A few steps needed before annexation can be appealed

The proposed City annexation has been a difficult process for the Bonners Ferry City Council and for the owners of the properties being proposed for annexation. 

While this was an issue that had a lot of passion and strong feelings it was largely conducted by all parties professionally and with respect.  The city would like to thank the opponents for their conduct during this process.  We would like to take this opportunity to clarify where we are in the process. 

The city council voted on Nov. 15 to annex 76 of the proposed 77 parcels.  There are a several steps to complete before this annexation is final. 

The next steps are to prepare the annexation ordinance and then forward the ordinance to the state tax commission. 

Once the ordinance is published and the state tax commission maps the new municipal boundaries the annexation can be appealed to the district court.  This is part of the process as outlined in Idaho Code. The attorney for a number of the opponents to annexation has advised the council that they intend to appeal this annexation. 

The question of annexation was not an easy one for the Bonners Ferry Council. It was a question of fairness, equity, and the future of our community. It requires looking forward in our community’s future while being cognizant of our past. 

Annexations are driven by either expected growth or growth that has happened incrementally over time. In the area proposed for annexation growth has incrementally occurred over a long period of time. Trailer courts have been built, properties divided into smaller parcels, and commercial businesses have been started.

This was also a difficult issue for the owners of the parcels proposed for annexation.  One of the frustrations was that per Idaho Code the City Council makes the final decision, an understandable frustration. 

The annexation process is designed so that the City Council after full opportunity for input by all affected parties makes a decision if any or all of the properties in the annexation plan meets the standard where they should be involved in the governance of and pay their pro-rata share of the cost of running the City government functions.

In conclusion, we would like thank everybody for their input to this process. We welcome these new citizens into the City with confidence that these great people will continue to be a vibrant and dynamic part of our community.