The bill was held in committee and effectively killed by a 10-8 vote, but the REAL story is WHO testified and WHY. Two non-elected people paid with citizen tax dollars urged legislators to prevent citizens from having the power to elect those who directly spend property tax money to subsidize developers downtown.

Lyn Darrington is a lobbyist paid by the city of Boise–but from whom does she get her orders? Phil Kushlan is director of the CCDC, Boise’s city appointed urban renewal agency–did he clear his testimony with the council?

The GUARDIAN sought to find out who authorized these hired guns to speak as representatives of Boise City. Councilor Vern Bisterfeldt categorically denied knowledge of any council meeting or discussion about the bill and didn’t even know it existed. Councilor Jim Tibbs also said he was unaware of any legislative proposal regarding urban renewal let alone any city position.

The GUARDIAN is very concerned that hired guns are purporting to speak on behalf of Boise City when the city council has not discussed the matter (any topic), arrived at a consensus on a position, or given direction on how they want to proceed–at a public meeting or otherwise.

The particulars on the proposed legislation are not important. We support public election of anyone allowed to directly collect taxes and spend them. Boise officials are consistent in denying citizens a vote on who spends their tax money and how it is spent. CCDC is an agency without significant oversight and direction from elected officials–like the city council.

It looks to us that at best it is a lack of communication, but we fear certain staff–or even council members have quietly taken it upon themselves to speak in the name of the “city of trees” when they may be a mere voice in the wilderness.

For the record, the Chamber of Commerce also testified against allowing citizens to vote for those who spend their tax dollars.

From the reports and quotes we have seen–especially the great reporting by Lora Volkert at the Idaho Business News web site–it is another story of government by the uninformed.

The proposal called for an ELECTED three member board with a countywide vote. The reason a county vote is appropriate is because the CCDC takes county taxes (as well as city and ACHD) and subsidizes the developers.

Let’s hope some common sense emerges on this issue. Boise City Councilors can–and SHOULD disband the current CCDC board and act themselves to run the urban renewal agency which is a city entity funded by tax dollars.

Rep. Dell Raybould of Rexburg had a great idea. VOTE OUT the mayors and councilors who appoint urban renewal boards if you don’t like the way they do business. Great idea Dell!

If one store (remember gas stations?) is charging $2.89 and 9/10th they will outsell the place across the street with gas priced at $2.90 and the fill up there will cost you about 2 cents more for a tank!

We have noticed some of the new digital pumps show prices at $2.899 which looks ominous. You never see gas at $2.89 and 3/16ths or 5/32nds and you will play hell trying to get change if you buy EXACTLY a gallon.

We searched the internet and found several theories for the 9/10th, but the bottom line is they tack the extra 9/10th on the price simply because they can. When gas was 17 cents it may have meant something.

The GUARDIAN has the solution to this situation: The IDAHO LEGISLATURE! The lawmakers who spend untold hours debating gay marriage, abortion, stem cell research, birth control, on again off again sales tax, and elk license plates can certainly make it a crime to post prices in fractions less than one cent.

Maybe someone should start a petition drive as well.

The quick answer is that it will probably help your property tax bill remain just about the same or a little less despite skyrocketing values. The exemption was raised from $50,000 to $75,000 but the big benefit for lower value homes is the exemption now applies to both the improvement AND the land values. Under the old law the exemption applied only to the home value at a rate of $50,000 OR 50% of the value.

Here are two hypothetical scenarios based on a lower value and a higher value home.

House #1
2005 (old law) House and land combined value $150,000

House $100,000
Land $50,000
Exempt -$50,000 (On house only)

TAX VALUE $100,000
In Boise that means you paid about $1,764 at the 2005 tax rate.

Under the new law the land also qualifies as part of the exemption for a total taxable value of $75,000
($150,000 less the exemption of $75,000) which means a 2006 tax bill of $1,323.

House #2
2005 (old law) House and land combined value $300,000

House $200,000
Land $100,000
Exempt -$50,000

TAXABLE VALUE $250,000
In Boise that means you paid about $4,411 at the 2005 rate.

Under the new law the land also qualifies as part of the exemption total, so the taxable value is reduced to $225,000 ($300,000 less the exemption of $75,000) with a 2006 tax bill of $3,970.

These figures are a pretty fair guideline, but since there is less value to be taxed, some agencies may raise the LEVY rate to compensate for loss of total taxable value. It is expected to be minimal for the next year however.

The GUARDIAN’s personal home stayed the same in value, but the land nearly doubled in one year. However the exemption brought the total TAX down by about $23!

The Joint Legislative Oversight Committee suggested a joint committee be formed to determine what needs to be done to improve the poorly run existing system. The move sounds good, but existing laws already give plenty of powers to H&W and mandate that meetings be held, reports made, etc. The law has been ignored, but a legislative audit nailed the agency late last year for inaction.

The agency failed to comply with the law after former Gov. Phil Batt pulled their funding from the budget 10 years ago. We find it absurd for legislators to pass laws, fail to provide funds, and then appoint committees to determine what NEW law they should pass.

Idaho–especially the densely populated and rapidly growing Boise area– needs someplace to treat druggies and dry out drunks…not just a jail treatment facility.

Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney, the Ada commishes, Boise city councilors, and a bevy of concerned citizens have worked toward a plan, but so far all they have been able to do is squabble. Sheriff Gary is of the “lead, follow, or get out of the way” mentality and Boise City simply got out of the way due to problems with the sheriff’s funding formula.

The GUARDIAN would like to see Boise City and Ada County declare the legislature their common adversary and demand that state government abide by the law. Based on how the courts have ruled on school issues, we think it would be a slam-dunk to get judicial orders demanding that Health and Welfare follow the law and provide statewide treatment and detox centers for drug and alcohol abusers. The ACLU might be interested in joining the cause.

He wanted to allow people to carry weapons concealed in vehicles without a permit, but cops and sheriffs raised a ruckus and the media got to picking on him, so the bill was pulled, claiming there was too much disinformation going around.

The current law is archaic to say the least. It refers to “logging camps and express officers” and allows “officials” of just about any government agency to carry without a permit, but doesn’t define an official. Any ELECTED official can carry without training or a permit–irrigation districts, cemetery and library districts all have ELECTED commissioners. No requirements for training or background checks.

People with mental problems aren’t supposed to carry concealed weapons and we all know some of those types must have been elected to office. What about felons who are also “officials” or even ELECTED officials?

In one proposed version, drivers would be required to “confess” to cops if they have a gun without a permit, hence giving up 5th amendment rights to self incrimination. That ill-thought phrase is simply unconstitutional.

Bottom line: the concealed weapons law needs to be totally rewritten with proper definitions. There is too much confusion now over loaded and unloaded guns, officials, and much more.

Hate to say it, but this concealed weapons law language needs to be cleaned up by some lawyers with debate by cops, legislators, and gun nuts before it is written into law. Too much emotion and not enough clear thinking by those without a vested interest.

House Bill 620 would raise the fine for violation from $150 to $500 for a first offense and top out at $1,000 for a second offense. Representative Russ Matthews is pushing the bill in the wake of the Ada County commishes current court battle with the Attorney General’s office.

The Ada Commishes have run up a legal tab of more than $17,000 in public money defending themselves against charges they held an illegal closed meeting last June. They claim the meeting with Boise councilor Vern Bisterfeldt was over impending litigation. Bisterfeldt and the AG say otherwise and the matter is still pending in court.

Matthews’ bill would also clarify the definition of “pending litigation” as litigation commenced by the governing body or WRITTEN notice from another party either threatening a lawsuit or notice that one has been filed.

Seems that Sen. GERRY SWEET (R) Meridian is president of an Idaho corporation known as SHOOTERS WHOLESALE, Inc. The company is listed on web sites all over the country as holding a Federal Firearms License (FFL). That means he can facilitate interstate arms sales over the internet.

The GUARDIAN is not a player in legislative affairs, but we think it may not serve to enhance the image of the legislature or garner public confidence to have a gun dealer advocating a law that potentially would put more concealed guns in Idaho vehicles.

Idaho cops and sheriffs oppose Sweet’s bill on the basis of officer safety and the fact they can use the current law as a tool to disarm potential criminals before they commit illegal acts.

We hear the bill was quietly withdrawn Monday, but officials of the National Rifle Association (NRA) will probably be in town Wednesday to meet with lawmakers, cops, and arms dealer/legislator Sweet.

Before the lawmakers start diddling with the law, they should read it. A simple reading of the current law seems to say that Federal Express and UPS drivers can also pack heat under their uniforms without fear of police intervention as well.

The mainstream media didn’t tell you about the real scary thing with the existing law. Here is an excerpt of Idaho Code 18-3302 which allows just about anyone who writes laws or is elected to office to carry a loaded piece without scrutiny…this includes school board members, city councilors, legislators, fire district commissioners, prosecutors and judges. We can tell you that a lot of these people pack heat on a regular basis.

Check out the exemptions from the concealed weapons law:

(12) The requirement to secure a license to carry a concealed weapon under this section shall not apply to the following persons:
(a) Officials of a county, city, state of Idaho, the United States, peace officers, guards of any jail, court appointed attendants or any officer of any express company on duty;
(b) Employees of the adjutant general and military division of the state where military membership is a condition of employment when on duty;
(c) Criminal investigators of the attorney general’s office, criminal investigators of a prosecuting attorney’s office, prosecutors and their deputies;
(d) Any person outside the limits of or confines of any city, or outside any mining, lumbering, logging or railroad camp, located outside any city, while engaged in lawful hunting, fishing, trapping or other lawful outdoor
activity;
(e) Any publicly elected Idaho official;
(f) Retired peace officers with at least ten (10) years of service with the state or a political subdivision as a peace officer and who have been certified by the peace officer standards and training council;

Next time you see a school board member or city councilor with lumpy clothes you may want to ask, “Is that a gun in your pocket or you just glad to see me?”

State officials have been able to flip the bird at the legislature and with good reason. While the law MANDATES Health and Welfare to provide detox and drug abuse services, there has been no funding. The law calls for commissions, meetings, reports, plans, etc. but it has all been ignored. One might say it is almost criminal.

The GUARDIAN broke this DETOX STORY. story October 1 when Ada County Sheriff Gary Raney attempted to arrange for a detox treatment facility in his new jail.
The need–especially among prison and jail inmates– is critical, but it is a duty of state government to step up and obey the laws they have ignored.

Raney is like a pit bull on the issue, forging ahead on his plans. We like the idea of a state funded facility. Citizens here are not the “State of Boise or the State of Ada” and we shouldn’t have to take up the slack when the state fails to do its duty. The detox treatment issue is just one of many areas the state Idaho has left up to locals to fund.

Meanwhile the legislature not only denies funding, they prohibit cities from charging local option taxes to pay for transportation, drug treatment and other services which are needed due to the rampant growth all politicians crave.