COEUR d’ALENE, Idaho – Kootenai County Commissioners are facing a shortfall in liquor revenue, just before approving their budget for the fiscal year of 2025.
This is the first time in 15 years that liquor sales have been down in the State of Idaho. In fact, it’s down $3 million.
The county will be short $19,000 if the board moves forward with a 2% property tax increase. If they don’t, the county would be short $173,000.
The board moved to publish the budget on Monday. This is the first step toward approving a budget.
As it stands right now, it’s a $131 million budget for fiscal year 2025. It does have that 2% property tax increase.
During Monday’s meeting, the commissioners were able to cut $42,000 from the budget. It happened after Kootenai County Assessor Bela Kovacs requested them not to renew a mobile assessor vendor contract.
Commissioner’s Leslie Duncan and Bruce Mattare voted to publish the article, but Commissioner Bill Brooks did not.
“I’m not happy with the budget anyway. We don’t have a tax increase, which we sorely need and the employees don’t have a 3.5% COLA (cost of living adjustment,)” Commissioner Brooks said.
The budget calls for a 2.5% cost of living adjustment for county employees. That equates to about $1.7 million.
Kootenai County residents will have their say on the budget on Aug. 28 at 6 p.m. That’s when a public input meeting is scheduled, which is also the day before the commissioners are expected to adopt the finalized budget.
