BOISE -- Records obtained through the state's Public Records Act show Boise city officials are engaging in campaign activity on the taxpayers' dime, attempting to win passage of a constitutional amendment on the November ballot. The Idaho Freedom Foundation filed a public records request in June, asking for documents related to House Joint Resolution 5. HJR 5, if approved during the November general election, would allow cities to debt finance airport projects without a vote of the people.
boise
Records show Boise city gov't using public resources to influence election
July 20, 2010 | posted by Wayne Hoffman inBoise opts to spend windfall, not apply it toward deficit
May 13, 2010 | posted by Jay Howell inAt a time when the City city of Boise is running a $4 million budget deficit, plans are in motion to spend a $900,000 windfall the city has received from the Union Pacific Railroad (UP). According to the Idaho Statesman, UP has paid the city $915,349 for allowing the railroad to store its idle rail cars on the city’s spur line. UP pays $40,000 per month for the use of the spur line.
GBAD spends $50K on new convention center feasibility study
May 06, 2010 | posted by Jay Howell inBased on the recommendation of a $50,000 study, Boise needs an additional 80,000 square feet of new convention space. The feasibility report was commissioned by the Greater Boise Auditorium District (GBAD) despite the slumping economy, which has put a damper on the hospitality industry. The GBAD is funded by a 4- percent tax on hotel rooms.
Taxpayers foot $30K bill for marketing urban renewal legislation
March 08, 2010 | posted by Jay Howell inBoise's urban renewal agency used $30,000 of taxpayer funds to write and market legislation to change how urban renewal agencies are governed and operate. The revelation comes after inquiries by the Idaho Freedom Foundation to Boise's Capital City Development Corporation.
Art for art's sake: the $20,000 question
October 23, 2009 | posted by Jay Howell inThe aesthetics of downtown Boise have gotten a $20,000 boost, in the form of decorations on five traffic control boxes. Acording to city records, the money came from the Neighborhood Reinvestment Grant program, the same source that was tapped for $25,000 to install 15 bike lockers downtown.
Boise Neighborhood Reinvestment Grant pays for $1,600 bike lockers
October 21, 2009 | posted by Jay Howell inTough times call for tough fiscal choices. So when the City of Boise grants $25,000 for 15 downtown bike lockers, some may wonder about the city’s spending priorities. After all, Boise has laid off employees and is holding several positions open at the Boise Police and Fire Departments. So why did the city install the 15 bike lockers, eight at the Capitol Terrace Garage and seven at the Eastman Garage, at the cost of more than $1,600 each?
Streetcar Proposal: Comparing Boise's dream with Little Rock's reality, Part 2
October 07, 2009 | posted by Jay Howell inIn Part 2 of this series, we’ll look at the projected numbers of both Little Rock and Boise’s streetcar systems, and how they’ve shaken out five years later. We’ll compare how the Little Rock River Rail is financed, and how Boise would finance its proposed streetcar system. Finally, we’ll look at how development and business has evolved in Little Rock since November 2004, when the River Rail went into operation.
Streetcar Proposal: Comparing Boise's dream with Little Rock's reality, Part I
October 05, 2009 | posted by Jay Howell inBoise Mayor Dave Bieter asked, in the September 30th issue of the Idaho Statesman, if the city "can afford to not build a streetcar" downtown. At the present time, the Boise Streetcar Task Force is conducting a feasibility study, which is expected to be finished by the end of 2009, or 2010.
Hoffman: The dreams that streetcars are made of
July 19, 2009 | posted by Wayne Hoffman inThe plan to spend $50 million on a streetcar circulator in Downtown Boise is built on Ray Kinsella-like beliefs that posit that more than 500,000 riders a year will use the rail system and the economy will flourish as a result. I don't buy it, and I can no more understand the nostalgic desire to rekindle a 1920s streetcar in Boise as I can visualize the need for the government to invest in pay phones or town criers. And really, I can't stand it when people start taking public policy advice from the disembodied voices in a Kevin Costner movie. That's what's happening now.
