City of Coeur D Alene

To ensure customer safety, the City treats water at each source with chlorine disinfectant. A small chlorine residual remains to protect water as it travels through distribution pipes to homes. This residual is harmless to humans and pets.

The City does not add fluoride to the municipal water supply. Residents with special health concerns should note that some individuals may be more vulnerable to contaminants than the general population.

Immune-compromised individuals, including those undergoing chemotherapy, organ transplant recipients, people with HIV/AIDS, elderly residents, and infants may face increased infection risks. These individuals should seek medical advice about their water consumption options.

Water sources (both tap and bottled) include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. As water travels across land surfaces or through ground layers, it dissolves naturally occurring minerals and can pick up substances from animal presence or human activities.

To ensure tap water safety, the EPA establishes regulations limiting certain contaminant levels in public water systems. Similarly, FDA regulations create safety standards for bottled water products, providing equivalent public health protection.

1. What is the council-manager form of government used by the City of Coeur D'Alene? Council-manager government combines elected officials' political leadership with an appointed manager's professional expertise. Policy authority rests with elected council members who hire a nonpartisan manager to oversee public service delivery.
2. Is this a responsive form of government? In the council-manager structure, elected council members serve as community leaders focused on policy issues addressing resident needs. The appointed manager implements policies and ensures equitable community service delivery.
3. What is the council's function? As the legislative body, council members make community decisions. They approve budgets, tax levies, and address community needs, major projects, land development, capital improvements, and strategic planning. The council hires a professional manager for executive responsibilities.
4. What role does the mayor play? In council-manager communities, the mayor typically chairs council meetings, acts as community spokesperson, facilitates communication between officials, helps establish goals, advocates policy decisions, and promotes community interests. The mayor also represents the city in intergovernmental relations.
5. What is the manager's function? The manager serves both council and community, bringing professional training and experience to local government administration. Managers prepare budgets, recruit staff, advise council, and implement policies, providing objective information and analysis of options.
6. What is this government form's history? The council-manager system emerged from early 20th century progressive reforms to combat corruption by promoting effective management within a transparent, responsive framework.
7. Does the manager participate in policy decisions? Managers make policy recommendations to council, but council members may adopt, reject, or modify these suggestions.
8. What is the cost of appointing a professional manager? According to ICMA research, local governments typically find overall costs decrease with competent management through reduced operating expenses, improved efficiency, better revenue collection, and effective technology use.
9. How common is the council-manager form? It's the most prevalent local government form in the U.S., with over 3,500 cities (population 2,500+) using this structure. More than 92 million Americans live in council-manager communities, including 58% of cities with populations over 100,000.
10. What qualifications do managers typically have? Nearly 67% of managers surveyed by ICMA hold advanced degrees and average 19 years of local government management experience.