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 to finance their addictive habit.

As budget approval times approach for local governments, tax increases are coming and expansion of everything from schools to roads, coppers, city workers and traffic are imminent.

Those of us who have lived here and revere the lifestyle, weather, and culture of SW Idaho are an endangered species. In a nutshell we are being exploited by outside forces and have to pay the bill so developers and other “birds of prey” can flourish.

We often hear the cry, “We have been discovered and we can’t keep people from moving here!” True, but we shouldn’t have to PAY them to come here. Paylocity posted a testimonial on a chamber of commerce site which is worth noting:

“In Boise’s favor were state incentives like a Workforce Development Training Fund, a reimbursement program to help cover the costs of training and onboarding initiatives, and a Tax Reimbursement Incentive (TRI) of 28 percent for 15 years. TRI is an incentive available to new or existing Idaho companies that create 50 or more high-wage jobs in Idaho. Companies have the ability to receive a reimbursement on their payroll, sales and corporate income taxes up to 30 percent for a maximum of 15 years. TRI is awarded to companies that prove their stability and significant economic impact to the industry, community and state.”

Wouldn’t we ALL like to have a 28 percent tax kickback for 15 years?

To top it off, the land was formerly agricultural cropland. Meridian made it an urban renewal agency and none of the taxes on the multimillion dollar buildings go to schools, ACHD, the city or the county. Sadly, the scenario is repeated over and over.

In the annual budget competition between local governments to see who can offer the most “savings,” Ada County is this year’s winner. The commishes budget includes a $12M cut in property taxes. Don’t hold your breath because future budgets can “clawback” the foregone taxing authority. Just ask the Ada County Highway District.

ACHD is faced with dozens of needed road projects and they are exploring to use that clawback feature to add $7.5 million cash to their bank account. See this BoiseDev piece.

Boise City has approved a $276.2 million budget to include 44 new hires in various departments–because of growth. Officials predict a 29% tax hike.

All these new people and companies need a bigger airport with more flights. Alaska Airlines has a deal with the University of idaho to pay the carrier if their new route to Moscow-Pullman is not profitable. Also, we wonder about the “incentives” offered to airlines for new flight routes. Do they pay landing and gate fees like everyone else?

In summary, when local government works against the will of the citizens thinking they are “creating jobs” and “competing with other cities,” they are destroying our culture and a way of life that has been eroded almost to the point of destruction.

When growth is the number one concern of society it is counter- productive to encourage growth. The politicos have caused the price of housing to climb out of sight and then they strive to build some cheap housing to take care of the problem they themselves created.
They create that which they seek to escape.

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.

Horse and buggy rides like this at Greenfield Village near Detroit would be a novelty at the Ag Park.

The GUARDIAN has been in favor of an Agricultural Heritage Park to demonstrate and honor our state’s past and current contribution to the farm life.

She joined with the police chief and Jodi Peterson, Executive Director of Interfaith Sanctuary in a decision to put the proposed (and opposed) move of the homeless shelter from 16th Street to State Street.

Here is the statement:

In recent months, I was joined by Boise Police Chief Ryan Lee and Our Path Home partners at several neighborhood discussions on homelessness. Rather than focus on the work of the partnership and the challenges before us, the attention was on the proposed location of Interfaith Sanctuary. The tone and tenor of the conversations don’t sit right with me, Our Path Home partners, or our residents, including those in crisis.

Our next step is to quickly convene a task force to conduct a shelter needs analysis to evaluate locations for the new shelter, the State Street location will be included in this analysis. As we move through the process of ultimately identifying the right location for a new emergency shelter, I ask that we center conversations around our values of compassion, community and service.

Margaret Carmel at BOISEDEV has a detailed account.

Under former Commish Dianna Lachiondo, a plan was hatched to create a financial product called “certificates of participation” to finance jail construction. The newly elected commishes will either save up some cash or go to the voters–as the Idaho Constitution requires for permission to go into debt.

Lawyers claim the Idaho Supreme Court “blessed” the so-called certificate scheme in a ruling against Guardian editor David R. Frazier in favor of the Greater Boise Auditorium District.

The GBAD and jail issues are not at all similar. The auditorium expansion is owned by the CCDC urban redevelopment agency and leased back to the GBAD. CCDC is authorized to sell bonds without voter approval.

Under the plan nixed by the new commishes, the jail would have been a debt secured by taxpayer assets with no citizen approval.

Ironically, local governments keep approving new construction and attracting more businesses and population all the while complaining about overcrowding at the county jail, schools, and highways.

Under the plan, Gardner will receive CCDC urban renewal loans of $10.2 million for a 110 unit apartment building downtown with a single “affordable rent” apartment. Sounds like the other 109 units are not affordable.

A surprise YES vote came from Mayor Lauren McLean who said, “As mayor it is my job to do what is best for our citizens including the homeless community.” She went on to explain that even a single cheap apartment helped out, but more importantly the action paved the way for federal stimulus funds for Boise from the Trump government.

At an unrelated virtual city council meeting, McLean asked the councilors to approve funding for a “community printing press” for use by the Idaho Statesman. Councilor Lisa Sanchez supported the idea if at least 25% of the pressmen were minority trades people and half of the total were women. The press would be housed in the old Statesman building on Curtis Rd. which McClatchy has been unable to sell.

Elaine Clegg observed that with the current deadlines and the fact the Statesman is printed in Twin Falls, her sage comments about growth, connectivity, and environmental issues were “old news” and ignored by the time the paper was published. Jimmy Hallyburton offered to donate free bicycles to anyone wishing to deliver the Statesman.

Councilor Holly Woodings asked for more details on the proposal and mused aloud that she couldn’t understand why Sanchez wanted minority women to get covered in ink every day. Sanchez replied, “I didn’t think you would understand.”

The GUARDIAN noted today’s date as we reported on yesterday’s March 31 meetings.

According to KTVB NEWSBieter is joining Dave Wali at the Gardner Company, the development firm responsible for major downtown Boise projects like the Zions Bank Building and the underground transportation hub, among others.

Bieter was mayor when those projects came about. He also previously appointed himself to the board of the Capital City Development Corp., Boise’s urban renewal agency. His term expires in 2022 despite his defeat in the November city election which saw former city councilor Lauren McLean win the mayor’s position.

She has also appointed herself to the CCDC urban renewal agency in an obvious move to blunt Bieter’s position. With Gardner so active in development projects, it would appear Bieter will be faced with conflicts of interest as an employee of the firm and a CCDC board member.

In a STATESMAN piece based on a letter to a supporter, Bieter was quoted complaining that it was terrible to allow “a small minority” to have the power to get initiatives on the ballot governing funding of a library and sports stadium. They did it with a petition drive garnering more than 5,000 signatures.

The mayor should note, voters overwhelmingly supported the initiative he tried to scuttle with 69% and 75% approvals. It takes only a handful of signatures for people like hizzoner to get on the ballot.

He spent public money attempting to manipulate public opinion in favor of basing the noisy F-35 at Gowen Field. Lauren McLean opposed the F-35 and beat him twice in less than a month with a 65% vote in her favor the second time.

In an IDAHO PRESS story, Bieter maintained that many voters are still supportive of him despite his losses at the polls. He pointed to rumors that he would fill the vacated seat of House Minority Leader Rep. Mat Erpelding — who resigned days after the runoff election — as further evidence of his strong standing in the community.

RUMORS? We hate to break the news, but “rumors” are hardly evidence of community support.

During his 16 years in office, Bieter spent thousands upon thousands of public dollars on surveys, public relations programs, and advertising in his attempts to garner support for the F-35, various street car schemes, the library project, and a downtown stadium.

Bieters economic development efforts and “community engagement” led to a huge influx of new residents, businesses, a housing boom, and all the demands those things create.

He appointed himself to the CCDC urban renewal board and has two years left there, despite being voted out of office.

Newly elected Lauren McLean will now be faced with myriad personnel decisions. Among them will be the fate of Airport Director Rebecca Hupp, the highest paid employee in all of Boise. She was an ardent supporter of the F-35 which McLean opposes.

Fire Chief Dennis Doan and his “chiefs PAC” paid Bieter thousands of dollars over the years along with members of the firefighters union. It will be interesting to see if his loyalties switch or if he leaves the post of second highest paid city official.

When it comes to the staff at the mayor’s office, McLean has an opportunity to offer citizens a healthy diet of citizen participation or just more pork.

The GUARDIAN has long advocated creating an agricultural-based historical park on the site which could serve as an educational destination venue. We will roll out our plan which so far has received no reception from past or present commishes. Please offer your sentiments.

OCTOBER 3, 2017 REPOST

All you developers and politicians better keep your greedy hands off the Western Idaho Fairgrounds because it belongs to us–the people of Ada County.

If there are any changes they should be along the lines of an “agriculture heritage park” preserving the past in a manner which will educate today’s children and adults. It will provide a hands on experience for students and give us all a peek into the proud agricultural heritage of rural Idaho.
LBJ.jpg

Given the numbers of farmers who have curtailed their farm activities for economic, social, and geriatric reasons, there is a wealth of expertise in the area of milking cows, planting crops, horse shoeing, threshing grain, fixing tractors, feeding goats, and tending chickens.

With a vote of the citizens and through donations, we could finance a demonstration farm with authentic barns, sheds and farm houses–plenty are being demolished to make room for the hordes seeking to live shoulder-to-shoulder with their neighbors in what was once rural Ada County.

Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia, Greenfield Village near Detroit, The LBJ Ranch in Texas are all historic parks which preserve our heritage and provide an educational experience for young and old alike with historic demonstration farms and they are big tourist attractions.

The oft-maligned state of Mississippi has a wonderful “southern town” heritage park adjacent to the state fairgrounds in Jackson. It has a general store, church, gas station with a hand pump, and all that exemplified life in the deep south about 1900.
Old%20Town.jpg

With a little excavation, the high water table at the race track could serve as a superb urban fishery. The Idaho Historical Society has several turn of the century structures which would be a valuable contribution to an authentic Idaho farmstead. Toss in a blacksmith, a small sawmill, some steam engines, antique farm equipment and you have a first class year round educational attraction with working demonstrations on a rotating basis.

If anything is changed or developed at Ada County’s fairground site it should be for the benefit of every citizen in the county and not aimed to benefit politicians and developers. Traditionally county fairs provided a common link between urban and rural life. What better way to make that link permanent than with an historic theme park?

Before the developers and other special interest groups get their hands on our fairgrounds, the people need to make their voices heard in support of a park-like venue with something for everyone.

The horse races have proven to be an endless round of scandals, lawsuits, and a drain on public resources for the pleasure of a dwindling few. With our new farm park we can give youngsters the opportunity to take a wagon ride behind real “horsepower.”

And yes, there is room for a hotel AND God forbid a convention center!

GUARDIAN editor Dave Frazier has spent well over a decade forcing local governments to abide by Article VIII, Sec. 3 of the Idaho Constitution which mandates a vote for debt in excess of a year.

In this latest attempt to go around the citizens, Eagle claims that by merely having cash in an account, they didn’t have to seek citizen approval for the long term debt.

As soon as a citizen comes forth to challenge the city, they will have a pretty good chance of winning in court–just as Frazier has done repeatedly.

There have been plenty of calls for CHANGE, LISTENING, BE KIND, LESS ARROGANCE, RESPONSIBLE SPENDING, but little in specific allegations or cures.

Here are some issues we would like to see addressed:

–Increase impact fees to slow the growth and make developers pay for the issues they create.

–More than 150 coppers drive cars home every day. Are they all really that necessary?

–Fire academy ate up our bond money and CWI has just created a fire academy. Do we need both?

–Library spending is still in the budget. Doesn’t that assume the current administration is planning on winning the election?

–Why no discussion about the industrial park lease deal that favors the Salt Lake developer?

–Will Boise Schools have another “Kindness Carnival” for West Boise school students to hear Loren McLean or other candidates as they did for Dave Bieter in the North End?

–Totally legal, but any thoughts about firefighters wearing union firefighter shirts campaigning door-to-door for Bieter? Would coppers knock on doors for him or other candidates?

With seven in the race for mayor, we predict a runoff is inevitable. The real race today is for number two, assuming Bieter garners the top spot, but no majority.

Interesting how untrue the “non-partisan” portrayal is when it comes to the Boise MAYOR RACE.