Ali Rabe

Education Fully funding public education at the state level will also help lower property taxes. Housing Allow localities to provide property tax incentives to homeowners leasing to long-term tenants (instead of short-term rentals like AirBnB). Housing Provide affordable housing developers with sales tax relief, making it easier for them to keep their housing development affordable without hurting their bottom line. Housing Remove the requirement that affordable housing developers who receive a tax credit must also manage their property. Housing Create funding for needed infrastructure improvements to accommodate increased housing density and availability. Housing Fund in-person court mediators to resolve cases in court. Mediation allows landlords and tenants to come up with an agreement in court without going in front of the judge. Landlords get paid and tenants can avoid getting an eviction on their record if they comply with the mediation agreement. Housing Give local governments that aren’t resort towns the authority to ask voters for such taxes, and local governments in the Boise area should use at least some of the revenue to provide affordable housing. Housing Fund the creation of online tools and resources tenants can access before they go to court. Many tenants go to court without knowing about community resources that are out there to help them avoid eviction. The Legislature can partner with the courts to ensure those resources are readily available to people being summoned to court. Housing Allow a county or city to provide five or ten years of property tax abatement to a specific area to encourage the creation of affordable housing there. Housing Simplify the ability of affordable housing developers to access tax credits if their housing serves households at 80% of area median income (AMI) or below. The current language is outdated and nearly impossible to match exactly. Housing Encourage localities to eliminate permit fees that are required for development applications, and create other financial incentives for affordable housing development. Housing Remove restrictions on what funds cities and counties can use to address housing efforts. For example, other states allow cities to run bonds in order to fund affordable housing developments. Housing Codify improvements to the eviction court process which allow more cases to be resolved pre-court, saving tenants, landlords, and the court (therefore the taxpayers) time and money. Housing Provide homeowners in all of Idaho with the opportunity to have Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) on their property.