County Contract Competition Causes Cost Cut

At yesterday’s Open Business Meeting, we approved the final contract with Allied Waste for trash hauling and recycling services for unincorporated Ada County. Because we put out an RFP – a Request for Proposals - soliciting proposals from interested trash hauling companies, ratepayers will save about $110,000 a year over the rates that Allied brought to the Board last January.

The new contract covers only the unincorporated portions of Ada County because the cities have their own trash hauling contracts. With the county’s new contract will come large-container single-stream recycling, a concept for which we heard a lot of support over the past several months.

With single-stream recycling, customers will be able to throw all recyclables into one large container rather than having to sort and bag them separately. Recycling technology has evolved to the point where the different materials can be separated out through mechanized processing at a centralized plant. In addition to the improved recycling service, all trash customers will now have a large trash container provided by Allied Waste.

For both trash and recycling, customers will be able to choose between 65 and 95 gallon containers. Trash will continue to be collected weekly and recycling will be collected every other week. Notification of the recycling schedule will go out within the next few weeks.

The collection system for both trash and recyclables will be fully automated; however, we are still providing unlimited residential collection service. In other words, with a few notable exceptions, if you have it, can’t recycle it, and don’t want it anymore, set it out with your trash and Allied will take it away. Exceptions include appliances, television sets, computer monitors, etc. For a full list please check online here.

Ada County will continue to provide billing services for trash collection. With the economy in the state it is, I am happy to report that at the present time it will not be necessary to raise rates despite the improved recycling service. In fact, people who have been paying an additional fee for cart rental will see a decrease in rates. The flat rate for standard trash with recycling service will continue to be $13 per month or $11 per month for seniors age 65 and over. There will be an additional fee charged for added services or containers.

Don’t get too excited about the stable trash rates, though, because the county will be whittling down a balance that has built up within the trash service account. Within the next few years a small rate increase will likely be necessary to keep up with all of the costs associated with the provision of trash hauling and recycling service.

Sensible Safety Suggestion for Seniors

From Sage Community Resources came this great idea for seniors, or anyone, for that matter. When you go to bed at night, put your keys near your bed. If you hear suspicious noises at night, hit the panic button on your keys to set off your car alarm. (Obviously, this idea only works with vehicles that have built-in alarm systems.)

If someone is trying to break in, it is likely the sudden loud alarm sound will deter them. It will also cause your neighbors to look out their windows to see who is there and find out what is going on. This is such a great idea I thought it was well worth passing along!

In case you are wondering, according to the description on their website, SAGE Community Resources is “an economic development association of the cities and counties of southwest Idaho. In addition to economic development we also administer or are directly involved in:

1. A revolving loan fund in the rural member counties.
2. The Southwest Idaho Area Agency on Aging.
3. Planning and grant administration for our member counties.”

Ada County actively participates in this organization.

In Black and White

The Media Cries Racism, I Cry Foul

Some people are claiming that those of us who disagree with President Barack Obama’s policies must be motivated by racism. In the national media, Maureen Dowd in The New York Times on September 12 wrote:

But (Republican Representative Joe) Wilson’s shocking disrespect for the office of the president — no Democrat ever shouted “liar” at W. when he was hawking a fake case for war in Iraq — convinced me: Some people just can’t believe a black man is president and will never accept it.

“A lot of these outbursts have to do with delegitimizing him as a president,” said Congressman Jim Clyburn, a senior member of the South Carolina delegation. Clyburn, the man who called out Bill Clinton on his racially tinged attacks on Obama in the primary, pushed (Democrat Congresswoman and Speaker of the House Nancy) Pelosi to pursue a formal resolution chastising Wilson.

At the Video Music Awards on Sunday, Kanye West disrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech when she won the award for Best Female Video. Simon Vozick-Levinson of Music Mix had some interesting things to say about West’s rude behavior and the resultant public outcry, including this:

When a black man does something impolite, making no reference whatsoever to race, and he immediately gets crucified for “hating white people” or “reverse racism,” that itself is a form of racism.

Here in Idaho, it seems that at least one member of the local media was also quick to jump on the race card when he reported on the 9-12 Project Idaho and Tea Party rally. Is it possible there were some people amongst the huge crowd there who were racist? Probably. Is racism the motivation behind this movement of people who want to take back our government from elite special interests and once again have government of, by and for the people? Absolutely not!

I would suggest that reporters like Maureen Dowd, and the local ones who have picked up on these cries of racism in the political arena, look in the mirror and see if it is not indeed you, who are in fact fanning the flames of racism in our otherwise relatively peaceful valley.

Memo to the media: Attending Tea Party events here in Idaho does not classify me or anyone else in particular as a racist. Next time, why don’t you actually ask those of us who are there why we are there and for what we stand?

Black and White Cars and Stripes

Yesterday, I had lunch with Sheriff’s Captain Linda Scown. She runs the Ada County jail. Just coincidently, we also had a surprise quarterly jail inspection scheduled that very afternoon as well.

In one of those quirky legal oddities, we as county commissioners are responsible for conducting quarterly jail inspections, although it is the Ada County Sheriff’s Office that actually operates the jail.

During the inspections, we walk through the jail and work-release facilities, looking for maintenance and cleaning issues that have not been addressed. We always find a few things for the county’s Operations Department to address, such as paint that is worn or chipping.

On a positive note, last month, the professional kitchen staff at the jail spent a mere 82 cents per inmate meal served. It’s not exactly gourmet fare, but these are relatively nutritious meals that supply the necessary caloric intake for each inmate each day.

In other good news, female inmates make all of the simple, scrubs-style jail uniforms, while others wash and fold inmate uniforms and linens, saving taxpayer dollars while accomplishing needed tasks.

It’s never fun being inside the jail with 900-plus inmates, but yesterday it was with a sense of foreboding and particularly strong emotions – grief, rage and repugnance - that we trudged through the areas of the jail in which the mother of Robert Manwill, and her boyfriend, are being held as suspects in the little boy’s heinous and shocking murder.

Let’s hope the loss of this little boy will change the way in which child protection decisions are made in Idaho. The Department of Health and Welfare strives to reunite families whenever possible. I believe the children’s health, safety and welfare should be a higher priority than the parental rights of those who abuse their children.

Two for Two

Two days, two events, two worthwhile causes. On Friday, September 11 – Patriot Day - I had the privilege of attending a Celebration of “Idaho’s Finest” which was a fundraiser for the Idaho Peace Officers’ Memorial and The Boise Police Activities League (PAL) Alcohol Prevention & Education Programs.

At the event, our very own Ada County Sheriff’s Sergeant Patrick Calley recounted how his family’s life has been affected by the needless death of one of his POST (Police Officer Standards and Training) Academy classmates and fellow Officer Wade Feldner of the New Plymouth Police Department. The officer was killed in the line of duty on January 20, 1994. Sergeant Calley’s wife, a teacher, had Officer Feldner’s sons in her classes at school, and he was there when the young men graduated from high school.

We also heard from the granddaughter of Officer Douglas M. Deen of the Idaho State Police. Officer Deen was killed in the line of duty on August 5, 1979. The Idaho Peace Officers’ Memorial has provided his granddaughter with scholarship money to attend college.

For more information on the Idaho Peace Officers’ Memorial, or to make a donation, please contact Jessica at the Memorial at 208.922.9608 or jessica@idahopeaceofficersmemorial.com .

For more information on the Boise Police Activities League, or to make a donation, please contact Jermaine at Boise PAL at 208.559.6711 or jgalloway@cityofboise.org .

On Saturday, I attended the 9-12 Project Idaho and Tea Party Rally at the park in front of the statehouse. I have to say this: I am not a political extremist. I just want the people to be back in charge of our government, rather than an elite group of special interests who seem to have more influence and control than is warranted by their numbers.

For a good news story on local Tea Party events, check out the story in the Idaho Press Tribune: http://www.idahopress.com/front/?id=26203

Who cares?

Someone asked me why I care about city council races. We work closely with our fellow local government colleagues who serve as mayors and city council members. We serve together on regional boards such as the Community Planning Association of Southwest Idaho (COMPASS), Valley Regional Transit (VRT), the Growth Alliance, Treasure Valley Partnership, the Ada County Air Quality Board, etc.

Speaking of all of these boards and upcoming city council elections, here’s another question for candidates: how would you feel about consolidating some of these regional organizations? Also, what is your take on urban renewal agencies?

I am anxious to hear from candidates on all of the relevant issues of the day.

Message to City Council Candidates

Congratulations for throwing your hat in the ring! Now it's time to find out what you are really made of.

Anyone can say or write that they want to cut wasteful spending, protect air and water quality, improve our quality of life, etc. Voters want to know HOW you plan to do so.

• WHAT will you cut?
• WHERE do you see unnecessary, wasteful spending?
• What do you plan to do for your city? Be specific, please.
• How do you feel about fire agencies getting into the ambulance transport business?
• Where do you stand on unions and fire and police departments?
• In Boise, do you support a $65 million downtown circulator/streetcar/trolley? Why or why not?

Voters need to know where you stand on these and other important issues in order to make good decisions at the polls.

City Council Candidates

From the City of Boise website:

"2009 BOISE CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE LIST (Official list)

"Boise City Council Seat 2
Vernon L. Bisterfeldt
Daniel L. Dunham
David A. Honey

"Boise City Council Seat 4
TJ Thomson
Steven B. Siebers
Leland (Lee) J. Lay
David S. Litster

"Boise City Council Seat 6
Maryanne Jordan
Lucas Baumbach
David Webb"

It looks like there might be a real fight over Seat 4, the one being vacated by Jim Tibbs.

Going Global

Yesterday, I attended a meeting of the Emergency Communications Planning Committee and heard updates on some exciting advances being made in Ada County emergency services under the direction of new Emergency Communication Director Carl Rader.

First, some computer hardware connectivity issues have been worked out so now the folks in Ada County Emergency Communications are busy installing GPS (Global Positioning System) mapping equipment in all ambulances, fire trucks and police vehicles in the county.

The on-board GPS tracking will enable dispatch to determine exact vehicle locations at any given point in time. It will also allow emergency vehicle drivers to see their location, route and destination on a computer-generated map, much like Google mapping allows us to do on our home computer. In this case, though, if the emergency vehicle encounters road construction or other hazard that blocks their most direct route, they can obtain an alternate route with the touch of a button.

Another goal of the Emergency Communications Department is to have the ability for dispatch to see, on a computer-generated map, which fire and EMS stations are “manned” at any given point in time. With a quick look, it will be possible to see gaps in the system and redeploy resources (other personnel and equipment) in order to fill the holes. By proactively redeploying emergency services resources, residents are guaranteed the shortest feasible response times for needed emergency services.

Council Candidate Coverage

City council elections are just around the corner in November of 2009. There is a bright, young, upcoming crop of political newcomers and I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce some of them to you. We work closely with city council members in Canyon and Ada Counties, so I hope you will pay attention and go vote if you live within the limits of an incorporated city.

In Boise, Lucas Baumbach, TJ Thomson and Lee Lay have been the most visible candidates. Quieter longtime participants in the city political arena include Dan Dunham and David “Pappy” Honey. Not all of these candidates have made it clear which seat they are seeking.

• TJ Thomson is the liberal’s liberal. He is currently running for the seat being vacated by ex-cop Jim Tibbs, and has been for some time now. What he plans to run for next remains to be seen, but mark my words, if he wins this time, he’ll be heading for bigger and better things sooner rather than later. The money TJ is spending on his campaign could probably end hunger in Boise if applied to that cause instead. I doubt that TJ will ever find a big government, tax-and-spend program he doesn’t support.

• Diametrically opposite TJ is Dan Dunham, the conservative’s conservative. If you want to cut and limit government, Dan is your man. Dan has years of experience in volunteer public service and has previously run for public office, including in a Republican primary in legislative district 21. Some people will consider Dan’s style a little too blunt but you’ll never have to wonder where he stands on an issue.

• Lucas Baumbach, who is taking on City Council President Maryanne Jordan, is a breath of fresh air in Boise City politics. Intelligent, well-educated, brash, and bold, Lucas could use a little professional grooming. He tends to come off in writing sounding a bit reactionary, a quality he would do well to temper. Lucas has a bright future in the political arena, but a win in Boise City could be tough, given his conservative political views.

• Lee Lay blends in better with his surroundings than does the brassier Lucas Baumbach with whom he sometimes hangs out. A little older and more experienced, Lee could have something to offer Boise residents if given a seat at the table.

• David Honey, known in some circles as “Pappy,” is a somewhat more refined version of Vern Bisterfeldt, tattoos and all. Blue collar and proud of it, dedicated, and a little chauvinistic, this moderate Democrat and long-time participant in the local political arena is a good fit for Boise City. Given the fact that Vern has been supporting Democrats exclusively lately, if he is ready to hang up his hat and enjoy his great grandchildren, perhaps he will consider endorsing David as his replacement.

In Meridian, Michael D. Roy has a bright political future. A true conservative, Michael comes across well in person, and is married to a special ed teacher. Maybe it’s time for longtime politician Keith Bird to step aside and make way for a reasonable, credible candidate like Michael to bring fresh blood and new ideas to elected public service in Meridian. Or, voters can simply choose to make it happen.

In nearby Middleton, Lenny John Riccio is a breath of fresh air. Young, bright and conservative, Lenny is the Canyon County Republican Party’s Youth Chair. Lenny’s engaging personality makes him a natural in the political arena. Although I don’t know him well yet, Lenny is likely to be active and involved in the political arena for years to come, so be sure you remember his name.

Up north, in Coeur d’Alene, Dan Gookin is the man. Dan is a funny guy who knows all about computers and information technology. Most people aren’t aware, but Dan penned the first “For Dummies” books – DOS for Dummies and PCs for Dummies. Unfortunately for Dan, it’s not possible to copyright titles, so a lot of people have stolen the concept since. Dan is a longtime public advocate who leans libertarian in his views. If the people in CDA are smart and are paying attention, they will elect Dan to serve on their city council.

There you have it… my take on some of the folks who are running for city council positions around the state.

Better Than Government

Whenever possible, it is nice to see the private sector and/or religious community step up to help people down on their luck, rather than expect government (in other words taxpayers) to fill that need.

St. Vincent de Paul is already gearing up for to provide turkeys and food boxes to the hungry this upcoming holiday season. In years past, they have handed out about 1400 boxes. This year, they are expecting donations to be down, but we can reasonably assume demand will be up in the current economy.

For more information or to volunteer to donate or help out, please call Ida Fisk at 208-331-2208.

Socialized Medicine and Unfunded Mandates

We spent five hours today hearing appeals on medical indigency cases. Per Idaho law, the counties are responsible for paying medical bills for people who are found to be medically indigent.

The county pays these medical bills at the Medicaid rate, up to $11 thousand per person, per year. This is an unfunded mandate because the state does not provide the dollars to cover the cost. The state picks up the tab for the remaining balance when charges exceed the $11 thousand threshold.

Some of the definitions from relevant sections of Idaho Code will give you a better idea of what we examine, on a case-by-case basis:

• Idaho Code section 31-3502 (15) “’Medically indigent’ means any person who is in need of necessary medical services and who, if an adult, together with his or her spouse, or whose parents or guardian if a minor, does not have income and other resources available to him from whatever source sufficient to pay for necessary medical services. Nothing in this definition shall prevent the board of county commissioners and administrator from requiring the applicant and obligated persons to reimburse the county and the catastrophic health care costs program, where appropriate, for all or a portion of their medical expenses, when investigation of their application pursuant to this chapter, determines their ability to do so.”

Although we can legally try to collect repayment of the property tax dollars spent on medical bills, and we do make every effort to do so, in reality the county only recovers a fraction of what taxpayers pay out for medically indigent patients.

• Idaho Code section 31-3502 (16) A. "'Necessary medical services' means health care services and supplies that:
(a) Health care providers, exercising prudent clinical judgment, would provide to a person for the purpose of preventing, evaluating, diagnosing or treating an illness, injury, disease or its symptoms;
(b) Are in accordance with generally accepted standards of medical practice;
(c) Are clinically appropriate, in terms of type, frequency, extent, site and duration and are considered effective for the covered person's illness, injury or disease;
(d) Are not provided primarily for the convenience of the person, physician or other health care provider; and
(e) Are not more costly than an alternative service or sequence of services or supply, and at least as likely to produce equivalent therapeutic or diagnostic results as to the diagnosis or treatment of the person's illness, injury or disease."

You think Obama is promoting socialized medicine? Look at where we are now. We already have it, but in its worst possible form. There is no preventative care provided, but we are required to pay medical bills for costly emergency room treatments when a patient’s condition becomes critical. The current system is in grave need of reform.

Correcting the Media

This blog allows me to communicate the real stories of Ada County government directly to the public, while circumventing the sometimes inaccurate media. Some recent examples point out the need for me to continue to do so.

Correcting the Media, Part I

The Idaho Statesman's Nick Jezierny got it wrong in his recent article that speculated about who’s to blame for the delayed racing season at Les Bois Park. Racing fans deserve to know the truth.

Ada County issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking an operator for Les Bois Park. Two proposals were received. Both were rejected due to various inadequacies. The formal RFP process ended.

The County then opened the process again, to anyone interested in submitting a proposal. Idaho Entertainment came forward and, within weeks, they came to meet with us and toured the track

We asked Idaho Entertainment to provide the same information requested during the formal RFP process, which they did. They presented a solid business plan and passed the background check. We then negotiated an acceptable contract.

The horsemen like to point fingers, but they’re the ones stopping horse racing. It’s nothing new. They also griped when I tried to prevent Lariat Productions from taking over the facility. They’ve since admitted they were wrong. They’re wrong now too.

Jezierny called the County’s selection process shady. Talk about shady -- perhaps Nick should consider his own inaccuracies and then wonder why so many people have no faith in the media.

Correcting the Media, Part II

A recent letter to the editor published in the Idaho Statesman claims that I am (apparently singlehandedly) responsible for the fact that Les Bois Park (now Idaho Downs) has been shut down for the past several months. I think my two colleagues on the Board of Ada County Commissioners would beg to differ!

First of all, it takes two out of the three of us to agree in order for the Board, or the County, to do anything: to enter into a contract, to set the budget, to spend money, to hire or fire an employee, etc. No one commissioner runs the show. Nothing happens without a concerted team effort.

The letter went on to say that I “made a shady deal with a Wyoming group, and changed the rules.” As noted above, no rules were ever changed, and the “Wyoming group” is anything but shady. Now, it’s true that some of the horsemen don’t like them much. They actually want to run their own business rather than have the horsemen run it for them. But then, the folks of Idaho Entertainment are the ones with the skin in the game, so why shouldn’t they run their own business?

Before we struck a deal with Idaho Entertainment, I met with the horsemen and strongly encouraged them to submit a proposal of their own if they were interested in running the track. They never did. Now they complain about the capable operator we did get to come in and run the facility.

The letter writer also claims that, “Instead of renegotiating with Capitol Racing, (I) chose to close the facility.” Not true. My colleagues and I would have been happy to renegotiate with Capitol Racing. Unfortunately, Capitol lost $1.1 million in 2006, $1.2 million in 2007, and $1.3 million in 2008. They didn’t follow up on our offer to come to the table and renegotiate.

The writer goes on to suggest that the county could have hired a racing manager and had the county operate the track. Given that the county used to operate the track, prior to leasing it out back in 1989 in order to prevent further losses, and that it has operated at a huge annual loss in recent years, it would have been downright irresponsible to Ada County taxpayers to get the county back into the business of horse racing.

It would be nice if the Statesman would get the actual facts – not some fabricated version - about Les Bois Park/Idaho Downs out to the public, so that the public isn’t misled on a continuous and ongoing basis, like the poor letter-to-the-editor writer obviously was.

Correcting the Media, Part III

In a recent column, the Boise Weekly’s Nathaniel Hoffman criticizes the County for having incurred a grand total of $70.12 in costs in order to videotape and post online a public Town Hall Meeting about the EMS/Boise Fire ambulance transport issue.

I am failing to see fault here. If Nathaniel wants to point out that at my urging, $70.12 worth of resources were utilized in an effort to provide timely, accurate information to the public on an issue of grave concern to the public and the medical community, I plead guilty.

In addition, I posted the following comment on the Boise Weekly’s online site so you will know “the rest of the story”:

“Nathaniel ~ I was expecting you to also point out, in the interest of full disclosure, the following information that Rich Wright provided to you last Friday:

"Just a quick note: your public records request actually consumed 1.5 hours of our I.T. Director's time as he had to track down the costs associated with Web hosting and file storage. Your request alone cost $70.50, more than the cost associated with producing and posting the video."

I believe that $70.12 was a reasonable cost to incur in order to provide the public online access to the video of the EMS/Boise Fire Town Hall Meeting, regardless of who sponsored it. It is up to your readers to decide whether it was worth $70.50 to taxpayers to provide you with the information you needed to write this article.”