HomeMy WebLinkAboutTaiariol - Letter of Opposition_ElementRidge_11.08.24From:Gordon Taiariol
To:PZ
Subject:Concerns regarding the annexation of Element Ridge subdivision
Date:Friday, November 8, 2024 3:22:30 PM
Per the US census data, the population of Canyon County has increased by over 20,000 residents
since 2020. A large percentage of that growth has been in Caldwell.
The city does not have the infrastructure to support the new neighborhoods already approved and
or annexed into the city as well as the ones the city is still considering approval for.
Police staffing is lower than the national average, making our streets less safe. By adding more
homes into the city without adding officers, creates even slower response times. This jeopardizes the
safety of all residents in the city. Caldwell does not have the resources to hire more officers, even if
qualified candidates were available.
Fire resources are already stretched thin. With all the new housing already going in, the
response time for fire is getting slower by the day. This is NOT the fault of our fire department. It is,
however, a direct result of the increase in homes and apartments within the city. According to the
latest public information, between January 2021 and November 2023, there has been an increase of
17.83% in calls for service.
On November 5th, Canyon County Paramedics asked us to approve a very large, 147.291%, increase
in our property taxes in an effort to improve their response times. Currently, the response time has
become dangerously slow due to the increase in the county population. The majority of that
population increase is the City of Caldwell. Per the Canyon County Paramedics website, they have
seen a 20% increase in calls for service since 2020.
In addition to the slow response time because of the number of new residents, the road
infrastructures have not kept up, meaning further delays in emergency response times due to
overburdened roads and extra heavy traffic.
Using the rationale that once more homes are built, the tax base will provide additional funding to
improve the road infrastructure and hire more city/county response personnel seems
counterproductive and comes at the expense of the safety and well-being of our current residents.
We all know that you can't stop progress, but you can slow it down.
Thank You,
Gordon Taiariol
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