Treasurer’s longtime first-floor office at Capitol should not go to self-serving legislators

It has been interesting to watch the Idaho House leadership team squirm and twist facts while trying to move the Idaho Treasurer’s Office from the Capitol building in order to acquire space for their new private offices. Perhaps a little history would be helpful.

The Treasurer’s Office has been housed on the first floor of the Capitol since the building was built in 1905. In fact, the outside wall of the original building was completed after the large manganese safe was placed in the vault. It is still used to this day, and Idaho Code states that the Treasurer’s Office will be located adjacent to the vault on the first floor. Thus we have HB 251 to repeal this section of code, allowing the legislators access to this space, and HB 289 to spend $10.6 million for these private offices.

In 2007, then-Gov. Butch Otter balked at the Legislature adding two-story wings on either side of the Capitol. He felt this was the first step toward a full-time Legislature. In his negotiations with the Legislature, the governor agreed to relinquish control of the first floor of the Capitol in return for limiting the new building project to single-story wings underground. Thus the Legislature would control the garden level, first, third and fourth floors. The governor would retain control over the second floor.

However, he stipulated to the legislative leadership that the office space occupied by the treasurer would “continue to be assigned to the treasurer.” This encompassed all of the east wing, south-side complex of the first floor. Further, he stated “the use of the words ‘temporary basis’ was not and will not be a part of any agreement.” The details of this agreement are set forth in the Capitol Master Plan adopted by the Capitol Commission.

Now comes the current speaker of the House, Scott Bedke. He has deliberately chosen to ignore the agreement and is demanding that the treasurer vacate the current first-floor office space for new private offices for legislators at a cost of $10.6 million of taxpayer money! How self-serving is that?

One must remember that these legislators have office space now. They each have a cubicle, with a desk and a couple of chairs to meet with constituents, lobbyists or each other. Granted, these are not private offices, but they are adequate and have worked for the past 10 years. (The committee chairmen have private offices).

Why would the Legislature remove a constitutional officer from the Capitol to build private offices – offices that will used for three months out of the year? And further, why spend almost $11 million doing it? What a waste of taxpayer money – money that could be used for roads, bridges, education or even Medicaid expansion! Idaho is better than this.

Call your senator and ask him/her to vote no. Then call the governor’s office and ask him to veto these bills.