Comments on: Juice Demand High, Water Low

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 23 May 2007 00:41:23 +0000

Bragdoucious is the growth in California what brought you here? Maybe the crime? Polution? Can’t help but wonder. What brought you here. Oh Maybe greed? Oh your a developer?

By: Gordon

Gordon — Tue, 22 May 2007 20:08:17 +0000

Wonk Vader’s suggestion really makes sense.
And I think a lot more things need to be done in a similar way. When we have enough roads, power plants, sewer plants, police, firefighters etc. to serve the people who are here, and paid for them, why should these same people have to continually pay more and more and more just to serve the new folks coming in?

Impact fees, hookup fees, whatever they might be called are fair.

When I moved to Idaho 40-some years ago, I bought a house built in about 1917, and moved in, replacing the people who moved out. More recently, I moved to Gem County, to a house built 30 or 40 years ago, and moved in when the other people moved out.

So, my wife and I didn’t add to the population, or add another house to those needing electricity, fire protection etc.

Had I moved in and wanted to buy a brand new house, then it would have been only fair to have to pay extra toward the new electric lines, roads and whatever that I and the other newcomers were making necessary.

Let’s do it.

By: Wonk Vader

Wonk Vader — Tue, 22 May 2007 19:04:07 +0000

Idaho Power needs to charge hookup fees. You never hear about Boise City having to raise sewer rates for growth, because when you get a building permit, you must pay hundreds of dollars for a hookup fee. This fee is not used for maintenance or operations; it is used only to build or expand treatment plants as growth dictates. When you pay your regular sewer bill, that money only goes for M and O, not for growth.

Idaho Power needs to do the same thing. If every home had to pay a grand or two to Idaho Power for new facilities, that would allow IP to build new generating and transmission capacity and not have to charge it to people who are already here.

I am a growthophile and I believe growth needs to pay its own way if it is to be sustainable. If it doesn’t pay, you’ll exhaust your assets and then growth will stop (like in McCall).

By: dog

dog — Tue, 22 May 2007 17:14:33 +0000

g-man, Idaho power is all about hangin electric meters on houses. They don’t even have to manually check them anymore. The rate that Idaho Power gets for residential power is the most expensive they can sell.

Right now they are helping out new businesses and retrofitting old businesses with energy efficient lighting and HVAC equipment. Good deal for both parties. Business gets lower bills on power and it frees up more power to sell at the higher residential rate. It’s even better if you make the residential rate payer pay for the business retrofits. Don’t get me wrong, saving power is a good thing. If Idaho Power really cared about residential rate payers, they would have a graduated scale based on residential consumption of power.

Why should Mr. and Mrs Idaho McMansion dweller get the same rate when they use 3 or 4 times the KWH to cool the spread in Eagle as the two bedroom trailer family in Melba? Lets see…perhaps McMansions could qualify for the discounted high energy user rate.

By: Bragdoucious

Bragdoucious — Tue, 22 May 2007 13:23:51 +0000

Oppose Growth are we going to build a wall around Idaho. Last time I checked it’s a free country.

EDITOR NOTE–Bragdoucious you obviously are not a growthophobe. We oppose using government resources to CREATE growth. Boise, Ada, and State all have agencies designed to attract increased population. They advertise using tax money and they pay or raise funds for the Chamber to create growth.
The UAL magazine pitch is a perfect example.

It is indeed a free country and we welcome anyone who wishes to come here and pay their way for schools, roads, taxes, etc. Read the Daily Paper, watch TV, attend a council meeting and all you hear is a sad tale of GROWTH problems.