Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Close Races

Wow! If anyone still believes that their vote doesn't matter, check out the Coeur d'Alene city council races. Kennedy wins by 5 votes. That is just about as close as you can get. Considering the low voter turnout, it could have been much different if more registered voters had turned out. Goodlander only won by 29 votes. The mayors of Coeur d'Alene and Post Falls glided to easy victories, as it appears voters are happy with their leadership.

The Kootenai county Bond Issue and Sales tax bump both sent down to defeat. In the case of the sales tax, the yes vote cleared 50% but was unable to reach the super majority required for spending issues.

Timberlake Fire District voted in two new commissioners. Rudy Rudebaugh and Monty Fish handily won their election over a Sagle Firefighter and wife of one. With fire safety codes the burning issue, the new commission will have to face either granting waivers for updating fire suppression hoods or close down all but one restaurant in the Bayview/Athol area, and even some at Silverwood. At least five do not comply, primarily because they predate the newer codes.

Much controversy has occurred somewhat unnecessarily about a proposed levy. Essentially, the fire rating people have done their annual inspection of the fire district and the score came up short for retaining current homeowners and fire insurance rates. This will be appealed, but several factors enter into the problem. First, Timberlake has several satellite stations that are unmanned, but have at least one engine in it. This allows people that have businesses or homes within a five mile radius a cheaper rate. One such station has been temporarily abandoned due to an old 1972 engine having to be retired. That station is the one at the traffic circle at the entrance to Farragut, on Perimeter Road.

What is at stake, is that without bringing the fire district up to snuff rquipment and personnel wise, the average homeowner is going to be paying over $150 per year more for insurance. The alternative, is passing a permanent levy for the purpose of modernizing, which would cost around $100 per year more in taxes.Either way, you'll pay more. Detailed information is available at Timberlakefire.com.

Work is proceeding quickly on the James Darling project in Bayview. Unfortunately, Fanny Mae and FHA have recently severely tightened loan occupancy requirements, forcing Darling to ask the county for relief in the form of a zoning change. It's a rock and a hard spot for Darling, who has bent over backward to cooperate with townspeople.

4 comments:

  1. From what I have heard, Mr. Darling has been working WITH the community of Bayview in order to get his project off the ground. I understand the village has seen some drastic changes in the past few years with other developers coming in and running rampant with their projects. The resident of Bayview have every right to be upset. I only hope that this zone change request by the Darling's will go thru the process without the contension (sp?) that have plagued other projects.
    Chatterbox

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  2. As near as I can tell, the community is solidly behind James. He has bent over backward to accommodate the village and we would like to see this change fast tracked so that it doesn't cause financial hardship for him.

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  3. Yes, James has bent over backwards, that is why the project took so long to get started BUT he did not hire locally. What are the businesses in Bayview doing to promote employment in Bayview? Nada.

    Norma Jean

    Herb do the same rules apply to this "sandbox"?

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  4. PS.
    Herb letters have been issued to businesses from the Fire Chief, concerning the hood systems. The issue is not at rest yet.

    NJ

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