Dave Frazier

Dave Frazier has written 3414 posts for Boise Guardian

Local Option Tax Hike Bill Likely In Legislature

A bill to bump up the sales tax by 1%–with voter approval–will probably surface in the coming legislative session. Ironic that local politicos and Chambers of Commerce favor allowing voters to approve a sales tax hike when last year they almost uniformly opposed allowing citizens to vote on long term public debt at airports and […]

Idaho Dept. Of Lands Posts Loss On Commercial Ventures

Thursday we asked Gov. Butch Otter about his thoughts on the land board going into the commercial real estate business. Otter stressed that he was adamantly opposed to the state operating enterprises that would otherwise be found in the private sector. He said as long as the state remained in a LANDLORD capacity and avoided […]

Eastern Idaho Energy Dreams Slowly Crumbling

Eastern Idaho’s grandiose efforts to attract business with “incentives” taken out of the pockets of taxpayers are slowly crumbling despite feeble attempts at life support. First it was the Hoku solar panel plant in Pocatello falling on hard times with plummeting stock prices and Idaho Power ready to pull the plug on its electricity. Now […]

Burning Issues And Libraries Maxed Out

Our GUARDIAN staff tax expert has alerted us to possible funding issues in 2012 for some fire districts and libraries. These taxing districts are limited in their legal ability to levy taxes and as property values declined, they have almost uniformly “gone to the max.” City and county governments can raise budgets up to 3% […]

Dark Days Ahead For Hoku?

Idaho Power still has its finger on the power switch at the Hoku solar panel plant under construction at Pocatello, but the Idaho Public Utilities Commision is telling the utility to wait awhile before cutting electricity. Idaho Power Co. had threatened to shut off electricity after the Honolulu-based polysilicon maker missed a $1.9 million November […]

Forget Convention Center Expansion, Fix What We Have

As 2012 opens the calendar we can plan on all sorts of schemes to attract visitors, create jobs, woo businesses, and otherwise grow ourselves into prosperity. The G-BAD boys and girls have expansion on their collective mind. How about simple fixing up existing Greater Boise Auditorium District facilities and make them better–not bigger? The Wall […]

“Buying” New Business Not Worth The Price

We’ve all heard of the husband who purchased a new boat the couple couldn’t afford so the wife gets even by remodeling the kitchen and installing new carpet they also couldn’t afford. That same silly fiscal policy is being advocated by government and editorial writers from Idaho Falls to Boise–if a business isn’t financially sound […]

Idaho Power May Pull Plug To Hoku Plant

The Hoku solar panel plant struggling to get itself up and running in Pocatello can’t even pay its agreed upon electric bill to Idaho Power, it was revealed in a filing before the Idaho Public Utilities Commission Thursday. The Chinese backed company has been the beneficiary of all kinds of public largess including local urban […]

More Details On Kuna Mayor-City Squabble

Based on a story in today’s DAILY PAPER by Cynthia Sewell, it looks like a pattern of cover up and ineptitude on the part of many of the players in the small Ada County town. Former and Newly elected Mayor Greg Nelson owns a couple of restaurants the city planning department says have failed to […]

Mayor Hotline December 17 to 23

Since the hotline provided by the Mayor’s office has become more cryptic and less informative, the GUARDIAN this week will insert editorial comment to put selected comments in perspective. This is the same document provided to City Counselors. Perhaps they will switch to the GUARDIAN for more insight. 12/19/11 Tamba Vaughn Las Vegas ISSUE: Complaint […]

Priming the News Pump–Choose Your Topic

With many of our readers gone and much of the legacy media not reporting any news, we are left to fend for ourselves with some “make news” topics of discussion. The GUARDIAN has been reporting from Hawaii the past week where we shared top visitor billing with the Obama family, hence little in the way […]

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year

The GUARDIAN wishes to thank one and all for their kind contributions over the past year whether as a reader or contributing writer, or commenter. We will keep an eye on the blog over the next week, but don’t expect much in the way of breaking news. The politicos will mostly be away from their […]

Now EVERYONE Wants To Sue Nampa

Yet another lawsuit has been filed against the City of Nampa over the stormwater “fee” levied against property owners. If class action is granted, Nampa could have every property owner in the city seeking refunds for a sewer fee that many claim is an illegal tax. A class-action complaint filed Wednesday seeks to have Nampa’s […]

New Kuna Mayor In Billing Dispute With City

A story in the daily paper Monday portrayed Kuna’s mayor-elect as a pro-business kind of guy when it comes to fees and regulations associated with new businesses and conciliatory toward neighboring city Meridian. However, Mayor-elect Greg Nelson didn’t have much good to say about planning and Zoning Director Steven Hasson and that probably stems from […]

2011 Retrospective, Choose You Favorite GUARDIAN Posts

It is that time for the annual “Christmas Letter” looking back at the past year’s stories, comments, and passings. You can click on the ARCHIVE button below the cityscape photo to jog your memory. Please share your favorite stories and headlines. The scandal at the Ada County Misdemeanor Probation services was by far the most […]

Nampa Stormwater “Fee” Could Go Down The Drain

A tax by any other name is still a tax according to the Idaho Supreme Court, but Nampa officials are holding tough on their position a new storm drain tax revenue scheme is just a “fee.” The Supremes ruled on a Lewiston case last month. The GUARDIAN first broke the Nampa story back in April […]

Dorothy Goes Down Yellow Brick Road To Credit Union

This is a new comment on a previous post and we felt worthy of a stand alone story By DOROTHY Guardian Reader Due to corporate “downsizing” (job elimination), my company is no longer paying for the car they “required” me to purchase. I approached my lender and asked to refinance the loan for a longer […]

Secret City Land Deals Explained On Map

The GUARDIAN has acquired numerous documents with regard to the land swaps involving the armory on Reserve Street and assorted Boise City-owned properties in the area of Eisenman Road and I-84. Based on the information provided by Boise City, coupled with their refusal to communicate with the GUARDIAN except as required by law, we offer […]

Obama, Feds Exempt Coppers From Tech Ban While Driving

When the national media announced a proposed Federal Government ban on ALL in car devices–with emphasis on eliminating texting while driving, the GUARDIAN sought clarification from the United States Transportation Department in Washington, D.C. We wondered if the ban would apply to coppers who we all see driving down the road looking at computer screens […]

Statesman Report Explains Secret Land Deal

After Boise officials refused to return calls or refused to discuss details of a secret land deal, the GUARDIAN has to offer a tip of the hat to the STATESMAN’S CYNTHIA SEWELL. The GUARDIAN broke the story last week about a complex land swap, but it was the DAILY PAPER that was able to put […]

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