Urban Renewal Minutes Highlights for CEURA Feb. 2011

THE GUARDIAN gleaned the following from the February 2011 Minutes of the Caldwell East Urban Renewal Agency:

1. The ongoing annual pledge of $1,000,000.00 to the Caldwell Family YMCA was ratified for payment again this year with a Motion by City Councilman Rob Hopper and a second by Chamber of Commerce Director, Theresa Hardin

2. Payments were made to the city of Caldwell for TVCC parking lot costs in the amounts of $252,677.84 and $65,876.78 for the parking lot and utility relocation costs.

3. After relieving developers at Cirrus Pointe and Sienna Hills of the responsibility of signalization requirements at Florida and Hwy 55 this past fall.  There is now some consideration of using funds reimbursed to the City by the IDT for work done at Exit 29 for traffic control at Florida and Hwy 55 and Ustick and at Hwy 20/26 and Smeed Pkwy.

4.  FTZ is a new acronym but stands for FOREIGN TRADE ZONE.  Steve Fultz the Director of CCEDC is seeking fuds from Urban Renewal to hire a consulting firm in the development of a FOREIGN TRADE ZONE in Caldwell. (Mayor Bieter in Boise is looking at creating a 30,000 acre FTZ project for the Chinese at the Boise Airport subsidized by taxpayers of Boise.)

5. Mr. Fultz, CCEDC Director, is also "currently in discussion with seven applicants" for the URA incentive program. Meanwhile, Chairman Eljay Waite of Caldwell East Urban Renewal Agency presented drafts of the Business Incentive Program Quarterly Report and Grant Agreement. (**see below response to public records request for URA APPLICATION FORM)

6. TVCC has an enrollment of 900 Students as reported by Dr. Kathleen Robinson, Director of Caldwell TVCC.

**THE GUARDIAN wanted to see the form used to apply for URA funds alluded to in Mr. Fultz's comments and got the following back from Caldwell City Clerk:

"Mr. Alldredge:


In your public records request submitted by email on Tuesday, February 8, 2011, you requested a “copy of the application form for the Urban Renewal Agency ‘Incentives Program’ funds.” As of today’s date, no formal application form has been adopted by the Agency for use with that program.

Draft documents relating to the program, including a draft application form, are being developed in consultation and communication with the Agency’s attorneys. However, such communications are exempt from disclosure pursuant to Idaho Code § 9-340A(1) and the attorney-client privilege. However, it is likely that such documents will be finalized, reviewed and adopted by the Agency at the next regularly scheduled board meeting on March 1, 2011. I would be happy to supplement this response with a copy of the application form as soon as one has been formally adopted by the Agency.


Please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions. Thank you!"

The application process referred to by Mr. Fultz appears to be taken from a chapter right out of CATCH-22.  How does one apply for something when the application FORM does not yet exist? Caldwell pays the firm of Hamilton, Mikelson and Hilty $34,000.00 per month for legal services.  This program was announced in the spring of 2010 and we still do not have a vetted form for folks to apply?  How can we have 7 applicants with no application form?  Stay tuned for more....