Business
Team Dave Favored Business Over Citizens In Library Deal
July 26, 2018 
Our top researcher and reader, “Clancy,” gets credit for dredging up an old GUARDIAN story and a Cynthia Sewell Statesman piece from 2011 calling into question the decision to lease the Boise Library warehouse and parking area to a private company, even though future library plans were well known.
Some seven years ago the GUARDIAN let readers know of the city’s plans to severely limit any ability to expand the library, even though we citizens already owned the building and land at 705 S. 8th.
At the time we said,
“The city can legally avoid the bid process through land swaps and leases, but it is a shameful practice which smells of insider trading and results in commercial use of public assets–just like in China and other communist states.”
The STATESMAN STORY was more detailed, but no less questioning. Team Dave ignored us and forged ahead with their land speculation scheme. It was ramrodded by John Brunelle who worked for the mayor and is now head of CCDC.
BioMark pays no property taxes on the city-owned public property used for private purposes. Public records show they have personal property valued at a little over $100 thousand.
No value is placed on city-owned properties, but we have it on good authority the Biomark property is easily worth between $2-$3 million. Using typical levy rates that means Biomark would have to pay $34,000 to $51,000 in taxes. Their lease payments to the city alone wouldn’t even touch the tax bill.
Parking for the proposed new library has been discussed for “somewhere west of 9th Street,” away from the existing site.
We also offer the inside memo on the LEASE DEAL.
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Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Jul 27, 2018, 6:15 pm
Nothing new that the mayor and council do not consider the public. Happens all the time. That is why they don’t want us to vote on anything either.
Jul 28, 2018, 12:11 am
So they want to build a $75 MILLION dollar library with no parking? Or place the parking “somewhere down the street”?
One would assume there MUST be a trolley that will connect the parking to the library!
Jul 28, 2018, 2:07 pm
https://boiseguardian.com/?s=library
There is a lot of information in the archives.
Jul 29, 2018, 4:24 pm
People should know that Bishop Kelly Alums fill out positions in Team Dave Admin. John Brunell and Mike Zuzel were both BK Alums. There may be more BK pals in the cadre.
The shifting of taxes seems to be a first-practice goal of these government orgs. If you are working/middle class, you pay it ALL!
Hoping for a Mayoral candidate that can turn this ship away from the ComSymp iceberg.
Jul 30, 2018, 4:14 pm
BK mafia: do not forget Diana Lacheondo, head of the Boise City Office of Citizen Engagement, or some BS name like that.
She’s also a candidate for Ada County Commissioner, running against Jim, Tibbs, I think. I’m OK with that, because the remaining 2 good ole boys on the Commission need to be sent packing. Dave Case was a good start.
Jul 31, 2018, 1:03 pm
I remember how excited Boise citizens were when the Salt Lake Hardware Company became the Boise Main Library. Everyone thought we had made the deal of the century, a nice brick building right on Capitol Blvd. and across from Julia Davis Park. How much better could that be? The City also began to put in small neighborhood libraries so everyone could have access to books, films, computers, etc. In those times, citizens and government understood the meaning of the word F-R-U-G-A-L !!! So much for the good old days… Say good-by to Mayor Bieter in 2019 before we all end up living on the streets.