ACHD
ACHD Votes To Increase Fees On Cars, But Not Trucks
July 11, 2018 
Ada County Highway District Commishes voted Wednesday 3-2 in favor of placing an open ended fee hike proposal on the November ballot which exempts vehicles over 8,000 lbs. from ANY local fees while placing the entire burden on automobile owners.
Commishes Jim Hansen and Kent Goldthorp opposed the measure while Sara Baker, Rebecca Arnold and Paul Woods voted in favor despite hearing repeated testimony from citizens seeking either a two year “sunset” limit or simply not passing the unequal fee hike at all.
The measure seeks to raise Ada County’s maximum vehicle registration fee from $40 to $70.
Ada County State Rep. John Gannon appeared to present his draft legislation and seek some sort of agreement to keep from placing the financial burden on the hood of auto owners and not share it with vehicles in excess of 8,000 lbs. In a letter to the commissioners, Gannon had suggested fees on commercial trucks be 10% of the state fee or capped at $70.
There were several pleas among folks seeking to distribute any fee hikes among safe routes, bicycles, and public transit. Most citizens acknowledged the issue of crowded streets is the product of state and local government-encouraged growth and not the fault of ACHD.
Look for a major battle in coming months between advocates and opponents of growth over this one.
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Comments & Discussion
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Jul 11, 2018, 6:33 pm
I am generally knowledgeable on this issue although not expertly so. I appreciate the Guardian’s coverage, and my November vote (today) is no.
Jul 12, 2018, 9:33 am
If there was a recent survey for new residents ONLY in regards to the growth in the Treasure Valley I’d bet they would be opposed!
The treasure valley needs a better way to get people to and from the downtown core of all cities located in it!
Our local government agencies DON’T work together for a common solution. And property owners PAY THE PRICE
AN EXAMPLE Transportation WOES
When Valley ride holds an open house in the downtown terminal in Boise? Aren’t they speaking to the choir? Shouldn’t their open houses be held at apartment complexes and or churches? Let say Valley ride picked one east/west corridor and offered killer service couldn’t that be the start!
What about, Dave Bieter spending millions of property owners tax dollars for s study to get a pedestrians from St. Lukes to the Capital, for free, on a STREETCAR.
All the while adding to the vehicle congestion. That money should have been used to help curb vehicles into the city. Maybe Dave wants the congestion cause it doesn’t out weigh the money CCDC gets from parking garages?
Now ACHD wants MORE property owners tax dollars to throw at our GROWTH issue!
Maybe were paying for unqualified civil servants?
Jul 12, 2018, 11:42 am
Idea:
-Change the transportation goal. Instead of transporting everyone to/from the Boise core, put the destinations within the neighborhoods. This eliminates the need to travel miles across town. Build all the goods and services most commonly needed every few miles. Provide tax incentive for work from home employers and local mom & pop shops. Create lots of smaller nearby parks and pathways. Keep roads small and cheap.
Other ideas:
-Little street level commuter trains are terrible idea because they are expensive and do not blend well with cars and pedestrians. They kill several people a week in the USA. Buses are cheap, safe, and can be flexed up and down with demand.
-BikeBoy, I got a glorious project for you. Champion this and put your name on it for all eternity. Bieter will give you the ‘Hero of The Soviet Union’ award for sure. It’s time to turn the New York Canal into the Southtown bike path allowing biking all the way to the main greenbelt without vehicle hazards. They already own some of the property.
-Tramway from the Boise airport reserve parking lot up to Bogus Basin.
-We have a tremendous air pollution problem, but it’s only 50% from vehicles. Time to clean up local air polluting industries too. The local politicos are afraid to make their donors clean up their businesses.
Jul 12, 2018, 1:48 pm
I prefer walking: “Provide tax incentive for work from home employers…”
I subscribe to “Outside” Magazine (although I don’t know why – half the pages are dedicated to scolding us for our carbon-burning ways and consumerism, the other half are travel and gear advertisements). In the just-delivered issue, according to them, Boise is second only to Austin, TX in percentage of workforce that works remotely. (I’d like to know where they got their info – I’m not buying it.)
“It’s time to turn the New York Canal into the Southtown bike path…”
Do you mean the canal bed itself? Bikes instead of water? Interesting thought! (Hahahahaha!)
On a more practical note… I’ve always advocated for bike/pedestrian access along the many canals and laterals that criss-cross our fair communities. Virtually all of them are marked “No Trespassing,” although those signs are routinely disregarded. But – it’s hard to change long-held attitudes, and the canal people are very reluctant to “officially” condone use of the canal corridors by private citizens. (I can understand their reluctance… although the Legislature has declared that they can do it without incurring liability, that won’t stop some Ambulance Chaser from taking them to court, when a kid or a drunk goes into the canal.) Seems like a problem that our “public servants” could work out.
“Tramway from the Boise airport reserve parking lot up to Bogus Basin.”
I like people who think BIG! Are you really Elon Musk? (haha!) The tramway would mesh nicely with a choo-choo that circles around downtown! Could it be a tramway up and a zip-line back down?? They say there’s a roller coaster up at Bogus now… maybe we could rename our city “Six Flags Over Boise”!!
Jul 13, 2018, 9:24 am
For those that don’t know ACHD is not a government agency they are not associated anyway with Ada County Government.
EDITOR NOTE–Pep, cool down. ACHD is indeed a government agency all unto itself. It actually has the same standing as Ada County or Boise City. It is a “municipality” under the Idaho Code. A subdivision of state government with elected members and taxing authority. There are about 60 units of government in Ada County alone. Fire, mosquito, cemetery, library districts as well as drain and irrigation districts all have elected boards and taxing authority.
Jul 13, 2018, 10:33 am
bikeboy are you an idiot? because a tramway would cause numerous issues with aircraft arriving at the airport.
EDITOR NOTE–Pep, you violated our rule against name calling and civil discussion. Bikeboy was obviously joking. Give him a chuckle rather than questioning his intellect.
Jul 13, 2018, 2:35 pm
Pepe Le Pew, Your anger is stinking up the place. BikeBoy is the antithesis of an idiot. Some really crazy ideas are now reality. Can you imagine an iPhone in 1950? But bang, here we are, kids are born with it clamped in their fist. How about a really big space rocket that returns to the launch pad.
BTW, Airport obstacles, how do they get away with all those tallish buildings, power lines, and that big control tower thingy at the airport? Have you ever Autolanded an Airbus in zero-zero Pepe? I have. The only airline in danger of running into stuff near the airport is Aeroflop comrade.
The tramway idea, although obviously half-baked to anyone who does not need a lift-chair to reach the potato chips, it could be done. It would need to be only a few feet off the ground… more like a really huge long ski lift. Or perhaps multiple legs with stops at the downtown bars?
BB, I was thinking using the canal bank as a bike path, not the water ditch itself. Yes prison fence needed for stupids and drunks. Ownership is complicated, but long story short the irrigation company uses an easement from the owners. Much of the ownership is government with a few private owners remaining. I figure bike path now, and Bieter will build a toy train on it later.
So what does all this have to do with ACHD taxes? Read prior comments.
My question to ACHD brain trust: If the power company hangs huge numbers of new meters on new houses it brings huge numbers of new revenue? Yes? Why is the math for additional cars in the district different from the math on new power meters?