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Position 3
Question 1
What do you believe to be the most important issue
facing our city and why?
Jim Brannon
Affordable Housing Matters! It is vital to our
community's economic stability. As executive director of
Habitat for Humanity of North Idaho, affordable housing is
more than a catch phrase to me. IT IS WHAT I DO EVERY DAY.
Hard working families are being priced out of our city.
Think about who are the faces of affordable housing. It
might be the waitress who serves you at your favorite
restaurant. It might be the clerk in our new library who
helps you find a book. It might be the person who takes care
of your child at a day-care center. Affordable housing is
not about buildings; it is about people. If our workforce is
forced to commute long distances because of high housing
costs, our vibrant growing city and successful businesses
will begin to feel the impact. Good workers will be scarce
and the character of Coeur d'Alene will change forever.
AJ "Al" Hassell
Workforce Housing and Balanced Growth
Chris Patterson
Candidate did not respond.
Jerry Weaver
Rapid growth - Are growth has been greater than our
ability to keep up with the infrastructure needed to support
the current growth trend.
Question 2
Recently, a lot of discussion has centered on the
need for providing affordable, workforce housing for our
city’s teachers, police officers, firefighters, and other
working citizens. What are two ways you believe the City can
help facilitate affordable, workforce housing in Coeur
d'Alene?
Jim Brannon
Local government can facilitate affordable housing
through fee permit reductions or waivers and expedited
permit processing for developers building for our workforce.
Density bonuses could be awarded to developers working on
the solution.
Another method to promote affordable housing is to require a
certain percentage of all new construction within the
boundaries of our two urban renewal districts be affordable
units. If the established minimums are not met, in lieu fees
wouls be collected and set aside specifically for the
creation of affordable housing. Currently the urban renewal
districts allocate 3% to public art and 0% of the tax
increment financing to housing issues. A strong city council
with a focus on solving this important problem could
establish an allocation for affordable housing. The Kootenai
Perspectives Affordable Workforce Housing Subcommittee has
started dialog with local government and business owners.
The city now needs to do something and soon.
AJ "Al" Hassell
Help to create a Housing Taskforce and land Trust to buy
land and/or provide shared equity housing loans for purchase
of Affordable workforce housing.
Chris Patterson
Candidate did not respond.
Jerry Weaver
Provide subsidized housing to educators and emergency
personnel using URD funding to encourage revitalization of
deteriorating areas.
Provide adequate housing for our workforce by building
affordable housing to include apartments, codominimums and
multiplex units including a secure play area for their
children.
Question 3
What is your position on the development of the
current Stimson DeArmond lumber mill into an Education
Corridor/University Place and why?
Jim Brannon
Good paying jobs with benefits, beautiful music and art
and new ideas and inventions are a direct result of quality
education. University Place could provide this; but at what
cost? I will use fiscal restraint when spending your tax
dollars and at an estimated cost of $10 million, I feel this
project is too expensive! We hear from the Lake City
Development Corporation that all of the institutions of
higher learning are "on board", but confirmation of that
fact should be required especially in light of the
University Place fiasco in Boise.
Although I support education, I question the wisdom of this
location for education expansion. There are more centralized
and less expensive parcels of land that could be developed
to meet the goal of providing quality education to students.
I do not believe that any of our elected legislators support
this project and neither do I.
AJ "Al" Hassell
I believe education or trade training is essential if our
area is to be successful in retaining our children in this
area and finding jobs for them. If our children and others
are trained properly, our area will continue to prosper.
Having these educational assets in one area will help to
draw businesses with good paying jobs to our area.
Chris Patterson
Candidate did not respond.
Jerry Weaver
I am in total agreement with developing the education
coridor. The localized development will provide a close
proximity between the educational facilities. It will
provide job opportunities for our community. Locating the
facilities by the water will encourage and attract students
and educational personnel.
Question 4
Do you support urban renewal districts and tax
increment financing as an economic development tool? Why or
why not?
Jim Brannon
Tax increment financing and urban renewal districts are
not inherently evil. We can all enjoy our revitalized
downtown and I am certain that the construction of
Riverstone was accelerated because of the tax breaks given
to the developer. However, I believe that urban renewal
districts should be smaller, project specific and operate
with a shorter time frame. This plan returns improved
property to the tax rolls sooner which lessens the long term
impact on the other taxing districts. I support urban
renewal districts when they focus on blighted development
issues, assisting low income people and bringing in good
paying jobs. With Coeur d'Alene being pictured on the front
page of USA Today and with unemployment at historically low
levels, I propose a suspension of any new projects until the
mission is redefined. Your tax dollars should never be used
to fund corporate welfare for rich developers to develop
property.
AJ "Al" Hassell
Yes, I support URA districts. The Idaho legislature gives
cities very little latitude and few tools for economic
development. As Mayor in 1997, my administration let the way
and fought hard to win this tool and to implement the URA
for CdA. Most of the economic achievements and community
assets of the past several years are directly tied to the
actions of the LCDC URA in CdA. New business, public
improvements, library, KROC center, Parks and jobs are
mostly due to the actions of the URA.
Chris Patterson
Candidate did not respond.
Jerry Weaver
Yes! The URD's are a great tool provided they follow the
legislative intent of the 1965 Urban Development Act.
Question 5
What programs or policies would you propose or
support to balance Coeur d’Alene’s economic growth and
quality of life?
Jim Brannon
I propose crafting a viable affordable housing program
based on knowledge of other resort communities.
I propose education and economic incentives for specialized,
clean industries in health care and computers. Similar
incentives can be provided to manufacturing companies to
insure a good supply of well trained workers.
I think we must support and protect green spaces and
hillsides.
We can do a much better job of recycling and make it easier
to recycle more types of reuseable materials.
We must get the traffic moving to reduce noise and air
pollution. High volume traffic is being created in
residential neighborhoods as drivers search for alternate
routes to the overcrowded arterials.
Every citizen in Coeur d'Alene has the right to be safe. We
must keep superior police and fire protection at the top of
priorities in our city.
All citizens should be able to participate and have input
into their local government.
AJ "Al" Hassell
A new comprehensive plan then a new updated Zoning Code
to implement that plan in order to balance our community
needs, business & recreational needs, and to preserve our
treasured quality of life. Continued Budget control to keep
taxes at a reasonable level for services provided.
Chris Patterson
Candidate did not respond.
Jerry Weaver
The first priority should be to our local residents by
providing employment opportunities that pay adequate wages.
I don't want to see us become another Sun Valley where our
local residents become servants to the wealthy and can't
live in the community they serve.
I would like to see a policy in place that would require
developers to provide adequate infrastructure costs.
The LCDC should refocus on blighted areas and assist the
community in improving and correcting the city's older
areas.
I don't want to see our beautiful lake view destroyed by
hugh multi-story buildings.
Lucas Braden, Public Affairs
Manager
(208)415-0109
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