...what happened to the tax surplus discussed earlier? Curious why we can't use money already collected instead of initiating another government sponsored fee increase?

ACHD = pile of crap!

j, craig, etc... please leave.

They don't need more money, they need to use the money they have more wisely...
I think the Curtis Road fiasco is a prime example.

I've got a better plan....
Rather than shifting the increased burden on the exhisting tax payers, why not shift the burden onto the Out of State developers who continually build these sub-division? They are making a killing in profits, by building this urban sprawl and then going back to California, or where ever they are from and kicking back or planning more.
Let's shift the cost of the increased roads, lights, bridges, etc... to them. They can still make money, but not at the cost of us paying for the infrastructure that is needed to support their businesses.

It went on for ever -- then one day like a miracle it was done and beautiful . Then ---------- They dug it up , out came the barrels and the "women" with flags and signs = Idaho Power was putting in power lines .
Then one day they like , a miracle it was done ------- smooth and black , freshly painted . Ahhh .
Then in about a month ----- they dug it up , sewer lines were going in ----- I gave up went to the Stinker Station and got a bumper sticker = State Street Barrel Racing Association .
I had to navigate this mess twice a day OR weave my way though the north end , with school kids and the karmakazi late for work crowd .

They spent a hell of a lot of our money redoing there own work . As I recall there was much gnashing of teeth , big spread in the paper AND nothing was done .

Reddog

Now they tell us that we are poor because of the growth! We finally got the truth.

There are some other things on the ballot this fall, like McKee's seat on the commission.

I suggest voting against the tax increase, and for McKee's opponent.

dollar has halved just since Bush took over (yes, the liberal has to toss in a dig a Bush, wanna make something of it?). The roads are deplorable, and like it or not, we need ACHD for their upkeep. Perhaps they should have taken the long view and had mild increases over the last two decades, but they didn't.

http://www.constitution.org/constit_.htm

......... "Did you go to the meeting ?"
Well was there an old man there demanding better accountability , better cooperation between utilities . Some monetary value on the businesses ACHD has put OUT of business , Curtis / Ustick comes to mind .
I am not against an increase in "fees" , I am against idiots receiving more of our tax money ---- I am still sweeping sand up because THEY ran out of snow melting chemicals this winter .

Reddog

a better solution would be for ACHD to stop being a corrupt and mismanaged organization.

How many times have we seen a brand spanking new road only weeks old get ripped up and become a rough riding road because the idiots didn't put in some sewer lines until after the morons redid the road.
Theses morons do not deserve any more of our tax dollars and the proof is clear by their actions. They could blow a wet dream.

I regularly travel to other states to pick up my many welfare checks and am well aware of how other road districts work. Based on my plentiful travels I can tell you categorically that ACHD is THE worst road district I've ever seen. Your employer will be receiving a no vote from me. Oh, and BTW: you should find a new song for the whole Curtis Rd. debacle. If only you could understand how utterly pathetic it is to say that ACHD makes multi-million dollar decisions based on the emotions of five people instead of solid expertise.

In general, no one agency or business has complete control over any road. It happens all over, and not just in Idaho or Ada County. Agency A has money to build a road (or whatever). Agency B needs to do something under the road, but has no money for another year because the voters didn't approve it, there was a recession, the technology wasn't available, or whatever. Company C (phone, cable, water, whatever) has a problem a mile away, which requires digging up a big chunk of street that was just paved. Company D has customers in a new development two miles away screaming for (service of your choice) so they have to dig it up again.

Stuff happens.

Yes, ACHD and other agencies could do better, and there could certainly be better communication, and would sure be nice if all they NIMBY-ites would shut the heck up too, whether on roads, power stations, cell towers, or whatever.

Does anyone ever go to Commission meetings our Council meetings? Its alot easier to talk tough in Statesman chat board. If everyone is so upset, then go talk tough in front of the Commission or Council. If the vote does get shot down...then expect more delays in projects, research and inproper coordination. 10 years from now we will be worse off if this does not get approved.

Some good ideas too. I know ACHD is somewhat hosed up, but in 2C we have FOUR county highway districts. Trying to get them to agree/work together is like trying to herd snakes across a frozen pond.

As the cheap energy boom grew, they paved over paradise.

As energy becomes very expensive, paradise will be restored.

Unfortuneatly this will mean lots of dust as roads go back to dirt, until, of course, the personal automobile takes its proper place in museums and a footnote to history.

Baby butt smooth, asphault roads are going away, get used to the idea.