Another bad thing will happen if the amendment passes…you will see airports and hospitals “going into all kinds of businesses”. Like owning land with banks on them, hotels, restraunts etc.

The other HUGE problem is if the city governments get the ability to go into debt for hospitals and airports if there is any shortfall “FEES WILL HAVE TO INCREASE”. The question is WHAT FEES? You will see the most creative accounting and FEE structure ever invented – money being juggled from one account to another…fees not called taxes…and taxes subsidizing fees.

I worked in Economic Development for several years here in Idaho and there several other ways an airport can get funding from both the State and the Feds to assist with relocating businesses to airports. Plus it only takes 30 days to get a bond vote – if that is what the city wants..but they do not. They do not want a vote – only the ability to enter into debt without the vote.

Beware voters..if this thing passes you will see hospitals and airports owning and being in debt for all kinds of things you would never associate with an airport or hospital.

Urban Renewal is a huge property tax shift allowing no oversight by taxpayers. Now all the elected officials who can’t participate in the UR ripoff of taxpayers want constitutional amendments to allow them to create even more stuff that will be removed from tax rolls.

We are not in a constitutional crisis and I will be voting No. Simply because when you get right down to it taxpayers need more oversight of elected officials NOT LESS.

Any fool can spend other people’s money in an irresponsible manner and say “OOPS! Sorry folks we made a mistake and you still get to pay up.”

Take a good look at what has happened in Canyon County with Urban Renewal abuses, the County Prosecutors fiasco. Letting elected officials off the hook from any voter oversight is just bad public policy.

Vote NO! and retain your rights.

Paul;

I don’t know why you went off on urban renewal because it has nothing to do with the airport and hospital bond financing proposals.

But since you brought it up—maybe you’re right, urban renewal is a tax shift. A tax shift to bring back money paid by downtowners to be spent downtown instead of being spent on suburbs like it’s been for 50+ years now. New schools, new parks, widened roads, new fire stations and a new city hall west, this is where our tax money is going.

You want to talk about ripoff? When is the last time any substantial money was spent in the greater downtown area not within an urban renewal district? Nearly all tax revenue generated for decades has gone to suburban infrastructure.

You want to talk oversight? When’s the last time you did any overseeing?

Downtown Boise faces problems no other part of town does. The traffic alone, thousands flowing in daily from the suburbs is a huge problem. Few want to live near a busy road. So how will the Fairview/Main corridor every be redeveloped?

The Fairview Main corridor can and should be developed via people/developers who do not have their hands out for “entitlement” money from taxpayers.

The whole Urban Renwal scam forces every taxpayer in Ada County to pay for downtown redevelopment because of the taxes not collected for the county and city general funds (along with other agencies who levy taxes). They have to make up the revenue with higher taxes for everyone not in the district.

UR agencies also create a false impression of higher values for junk property that needs to be demolished. A project should stand on its own merits for the potential to generate a profit for investors. Owners of junk propety withing the districts reap a windfall all county and city taxpayers end up paying.

Paul;

Please give me an exact accounting of how much extra property tax you’re paying due to existence of the urban renewal districts.

Didn’t your teachers in junior high ever demand of you to show your work?

I have done my homework. I have gone through Ada County assessor’s records and compared taxes per sq ft among my property and others in the neighborhood. I’m not in a URD. The junk properties such as Goodman Oil and Bob Rice Ford are paying less per sq ft annually than me and probably you. No that’s a certainty. This is on top of the fact that those two properties have river frontage and higher allowed zoning uses.

The junk properties are already not paying their fair share. We are making up the difference because our properties are better kept and utilized. I like to call it the eyesore exemption. Keep an eyesore, get a tax break!

History is full of government kick starting development. The three dams on the Boise River system. Where would the farmers be without those? Paved roads, ’nuff said there. River levees.

Furthermore, the government itself, i.e. you the taxpayer, is directly responsible for the decline of the Fairview/Main corridor. The completion of the Broadway/Chinden connector in 1992 directly lead to the decline. Simply put, we the taxpayers need to finish an incomplete job.