Homeowners exemption is also a tax shift but all taxing agencies are not put on a fixed income with a homeowners exemption. I would also remind you renters do not pay property taxes, it is the owners of the property who get to pay property taxes. Rents are market driven and higher taxes can’t be automatically handed off to renters. Renters can simply say I won’t pay anymore rent and move.

The $6MM taken by CEURA has to be made up to all the various taxing entities and that is done with higher and higher levy rates. Nearly half of the land mass of Caldwell is in the urban renewal district. Legitimate taxing districts can’t get a dime of the “increment” to cover their costs. More schools and other fixed costs for all the new growth inside the district get loaded onto taxpayers outside the district to pay.

Meanwhile, citizens have no voter oversight on any projects or debt taken on by CEURA. Taxation withou representation is the issue that needs to be resolved. Cities use UR agencies to get around bond elections and voter approvals of debts for PORK projects we don’t need nor asked for in the first place.

You can’t just say “massive tax shift” and it magically becomes true.

What do you mean massive? How much money? Where are your sources?

My entire property tax bill is about $100 a month. I hardly call that massive. That’s less than my combined utilities expense. Sure I’d like to pay less property tax, but I don’t see eliminating URDs as saving much at all and may end up costing us in the long run.

It is likely that only a small percentage, if any, of our property tax bills are going to subsidize urban renewal. Unlike you, I admit I have no sources to back up my assertions, but at least I use words such as— likely.

Regardless, you want to talk massive property tax shift? How about the amount homeowners pay compared to renters? Good thing for us homeowners that renters are too dumb to realize they’re subsidizing homeowners.

I’ll bet you a dollar to a donut, the homeowner’s exemption shifts more burden onto renters than any URD tax burden shift to you.

My view is it is a massive tax shift on all property outside the district to makeup for the shortfall. Further, the shortfalls are made up via higher and higher levy rates on citizens not in the district to pay for city and county services within the district.

UR is a smoke and mirrors scam.

As always, history is important. Without the context of history most of the comments here aren’t worth the bits and bytes they’re written on.

1) GBAD was created by the voters of Boise in 1959, by a huge margin. This was right after Harry Morrison had just built and gifted Ann Morrison Park to Boise having spent over $1 million of his own money.

Part of his vision was build a convention center and performing arts center where the soccer fields are now but the public would have to chip in. The public wanted a convention center but they’d have to pay for it. In true Idaho spirit, the people decided someone else should pay for it.

2) I have repeatedly pointed out the flaws in the logic that Urban Renewal is a tax shift, yet the same 1 or 2 commenters here continue to post their fallacious arguments.

I guess they’re practicing the typical far right doctrine of repeat it enough times it’s true and to hell with the facts. Don’t forget to throw in a little appeal-to-emotion about the glory days of pre-demolition eyesores.

I don’t get it? Why don’t they go after the massive tax shift which is suburban expansion? Is it because they live in the suburbs?

By many metrics urban renewal has been a success. You may hate downtown, but thousands upon thousands of others love it.

EDITOR NOTE– regarding G-BAD, it was created when we had NO VENUE. Then we got the “Pavillion,” the Morrison Center, The Fairgrounds, Qwest Arena, and The Idaho Center. Urban renewal changed with Tax Increment Financing and many cities use it in lieu of a citizen-approved bond elections for public buildings.

Urban Renewal abuses all over the state are evidence enough for change, it is political will on the parts of legislators that will make the difference.

Boise is a terrible place for conventions. You can do everything there is to do in the downtown core in a day and a half at most.

Boise is isolated and expensive to fly in and out.

Few escort services. No nude dancing. Terrible public transportation to move attendees around.

No truly great eateries.

Lousy downtown shopping.

Anyone who tells you this is a great place to build a convention center wants your tax dollars so they can line their pockets.

Delusions of grandeur.

I have never figured out how we can spend out way to prosperity. G-Bad along with Urban Renewal is the milstone of mismanagment and debt otherwise intellegent people want to believe is free money.

Urban Renewal is one of the biggest lies out there. It is nothing more than a massive property tax shift to all county residents that get little to no benefit from Urban Renewal PORK PROJECTS. It needs to be repealed in Idaho and we get back to voters approving long term debts they’re asked to finance via tax dollars.

EDITOR NOTE– It is also an easy way to build public structures without a vote of the citizens AND contrary to the intent of Urban Renewal, these public structures will NEVER yield any tax revenues.