Souza attacks CdA urban renewal

Sen. Mary Souza, R-Coeur d’Alene, says she believes cities like Coeur d’Alene are using urban renewal as a “side-around” to avoid public votes on big new public projects, as would be required if the city asked voters to raise their property taxes to fund them. “Through Article 8 Section 3 of our Constitution, that has always traditionally involved the voters to say, ‘Do you want to tax yourselves in order to get this benefit to the community,’ whatever it is, library, a city hall, whatever,” she told the Legislature’s urban renewal interim committee today, on which she serves. “Urban renewal came in and has done kind of a side-around … then the public hasn’t had a vote on these kinds of issues, and I believe that it is a negative in many regards … because there is no voter buy-in, then. There’s no approval from the community. … So then you get the resentment that can start”/ Betsy Russell , Eye on Boise. More here.

• Urban renewal panel favors allowing cities to opt for elected or appointed boards /Betsy Russell, Eye on Boise

Thoughts?