6/23/26 Board of County Commissioners: FY27 Budget Deliberations Part 2

The Kootenai County Board of Commissioners held a budget deliberation meeting on June 23, 2026, focusing on the FY27 budget. The discussion centered on addressing a $2.3 million deficit primarily driven by personnel costs, including step increases and health insurance expenses. The board reviewed various line items, including bank service fees, legal notices, postage, and pass-through expenses like title searches, debating potential budget cuts and the impact of overhead costs. They also discussed the possibility of reallocating vehicle purchases from ongoing expenses to one-time interest payments and the challenges of managing step increases within pay ranges. Additionally, funding requests for community agencies were reviewed, with some, such as the Raptor Historical Society's $10,000 request, being cut due to budget constraints. The board emphasized the need for elected officials to make voluntary cuts to help close the budget gap and considered using fund balance to cover some capital expenses. The meeting concluded with plans to send budget cut targets to elected officials and further discussions scheduled, including an upcoming meeting on July 8 regarding health insurance and step increases.