Council invites public to help solve budget shortfall
City of Bonners Ferry seal.
(Courtesy Photo City of Bonners Ferry)
BONNERS FERRY — The Bonners Ferry City Council is seeking public input and ideas for balancing the general budget shortfall.
At the Nov. 1 city council meeting it was announced that the city had a general budget shortfall of approximately $450,000, due to an Idaho Supreme Court case ruling that the general budget could not be funded by other city funds.
The general fund consists of the police department, the street department, the fire department and several other departments.
At the Dec. 6 meeting, the council decided to reach out to the public in order to brainstorm how to solve the shortfall.
The council has several options to raise the money from raising property taxes, proposing a local option or selling off assets. Council members said they wanted more community involvement and ideas to solve the shortfall.
The council wants community input by way of a special council meeting in the form of a community workshop on Jan. 10, 2023, at 5 p.m. At this time, the meeting’s venue is not yet decided and may require a larger venue to accommodate members of the public.