This podcast features a one-hour pre-election debate between Idaho Falls mayoral candidates Jeff Alldridge and current City Council member Lisa Burtenshaw, where they discuss critical issues facing Idaho Falls. The candidates first addressed housing affordability, specifically debating the city’s impact fees. Lisa Burtenshaw strongly supported the fees, explaining that they ensure “growth to pay for growth” by funding major capital projects like parks, police, fire, and streets, noting that the cost burden is comparable to fees in nearby communities. Alldridge agreed with the necessity of impact fees as a tool but criticized the flat-fee implementation, suggesting it drives up housing costs and proposing that the fees be based on factors like number of bedrooms or square footage for a more equitable structure. They also discussed the ImagineIF comprehensive plan and high-density housing: Burtenshaw emphasized the plan’s role as a blueprint to guide high-density to busy roads with services, using buffers for single-family areas, while Alldridge cautioned that the plan has the “weight of law” and suggested he would increase setbacks and transition zone ordinances to better separate single-family homes from multi-story apartment developments.
The forum then shifted focus to infrastructure and city management, beginning with a question about the city’s alleged backlog of road and utility repairs. Alldridge stated his first priority as mayor would be to address capital projects affecting the most people, focusing on main arterial roads, and pledged to seek greater efficiency with existing funds before considering any tax increases. Burtenshaw, however, disputed the existence of a “big backlog,” citing a long list of completed projects, including a new power plant, two new fire stations, a police station, and numerous street and utility improvements, many of which are paid for by user fees rather than taxes. Both candidates acknowledged the past issue of poor coordination among the city, ITD, and surrounding jurisdictions on major construction projects. Burtenshaw said she would ensure better project management and communication by meeting regularly with officials from other entities. Finally, when asked about a proposed business bypass loop, Alldridge said he would need to see a cost-benefit analysis, while Burtenshaw noted that public feedback on the proposal favored widening existing roads and increasing speed limits rather than a new highway loop.
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