City Government
Airport Parking To Go For Vote
April 28, 2006 
It looks like Boise is going to ask voter permission to sell $37 million worth of bonds to build a new airport parking facility. They say the rental companies will fund 40% of the financing for the five story facility–two floors will be for rental cars.
Boise’s airport Commission and City Council had a joint meeting Thursday to plan their next move following the Idaho Supreme Court decision earlier this month which declared their financing to be unconstitutional. That suit was brought by GUARDIAN editor David R. Frazier who has worked for nearly three years to get the city to follow the law and have an election.
Councilor Alan Shealy grudgingly conceded defeat at the public meeting when he said, “I hate the idea of a local photographer’s hat size going up anymore, but I think (a bond election) is the most feasible option.”
They concluded the best course of action is to hold an election in November.
Councilors had been adamant about not allowing voters a voice at the original public hearing and continued spending tax money for the legal battle they ultimately lost. They will also have to pay the legal fees for Frazier’s winning attorney.
Had the councilors allowed the citizens a vote for the much needed parking garage, they could have been parking cars today. Now, they say it will be completed sometime in 2008.
The sticky point was a provision in the Idaho Constitution which mandates bond elections for long term debt “unless it is ordinary and necessary.” The Supremes cleared that issue up when they pretty much said “ordinary and necessary” would apply to emergencies, but a construction job didn’t apply.
Throughout the state, banks have made a tidy profit offering “lease-purchase” deals and getting judges to approve “ordinary and necessary” deals. That should pretty much be a thing of the past as lawyers are telling schools, cities, and other entities they need a vote to buy things they can’t pay for in one year.
Our deepest sources tell us a group of bankers, lawyers, and local government types did a conference call in the past day or two in an effort to plan their next move. If they take the lead of Boise, there will be more bond elections and local officials will be asking permission of the citizens to spend their tax money.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Apr 29, 2006, 2:14 pm
Thank you Dave! You are a monkey wrench in the gears of the malignant theocracy and what “they” call “progress.” I admire ya for it!
P.S. Glad you are getting your lawdog’s fees reimbursed too. God forbid I ever need to have business done to me by another lawyer but if I do I’ll be contacting you off line for his moniker.
Apr 29, 2006, 10:39 pm
That is truly the gawd-awfullest picture I have ever seen, Guardian. What were you thinking? Did I miss some subtle point you were making in the article? Oh, perhaps it was the hat size reference. Whew. Treva
Apr 30, 2006, 1:49 pm
Dave, I hope ALL of your readers are paying attention! One person CAN make a difference!
The current administration of the city has devolved into just another version of the Coles administration. The cast has changed, but the dirty tricks are the same.
Let’s all work together and demand accountability in government from dogcatcher to governor.
Apr 30, 2006, 5:11 pm
Ferris, you are over the top. The fact that the City Council and Airport Commission are now going to the voters demonstrates they have listened to the Justices and they are NOT looking for a work-around like the Coles bunch would. There is no reason to be a sore winner.
A bond election for a parking garage strikes me as one of the more prosaic issues we will ever see. Personally I might vote no because I would rather see the Boise Airport use their excess revenues to subsidize a robust mass transit service from the Airport to points downtown, BSU and other locations in the city.
Guardian gets deserved props for prevailing in the litigation, but his Photoshop skills are evidently lacking. Please talk to your attorneys and see if they will dontate funds from the attorneys fees for you to get some training on that software!
Apr 30, 2006, 10:39 pm
Over the top? Maybe a tad bit, yes. I concede that much.
However, as I am sure some insiders who visit this site will surely agree, there are plenty of other expamples of “working around” percolating at City Hall.
Time will be the ultimate test. We shall see…
EDITOR NOTE–Ferris is probably pretty close to the mark. We have word the Association of Idaho Cities is pushing for a “rehearing” of the Supremes opinion. We will have details later Monday.
May 1, 2006, 9:25 am
Guardian – straw is a good choice, because it tends to stretch a bit, with the swelling and shrinking of your head. (I STILL say Mr. Shealy has a lot of nerve to publicly accuse somebody ELSE of having a big head!)
Why not have expert private-enterprise lease the land from the city for 50 years, and construct a parking garage, and make a lot of money on it… if it’s economically viable? Is there a compelling reason why the city needs to own and operate the garage?
EDITOR–Steve, you make a very good point. That is how Fed-X, Executive Air, and the other hangar owners do it…and they pay taxes to the city, county, schools, ACHD.
May 9, 2006, 7:13 pm
Say, Dave, I love that hat… I just think many of our local and state politico’s would look a lot better in it!!Or maybe they could wear one of those long grey overcoats ,with a tri-corn military hat and keep one of their arms tucked inside the coat… they would’nt even need a white horse!!!