Taxes
Eagle Voters Burned In “Stealth Election”
About 90% of Eagle residents who went to the polls Tuesday missed out on an important Fire District vote because that election was held at a single location apart from the other 6 polling precincts. About 3,000 residents voted in Eagle in the primary, but the permanent Fire override tax levy had fewer than 300 […]
Eagle Voters Burned In “Stealth Election”
About 90% of Eagle residents who went to the polls Tuesday missed out on an important Fire District vote because that election was held at a single location apart from the other 6 polling precincts. About 3,000 residents voted in Eagle in the primary, but the permanent Fire override tax levy had fewer than 300 […]
Eagle Voters Burned In “Stealth Election”
About 90% of Eagle residents who went to the polls Tuesday missed out on an important Fire District vote because that election was held at a single location apart from the other 6 polling precincts. About 3,000 residents voted in Eagle in the primary, but the permanent Fire override tax levy had fewer than 300 […]
Get Ready To Grumble!
The GUARDIAN has some official figures about land values in Boise which are of the “good news, bad news , worse news variety.” If you are looking to sell a piece of bare land in Boise, chances are it is worth a ton of money. Small lots averaged $53,000 during 2005 with a median price […]
Ahh, RELIEF!
With the assistance of the Ada County Assessor’s office the GUARDIAN has calculated what the property tax bill passed by the Idaho Legislature in the closing minutes in the session will mean to you. The quick answer is that it will probably help your property tax bill remain just about the same or a little […]
Evolution: Humans to Monkeys, Chimps, Gorillas
In the realm of Southwest Idaho Cities, Boise stands head and shoulders above the rest as the “800 pound gorilla” with the “chimpanzees” of Meridian and Nampa growing up fast. During the past 10 years as Boise City swung through the suburban jungle unchallenged, it intimidated the surrounding areas and annexed thousands of acres of […]
Boise Mayor Charms Local Governments
“LOOKS LIKE WE GOT A FAILURE TO COMMUNICATE” Recent news reports sound like Boise’s mayor may have attended the “Rumsfeld-Cheney School of Charm.” The mayor’s recent track record for making friends would qualify him as an honor student at that institution. Here are some of the memorable items: –DETOX center fell apart after city council […]
Educated Inside Insight
GUARDIAN READER (insider) VIEW. Take a trip to Victory Road. Check out Boise School District Facilities. Then, go to Caldwell and check out their retrofit building from the turn of the 20th century. I would agree that the facility on Victory Road was an excessive use of public funds. Yes, BSD piddles money away on […]
Who Pays For School PR Campaign?
A GUARDIAN READER VIEW It seems odd that the Boise School District’s final spin cycle is beginning with an attack on their opponent’s spin? The only thing they’re taking issue with, at least so far, is the accusation that “maintenance funds” were used to build their new administration building on Victory Road. From this voter’s […]
Prop 13 For Idaho
EDITOR NOTE–THE FOLLOWING IS A GUARDIAN READER CONTRIBUTION — NOT AN ENDORSEMENT OR PRESS RELEASE FROM THE SUBJECT GROUP When charismatic Idaho Property Tax Reform Vice Chairman Charlie Pottenger spoke to a frenzied crowd of about 60 energetic seniors, at a Boise meeting on February 9, he had plenty of support to put a Prop […]
The Cost of Progress
GUARDIAN CORRESPONDENT STEVE HULME OFFERS AN OPEN LETTER TO ELECTED OFFICIALS: Our elected “representatives” are currently giving only lip service to the notion of residential property tax relief. Seems those tax bills, which in many cases have gone up 20 or 25 or even 33 percent over the space of a year or two, have […]
Dump on Dirk
Legislative season brings out all the kooks with weird ideas and it looks like Gov. Dirk is doing his best to lead the pack. No other way to put it folks, we are being deluged with bad ideas. –Gov Dirk wants to buy about $2 million worth of bare ground around the J.R. Simplot “free” […]
Tale of Two Cities
Eagle and Boise represent a tale of two cities when it comes to development philosophy. A proposed high end development in Eagle built around a designer golf course along with a designer swimming, tennis, and soccer sports programs is a far cry from Boise’s penchant for “infill.” Boise provides those amenities at taxpayer expense. Both […]
Library Ballot Important
With a $38 million library bond election approaching, it is important to have some citizen input BEFORE the ballot is printed. The City Council is set to approve the ballot language Tuesday. It is confusing, lengthy, and full of loopholes. Take a look: QUESTION: Shall the City of Boise City, Idaho, be authorized to issue […]
Park Land Could Prove Costly
Marianne and Larry Williams have donated 70 acres of Boise river front land in the Harris Ranch subdivision to the city of Boise to be used as a park. On the face of it the deal looks good. It will extend the greenbelt, it is a nice gesture, it will preserve a mile of river […]
Contractor Law Pressures Cities
An unintended effect of the new contractor registration law which goes into effect January 1, 2006 places cities throughout Idaho in the position of encouraging contractors to be dishonest or forget about building permits. While there are no provisions (or funding) for cities and counties to enforce the new law, these local governments issue building […]
You Oughta Be in Movies
Idaho’s “film industry”–whatever that may be–could benefit from tax incentive bills which will be pushed in the upcoming legislative session. The GUARDIAN would find these selective tax breaks comical if it weren’t for the fact these folks are serious. One proposal would give the Hollywood types a 10% income tax rebate or tax credit–which is […]
Meeting Host or Guest?
The GUARDIAN asked the folks at St. LuKe’s Regional Medical Center exactly who called the meeting that Sheriff Gary Raney contends was not a meeting, but the Ada Commissioners listed on the agenda as a meeting at the posh private Arid Club on Wednesday. Government and community leaders were set to discuss a proposed drug […]
Look For Meridian Bond Failure
We look for the Meridian School Bond to fail at the polls Tuesday, but not for lack of trying. Both sides sent mailings to school patrons–a fancy word for taxpayers–and both had reasons to vote their way. The GUARDIAN predicts the vote will actually become a referendum AGAINST growth rather than any judgement for or […]
AG Rains on Tax Petition
The Idaho attorney general has issued an opinion that a taxpayer sponsored petition to limit property taxes is unconstitutional. Larry Wasden is absolutely right. Our state constitution mandates equality in tax rates. There are also plenty of exemptions as well, but the petition–all 100 pages–called for different rates for different property. No can do. Folks […]
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