THE GUARDIAN has fielded calls from Coeur d Alene and Moscow, Idaho on Idaho Urban Renewal abuses going on around the state.
People are finally figuring out Urban Renewal money comes directly from property taxes (right off the top) and is then funneled into a "CITY IN DISGUISE" Board known as urban renewal. Voters are figuring out they have been effectively removed from all capital improvement budget decisions in their cities. Property tax money is thrown around at all manner of pork projects and subsidies for developers all over the state.
Nampa Urban Renewal is waiting for decision that will allow them to issue $68 Million in revenue bonds for a new library and police station via the urban renewal. No Vote of the People is going to take place on this deal if approved by the Judge. The Judge in this matter is wisely taking her time about rendering an opinion. The petition in this case was heard in June of this year. Manwhile, Nampa is buying the old Sundowner Motel site for the new police station for $1.5 Million with urban renewal property tax money. Government fat cats continue to belive they can spend their way into prosperity with your property tax dollars.
Rexburg's multi-million dollar swimming pool complex is in the Idaho Supreme Court over bypassing voters on this project. Again, a blatant case of elected and appointed Politicos wanting to spend huge sums of money without voter approval.
Moscow, Boise and Coeur d Alene are spending tens of thousands of property taxpayer dollars submitting "friend of the court" briefs on the Rexburg case. All of this legal manuevering to get around a proper bond election approved by voters.
You might want to ask candidates for elected office how they stand on the issue of Urban Renewal along with past and present abuses of voters rights to vote up or down big ticket spending. Urban Renewal law in Idaho has degenerated to a dictatorial method to remove you from the capital budgeting process.
Think about it! When was the last time you got to vote a bond election up or down for anything other than a new school? Urban renewal has removed this from you the taxpayer.
The State Legislature will surely have some Idaho Association of Cities lobby people there "helping" our legislators to protect cities in their quest to spend money "at will" without voter confirmations on the process. Last year it was HJR 106 and it got defeated in the waning minutes and hours of the session.
If urban renewal districts in Caldwell and Nampa were to fold up shop tomorrow your property taxes would probably go down by about 50% in Caldwell. Nampa the number would be in the range of about 20% or more. Urban renewal is a sleight of hand process to rob you of any property tax relief and remove you from any say on city capital projects.
Thanks for a great overview of how urban renewal diverts tax dollars from other uses. We have the same problem in Colorado
ReplyDeleteYour comment that taxes would decrease by 50% and 20% is factually inaccurate and complete speculation.
ReplyDeleteThrough urban renewal, a city agrees to forego taxes in order to fund urban renewal projects. The same amount of taxes will be collected one way or another.
Secondly, there is no basis for the 50% or 20% numbers.