Canyon County Commishes Urge to Splurge

We learn this week about the plan to start spending more taxpayer dollars.  THE GUARDIAN broke this story a while back about CEURA sending $10.4 MM of taxpayer cash to Canyon County.  Also mentioned was a new administrative building in the works. The local paper finally dug further and has done a very good job of getting Canyon Commishes on the record as well as the "plan" out to those who will be paying the bills.

Commissioners would not listen to citizens on their choice of jail projects and three bond issues have failed miserably.  Instead of calling in critics of their jail efforts to participate in the process; they paid $50K for yet another consultant to give them a nicely bound document full of very nice photos, charts and diagrams.

Canyon County Commissioners will receive a revenue stream from CEURA in the amount of $1.3 MM a year for eight years when CEURA sunsets in 2014.  They can do anything they wish with this revenue stream and it looks like we're headed for a shiny new county administrative office building costing taxpayers $8.9MM and not voter participation in this decision.  The tone of the article appears they intend to leverage the cash flow from CEURA into and "easy pay plan" in violation of Article 8 Sec. 3 of the Idaho Constitution, rather than use a bond election or waiting until they have the cash to pay in full.  The building will be 41,000 SF and will sit in the current parking lot in front of 1115 Albany St.

Step C of the plan calls for a 65,000 SF addition to the county jail.  It would require demolition and removal of the $3MM recently constructed TENT structure on the corner of 12th and Chicago Streets. The TENT was put up in 2005 and our Commissioners at the time said it would last 30 years.

Commissioners have spent over $2MM for the property out on 20/26 and I-84 and an additional $1MM or so on engineering and plans for this site.  They have mentioned nothing about selling this property before hopscotching to a jail next to the current courthouse.  Add to this is the property owned by the Fair Board out on 20/26 and Madison area.

Public meetings are scheduled for taxpayer inputs and you can read more in the IPT article published this past Thursday.  Here's a link http://www.idahopress.com/news/local/proposal-build-new-jail-next-to-canyon-county-courthouse/article_0cb3c8a0-6f2a-11e1-843b-0019bb2963f4.html

HB 495 Dies In Senate Committee Id. Land Board Will Buy Up More Businesses

Bill to stop Land Board business purchases dead after no motion in Senate panel

By Dustin Hurst March 14th, 2012

Silence.

Deafening and bill-killing silence.

That’s what backers of a bill to stop the state Land Board from buying and running businesses were treated to after testimony concluded on their measure to end the practice. After two days of testimony on House Bill 495, senators killed the measure because no motion was made on the measure.

Committee chair Monty Pearce, R-New Plymouth, ruled the bill held after a few minutes of silence.

Last year, an identical bill fell on deaf ears when a House committee chair refused to hear it, saying it was not needed. This year, the measure cleared the House on a 63-3 vote before being muted in the Senate panel.

The legislation was pitched by Reps. John Vander Woude, R-Nampa, and Grant Burgoyne, D-Boise. In testimony Monday, the duo noted that when the state buys a private business, local governments, including schools, are hurt because the property is taken off tax rolls. Vander Woude, a business owner himself, said that government purchase of businesses unfairly harms the free market because government doesn't pay the same taxes and fees private companies do. “Any business will have a difficult time competing with all these disadvantages against it,” warned Vande Woude.

Vander Woude also opposed the practice on ideological grounds. “What’s the proper role of government?” he asked. “To be in direct competition with the private sector?”

The bill was spurred by the Idaho Department of Lands’ (IDL) 2010 purchase of a commercial storage rental facility in Boise. The business, Affordable Storage, cost the department $2.7 million. The legislation would have forced the agency to sell the business and not buy any more companies.

IDL director Tom Schultz, speaking on behalf of his department and the Land Board, opposed the legislation, explaining that the storage facility purchase meets the panel’s responsibility to maximize returns. While critics have argued commercial properties have returned little more than 1 percent through the last 10 years, Schultz says Affordable Storage has returned about 8 percent since its purchase.

“We’re trying to carry out our constitutional duties,” Schultz said. “The returns on this investment have outpaved anything else that we’ve done.”

The Land Board voted 3-1 last week to oppose the legislation. The panel suggested any legislative attempt to control the board’s authority might be unconstitutional. Attorney General Lawrence Wasden was there in opposition to the legislation, which is key because he could have sued the Legislature over the bill.

Schultz rebuffed criticism that the investment strategy is socialism. “We don’t directly run the businesses,” he said. “That’s all done through third parties. We pay for professional services to run those commercial assets.”

But Jason Hancock, representing Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna, the lone dissenter, in the board’s vote, said that allowing the state to buy businesses could be a slippery slope that lawmakers shouldn’t pursue.

To make his point, Hancock suggested the state buy and run some McDonald’s restaurants to make some money. “They seem to make money all the time,” Hancock said. “They never go out of business.”

County Will Get $10.4 Million When Caldwell URA Sunsets In 2014

Caldwell East Urban Renewal will sunset in 2014 and nearly all the cash from diverted property taxes save what is owed for  bonding debts will go back to local taxing districts.  Canyon County will get $1.3 MM a year for the next eight years for a total of $10.4 Million.  The plans for spending this cash are already in the mill.

THE GUARDIAN received a copy of the plan and here is a summary of
"Option 1":




1.  Consolidate Nampa Annex Court in Caldwell Courthouse

2.  Relocate 25,255 SF for Commissioners, Treasurer, Assessor and Development Services to lease space and renovate vacated space for Courts.  A new building is going to be built in the current parking lot in front of 1115 Albany.  This will eat up a substantial portion of the $10.4 MM

3. Construct a new 45 bed Juvenile Detention Facility on site adjacent to existing Juvenile facility. Cost will be something less than $1MM.

4.  Old juvenile facility to become an adult women's detention unit.  Costs to be determined.

5.  Tear down the existing maintenance shop and combine this into the Fleet Complex area.

Anyone interested in the full PDF of this is welcome to ask for it via a public records request to Canyon County.  You will need to ask for ... Canyon County Government/Justice Facility Master Planning Presentation Materials dated Friday, January 20, 2011.  It is a power point program with 40 slides and over 6 mb in size.  Here's a link to the County website page.  Use the County Commissioners records request and not the one for the Sheriff  http://www.canyonco.org/Search/?q=commissioner%20public%20records%20request&oq=commissioner%20public%20records%20request&aq=f&aql=1&gs_sm=3&gs_upl=6009l17890l0l19433l47l39l2l2l2l0l459l5460l2-12.4.3l19l0&gs_l=partner.3...6009l17890l0l19433l47l39l2l2l2l0l459l5460l2-12j4j3l19l0.gsnos%2Cn%3D13.1

School Levy Elections Tuesday March 13

Sunday, March 11th, Taken from the Boise Guardian by David R. Frazier

A bunch of school levy elections set for Tuesday because the Idaho Legislature has shifted much of the cost of education to property owners while proclaiming legislators have “held the line” on tax hikes. They may have held the line, but only with a massive tax shift back to local school districts.

While there is plenty of room to manipulate the figures, we were struck that annual per–pupil expenditures ranged from $4,769 in Meridian to $7,733 in Caldwell. Boise School District spends $7,400 per student. Which begs the questions: “Are Caldwell kids nearly twice as smart as Meridian’s students? OR “Are Meridian’s administrators nearly twice as efficient as Boise’s?”

Our constitution and laws are intended to leave the education of our students and administration of public schools up to “local control.” Board members serve without pay and administer budgets equal to the cities and counties in which they exist.

Here's a link to the Statesman story on school bond elections and financial data... http://www.idahostatesman.com/2012/03/10/2030545/treasure-valley-school-levies.html

Here's another link from the Boise Weekly on School District Financial and student data and probably one of the best of the lot.  http://www.boiseweekly.com/boise/by-the-numbers-how-the-treasure-valleys-school-districts-add-up/Content?oid=2489750

Tom Dale Entertains City Employees With Lunch On Taxpayers

THE GUARDIAN read in the IPT today Tom Dale thinks buying lunch for Nampa City employees at his February state of the city address.  City Councilman Bob Henry has raised concerns about spending $1,500.00 of taxpayer money for 102 city employees to have lunch on Nampa taxpayers.

The City of Caldwell used to host a Christmas dinner party for Caldwell City employees to the tune of $10,000.00 until THE GUARDIAN pointed out Idaho Attorney General Opinion 78-44 states:

"Question Presented:
     You asked if it was proper for public employees to use public funds for expendatures for Christmas parties


Conclusion:
     Without express authority, a municipal corporation smay not appropriate the public revenue for celebrations, entertainments, sports and games, etc. Such power cannot be implied, McQuillin on Municipal Corporations, Vol. 18, ss39.22, p55."


The City of Caldwell has wisely ceased any spending of pubic monies for Christmas parties and other functions like the State of the City Address by Mayor Nancolas when AG Opinion 78-44 was pointed out to city officials.  Meanwhile Mayor Dale has exempted himself from following the Idaho Attorney General Opinion on use of public tax dollars for parties.


Nampa Councilman Bob Henry's instincts are correct in this matter as well as his observations about funding city employees lunch at taxpayer expense is just plain wrong.  THE GUARDIAN would like to applaud Councilman Henry's observation on a free lunch for Nampa City employees is simply not the right thing to do nor is it the right message to be sending to taxpayers.  


Here's a link to the IPT story on the $1,500.00 lunch:  http://www.idahopress.com/news/local/nampa-spends-on-employee-lunches/article_2908c6a2-6a7c-11e1-a000-001871e3ce6c.html

US NAVY Will Give Breathalyzer Tests to Sailors

Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, has announced the 21st Century Sailor and Marine Initiative.  Secretary Mabus has recognized the sophistication of the Navy and Marine Corps has made it necessary to take action with respect to alcohol, drugs and tobacco usage.

It was first noted yesterday and again in the Wall Street Journal today, the new initiative will top require drug and alcohol testing of all Naval personnel.  Added to this will be a cessation of cheap smokes sold on base exchanges. (Back in the day when I was in the Navy, smokes were $1.10/carton. Today they sell for around 5% less than the going rate locally.)

SECNAV, Mabus noted in the article 13-20% of Commanding Officer firings were related to alcohol.  Also, a part of the 21st Century program will be smoking cessation programs for those wishing to quit smoking.  Alcohol consumption in a responsible manner by those of a legal age will not be a part of this program.  Synthetic marijuana as well as all illegal drugs will be a focus of the program via urine testing.  The sophistication and need for personnel to be at their best will be the focus of the program.

Note: In the article it references a 10 month deployment of USS Battan,  the ship was not at sea that long just away from home port that long.  A real strain on family and personal lives of the these service members. Normal time at sea was around 60-70 days years ago before we hit a port for some decompression time.  Shipboard days can add up to 18 hours a day and can be a real grind.

Here's a link for more info... http://www.mycenturylink.com/news/read.php?rip_id=%3CD9TAILEG0%40news.ap.org%3E&ps=931&page=2

$2.75 MM School Bond Election Tuesday March 13th

There will be a school bond election for just about all the school districts on Tuesday March 13, 2012.  I went to the Canyon County Elections site and copied the following information for Caldwell School District 132:

QUESTION:

Shall the Board of Trustees of School District No. 132, Canyon County, State of Idaho, be authorized and empowered to levy a Supplemental Maintenance and Operation Levy in the amount of $2,750,000.00 (Two Million Seven Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars and no 100/cents) for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013 and again for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2013 through June 30, 2014 for the purpose in each fiscal year of supplementing the maintenance and operation expenses of the

District in each of said two fiscal years, all as provided in the Resolution adopted by the Board of Trustees on January 09, 2012?

There is also a recall issue for Trustee Sheila Harris on the ballot for those living in Ms. Harris Trustee Zone.

Amounts vary by school district for the amount of supplemental M&O funds. All school bond elections happen on March 13th. 

You can vote early at the County Elections office at the corner of Chicago and 11th Ave. behind the Canyon County Courthouse.

V.E.T. Guest Opinion (Emissions Testing)

The following is a guest opinion by Guardian Reader Kim Blough on Vehicle Emissions Testing:

I can unequivocally state that the current Idaho vehicle emission testing and/or repairing cannot and will not reduce CO2 and VOC emission from ANY automobile.

It is physically impossible to do so because of the immutable chemical products of burning gasoline in automobiles.

You can see from the graph, It is chemically impossible to reduce hydrocarbon (HC), Carbon Monoxide (CO) and Di-oxygen (02) gases to their lowest levels without causing the very highest production levels of Carbon Dioxide (C02).

Each time an automobile is tested not mixing fuel and air at the stoichiometrically optimum ratio of 14.7 pounds of air to 1 pound of gasoline, (a failing test), this tested vehicle is physically emitting higher levels of the first three gases, and LESS CO2!!!

This occurs on both sides of the mixture equation, from rich (less air per fixed pound of fuel), to lean (excess air per pound of fuel).

The targeted goal of EPA/DEQ is to REDUCE CO2 emission levels, which means each time a automobile which fails its emission test is "repaired", the automobile's previously lower CO2 emission level is INCREASED to the very highest level that it can be.

Each "repaired" automobile is now contributing MORE not LESS CO2 to the atmosphere and airshed (all the air we breathe locally).

Testing and subsequent repair only guarantees that the final result will be overall HIGHER CO2 emissions. The legislature never heard testimony from DEQ/EPA prior to "decisively passing" this law, despite the fact they were in possession of such information. Data based information was deliberately left out of the mix because it does not support the need for such a VET law in the first place.

I presented this information to a meeting held in the Canyon County Court house last year which was attended by all DEQ and EPA personnel. Not one person charged with overseeing this law disagreed or took any exception to my presentation regarding the chemistry and physics of this matter.

This law needs to be repealed, not reviewed every five years!!! Band-aid attempts to soften the financial burden of this defective law is a step in the right direction.

Even if we shut off ALL the cars which travel between Canyon and Ada Counties, it would still be impossible to effect more than a small fraction of the targeted CO2 decrease hoped for by these agencies. The airshed involved encompasses several counties, not just Canyon County.

Kim Blough

Caucus Night for Republicans Tuesday March 6th, 2012

Just a reminder for those who wish to support a candidate for President.  No more voting in the primary for a Presidential Candidate in Idaho.  You will have to go to the Idaho Center (depending on where you live) to join the fray in a caucus effort to arrive at a candidate for President.

Please bear in mind the doors will close at 7:00PM sharp by someones official time piece and late comers will not be allowed to enter.  So this means you need to get there by around 6:30PM and lay claim to your seat.  It may be a night fraught with all manner of confusion given this is the first time for this kind of event in Idaho.

It is too bad Idaho Repubs. have gone to this format to select a Presidential candidate as it will exclude a lot of people who rely on voting at a local polling place.  It will probably take several hours to get this process completed and the usual voting in a primary election is pretty much a quick effort at a local polling place.  A caucus cuts a lot of people out of the process like deployed service members, disabled and those who simply can't dedicate several hours to this effort.   On the plus side candidate ads and trips to Idaho have been noted.

Late note:  It was noted in the IPT today they will not be closing the doors promptly at 7:00PM but at some point they will close the doors and get things underway tonight.

Caldwell City Councilman Jim Dakan Resigns

THE GUARDIAN would like to let everyone know Councilman Jim Dakan has resigned from the Caldwell City Council.  Mayor Nancolas is accepting letters of interest for the position held by Mr. Dakan.

The term of appointment will run until December 31, 2013 to fill the remainder of Dakan's term.  That means the appointee would have to stand for election in the Fall of 2013 but could run as an incumbent and it is no secret it is an uphill battle to beat an incumbent.

We tip our hat and would like to thank Councilman Dakan for his 20 years of service to Caldwell as a City Councilor as well as Mayor from 1990 to 1994.

A reception for Councilman Dakan will be held Monday at the regular City Council meeting time 7:00PM.