Just take your Boise library card to Meridian and use it free in a great facility paid for by the Meridian Library District Patrons–thanks to an agreement already in place.

A well organized “consortium” which includes most of the libraries in the southwest corner of the state allows patrons of one district to use their cards in another district and even return a book to a third district.

Thanks to on-line requests and a cooperative program, people in Meridian can borrow books from Boise or even Twin Falls and vice versa.

The GUARDIAN has proposed several times that a countywide library district would be an effective way of providing library services since all of us who live in Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Star, Garden City, and Kuna also live in Ada County.

We say pool the resources–and the debt–and build a unified system. Unfortunately political reality sets in and there is no support among the politicos.

Boise voters turned down a $38 million bond proposal in February and Mayor Bieter seemed to offer some vindication for that vote when he declared that it was an outdated idea from the previous administration. He floated ideas of offering sites in strip malls and said by selling surplus public land they could fund new branches.

Since then BoDo developer Mark Rivers has been trying to get involved with murky plans that would end up with him owning city land and developing it in exchange for a library that would still have to be bought with tax money.

Meanwhile, encourage the folks in Meridian to build a library south of the freeway so we can all enjoy it at their expense.

It looks like Team Dave has latched onto “libraries” as his legacy–not a bad legacy if he can get it done legally and with a vote of the people.

He needs to look at a countywide library system and stay away from the used car salesman deals offered up by BoDo developer Mark Rivers. We hear Rivers and Mayor Bieter have talked since the last proposal involving the CCDC failed to pass muster.

In his latest scheme, Rivers is trying to divest Boise citizens of a bunch of ground–unspecified in the Daily Paper, but we figure it is near the rock climbing wall at 25th and Fairview. Two years ago the city council declared that city owned property to be “surplus,” ordered it to be prepared for sale, and then did NOTHING.

Now Rivers wants to trade land for a library he claims will be worth $30 million to be located at the current library site on Capitol Blvd. near the River. He made a presentation to the library board, but to us it looks like an illegal deal because the city has to SELL the land to the highest bidder at auction. They can make LAND swaps, but they already own both parcels.

If Rivers is sincere he will pay the cash for the land he wants by outbidding anyone else and paying the minimum reserve bid of whatever he claims the new library is worth. (He wants the city to pay the $30 million to him in the form of land, donations, and $6 million cash–we think.) Not a clean deal at all.

GUARDIAN says we need a countywide library system because we already have a lending policy among libraries in place–only problem is Boise provides the majority of resources AND PAYS smaller libraries to allow city residents in the door. If libraries are a priority for the community, they need to be done right–either as a City or County system, but city residents shouldn’t pay twice.

Like most things, the worker bees do a good job, help residents, and the movers & shakers at the top need more direction. That direction should come from voters. Give us a good honest plan that is clean and we will gladly pass a bond.

The short version is BoDo developer Mark Rivers wants to take over six blocks of of our city and include a library– which he will rent back to the city for a mere $2 million annually.

If the city is to ultimately OWN such a project it would be an illegal unconstitutional agreement, based on recent Idaho Supreme Court and 4th District Court rulings. To his credit Mayor Dave Bieter was cautious in his remarks and vowed to perform “due diligence” on how to finance a library.

Bieter and Team Dave lost a bond election for a new library in February. He caught some city councilors off guard when he suggested selling parcels of unused city land to pay for a new library. We have heard nothing on the progress of any city land sales.

The daily claimed Rivers told them his proposed six block development would generate $2 million annually in taxes which would offset the cost of a library. That is simply not true. Improvements within the urban renewal district generate NO REVENUES for the city of Boise. ALL TAXES in the district go to the CCDC (Capital City Development Corp) which is the city urban renewal agency.

CCDC Director Phil Kushlan confirmed for the GUARDIAN any development in the area would yield NO CITY REVENUES for 30 years from the time it is built. He said it is “very premature to offer any comment on the proposal other than, “Isn’t that interesting.”

Either the guy who built the $60 million BoDo project doesn’t understand the tax system where he built or he offered up a false impression to the daily paper. Apparently no one at the daily understands how urban renewal is financed either.

The lengthy cheerleading article was prompted by a legitimate CCDC “request for proposals” to develop an acre of land behind the library at River Street between 8th and 9th. It is currently an old warehouse.

The daily also failed to mention there are at least three proposals being considered at a board meeting next week.

We suspect the front page play, including the word “Library” in the name, architect drawings, and other behind the scenes maneuvers are aimed at getting the nod from the CCDC Board. Perhaps a good sales tactic, but without a legal finance plan it rings of “Voo Doo Economics”. If the City wants a library the proper move is to come to the voters.

Kushlan said the proposal from Mark Rivers is, “Much more grand” than the 1 acre CCDC is offering.

Mayor Dave Bieter now wants to sell off excess city property, get private funding and build store front library branches WITHOUT a tax increase or a bond. Great idea! He should have done this BEFORE the election.

Boise City Councilor Alan Shealy was spot on as he told the Idaho Statesman, “We’re not land speculators,” when questioned about Bieter’s plans to sell city real estate to finance libraries.

What Shealy meant was the city SHOULDN’T be in the land speculation business, but it is. The previous administration purchased all sorts of land before the leaders were either jailed, resigned, or voted out of office. They saddled the current council with lots of real estate that has been off the tax rolls for years. They also made the purchases in secret meetings and probably paid more than market value.

The new councilors even went so far as to declare parcels in the 25th and Fairview area as “surplus” and order it sold to the highest bidder. That was a year and a half ago and nothing was done. There is also 300 acres of desert near the Outlet Mall owned by the city.

Mayor Bieter’s staff has been using the city land as a treasure trove of enticements for their own development plans–trouble is the city council has not always been let in on their plans.
First, it was the rock climbing wall with an unheard of 50 year lease. Then, they offered land near the Outlet Mall for an electric generating plant. These guys always do LEASE deals with our public property because it skirts the requirement for public scrutiny at hearings and sale to the highest bidder.

Now they want to attract a community college to city property.

Statesman’s Brad Hem gets kudos for some decent reporting on this one. Bieter told the paper Treasure Valley Community College was “very serious” about Boise land as a possible school location. Hem checked with TVCC and they named two DEVELOPERS who were pushing the deal and denied any connection. TVCC said they have no follow-up after their “exploratory” talks.

As it has become customary of late, city councilors were unaware of the Mayor’s ideas. Councilor Vern Bisterfeldt was “irked.”

The brochure is from “Great Libraries for Great Neighborhoods” and offers Shauneen Grange at 345-2125 as a contact.

The GUARDIAN correspondent lives a good mile and a half from the Boise City Limit and cannot vote on the measure! We know the target lists are handled by zip code, but it points up both a problem and a solution on the library bond.

Rather than Boise going it alone for three libraries at $38 million and not having the cash to fund the operations and salaries, how about having a countywide library system? That would sure cut the hassles of determining who has pirvileges and who pays. There are agreements in place that have Boise PAYING other municipalities for service to Boise residents, but Boise loans its materials for free via interlibrary agreements. Boise offers FREE service to BSU students, but BSU won’t reciprocate with Boise. As the Brits would say, “It makes a lot of nonsense.”

If this bond fails, we would like to see it come back as a countywide system. The city pushes regional planning for transportation, blueprint for growth, smart growth, etc. They should be consistant and go for a county library.

It makes even more sense when you realize Boise School District kids live outside Boise and Meridian Students live inside Boise. Dump the borders, pool the cash and have a county library…we ALL live in Ada County.

The Sunday Idaho Statesman had a great front page and two page inside spread on the library bond. We disagree with their editorial, but the Brad Hem reporting was top rate and deserves a read if you care one way or the other.

One thing the Statesman story pointed out was that Boise has fewer library USERS than our neighbors in the Northwest. That can be seen as a lack of facilities means fewer users or lack of users means no demand for facilities.

Conservative anti bonder Jim Auld didn’t make many friends when he declared that libraries are a “thing of the past.” There are those who would say the statement shows WHY libraries are needed.

Truth is, libraries have indeed evolved–into refuges for the homeless, internet computer access points, and sources for free artwork and videos. They also offer some good reading in the form of books.

Councilor Alan Shealy, after hearing a report the city owned Ice World was about to break even financially, declared that earlier predictions, “Didn`t look very propitious for a while.”

So it seems things now look propitious. Will the library system look propitious if the bond passes? Propitious in terms of ice means cool and smooth.

Boise City Councilors deserve kudos for allowing the public a vote on a proposed $38 million library bond.

This move by the council–just three weeks prior to an election–marks a departure from past policies that went around voters and did not allow them a voice in major building projects. The GUARDIAN applauds the move toward citizen approval of long term debt.

The present council has voted not to allow citizens to vote on a proposed $27 million airport parking garage and they have created a slush fund for a future police station so citizens won’t have to approve it. Those funds are “intended, but not mandated” for a cop shop.

At the Tuesday meeting the council directed staff to prepare ballot language for branch libraries which would include a deal with the Park Department to share space with recreation centers at three locations as well as some sort of police presence.

They plan to “phase in” spending of bond revenues from 2007 to 2009 and pay for 20 years, according to an Idaho Statesman piece. BAD NEWS. Mayor Dave Bieter rightly asserts the increased tax on a median priced home would be less than most books. GOOD NEWS

Here is the simple advice to all you library types: JUST DO IT!

Don’t screw around with a convoluted phase in plan and get eight bucks one year, $15 the next etc. If the people want to buy three libraries for $22 a year, for godsake give them libraries! Do it now, do it right, and do it quickly.

We checked with the library director who tells us the problem with building three libraries at once is paying for the new staff and incidentals needed to run new facilities. In short, they can, “afford the new house payment, but not the gas, electricity, and landscaping.” Their plan is to figuratively get a credit card with a $38 million limit and spend at a pace they can afford over a three year period and then pay it off over the next 20 years.

We suggest the bond would be easier to understand–and pass–if the amount requested matched the project the city is able to handle in a timely fashion. If you can only afford one at a time, just ask voters to approve one at a time.

Tell us up front how much you need and if we think it is a good deal we will give it to you. But, you better get us some libraries pronto!

Show me the ballot.

After that failed attempt, the city switched to a strategy of asking judges to call anything and everything “ordinary and necessary.” Those scam financing schemes have resulted in the city paying taxes on fire stations and hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. A pending Idaho Supreme court decision could further define ordinary and necessary.

After a recent cross country road trip with frequent library stops, it became obvious to the GUARDIAN that more than anything else–maybe even more important than sources for books–libraries have evolved into computer based information sources. They are also hangouts for homeless people–a fact that must be acknowledged.

Small branches in Austin, Texas include a carousel of computers for public use, in suburban Des Moines the library is combined with a police station and city office, and Indianapolis has a temporary facility which is jammed with security guards, closed circuit TV and rooms full of computers with an eclectic group of folks at the keyboards. (For you non-library types: eclectic refers to a “mixed bag” of ideas and tastes.)

Although we didn’t visit it, the new Salt Lake City Library is the cream of the crop and was funded by a $60 plus million bond approved by over 80 % of the voters. It comes complete with a parking garage, auditorium, and is located on LIBRARY SQUARE.

The Boise library board and staff have been saddled with two locations which were purchased in secret land deals by the city council and the locations were selected by a single private real estate agent with no public input. They may or may not meet the approval of voters. We suggest open discussion in ALL public expenditures.

The public will finally have its voice at the polls in the form of a bond election–which we applaud. Proponents at the city need to be scrupulous in observing a recent Idaho Supreme Court Decision which prohibits using public funds or assets to promote one side of an election issue.

Whatever is eventually built to serve our citizen’s library needs MUST be approved by the voters who pay the bills. Our only concern is that consultants, experts, and others from out of town will be imposing their “visions” on Boiseans.

At least one plan was previously floated for a huge central library with a Barnes & Noble-type coffee shop and food court with rooftop dining. That plan was accompanied by financial guesses of how much “profit” could be had for rental space etc. One needs to look at the Ada County Courthouse and the surrounding debacle of empty commercial space
to see the folly of that plan.

For the record, the GUARDIAN supports libraries. If this bond doesn’t pass, it will not be the final word and Boise officials need to listen carefully to objections before coming back for a second try if it is required.

While they plan to combine libraries with indoor recreational facilities, we hear no mention of anything for the police department which has claimed to need more space for years. Does that mean the slush fund the city has been “saving” will preclude any voice of the voters?

The GUARDIAN supports libraries in concept and practice. If the City wants the measure to pass, they need to play fair and honest with voters–something that has been lacking in the past. Land was purchased for an east Boise site which needs to be sold and re-invested.

Here are some basic caveats (“warnings” to you non-library users):

–Don’t use public money in any campaign to get the bond passed.
–Be ready to change proposed locations, especially a move from Park Center to Federal Way for one branch.
–LISTEN to the public about what WE want and how much WE will pay. Forget about consultants and “national standards” because WE pay and WE use the library!
–Be prepared to combine libraries with other neighborhood city services such as police, fire, or parks. We like common sense financial ideas.
—Sell the branches as “information centers” offering knowledge via books, CD, video, on-line, etc. and you will have an easy sale.
–Show us there is plenty of tax revenue to properly staff and stock the branches because new buildings which are closed several days a week and short on books and computers are not a good investment.
–Tell us up front how much EXTRA it will cost annually to staff the new branches (the GUARDIAN estimates it will be close to $2 million). Let’s hear it up front and not from opponents.

Simply put: Be flexible and don’t try to stack the deck with surveys, consultants, staff reports, and a committee’s dreams. Scam us and nothing will get passed. Boise citizens are good people and will gladly pony up the cash for something we all want and need. TRUST us.