THE GUARDIAN attended the meeting on the County Campus Master Plan this evening and learned much about what the plan hold for taxpayers.
All three Commissioners gave a short presentation, Comm. Ferdinand gave a historical perspective on how Caldwell became the county seat and how the existing courthouse came to be, Comm. Rule presented the consultant plan for growth and Comm. Alder gave the financing plan to initiate the initial big dollar projects.
The short version is County Commissioners will approach the Caldwell East Urban Renewal Agency to issue Revenue Bonds in the amount the county can expect from 2016 through 2022 which will come to about $9.5 Million plus underwriting and interest charges. The first capital project will be a new Juvenile Detention Facility and a conversion of the current juvenile facility into an 85 bed jail for male inmates. The juvenile occupancy loading in the current juvenile lockup is averaging about thirty per day over the last couple of years and has trended downward by about 40% from what it was just five years ago. The new juvenile facility will be located on the corner of 12th and Albany and cost an estimated $1.9 MM.
Next will be a new county administrative office structure built on the current parking lot across from the current courthouse at 1115 Albany Street. This has an estimated price tag of $8.4MM. The plan calls for a parking area on the street level under the office building and two stories at 41,000 SF per floor for at least two floors with the footings built to allow for additional floors at a later date. The Commishes anticipate just using one floor of the new building with the second floor of the office space to remain unfinished until a later date.
The existing courthouse would be converted to courtrooms for judges with the closure of the Nampa Courthouse in discussion mode and to accommodate more judges sent to the county by the State of Idaho. Also, the Public Defender would occupy space in the existing courthouse.
The prospect of the county budget getting cut by another $2 Million this year with property values and expected revenue tanking to be the budgeting reality. The current CAP on taxes is making the usual 3% hike in property taxes a no-go deal for budgets for not only the County but for just about all taxing districts.
The main pitch by Comm. Alder was this approach would not raise any taxes but at the same time the expected windfall and reduction in property taxes would not happen if REVENUE BONDS are issued for this expected revenue. Additionally, there would be no voter approvals on this if CERA agrees to issue revenue bonds for Canyon County.
THE GUARDIAN hopes the Commishes give some consideration to an advisory vote in this matter. We are talking about spending more than $10 MM of taxpayer dollars. The public meeting efforts are appreciated but the only way to really know the degree of backing for this is via a vote on the question by those paying the bills.
More cart before horse. No matter how they go about it, they did not ask first. They decided by themselves and are trying to pitch it afterwards. How about asking us first and let us decide how much you need if anything at all. Or better yet let us make some suggestions. I have seen your plan and it sucks. It is not taking into consideration other factors. Are these cheap band aid approaches being taken for the jail and juvy centers going to cost us a heck of a lot more later on when the sheriff says you added more inmates but not the means to feed and clothe them? Last I heard their kitchen and laundry was already over capacity.
ReplyDeleteI don't want you committing to anything until we the public say yes, the sheriff says yes, and any other interested stakeholders say yes this is the way we should spend this money. Otherwise you are doing more of what you have always done, spent our money on ill advised schemes.
How can these guys be stopped? Would making them Lame Ducks in the primary election work? They would probably do it anyway by edict to insure there names are inscribed on the Brass Monuments to themselves at the entrances.
ReplyDeleteThere is a big breech in the fence at the Fool Farm that needs fixed.
I find it difficult to be civil toward these so called "commissioners" who are trying to force feed a Huge expansion without a vote at taxpayer expense, through "smoke and mirrors" financing.
ReplyDeleteThis is particularly galling at a time when it is least affordable by the typical taxpayer.
Have a crummy day "commissioners"
I was struck by comments by Steve Jett, the Director of the Juvenile facility. If I got it right the numbers for juvenile lock ups are down by about 40% from where they were just a few years ago. Juvenile probation numbers are down by about 200 from a high of 700. This phenomenon is not unique to Canyon County but is a trend noted all over the United States.
ReplyDeleteI would therefore conclude this same trend will move into the adult population in the near future. Things like birth control and fewer unwanted children, big cities are seeing upwards of 48% of people living alone...less domestic violence,etc. There is a sociological paradigm shift in the way people are living these days and the ripple is impacting society at all levels. Lower crime rates in one huge benefit.
Do we really need more and bigger jail space or is there another way of dealing with societal problems. The Sheriff states they have over 800 people on alternative sentencing. I view that as a positive thing over building more brick and mortar to house non-violent offenders. Crime rates continue to drop and we have about seven times more people in prisons and jais than the next closest country for a comparison.
Yet again our elected officials have found a way to do an end run around the voters . It seems to me that the people who have to pay the bill should have the chance to approve or disapprove how our tax money is spent. We were able to remove 1 city council member in Nampa who just couldn't understand that concept. Mr. Ferdinand and Mr. Rule both come up for election this fall, I hope we can have similar sucess replaceing them.
ReplyDeleteThe out of town promoters are back in Caldwell. The developers, consulting firms, engineers, and all the others that need to feed at the public trough are courting the Mayors and Commisioners like a jock going for the Homecoming Queen! It is the property tax payer who will pay in the end!
ReplyDeleteThey just don,t get it, we do not have the monies to support all the law breakers this county has. Do this end-a-round the tax payer and it will be pay back time come the elections, who do they think pays all the bills for this county, it might be the TAX PAYER, do you think.
ReplyDeleteTook a trip to Caldwell this week. Caldwell is getting to look like one of those rural ghost towns in Idaho that has been brought up in the news lately. When the train went through, it must have been going 50mph. Not even the train stops there anymore. So, where is the county dream team going to come up with the money to fund their pipe dream projects? Can't get blood out of a turnip.
ReplyDelete