The Idaho Way: Flawed data center bill would kill Kuna’s urban renewal district
By Scott McIntosh, opinion editor
The Idaho Way is a weekly roundup of opinions, commentary and letters to the editor to encourage conversation on topics important to Idahoans. If you like this newsletter, forward to a friend, and they can sign up here.
Those who know me know that Kuna holds a special place in my heart. The Kuna Melba News is what brought my wife and I and our two sons to Idaho some 17 years ago. Kuna has lots of great people doing great things to make Kuna a better community.
So many plans have been made over the years: a Boys & Girls Club, development of Deer Flat and Meridian roads, an urban renewal district, an industrial park east of the city. All of those plans are coming to fruition, finally.
One of those plans, though — a second urban renewal district to create an industrial park east of the city — is in jeopardy because of a bad, misunderstood bill in the Legislature.
The bill, House Bill 46, received approval from the House Local Government committee, whose members seemed confused about the bill and misunderstood how taxes are paid under an urban renewal district. The bill conflates two separate issues — a sales tax exemption for a specific business category and urban renewal districts.
Three years ago, champing at the bit to bring a Facebook/Meta data center to Idaho, legislators passed legislation giving data centers a sales tax exemption on equipment purchased for their business.
It worked.
Meta announced last year that it had purchased land outside the city of Kuna and was planning to build a 960,000-square-foot data center. The city in November created a new Kuna East Urban Renewal District that included 1,800 acres for a new industrial park that included the data center.
Now, legislators want to screw all that up.
Read my full column here explaining how urban renewal really works and why it’s clear legislators don’t fully understand it.
State of the Union address
President Joe Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address was a mixed bag for Republicans in Congress.
On the one hand, he wasn’t shy about challenging them (nor were they reluctant to push back at him). On the other, he touted bipartisan legislation like the infrastructure package and legislation to help veterans exposed to burn pits get care.
One consistent theme we hope Idaho’s congressional delegation heard in Biden’s address was an invitation to the incoming Republican House majority to participate in bipartisan government — something that once worked very well for America.
There’s room for significant policy disagreement within bipartisan government.
One thing that’s nonnegotiable, though, is the debt ceiling, according to the editorial board.
Human trafficking?
Rep. Barbara Ehardt, R-Idaho Falls, has made her legislative reputation by sponsoring controversial, culture-war-focused legislation like the transgender athlete ban, writes Idaho Statesman opinion writer Bryan Clark.
A bill she introduced Tuesday, House Bill 98, is true to that pattern. The bill absurdly defines helping a pregnant minor obtain an abortion — for example by giving them a ride to a state where it’s legal or by giving them information on how to obtain mifepristone — as human trafficking.
Regardless of your views on abortion, this much is absolutely clear: Enslaving another person to provide sex or labor is not the same thing as providing information about how a minor can order abortion pills or offering them a ride to a clinic. Not remotely.
Read Bryan’s full column here.
Labrador’s bully pulpit, indeed
Earlier this month, as the Caldwell school board was getting ready to consider a policy dealing with the treatment of gay and transgender students, newly elected far-right Sen. Chris Trakel, R-Nampa, shouted over board members at the head of a mob which lobbed threats until the meeting had to be adjourned early.
The board had to cancel the planned redo of the public hearing because they couldn’t organize police protection in time.
Naturally, Idaho’s chief law enforcement officer has entered the fray — on the side of the mob.
Read our full editorial here on why Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s stunt is performative politics and has nothing to do with the law.
Transgender bill
A bill that would criminalize doctors providing widely accepted gender-affirming medical care to teens is advancing in the Idaho Legislature.
This week, we heard from one dad of a transgender daughter about the damage this bill would do, if passed.
“After a couple of years of therapy, our daughter’s providers recommended medical treatment for her situation,” Michael Devitt writes in a guest opinion. “Because of our respect for standard practices of medical care and our faith, we facilitated this treatment and watched our daughter blossom into the amazing, happy, well-adjusted and successful teenager she is today. Without the medical care she received, our daughter would not be alive today.”
Read Michael’s full guest opinion piece here.
Decimating wolves
If you value wolves in Idaho, it will be important to provide input for the state’s forthcoming draft wolf management plan.
Because if it goes through as written, the majority of Idaho’s wolf population will be purposefully eliminated.
Under the proposed plan, unveiled at a meeting of the Idaho Fish and Game Commission late last month, the state would move quickly to reduce the number of wolves to around 500. In many years, there are upward of 1,500 wolves in Idaho.
That is a miracle.
Read our full editorial here on why the proposal should be rejected.
Idaho Freedom Foundation
Discussion about the Idaho Freedom Foundation and its detrimental effects on Idaho has ratcheted up lately. Over the past couple of weeks, we’ve had commentary on:
Idaho Freedom Foundation president’s heart is in Idaho — but his house is in Washington: Inlander reporter Daniel Walters revealed that Idaho Freedom Foundation president Wayne Hoffman has been recording many of his podcasts and videos from a house he recently purchased — in Washington state. At the very least, he’s lying when he says he’s coming to you live from North Idaho. At worst, he’s no longer an Idaho resident trying to influence Idaho politicians into making decisions that affect Idaho residents. Read Daniel Walters’ full story here and decide for yourself.
When the Idaho Freedom Foundation yanks the strings, most lawmakers jump: In this guest editorial, Marty Trillhaase shows how the Freedom Foundation’s influence nearly killed a beneficial Idaho Launch scholarship program. Read the full guest editorial here.
Fraudulent ‘freedom’: A peek behind the curtain of the Idaho Freedom Foundation: Former state Sen. Mary Souza, a Republican from Coeur d’Alene, explains how the Idaho Freedom Foundation declined to take into consideration testimony and legislative debate before scoring bills. Their premature scores and grading of legislators unduly influence legislators. Read Mary’s full guest opinion piece here.
Capitol Letters
Now that the Idaho Legislature is back in session, Idaho Statesman reporter Ryan Suppe and politics editor Hayat Norimine have you covered, keeping you updated on each day’s happenings and what to expect for the upcoming day.
Plus, I throw in our astute politics observations and opinions on a daily basis.
To sign up to receive Capitol Letters, click here.
I’m listening
Send me your story ideas, news tips, questions, comments, or anything else on your mind. You can reach me via email at smcintosh@idahostatesman.com.
Find me on social media:
Twitter (my DMs are open)
What you’re saying
This week, we received letters to the editor on legislative antics, student IDs, conspiracy theories, disenfranchisement, the wealth tax and maternal mortality. You can read these and more letters by clicking here.
You can submit a letter to the editor or guest opinion by clicking here.
Like this newsletter?
If you like this newsletter, forward to a friend or colleague, and they can sign up here.
