REGIONAL NEWS ROUNDUP
Stories in this Regional News Roundup are excerpted from weekly newspapers from around the region. This is part one, with part two scheduled to appear in Sunday’s Tribune.
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McCALL — A 400-foot stretch of lakefront on Payette Lake between Mile High Marina and Hemlock Street near Brown’s Park has been a legal no man’s land for years.
The small patch of sandy beach has been designated as a dog park by the city, and also as a dumping ground by people unloading old derelict docks in the dead of night, resulting in costly cleanup efforts by the city.
To improve the site — and with any luck, put a stop to the illegal dumping — the McCall Parks and Recreation Department has been hoping to develop a public dock and swimming area at the site, Department Director Kurt Wolf told the City Council on Thursday.
But the city cannot make any improvements to the area unless the it owns the land and “for whatever reason,” that parcel was never recorded as anything but a roadway easement, Wolf said.
Without a record of ownership, it is unclear who exactly owns the small sliver of beachfront and public roadway. One thing for certain is that the city does not currently own the property, it only maintains the easement.
“We’ve got this orphaned piece of ground that’s west of the (Lake Street) right of way, and so it’s not even on the assessor’s maps, but it exists,” the city’s attorney Bill Nichols old the council.
“I could be wrong about this, but it makes sense that maybe 100 years ago … they just didn’t worry about that strip,” Nichols said.
The city needs to own the land in order to receive a permit from the Idaho Department of Lands to construct any public dock system in the lake, Wolf said.
Without a clear owner that the city could pay to purchase the property, the McCall City Council opted to take a different route.
The council voted to condemn the land and exercise eminent domain over the parcel.
The cost of completing that process will likely incur between $15,000 to $30,000 in legal fees, which is not expected to rise because there is no clear owner of the property who would be losing value, Wolf said.
The council approved spending up to $30,000 on obtaining the property, but would reassess if legal costs rise above that mark.
“For 450-feet of lakefront that is meant for the public in perpetuity, is $30,000 a reasonable number to spend, I think our community would say yes,” Council Member Mike Maciaszek said.
Once the city owns the property, Wolf’s department could move forward with plans for a new swimming area and purchasing permits.
Concept plans at include a L-shaped dock, stretching 165 feet out into the lake that corners off a roughly 400-foot-wide swimming area complete with a swimming platform and Olympic length swimming lanes fixed to another dock on the north end, similar to the lanes at Rotary Park.
A graphic of the proposed plans was included in the city’s agenda packet, but not formally presented at the meeting.
“Some components are shovel ready such as the swim lane lines and re-purposed dock systems,” Wolf said.
Others will come in when Mile High Marina makes the proposed improvements to include a public board walk around the marina, he said.
“Like all concepts, it is subject to change as we better understand budgets and the communities desire for this public space,” Wolf said.
— Max Silverson, The Star-News (McCall), Thursday
EMS property taxes set to rise 1%
PALOUSE — The City of Palouse Council approved a 1% property tax increase and set levy amounts for the 2025 fiscal year during its meeting on Nov. 26.
The total amount to be raised by taxation is $394,139.25.
The council passed Ordinance No. 1033, which adopts a 1% property tax increase for emergency medical services. In addition, funds were allocated for several key projects, including improvements to Cove Road and replacing a well pump. The remaining 2024 funds will be zeroed out and a resolution to formalize this decision is expected at the next council meeting.
City Administrator Misty La Follett presented the preliminary 2025 budget based on the approved 2024 budget. After discussion, the council allocated $206,637.73 for the general levy, $32,501.52 for the EMS levy, $50,000 each for the special street and special pool levies, and $55,000 for the special infrastructure levy.
Councilor Robert Brooks introduced and approved the payment of bills totaling $333,074.82.
The meeting adjourned at 8:38 p.m.
— Olivia Harnack, The Whitman County Gazette (Colfax), Thursday
