In brief: Fish and Game building not taxable

The Idaho Fish and Wildlife Foundation will not have to pay $60,000 in annual property taxes on a structure it built for the Idaho Department of Fish and Game.

The Nez Perce County Commissioners, serving as a board of equalization to settle property tax disputes, ruled Monday that the building is not taxable, the Lewiston Tribune reported.

The foundation owns the $2.5 million, 24,800-square-foot building and leases it to the state agency. The foundation, created in 1990 to raise money for Fish and Game projects, has no employees. Three Fish and Game employees spend part of their time on foundation activities.

The foundation has an agreement to lease the building to Fish and Game for 20 years and then sell the building to the state for $1. Last month, Nez Perce County Assessor Daniel Anderson said the building should be taxed at $60,000 per year, saying nonprofit corporations must pay taxes on property they lease.

The foundation, which gets most of its money from donations and events such as auctions, appealed that decision, saying the $60,000 bill would make it difficult for the foundation to raise money for other projects.

After examining Idaho tax code with Anderson, Nez Perce County Prosecutor Dan Spickler said he concluded that leasing the building does not mean it can be taxed.

He said the foundation’s tax status would only be forfeited if the building were leased for revenue and used for something not related to the foundation’s mission.

Helena

Grain spills after train cars derail

A locomotive and five grain cars derailed here Tuesday afternoon, with two cars tipping on their sides, Montana Rail Link officials said.

One of the cars that tipped over spilled several tons of corn onto the ground near the tracks, said MRL spokeswoman Lynda Frost.

Frost said no one was injured and the derailment was under investigation. However, officials at the scene said they suspected a broken rail might have caused the wreck.

The 104-car train was en route from Alberta, Minn., to Tacoma, Frost said.

Seattle

Seattle monorail stays closed

The resumption of service on Seattle’s popular downtown monorail was delayed Tuesday after final safety checks raised concerns.

The two trains were expected to begin running Tuesday for the first time since they crashed last Thanksgiving weekend. A morning news conference to show off a debut run was canceled after safety checks found “issues that need to be resolved,” the Seattle Center said in a news release.

Popular with tourists, the monorail historically has carried as many as 23,000 riders a day. The trains crashed when one driver failed to yield to the other at a point where the tracks are too close together for passing. Fire crews helped the 84 passengers down from the 28-foot-high tracks. There were no serious injuries.

Seattle Monorail Services will announce a new restart date after all work has been completed, director Tom Albro said.

Spokane County

Commission delays pawn shop vote

Spokane County commissioners on Tuesday delayed a vote on a proposal creating stricter rules for pawn shops.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Office hopes to require pawn shops to take pictures or thumbprints of all people who pawn merchandise.

Commissioner Phil Harris said the proposal was flawed, in part, because it was not clear that it affected only pawn shops in unincorporated Spokane County.

The board voted unanimously to hold another public hearing on the matter after county attorneys rewrite the portions commissioners said were flawed.

From staff and wire reports