Growth
Election (or not) With No Voters Is Possible
The May 17 election is set to include a ballot measure seeking bonding authority for nearly $ billion to build a development of about 7,000 homes in a development called “Spring Valley” north of Eagle. At last check the GUARDIAN found the Ada County election office could not find any “qualified electors” living within the […]
Council Studies Trailer Park Purchase
Citing a need to preserve low-cost affordable housing, Boise City Councilors discussed the purchase of a trailer park in the Vista neighborhood at Shoshone and Malad at a recent work session. Council President Elaine Clegg said, “This is a great opportunity to secure a revenue source for taxpayers and preserve shelter for our unhoused community […]
Dollars For Death, Ada Is Stiffed
Ada County has yet to turn a shovel full of dirt on the new Coroner’s facility approved by the previous county commishes in 2020, but they have spent in excess of $1,000,000 in rental payments. The funding scheme subverts the Idaho Constitutional requirement to seek voter approval for debt in excess of one year. The […]
Corporate Giveaways, No Workers
We find it perplexing that when we have a “worker shortage” and a shortage of “affordable housing,” the state and local politicos are offering tax breaks to corporate billionaires to move to the Boise area. The recent announcement of a Meta data center moving to Kuna would be great if the predicted 100 workers were […]
Promoting Growth While Lamenting Lack Of Housing
Open letter to Airport Director Rebecca Hupp from David Klinger On an otherwise quiet Wednesday evening in September 2019, I returned from a trip to Warsaw, Poland, to the Boise Airport. I was one of only a handful of returning passengers at the baggage claim carousel around 6 p.m. that evening. Yet sparse airport attendance […]
Boise Mayor’s Secret Trip Betrays Public Trust
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean has betrayed a public trust by entering into a secret agreement with an unknown business while depriving citizens of any knowledge of attempts to increase population and demand for services in the city. Her allegiance appears to be to corporate America rather than the citizens of Boise since she has a […]
Water Bond Has Gravitational Force
The GUARDIAN has a basic understanding of gravity and understands water runs downhill (downstream). The largest bond in the history of local government in Idaho seeks authority to build a sewer treatment plant in the eastern part of Boise. It is the ONLY item on the November 2 ballot which can be voted upon by […]
City Defeats Voters Prior To Bond Election, “Cash or Credit?”
The politicos at Boise City have pulled off a brilliant strong arm move without voters even being aware they have lost the power of the purse. See the story below for details, but here’s what it all means. Following all the rules for “transparency,” the council has decided to spend upwards of $810 million for […]
Dirty Tricks On Clean Water
In a classic “fox guarding the hen house” move, Boise city councilors favoring a sewer bond to accommodate development and increased population have approved a ballot proposal with no input from the public or folks who may be opposed to increasing public debt. Labeling the proposed sewer funding hike totaling $810 MILLION as “water renewal,” […]
Latest #1: Most Over Priced Real Estate
Boise has made another “Top Ten” list, this time for the most over priced real estate, according to FORTUNE Magazine. We get a kick out of listening to the radio ads for real estate agencies claiming to get the “highest prices” for the houses they sell. Simple logic would suggest that BUYERS avoid those agencies. […]
Lament Of A Growthophobe (A Rant)
The GUARDIAN created the word “growthophobe,” welcomed new people and businesses if they wished to pay their fair share of taxes and offer good wages. Otherwise relocate elsewhere. Meanwhile local politico mothers and fathers work overtime to attract more population, cars, trains, planes, and buses through “incentives.” They want those of us who live here […]
SW Boise: “We Get No Respect”
GUEST OPINION By Rachael Grotsky, Chief Administrative Officer of Friends of Murgoitio Park, and David King, President Recent news articles have injudiciously placed the problem of annexation squarely on the shoulders of county-dwellers, claiming that the City of Boise has repeatedly shelved the annexation process because residents fought it so hard. The issue is more […]
Mayor Nixes SW Land Swap
Mayor Lauren McLean has put the brakes on the ill-advised land swap of 160 acres of designated park land in SW Boise. According to the STATESMAN Heronner declared the deal no longer made “financial sense.” The GUARDIAN broke the original story after neighbors contacted us crying foul, saying the land had been promised as a […]
Park Land Worth $128,000,000 Up For $15 million Trade
Irate neighbors in SW Boise were provided some deadly ammunition Monday when the Boise School District announced a deal to sell 15 acres of surplus land adjacent to the 160 Murgoitio Park site for $800,000 per acre. That 160 acre parcel is south of the Victory Road School District headquarters and West Jr. High, between […]
And The Survey Says…
About 6,000 Ada County residents responded to a survey from the county commishes regarding what to do with the Fair Grounds (EXPO Idaho). A whopping 84% wanted to leave the venue in its current location at Chinden and Glenwood. The survey offered three choices of suggested use of the 247 acres of public land. Respondents […]
SW Cropland Worth 20 Times Foothills Per Acre
After seeing about 400 residents sign up for the public hearing on a proposed land swap that would plant up to 400 houses on proposed park land in SW Boise, we checked some official land value records. Boise City is proposing to swap 160 acres of irrigated farm land previously designated as a future park […]
Boise Seeks To Make Public Land Available To Speculator
In an effort to feed the growth machine and urban sprawl, the City of Boise is proposing to make public land intended for the future Murgoitio Park available to real estate speculators. About 160 acres of public land south of Victory between S. Cole and S. Maple Grove owned by Boise City are targeted for […]
Whaddya Want At Fair Grounds?
Ada County officials are doing yet another opinion poll on what folks want at the Fair Grounds (Western Idaho Fair, Les Bois Race Track) at Chinden and Glenwood. They are seeking COMMENTS on the county website where there is a banner announcement. The GUARDIAN has made no secret of our idea of an AGRICULTURE HERITAGE […]
Boise STILL Needs A Police Commission
Each time there is a rash of high profile incidents involving police–either in Boise or nationally–there is a scramble to have some sort of oversight of the coppers. Back in the 1990s when Boise had a rash of officer involved shootings, a citizens group called for oversight and paid for a city councilor to attend […]
Ada Commishes Nix Jail Plan
The GUARDIAN offers kudos to Ada Commishes Ryan Davidson and Rod Beck for not endorsing a plan by previous commissioners to subvert the Idaho Constitutional mandate to seek voter approval for debt to build a jail expansion. Margaret Carmel at BOISEDEV has a detailed account. Under former Commish Dianna Lachiondo, a plan was hatched to […]
Recent Comments