One need not go any farther than the observation of Republican state Rep. Dennis Lake of Blackfoot to understand why Gov. James Risch seems in a rush to call a special session of the Legislature to tinker with Idaho's taxing structure.
"The governor wants to put his fingerprint on something good," Lake said last week.
Translated, temporary Gov. Risch—he succeeded Gov. Dirk Kempthorne, who became Secretary of the Interior—is running for Idaho lieutenant governor in November and needs bragging material.
That form of politics is too expensive for the state to bear.
No good could come from Risch's idea of a special session. His strategy of cobbling together a tax bill well in advance—and out of sight of the public—would deny critics and the public the right to discuss a law with sweeping consequences for counties, schools and taxpayers.
If tax relief for property owners was No. 1 on the agenda of most lawmakers for 93 days during their 2006 session earlier this year, and yet no legislation was produced, imagine what would come out of a hurried one- or two-day session. Legislation might well ignite a barrage of lawsuits taking years to settle and notoriety for the state Legislature as a body of public-be-damned dealmakers who govern by fiat.
Make no mistake, the tax anomaly that has brought heartache to homeowners in growth communities such as Blaine County is spreading. That means howls for reform will reach more lawmakers and relief will come sooner than later.
The property tax crisis is real. Homeowners who have no intentions of selling their property suddenly find their assessed values and taxes soaring because of nearby property sales prices.
That geometry plainly is not only unfair and unjust, but ruinous for some who can no longer afford taxes on homes in which they've lived most of their adult lives.
Action is needed, but not in haste.
Happily, no groundswell seems to have developed among lawmakers for a special session. So legislators with a wiser view of the state's responsibilities to taxpayers, and higher respect for the legislating process, should persuade Gov. Risch to abandon his yen for a special session.
A new governor will be inaugurated by next January and lawmakers in regular session in 2007 then could devote thoughtful deliberations to tax relief, give it plenty of public airing and serve the state as well as property owners.
Gov. Risch can find other, less expensive issues on which to campaign.
