About 16,500 trucks weighing over 8,000 pounds get a FREE RIDE on county roads. Meanwhile owners of 279, 454 passenger car owners have to pony up fees as high as $40 per vehicle for ACHD “projects,” as a result of the ballot measure passed (unwittingly?) by voters Tuesday.

Since heavier, wider vehicles cause more damage to road surfaces and signs than passenger cars, we asked officials at ACHD for an explanation.

Turns out they had a committee meet to offer “input” on what the new law would be.

Surprise, surprise! The group was stacked full of folks who would benefit from EXEMPTING TRUCKS from being taxed. An ACHD official quietly admitted none of the 30 committee members were opposed to the proposal which doubled county auto taxes.

It is a simple fact that passenger car owners are subsidizing the roads for all those delivery trucks, dump trucks, and farm vehicles that use them to make a profit. The GUARDIAN is of the opinion ALL users would pay county taxes at the same rate. We are also hard pressed to offer much complaint because the people were allowed to vote and 68% said YES.

ACHD claims the trucks pay fees to the State of Idaho which returns a portion to the counties. Big deal! Same is true for State of Idaho passenger car fees. Only difference is the little guys have to pay BOTH state and county fees.

Folks representing Chambers of Commerce in Boise, Meridian, and Eagle, developers, Commerce and Industry Association reps, contractors, Smart Growth Developers, pro growth CCDC-Boise City officials, realtors and others rounded out the citizen’s panel.

In what had to match the B-1 bomber for stealthiness, the language was placed on the ballot–we were told without formal approval of the ACHD board. Even ACHD insiders were shocked at the success they had at the polls.

UPDATE 1
In the original post before the election, we were wrong about the old fee rates being omitted. The old maximum county fee of $20 was indeed posted at the beginning of the ballot.

UPDATE 2
Also, we were informed by the ACHD spokesman Friday that the commishes did indeed formally approve the ballot. The guy who gave us the erroneous info was on vacation at the time it was approved.

UPDATE 3
David Goldman said this in the Daily Paper October 29 and wanted to share his warning in retrospect:
“ACHD commissioners have proposed an increase in vehicle registration fees, but they apparently want it to be a surprise on Election Day. Apart from a Statesman article on July 25, there has been little other information or public discussion. After seeing the proposal for the first time on my absentee ballot I understand why it’s a surprise - it’s shamefully simplistic.

There are three critical flaws. First, it sets fixed dollar amounts over 20 years, which guarantees that it will be too steep an increase initially and surely be too little money by 2029. Second, it groups vehicles under 8,000 pounds, but 8,000-pound vehicles damage the roads more than 2,000-pound vehicles. More egregiously, there is no reference to vehicles over 8,000 pounds, which cause road damage as well. Finally, it provides no incentives for hybrid or electric vehicles; it refers to children safely walking to school but fails to encourage the reduction of pollution those same children are forced to breathe.We deserve better legislation than this. Send a message to the commissioners to be more professional, or at least competent, by voting NO.”

See the BALLOT HERE.

A check with Eagle’s planning department indicates the concerns of locals may be well founded. Planner Mike Williamson told the GUARDIAN, “We are of the opinion that what is depicted in the planning design agreement photos is not what exists on site.”

Williamson said Eagle officials will meet Tuesday with the developer, J.D. Simplot, grandson of Jack Simplot,the famous founder the Simplot Companies. Top of the agenda will be compliance with the application design details including roof pitch and other construction and engineering issues.

The buzz on the street in upscale Eagle is not in favor of the development. Some folks say the new “affordable homes” are akin to the “skinny house” issue that raised the ire of some Boise citizens over the past few years. Eagle has a history of favoring large lots with high value houses which make it possible to levy taxes at one of the lowest rates in Idaho.

District Manager Pat Rice was quoted saying there is a great demand for an expanded convention center. He claimed the Idaho Outfitters and Guides Association was forced to hold its annual meeting in Salt Lake City due to space limitations. NOT TRUE.

Somebody got it wrong. The GUARDIAN checked with the Outfitters & Guides and learned the group has NEVER held a meeting in Salt Lake. Their last meeting was at the Riverside Hotel in Garden City.

When the GUARDIAN noted the Center On The Grove had more space available than the hotel, a spokesman for the Outfitters said, “Not AFFORDABLE space. The prices down there at the Center On The Grove are OUTRAGEOUS!”

The G-BAD has failed in every attempt to build a convention center and conducted an illegal ad campaign using public tax money to promote passage of a bond. The Idaho Supreme Court ruled the use of public money to promote one side of a ballot measure is not in the public purpose.

Voters have twice turned down bond proposals and each private developer that has been involved with the group has pulled out. The latest delay is due to an “undisclosed illness” of developer John Q. Hammons. Hammons is probably suffering the same upset stomach as the rest of the development community.

At least he didn’t blame it on a crooked stock broker in Paris like the Frenchman did at Tamarack.

The District had announced grandiose plans to offer up public assets to the hotelier as part of a “private public partnership.” Until developers are willing to put up their own cash and not rely on concessions and use of public assets, we are sure to see more failures like the BOISE PIT at 8th and Main, Tamarack Resort, and all those “planned communities” that aren’t.

AFTERNOON UPDATE–Looks like the Daily Paper reporter is going to take a lump or two on this one…got too much info tossed at him and not enough comprehension.

THURSDAY UPDATE–Statesman ran a correction fessing up that the reporter got it wrong. The name of the group that didn’t rent space was America Outdoors, a trade association, not the Idaho Outfitters. As noted by a reader, the national boat show, the Republican National Convention and the International Car show also have not rented convention space in Boise.

McQuade is opening a branch office in Star staffed with two clerks to offer DMV services in the far northwest corner of the county. The media is invited to an Oct. 29 “launch” (ribbon cutting) which will no doubt be attended by the two incumbent Commish candidates since it is just 5 days prior to election day.

We envisioned a fortified bunker sprouting machine guns when the press release from the county talked about efforts to “strategically place” motor vehicle services. They just meant “opening an office in Star” because Mayor Nate and others have nagged about it for a couple of years.

This amounts to a “public-public” partnership and it gets a “satellite county office” in Star. It isn’t really a satellite office in the NASA sense and “Star” has nothing to do with outer space. They just have a rent free room in the Star City Hall for a year. Other county services may follow.

Watch for Mayor Nate to start charging rent after the 12 month “free introductory period” if the launch is successful.

With the likes of Micron laying off 1,500, MPC a couple hundred, the demise of nearly a dozen Boise Restaurants, retailers leaving the mall, Tamarack crumbling, and state road building projects unable to get funding, it is obvious to GROWTHOPHOBES that current and past policies based on growth are a dismal failure.

GERMAN VISITOR KICKS WALL STREET BULL INSTEAD OF CEO

–Government NEVER makes a profit. If a company comes to town any taxes they may pay are consumed in like amount of services. The people the company employs consume as much in services as THEY pay. Any tax breaks are made up by those of us who pay our bills.

–Employees are viewed by most big business just like electricity, water, and raw materials. You only need them and pay for them when you use them to make a profit. When sales decline, so do employees. Their value is in making a profit.

–Roads are somewhat like schools–we all benefit from having good ones. Even if we don’t own a vehicle, we use the roads for everything from food supply to ambulance service.

–There isn’t enough money in all of Idaho to pay for local fixed rail mass transit. We need an effective bus system in Boise and the lack of same is the fault of politicos.

–Regional planning is a tool for business and the Chamber of Commerce to increase the population so they have more consumers and worker bees. We should demand each of our local governments to provide the services we need within the ability to pay. Meridian waiting on Eagle or Boise waiting on Nampa is downright silly. People live in Meridian to get away from Boise politicos.

–Seems like a taboo subject, but whatever happened to ZPG–zero population growth? The idea of replacing yourself, but not overpopulating the world was popular, especially among liberals 20 years ago. Used to be it was fear of starving the planet, now it is cause for global warming, health care concerns, and energy woes–all caused in part by too many people.

–We noticed in the CWI community college board profiles there were 22 children among three candidates…two had 8 kids each.

–Propping up the economy with bailouts of non-existing cash, “protecting homeowners,” only serves to keep phony values artificially inflated. We need some failed banks, businesses, and homeowners to get prices back down.

–A few years ago when interest rates declined, Congress talked about mandating lower credit card rates. The card companies said if rates were lowered, they would have to recall nearly half the cards because of bad credit risks–too much debt. Those that screamed the most and loudest were the MERCHANTS…claiming if people have to pay for goods and services they wouldn’t buy. That’s where we are today and the solution, wrong in the eyes of the GUARDIAN and many others, is to simply raise the maximum borrowing level.

–CEOs are lower than attorneys and politicians on the integrity scale. They will be the new “William Calleys” of the next decade. (Lt. William Calley was blamed for the My Lai massacre in Vietnam which became the symbol for everything wrong with U.S. policy…not unlike the Iraq prison scandal).

–We hold our warriors out as “heroes” in Iraq and some people even think the cause is noble. Yet those same soldiers and supporters would never attend a city council meeting or inform themselves about local and state government actions, much less fight to defend the constitution against domestic abuse.

We need to look at everything in life differently. If the bath water is too warm, turn down the HOT, don’t add COLD. If your belt is too tight, cut back on the food, don’t buy a new belt.

Same is true when it comes to consuming. We just left a quick oil change chain after 20 years because they now charge 30% more than the local guy down the street for the same product and quality of service.

Coffee in a paper cup is still coffee in a paper cup, regardless of how fancy the blend or the name affixed to it. The big difference is price.

In the explanation of a “yes” vote, the ballot says it will “replace the current fees…”
TRUTH IS: a “yes” vote will actually DOUBLE the current fees. Yeah, sure it will also REPLACE the current fees, but they never mention the current fees.

In the explanation for a “no” vote it says such action will “eliminate more than $4 million in annual funding for transportation improvements.”
TRUTH IS: a “no” vote will also save taxpayers $4 million in taxes that were set to expire by law in 2010.

This may seem like a picky bit of semantics, but we suspect the manipulation of the language will trigger caution and distrust among some voters.

The big problem we see is the loopholes for rental cars and fleets of commercial vehicles registered OUTSIDE Ada County just to get around the higher taxes here. We tried to come up with some numbers and the folks at the State DMV said they had no interest in determining where a vehicle is “domiciled” because the only place it makes a difference is in Ada County.

The GUARDIAN can’t help but offer the reason for ACHD’s budget problems is GROWTH. Sadly, ACHD officials are not the ones who have worked to attract people and businesses in efforts to increase the population of the County. For instance, the Park Center Bridge is a direct result of Harris Ranch growth that has created the need for a new fire station, school, and other city services. GROWTHOPHOBES are aware the problem is caused by the tax breaks for businesses, the efforts of Team Dave and other local governments advertising in out of state publications.

If the Chamber of Commerce put their $5 million ad budget into roads, the problem would be cured–slower growth and decent roads with no new taxes.

Guv Butch Otter recently suggested a “mileage tax” at the state level and surprise, surprise, a study is underway. The DAILY PAPER says the University of Iowa just got a $16 million grant to do a “mileage tax” study. You can volunteer to have your mileage and movements monitored. Contact 866-363-1975 or visit ROADUSERSTUDY.

Not in this River City. Boise officials are scrambling to clean up the swap with some docs who want to build a private hospital on City land at 25th and Fairview. The scramble is after the fact because the Council has ALREADY APPROVED IT!

The deal calls for a trade that is highly questionable. Authority is claimed via a four year old council action. All of the current negotiations have been conducted in secret meetings with the final approval lumped among 15 other minor items on a “consent agenda.” Closing was put on hold for a month after the GUARDIAN sent a letter to the council questioning the compliance with Idaho Code.

Sorry to keep whipping this horse, but we feel it is important for Boise City to play by the rules. The City legal department–actually pretty reasonable folk– “has been directed” to not talk with us according to a polite call we got from a legal department staffer.

We were shuffled to the spokesman for Team Dave–who is not an attorney. The following legal questions have been sent to him and we will gladly share the answers.

–If this deal was OK and so insignificant that it was on the consent agenda, why consider it again?

–What PUBLIC PURPOSE do we have in the acquisition of land at 950 Citation off Gowen Road?

–The Ada assessor is adamant the 950 Citation land is worth at MOST $241,000–and probably less– due to basalt rock at surface. Why are we not challenging the $414,000 value?

–Are we open to any type of fraud allegations by potentially allowing the other side a $190,000 deduction on Income taxes? (If they indeed claim one). Isn’t it like making an insurance claim for $2,000 when repair costs were only $1,000 because the repair estimate was inflated?

–The November 2004 ordinance calls for $9.35 per square foot. My math indicates we got a lot less than that. I think the $9.35 figure would have yielded about $1.7 million. This deal is for less.

–Is the original notice and hearing still good if the description of the land and price is altered? It would seem that a four year old notice with no details of the actual exchange would not be binding.

–Is that 2004 ordinance from a previous council binding on the current council for future actions? One elected body cannot impose obligations on a future body as the GUARDIAN understands the law.

–Has the City asked for proposals from any other realtors or developers who would still get us the shooting range in trade?

–Why is the City land not just put up for bid and auctioned to the highest bidder instead of this convoluted three way swap with so many parties involved?

–What is the problem with putting it up for bid? We may get more, or we may get less, in which case someone can get a head start on the development process. At least it would not smack of insider trading with a single organization.

UPDATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON:
Park also refused to answer the questions, but invited the GUARDIAN to appear before the Council at a public meeting Tuesday September 30 at 6p.m. We will be there and hope there are others interested enough in good government to attend as well.

Their ill conceived actions stand to increase the population by at least 9,000 people.

Consider the area is near a prison crammed full of killers and perverts, the Boise Poop Farm where sludge is dumped on the land, and a slaughter house with a road full of trucks transporting cattle to their death. Great neighborhood! And it is all 15 miles from downtown Boise.

The growth will lead to increased demands on water, sewer, air pollution, fire protection, schools, and roads–all at a time when the unsold housing inventory is at record levels and financing is near impossible. The housing bubble burst, but the Commishes are still BLOWING BUBBLES.

So much for stopping “urban sprawl.” These guys–regardless of political leaning–have just voted to increase the county population by at least 9,000 people. They bought into whatever the developer claimed. Investors need to learn the source of financing and warn the world to stay clear of investing in such a risky scheme doomed to failure.

We have already “nationalized” the housing finance market, will the developers be next? If Tamarack and their $6 billion bond scheme with the Idaho Hosing and Finance Association is any indication the answer is YES.

How far will the 100 per cent increase in auto registration fees go toward solving increased traffic woes? Arrowrock Subdivision which is in the area has come afoul with the Public Utilities Commission over water issues and the aquifer will be hard pressed to take care of even more users.

Two of these guys are up for re-election and GROWTHOPHOBES need to remember that on election day.

By Sara Baker,
Dist. 5 ACHD Candidate

Citizens should be disheartened that the ACHD budget process was not transparent. It is impossible to make the transition from the FY 2008 actual numbers to the proposed numbers presented for the FY2009 budget and be able to compare the two. As Abraham Lincoln said, “that government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth.” Quite frankly, if the people cannot read and follow government documents easily, then Lincoln’s statement is meaningless and we are no longer government of, by or for the people.

But there are some conclusions one can make nonetheless.

First, while it is laudable that ACHD Commissioners are allowing positions to go unfilled and they plan to add no new positions in this economic downturn, the cost for labor is still very high. If ACHD’s proposed revenues are down 5%, it would seem prudent to reduce this portion of the budget by a corresponding 5%, at the very least. Personnel is becoming an increasing share of the budget going from 21.1% of expenses in 2007 to 24.4% two short years later. While the cost of labor in the 2009 budget is down .9%, the labor budget will increase a whopping 13.5% over the actual costs of labor just 2 years ago.

ACHD’s CIP budget is down and yet they are devoting over 11% of that to legal fees associated with the Maple Grove Extension. Would it not make more fiscal sense for ACHD to try to come to an amicable settlement with Settler’s Canal? At the end of this project ACHD will have spent around $8 million to build the road and almost half again that amount to sue another government agency using taxpayer dollars for both sides of the litigation.

While it is true that the costs of materials, such as liquid tar, is climbing, it makes no sense to then cut the budget for materials which ACHD is proposing to do by 9%. If the cost of materials is rising and the budget is shrinking, the maintenance of the taxpayers’ assets will suffer. Again, if the personnel costs are cut, particularly in administration, AHCD could fund more maintenance. If ACHD doesn’t deal with maintenance in a timely manner, they are just setting up major costs for we the taxpayers down the road.

Operational overhead is increasing by 6%. While it makes sense to anticipate higher utility costs, agency support (whatever this is) is proposed to increase over 31% from two years ago and advertising is proposed to go up 37%. It is hard to believe that the costs for these items have escalated this much. It is more likely they are being overestimated.

An examination of the annual reports shows that ACHD’s cost per lane mile has increased 74.4% over the10 years from 1997 to 2007. While this might seem reasonable, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) has increased 19.97% during that same period. ACHD’s cost per lane mile has thus exceeded the CPI four fold. This cost per lane mile does not include any of the capital projects, which might reflect increases in steel, concrete, etc.

ACHD’s budget should be much more conservative particularly since the average resident of Ada County has to tighten their spending. Every tax dollar entrusted to ACHD must be spent carefully and with a clear recognition that it is not ACHD’s dollar – it is the taxpayer’s. It’s unfortunate that ACHD did not keep that in mind while putting the FY2009 budget together.

For more information see SaraBakerforACHD.com or call Sara at 377-2416.
To see video of the budget meeting where Baker testified see video of this ACHD meeting

The Daily Paper did a nice round up of the PROPOSED DEVELOPMENTS in the Sunday edition. Reporter Cynthia Sewell calculates the proposals call for 19331 homes on 7,379 acres. The GUARDIAN calculates that means 11.4 SQUARE MILES of houses.

Simply put, it is insane not only to PROPOSE such vast growth and increase in population at this point in history, it is morally bankrupt to even CONSIDER approving such folly. The bailout of the “quasi governmental” Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac financial institutions has the potential of nearly DOUBLING the federal budget deficit. It does nothing more than encourage and reward irresponsible greedy behavior which benefits only the “big boys.”

If the locals deny the plans, there will be no need to regulate the financing. The first step in any application should be “show me the money.”

While were are at it, it is time to rid society of “quasi” anything. These shadow agencies get created by governments, but are allowed to act with little or no public oversight and are not accountable to the citizens. Locally we have Urban Renewal Agencies and various Housing Authorities as well as a state Health Facilities outfit–all created to finance something or other and their parentage and status is murky to say the least.

We don’t have a housing shortage in the valley, we don’t have any reason to encourage new businesses, workers, or others to either make babies or move here. What we need is for responsible adults to stop encouraging growth just for the sake of growth.

Those of us who live within our means, paying our taxes and bills are punished when special accommodations are offered to the likes of Tamarack, Micron, Albertson, Cabella, and others. (We heard of county commishes in Rexburg excusing taxes on a movie theater bowling alley facility in order to “preserve jobs.”)

Sadly, the GUARDIAN sees little hope we will ever get our heads above water and tackle the issues of pollution, transportation, education, etc. as long as the deciders continue to create the need for schools, roads, buses, and sewage treatment–at the expense of the general public which has to ultimately pony up the cash.

How can the Ada County Highway District hope to get approval for a near doubling of vehicle registration fees in Ada if other agencies are creating the need for more roads and repairs which creates the need for more…it is an endless cycle which MUST be broken.