Taxes
Urban Renewal Put To Death In CA
Here’s a LA Times article on the California Legislatures move to shut down all 400 of the “redevelopment agencies” (Urban Renewal in Idaho) as of February 1, 2012. The legislation was upheld by a 6-1 vote in the California Supreme Court. A caretaker will be appointed to pay off all remaining debt of each agency and [...]
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 [...]
More Details On Kuna Mayor-City Squabble
Based on a story in today’s DAILY PAPER by Cynthia Sewell, it looks like a pattern of cover up and ineptitude on the part of many of the players in the small Ada County town. Former and Newly elected Mayor Greg Nelson owns a couple of restaurants the city planning department says have failed to [...]
Now EVERYONE Wants To Sue Nampa
Yet another lawsuit has been filed against the City of Nampa over the stormwater “fee” levied against property owners. If class action is granted, Nampa could have every property owner in the city seeking refunds for a sewer fee that many claim is an illegal tax. A class-action complaint filed Wednesday seeks to have Nampa’s [...]
Nampa Stormwater “Fee” Could Go Down The Drain
A tax by any other name is still a tax according to the Idaho Supreme Court, but Nampa officials are holding tough on their position a new storm drain tax revenue scheme is just a “fee.” The Supremes ruled on a Lewiston case last month. The GUARDIAN first broke the Nampa story back in April [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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.
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 [...]
Idaho Supremes Put Damper On Storm Drain “Fee,”Affirm GUARDIAN Assertion
Idaho’s Supreme Court ruled Monday that Lewiston overstepped its constitutional authority when the city levied a mandatory “fee” which is really a tax. The GUARDIANS (both Boise and Caldwell) were on the scam April 17 when we posted a sarcastic ANALYSIS of the attempt by Nampa’s Team Tom (Mayor Tom Dale) to slip a tax [...]
Yogurt Plant Represents A Different Culture
The announcement that a Greek company is building a yogurt processing plant in Twin Falls was greeted with understandable excitment in the Magic Valley–it means JOBS! The yogurt plant represents a different culture. One that knows how to milk taxpayers as well as the local cows. Magic Valley is one of the biggest dairy producing [...]
Occupier On Banks, No Confidence In System
By MsInformationBoise Occupy Boise Member Here in Boise, Occupiers have several local issues they have decided they’d like to address. One issue that has been discussed is the decision to build on the “Hole” downtown. For many of us it was a revelation the CCDC was subsidizing millions in public money towards the construction of [...]
M3 Spring Valley Development Has No Voters To Approve Financing Scam
The DAILY PAPER ran a comprehensive story today about a planned development north of Eagle which plans to take advantage of a recently passed law that is nothing but a financial scam. The law requires an election and approval of two-thirds of the resident property owners. According to the STATESMAN story, M3 Spring Valley is [...]
More Questionable Spending By Politicos
The DAILY PAPER ran a good page one story Sunday detailing questionable spending by the Idaho Water Users on behalf of its director who is running for mayor of Eagle. The short version is the nonprofit group which represents water users (mostly irrigation customers) has acted as banker on behalf of the group’s executive director, [...]
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