Here's a news item from the Associated Press:  BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Officials from Idaho cities criticized a bill in the Legislature meant to force the Boise City Council to ask downtown property owners for permission before charging them to help pay for a planned streetcar. Pocatello Chief Financial Officer David Swindell told the House Revenue and Taxation Committee Monday the measure, HB 489, would add roadblocks to needed projects like sewer and water system improvements. Some Boise City Council members behind the 2.3-mile streetcar line are considering creating a "local improvement district," where property owners along the route would cover a share of the $60 million project. Under current Idaho law, such districts don't always require a vote of property owners. But the bill from Reps. Raul Labrador and Mike Moyle would change that by requiring projects financed with bonds worth more than $250,000 to first win support of two-thirds of district property owners.

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