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J U LY 17 - 23, 2019
NEWS BUDGET
Tuscany2019 on Tenth
Fundraising Benefit for Boulder Mountain Clayworks Thursday • July 25, 2019 • 6:00-9:00 pm
COUNTY SPENDING PLAN STILL $2 MILLION SHORT
T H E W E E K LY
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SPONSORED BETTER HOMEOWNERS NEWS
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Commissioners have one month to balance budget BY HAYDEN SEDER
INVENTORY CONTINUES B TO BE A CHALLENGE
Tickets are $60 and available at Boulder Mountain Clayworks
Fabulous Gourmet Pizza from the Ketchum Grill, Italian Specialties from The Haven, Delectable Dessert from Toni’s Ice Cream and Portia’s Kitchen. Raku Firing with World Renowned Raku Artist Jim Romberg Silent and Live Art Auction of Studio Artists Work including a Group Tote, and an Italian dinner for 8 with Dinnerware by Lauren Street Raffle Prizes galore & Complimentary Wine Cups Landscape and Greenery by Sawtooth Botanical Garden
471 E. 10th St. B6 • Ketchum, ID • 208-726-4484 • bouldermtclay@gmail.com • bouldermtnclay.org
NEWS IN BRIEF
Risch Seeks To Enrich Hunting And Wildlife Conservation
U.S. Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) reintroduced the so-called Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act, bipartisan legislation to promote hunting traditions and ensure the continued successful funding of wildlife conservation through the purchase of hunting and recreational shooting equipment. “Hunting and shooting sports are woven into the fabric of Idaho’s history with generations of sportsmen and women passing down hunting traditions from father to son, mother to daughter. This is a legacy we must uphold and protect,” said Risch. “This legislation will make important updates to the Pittman-Robertson Fund to ensure future generations can carry on this treasured pastime of hunting and recreational shooting while conserving wildlife for outdoorsmen and women to enjoy and experience.” “With a decline in hunting license purchases across the country, it is critically important to provide flexibility for state agencies to use Pittman-Robertson funds for the recruitment, retention, and reactivation of hunters and recreational shooters,” said Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation President Jeff Crane. “This bipartisan legislation will help ensure America’s sportsmen and women continue to serve as a crucial source of funding for the vast majority of state wildlife conservation efforts that benefit the American public as a whole.” “Updating the Pittman-Robertson Fund to more closely align with the needs and expectations of today’s public would allow flexibility for state fish and wildlife agencies that presently does not exist. Without raising user fees, the flexibility in how the money can be utilized for the recruitment of sportsmen and women will provide conservation funding in the future,” said Ed Carter, president of the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and executive director of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. “This bill, if passed, will help ensure that funding for wildlife conservation will keep pace with the demands of our citizens and our communities, while still continuing to meet our traditional wildlife conservation objectives.”
Global Innovation Leaders To Attend Sun Valley Forum
The public is being invited to tour vehicles and to experience a virtual-reality art auction aimed at fighting poverty and plastic pollution when the Sun Valley Institute kicks off its fifth annual forum at the Argyros Performing Arts Center in Ketchum, July 23. The program runs through Thursday, July 25, and includes a closing dinner at Galena Lodge followed by “Adventure Day” on Friday, July 26. Tickets are available online until Monday, July 22, and in person at The Argyros, July 23–26. This year’s forum theme is “The Future We Want: Transforming Leadership, Accelerating Innovation, Unlocking Imagination.” The premier event of the Sun Valley Institute, the Sun Valley Forum gathers approximately 250 national and international leaders and innovators from investment, policy, business, nonprofits, sports,entertainment and academia, with a goal of building greater resilience. Rapid environmental change and the highly dependent nature of the global economy have made resilience an imperative for government leaders, businesses, and communities. Resilience includes foresight, strength, adaptability, and innovation.
laine County commissioners last week began deliberating on a spending plan for fiscal year 2020 that starts with a shortfall of $5.6 million. The gap represents the difference between what county department n any given market, inventories fluctuate based on supply and headsdemand say they need to operate considering area and price range. The National Asand how much of revenue the counsociation REALTORS considers a balanced market to be a ty expects supply to collect next year. six-month of homes. startedlonger with athan $5.6 six million If“We it takes months to sell, it is thought to be a deficit on Thursday of lastless week buyer’s market; if it takes than six months, a seller’s market. Nationally, inventory existing homes has been reduced to and are now the down to $2.2 ofmilapproximately 1.5 million houses, lion after Thursday, so we’re still which is 10.3 percent lower than aa year According the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, waysago. from setting a totentative there is a 5.7-month supply of new homes currently on the market budget,” County Clerk JoLynn in the U.S. Drage said. Locally, in February, we had 37 home sales (actual closings) Hearings are open to the puband there were 109 pending contracts (sales with a loan typically lic there willThere be two more take and 30-45 days). were a totalBlaine of 398 listings February, County ClerkinJoLynn Drage.of sessions at the commissioners’ which six were new listings. So, wePhoto havecredit: 12.8 months of inventory Blaine County meeting room; on Wednesvalley-wide overone all price points. day, 17, from 9:30 a.m. to 4 and even within a neighborhood Of July course, real estate is local, p.m., and point another or a price we on findThursday, differing levels of inventory and time on July 18,In from 9 a.m. to 12points, p.m. the existing market. certain price inventory of homes We started with is a at an all-time in the Wood River Valley. Before thelow hearings, various $5.6 million deficit Inventory has direct impact departments of a Blaine Countyon price. When demand is constant on Thursday of last but inventory is reduced, price tends to increase because theweek same put in requests and stated budget number of people are trying to buy a smaller-than-normal number and are now down to $2.2 needs to the board. These deof homes. include administrative million after Thursday, so partments If you are thinking of selling this year, consider that we typically services, assessor’s office, audi- we’re still a ways from see the most listings in June-July-August. If you can get ahead of tor,masses, Blaine you County setting aAnother tentative budget.” the will Fair, have courts, less competition. thing to conemergency communications, sider is that if mortgage rates increase as predicted, the cost to buy information sysisgeographical greater and, consequently, buyers can afford less home. JoLynn Drage tems, information technology, County Clerk land use and building services, ANNA MATHIEU liability insurance, noxious Realtor®, Associate GRI, MBA weeds, probation, prosecuting attorney, recorder,Broker, recycling, road and Thiswaterways. Year’s Winner of the Windermere bridge, sheriff, treasurer and To see what each departfor Outstanding Performance ment is requesting for theirCup budgets, documents are available on the Windermere Real Estate/SV, LLC county website. (208) 309-1329 After this week’s meetings, a tentative budget must be set and pubAnnaMathieu@Windermere.com lished no later than the third week of August, Drage said. 5b-realestate.com
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Blaine County Schoolnewsletter: District Homeowners Blaine County School District has also launched its rounds of budtinyurl.com/y8koftym get hearings for the 2019–2020 school year. According to the district, trustees will be drafting the spending plan using so-called budget guiding principles. They include funding priorities such as: Provide support to accomplish the district’s Strategic Plan goals • Provide equity in resources to ensure all students meet and exceed standards (close the achievement/opportunity gap) • Maintain district commitment to its Class Size Policy, which classes NEWSvalues IN small BRIEF • Maintain a balanced budget while building an unassigned fund balance •
Sawtooth Society Names New ED
The Sawtooth Society has named Hailey resident Greg Travelstead as Trustees have been pressed in recent weeks by group called executive director. Through thishard summer, Travelstead willacontinue to I-Care Citizens for Accountable, Responsible Education) to serve as (Idaho the Sawtooth Society’s interim stewardship coordinator. Travelstead consults with clients on they land feel and are water planningtoo issues, restrain administrative costs, which increasing much and hascompared worked for the U.S. population Forest Service trail maintenance. when to student and on student performance.He holds a B.S. degree in geology from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and “Thedegree budgetfrom hasn’t our focus, but no matter what the district an MBA thebeen University of Colorado. claims, administrative costsformed go up inevery all administraThe Sawtooth Society was 1997year and and has since invested tors received a raiseinthis year and190 werecreational-related think overall administrative more than $750,000 more than projects throughout thetoo area. It also hasBarbara been instrumental preserving open costs are far high,” said Browning, in a concerned Valley space in the scenic Valley and Stanley Basin. resident who hasSawtooth led the charge to see Superintendent GwenCarol For more information, visit sawtoothsociety.org or Greg Travelstead Holmes terminated. tws at (208) 721-7665 or email greg@sawtoothsociety.org.
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