Idaho Freedom Foundation President Wayne Hoffman Tuesday asked Boise Mayor David Bieter and the Boise City Council to cancel plans putting a tax increase on the ballot in November. The breakdown for the bond includes $18.5 million for public safety, $10 million for open space and $5.5 million for parks.

Hoffman, in a letter to city officials, noted the state is still in an economically fragile condition.

“Many of our friends, family, colleagues and neighbors continue to struggle to make ends meet. Since your announcement that you would pursue a bond election, Idaho's largest private employer, Micron Technology, has initiated layoffs,” Hoffman wrote in his letter to Bieter and the council.

Hoffman also noted that the statewide unemployment rate has gone up and personal income was down the first part of the year.

Recently, the economists at Idaho’s Division of Financial Management warned that after seeing some growth in 2012, personal income was down in the first quarter of 2013.

“Your bond proposal contains both public safety items and items that fall under the category of ‘wants’ not ‘needs,’ including those items that are designed to secure open spaces and facilitate park improvements for the city. This means that the funding for discretionary projects will come on the backs of people who may still be unemployed, may be facing unemployment or are seeing a decline in their income,” Hoffman wrote.

Note: The Idaho Freedom Foundation is a nonpartisan government watchdog organization promoting government transparency and limited government.

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To read the opposition letter, click here.