WECRD plan isn't 'recreation'

Several citizens have asked me to write a letter regarding the upcoming decision by the City Counsel with respect to the partnership with the Western Elmore County Recreation District. This partnership would rebuild the crow's nest at Optimist Park which is mainly used by the Daniel Dopps Rodeo.

We support the rodeo and appreciate the wonderful things it does for our community. We also support the Sponsors of the Rodeo with our business and encourage this community/business relationship.

The rebuilding of this crow's nest will be funded by tax dollars, which were specifically approved by this community years ago to build a community recreation facility. We believe the DD Rodeo folks are capable folks who would accomplish this rebuild task through private donations and not the use tax dollars which were earmarked for a facility.

Taking this money out of the "pot" reduces dollar for dollar the available funds for a facility, which the taxing district was established to provide. This taxing district was established to build a facility. Everyone knows that.

By completing this partnership, the recreation district will move farther from the goal of a community recreation facility. We know the state of disrepair and safety issues associated with the structure. This taxing district and these tax dollars were never intended to accomplish this purpose.

We are appealing to your sense of fairness and your integrity to reject this partnership. We know you would like the money and the structure but it is not the right thing to do.

The WECRD may have met the letter of the law in offering these funds but they certainly have not met the spirit of the law. As you know, the WECRD board has misspent well over $1 million on what has been determined by an opinion from the State of Idaho Attorney General's office as being unlawful expenditures. Even though this expenditure seems to fall under the approved list of expenditures you as a city council know it does not fit under why the district was formed.

As citizens, we have faithfully paid our taxes for many years to build this facility. So have all taxpayers. Is this what we want to do with our long saved tax money?

This expenditure is not the right thing to do. Reject this partnership for the good of our community. The WECRD board has taken it upon themselves to offer these funds without any hearings or input from citizens who feel very differently as to how these tax dollars should be spent.

Do you really want to be a part of that kind of leadership style and autocratic decision making process?

This is a bad thing for our community because it detracts from the original purpose and intent of the Recreation taxing district. Do not be a part of something that further divides this community. We know the DD Rodeo folks and they are capable of fixing this structure on their own. Asking, where does conscience enter into a decision making task?

-- Bob Holup, Mountain Home