City Government
Boise Preys On Auditorium Cash Reserves
The Greater Boise Auditorium District (GBAD) is awash in cash from the local hotel room tax and Boise City’s Team Dave is trying to get their hands on it. The City Council will discuss a scheme at Tuesday’s meeting that would allow them to sell the Grove Plaza and fountain for $8 to 10 million […]
“Rock Star” Contract Costly To Boise Taxpayers
Great research and reporting by Don Day at BOISEDEV on the Rock Star contract Boise citizens have to pay the proposed library architect for upscale travel. Following up on the GUARDIAN story about Boise Mayor Dave Bieter’s “Team Dave” agreeing to make first class payments for architect Moshe Safdie to travel and stay in Boise, […]
Boise Schools To Launch Marketing Campaign
Boise Schools has taken a page directly out of the Team Dave play book by seeking an advertising agency to create a demand for their services. The district will dedicate $175,000 for an advertising campaign in 2018-19, with an ongoing commitment for at least three years, according to documents obtained by IDAHO EDUCATION NEWS. Advertising […]
Library Hidden Costs Leave Bad Taste
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 […]
Boise Fire Dept. Inept On Finance Plans
Long time GUARDIAN readers will recall “we told you so!” when it comes to recent revelations about Boise Fire Dept. financial ineptitude disclosed by the Idaho STATESMAN. In his Statesman Thursday piece, reporter Sven Berg said Boise officials spent twice as much as they promised four years ago in a bond proposal. The bon d […]
Bikers Jockey For Current Span Near Les Bois
By Steve “Bikeboy” Hulme GUEST OPINION (plea) If you lived in the area during the winter of 2016/17, you will surely recall the unusually “snowmageddon,” and the ensuing flooding. The torrents of water forced authorities to remove a bridge behind Les Bois Park when it was in danger of collapsing, due to erosion of the […]
Treat The Cause, Not The Disease
We note Mike Wetherell’s Statesman OPINION regarding planning for mass transit failed to get to the core cause of our “transportation woes”–GROWTH. Rather than create more cancer treatments and simply concede “cancer will always be around,” let’s eliminate some of the causes. Wetherell’s admonitions to clear freeway medians and expand rights-of-way along State Street sound […]
Idaho Growth Defies Logic
By DAVE FRAZIER, editor I have lived in Boise for 50 years. All but two of those years in the same house. I am the oldest guy on the block and number two for length of residency behind a neighbor who was born here. I have pretty much lived my entire adult life in Boise […]
Boise Real Estate Speculation
When Mayor Dave Bieter “just happened to have some spare time to meet with a developer pal who ran “J & M Land” during a visit to Palo Alto,” the GUARDIAN QUESTIONED methods used by the City of Boise to swap land, and speculate on development of the city-owned armory building while flipping industrial park […]
Boise Needs a “NO TEXTING” Ordinance
NOTICE TO CITY COUNCILORS. PEOPLE ARE WATCHING YOU! Polite society doesn’t text at the movie theater, the Shakespeare Festival, or at church. Most parents don’t let their kids text at the dinner table. Teachers don’t allow texts during class, and it is suicide to text while driving. Boise City Councilor Holli Woodings got busted by […]
Team Dave Favored Business Over Citizens In Library Deal
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 […]
Boise Is losing Its Sense Of Right And Wrong
The time has come for Boiseans to step up and CARE about what is happening at City Hall! Dave Bieter won his first race for mayor with a campaign based on ethics. That was after the previous mayor lost his moral compass, traveled the world, abused his expense account, and forgot he had been elected […]
Boise City Gov’t Awash In Cash
Boise’s City Councilors held the budget hearing last night and it looks like they are awash in cash, thanks to massive growth and a law that allows them to raise the budget 3% per year. With the growth factored in, Boise’s general fund budget will increase 8% for a total of $236,000,000. They tried to […]
Open Space Advocate On Bike Park Decision
GUEST OPINION BY Katie Fite Public Lands Director WildLands Defense The Boise City Planning and Zoning Commission failed to uphold two separate Appeals of permits for Hillside Grading and Flood Plain development to allow construction of a two million dollar Mountain Bike Park in Military Reserve. The Albertson’s Family Foundation would pay for construction, taxpayers […]
No End To Local Tax And Budget Hikes
As the budget season reaches full swing it is downright frightening how local officials are conditioning folks for tax and budget hikes. It is also a bit frightening how glibly the legacy media offers reports like this one from the Idaho Press and Idaho Statesman regarding the proposed new Boise Library: “On top of the […]
Tax Hike Due This Year AND Next!
The GUARDIAN has received several inquiries regarding property taxes following the assessment notices recently sent out by county assessors. The short version is this. YOUR TAX BILL WILL BE HIKED! Local politicos will brag they have “lowered the levy rate,” but when the value is increased the only way to profit is to sell your […]
Growing To Death Like Cancer
Growing Like Cancer Idaho is experiencing a growth spurt unequaled since the days of homesteading, free mining claims, free cattle grazing, and water rights. Guess what? The modern version of those government give aways come in all sorts of “economic incentives” which has local citizens PAYING corporations to move businesses to the Treasure Valley and […]
Citizens Say Boise Sky Is “No Fly Zone”
UPDATE 5/3/18 The meeting outlined here had the same players and same issues as the one TWO WEEKS AGO. The DAILY PAPER finally attended and we offer a LINK to their coverage. The U.S. Air Force has scheduled an additional Boise scoping meeting at the Boise Library main auditorium to ensure max participation from the […]
Alto Via Settlement Is Slippery Slope Of Muddy Facts
When the GUARDIAN heard news reports last week that Boise City officials had entered into a settlement with property owners in the Alto Via subdivision regarding costs of demolition of houses deemed uninhabitable and a danger, we took notice. What got our attention was the refusal of city officials to reveal how they were spending […]
Hot Time At Bandshell, No Music
Boise firefighters battled a stubborn blaze Monday night at the 90 year old bandshell in Julia Davis Park. The bandshell was named in honor of the late jazz pianist Gene Harris a few years ago. The historic structure presented a challenge because they didn’t want to damage the structure as the flames began peeking out […]
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