COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — Kootenai County commissioners looked to trim about $19,000 from the budget for Fiscal Year 2025 after the county’s share of liquor revenues fell short of expectations.
The board agreed on Aug. 1 to publish a $131 million budget for fiscal year 2025 with a 2% tax increase. County finance director Brandi Falcon told commissioners Monday that she has since learned from the Idaho State Liquor Division that the county’s liquor revenues will be about $173,000 lower than expected.
“Our general use liquor revenues are going down because total liquor sales statewide are going down for the first time in 15 years,” Falcon said. “The liquor board’s revenue is down $3 million. Our magistrate liquor revenues are down because our liquor citations have decreased by 20% as a total of liquor citations statewide.”
With a 2% tax increase, Falcon said, the decreased liquor revenue would leave the county about $19,000 in the hole.
Commissioners accepted a request from Kootenai County Assessor Béla Kovacs not to renew a “mobile assessor” vendor contract, which will save the county about $42,000.
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