Voters say the county shouldn't run Citylink. Now what?
The advisory question failed with 57% voting no. The county has already cut what it puts into the bus system to a few thousand dollars.
Downtown Coeur d'Alene. File photo.
Kootenai County voters said no to the county managing Citylink, the free bus system serving Coeur d'Alene, Hayden, Post Falls and Dalton Gardens. The advisory question failed 38,530 to 28,756, or 57.26% against.
The vote does not end the service by itself. Commissioner Leslie Duncan said before the election that a no vote could have major implications for the bus system's future.
The county budgeted a little more than $65,000 for Citylink in fiscal 2025 and about $3,700 in fiscal 2026. Federal grants pay Citylink's staff. The Coeur d'Alene Tribe and Kootenai Health put in matching money, and Coeur d'Alene usually pays the largest city share, more than $100,000.
What we know
- The question was advisory, not binding.
- The county's own money for Citylink is already down to about $3,700.
What we don't know yet
- Who will run Citylink if the county steps away.
- When commissioners will take up the question.
Sources
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.