Early voting in May 20 election ends Friday

By Zach Hagadone
Reader Staff

The window for early voting in the Tuesday, May 20 election closes Friday, May 16, with ballots accepted until 5 p.m. at the Bonner County Elections Office (1500 Hwy. 2, Suite 124, in Sandpoint).

Voters will also have until 8 p.m. on May 20 to get their absentee ballots to the Elections Office, though the deadline has passed for requesting an absentee ballot. In-person voting will take place 8 a.m.-8 p.m. at designated polling places.

Residents in west Bonner County will have a school district levy and cemetery district levy to decide, Ponderay residents will consider a local option tax, those living within the Lakeland Joint School District will have a levy on the ballot and every voting precinct but Humbird, Hope and Clark Fork will have a choice to make on fire district levies — including Northside, Westside, Sagle and Spirit Lake.

The West Bonner County School District is proposing a supplemental maintenance and operation levy of $2,353,440.60 per year for two years, beginning July 1 and ending June 30, 2027. Meanwhile, the West Bonner Cemetery Maintenance District is requesting voters authorize a base budget increase from property tax revenues from $68,330 to $142,545.33.

Ponderay residents will be asked to weigh in on a 10% local option tax applied to short-term rentals such as hotel/motel rooms, condominium units, tourist homes, bed-and-breakfasts, and similar temporary dwellings of 30 days or fewer. The tax would be levied for 12 years from its effective date revenue put toward a wide range of public infrastructure, transportation, grant-matching and property tax relief uses, among others.

The Northside, Sagle and Westside fire districts are all seeking levy increases to pay for staffing, new hires, equipment and maintenance, and overall operations.

Northside Fire is asking for $1,898,933 from property taxpayers beginning with Fiscal Year 2026, representing a tax increase of $41 per $100,000 of taxable assessed value. A portion of the revenue would be used to staff the Samuelson Fire Station.

In Sagle, the fire district is asking voters to approve a permanent levy increase to $2,623,470 from $1,873,470, amounting to $34 more per $100,000 of assessed value. Those funds would be applied toward increasing firefighters at the Careywood and Sagle stations.

Westside Fire is seeking to permanently increase its budget from the current levy amount of $577,461 to $1,387,819, totalling $71 more per $100,000 of assessed value per year.

Selkirk Fire Chief Jeff Armstrong — who leads all three districts — told attendees at the Idaho Fireplace Forum on May 3 that another goal is to establish a $150,000-per-year savings account to support the purchase of a new fire engine, which is estimated to cost about $1 million.

In Spirit Lake, the fire district is proposing a temporary budget increase, levying property taxes amounting to $477,000 beginning in Fiscal Year 2026 and lasting for two years. That would cost $24.66 per $100,000 of assessed value.

Finally, residents in the Lakeland School District are being asked to consider a supplemental levy of $7,520,000 per year for two years beginning July 1 and ending June 30, 2027, which would cost taxpayers $82.37 per $100,000 of assessed value per year.

For more information on voter registration, sample ballots, polling places and all other things election-related, go to bonnercountyid.gov/elections or voteidaho.gov.