How Urban Renewal Affects All Taxpayers What Happened Voting

The following is taken directly off the Canyon County Assessor's website:

How Urban Renewal Affects All Tax Payers
By Gene Kuehn, Canyon County Assessor

Any given tax district, such as the County, can cover properties both inside and outside of an urban renewal district. The tax district can only levy taxes on the base value of the portion of properties that are also in the urban renewal district. This creates a tax shift and causes levy rates to increase at a faster rate (or in some cases not decrease as much as it would have otherwise). This affect on the levy rate applies to all of the properties within the tax district whether or not they are located in an urban renewal district. This means each tax payer is responsible for providing a larger percentage of the tax district's budget.

THE GUARDIAN continues to hear local government talking heads present urban renewal as "free money" to audiences gullible enough to swallow this mis-information on how urban renewal is funded. Urban Renewal districts raise property taxes for ALL COUNTY TAXPAYERS, it forces levy rates to increase more quickly for all county taxpayers as it is a tax shift.

KBOI lead story in their news broadcast today (Monday 2-9) Caldwell to get a judge to approve revenue bonds for $11 million city hall project. Again a big financial move in hard times without a vote of the people on this debt obligation. A recent story in the local paper indicated the Mayor and the Urban Renewal Crew were going to seek at least an advisory vote on the city hall project.

Caldwell Police, Fire, EMS Should Consider Code 3 Issues

Boise Coppers To Cut Code 3 Responses
by Davd Frazier Feburary 5, 2009

If it seems like you can’t walk outside without hearing an emergency siren wailing, you are probably correct.

Boise coppers make more than 10,000 high speed responses in the past three years, but an estimated 38% of those adrenaline charged car races will be eliminated when a new set of rules go into effect by March 1.

Top copper Mike Masterson made a presentation to the City Council Tuesday detailing some of the reasons for cutting back on the lights and siren responses–often by two coppers at a time. The main reason is such a response is now needed and the risk to other motorists is too great to continue the practice.

Currently 911 dispatchers make the decision based on a “protocol” that is programmed into the computer aided dispatch system. Masterson and staff reviewed the types of calls and found that just on typical injury accident calls only a fraction of the calls are incapacitating injuries AND there are firemen and EMS medics also responding. So, instead of two coppers putting the pedal to the metal, only one gets the go fast assignment on injury accidents.

The new protocol is a drastic cutback on the numbers and speed of responses and should not compromise public safety in any way. One basic premise under the new plan is to “start slow” and increase use of lights and siren according to need rather than go fast “just in case.”

Here is an excerpt from the new rules:
Emergency responses shall be authorized only when one or more of the following emergency conditions exist or are believed to exist based upon reliable information:
• When the situation involves the imminent potential for serious injury or death to any person
• In order to prevent or halt a crime of violence
• When a serious public hazard exists
• When an emergency response will enhance the likelihood of apprehending a felony suspect
• When a critical incident or potentially major incident has not yet been stabilized by on-scene units

Command personnel, investigative personnel, and support staff responding to the scene of a critical or major incident shall only conduct an emergency response at the request of an officer on the scene.


In his report to the councilors, Masterson notes that liability from code 3 responses is one of the top risks for cities nationwide. Boise coppers crashed 13 times during code 3 runs over the past three years and he has increased the amount of driver training for emergency responses.

EDITOR NOTE:
I hear more sirens in Caldwell than I have ever experienced in cities many times the size of Caldwell. 10th Avenue is a constant source of siren noise that carries for many blocks in all directions. The subject of siren noise has been raised several times by THE GUARDIAN over the years to no avail. Hard to believe sirens are necessary in the wee hours of the morning and dark of the night. Lights can be seen a long way off. Most cars travel with the windows rolled up and radio on. Siren use needs to be rethought and some reasonable use determined for the peace and quit aspects of the community.

Uban Renewal and Ada County Courthouse Financing Scheme Tanks

By Sharon Ullman, Ada County Commissioner 2-5-2009

Final Piece of Courthouse Financing Scheme Crashes and Burns

In the 1990’s, Ada County taxpayers were told that a public/private partnership would be a means of acquiring a new courthouse at a discounted price. One of the subsidies that was supposed to offset a portion of the cost of paying off the courthouse bonds was parking revenue from the project on an ongoing basis.

Boise’s redevelopment agency, Capital City Development Corporation (CCDC), was intricately involved with the complex courthouse financing scheme. CCDC also owns and manages the majority of downtown parking facilities, including courthouse parking.

When the courthouse opened in early 2002, visitors were charged one dollar ($1) per hour for parking. Since then, CCDC has changed the fee structure for all of their parking facilities, including at the courthouse. They now provide the first hour of parking free, but have raised rates to $2.50 per hour.

Despite having increased their hourly parking rate a hundred and fifty percent since the courthouse opened, representatives of CCDC came to the Board last week to let my Commission colleagues and I know that revenues are lower than expected and they need more money to offset the cost of payments for the courthouse bond debt. CCDC wants either increased parking rates, or a payment each year from county taxpayers, to make up the deficit. When I asked the amount of the deficit, no one present at the meeting from CCDC was able to answer my question. What we do know, at this point, is that there is a deficit.

No matter how well intentioned at the time, no part of the much ballyhooed courthouse financing scheme worked as intended. The folks who fought against using “creative” financing (including former legislators Robert “Bob” Forrey, Jim Auld, Rachel Gilbert and Rod Beck) for a new Ada County courthouse were right. It didn’t work. Sadly, Ada County’s taxpayers are now paying the price.

The Business of Dealing With Death

THE GUARDIAN is in the midst of dealing with the death of my last surviving parent.

Despite pleas to make arrangements for a clean exit from life,many people will not deal with their finite mortality in a business like manner. Do your survivors a favor and get all your necessary information out where it can easily be found. Don't make this a scavenger hunt for the Executor of your estate.

This means in most cases all you financial information with account numbers with names and addresses of the various institutions. Boomers will be the oldest and largets generation to hit the checkout counter. Some of us are going to cross the ninth decade of life or more, some with grace and dignity but a lot of us will be dealing with dementia and all the indignities old age has to offer up until we suck our last breath of air. We will test the system as we die off and funding of entitlements gets the ultimate test during the next thirty years or so.

So here is the deal... Man up and start dealing with this stuff now. If you don't you will leave an unbelievable mess for your heirs to clean up. First on the list is make sure the taxman is paid and up to date. If not the IRS and the State will move on the assets like a pack of jackals with all manner of penalties and interest for taxes owed out of estate assets. They will get paid first before anything else gets paid.

Make sure your heirs know your social security number as well as your date of birth. And should you make funeral arrangements make sure they get enough copies of the death certificate. Don't ask me why but everybody having a financial arrangement with you will want one of these beauties to stuff in a file drawer. Don't be stingy get at least ten of these highly coveted documents so your executor or trustee can get stuff done.

Make it known where your tax records are and the preparer who did your tax returns. This along with the attorney you selected go a long way to help as well.

Last thought ..nobody gets out alive so deal with it in a way that will make your heirs proud. Think about assisted living and having some kind of a social life rather than hanging onto the notion of dying with your boots on in your own home. This is the fodder of the reverse mortgage industry and their nonsense about not taking your home when you run out of money. If you run out of money how will you stay in your home? They don't explain this one to you when they market this junk to old folks. Sell the place and get rid of the junk you no longer need or use and get into an environment where human contact is possible and decent food is on the menu.

Try to die broke but leave enough to deal with estate matters. It is the polite thing to do and your heirs will be most appreciative. If you have a trust have at least three designated as your trustee for the trust and or estate. You never know you may outlive them if they are too old when you pick them for the job. You might want to consider a grandchild for this job who is smart, honest and trustworthy. And make certain they are up to the task and are agreeable to do this for you.

Commishes Wisely Understand the Depth of Revenue Shortfall

Canyon County Commissioners met yesterday for a formal public review of budgets vs revenue streams. The picture is pretty bleak. Fee for services streams have all but dried up in certain areas of county government. The only stable revenue stream is the one we all hate the most...property taxes.

Shortfalls are feared to be $6.6 million and may even be worse as we move forward this budget year. The Commishes are to be congratulated for this proactive review of county finances. They now know what has to be done to avoid a financial "train wreck".

This is a severe financial downturn not experienced by local governments in my lifetime. Let's all hope local city governments can figure out what they too have to do to manage their financials.

Sales tax revenues are down 19% and revenue sharing is down 10% on top of the fee for services part of the county budgets. Local cities can't be in much better shape. It will be interesting to see how the mayors of Caldwell and Nampa react to the Canyon County revenue news in the local paper today. Will they take the necessary steps to get out in front of this mess or will they wait for the "train wreck" headed their way.

The days of plentiful tax dollars are at an end for the foreseeable future and along with that reality the days of "bling, baubles, and goodies" are over. Time for our elected officials to show some real leadership in guiding us through this mess.

Budgets vs. Revenues

THE GUARDIAN noted wthe great interest the budget and revenue meeting scheduled for 10:00 AM Monday morning. Does this mean the Commishes are actually going to take a look at what they budgeted last August against what is actually happening with revenue streams? (We can all live in hope this is the case.)

The Developmental Services Department projected a user fee revenue stream of nearly $80k per month last August. The sad truth is fees have been less than $20k/month of late. Other county functions tied to the real estate market bust can't be in much better shape. All we can hope for is our Elected Officials take a proactive approach to this issue and deal with it before they go broke.

We had a blow-up deal a while back with the County Treasurer because the Commishes could not understand the difference between having stuff budgeted and the money not actually there to spend. They forgot it has to be collected and in the bank before it can get spent.

Let's give them the benefit of the above hindsight and hope they deal with any budget shortfalls early on in the government process of managing their revenue streams.

Obama and Freedom of Information Policy, Too Much Secrecy

'Too much secrecy'
In an attempt to deliver on pledges of a transparent government, Obama said he would change the way the federal government interprets the Freedom of Information Act. He said he was directing agencies that vet requests for information to err on the side of making information public — not to look for reasons to legally withhold it — an alteration to the traditional standard of evaluation.

Just because a government agency has the legal power to keep information private does not mean that it should, Obama said. Reporters and public-interest groups often make use of the law to explore how and why government decisions were made; they are often stymied as agencies claim legal exemptions to the law.

"For a long time now, there's been too much secrecy in this city," Obama said.

He said the orders he was issuing Wednesday will not "make government as honest and transparent as it needs to be" nor go as far as he would like.

"But these historic measures do mark the beginning of a new era of openness in our country," Obama said. "And I will, I hope, do something to make government trustworthy in the eyes of the American people, in the days and weeks, months and years to come."

There is hope this new policy will trickle down in the Great State of Idaho to the local levels of our government. It will be interesting to see how Canyon County handles requests under Mr. Bujack. Already we are hearing good things on the Civi side of the Prosecutor's Office.

Idaho Economic Decline Deep in 2008 Will be Deeper 2009

Idaho Department of Labor January 2009 Issue / November 2008 Data
C.L. “BUTCH” OTTER, GOVERNOR ROGER B. MADSEN, DIRECTOR
ECONOMIC DECLINE DEEPER THAN EXPECTED IN 2008,
EVEN DEEPER IN 2009

The economic slowdown that was anticipated through 2008 was clearlydeeper than expected. This full-blown recession is mirroring the unemployment pattern of the 2001recession. But non farm jobs, which stalled but did not decline during the 2001 recession and its aftermath, have been dropping steadily since last spring and will continue falling behind year-earlier levels while the unemployment rate escalates through much of 2009. In December 2007 Idaho had the lowest unemployment rate in the nation at 2.7 percent.

There may have been some question about the quality of the jobs the economy was generating. But based on the fact that help-wanted signs were just about everywhere, there was no question that there were jobs for people who wanted to work.The change over the past year could not be more stark.

By December 2008 Idaho’s unemployment rate had shot up nearly four full percentage points to 6.6 percent. It was up nine-tenths of a point from November, when 18 other states had lower unemployment rates and the economy was beginning to shed jobs at a serious rate. No other state saw an unemployment rate increase as great as Idaho’s on a percentage basis, and only two states – Rhode Island and North Carolina – posted increases of more than Idaho’s three percentage points from November 2007 to November 2008.

For the first time ever, the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund paid more than $6 million a week in benefits during the first three weeks of December, $7.5 million in the last week, $9 million in the first week of January and over $10 million in the second.

Non farm unemployment in Canyon County now stands at 7.9%, compared to 2.7% December 2007. Working people are already having to deal with all this bad news. Let's hope the local at state elected politicos don't make any serious blunders to exacerbate this situation further. Mr. Otter understands the dire straights Idaho is in and has delivered the message quite well in his State of the State address. The local politicos continue to be worrisome with their tax and spend ways.

Clean, Paint, Maintain as You Go!

THE GUARDIAN read the IPT article in the Saturday edition about Canyon County Jail problems and noted the photos used as visual aids. The finger pointing is now well underway on how and why a public asset got to this stage of neglect.

Nothing in the list sent by the Jail Commander up the line has anything to do with needing a new facility. THE GUARDIAN would offer the management need only to look at any US Naval ship or other military installation for a benchmark model on how to maintain assets. Military ships, barracks, airplanes, tanks, trucks, and equipment are many years old before they are relegated to the scrap pile.

Cleaning, painting and maintenance are constant activities to keep all their stuff ready for deployment and a moments notice. A jail is not unlike a ship. The crews live on board and all cleaning, painting and maintenance is done with the crew living in their assigned quarters. Rarely does a crew of a ship live anywhere but on the ship. Even in dry dock and yard overhaul cycles crews must live on board. Everything gets done and the work gets done. As a practical matter the need to house inmates elsewhere while cleaning and painting takes place does has the ring of "weak sauce" to anyone who spent any time in the military services of our great country.

The finger pointing needs to stop and the resources applied to get the cleaning, painting and maintenance issues addressed. The likelihood of a bond passing is not good given the information presented in the media and the state of the economy.

It will be interesting to see what the official response to the ACLU lawsuit will be from the Commishes and the Sheriff. The media needs to give these folks a full court press on the issues of neglect and poor maintenance of our public assets.

Atrificial Reality or Real World Economy You Decide

THE GUARDIAN read with interest Mayor Nancolas' State of the City Address summary in the local papers. Mayor Nancolas has consistently over promised and under delivered on substance of his speeches. The Mayor does a great job of making us all feel good but where is all of this going without benefit of a defined plan and cash to carry out any plan that may be waiting in the wings?

We continue forward without a defined plan for downtown despite having spent over $300,000 on various planning efforts over the years. The need for a new city hall (aka Catalyst Project) is questionable given everyone already has office space. TVCC is another questionable "want" given the state of enrollments at the College of Western Idaho and other higher education and post secondary facilities in the valley. CWI is nowhere near their expected enrollment for the spring 2009 semester.

Has anyone asked the taxpayers of Caldwell if they want to fund yet another community college and be double taxed for this? Have any citizen commission studies been done to certify the need for this expansion effort? The only known about this is the TVCC building plan was hatched by our Urban Renewal board and the ground breaking ceremony out at Sky Ranch. Are we now on plan "B" with the shift to downtown Caldwell as the new site of choice. How was this decision made and who were the players? Where is the COMMUNITY CONSENSUS BUILDING with this effort?

A unilateral move by the Mayor and Urban Renewal Director mirror the GAZEBO snafu we had last spring. The Mayor assured everyone "this would never happen again". Here we are in a new year and the latest end run around the public process is the TVCC project for downtown. We were promised a CONSENSUS BUILDING effort out of city hall on projects funded by tax dollars. This simply has not been the case once again.

THE GUARDIAN noted the statement at the end of the article in the local paper the levy rate would not increase due to this financial boondoggle. Reason is Urban Renewal is not a part of the city but they siphon off $6 million a year from the property tax base. Their levy rate is the same as the city levy rate. It is called ..hide the ball, three card Monty or any other con game.

Where is the MASTER PLAN FOR DOWNTOWN? The last decent example of a formal plan is the Leland Report costing $140,000. It got relegated to the heap of other studies and reports. We have been living in artificial reality and are now in a economic crisis with failing economy and falling tax revenues, Team Garret and his crew can't seem to understand what that means to the average worker and taxpayer. One in fifteen workers in Idaho is now unemployed.

They really don't care because property taxes can't be avoided by property owners without dire consequences to their property ownership rights. Housing is imploding and the financial journals abound predicting the commercial sector will be the next real estate sector to go down in flames.

Our elected politicos need to follow the example of Governor Butch Otter and pull in their horns and stop all wasteful spending. The "ARTIFICIAL REALITY" we have been living in for the past decade has evaporated. Governor Otter seems to understand this new financial reality and has outlined a harsh new future for Idaho in his State of the State address this week.

New buildings are great. However, they are not free. Urban Renewal is once again proving itself to be an abusive mechanism to get around voters. Transparency and openness with Urban Renewal is nearly non existent. Minutes of meetings are not publish nor are they posted on the city website.

Forbes Magazine just named Boise (and by association this entire valley) one of the 25 weakest housing markets in the United States. Check out the article in the Idaho Business Review online. We need a serious attitude adjustment in our thinking about spending and tax spending now that all the growth has vanished. We are broke and the elected politicos have yet to figure this out. Mr. Otter figured this out last summer.

Last comment is the Veterans Administration building noted in the paper today will not be a "hospital". They may build a outpatient clinic at some point in the future. Don't know who got it wrong but a hospital is not the correct language.
We can all hope the current parking regulations take into account the need for an abundance of handicap parking when the VA clinic site is finally selected. Our Veterans deserve this consideration due to the above average levels of mobility impaired veterans. VA clinics and hospitals do not have nearly enough handicap parking spaces. Walkers, wheelchairs and crutches are used by this group much more than you would normally expect. Current parking schedules do not reflect this need.