Get your wallets ready. The tax assessments came out a couple days ago and most people saw a decrease in the value of their property. But that doesn’t mean your taxes will go down…Au Contraire, get ready to pay up and pay big! This morning’s Press reports that NIC just raised their budget by the maximum 3% allowed by law and prepare for the city and county to do the same. The additional knife in the wallet will be if the city and/or county say they have to take the dreaded FOREGONE taxes too. (NIC is already taking their Foregone taxes from our checkbooks to buy the overpriced Mill site. No, you didn’t miss a vote on that, they didn’t give us one.)
Any comments, questions, sob stories?
There is a simple mathematical formula used to calculate our property taxes:
Budget/Assessed = Levy Rate.
The key item in this equation is not the levy rate and it’s not the assessed value. Ironically, those are the two values most people — including elected officials — talk about the most. The real booger in the salad is the budget. That’s the item our elected officials are supposed to supervise for us. That’s why the assessment notice has the dates for the budget hearings.
Comment by Dan — May 29, 2009 @ 10:01 am
The parenthetical comment about NIC taking foregone taxes leads me to ask, am I correct in saying that because it has been established that a good part of the 17 acre mill site will not be used for educational purposes but rather for commercial development, that the NIC Board Of Trustees have taken property taxes for private development? Am I wrong on this observation?
Comment by Gary Ingram — May 29, 2009 @ 10:54 am
It might be a little more accurate to say that NIC has become a land developer and may be giving special preference to local project developers who sit on the NIC Foundation Board and the NIC Board of Trustees. A good question might also be “How much rent will NIC charge the project developers to use NIC property for private development?” (Obtuse hint: Think Kootenai Shoshone Area Library branch overflow parking in Hayden.)
Comment by Bill — May 29, 2009 @ 11:55 am
Since this is an open session, i would like to shift gears to the local morning radio show. This morning while Hazel Bauman of School District #271 was being interviewed on KVNI she spoke of the increasing test scores for the district. That is great! Thank you teachers of SD #271. Then she made a comment that struck me as being odd. She stated that the school district has a couple of recent victories, the supplemental levy passed and the trustees where re-elected. She said a stable Board was important. Is this a victory for the school district patrons who voted for the levy, but voted for the challengers? I would hope that Hazel did not use her position as superintendent to influence voters within the district. In the interest of fairness, I hope that this radio station does everything possible to stop these type of political comments before the upcoming fall elections in Coeur d’Alene. Several times during the last municipal election campaign, seated officials were given a platform to endorse incumbents or their personal choices for seats that were highly contested. Doesn’t the KXLY radio group have to adhere to the Fairness Doctrine?
Comment by doubleseetripleeye — May 29, 2009 @ 2:50 pm
The Fairness Doctrine has long been repealed, although reinstatement has been discussed in the last couple of years. You might get KVNI to give “equal time” to candidates with opposing views during the election season. I heard this morning comments and would agree that the comments seemed awkward. Our superintendent has a right to support whomever she chooses and whether to make her support of a particular trustee public or to keep it private is also her prerogative. I hope that everyone enjoys the wonderful weekend ahead.
Comment by Jim Brannon — May 29, 2009 @ 3:52 pm
I find it surprising that Hazel would get involved at all, Doublesee. For her to make the comment it was a “victory” that the incument board members were re-elected (one by 39 votes and one by 7 votes) is highly inappropriate for her position!
I have heard that there was an email which was sent through the school district system to all the teachers right before the election. I was told it was very political and instructed the teachers and staff to vote for the incumbents. Has anyone else heard the same? Has anyone seen the email?
Comment by mary — May 29, 2009 @ 4:47 pm
A stable board is good for who exactly? Using that argument, we should have kept G.W. Bush in office. Sheesh…
Comment by Dan — May 29, 2009 @ 6:30 pm
It seems to me that the existing staggered terms of school board trustees achieves a balance of stability and freshness. Petrified wood is chemically stable, but it does nothing to replenish the forest.
Comment by Bill — May 29, 2009 @ 7:31 pm
It looks as if the mayors gamble to bring the Kroc Community Center, to
CDA has paid off.Ever since the Kroc Center opened, the parking lot has been full and has had alot of support from the surrounding area.We haven’t had a REAL Community Center since the last one burned down some 60 years ago.There were others that were called community centers but, calling them that was a stretch.
Judging from all the memberships being sold at the Kroc Center, it should be self-sustaining and should be able to operate without additional taxpayer money.
I’m wondering if anybody from this website has a membership at the Kroc Community Center? 😉
Comment by kageman — May 31, 2009 @ 3:46 pm
I’m pleased that the Kroc Center will be a success, Kageman. I’ve been proud of our area for getting the center, and hope that it sustains itself, which has always been my concern.
I’ve joined two gyms since living here, first Ironwood and then 24-hour/OZ. Both had pools, which was great, but they say that gyms make their money off people who don’t show up, and I was one of those people. I’d like to visit the Kroc Center sometime in the future as my schedule permits, but I don’t plan on joining. It’s not the Kroc, it’s just that I don’t plan on joining any gym.
Comment by Dan — May 31, 2009 @ 4:33 pm
Kageman, I’m thrilled the Kroc Center is a success! It was a great accomplishment to have a donated community center come to our town; Mayor Bloem and her committee did a wonderful job in getting that done. She made a big mistake, in my opinion, when she “hurried” the sudden $3 million dollars to fill the pit and gave public tax dollars to do so without a vote or even a meeting where the public could have input on the subject. She should have waited, tried to raise the money from private sources and/or brought the question of using tax dollars to the public.
Notice that Post Falls is even taking the question of whether to have their library join the Kootenai-Shoshone Library System to the ballot next November. When’s the last time CdA citizens got to vote on any issue? Was it the library back in 2005? They’re getting very good at bypassing us voters.
That said, I’m happy the Kroc is popular. It will now support itself and not need more taxpayer money, and, hopefully, it is attracting folks who don’t already have a gym membership. That way it won’t hurt existing businesses that don’t get public money, land for free, parking lots for free and don’t have a church exemption from paying any taxes.
Our family has been members of Ironwood for many years, so we will stay there. But we live near the Kroc and it is beautiful to look at as we drive by or bike along the trail.
Comment by mary — May 31, 2009 @ 5:56 pm
My husband and I joined the KROC center. No membership fee and you can quit in writing at any time. You can just drop in for an exercise class.
I could not get a better deal, and I was very pleasantly surprised with the facility and the attitude of the folks, who really just want to better themselves. It is not intimidating – and one can show up in old – worn out tennis shoes. If the hard bodies start taking over, I will be gone. 🙂
The waterpark can get a child in for 4 bucks a day. That is a big deal to some poor families and a real treat.
Of course, we are in the beginning stages of this facility and the new has not worn off, yet. If the prices go up, I will no longer be part of the club.
My take on this thing is – it’s here, I am paying for it, and I don’t see any benefit to myself by boycotting it.
No, I have not seen the mayor working out there.
Some folks have no idea of it’s beginnings – they look at it as the icon of the city and it’s generosity to the people. (gulp) But, really – it is very nice.
… and that stair stepper burns off 100 calories in 10 minutes!
Comment by Stebbijo — May 31, 2009 @ 6:48 pm
Stebbijo, I’m glad you are enjoying your membership. If you don’t mind me asking, are you paying the listed rate of $55 or 65 per month, or do they have an introductory rate? I thought it was free for a certain amount of time?
Comment by mary — May 31, 2009 @ 9:02 pm