Should Blaine County property taxes be used to fund local open-space preservation?
That's a question county voters are set to consider during next week's general election on Tuesday, Nov. 4.
Called Proposition 1, or the "Land, Water and Wildlife Levy," the measure would temporarily increase property tax levy rates to generate funds for the preservation of valuable open-space lands in select locations throughout the county. The idea for the levy was hatched by four local nonprofits: the Idaho Conservation League, Wood River Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy and Citizens for Smart Growth.
The groups banded together to support the temporary, two-year, $3.5-million levy. If it's approved by a simple majority of voters, the average county homeowner would see an annual property tax increase of $50, based on the county's median home value of $436,000.
Last week, the Blaine County Commission approved a resolution that details how funds raised by the levy increase could be used. Areas identified for possible preservation efforts include the Big Wood River corridor, the Silver Creek and south Bellevue Triangle area, and the Little Wood River watershed stretching from the Little Wood Reservoir dam north to the boundary with Sawtooth National Forest lands.
If the measure is approved, the commission will appoint an advisory board that will recommend ways to use the funds to achieve optimal conservation value and public benefits.
Though they acknowledge the dire economic times the country is facing, backers of the levy point also out that the county's natural assets are a cornerstone of the local economy, and thus worth saving. With the county expected to continue growing at a strong pace, waiting to fund local open-space preservation could mean the loss of these key parcels, said Vanessa Crossgrove-Fry, executive director of Citizens for Smart Growth.
"Right now is an opportunity to protect our land, water and wildlife before it's too late," she said.
Another idea that's been floated would be to use funds generated by the levy to help purchase development rights as part of the county's transfer-of-development-rights program. The program allows landowners in specified areas of the county to sell their rights to develop their land to landowners in other areas that the county has identified as being appropriate for denser subdivision development.
