Idaho City: Police Funding Hurt by State Law Capping Budgets

More than a year later, the city of Star is still struggling with the effects of a 2021 law from the Idaho Legislature that placed caps on cities’ budgets, aiming to lower property taxes.

Due to the law, the city of Star can’t fund the number of police officers and firefighters it needs to serve its growing city, Mayor Trevor Chadwick said. To fund the immediate need for officers, the Star City Council considered Tuesday adding fees to each building permit filed with the city.

The fees would be attached to building permits and would be $1,120 for each residential unit for police services and $1,200 for each unit for fire, according to the draft resolution.

“On the police side it costs about $140,000 roughly a year for a new officer,” Chadwick said at the Tuesday night meeting.

If the city does not charge the fees, it may have to cap building permits, according to the resolution.

The 2021 law from the Legislature placed caps on local government budgets, allowing them to take up to an 8% increase on the overall budget. It also placed an 80% cap on the tax revenue governments can take from annexation and a 90% cap on tax revenue from new construction.

In its comprehensive plan, the city of Star said it will have a four-minute response time on police and fire calls and will maintain less than 18 crimes per 1,000 residents.

“To achieve the above goals the city of Star will operate at a level of one commissioned officer per 1,000 residents,” the resolution said. “The city of Star for fiscal year 2022-2023 is operating at 0.80 commissioned officers per 1,000 residents.”

The mitigation fees would help the Middleton and Star Fire District build a new station and hire staff to operate it, Chadwick said. These fees would enable the city to staff the new station, he said.

The resolution would require that the city revisit the fees every two years. Star worked closely with the Idaho Building Contractors Association to develop the fees and Chadwick said the organization hopes it can push the Legislature to adjust its law to enable cities to pay for the growth they are facing.

“Hopefully in two years, we get this whole thing resolved,” Chadwick said. “That’s the key.”

The Star City Council is scheduled to vote on the mitigation fees at its next meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4 at City Hall.

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