The beat goes on (or doesn't) as elected officials try to wish away the lack of revenue and tax receipts all over Canyon County. Middleton is facing a 20% drop in property tax collections. Our County Commishes are meeting almost daily to try and find a way out of their financial mess without cutting staff positions or increasing the levy rate. Their no-pay holiday deal has been met with at least one letter to the editor.
Sheriff Chris Smith says he will not participate in any further budget reduction requests. Sheriff Smith handed out promotions and pay increses over the past couple of years. Administrative burden and bloat in payroll is the result here. He also has his hands full fending off lawsuits from the ACLU and Citizens over the new jail effort.
The ACLU lawsuit is mostly for poor sanitation and maintenance. Painting, cleaning and some restoration work will pretty much clear that one up. The other suit lingers in District Court for an answer from the judge.
A real estate buying binge by the Commishes, an 11% drop in assessed valuations in the county, and people just not able to pay their property taxes is causing problems all over the county.
We are getting articles every day from the county and cities for bond issues to build new stuff we can't afford or need right now. Elected officials simply do not understand the plight of working people in this economy.
Meanwhile, we all wait to hear about a new Caldwell City Hall nobody really wants or asked for in the first place. A standing room only meeting was held on this monument to glorious excess in early February. Mayor Nancolas was to give us an update sometime in March. Let's hope this simply goes away.
THE GUARDIAN thinks Caldwell citizens are in for a nasty surprise on budget issues and a huge increase in the levy rates. (I certainly hope I am wrong.) A little research today came up with Caldwell behind on their property tax collections by 9%. Caldwell collects around $18 million in property taxes and urban renewal taxes from property. Projected to the end of the year it could mean a drop of $1.62 million in property tax collections.
Mayor Nancolas and the seven local high school students spent a reported $10,113.00 for their six day/five night trip back to Washington D.C. The expense report was incomplete and did not list all expenses. THE GUARDIAN has submitted another request for an itemized report for each person, each day of the trip. More on the trip when I get a response from Mayor Nancolas.
THE GUARDIAN is taking he Mayor up on his offer to share information on this trip with anyone interested via Freedom of Information records requests.
I'll suggest something that would really save money in the prisons = no toilet paper at all. Install bathroom bidet sprayers in all the toilets and all they'll need is a towel to dry off. It's cleaner, cheaper (yes for those who just have to object to everything water is cheaper than toilet paper!), it's better for the environment and it has health benefits like lessening hemorrhoids which would save even more money. After they try it, like most people, they will like it. As Dr. Oz said on Oprah: "if you had pee or poop on your hand, you wouldn't wipe it off with paper, would you? You'd wash it off" This is a logical, doable and simple way to save allot of money and actually improve the prisoners living standards. But of course like all new ideas people will find countless silly and inane objections, that is the way of things. Theses sprayers are available at www.bathroomsprayers.com I installed mine myself, easy.
ReplyDeleteWell, Dave has a point there.
ReplyDelete