I attended a trade association meeting for the Greater Pocatello Association of Realtors last Friday. The guests of the association were members of a group of volunteers called Valley Pride. One of the Founders, Arlo Luke was there along with other members. Their purpose in coming was to solicit the help of the real estate industry in promoting the idea of citizen involvement in maintaining and improving the quality of living in our valley. The spirit of this organization serves to validate my argument that all issues involving improvement of our city and county cannot and should not be funded through taxation. The spirit under which this great country was founded is the less government the better. Let the individual citizen organize and volunteer time and fortune to worthy causes that reflect the individuals value system. There can be much accomplished this way without burdening the “unknown man” with a tax over which he has no control. There are many projects in our valley deserving our attention and funding. The Holt arena remains among them. I remain of the opinion the issues surrounding the Holt arena can and should be solved through voluntary participation

I have been observing Pocatello Real Estate issues for over 35 years, and am of the opinion this community remains an undiscovered gem in the world of real property. The central location of Pocatello to a wide range of recreation, large industrial/commerce markets, while maintaining the lifestyle of a small community combine to make property ownership here a solid investment. However, Pocatello has the reputation in the State of Idaho of having one of the highest real property tax levies. We continue to live up to this reputation. Property tax issues are always in the forefront of investor’s criteria when considering the location of new operations. Citizens who have paid property taxes on their homes for decades, have seen the tax on their home increase by geometric proportions. This happening when they are entering into a period of fixed income for the family. There are many other factors lawmakers need to look to in the future, before making decisions to lay more burdenupon real property for a revenue source.

Welcome to our site dedicated to issues of import in the Pocatello Valley.
The big news of the day is the resounding defeat of the bond issue that would have allowed for renovation of Idaho State Universities Holt Arena. The issue here is one of taxation. The residents of this valley have a dedication and loyalty to Idaho State University and the activities promoted in the Holt Arena. They also recognize the need for the proposed renovation. However, they also recognize that they are among the highest taxed people in Idaho. There have been many respected members of the community come forth with alternative methods of funding this much needed program, which would not burden the already over-taxed residents, some of which are on fixed incomes and are not in a position to bear another tax increase. There are many within the community and across the country who, if asked would be willing to donate to this cause. These individuals have ties to the university and this valley. There are tax incentives that would make a donation attractive without burdening the whole tax base with another bill. Holt Arena is a valued asset to this community, the monies can be gotten to complete needed updates, taxation is the wrong way to get it done.