Taxes
Ada Seeks Taxes On Church Rental Property
Anna Webb over at the Daily Paper had a good page one story Friday about Ada County seeking property taxes on the First Presbyterian Church space being used to generate rental income. The issue has apparently slipped by those who make the decisions about tax exemptions. The Statesman notes that “by law and tradition,” the [...]
Private Probation Pressures Offenders
This disturbing comment was sent to the GUARDIAN Friday by an admitted lawbreaker who claims he is being pressured by his private probation officer to support the for profit program. “So I was asked by my probation officer today to fill out this card asking if I wanted supervised probation to be run by a [...]
Can’t Find Local Officials? Try Valley County’s Tamarack Resort
If you can’t find your local mayor, city councilor, or county commish, try looking at Tamarack Resort in Valley County. These members of the “Treasure Valley Partnership”–comprised of local elected officials–are spending YOUR tax money for hotel rooms, travel, and rental houses to meet and discuss a topic near and dear to Treasure Valley residents: [...]
Bad News: Property Taxes Rise Over 30% In Past 4 Years
We are in much deeper economic trouble than it would appear when we take a close look at property taxes in Ada County. The Daily Paper’s Cynthia Sewell filed a TAX STORY Thursday which was accurate enough, but didn’t sound the alarm we should all be hearing. Sewell properly noted that property values are going [...]
Jobless Woes Persist, Government Can’t Fix
By DAVID R. FRAZIER, editor BOISE GUARDIAN We visited a “job fair” recently, but rather than an arena full of employers recruiting workers, we found countless private and public educational institutions vying to take the last nickel from the pockets of the unemployed through assorted training offers. There were several charitable organizations seeking volunteers, verterans [...]
What Citizens And Candidates Should Know
Each election cycle, the GUARDIAN tries to stimulate interest in the local Boise City election with a posting about issues, budget, etc. Here is the current attempt–10 days before the filing deadline for council and mayor races. Issues of concern to candidates and citizens alike: –Fire department has taken over the North Ada County Fire [...]
GBAD Ponies Up Cash To BCVB
The GBAD boys were able to get around the GBAD girls Wednesday and pony up $24,500 to the Boise Convention and Visitor’s Bureau for promotional services. No other agency was asked to bid. The Greater Boise Auditorium District treasurer refused to sign a check to BCVP, citing a Pocatello court ruling that prevented using auditorium [...]
Former Mayor Owes $$44.6K In Idaho Taxes
KBOI-TV2 and the AP are reporting Boise’s former mayor, Brent Coles and his wife have a lien on their house in the amount of $44,691 for fail to pay back Idaho state taxes. Coles left office and took up residence in the Ada jail after admitting to illegal use of–ironically–tax money. He was Boise’s mayor [...]
City Pays Union Firefighters To FILL THE BOOT
A reader contacted the GUARDIAN recently saying the Boise Firefighters Union members are “volunteering” for the Muscular Dystrophy Drive while on duty. We checked with an insider and found that in some cases those guys out playing in traffic are indeed on-duty firefighters. We can overlook the dangers of being in traffic, the intimidation factor, [...]
City To Hike Power Franchise Fee?
The Idaho Freedom Foundation reports Boise has plans afoot to raise the franchise fee Idaho Power pays to do business in the city by 50%. The City claims the $800,000 increase in revenue will go toward “infrastructure improvements,” but like the conservative leaning IFF, we see it as nothing but a money grab that will [...]
Jerome Seeks To Go Around Voters For Debt
Sure, it’s only $3.25 million and it’s in little old Jerome, Idaho and the companies provide JOBS, but all Idaho should pay attention. Seems that three dairy processing companies are responsible for a whopping 63% of the waste in the city sewer system which is about to get sanctions from the Feds for being too [...]
Still No Check To BCVB From G-BAD
As of late Tuesday still no record of the $24,500 check from the G-BAD boys (and girls) to the Boise Convention and Visitor Bureau. While the G-BAD board voted 3 to 2 to approve funds for promotion work by the BCVB, treasurer Stephanie Astorquia has yet to put her name to a check. She has [...]
Yet Another Baseball Park Survey
Team Dave and a group calling itself the Better Boise Coalition is aiming to commission yet another survey about the feasibility of building a minor league baseball park in Boise. They are doing wonders for the consulting industry, but everything is predicated upon the “need” for a new ball park. The Boise Hawks team is [...]
County Hikes Spending By 11%, No Tax Jump
The Obama administration and the Washington Repubs could use the talents of the Ada Commishes and budget planners when it comes to public spending and taxing within a balanced budget. Seems that Ada County plans to raise its SPENDING by 11%, but not increase taxes. This after four years of touting the fact they left [...]
Firefighters Seek To Fill The Boot With “Stupid Person” Fees
Boise’s City Council approved a set of “stupid person” fees on behalf of the Fire Department Tuesday night. It must take one to know one. Here is the price list for “AT FAULT” fees these elected politicos approved. -Residential false alarm: second $75, three or more, $150 each. -Commercial false alarm: second $125, three or [...]
G-BAD Treasurer Stiffs Visitor Bureau
President Obama and the Washington Republicans don’t have an exclusive when it comes to spending public money and political brinkmanship. According to reports reaching the GUARDIAN today, the controversial payment of Greater Boise Auditorium cash to the Boise Convention and Visitor’s Bureau in the amount of $24,500 was held up for lack of a signature. [...]
BIGGER Isn’t Better, BETTER Is Better
The downtown deciders need to take lesson from the previous Bronco Football God, Dan Hawkins who once proclaimed that “Bigger isn’t better, better is better.” The Sunday DAILY PAPER has a story by Cynthia Sewell detailing the the “options” for a new convention center. One of the ideas would involve demolishing a newly constructed county [...]
Caldwell Gives Taxpayer Cash To City Employees
The City of Caldwell has quietly passed along tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars to city employees at a time when unemployment is at historic high levels and property values are declining. Caldwell GUARDIAN editor Paul Alldredge caught the item on the “consent agenda” of the city council and obtained the resolution. Otherwise it would [...]
E-15 Fuel No Good For Older Cars
A GUARDIAN car buff reader sent this along as a reminder, warning, grump at the Feds: BY BILL GOODNIGHT The “ethanol industry” (mostly prospering corn farmers) has successfully lobbied the EPA to issue a final rule approving the use of gasoline diluted with 15% ethanol (E15). EPA recognized this fuel will seriously damage vehicles manufactured [...]
Guv: Storage Business Purchase “Was A Mistake”
Idaho Gov. Butch Otter has withdrawn his support for a controversial Land Board decision to own and operate a commercial storage business. The GUARDIAN revealed the state ownership–which competes directly with the private sector–in an EXCLUSIVE story last November. Otter told the IDAHO REPORTER his support of the decision to invest in the private retail [...]
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