August 2010 Council Mtg.

I was absent for this meeting. Of special importance at this meeting was the amendments to the urban renewal plan which I did not support.

As I have previously stated, the urban renewal is asking for broad discretion to conduct any project that they might deem appropriate. I believe that this is a mistake since they are using tax dollars for their projects. I believe that Sandpoint Urban Renewal Agency ("SURA") and the City should agree on the scope and type of any projects that they are conducting. This is the only reasonable way for maintaining accountability over the public funds that the agency will be spending. It appears that I am the only person particularly concerned with this issue.

SURA's responses were particularly frustrating during this process. In a February 2010 letter, I suggested that SURA have the following specific priorities:

1. To create jobs;
2. To create quality workforce housing;
3. To guide future growth and development; and
4. To foster education.

In response, SURA's attorney stated that it was limited to spending its money on infrastructure. This was particularly frustrating because obviously, I wasn't proposing a social program - only that SURA judge its projects based on the above criteria. In a February 2010 response, I pointed out multiple Idaho urban renewal projects that have furthered the above-described goals.

UPDATE: Interestingly, in 2011 SURA gave a "grant" to the Downtown Sandpoint Business Association of $50,000 per year to be used for marketing. SURA has also funded a consultant to study how we can bring economic vitality to the downtown. I believe it is a one-year, $200,000 contract. How these projects square with the agency's earlier statement that they can only invest in infrastructure programs is beyond me.

While this is a fairly negative review of SURA, it is not meant to diminish their work. It is only to point out the lack of control which I believe borders on unconstitutional. SURA has done some amazing things in 2011 which include one of my very favorite projects - extending the Sand Creek Boardwalk. They have also built the Panida pier and rebuilt 2nd Avenue as the first Green Street in Idaho. So I am conflicted in that they intend well and have accomplished some great projects but lack the institutional controls that were meant to limit urban renewal ihttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifn the event that something goes wrong.