Arguing The Merits Of A Consolidated Road Agency

Diversity of views about the best way to handle the road system in Idaho's most populous county.

The state's largest newspaper say's,

"Ada County (Idaho) voters got it right in 1971, when they took the bold step of creating a countywide highway district. The concept still makes sense. This is no time to scrap it, as some Boise city leaders seem determined to do."

A Boise City Council member say's,

"No other community anywhere in the entire United States — has adopted the ACHD model. A single-purpose district ought to be the very best at what it does; instead, our community's inability to effectively address transportation needs raises a serious question: Is ACHD a failed experiment?"

The chairman of the Ada County Highway District say's,

"[T]here is a political price to be paid for better roads at a lower tax burden: a certain loss of local control. Instead of a mayor and city council having total power within their city they have to deal with another player — ACHD — whose goal is to ensure that decisions make sense for the broadest constituency."