Economy
“Mr. Everyman” Pens Note To Congressman Simpson Et Al
The following letter was actually sent to Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson and should be read by the entire Congress. The author has requested anonymity, but is well known to the GUARDIAN and soon, no doubt, to Congressman Simpson. The GUARDIAN felt it brilliantly expresses the sentiments of many frustrated Americans. Dear Congressman Simpson, I am […]
Food Bank Nets Cash From China Tour
The GUARDIAN editor is old enough to remember the admonishment from Mom, “Children are starving in China, eat your spinach.” There is a certain irony in a car driven across China with the Idaho Food Bank being featured on the sides. Do Chinese moms urge the kids to eat spuds because kids are hungry in […]
Idaho Land Dept. Under Fire On Land Swap
A a non-profit, voluntary group calling itself The Tax Accountability committee (“TAC”), will hold a press conference Monday morning at the Statehouse to call attention to a land swap they say cost the education endowment fund $1.3 million due to faulty appraisals. According to TAC, the Idaho Department of Lands traded 14 acres of endowment […]
There’s GOLD In The Boise River
There’s gold in the Boise River! Well, maybe not gold, but plenty of cash. Folks paid about $450,000 dollars to float in a raft or inner tube from Barber Park To Julia Davis this summer–not bad for about 90 days. The season ends at the end of the Labor Day Weekend. The river float gets […]
Growthophobes Beware Can-Ada Population Of 1,000,000 Predicted By 2040
Massive population growth may sound great to politicos and others eager to solve problems like transportation, sewer, water, education, and air quality, but to growthophobes it signals a call to action. The Sunday Idaho Press Tribune published a story predicting the population of Canyon and Ada Counties would hit one million by 2040. They even […]
Boise Continues “Cart-Before the Horse” Management
Boise has been creating urban sprawl for years, annexing hundreds of acres into the city–often despite protests by residents–and then bening forced to provide services. Fire stations have been built out of the annual budget and park land purchased with no money left to maintain or “green up” the space. Now, they are claiming the […]
What Happened To Honesty And Common Sense?
Gotta admit it has been difficult to write much in the way of “constructive” criticism lately with all the crooked businessmen and business deals coming to light and politicos trying to match the business folks. We have a plethora (for non-library types that’s a whole bunch) of scams that have come to light and not […]
Boise Seeks $700,000 ObamaFare For Airlines
Boise cheerleaders are at it once again, dumping public money into a sales pitch for a corporate welfare plan under the delusion business will flock to the City of Trees if you pay them enough. This time the idea is pay airlines–with federal matching funds–to fly routes that are otherwise not profitable in a free […]
ACHD Commish Weighs In On Parking
ACHD Commish Rebecca Arnold, stressing her comments are her own opinion and not that of the ACHD board, sent a letter to the Boise City Council to be read at Tuesday’s public hearing. She claims a local developer wants the rate hike to benefit a private parking structure he wants to build. The GUARDIAN offers […]
ACHD “Can’t Get No Respect” From Boise
As the Downtown parking wars escalate, don’t expect approval of installing a hockey puck-shaped sensor device linked to hi-tech parking meters to be a slam-dunk at Wednesday’s Ada County Highway District meeting. Boise’s City Council will hold a public hearing at noon Tuesday to consider a 50% rate hike at meters and Saturday enforcement. Ironically, […]
Cop Cars: How Many How Much?
OPEN LETTER TO THE BOISE MAYOR AND COUNCIL Dear Mayor and Council, With the Boise City budget pending final approval and police union negotiations approaching, we thought it was a public benefit to check on the Boise Police vehicle fleet and the “take home car” policy. The police budget accounts for 34% of the entire […]
Treasure Valley Taxes Compared
GUEST POST BY RON HARRIMAN In the chart below are the tax amounts from the budgets of Boise, Meridian, Caldwell and Nampa. The data is from the Idaho Tax Commission and Idaho Census. Calculations of the taxes are per person on budget expenditures and then per household. The average household is statistically adjusted by 2011 […]
Iron Man Good For Some Businesses, Traffic Nightmare
Several tales of “you can’t get there from here” over road closures due to the Iron Man event Saturday have reached the GUARDIAN. We would like to hear your take on it. Anything from delayed trips to the market, increased business at your restaurant or hotel, to cost for coppers. Who benefits, who suffers? Are […]
Up In The Air Over Political Spending
Recent news accounts from Boise and Mountain Home make us pause over the reasons public money is being spent for political reasons–all ultimately aimed at “helping business” by keeping airplanes flying. Our friends at the Mountain Home News report local politicos are worried about yet another round of potential Base Realignment and Closures (BRAC). The […]
Idaho Power Gets 15% Rate Hike
The Idaho Public Utilities Commission has authorized Idaho Power to bump power rates with an average hike of 15.3% due to low water levels. About 70% of all water in the West comes from snowpack and this year’s low levels are already putting a crimp on everything from fish to power generators. Here’s how the […]
Boise Has No Authority For Trolley
Looks like that pesky IDAHO CONSTITUTION has gotten in the way of Team Dave once again. Mayor Dave Bieter is set to ask the City Council Tuesday for funds for yet another street car, trolley study. What he should be doing is sucking up to the ACHD Commishes because that group holds ALL the cards […]
Valley Taxpayers To Fund Chamber Of Commerce Sun Valley Junket
For the 20th year citizens of Treasure Valley will be asked to fund a SUN VALLEY JUNKET for various elected officials and government staffers to learn about making Boise and the surrounding area more appealing to businesses and tourists. The Chamber of Commerce website post says: This year’s theme will be: “Building Livable Cities in […]
Boise City Travel Expenses Soar 27%
The Daily Paper posted a story today which said an internal audit caught some small issues regarding department travel. Most of the things mentioned by auditor Steve Rehn dealt with late reports and lack of receipts. The big issue that jumped out at the GUARDIAN was a single year jump from $471,300 for travel in […]
Governor Forgot Most Important “Stakeholders”
This guest post comes from long time GUARDIAN reader “IDAHOLIC.” He makes a valid point that individual property owners will get whacked in the pocketbook if the personal property tax–paid in large part by big operators like power and telephone companies–is repealed. I can’t believe the lack of information and discussion of this proposal that […]
Boise Gives Away Fire Service Outside City
Each budget season local governments across the USA look for ways to fund essential services. According to the Minneapolis STAR-TRIBUNE there is a move to charge fees to tax-exempt properties ranging from churches, and hospitals to government agencies and institutions of higher learning. In Boise the most glaring example of free city services lies with […]
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