Trust, but verify

CHEERS ... to Nez Perce County Commissioners Doug Havens, Bob Tippett and Doug Zenner. When Clearwater Paper sought to enhance Lewiston's chances of attracting a $160 million plant upgrade, the commissioners agreed to waive about $4.25 million in property taxes during the new facility's first five years of operation.

But Clearwater Paper must meet its end of the bargain - maintaining its economic footprint in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley or forfeit the tax breaks. That's called a clawback provision.

If Clearwater Paper shuts down the operation in 2022, it would reimburse the county for the full amount. Each year thereafter, the clawback penalty would decline by 20 percent - until 2027.

Look around Idaho and you'll see plenty of reasons why this makes sense.

In Pocatello, state and local officials doled out hundreds of thousands of dollars to encourage Hoku to build a polysilicon manufacturing plant. The company went bankrupt.

In Sandpoint, Coldwater Creek went bankrupt after the state allocated $62,000 in workforce development funds.

Critics of the system say too much of that money was lost.

Two years ago, Carl Davis, a senior analyst with the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, urged lawmakers to mandate " ... a 'clawback' provision, or money-back guarantee, where the government recoups the incentive payment if the business fails to live up to its job creation or investment promises."

Credit Havens, Tippett and Zenner for avoiding the trap.

JEERS ... to Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter. He doesn't seem to be in much of a hurry about filling north central Idaho's seat on the Idaho Fish and Game Commission.

This area's slot on the commission has been vacant ever since June 30, when the term of Lewiston's Fred Trevey expired.

The same goes for the Upper Snake region. It was represented by Kenny Anderson of Rigby, whose term also ended June 30.

That leaves members from five other areas of the state setting policy on anything from emergency fishing regulations for salmon and steelhead to adjusting hunting rules in the aftermath of this summer's fires. Those five members also prepare the budget request Fish and Game submits to the Idaho Legislature next year.

It's been nearly three months since the vacancies were announced.

Some candidates were interviewed six weeks ago.

A screening committee that included members of Otter's staff, members of the public and former Fish and Game commissioners looked over the applications.

Otter's office is the bottleneck. What's holding this up?

CCHEERS ... to Ed and Beatriz Schweitzer and Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories. They've gone a long way toward answering Moscow City Councilor Walter Steed's spot-on question about the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport runway realignment project: Who's going to pay the local match?

Realignment could cost up to $119 million. The local share comes to nearly $9.7 million.

So far, the airport has lined up $2.5 million apiece from the cities of Pullman and Moscow, $1.25 million from the Washington State Department of Transportation, $500,000 from the University of Idaho and $100,000 from Latah County.

Given Whitman County's lukewarm reaction, Steed wondered if the cities would be on the hook for the rest.

Enter the Schweitzers and SEL. Collectively, they kicked in $2 million.

That still leaves the project potentially short - but the much-reduced gap could be filled any number of ways including a tentative $1 million from Washington State University, the airport's yearly $200,000 share of passenger facility fees or other contributions.

JEERS ... to Idaho Freedom Foundation President Wayne Hoffman. He carries a lot of influence with the Republican-led Legislature. Unfortunately.

Hoffman is a big impediment to implementing Obamacare in Idaho, and in a 71/2-page fundraising letter, he's keeping up the pressure.

Never mind that Hoffman's argument against Gov. Otter and lawmakers creating the state-based YourHealthIdaho health insurance exchange is looking threadbare.

Exchanges "have been a disaster everywhere they have been tried - including Idaho," Hoffman wrote.

That's news to us.

So far, 86,000 Idahoans obtained health insurance through the exchange - and roughly three-quarters of them qualify for federal subsidies. Not only has that reduced Idaho's uninsured rate, but it's reduced pressure on the taxpayer. Between the county medically indigent and Idaho's Catastrophic Health Care programs, costs have dropped almost $10 million - in large part because more people now have insurance.

That leaves another 70,000 who lack the incomes to qualify for subsidies - and would be eligible for Medicaid if Idaho lawmakers agreed to accept Medicaid expansion.

They have every reason to do so. A generous federal match - 100 percent of the costs to begin with but never less than 90 percent - means expansion would be cheaper than maintaining the medically indigent-CAT operation. Fewer unpaid health care bills would be shifted to Idahoans who have health insurance coverage. Rural hospitals would get a break. Providing people with preventive health care would save 450 lives a year.

Nothing doing, says Hoffman.

"So far, 22 states have resisted Medicaid expansion," he writes. "Idaho is among this valiant band, and IFF is fighting to keep it that way."

How much money and how many lives will be squandered before lawmakers stop listening to him?

CHEERS ... to West Ada School Board member Russell Joki of Meridian. Idaho's constitution promises its children schools that are "general, uniform and thorough" and "free."

But how do you hold the state accountable to that promise?

You go to court.

It's easier than it sounds.

Joki, a former Nampa school superintendent, argues it's hardly a "free" education when students and their parents are obligated to shell out money buying school supplies from an official list. Then there are fees for registration, for school activities such as athletics, band and drama, not to mention lab classes.

But Joki and his lawyer, former Idaho Supreme Court Justice Robert Huntley, have faced three years of procedural delays, a contingent of state and local school district lawyers and a series of adverse rulings.

Joki's trial begins Sept. 30.

Wish him well. This is your fight as much as his. - M.T.