Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/10/07/2802422/colorado-governor-urges-homeowners.html#storylink=cpy

Needless to say, I am very pleased with the outcome of the Bond election results. That’s why it is good tax policy to have Bonds needing a 2/3 approval by voters.

After the election I also went on the Boise City website and according to their numbers they have increased expenditures from $293,000,000 in 2010 to $475,000,000 in 2013. It seems to me that they could have found $34,000,000 for these Bond priorities over a four year period if they are truly that critical.

If they really want to do these things they will do it with existing budget. Or they may try to run a series of tax levies that only require 50% plus one in an election.

If the fire stations truly need repair or upgrades do it with existing revenues.

We do not need any more open space. According to Ada County records in 2001 23% of the county was public land, including BLM, Forest Service, military properties, county owned land, and municipal properties.

When I fought the $10,000,000 tax levies that they collected from 2001-2003 it turned out to be a disaster. After trying to trade, exchange, or purchase land, the Foothills folks lead by Dave Bieter and Paul Woods, and fronted by Chuck McDevitt showed up in U.S. Senator Larry Craig’s office to ask for our help because no one would sell to them and they couldn’t get any exchanges set up with Senator Craig’s assistance. I know because I was there.

Here we are, 12 years later and they still have only spent $8.5 million of the original $10 million and they want more. For what? They didn’t have a plan then and they likely don’t have a plan now. There attitude seems to be “give us the money and we’ll just figure it out as we go along.”

And oh, by the way, many of the people that worked on that Foothills Tax Levy project are now working for Mayor Bieter in City Hall.

EDITOR NOTE–We repeat the gentle reminder. The election if over. Be ever vigilant, but let’s move on given ’em hell if need be in the future.

Good analysis, but I am disappointed with your proposal to simply “move” female firefighters to newer facilities instead of retrofitting the others.

While we don’t have much of a female firefighter population, the fact of the matter is the present conditions of the facilities are not in legal or code compliance, are a lawsuit waiting to happen, and plainly speaking, blatantly sexist. This is a pretty fundamental issue that has been vetted: they need to be brought up to compliance. You cannot simply “sweep the problem under the rug” by segregating female firefighters.

Bill Jarocki: While the bond measures did not pass, they still received a sizeable majority of “yes/yes” voters. Hardly a “good dose of no/no.” The open space measure will be rolled out in a serial levy and will likely pass. Why? Because most of us want it.

EDITOR NOTE–My intent ref females was to accommodate rather than segregate. When it comes to new things, be they computers, communication, trucks, etc. we will never be “state of the art” or “up to code,” because new stuff comes out daily. My intent is to just be reasonable. There are people who drive gas powered cars with no anti-skid devices, side curtain airbags, or anti-lock brakes. Rather than take those vehicles off the road or retrofit, we should live with what we have until we can afford a new model. Same would be reasonable for new buildings.

(I also suggested to members of my family that they vote for Jarocki, and “No/No,” but they are a microcosm of the registered voter pool… as far as I know, my vote was the only one in the household. Well… my granddaughter, a first-grader, said she voted for vanilla ice cream yesterday… but didn’t yet know who won.)

The city needs more money! T.J. wants to get a Momma-Obama-like program going, to make us all healthy! Is there ANY problem that the government shouldn’t be solving?!!?

To everyone who voted for me yesterday, I can only offer my sincere thanks.
Thank you for recognizing that I was the only candidate who opposed both bonds AND at the same time offered solutions for addressing these community priorities.
Thank you for becoming more knowledgeable about public finance — enough to know that the axis of incumbency was offering you a take it or leave it option.
Thank you for saying “No” “No” to the ill-conceived bond issues.
Thank you for caring about the future of Boise and for listening to my ideas about how we can make better decisions to achieve economic sustainability.
Thank you for recognizing that fiscal conservatism is the best philosophy for civic prosperity.
Thank you my friends, and thanks again for your votes.
You are Boise’s best. — Bill Jarocki