Public Health Update

The State of Idaho is divided into seven separate health districts. The Central District Health Department (CDHD) serves Ada, Boise, Elmore and Valley Counties.

We (Ada County taxpayers, to be more specific) provide funding to CDHD according to a per capita formula delineated in Idaho Code. Ada County’s contribution in fiscal year 2010 will be $1.64 million, or about 87 percent of the local tax dollars that fund the agency. In addition, the State of Idaho will provide an additional $2.21 million.

CDHD receives no federal funds directly, but does receive about $3.45 million in federal funding on a contract basis through the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare and the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality. In addition, CDHD’s environmental health and clinical services divisions collect about $1.6 million in fees for service.

CDHD does not provide primary care medical services, but does provide limited preventative health care and screening services. CDHD’s mission is to provide community-oriented, rather than individual, public-health-related services.

At this time, CDHD is involved in a number of high-profile health-related stories.

As of this week, 187 people in Idaho have been identified as having contracted H1N1 (“swine”) flu, which includes 76 people in Ada County. There has been a fatal case reported in Spokane County, Washington.

Mosquitoes carrying West Nile Virus have been found in five traps in Ada County, primarily in the Kuna and Eagle areas. This is a big year for mosquitoes in general, so take precautions and try to avoid being bitten.

Idaho now ranks dead last, 51st out of 50 states and the District of Columbia, in childhood immunizations. Only 57.6 percent of children are fully immunized by age two.

I am aware that there is a growing movement of people concerned about the potential side-effects of childhood immunizations. According to CDHD Director Russ Duke, there has never been any scientific evidence to establish a direct cause and effect relationship between vaccines and autism. Certainly there are risks associated with vaccines such as localized swelling and fever, but people in the field of public health believe the benefits of vaccinating children far outweigh the low incidence of these side effects. More severe reactions can occur but are very rare.

One thing is certain. Several children in the United States die every year as a result of vaccine-preventable diseases, including a few deaths in Idaho this year alone.

Although I do not believe the government should mandate childhood immunizations, as these decisions are best left to parents and families, I do believe the benefit of immunizing far outweighs any potential risk. My six children are all fully immunized.

If you need additional information on childhood immunizations please contact the CDHD immunization program at (208) 327-8518 or refer to the CDHD website at http://www.cdhd.idaho.gov/IMM/index.htm.

Urban Renewal Run Amuck

Boise City's Urban Renewal Agency, Capital City Development Corporation, has been involved in both the failed Ada County Courthouse financing scheme as well as the failed $136 million University Place fiasco.

Idaho Code allows cities and counties to form Urban Renewal Agencies. One or more urban renewal districts are then created. While revitalizing blighted areas sounds good on the surface, let’s take a look at the hidden cost to taxpayers.

Urban Renewal Agencies (URA’s) obtain revenue through two means: they sell bonds, incurring long-term indebtedness without taxpayer approval, and they collect property tax dollars.

According to the Idaho Constitution, Article VIII, Section 3, “No county, city, board of education, or school district, or other subdivision of the state, shall incur any indebtedness, or liability, in any manner, or for any purpose, exceeding in that year, the income and revenue provided for it for such year, without the assent of two[-]thirds (2/3) of the qualified electors thereof voting at an election to be held for that purpose….”

The Idaho Supreme Court is now involved in determining whether URA’s have been violating the Constitution. The underlying issue in Ken Hart v. City of Rexburg, an Idaho Supreme Court case to be heard in November, is whether URA’s are city agencies. URA’s and the cities claim these creations of the cities are not part of the cities and are, therefore, exempt from Article VIII, Section 3.

Keep in mind, a city council creates the URA, they appoint the board members, can act as the board, and have the power to dissolve the URA with a simple vote of council members. It is my belief that URA’s are indeed part of the city and should therefore be subject to the Constitutional requirement of 2/3 voter approval prior to the sale of bonds.

Property taxes on all improvements and appreciation within an urban renewal district go to the URA, rather than to the city, county, ambulance district, highway district, etc.

Here are the problems with this whole “free money” scenario: new buildings require services such as roads, fire and police protection, paramedics, etc., yet the property tax dollars collected on the assessed value of those facilities are going to the Urban Renewal Agency rather than to the agencies that are providing the necessary services.

Skimming these property tax dollars off the top for the URA leaves the tax burden to the widow on a fixed income, and the single parent trying to make ends meet, to provide services for the developed property within the urban renewal district. Property owners outside the district are negatively impacted, even though they receive no benefits from the urban renewal district.

In addition, business owners within the urban renewal districts receive an unfair competitive advantage. They do not have to provide their own parking, landscaping, etc., because all of these perks are provided by the URA’s.

It’s high time for the Idaho Legislature to revisit urban renewal law in order to reign in these rogue agencies.

Split Corridor Landscaping Costs are Considerable

According to a July 23 news release, the Ada County Highway District is putting finishing touches on the $3 million Split Corridor project in Meridian. The purpose of this project was to change Meridian and Main Streets, between Franklin and I-84, into a one-way couplet. According to ACHD, “The project has been the number one priority of the City of Meridian and improves traffic capacity and safety.”

The news release also points out that the project incorporates $400 thousand worth of landscaping. When I inquired about the source of these funds, I was informed that they come from Meridian’s Urban Renewal District. Will it cost more to water, mow and maintain this high-priced landscaping, as well?

Four hundred thousand dollars for landscaping one road project – that’s a lot of money. Why do I consider this expenditure to be a problem? Urban renewal agencies are subsidized by all county property taxpayers. I would like to see less of these dollars used for landscaping and more of them either back in taxpayers’ pockets or at least used for something more compelling than landscaping, such as emergency services.

This is just one more example of how we could – and should - cut the size and scope of government in order to reduce the cost to taxpayers.

Hearing Silence

Since I am now on the county side of the table and wasn’t in the audience to testify, the Ada County budget hearing was remarkably short! No one from the audience of mostly department heads and other county employees testified.

Thanks in large part to Ada County Clerk Dave Navarro and his Chief Deputy, Chris Rich, the budget process has gone smoothly over the past several months. As of tonight, we have cut nearly $22 million from the proposed fiscal year 2010 Ada County budget.

The current year’s (fiscal year 2009) budget is $193 million. The proposed budget is $171 million. For more specific information, you are welcome to check out the online budget presentation here.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the department head or elected official in charge of the relevant budget item(s).

$60 Million Streetcar to Nowhere!

Boise Mayor Dave Bieter has successfully pushed the concept of a downtown Boise streetcar, consisting of 2.6 miles of in-ground rails, with a total project cost of about $60 million for just this first phase. He hasn’t gotten the project very far, yet, though.

On Monday, members of the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS) Board voted 13 to nine in favor of supporting a list of projects to recommend for federal “stimulus” funding. Included among the three local projects was a $40 million request for the “Downtown Boise Circulator.” If the federal government approves the $40 million in funding for this project, it is unclear to me where the funding for the additional $20 to $25 million project cost will be obtained.

According to Boise City’s Urban Renewal Agency Executive Director Phil Kushlan, approving this project and spending this $40 million is an, “important first step toward accessing further federal resources.” Mayor Bieter touts the potential economic benefit of the project. He claims that a fixed-rail system will bring development to the downtown core, along the system.

I view the streetcar proposal, Idaho’s version of Alaska’s Bridge to Nowhere, as a shockingly expensive project with no guarantee of any significant benefit to the taxpaying public. Even if most of the dollars come “free” from the feds it is irresponsible, at best, to push for this expenditure. Can you imagine how much better off taxpayers would be if the $40 million simply remained in our pockets and bank accounts, instead of us being indebted for projects such as this one, by the federal government?

Also shocking was the announcement at the COMPASS meeting that all four members of our Idaho delegation in D.C. are supporting this expenditure.

I asked for a roll call vote of the Board, the results of which look something like this:

Supporters of the motion to approve the project list:

Kathy Alder – Canyon County Commissioner
David Bieter – Boise Mayor
Keith Bird – Meridian City Councilor
Vern Bisterfeldt – Boise City Councilor
Elaine Clegg – Boise City Councilor
Tom Dale – Nampa Mayor
Charlie Rountree, sitting in for Tammy DeWeerd – Meridian Mayor
John Evans – Garden City Mayor
Kelli Fairless – Valley Regional Transit Executive Director
David Ferdinand – Canyon County Commissioner
Phil Kushlan – Capital City Development Corporation Executive Director
Garrett Nancolas – Caldwell Mayor
Mike Vuittonet – Meridian School District Trustee

Opponents of the motion to approve the project list:

Sherry Huber – Ada County Highway District Commissioner
Carol McKee – Ada County Highway District Commissioner
Bryce Millar – Nampa Highway District #1 Commissioner
Nathan Mitchell – Star Mayor
Steve Rule – Canyon County Commissioner
Jerome Scroggins – Canyon County Highway District #4 Commissioner
Martin Thorne – Nampa City Councilor
Fred Tilman – Ada County Commissioner
Sharon Ullman – Ada County Commissioner

Do You Have an Opinion?

If you are interested in the Ada County budget, your property tax bill and where your public dollars are spent, we want to hear what you think.

Please join us on Tuesday, July 21 at 6 p.m. in the first floor hearing room of the Ada County Courthouse at 200 W. Front Street in downtown Boise. Parking is free in the evening.

If you would rather provide written comments, they may be faxed to (208) 287-7009 or e-mailed to BOCC1@adaweb.net.

Idaho City Hotshot Burned

I just saw today that on July 10, a southwest Idaho firefighter suffered severe burns from a gasoline explosion while fighting wildfires in Alaska. Todd Wanner is a 28-year-old member of the Idaho City Hotshot fire fighting crew. Our thoughts and prayers from Ada County to Todd for a full and speedy recovery.

Thank you to http://www.wildfiretoday.com for the story update.

Progress

Protecting public health and safety is among the most important duties of government at all levels. At the county level, that largely means emergency services. I am pleased with recent progress in promoting a cooperative working relationship between Ada County Paramedics and the various fire departments and agencies.

I attend meetings of the Ada County Fire Chiefs’ Association and have been encouraging Ada County Paramedics leaders to work cooperatively with the fire agencies. Within the past six months, Boise Fire also hired an Emergency Medical Services coordinator, who has also been working on creating a more collaborative working relationship.

Joint training exercises with Ada County paramedics and fire medics have now taken place and will continue. Ada County has also proposed joint staffing of our ambulances with Boise and Meridian fire medics.

Arguably, however, the biggest accomplishment of the newfound spirit of cooperation between agencies has been the resolution of a radio communications issue.

For at least the past 15 years, fire agencies and Ada County paramedics were not using the same radio frequencies when responding to 9-1-1 calls. Units responding to the same incident have been unable to communicate directly with each other and have had to have messages relayed through dispatch.

Doing things the old way causes more work for dispatchers, and is inefficient. Soon, a 90-day trial will take place in which EMS calls will be handled on common radio channels.

Getting fire agencies and Ada County Paramedics on the same radio frequency at any given incident will ensure that we are all doing our best to protect public health and safety.

COMPASS Consolidation Proposal Comes to a Close

On Wednesday, the Valley Regional Transit (VRT) Board voted against consolidating with the Community Planning Association (COMPASS). I was the only VRT Board member to vote the other way.

It would make sense to consolidate these two closely-related agencies. VRT is responsible for the bus system and COMPASS does transportation planning. There is significant overlap between the Board members of the two agencies. Through consolidation, greater efficiencies would be realized and tax dollars would be saved.

In government, it seems that consolidation is frequently discussed but rarely implemented.

Woad Weed Woes

An alert Ada County Pest Control employee noticed what he thought was a noxious weed, while he was out making his rounds. Unfortunately, it turns out he was correct. The aggressive, noxious weed was Dyer’s Woad, which causes woes for Weed Departments, farmers and potentially, taxpayers. Crop losses in areas where infestation occurs can amount to millions of dollars.

The Ada County Weed and Pest Department has a plan of attack to try to eradicate the new weed problem from the 91 acres it has infested in semi-rural southwest Ada County. The landowners are responsible for getting the weed eradicated; however, Ada County cannot afford to let it spread, so we will step in and begin eradication efforts soon if the landowners do not react quickly. If that happens, we will then try to recover the cost, or place a lien on the property, so the burden of the expense is not ultimately borne by property taxpayers.

Still WNV Free

We still have no human cases of West Nile Virus (WNV) in Ada County. In Idaho, thus far this year, there has been one case identified in Bonneville County.

In Ada County, tests on the mosquitoes that are routinely trapped by the county's Weed, Pest and Mosquito Abatement Department have all come back negative for WNV. Nonetheless, please be aware that we have a lot more mosquitoes than in prior years because weather conditions have been ideal for the propagation of these tiny, potentially disease-carrying creatures. According to Department Director Brian Wilbur, traps in which 60 mosquitoes would be found in a normal year now have 500 in them. It's even worse for our Canyon County neighbors.

West Nile Virus or not, it's best to take heed and try to lessen your chances of being bitten.

Website

This blog will be staying here, but my oldest son Kevin will be revamping my sharonu.com website. I am grateful to have a younger generation in my family from whom I can get necessary technical expertise. Communication is a key to problem solving, and Kevin has always made himself available to design my websites and help me with his technical expertise and proficiency, in order to facilitate direct communication with the public. Thank you, Kevin!

Yes, Adam

Thanks to you...

Retrospective

A few things have changed since the first time I held the District 1 seat on the Board of Ada County Commissioners -- most dramatically, the Commission colleagues with whom I now have the pleasure of serving. Our trio works well together.

Let’s take a look at what has been accomplished:

* Cutting wasteful, unnecessary spending ~ The current year’s budget is $193 million. My colleagues and I have now cut about $21 million out of next year’s proposed budget. We didn’t do it alone. It has taken a coordinated effort from all Ada County elected officials and department heads.

* PIO ~ I have advocated for eliminating the county’s Public Information Officer position. My colleagues and I recently moved the very capable employee in this position to another vacant county post. The PIO position has now been eliminated, saving taxpayers $90,000 a year.

* Town Hall Meetings ~ I had promoted these meetings as a way to communicate directly and effectively with the public. Thus far, we have held two Town Hall Meetings, one in Meridian and one in Kuna. Hopefully, over the next six months, we can hold these public meetings more frequently.

* A blog ~ I have created this blog as another way to communicate directly with you, the public, rather than through the media.

* Promoting public health and safety ~ Although I firmly believe in cutting unnecessary spending, I supported adding another attorney to the Prosecutor’s office to facilitate better prosecution in DUI cases. I have also worked closely with our Ada County Paramedics Department and have been attending meetings of the Ada County Fire Chiefs Association to ensure a positive and cooperative working relationship between the various agencies. We have recently implemented joint training efforts.

* Emission Testing ~ I have long advocated making changes to the Emission Testing program, including exempting newer cars that don’t contribute to the air quality problem, and testing every other year instead of annually. Now, there is enough support to implement such changes. As a member of the Ada County Air Quality Board, I recently voted to implement these changes sooner, rather than later. Expect the changes to occur by January 2010.

* Les Bois Park, this time around ~ The issue of the Les Bois Park lease arose, yet again, after last year’s election. Although it has taken longer to get it dealt with than all of us hoped, I expect it to be resolved by this coming Tuesday.

It is an honor to again have the opportunity to serve as a member of the Board of Ada County Commissioners. Please do not hesitate to contact me. My direct dial phone number at work is 287-7001 and my home phone number is 362-0843.

Bidding ‘Bye to BOE

There were 2381 property valuation appeals filed in Ada County this year. For the past few weeks, we have served as a Board of Equalization, hearing appeal after appeal by citizens who believed the values assigned to their property by the Ada County Assessor’s Office were too high. In a number of cases we agreed and voted to reduce the values.

During the two-and-a-half weeks of hearings, it became painfully clear just how flawed our property tax system really is; however, it will require action by the Idaho Legislature and Governor to change it.