The Kootenai County Board of Commissioners held public hearings on proposed Area of Impact boundaries with cities throughout the county, a state-mandated process that determines where city and county planning interests overlap.

Idaho law requires cities and counties to review and establish Area of Impact boundaries. The areas define zones outside city limits where both jurisdictions believe there will be future growth and where they should coordinate land-use decisions.

County Community Development Director David Callahan emphasized that the boundaries are not annexations. ‘Unless a property owner is interested in annexation or development, the change would have little to no effect,’ Callahan stated.

The hearings drew public interest in a region where land use, property rights, and growth management are persistent political issues. Kootenai County has maintained Area of Impact agreements with its cities since the 1990s, but the rapid growth of the past five years has made the boundaries more consequential.