PROBLEMS WITH THE BALLOT QUESTION

When we posted some concerns about the new taxing district on our website KIFI TV8 quickly posted some responses on their Facebook page that came from current EITC President Richard Aman.

When we questioned why we needed to create a taxing district and raise taxes his response, as published, was:  

State Statute requires a “taxing district” be established to create a community college.

Fair enough, if it is true.  So we went to the Bonneville County Election Office's website to obtain information on early voting we pulled and printed the ballot.  The ballot question does NOT say anything about a taxing district, and therefore there is a chance that it may not authorize the creation of a new taxing district.  If so, this ballot question may have been placed on the ballot in error and might not be worded correctly to authorize or start the proper taxing district.

According to the ballot we received, the ballot question reads:

"Shall a community college district be organized to create the College of Eastern Idaho which shall be a successor entity to Eastern Idaho Technical College."

This ballot question, we were told, was written by the group who got the required signatures to put the issue on the ballot.  There could have been an attempt, possibly, in the gathering of the signatures as well as the writing of the ballot question, to hide the fact that new taxes were required to pass this ballot item.  

Why doesn't the ballot question say new taxing district?  If the words "taxing district" is left off and not taxpayer authorized, and President Aman says that one is required, is it a flawed ballot question and the election will essentially be invalid?  

We suspect that the election office, or perhaps a later court challenge, will decide this issue.  But only if they get 66.6% plus 1 of the voters to say yes at the ballot box.