CCDC
Library Hidden Costs Leave Bad Taste
September 8, 2018 
We have had several readers contact the GUARDIAN expressing concern about the library proposal.
Chief concern is the funding plan which is as “loosey-goosey” as the the fire department bond which was approved by voters, but failed to live up to its promise.
Here is an excerpt from the preliminary contract with the “world class architect.”
p. 18, line 10: “Mr. Safdie requires first-class accommodation for all travel. Principals and other team members require business-class accommodation for travel.”
This sounds like a repeat of previous elected politicos who seem to forget whose money they are spending. We hopefully don’t pay for FIRST CLASS airfare for city workers when they travel, why the heck would we pay for some out-of-town contractor to fly first class?
Combine those little “first class” gems with phrases such as “third party with bonding authority,” vague predictions of donations and some debt,and it becomes obvious the taxpaying citizens of Boise will have little voice in how or IF their hard-earned money will be spent.
The neighborhood libraries worked well after we turned down the $38 million bond. If the idea is to provide library services, let’s do that. Give us a bond proposal with real numbers and we will decide if we want to go into debt for a new central library facility. Forget the sneaky attempts to go around the voters with lease-purchase schemes using tax money diverted to the CCDC.
Hiring a guy who demands “first class” travel sets the wrong tone and leaves a bad taste in our mouth.
To insure more advertising-free Boise Guardian news, please consider financial support.
Comments & Discussion
Comments are closed for this post.
Sep 8, 2018, 5:36 pm
Hey man, it’s for the children so stop being such a buzzkill. It will even have privileged curb space for environmentally conscious soccer moms to sit in their idling SUVs while they text on facebook. What more could you ask for. Totally don’t care how much it cost my neighbors… it’s for selfish me and my selfish family.
Sep 8, 2018, 7:31 pm
As messed up as the fire station bond was and as poorly as the mayor planned on that one this $75 million dollar library could cost us $150 million!!!!!
All the mayor would likely say is…..oops, we miscalculated, then raise our taxes again.
Mr. Mayor – PLEASE STOP SPENDING MY MONEY!!!!!
Sep 9, 2018, 10:34 am
Then on top of this we can add the $39M bond for CWI on the ballet this fall. This needs to stop…
Sep 9, 2018, 2:09 pm
The Library architect is in Boise this week for a ‘community feel good’ presentation. Can you say: Hype the library project?
Who’s paying for this trip? Is is considered part of the Library project?
Start asking questions…..
Sep 9, 2018, 4:07 pm
Last year at this time Dave Bieter used the word transparency in regards to one of our civil servants, at city hall, not doing their job to work with the county to receive the monies for the Ridge to river bond. Maybe this civil servants cuts grass at Ann Morison park on the side!? It went back on the ballot. Real transparency would have been to make the tax payers aware of the major miscalculation by again OUR CIVIL SERVANTS, at that time, on the VOTE YES TO PROTECT BOISE!! Our civil servant, chief of staff to the mayor, said in the Statesman THEY KNEW then?
In the real world businesses realize employee education through mistakes. However when they DON’T LEARN FROM THEM or are EXTREMELY OUT OF LINE they part ways!
I believe a property owners in Boise wouldn’t allow this kind of fraudulence with a remodel on their home! They would inform the BBB of it. Has anyone called them or should I?
We are paying for unqualified civil servants.
PS Boise’s elected civil servants gave monies out of the general fund for the Protect Boise bond before the ink was dry. TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION
Sep 9, 2018, 4:12 pm
The city is trying to put lipstick on a pig, dressing up a taxpayer fleecing as a civic necessity. A new library of glass, metal and ultra-sophisticated (and costly) robotics to perform basic library functions? Is that what we want here in Boise?
The historic Cabin will be swept behind the giraffes in Julia Davis Park and parking will be at a premium once yet another landmark building is razed.
Financing? What financing?? A shell game in the making.
First class travel? I’m pretty sure there were qualified local architects who would have happily provided a competitive bid (oh, that!) over a breakfast at Goldies.
Sep 9, 2018, 4:29 pm
Once you get used to being able to do business with city money and avoid the pubic’s input, it seems natural to do it over and over. How in the world could the proposal (idea) for a big new 80 killion $ library get pushed on up through the board and to the point of purchasing services without public hearing? Public comment? Show us the public hearing at the board meetings or the council meetings. Let’s start there. Lacking those fundamentals we have a problem. (But, we can’t see it -ghost busters.)
Sep 9, 2018, 10:52 pm
Boise is desperately trying to get on the map somehow.
Salt Lake has the lake and those temple people.
Seattle has Boeing and the big ocean whales and MSFT and AMZN and other cool stuff.
Rome has the Pope.
Boise has nothing but a monument to that frenchfry guy, a freakishly good 2006 football team, a nonstop flight to Chicago, and a big truckstop.
So, let’s build something so cool it will get the mayor on a national morning TV show for at least two minutes. Then Boise will be on the map!
Cost? Who cares! It’s all on the city visa card and we can raise taxes 5x without our new California imports even flinching. Higher taxes are a pleasurable intoxicant for the NorEnders. Besides, none of these local dopes outside the NorEnd bothers to vote and the new imports vote exclusively left. Cost? Heck no, the sky is the limit! I even think our next Governor… she will succeed in raising sales tax to 7.5%
Sep 10, 2018, 3:40 pm
It happens everywhere. Boise is undergoing record growth and the coffers are full for new projects. No one ever stops to question whether they could make do with same amount of money or their existing facilities. The county is just as bad. I saw in the proposed budget that they have their eyes set on all kinds of new projects. The coroner thinks they need a new multimillion dollar facility. Just scanning public records shows they have almost doubled their budget in the last 4 years. The citizens are apathetic to this spend spend spend attitude of our elected officials.
Sep 11, 2018, 11:58 am
Ben Hammerstein – you indicated: “…the coffers are full for new projects”.
I think what you meant was that the elected officials believe the taxpayers “pockets are full”.
I for one am tired of taxation without “true” representation.
As a result of the non-ending requests by the city and country to dig further into my pockets – I am voting against every request for additional funding that appears on the ballot this year.
It’s time we start sending a clear message at the ballot box.
Sep 11, 2018, 12:50 pm
The local population has increased seven percent in the last four years. Get on the ada county website under budgets and read the past four years. Sheriffs office budget increase of 20%. Prosecutor budget has increased 24%. Treasures office 31%. Coroners Office 74%. Spending should be tied to population growth.
EDITOR NOTE–Sounds like growth is costly! Perhaps we should work toward DIScouraging growth rather than ENcouraging it.
Sep 12, 2018, 8:34 am
Well if Bieter can’t get it done with the city’s budget, he will work through CCDC to declare it an Urban Renewal District so that they can spend tax dollars without the typical hearing process or legal oversight that is typical of government agencies. Just check out who is on the CCDC leadership board, and you will notice many familiar faces from the City of Boise. Nothing like a publicly funded corporation started for the purposes of the city’s pet projects.
Sep 20, 2018, 3:18 pm
Team Dave:
I understand you want cool stuff like Seattle. However, do you realize the cool stuff in Seattle was paid for by uber rich people like Paul Allen and Bill Gates.
You stupid city leader people are going to tax the shit out of the lowest paid and least educated population in America to pay for this thing. That’s just not cool. Not even cool in that little red book in your pocket.
(Yes, we are in competition with Mississippi and Alabama for the bottom. The population will be driving up to it in stinky duelie diesel trucks trying to order fast food at the book return window. They really are that stupid. That’s your true legacy Mayor Dave.)
If you want something astonishing like this to make Boise special, you need to attract a super rich guy to pay for it. Hopefully he’ll bring some good jobs with him.