Is the economy suddenly so robust that taxpayers are just overflowing with money—such that local governments are again reaching back into our pockets for wads of falling cash? I’m just wondering because all across Idaho some of our government agencies are operating as if the good economic times have returned. It’s a wonder no one has proposed throwing a lavish GSA-style party in Las Vegas. I have three targets to share for the week, but I’m sure there are many others that deserve the scrutiny of a skeptical taxpaying public. ... in Sandpoint ... the city government, along with neighboring Ponderay, would like to put in place a local option sales tax. The tax would be somewhere between half a percent and 3 percent. No one really knows for sure. It just depends on how ambitious the local governments would like to be with their development plans. Those include plans for a parking lot, trail and park improvements, downtown revitalization (because apparently, urban renewal isn’t enough) and street improvements/Wayne Hoffman, Idaho Freedom Foundation. More here.

Question: Doesn't a local-option tax require voter approval? If Sandpoint and Ponderay residents want to tax themselves to provide certain amenities, why should anyone outside their city limits be concerned?

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