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<font size="+1"><font face="Comic Sans MS">I wondered where I could
find the membership of the Moscow<br>
Urban Renewal Agency "Board", so I googled and found the<br>
website. In case any readers are interested, here it is:<br>
<br>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.moscow.id.us/URA/index.asp">http://www.moscow.id.us/URA/index.asp</a><br>
<br>
Sam Scripter<br>
</font></font><br>
Donovan Arnold wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:946826.21676.qm@web38108.mail.mud.yahoo.com"
type="cite">
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<div>BJ,</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Taxpayers have been robbed consistently for
centuries, where have you been?</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Best Regards,</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Donovan<br>
<br>
--- On <b>Sun, 12/7/08, B. J. Swanson <i><a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:bjswan@moscow.com"><bjswan@moscow.com></a></i></b>
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 5px;">From:
B. J. Swanson <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:bjswan@moscow.com"><bjswan@moscow.com></a><br>
Subject: [Vision2020] Urban Renewal Agency Impact on Taxpayers<br>
To: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com">vision2020@moscow.com</a><br>
Date: Sunday, December 7, 2008, 11:53 AM<br>
<br>
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<p class="MsoNormal">On November 6, 2008, the Moscow Urban
Renewal Agency Commissioners toured the urban renewal districts in
Coeur d’Alene that are the subject of the first of two articles in the <span>Coeur</span>
d’Alene Press. The first article is below. Please note the subscriber
comments following the article.</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">Apparently the Moscow URA Commissioners
hoped to gather inspiration from Coeur d’Alene on how to spend more of
your tax dollars. In particular, how to spend your tax dollars to
enrich private developers without a vote of the taxpayers. </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Here are some other items the Moscow URA
spent your tax dollars on this year:
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span
style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span>Spending up to $5,000 of your tax
dollars to file a “Friend of the Court” brief for the <u>Rexburg</u>
Urban Renewal Agency
</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span
style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span>Hiring a new economic development
director at a cost of $80,000+ to be shared with the City of Moscow
(tax dollars funding both)
</p>
<p class="MsoListParagraph"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"><span>·<span
style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 7pt; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal;">
</span></span></span>In addition to the economic development
director salary, paying the City of Moscow $30,000+ annually for
administrative services. This is $5,000 more than last year because
City Staff said they need more money to manage the economic development
director. Is this compound “Bureaucracy Gone Wild?”
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Moscow Urban Renewal Agency
Commissioners have the ability to finalize and close out the Alturas
Urban Renewal District by 2010 and return $300,000 annually as a direct
reduction on all property tax bills in Latah County. They have chosen
not to do this and instead vote to continue spending your tax dollars
on bureaucracy and to divert funds to the Legacy Crossing Urban Renewal
District, where nothing is happening.
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Perhaps the Moscow URA Commissioners
should take a field trip around Moscow to assess our economic
situation. In particular, note that the national recession is
extending to Moscow. There are layoffs and budget cuts, businesses
are not up-staffing and expanding like the URA; in fact, there have
been several business closures and will be more.
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">A $300,000 refund from the Moscow URA
would be a welcome gift to property taxpayers in Moscow and all of
Latah County.
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">B. J. Swanson
</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> </p>
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