All three local state legislators will meet with elected officials, various organizations and the public from the Blaine County region next week in anticipation of their return to the Statehouse at the beginning of next year.
Rep. Wendy Jaquet, D-Ketchum, Sen. Clint Stennett, D-Ketchum, and Rep. Donna Pence, D-Gooding, will be at the Blaine County Annex in Hailey on Tuesday from 9 a.m. to about 3 p.m. The area they represent, District 25, is made up of Blaine, Camas, Gooding and Lincoln counties.
"It's a one-stop shop," Jaquet said in an interview. "This will help give us an idea of the community's priorities."
Jaquet said this kind of all-in-one event increases efficiency, because groups normally seek separate meetings before the legislative session begins.
Starting at 9 a.m., the trio will meet in order: State Juvenile Corrections; Idaho State Police (Twin Falls office); Blaine County schools; Sun Valley-Ketchum Chamber & Visitors Bureau; Blaine County Commission; elected city officials; Blaine County Housing Authority and ARCH Community Housing Trust; St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center; an update on a replacement airport; and the Wood River Land Trust.
All of the meetings are slated to run for about 30 minutes, other than an hour for the schools and another hour for lunch with the elected city officials.
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Jaquet said members of the public are welcome to attend any of the meetings and will be free to address issues not specified in the day's itinerary. Anyone wishing to make an appointment to speak with Jaquet and the other legislators on that day can contact Jaquet at 726-3100.
Jaquet said she expects one of the main issues of the day to be minimum revenue guarantees, which are provided to airlines to cover a shortfall if ticket revenue doesn't cover an airline's costs. Currently, such a guarantee is employed to entice Horizon Air to provide service to Hailey's Friedman Memorial Airport. Payment for the guarantee is shared by the Fly Sun Valley Alliance and Sun Valley Co.
Jaquet said there is uncertainty over whether cities in Idaho are constitutionally allowed to contribute to these deals, as state statute prohibits municipalities from giving money to private companies. However, the issue is muddied by the fact that cities are able to enter into contracts for service with companies, such as engineering or law firms, and it's not clear where the revenue guarantees fall.
In addition, Jaquet said that if it were legal for cities to help pay for the airline service, than that funding would likely have to come out of local-option tax receipts, a use of LOT revenue that is not currently permitted. Jaquet said that if the state determines such a use to be legal, county residents would need to have a conversation over whether it is an appropriate use of tax revenue.
Jaquet said she expects differences between state education policies and those of the local school district to also be an issue.
Affordable housing will once again be a topic for discussion. Jaquet said passing legislation to create affordable workforce housing is difficult in Idaho, but that perhaps she could get some traction with County Commission Chairman Larry Schoen's idea of giving a short-term tax break to developers who build affordable housing.
Jon Duval: jduval@mtexpress.com
