City Government
Guv Butch Follows Guardian Advice
January 8, 2007 
Guv Butch included the better part of a million bucks for a detox center in Boise in his budget proposal to the legislature Monday.
Reaction from Boise’s Team Dave was swift and positive.
“I know I speak for all of the members of the Mayor’s Detox Steering Committee when I say how thrilled I am that Gov. Butch Otter has included $865,000 in his proposed budget to assist in constructing a community detoxification facility in Boise,” said Mayor Dave Bieter in a prepared statement.
Bieter didn’t mention the BOISE GUARDIAN had previously called for the state to step up and obey the law as the legislature had mandated. He probably just forgot to credit us.
We broke the GUARDIAN STORY October 1, 2005. We took an unusual approach and quoted the law.
State auditors followed up with a devastating report two months later which took the Health and Welfare Dept. to task for not doing its job. Gov. Jim Risch followed later and appointed Jim Tibbs as the state drug czar.
The law has a total of 11 sections, 39-304 seems to be the most explicit detailing responsibility of the State to handle detox duties.
Now that we have the record straight, we too think it is nice for Guv Butch to kick in some state money for detox–it is badly needed.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Jan 8, 2007, 6:22 pm
Congrats to the Guardian and to our new Governor. The Guardian has demonstrared just how positive a web site working for the good of the community can accomplish good things. A free mass media is at the heart of real american freedom!
Governor Otter has certainly started his administration off on the right foot. This area has badly needed a de-tox center for many years, especially with the drug epidemic in our entire society… a creation of poverty and it’s many siblings.
Here’s hoping that the County commissioners and Mayor Bieter and council will take an example from our new state chief executive and fund to the max the needed medical facilities for a comprehensive de-tox center available to all the citizens of this area.
Governor Otter, has perhaps, launched a new era of responsible, voter oriented state govcernment that will write a new page in the history of Idaho and for the People of this great State with the governor’s term of office imprinted on it!
Jan 8, 2007, 7:26 pm
Way to go, Guardian (even if you don’t get no respect — or credit.)
And good on the Guv — although the cynic in me can’t help but wonder whether maybe, possibly, perhaps did getting busted for DUI gave Butch a better insight into abuse problems than our previous, unbusted guvs had ….
Jan 8, 2007, 8:04 pm
It is indeed good for the “Guv” to recognize what the Guardian pointed out over a year ago. (See Dave, good things come to those who keep hammering) Now, let’s make sure our legislators fund the bloody thing.
Jan 8, 2007, 8:37 pm
CYCLOPS probably zeroed in on the most critical aspect of this request — getting the legislators “to fund the bloody thing.” This is, of course, an Ada County “thing,” which automatically makes it a lower priority on the list of important needs for our rural state (just like mass transit, air quality improvements and community colleges).
Let’s see if even the bulk of the Ada County delegation (particularly Republican leader Mike “The Hammer” Moyle) get behind this important problem-solving issue.
Jan 8, 2007, 9:39 pm
It was actually Governor Risch who first proposed this expenditure. Methinks the attorney-governor could read the law better than the previous governor.
Please keep in mind that building the detox center is just a drop in the bucket compared to paying the long-term maintenance and operation costs, which hopefully the State intends to cover since it is their legal responsibility. Has anyone figured out how to bill the users so they contribute – after the fact – to their own detoxification and recovery costs?
EDITOR NOTE–The lite guv certainly deserves credit for hiring Tibbs and proposing the state pony up. Thanks to the GUARDIAN reader who researched the law, it became a “state” problem and not just one for Ada taxpayers. City doesn’t want to be in welfare business with homeless and shouldn’t be in detox business either.
Jan 8, 2007, 9:58 pm
Didn’t Jim Tibbs just lose his job? Or am I mistaken? I do wish the powers that be would quit using the term “drug czar” – that sounds like someone who promotes drugs. And get rid of “Homeland Security” while we’re at it. Reminds of Hitler’s Germany.
I know political types like this kind of verbal imagery – the folks in Washington are experts at giving things names and driving them into the ground until they have to find new names for things, even if they are the same things. Bush’s folks are the experts in that regard.
Nevertheless, I wish the Guardian would have gotten credit for “reminding” everyone that the State had the responsibility for providing money for detox. Good job, Fraz.
EDITOR NOTE–Treva, we were being mostly sarcastic, but thanks. It is the people who read and contribute to the GUARDIAN who reminded the state of its duties–not a ” mayor’s committee.” THAT is our point. The mayor attended a secret meeting at the Arid Clud to discuss the deal.