IPT Candidate Forums and Election Coverage

THE GUARDIAN may not agree with all of the endorsements made by the IPT for this election cycle but one thing for certain is they have done a great job of getting candidates to answer difficult questions.

The format of one question and 450 words to answer and state a position on a given question was super for those following the election process. THE GUARDIAN has heard that the candidates too liked the opportunity to express their positions on the questions posed by the local paper and having more than a few words to answer complex questions on issues.

Again, I would like to thank Vickie Holbrook and the IPT for hosting and moderating the candidate forums and keeping the questions and answers moving forward. You can go online and hear just about every question and answer put to the candidates on the Press Tribune website.

Lack of Planning Continues to be A Festering Pimple for Citizens

The Expertology people in elected offices (and appointed positions) are running out of wriggle room. The growing dissatisfaction echoed on the radio talk shows and newspapers with all levels of government from the state to the local levels is the manifestation of past and present lack of Urban Planning and building sustainable communities. Models for good growth and 20/20 hindsight issues abound. However, elected officials and Deciders remain adamant about sticking their heads in the sand and ignoring the problems as well as opportunities as we grow in this valley.

The County Deciders have managed to box themselves into a corner with the jail, licensing offices, courtroom space, rural development and transportation corridor issues. They have managed to ignore all of the aforementioned items for years and years. The current crop of Canyon County Deciders want all of us to join the "reactive management bandwagon". The question is and remains .... Where's The Plan?

At the City of Caldwell level we are all going to get to view the latest set of "pretty pictures" put together by the Oppenheimer Group on the 29th of this month. City Deciders shelled out another $50,000.00 on top of the $140,000.00 paid out for the dust collecting Leland Report on top of yet another report put together by Sheri Mckibben and Diane Kushlan before that. We are going to get more blather that a new city hall will be a catalyst for economic development in downtown Caldwell. What is the real solution..take a good hard look at what happened with the city of Boise. The CCDC went in and bought up the properties and leveled the sites in preparation for "economic development". Their Comp Plan demanded that government offices be located in downtown. Economic growth stemmed from the need for other services once the government office deal took off.

What needs to be done? We need a set of folks in elected offices that really understand the ramifications of not having a well thought out plan for growth and the concept of SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES. Urban Planning and a high degree of cooperation and "future vision" at all levels of elected government (especially with Canyon County, Caldwell and Nampa). Another subdivision with culdesacs and a commute to Boise for a job is not "sustainable" now or into the future. You can't build nor can we afford this approach as we move forward in this century.

Think about the transportation mess this valley has right now. We have a transportation corridor called I-84 that was designed to handle the needs local population of around 60,000 people built 50 years ago. Not much has happened with this vital link since it was originally built. Now, after all of the neglect and not paying attention to growth or having a plan, we are going to audit IDT for waste and duplication of effort. Probably a good idea but it won't generate the cash to solve the problems that we should have been addressing early on in this mess. Those in elected offices have failed in thier fiduciary obligations to taxpayers to make certain all growth pays for itself. Impact fee laws are very poorly written to actually be of any help to local government unless they jump through the hoops and strictures put there by developers who helped in writing these laws.

Next, we have Canyon County government. These folks have consistently granted conditional use permits that are in juxtaposition to our County Comprehensive Plan goals and objectives. We have small developments out in the middle of rural farm ground used for seed crop production creating a nightmare for the seed production people. No thought given to the possibility that a backyard vegetable plot may ruin hundreds of acres of seed crops. Pollen follows the wind currents and will pollenate at will seed crops of a like gene pool. Add to that, fragile and inadequate farm to market roads that are now under vehicle pressures they were never designed to handle and we have another mess. Again, No Plan and No Political will to make growth pay for itself from the deciders at the county level. The current crop of Commishes continue overturning staff and Planning and Zoning Commission decisions on a regular basis. Developers consider the appeal process as a cost of doing business and that they will prevail at the Commish and city council levels, if not they simply lodge a huge civil lawsuit in order to get thier way.

Developers continue to dodge impact fees at city levels. Now we are all get to reap the results of NO PLAN for sustainable growth and no political will. We are all going to have to clean up the wreckage left behind for want of some clear Urban Planning via more property taxes.

Elected deciders at all levels have failed to develop plans for growth and have not taken full advantage of the Idaho Land Use Planning Act. Add to that city ordinances that are outdated and weak or not understood by anyone. Most of them probably have no idea of the contents of their land use laws. Accommodating developers at any cost to the people of the community is how we have operated.

To be sure, the State Legislature made enactment of impact fees a real challenge for local government but they also have the power to change these poorly written laws before the next round of growth hits this valley.

We have an election on the 27th of this month and an opportunity to reverse the myopic history of planning, building sustainable communities and general lack of forward thinking that has been condoned for far too long. We should all make the effort to nail down where candidates stand on vital planning issues. Otherwise, we simply get more of the same.

If anyone actually thinks more subdivisions with culdesacs and a commute to Boise is sustainable, they too live in a fantasy world. We can't tax ourselves enough nor can be build roads wide enough or fast enough to accommodate this line of thinking as we move forward.

Commishes Are Defendants in Citizen Lawsuit on Jail Project

THE GUARDIAN was notified late this afternoon a civil complaint has been filed in Third Judicial District Court against the Canyon County Commissioners for violations of Article 8 Section 3 of the Idaho Constitution and Idaho Judicial Confirmation Laws. The filing was made by attorney Dick Harris who is representing the plaintiffs in this matter. The following is a summary of that filing:

1. The Plaintiff's are asking the court to determine if the payments and expenditures to purchase the jail property, engineering, and architectural and other expenses to design/bid/build a jail facility on Hwy 20/26 are violations of the Idaho Constitution and county budget procedures. County has incurred debts and liabilities beyond one budget cycle and have essentially obligated taxpayers without their consent. (Reads no bond election in this matter.)

2. If the purchases, contracts for service and other matters should be declared void.

3. Whether the Commishes should have to seek Judicial Confirmation of any further expenditures related to the jail project.

4. Plaintiffs are also seeking reasonable attorney fees and costs incurred in this action.

5. They are also asking for other and further relief as the Court deems just and proper in the premises stated above.

The assigned judge in this matter is Honorable Raneae J. Hoff Third Judicial District Judge. Mr. Harris has also gone before the judge asking for an injunction to stop all further expenditures and activity on the jail project.

THE GUARDIAN believes there was an Order to Show Cause Motion Hearing with Judge Hoff late this afternoon. Not sure of all the legalities here but the ROA report shows a Motion to "Show Cause Why Preliminary Injunction Should Not Issue Directed to Canyon County". In the ROA (record of action) file there is a memorandum in Support of Temporary Preliminary Injunction.

IPT "Pillow Fight" Candidate Forum Report

THE GUARDIAN attended the candidate forum at the Nampa City Council Chambers last night. It was very well moderated by Vickie Holbrook and everyone was for the most part very polite to one another.

Key question was asked by MS. Holbrook. Going forward should there be a bond election on any further money spent on the jail project. Every candidate except for Steve Rule and Dave Young agreed, there should be a vote of the public before any further money is spent on this project.

The next issue that THE GUARDIAN keyed on was the 287(g) training opportunity not taken by Sheriff Smith. George Nourse wants the training for all field and jail deputy staff so they can detain and turn illegals over to the ICE people when they are stopped in the field. This can't happen now when a car load of illegals are pulled over in the field. If they pull up a foreign ID or voter registration card nothing can happen due to the lack of training.

Sheriff Smith is content to have ICE agents in his jail Monday-Friday during regular daylight hours (and not there on holidays and weekends). The opportunity missed here is to hold and deport those that are brought into the jail after normal working hours or who are pulled over in the daily rountine of a field stop after hours. If these people bond out they are effectively out of the reach of the ICE people. Training under the 287(g) program would allow holding and deporting of these people. This is a huge difference in thinking between the two sheriff candidates.

It was pretty much a polite "pillow fight" and well moderated by Vickie Holbrook who asked the question about bonding any further expenses on the jail project.

THE GUARDIAN would suggest that the candidates running for Prosecutor take the time for a quick read of Article 8 sec. 3 of the Idaho Constitution and rethink if the county is in violation of that as well as Idaho Judicial Confirmation laws.

This question will be put to a judge when the citizen lawsuit is filed. Have they created a long term debt or obligation beyond one budget cycle on the jail project. History of expenditures to date and what they are headed for by not completing the project this year suggest that they are in violation of these laws.

Manpower for jail to cost $1,721,653.00

THE GUARDIAN has obtained a copy of the manpower request turned in by Sheriff Smith. The request is for thirty-seven new positions if the jail opens. The positions requested are as follows:
INMATE CONTROL,
(6) Customer Service Specialists

(25) Deputy Sheriff's

COURTS AND TRANSPORTS,
(5 Deputy Sheriff's

MEDICAL SERVICES,
(1) Registered Nurse

TOTAL COSTS FOR ALL OF THE ABOVE NEW HIRES $1,721,653.00

Seems odd that they do not have any positions for Kitchen help, Laundry/Supply people, LPN's to cover two shifts/day seven days a week. The information obtained that has the heading "BUDGET"NEW POSITION REQUEST AND UPGRADES for the FISCAL YEAR 2008 is the county document where this information came from. Bottom line is that the manpower requests look low in actual numbers that will be needed to operate this new jail once it comes on line.

It will be interesting to hear what Sheriff Smith has to say at the candidate forums about this.

Deciders post cost at $7.8MM for "temporary jail" on county website

THE GUARDIAN has noted a new informational posting on the Canyon County website. Word is that the Chief Civil Deputy Chuck Sari got this information posted as a move to head off the citizen lawsuit against the county that will be filed today.

You too can view the elevations, site plan and floor plan on the county website. I have included the floor plan for your information. Please take note that virtually every function that is carried out at the current jail will be duplicated at this temproray jail project. Laundry, kitchen, medical exam room, admin offices etc.

Mini-Jail you complete us, for only $7.8 million bucks! The county website indicates this will be the total cost but we are unsure of the accounting used here. The numbers have been all over the place and no agreement between Mr. Beebe, the Sheriff and Commissioner Rule on if this is a permenent jail or temproary given what has been stated on the record at candidate forums and the state of the county address last month.

Sheriff Smith has stated publicly that it will only take four people to run this facility! It would seem prudent that we get a clear fix on the operational costs as well as the manpower/manning table to help us all understand the true costs of running this facility. Again, we get the "CONE OF SILENCE" on figures relating to these costs.

The lawsuit gets filed today if all goes according to plan and at the very latest sometime this week. You have to ask youself if this is an "ordinary and necessary" expense for the taxpayers of Canyon County or should this have been put to a vote of the folks that get to pay the bills. Forget all the blather about a citizens committe...they left out the all important step of taxpayer confirmation for this expense. It is called a BOND ELECTION something the Commishes seem to forget about on a regular basis on just about everything they have purchased or built over the past several years.

The County Deciders are shoving this down our throats without any ballot box confirmation on the project. A clean sweep of the first floor elected officials needs to happen this election cycle.

New Caldwell Schools Will Meet LEEDS Silver Certificaton

THE GUARDIAN is pleased to report that the new Vanburen and Washington schools that will be built will meet LEEDS Silver Certification requirements. What does this mean? Quite simply that the notion of "sustainable" in the application of building construction will be applied when these new schools are designed and built. The operational costs will not be a low ball deal. Heating, cooling and ventilation issues as well as other factors will be built into these facilities with a quantifiable net savings over the usual "quick and dirty" on operational costs over the life of the buildings.

The Caldwell School District has really done their homework on this effort and are to be commended. The schools will be located on the east end of Marble Front Road for the Vanburen project and the Washington School replacement will be at the intersection of Alder and Montana.

Now all we have to do is get the same level of planning and commitment from the City of Caldwell and the Canyon County Deciders in their efforts for new construction projects in the city and county. LEEDS certification has and continues to enjoy a very low priority with city and county deciders based on performance to date.

Jail or Warehouse? Beebe and Rule Can't Agree ..Where's the Plan?

THE GUARDIAN has been following the pablum getting spoon fed to the public on the Hwy. 20/26 jail/warehouse project. On the 29th of April at the state of the county program Commissioner Matt Beebe called it a temporary jail and will be a warehouse just as soon as they can muster the votes to pass a bond for $80,000,000.00 to build a mega jail facility. Also no mention of the operational costs and manpower costs for this facility has been made by any of the deciders that get to spend our money.

Now comes the County Commissioner Forums and Commissioner Steve Rule who is running for another term of office against Jim Rice and he says it will be a permanent jail.

Costs for this project in defined terms that the taxpayers can understand have never been consistent. The numbers are all over the place from a low of $3 million dollars to a high of $15 million depending on who is speaking at the podium or chairing the meeting.

It is time for the County Deciders to level with the public set a budget and stick to the numbers they budget. An answer to the costs for this project have not been defined and where the money to date has been spent a mystery. Canyon County has no line item for capital projects in their budget. They pull money out of the mattress after they decide how much to spend while in EXECUTIVE SESSION. No minutes, no record and no input or oversight from the taxpayers.

An audit of this project and the defined/budgeted costs are owed to the public. Transparency is sorely lacking on this project.

Word on the street is that the Citizen Lawsuit over incurring long term debt with this project with no vote of the taxpayers will hit the courthouse on Monday May 12th. It will be interesting to see how this moves through the Canyon County Courts and if the local judges disqualify themselves.

We continue with NO PLAN, no information, no oversight, and no agreement on just what the end product will really be in the final analysis. The only thing for sure is we are all going to get stuck paying the bills for the decisions that are made in the room we never get to see.

More Pretty Pictures Scheduled for Caldwell Downtown Meeting

THE GUARDIAN has learned the city deciders have paid out yet another $50,000.00 to the Oppenheimer Development Group to put a "Plan" together for downtown Caldwell. Given all the constraints Mr. Oppenheimer has encountered like no political will ( andvery little cash), no vision, coupled with recalcitrant property owners, downtown Caldwell and the creek project may end up as a nice five block addition to the city park system. And the very nice people from Oppenheimer etal pack up because they can't get anything started in Caldwell.

The $50K given to the Oppenheimer Group will be simply a pretty picture presentation of the possibilities of what could potentially happen and nothing to do with reality. THE GUARDIAN has distilled it down to the City Deciders having one and only one location for the new city hall project with no other sites really in consideration. Add to the mix the fact actual willing sellers of downtown grid property are pretty much ignored by the city for development projects. Let's not forget about those people really interested in downtown virtually marginalized by city deciders for their "out of the box" thinking.

Add to all of the aforementioned the use of imminent domain off the table for property acquisition. And a healthy mix of property owners wanting to retire to the Bahamas or Florida on the sale of derelict buildings. We have the "perfect storm" for nothing ever going to happen in terms of economic development in downtown Caldwell.

What do we have? Quite simply, we will get another pretty set of photos and a report that we can add to the Leland report that cost $140,000 and this one that cost $50,000.00 and a five block extension of the city park system.

THE GUARDIAN has arrived at the conclusion the city decider folks are more or less like stopped clocks, they do absolutely nothing and can be right at least twice a day. There is currently budgeted $3MM in urban renewal monies for downtown Caldwell over the next two years. (Supported in the budget of the Caldwell East Urban Renewal Agency, obtained via a public records request.) It would seem reasonable that if you want to start down the "yellow brick road" blight has to be removed first. To that end it would seem prudent, as property comes up for sale, the urban renewal monies go to buy this property and it get flattened and cleared, no matter where the location in the downtown grid. Then, if someone comes in, a clean palette exists in a lot of different areas of the downtown grid. The possibilities dramatically open up for economic development in a wide variety of locations. All the eggs are not in one basket.

Additionally, people wanting to sell can take advantage of the City bids for their property (or not) but removal and clearance of blight marches forward clearing the way for progress and a revitalized downtown Caldwell. However, this does not mitigate the need for a "plan" and developers held to the parameters of the "plan".

A meeting is scheduled for the 29th of May at the Caldwell Center for the Arts (the old Catholic Church for most of us). The Oppenheimer Group will give us the update on their progress or lack thereof along with some more pretty pictures of the possibilities.

Mr. Oppenheimer and his people have to be very frustrated with what is going on and the lack of progress along with those of us that would like to see an actual plan that sets the agenda for downtown Caldwell. Not many cities get the opportunity to reinvent themselves and the City Deciders have simply not seized this opportunity to redefine Caldwell as a unique city in the Northwest as a model of what can happen with a New Urbanist Planning and LEEDS standards for redevelopment.

The city deciders appear to be content to let things unfold as they may in the absence of a much needed plan.

What this election cycle is all about at the county level

THE GUARDIAN along with some other folks has come to appreciate that this election for people that will hold positions on the first floor of the Canyon County Courthouse is all about two issues for the most part.

1. A vote for Steve Rule and Chris Smith is an endorsement of the new jail project three miles out of town and the consolidation of the car and drivers license offices in the old Job Service building. Reads...we like the direction these folks are taking things and want more of it. This side offers the most expensive option for more jail space.

2. The other side of the issues is Former Sheriff George Nourse and Jim Rice as well as those that oppose the jail project and license office consolidation that are running to fill the open seat created by the departure of Matt Beebe. These people feel this is wrongheaded and want to build a jail project next to the exisiting jail, and have license offices in downtown Caldwell and Nampa. This side offers a less expensive option for more jail space.

The Hwy. 20/26 jail project is about to hit the courts as a violation of Judicial Confirmation Law. The short version is that the county deciders went beyond one years budget cycle on this deal and have created a long term debt or obligation without a bond election or a judges approval.

The jail project was shot down by voters once in 2006. So the commishes pulled an end run around the voters with this "temporary jail" project. Nice try but the financing could not be done in one years budget cycle. So here we go off to the courts to get this resolved.

You can vote early at the elections and passports office at 11th and Chicago Street near the courthouse. Waiting until the 27th of May is not a requirement if you want to vote early.