• Home
• About
• Archives
• Subscribe
• Contact

City Government

MAYOR HOTLINE Dec. 11 to 15

 December 18, 2006 ⋅  Post a comment

DON’T SPEND, COPS AT LAKE HARBOR, FED UP w/ TRAFFIC
12/9/06
Toni Newman
1404 N. 24th Street
Boise, ID
Strategic Planning Cost: I was reading the Statesman this morning about the windfalls and how it could help Boise start libraries and other things. I came to this part where it’s talking about spending $535,000, over a half a million dollars for strategic planning. I am shocked we would need to spend that much on strategic planning for a windfall when we should, as any business should be doing, keep it part of our normal business routine. It seems like you’re wasting our tax dollars. That’s my opinion.
MZ

12/13/06
Richard Rogers
1066 Saratoga Drive
Boise, ID 83706
Budget: I’m calling regarding the newspaper article in the statesman last weekend on the surplus in the city’s budget and the Mayor’s plan to propose this to the City Council on the 19th of December. I guess I object to most of the ideas to how to spend this money. Some ideas were recently voted down in the bond issue for the libraries and that’s flying right in the face of the voter’s direction to the city. I know libraries are important. However, I think the will of the citizen’s are important also. I would propose this one time money be used, or at least part of it, as a decrease in the city’s property taxes to the homeowners, which would amount to what they were raised this year or maybe more. I think that would be a fair way. Everyone would benefit to property taxes, which are a hot issue. The city keeps raising them obviously. Maybe the city didn’t have to raise taxes this year. My thoughts are its bad public policy to take 9 million dollars and burn a hole in his pocket and go spend it. The only thing I would feel comfortable with is spending it on the drug/detox center. The rest of the money should be returned to the citizens, specifically the homeowners. Thank you.
M/CC

12/14/06
Josie Erskine
5200 Castle Drive
Boise, ID 83703
Historic Farmland: She called about a piece of property on Cole Road and Mountain View. It’s 20 acre parcel in a Historic Easement. The woman that owns it is 93 and wants to sell it. She wants to try to find someone to farm it in order to keep it historically. This is a current debate between the land owner and city. The city wants to help facilitate in finding someone to buy it as farmland so they can keep it. She would like a call back from the office to speak to someone about this.
PDS

HOTLINE
Dec. 11-15 2006

12/10/06
Liz Gatchel
3120 Moore
Boise, ID
PDS: I’m calling to comment on a fee of $101.00 that’s being charged to appeal a plan that has been approved by the Boise City Planning Division. I am really upset by the $101 fee and I’d like you to call and tell me what that fee goes to. You termed the word fee and believe me, what I’m looking at is a tax. I’d like to know what my property taxes are paying for. I have the ability to come down, say my piece, and discuss with Planning and Zoning division my disagreement with the reason they approved this. There shouldn’t be a fee charged for that. You guys are paid by our taxes. You shouldn’t be charging another fee for us to come down and voice our opinion against something you rubber stamped. That to me is almost going against our Constitution because basically I see it as a tax and it’s just another tax you’re trying to get money for so you can give your cronies their bonuses. You’re not guaranteed anything by the $101 fee so why would anyone want to pay it anyway? We should be able to come down and speak freely and by that I mean free, F-R-E-E as in no cost, and freely express our opinions against something you have put into our neighborhood that we may or may not like. Our opinions should not cost anything. Someone should really think about that fee and review what you’re doing. Thank you.
PDS

12/11/06
Cableone: I’m calling about Cableone. I realize you have limited jurisdiction over them. The reason I’m calling is they sent out a brochure announcing they are now offering phone service. The brochure says the price is $29.95. when I called to inquire about adding the phone service to my existing package of high speed internet and cable TV, they told me that because I’ve had my current bundled price for a year and a half, the price wouldn’t be $29.95 but $39.95 because they no longer offer the bundle that I was on. I was not on any special promotional deal. I paid the going rate a year and a half ago when I moved in and I wonder how many other people in Boise are in this situation. It’s quite probable that a lot of people have been in their current residences and on their current plans for a year and a half or more. Seeing as there is no asterisk or fine print in this offer from Cableone that says the price is $29.95 except if you are on a bundled package that we no longer offer in which case the price for you is different, I feel that this is a violation of truth in advertising. I’m concerned that quite a number of Boiseans are affected by this and this is blatantly illegal. It’s a violation of federal advertising laws. It’s probably a violation of regulations because they are establishing themselves as a credited relationship with you so they would come under regulations and they haven’t disclosed all the terms here. Anyway, that’s my two cents. I live in the City of Boise in the zip code 83709. Thank you.
F&A
Action Taken: F&A

12/11/06
Boise High: Alright people, listen up. Maybe even you political wonks will f***ing get this finally. For the 7 years I’ve lived here behind Boise High, I have complained about the intersection at 10th and Franklin. There is poor signs, poor lighting. It needs a flashing red light and unless someone screams bloody murder relentless, you don’t get any cops down there. It’s been annoying to watch people run the stop sign but it is 6:35pm, Monday, Dec. 11 and I was crossing the street with my son. There is a four way stop, there are people stopped at the intersection and some god d*** moron hit me with his van. I’m getting pissed off about this. You guys have enough money to put up freaking planters downtown and some other useless crap. Put something up useful like a flashing red light, alright? D***it! Oh yeah, I was crossing the street on foot with my son, okay? I wound up having to pound into the hood of his car to get him to stop. I’m right there. I thought the guy was joking around. He’s like nudging me and I had to pound the hood of his car cause he had his head buried so far up his a**! If you can’t figure out who this is, you people are dumber than I thought.
BPD ACHD

12/11/06
Boise High: Yes, now that my fight or flight response has subsided and I’ve successfully resisted the urge to pull the gentleman out of his car and beat him within an inch of his life, I’d like to ask you again reasonably to do something about the corner of 10th and Franklin and as I mentioned to you folks, I ask that you not take my word for it, go down there and stand on that corner for yourself anytime in the dark, especially 6:30am time and basically anytime there is anything going on around here and it’s dark. It’s a bad corner. I’ve watched cops go by, there are school buses pulled right up to the stop sign so people can’t see. Lets give the motorists the benefit of the doubt and say they actually don’t see the stop sign even though you and I both know we could cover it in neon and they’d still say that but when an officer drives by and there is a school bus literally nosed right up to it, what kind of cop does not know that? Hell, I’ve known since I was a kid, you’re not supposed to park 20ft from the corner. The bottom line is, you guys are dropping the ball here on this corner and the SRO wonk over there and Principal Anderson spends more time battling me denying me that there is a problem than actually addressing the problem. I think seven years of reasonable requests and one final blow up when someone literally hits me with their van. I had to walk away. This nonsense of be civil and just get his license plate is nonsense, alright? I had to walk away before I wound up beating the guy. So, again, just do something finally. Great, the planters look beautiful and the banners and yes, it’s the CCDC/DBA insulation you guys give yourself but the fact of the matter is that it’s the city. Put your resources where they are needed, you know?
BPD ACHD

12/11/06
Boise High: Hello, it’s the raving lunatic at 10th and Franklin behind Boise High and you know what, forget it, I give up. You guys win, I don’t care. That’s it, you won’t hear from me again.
BPD ACHD

12/14/06
Josie Erskine
841-7759
5200 Castle Drive
Boise, ID 83703
Historic Farmland: She called about a piece of property on Cole Road and Mountain View. It’s 20 acre parcel in a Historic Easement. The woman that owns it is 93 and wants to sell it. She wants to try to find someone to farm it in order to keep it historically. This is a current debate between the land owner and city. The city wants to help facilitate in finding someone to buy it as farmland so they can keep it. She would like a call back from the office to speak to someone about this.
PDS

12/14/06
Matt McGuills
BPD: My mother is staying with me. This is about the incident that happened last night at the Landing at Lake Harbor. We just got a letter from the Landing Management and they said if we want to do a formal complaint to call this number. I kinda do because my mom didn’t eat all day yesterday. She works late and gets off at about midnight. She tried to come in and they made her sit in her car outside of the Landing until about in the morning before she could come in. I was upset about that. Another thing that upset me was I was watching the incident and this gentleman got out of his car and started walking to his apartment when a cop ran up and just pushed him. He told him to get the f*** out of there. That’s not right. You can’t push a citizen. I understand the situation was kind of hectic but still, you could have handled it in a more professional fashion in my opinion. If you could call me back, that’d be great. Thank you.
M/CC BPD
Action Taken: Contacted

12/14/06
Verda Marquardt
518 Wickham Fenn Way
12/14/06
Alexander Collins
3352 N. Lake Harbor Lane
BPD: Last night the BPD was responding to an incident. I guess someone came into this house. I was coming home from a long trip from California and I was driving home from the airport and my taxi driver was not allowed to drop me off at my apartment for the next 6-7 hours. I received a piece of paper on my front door that said my apartment complex had nothing to do with this and that if I had any concerns to call this number. I was a little concerned with the way the BPD handled it. I was told to get the f*** out of here and the way it was dealt with wasn’t right. It had nothing to do with our apartments and still I wasn’t allowed back. I wasn’t able to go to work today because I couldn’t get to bed until 5:30 am. Please call me back. Thank you.
BPD

Boise, ID 83709
Drainage question: I’m not sure what department I should be calling so I’m doing it this way. I’m wondering if there’s any law for who is supposed to clean the drains. I live on the corner and of course I’m responsible I guess to keep the drain clear of leaves that come down when it rains. But, I’m tired and I’m wondering who else could do it or if I am really supposed to do it. Thank you.
PW

To insure more advertising-free Boise Guardian news, please consider financial support.