For the week of July 25 - July 31, 2001

The power of one

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There’s power in one. One person. One idea. One comment. One vote.

It’s budget time for cities and counties, and there is no better time for individuals to discover the power of one.

Budget hearings in the Wood River Valley traditionally draw no one. One person in the audience is a crowd.

Every year residents are nowhere to be found during city and county budget deliberations. Afterward, they often find that favorite public works projects missed out on funding.

The high level of dissent when local governments do something residents don’t like makes it hard to believe that people don’t care.

Two local projects illustrate the need for participation.

Blaine County is trying to figure out what to do about Blaine Manor, the nursing home that cost local taxpayers $1.1 million last year. Commissioners are trying to decide whether to expand it to make it a paying proposition or close it. Either choice would have far-reaching impacts.

Ketchum is wondering whether it should commit itself to paying hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to operate a recreation center while paying far less to meet pressing needs for community housing and transportation planning.

The fate of both the nursing home and a community recreation center will be determined in budgets that will soon come up for public hearings.

Residents should pick a budget. Pick a plan. Pick a position and speak out.

It’s a great time to experience the power of one.

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.