Should Boise’s roads be maintained by an outside agency? It’s time to rethink ACHD | Opinion
Ada County voters will elect highway district commissioners in less than two months. We should be casting a vote on whether the agency should even exist.
Most voters assume they are electing commissioners to oversee county roads. However, the Ada County Highway District controls every road in Ada County. Whether you live in Boise, Kuna, Meridian, Star or unincorporated Ada County, ACHD is in charge. The agency is set to spend $234 million next year. With those funds, ACHD decides if you have a sidewalk, how wide the road should be, and whether to make road repairs. The only exception to this is a state or federal highway.
ACHD is the only agency of its kind in the entire United States. That’s right. Idaho has the only extra layer of government where an entirely separate body controls the roads. Canyon County, our neighbor, doesn’t have this system. This unnecessary bureaucracy is the exact opposite of the efficient, streamlined, common-sense approach Idaho citizens expect. Cities should own their roads. The elected officials who approve growth should be accountable for the streets that accompany it.
Every week at Boise City Council, traffic concerns are the number one issue when people testify about land decisions. I hear desperate pleas: “How can this road handle more cars?” “Will this road be widened?” “I don’t even have sidewalks in my neighborhood.” The sad truth is that city councils approve housing while another agency in Ada County decides how wide the road will be. What an inefficient system!
We all live with traffic, and it’s getting worse. With more and more Idahoans living in the Treasure Valley, more cars are on the road than ever before. While we can aspire to have more bike lanes, better sidewalks, and a sophisticated public transportation system someday, the reality is Idahoans drive. That won’t change. The extra government Ada County taxpayers are funding isn’t the best way to plan for growth.
The Idaho Legislature has tried multiple times to change ACHD’s configuration. Shuffling the deck chairs on the sinking ocean liner doesn’t make it any more efficient. It’s time to call the question. The Legislature can eliminate ACHD and return power to cities by removing the law that created the agency, or citizens can petition to put the question on the ballot.
We need a serious discussion. Times have changed. When ACHD started in 1971, roughly 110,000 people lived in Ada County. The city of Meridian has more people than that today—130,000 residents. With the county home to half a million people, isn’t it time to let voters decide whether they are happy with their roads?