CCDC

Library Petition Garners Enough Signatures For Vote

The Ada County Clerk’s office confirmed Thursday that enough signatures have been verified to place the questions of an $85 million Boise library and a sports park project on the November ballot.

Mayor Dave Bieter released a statement saying, “I respect the citizen engagement behind it and the passion for our community it represents,” Bieter said. “Now we will continue the conversation with Boise voters about the Main Library Campus, a project I strongly support as a tremendous asset for economic equality and prosperity for Boise’s future and people.”

The GUARDIAN advises opponents of the library project to avoid holding their collective breath. With city funds and legal staff at his disposal, Hizzoner is not likely to cave to the will of the voters over his own “vision.”

Even after urban renewal funding was removed from the proposed library formula by the Capital City Development Corp. (CCDC), Team Dave continued to spend public money on architect Moshe Safdie. City records show a payment of more than $400K was issued in May.

The STATESMAN has a story with more details on the funding.

Without referring to the proverbial “sinking ship,” we note several members of Team Dave are headed to “new opportunities.” The IDAHO PRESS has details on the personnel changes in the office of the mayor.

Comments & Discussion

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  1. Fulfill the Oath of Office
    May 30, 2019, 7:50 pm

    I hope this outcome reminds the City of the line between actions of the City government and the Oath accepted upon office. This petition should serve as a reminder to them of what they signed up for, and that what they may think the City needs may not be what the citizens think the City needs.

    Idaho Statute Title 59, Chapter 4: Oath of Office . . . to solemly swear to support the Constitution of the State of Idaho.

    Idaho Constitution – Article 1: Declaration of Rights
    Section 2: Political Power Inherent In The People. All political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for their equal protection and benefit, and they have the right to alter, reform or abolish the same whenever they may deem it necessary; and no special privileges or immunities shall ever be granted that my not be altered, revoked, or repealed by the legislature.

  2. When I recently did a Public Records Act Request trying to obtain just what the Work Product was that Safdie received > $400,000 compensation for, the City put it behind a $771.00 “Paywall” of sorts, claiming the need for lawyer review and other costs. I’ve noticed the City seems particularly fond of claiming Records Act Requests will cost you $700+ dollars. This is the second one of my requests that was in that range, and I know someone else on a separate matter where a similar figure was used. Quite an effective deterrent to keep folks from accessing public records. Perhaps someone in the media could request info on just what we paid Safdie for recently, and see if they fare any better.

  3. Not only are economic development director Nic Miller and private-money fundraiser Chandra Ford pursuing other opportunities, library director Kevin Booe also is looking at greener pastures in his Missouri hometown.

  4. Also thought I saw another
    May 31, 2019, 7:55 am

    Thought to have seen a budget director or budget manager position open.

  5. Katie – try requesting to review the records at city hall and so they cannot charge you to review them there. Then you can review them and ask for just those few that give you the data you need.

  6. Katie, I feel your pain. The city wants $140 just to file an appeal on a P&Z decision. I think they have lost site on the fact that they can only charge what the service costs them to procure. Either that or they are just that overpaid…

  7. Just ask for the invoice.

  8. “Now we will continue the conversation with Boise voters about the Main Library Campus….”

    Read as “we will utilize BIG $$ from interested parties to ramrod this concept into your psyche.”

    VOTE NO on all this crap.

  9. City: “Here’s our next step – influence the wording on the measure with legal gobbledygook so that people think no means yes, and yes means no. Those simpleton voters will never know what hit them!”

  10. Buying Loyalty?
    Jun 4, 2019, 2:40 pm

    The salary our tax dollars paid for the individual who was responsible for the philanthropic part of the library project should be of serious concern. Very high salaries in municipal (public) positions leads me to question the concept of “buying loyalty.”

  11. Foothills Rider
    Jun 5, 2019, 12:54 pm

    Semantics confuse the real issue. I am “pro library” but not “pro $80 million” to get there. See this link for costs of main and branch libraries (2017). How the heck did Boise end up at $80 million? We should be able to do something extraordinary without this price-tag.

    https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=year-in-architecture-2017-public-library-data

  12. It’s fun to put the two above posts together of FA & Bob.

    “VOTE NO” and
    “No means yes, yes means no”

    Really, if you follow Forced Air’s suggestion and vote NO this November, you will be in favor of shooting down the initiative – the initiative requires a public VOTE on expensive library and stadium projects— in the future.

    I’m pretty sure that is not what FA really wants. Which leads to Bob’s comment.

    No means yes, and yes means no.
    It is even funnier with Bob’s use of “simpleton voters”.
    IMO, I don’t think either of the two commenters have a full grasp of the initiative. So I’m left wondering, “Who are the simpletons?”

    The wording on the measure (future city code) is already done and in the text of the initiatives.
    So, any wordsmithing belongs to the the organizers whom drafted the initiative already approved by more than 5,600 of those ‘simpleton voters’.

    Just to help out a bit at this early stage, the upcoming November vote is NOT about whether to build an expensive library or a sport stadium. All clear on that, right?

    Do we really want people (simpletons) to vote on library projects costing more than 25 million?
    What about 24 million? No concern apparently.

    Same goes for a sports stadium- if it costs less than 5 million in combined public/private funds– no worries?

    Seems like a simple vote: yes or no? ha!

  13. Elected Public servant Dave Bieter is soliciting funds for both Coffee and suntan lotion for his campaign journey to contact 100,000 constituents before November! All the while not taking calls in his office from constituents? WHAT A MAYOR

  14. Tax dollars
    Jun 6, 2019, 3:13 pm

    The Press Tribune just wrote that Boise may pay for the library out of the current budget. Are current budget dollars tax dollars and subject to the new law? Tax dollars vs. private dollars? Tax dollars = budget = urban renewal repayments. Can somebody please interpret the law for us?

  15. More fun!
    While some readers here will slam City of Boise for spending money on trying to ‘inform citizens’ (albeit with a bias) on this issue– try to remember the confusion displayed above for the next 4 months.
    Whether it is the city, the Library Foundation, or the “Boise Working Together” crowd making a message– there is a long way to go for 100% informed voters.

    For example, to help out a bit at this early stage,- the mentioned Press Tribune article of Boise using Capital Fund money (69 million of the bigger current cash reserves) is about circumventing the upcoming July 1st STATE law preventing URD (CCDC) money for large, above-ground, projects without a vote.
    It has [almost] nothing to do with this original post of the CITY initiative – other than it would be the City’s attempt to circumvent voters to get a library.

    For those capable of copy/paste-
    The text of the initiative: https://www.boiseworkingtogether.com/home

    The URD state law:
    https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2019/legislation/h0217/

    Article of Journee saying the City has a s-ton of cash laying around:
    https://www.idahopress.com/news/local/boise-might-use-cash-to-pay-for-main-library-bypassing/article_f8e908f4-7e04-5d97-a07d-d39ae6b99776.html

    Seems simple, right?

  16. $85 Million CASH - REALLY??
    Jun 8, 2019, 10:36 am

    So now we find out that the mayor wants to pay cash????

    Since when does the City of Boise have $85 million in cash????

    Must be some very large slush funds stashed around the city. Now we know what the mayor has been doing with all the increased tax money he has been getting.

  17. Robert E Heindel Jr
    Jun 8, 2019, 11:01 am

    Easterner:

    My comment was an attempt (weak apparently) to express what I expect the city is hoping for – confusion on the initiatives so that people don’t know what they are voting for.

    The reference to simpletons is how I feel that Bieter and his troops see the public – who are trying to express desire for reasonable use of public funds.

    I resent the thought that a vote for Bieter was a vote of confidence for him to run amuck without anybody questioning the reasonableness of some of the projects.

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