Idaho Falls City Council approves tentative budget for 2023

IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) – The Idaho Falls City Council tentatively approved a more than $300 million budget to be distributed between the city's 11 departments with six enterprise funds.

The budget focuses on advancing needs of a growing community and essential services for residents.

The city council approved this amount at its meeting Thursday, July 28.

Idaho Falls residents may also expect to see the levy rate drop because of this new budget, meaning taxes could essentially decrease.

As part of this, Mayor Rebecca Casper and department directors opted to postpone projects and optional spending to maintain current service levels in a time of growth.

City officials say a significant portion of funding for the budget does not come from tax dollars, but instead from utility payments, fees and other governmental sources.

However, $42.7 million, roughly 13% of the budget, is still expected to come from tax dollars.

This next year will also be the first year that impact fees, collected from new construction, will be implemented in the budget. The city estimates it will receive $4.6 million in impact fees.

These impact fees will help cover some costs associated with providing services to new residents. Before impact fees, these costs were covered through property taxes.

The Idaho Falls City Council is holding a public meeting on August 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the Idaho Falls City Council Chambers located at 680 Park Avenue in Idaho Falls.

They encourage the public to attend and participate in the hearing.