Every school levy passes. Spirit Lake's fire levy falls short
Voters backed every school levy on the Kootenai County ballot. A permanent tax for the Spirit Lake fire district won a majority but not the two-thirds it needed.
Sherman Avenue, downtown Coeur d'Alene. File photo.
Coeur d'Alene voters approved the school district's two-year supplemental levy of $30.25 million a year, 58.16% to 41.84%, with 20,984 voting yes and 15,096 no. It replaces the current $25 million levy and runs from July 1, 2027, through June 30, 2029. The district puts the average cost at $110 a year for every $100,000 of taxable value.
In Post Falls, a $6.7 million-a-year replacement levy passed with 54.95% of the vote. Supplemental levies in the Plummer-Worley, St. Maries and Kootenai school districts also passed.
A special tax for the Northern Lakes Fire Protection District was approved with about 70% of the vote. A permanent override levy for the Spirit Lake Fire Protection District drew 56.43% yes, short of the two-thirds it needed.
What we know
- Every school levy on the county ballot passed.
- The Coeur d'Alene levy rises from $25 million to $30.25 million a year.
- Spirit Lake's fire levy failed under the two-thirds rule.
What we don't know yet
- The Press lists 113,527 yes votes for the Northern Lakes Fire levy, more than the 77,063 ballots cast in the whole county. We're checking the county's official count.
- What the Spirit Lake fire district will do without the levy.
Sources
- Coeur d'Alene Press: Voters say yes to levies in Kootenai County · Nov. 3, 2026
- Coeur d'Alene Press: Voters: Yes to school levies · Nov. 4, 2026
We report from public records and the sources above, in our own words. When we get something wrong, we fix it and note the fix here.