Economy
Local Option Tax Hike Bill Likely In Legislature
A bill to bump up the sales tax by 1%–with voter approval–will probably surface in the coming legislative session. Ironic that local politicos and Chambers of Commerce favor allowing voters to approve a sales tax hike when last year they almost uniformly opposed allowing citizens to vote on long term public debt at airports and [...]
Eastern Idaho Energy Dreams Slowly Crumbling
Eastern Idaho’s grandiose efforts to attract business with “incentives” taken out of the pockets of taxpayers are slowly crumbling despite feeble attempts at life support. First it was the Hoku solar panel plant in Pocatello falling on hard times with plummeting stock prices and Idaho Power ready to pull the plug on its electricity. Now [...]
Burning Issues And Libraries Maxed Out
Our GUARDIAN staff tax expert has alerted us to possible funding issues in 2012 for some fire districts and libraries. These taxing districts are limited in their legal ability to levy taxes and as property values declined, they have almost uniformly “gone to the max.” City and county governments can raise budgets up to 3% [...]
“Buying” New Business Not Worth The Price
We’ve all heard of the husband who purchased a new boat the couple couldn’t afford so the wife gets even by remodeling the kitchen and installing new carpet they also couldn’t afford. That same silly fiscal policy is being advocated by government and editorial writers from Idaho Falls to Boise–if a business isn’t financially sound [...]
Idaho Power May Pull Plug To Hoku Plant
The Hoku solar panel plant struggling to get itself up and running in Pocatello can’t even pay its agreed upon electric bill to Idaho Power, it was revealed in a filing before the Idaho Public Utilities Commission Thursday. The Chinese backed company has been the beneficiary of all kinds of public largess including local urban [...]
Dorothy Goes Down Yellow Brick Road To Credit Union
This is a new comment on a previous post and we felt worthy of a stand alone story By DOROTHY Guardian Reader Due to corporate “downsizing” (job elimination), my company is no longer paying for the car they “required” me to purchase. I approached my lender and asked to refinance the loan for a longer [...]
Secret City Land Deals Explained On Map
The GUARDIAN has acquired numerous documents with regard to the land swaps involving the armory on Reserve Street and assorted Boise City-owned properties in the area of Eisenman Road and I-84. Based on the information provided by Boise City, coupled with their refusal to communicate with the GUARDIAN except as required by law, we offer [...]
Statesman Report Explains Secret Land Deal
After Boise officials refused to return calls or refused to discuss details of a secret land deal, the GUARDIAN has to offer a tip of the hat to the STATESMAN’S CYNTHIA SEWELL. The GUARDIAN broke the story last week about a complex land swap, but it was the DAILY PAPER that was able to put [...]
Boise Continues Land Speculation, Swaps Property To Avoid Bid Law
Boise City Council continued the long established pattern of secret land speculation and urban sprawl recently with a series of land swaps at a gateway freeway interchange southeast of town. GUARDIAN sources speculate part of the secret deal likely involves city acquisition of 200 acres northwest of Eagle. In summary, it appears the city has [...]
Consumer Advocates Need Voice At IPUC
By HUBERT OSBORNE GUARDIAN Reader A recent examination of rate cases before the Idaho Public Utility’s commission on three separate rate cases all involving renewable energy show some startling differences in the electricity rates that have been agreed to between small power producers and the Utility’s involved. A case in North Idaho involving the burning [...]
Census Figures Explain Corporate Interest In Idaho
The folks at the Emmett newspaper came up with an interesting little nugget from a recent government report in the form of wage comparisons. Depending whether you are buying or selling, the Gem State is either near the top or near the bottom when it comes to wages. Our relative ranking among states explains in [...]
Chinese Electric Bus Factory, A High Voltage Route Or Short Circuit?
This guest post was submitted by a reader known to the GUARDIAN who is well versed in the bus transportation industry. By Jimmy D. Bus, Guardian Transportation Correspondent When it comes to electric buses in America, it appears Communist China’s Zonda Corp. attempted to establish a marketing beach head in the Treasure Valley six months [...]
Will Politicos Squelch China Demo Bus?
It will be interesting to see if Idaho politicos are as adamant about enforcing the “Buy America Act” when it comes to a demonstration electric bus for Camarillo, California as they were when Boston sought a waiver of the federal rules to get a demo locomotive in 2008. Zonda USA–which sounds a lot more like [...]
Communist China Learns Capitalism From USA Government Subsidies
In this modern day of Communist China leading the world in capitalist business ventures funded by U.S. Government taxpayers, we are not surprised to learn of Chinese plans to seek cheap labor in Idaho. The latest scheme is an electric BUS FACTORY to be built in the Treasure Valley. GUARDIAN GROWTHOPHOBES caution the enthusiastic Chamber [...]
PUC Plugs Into Dynamis-Idaho Power Deal
The Idaho PUC is now on the punch list for the “trash to electricity” deal proposed for the Ada County landfill. Idaho Power agreed to buy power from Dynamis’ project at the Ada County landfill for $92.35 per megawatt-hour. The proposal was submitted Tuesday to the Idaho Public Utilities Commission. Regulators will evaluate it for [...]
Boise County Explores Bond Sale
Boise County Commishes issued a press release Tuesday saying they are exploring options to satisfy a multi million dollar federal court judgement. The DAILY PAPER quoted the release saying they may be able to have a smaller levy spread out over 20-30 years—just as the GUARDIAN suggested recently.
Geezer Group Talks Turkey Over Raising Rates
Taking advantage of the paucity of news during the holiday week, the oldtimers at AARP have issued a press release aimed at the electricity and water providers who want more cash for their current. With Thanksgiving just days away, AARP Idaho has released the hotly anticipated winners of its first annual Gem State Turkey Award [...]
Boise County Debt Easily Solved
DISCLAIMER: The GUARDIAN is not an attorney, but plays one in court when necessary. As a public service to the citizens of Boise County, we will offer some “municipal finance” advice about the ill advised actions of your Commishes with regard to bankruptcy and zoning the property for troubled teens. U.S. District Judge B. Lynn [...]
Big League Baseball Depends On Minor League Public Funds
The Better Boise Coalition is seeking extra innings in its game of “bulid a bigger Boise ballpark.” Every survey over the past few years predicts a homerun when it comes to building a new baseball park, but when it comes to financing they all strike out. The DAILY PAPER published a box score round up [...]
If Each New Job Creates 3-5 Other New Jobs, Does Each Job Lost Create 3-5 Added Losses?
The news from the J.R. Simplot Wednesday is bad any way you look at it. Loss of up to 1,000 jobs and closure of potato processing plants in Aberdeen and Nampa is not anyone’s idea of holiday cheer. It’s even worse using any of the gushingly optimistic estimates about “job creation” related to the new [...]
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