Proposals range from new staff to capital projects to building healthier neighborhoods.

Locating a police substation on East Sherman Avenue, designating a project coordinator to implement the Vision 2030 plan, and hiring additional police officers and firefighters are among the budgetary items being considered by the Coeur d’Alene City Council.

During a strategy session on Tuesday with the city’s department heads, the council heard a number of proposals as it begins the process of adopting a 2014-15 budget.

The requests are aligned with continuing Coeur d’Alene’s commitment to promote a high quality of life and sound economy through excellence in government, city administrator Wendy Gabriel said during a two-hour meeting attended by about 100 city employees.

Interim planning director Warren Wilson outlined a relatively new approach to urban planning that promotes building healthy places. Under the concept, a heavier emphasis is placed on integrating healthy lifestyles into the planning process.

As part of the city’s comprehensive plan update, this can be accomplished through a series of steps including improving neighborhood connectivity through an enhanced trail system, increasing access to spaces for physical activity, and promoting development that encourages public interaction.

Other budgetary considerations addressed on Tuesday included:

• Restoration of Memorial Field (without impacting its historic value)
• Construction of a multi-purpose field at Cherry Hill
• Moving forward with a public safety bond to enhance police and fire services
• Additional staff at the Coeur d’Alene Public Library
• Increasing the street overlay budget, and increasing staff
• Additional staff for the city’s Information Technology Department
• Construction of a parks maintenance shop near City Hall

The council has a week to consider the proposals before convening next Tuesday to discuss and prioritize the requests, as well as consider proposals of their own.

City finance director Troy Tymeson told the council that after enduring several very lean budget years during the recession, the fiscal atmosphere has improved over past two years.

“We’re better off this year than a year ago, and last year was better than the year before,” Tymeson said.

The 2014 general fund is $31,743,213. Slightly more than half that amount—$16,773,520 comes from property taxes. Current taxable valuation for the city is about $2.8 billion. That works out to a levy rate of $6.73 per $1,000 of market value, Tymeson said.

That citywide valuation could increase in the upcoming fiscal year depending on tabulations by the Kootenai County Assessor’s Office. After the countywide valuation is set, it is up to each of the county’s taxing districts, including the city, to adjust their levies to accommodate respective budgets for the 2014-15 fiscal year.