OpenCDA

May 30, 2008

Ed. Corridor comes to Pachyderms

Filed under: General — mary @ 9:48 am

I had to use Dan’s cute graphic of the sad elephant again, because I think almost all those attending this morning’s Pachyderm meeting left with a heavy load of unanswered questions. 

Three Ed. Corridor proponents spoke this morning, filling almost every available minute with their nice descriptions of the expansion of higher education in North Idaho. But why only consider the very expensive Stimson/DeArmond Mill site? That question and so many others never got asked or answered. There was no time left.

NIC Trustees Mic Armon, Judy Meyer and CdA Mayor Sandi Bloem all gave their advertisements for the Ed. Corridor. They almost wore out the word “opportunity”.

They did admit, directly and openly, that they WILL be using Foregone taxes AND embedding them in the budget to be taken each year forever more. (in the past they’ve just talked around it by saying they would just put them in their budget for this next year, but they might not need to use them).

They did not have a plan. They did not have any studies. They did not have any specific information at all. Yet, at the end of the meeting, they asked the moderator to call for a show of hands for those who support the project. (How can anyone know?) They got about 2 hands up, the No votes were about 20 and then I spoke up and said, “How many want more information before they make a decision?”…that garnered about 15 hands.

Out of the total of 3 questions squeezed into the last moments of the meeting, I was able to ask one. I asked if they would bring the Ed. Corridor to a public Advisory vote on this Fall’s election. They danced around the subject without getting to the point, until I interrupted and asked again, “Will you bring it to an Advisory vote?” NO they said.

I feel like the sad elephant.

3 Comments

  1. It was interesting to hear Mic Armon say he did not like forgone taxes and alwasys felt he woiuld never uses them except for one time emergency needs, if ever. Then he turned right aroound and said that now that they are going to use forgone it will not be a one time use, but the dollars will be “imbedded” in the budgets for years to come for other uses! Millions, mind you. Furthermore, it was revealed by the Mayor that the city plans to purchase, in conjunction with LCDC, part of the 17 acres adjoining N.W. Blvd. and the BN tracks for commercial development. This means that some of the property tax money for NIC’s purchase of the Educational Corridor is going to fund private developers through LCDC!

    Opposition to the EC is not about education attitudes, it’s about taxpayer abuse. Will our critics ever get it?

    Comment by Gary Ingram — May 30, 2008 @ 10:28 am

  2. Which Trustees are up for election in the fall?

    Comment by Dan — May 30, 2008 @ 10:53 am

  3. I believe it is the aforementioned Judy Meyer and Mic Armon. I hope that qualified fiscally prudent individuals come forward to challenge both races.

    Comment by doubleseetripleeye — May 30, 2008 @ 2:52 pm

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