to use the land for future development. Staff found no concerns; utility easements will be retained. Council questioned traffic impacts and connectivity. The applicant noted future site plans would be submitted within 60 days. The vacation was approved unanimously.
  • Signal Point Vista Annexation (ANX-26-3): Justin Souter (associate planner) presented the request to annex 14.62 acres with R2 zoning. The property is a county island between Serena Street and Greensferry Road, north of East 16th Avenue. The applicant (Viking Construction) plans 67 single-family detached homes (about 5 dwelling units per acre). The R2 zone allows 50-foot-wide lots, enabling a narrower product. The city engineer noted that 16th Avenue will ultimately be widened to 54 feet with a three-lane configuration. The annexation was approved unanimously. The zoning (R2) was approved separately after discussion; council noted the compatibility with surrounding areas and the need for housing.
  • Annual Budget for Fiscal Year 2027: Warren Wilson (Finance Director) presented the budget. Key points:
    • Proposed 4% property tax budget increase (ongoing) plus 3% one-time capital foregone ($549,821) for the police department expansion project.
    • Total new revenue: approximately $2.1 million.
    • Expenditures include: 3.1% scale adjustment and 3.5% merit increases for employees ($1.4 million); 15% benefits increase ($600,000); three new police department positions (one officer, one sergeant, one support staff).
    • Unfunded capital needs: $815,000 (e.g., City Hall boilers).
    • Impact on average homeowner (assessed value $650,000): increase of about $26/year ($2.14/month), with $14 of that being the one-time capital levy.
    • Council discussion emphasized the constraints of state law (HB 389), the need to remain competitive with wages, and the moral obligation to pay employees fairly. Mayor released a plan to address structural deficits. Budget approved 6-0.
  • Fees for Fiscal Year 2027: Jason Falkham (Finance Director) presented proposed fee changes. Increases include: water rates (3%), wastewater capacity fees (2.5%), sanitation (5.5% including fuel surcharge), ball field usage (new $35/hour per field for residents, $50/hour for non-residents), recreation tournament fees, and burial charges. Cap fees for water decreased slightly. Fee schedule approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously.
  • Beck and Bow Right-of-Way Vacation (VAC-26-2): Approved unanimously.
  • Signal Point Vista Annexation (ANX-26-3): Annexation approved unanimously; R2 zoning approved unanimously (6-0).
  • FY2027 Budget: Approved as presented (6-0).
  • FY2027 Fee Schedule: Approved as presented (6-0).
  • No other business or staff reports were considered.

Meeting Transcript

All right, I'll call the meeting to order. We'll begin with the invocation of the pledge. Almighty God send down upon those who hold office in this city the spirit of wisdom, compassion, and justice. Grant that with steadfast purpose we may faithfully serve our community, seeking the common good, protecting the vulnerable, and promoting the well-being and harmony of all who dwell here. Amen. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Okay, all members are present and accounted for. No announcements tonight. Do we have any amendments to the agenda? We have none tonight, sir. Declarations of conflict, ex parte contact, or site visits. Seeing none, please present the consent calendar. Item A's minutes from the August 3rd, 2026, City Council special workshop. Item B as minutes from the August 4th, 2026 City Council meeting. Item C as payables, August 5th through August 19, 2026. Item D is the May Cash and Investments Report. Item E is Kootenia Electric Service Proposal and Easement for the Quarry Sports Complex. Item F is G2 Development Subdivision Master Development Agreement. SUB A 26-1. And item G is Klondike Place Subdivision Master Development Agreement. SUBDA 26-2. Questions on the consent calendar. I move to approve the consent calendar as presented. Second. Motion and a second for the discussion. Roll call, please. Stig leader. Hi. Plue. Hi. Mulway. Hi. Zeke. Hi. Mosby. Hi. Luca. Hi. Motion passes. We're on to public hearings. First up is Beck and Bow right of way vacation. I will open the public hearing. Evening, Mayor, Council members. Ethan Porter, one of the planners here with the city to present the Beck and Baugh vacation VAC dash 26-2. Uh the owner of this area that we're talking about for the vacation, it's public right-of-way within the city of Post Falls. The applicant uh requesting to vacate this piece is Giovanni and Mahler. Um and I believe Nate Ballett's here too to represent as well from the applicant's side. And so they're requesting from Wadsburg Development Group is requesting on behalf of the point partners LLC to vacate a portion of the existing road extension known as South Beck Road. And so it's a little kind of extension in to kind of the vacant property there south of South Beck Road. And so looking kind of more closely at this spot, we can kind of see what the water context looks like.

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