Canyon

2C Commishes Seek To “Educate” Voters

Ysabel Bilbao, former KTVB news reporter and Lt. Gov. Brad Little public relations FLAK has gone into the education business on behalf of Canyon County for $3,500 a month in public funds.

Seems the Commishes in 2C feel the voters aren’t very smart and need to get “educated.” While they give tax breaks to about any business willing to locate in the county, they are launching a promotional campaign at taxpayer expense to influence the outcome of a future bond election.

Canyon may or may not need a new jail, but the past and present commishes have been spanked repeatedly by voters when it comes to paying for the various jail proposals. Former commishes made an illegal land purchase that was overturned by the Idaho Supreme Court.

We find it disturbing that local governments refuse to honor the will of the people unless it conforms to their desires. In November the Ada County Highway District made a blatant attempt to influence the outcome of a proposed vehicle fee hike that exempted the heavyweights, but they at least avoided using public funds.

Perhaps its time to get some tax money to “educate” the politicos.

Comments & Discussion

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  1. 3rdGenBoise
    Jan 4, 2019, 9:36 am

    Oh I do like to use lyrics: “We don’t need no education, we don’t need no thought control…” I find it quite insulting that those who have been voted in now think that the public needs to be taught (because so many voted for them). Obviously they don’t wish to find out what the voters want from them, but what they want us to want them to do.

  2. I agree, ‘most of the citizens of 2C are not very smart’. 😉

    But, it is not only the politicos “refusing to honor the will of the people.” Private citizen idiots do the same.

    Idaho Freedom Foundation recently filed a lawsuit to block the medicaid expansion, despite a 60% voters approval.

    IFF receives tax-deductible money from their supporters. So in some way, IFF is effectively reducing the govt coffers and using their money to file stupid lawsuits and propaganda while causing further legal expenses to the people of Idaho.
    The AG’s office said the lawsuit is “frivolous, unreasonable and without foundation on several levels.”

    Apparently, IFF is also happy to waste your money to oppose the will of the people.

    Not sure how this current point of ACHD “at least avoided using public funds” matches against the Guardian’s August 8th post of:
    “Ada County Highway District Commishes are openly campaigning to impose a 75% vehicle fee hike on…”

    Undoubtably ACHD used ACHD resources to do their ‘sponsorship’ of citizens4bettertransportation- considering 2 commissioners were on that committee.

    I’ll speculate, they ALL spend tax dollars and resources to influence what the politicians want, regardless of ‘the will of the people’.
    And who are ‘those people’ anyway? The dissent?

  3. I distinctly remember the city of Boise and its urban renewal committee proposing a first of its kind urban renewal district and/or tax increment financing district in downtown Boise. buiolding in the downtown core would be encouraged therough the construction of parking and other infrastructure developments and the tax revenue from new construction going to the district and not to the school district and other taxing agencies for a period of “X” years. thiss had to be approved by the legilature and governor. It was supppose to jump start downtown after the city fathers gave up on Penneys. the school district went along to get “Boise” started. It was to be a one and only district. Now there are two more and a fourth has been proposed along the Boise River if I am not mistaken. Ther esulting developmeents bring in empoyees whose employers pay no property taxes to the schools or certain otheer agencies as that money goes to pay for the district’s infrastructure costs etal. Isn’t it about time to let the downtown corridor growth pay their taxes to the agencies and pay for their own necessary infrastructure ? just wondering….

  4. I doubt most taxpayers understand how much property tax money goes to CCDC. We are talking some really big numbers. A review of the CCDC’s audited financial statements for 2007 to 2017 show total property tax receipts of over $100,000,000 in those 10 years. It is easy to see that property tax receipts for 2018 to 2024 will also exceed $100,000,000. Probably another $30,000,000 the School District won’t get.

    There is also the Auditorium district’s projected room tax receipts of close to $50,000,000 over the next 7 years. Somehow City leaders will find a way to spend that downtown as well.

    I looked up the 2018 property tax bill for one downtown building. The total property tax bill was $1,844,000. CCDC got $1,834,000. ACHD got $600, the School District got $3,300 and Ada County got $2,000.

    The rush to create new districts is so CCDC can get the lion’s share of the new property taxes on the new buildings. In some of these new districts the City already knows development is going to happen. Failure of the City to act quickly would have meant the taxes on these new buildings would have gone to the School District, the County and ACHD. Now a planned $20 million building will be within a redevelopment district. The new district get almost all the expected $300,000 in annual property taxes.

    EDITOR NOTE–good info, but off topic. Canyon using tax money to influence a bond election is the topic at hand.

  5. Ministry of information
    Jan 4, 2019, 2:41 pm

    $3,500 a month to SPREAD PROPAGANDA.

  6. Ms. Bilbao’s presence in this matter is irrelevant to the points you raise and therefore detract. Your pejorative shot at her as a FLAK was unnecessary.

  7. chicago sam
    Jan 4, 2019, 5:57 pm

    It is hard to understand how Ms. Bilbao will present only the facts when her employers clearly want a bond issue passed. Part of the problem is they haven’t even put a price tag on the bond issue. Clearly the horse is hitched in backwards.
    If the Sheriff and Commissioners do campaign on their own I hope they are smart enough to use their own cars and gas.

  8. This is nothing more than $42,000 in one year to influence a future bond election.

    And the tax payers in Canyon County are paying for it.

  9. Yeah….this is a reoccurring theme in social control. China leads the way on “educating the public” with their new Dragonfly system. Coming to an American city near you.

    Elitist thought control, dressed up as “progress” and “economic viability.” I actually used to buy into all of this crap. NO MORE.

    The only thing that I see positive about Canyon County trying to attract more businesses is that it takes that growth pressure off Boise and Meridian. People are coming here because they hate where they came from. We should try to discourage too fast of growth as much as we can, but if we can prevent stack-n-packs of city density models, all the better.

    They call us “slow and sleepy” here in Idaho. Well, I for one want it to stay that way. They can keep their fast moving, big money and corrupt laden lifestyles in the Big Blue dens of craziness.

    I used to hate the likes of IFF. But now I see myself agreeing more than not. Medicaid has always been highly discriminatory and based on ability to pay. Translated….you can only get it if you REMAIN super poor. No one addresses the real cost issue, they just write a check and reward the whacked out pricing of health care. Medicaid is slavery. Too many people are put in that basket. No incentive to leave it if your job or lack of one can’t afford ridiculous premiums that pay for insurance that you can’t even use until your deductibles are met.

    Educate yourself by looking up Karl Dellinger’s arguments against the HC industry. That will wake you up.

  10. Since when do a College drop out whose Daddy handed him a business, A failed music teacher, and a even bigger failed banking exec get the idea that we, the citizens of 2C, are not very smart? What magic potion and elixir have you, or any other politician, drunk that makes you oh, so, smart?

    Commish Rule has stated he has saved the taxpayers money by cutting wasteful spending, but you still collect the same if not higher taxes, so where does this savings go, oh, right, the salary of Ms. Bilbao.

    BTW it’s Karl Denninger not Dellinger, who as a tea party spokesman, wants a fix on the HC system.

  11. Just how dumb do they think the voters really are in all of this? If anything it will only serve to remind voters to turn out and once again vote down the Santa Claus effort at a $200MM jail. There are only 7% dorm beds in this proposed monster with cells for everyone else. Cells are the most expensive way to build a jail. With steel doors everywhere why the need for a jail that has more cells than a prison? The short answer is the DLR Group listened to the Sheriff make his Santa Claus plea thinking taxpayers are really stupid. There have been no numbers presented on the operational costs of this monster with respect to labor, fuel and power, water and sewer, and other sundry costs of operation.
    The Sheriff has forgotten it costs about $100/day to keep someone in jail or prison. We have entirely too many people in jail and prison for petty stuff. We have people in jail and prison for things that would never have resulted in jail or prison when I was coming of age in the 50’s and 60’s.

    The State of Idaho is looking at a $500 MM new prison. Where does this stop. Crime rates continue to decrease across the nation but we want more jails and prisons. I don’t feel any serious need for more jail beds with the statistics not supporting a need for more jail beds.

  12. Thanks to David for correction of Karl Denninger’s name. My bad.

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