City Government
Citizens Prevail Again, No F-35 In Boise
The United States Air Force chose Madison, Wisconsin and Montgomery, Alabama Thursday as the new home bases for the noisy F-35 fighter jet. Dan Marler and his Citizens for a Livable Boise group can take some major credit for preserving the peace and tranquility of Boise skies. Heck, the GUARDIAN can probably also claim some […]
Peddle Your E-Bikes Off Greenbelt
GUEST REPORT By Steve “Bike Boy” Hulme In one of those “stealth” moves that our city government is somewhat famous for, people on electric-assist bicycles will soon have full access to our “Crown Jewel” Greenbelt, bike lanes, many foothills trails… and sidewalks to boot! A hearing was held on December 5th. The Parks Department representative […]
Stop The Press! Time For Paperless Legal Ads?
Banks, stock brokers and every service provider from cell phones to cable TV urge us to “go paperless.” Even news providers encourage us to “visit our website.” All this got us to thinking about saving public money on legal ads–those notices about foreclosure of property, public auction sales, bankruptcies, and myriad other official notices full […]
Topic For Legislative Discussion
The issue of tax-exempt status for non-profit organizations has raised its head once again with the J.R. Simplot Foundation challenging a property tax bill on JUMP during the construction phase. The STATESMAN provided a detailed look at the property tax issue. Private hospitals like St. Als and St. Luke’s pay top staffers huge salaries and […]
Cali Fires Spark Idaho Concerns
Fire fighting pros call it the “Urban wilderness interface,” but for us Idaho folk, it boils down to “the foothills or the Boise Front.” In California similar properties are called ASH. Apart from the devastation in Ventura county and the terrible tragedy faced by so many people, there is an object lesson for those of […]
Growthophobe Movement Gaining Ground
Under the heading of “You saw it first on the GUARDIAN,” we are taking heart at recent success of the North Enders who are fighting the proposed CVS pharmacy at 16th and State. The group of citizens who are looking to preserve the character of Boise were able to convince the Boise Planning and Zoning […]
CCDC Pot Of Gold To Stay “Protected.”
“POWER CORRUPTS AND ABSOLUTE POWER IS HANDY WHEN YOU HAVE IT” Here’s a dirty little secret when it comes to gaining access to the CCDC urban renewal pot of gold (bonding authority). Members are appointed by the mayor of the “governing body” (usually a city). Once appointed, the board is “an independent body, corporate and […]
Boise Has 50,000 Uncollected Parking Tickets
According to Craig Croner, administrative services manager and the man who oversees Boise’s parking systems, Boise currently is holding 50,000 delinquent parking tickets which in theory are worth a hefty $1,500,000 or $30 each ($15 fine and $15 late fee). Officials are talking about raising fees to encourage motorists to use parking garages and otherwise […]
Meridian Dream (nightmare) Comes True
Ten years ago the GUARDIAN reported on the potential accounting problems when a developer is allowed to divert Idaho sales tax to personal use. That’s what ITD did at the VILLAGE Mall in Meridian. The developer created his own urban renewal district with sales tax from retailers. The resulting traffic, growth, and ham-handed accounting are […]
Solution For Downtown Parking Rate Hike
The Capital City Development Corp. voted Monday to raise parking rates 20% to $3 per hour and the monthly rate from $135 to $170. The reason for the hikes is said to reduce demand–and of course make more money from downtown workers and shoppers. For an office worker making a take home pay of $40,000, […]
Woodings Only REAL Winner In Boise Election
Tuesday’s Boise election saw only a single REAL winner and that was Holli Woodings who garnered about 52% of the votes cast for seat 6–the only candidate to have a majority in a crowded council race with 13 candidates vying for 3 seats. Incumbent TJ Thomson tallied 47% of the votes for seat 4 in […]
Corporate Welfare Costly To Idahoans
Corporate monsters gobbling up local businesses like the Pac Man monsters was easy to understand when the K-Mart, Wal Mart, and Home Depots ran the neighborhood hardware and local clothing stores out of business. When the cities and states created “economic development” departments and urban renewal agencies the equation became cloudier, but no less devastating. […]
Top Copper Creates Community Commission
The GUARDIAN has called for a POLICE COMMISSION for more than 20 years in Boise–most recently in July 2013. Today, Chief William Bones has announced the next best thing to a true police commission with his plans for a “Chief’s Advisory Council” comprised of Boise citizens. Hopefully, the group–yet to be selected–will be a cross […]
GUEST OPINION: Oppose CVS At 16th And State
By Stephen C. Fischer It’s a longshot, but a grassroots effort of average citizens in Boise is taking on the big corporation of CVS Pharmacy and their plans to build a 15,000-foot store at State and 16th – with a petition that has garnered more than 300 signatures in its first week. This proposed CVS […]
BSU Takes a Walk on Boise Stadium Deal
Boise State University President Bob Kustra on Thursday declared the school a free agent in the Downtown Stadium Saga with a surprise announcement the school will not participate in the subsidized real estate development plan put forth by Boise City officials, opting instead on creating its own ball park. The announcement from BSU said, “In […]
GBAD To Hear First Comments On Stadium
While Boise Mayor Dave Bieter has been promoting his pet downtown stadium project to any group that will listen, he has factored in a $5 million payment from the Greater Boise Auditorium District, but the District has never discussed it or been presented a formal proposal. Concerned Boise Taxpayers, the group organized to oppose the […]
F-35 Decision Delayed Until December
Friends in the Detroit area report that Sec. of Air Force Heather Wilson has delayed the decision on basing F-35s at two undecided locations until December. The Michigan folks feel their Selfridge Air National Guard base is an ideal location. Of course, there are four other final venues who think THEIR location is best for […]
Motorcycles Are Deadliest Ride In Boise
Here’s a shocker. So far in 2017, FOUR TIMES as many people were killed in motorcycle crashes in Boise than in cars. Concerned with the number of fatal accidents in Boise (four so far in October) the GUARDIAN joined forces with Boise coppers to check the number and type of crashes. There has been a […]
Developers Pay Top $ For Council Seats
With $1,000 payments from Barber Valley Development, Brighton Corp., Conger Development, Hawkins Companies and Republic Services, incumbent Boise Councilor TJ Thomson is the top money maker to date in the Nov. 7 city council race with $25,666. Holli Woodings was in second place in the money game with $18,187. She also accepted $1,000 payments from […]
CANDIDATE FORUM: Rachel Misnick On Issues
I’d like to give a thank you to the Boise Guardian for giving me the opportunity to address issues that are important in our community. I just recently discovered your news site and have been reading through the articles and comments, which are echoing my concern of City Council under-representation of the areas outside of […]
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