Proposal for the Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center

Today's editorial in The Spectrum is concerning the drug and alcohol treatment center planned for a Bloomington neighborhood. Bloomington residents are very concerned about this facility being located next door to them, as I also would be if it was proposed to go next door to me.

I believe there is a great need for treatment centers. Addiction is affecting many in our community. Having family members that have struggled with addiction, one of the biggest obstacles we faced was finding a local treatment facility with a high success rate. Addiction affects all families at one time or another and we need facilities we can turn to for help. Should those facilities be in residential neighborhoods?

I do not speak for the current city council members, but if a vote were to be taken I think it would be safe to say the majority would vote against this facility being located in a residential neighborhood.

That being said, we are told that the Americans With Disabilities Act and the Fair Housing Act trump any city ordinance. The city council could certainly direct the city attorney to fight this battle in the courtroom. A question we need to all ask ourselves is how much are we as residents willing to pay to fight this battle? If we don't fight then does that set a precedent for more treatment centers being located in more of our neighborhoods?

I want to share the following article that I hope you will all take the time to read. It provides a glimpse of the uphill battle that could be in store for us, if our council directed the city to take this case to court.

Boise County, Idaho Becomes The Newest Event-Driven Bankruptcy

Boise County, Idaho has only 7,400 residents, not nearly enough to pay the $4 million judgement, plus $1.4 million in attorneys fees, that a jury ordered them to pay a group of private developers who wanted to build a 72-bed mental health and drug addiction residential treatment center for teens.

The judgement works out to over $2,000 per household. As a result, on March 1, the county filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection. The county's entire annual budget is just $9.5 million. The county announced that the developers plan to immediately seize the county's operating cash, and much more, to satisfy the judgement.

The suit, Alamar Ranch LLC v. Boise County, was brought under the federal Fair Housing Act. The developers argued that the facility's residents would be considered handicapped, and that denying the
permit for the facility would constitute illegal discrimination.

Boise County did not deny the permit outright, but instead attached costly and peripherally-related conditions to the permit, including construction of a helicopter landing pad and having to provide its own fire truck. It would also have limited the number of residents.

Monster judgements against tiny or poor communities can be crushing for residents. Imagine a county having to lay off teachers and policemen, or to double school class sizes or the property tax rate on its hardworking households in order to satisfy a judgement and -- in a final insult -- pay $1.4 million to attorneys.

That said, the Fair Housing Act was intended to ensure that the type facility proposed by the developers would be able to find suitable places to locate. While it is not hard to sympathize with the good folks of Boise County who surely wonder why their bucolic community was chosen for the facility, there are noble intentions behind the law.

County officials immediately announced their intent to appeal. For their taxpayers sake, The City Survival Project hopes they succeed in substantially reducing the judgement but -- for the sake of all future facilities for mentally and emotionally handicapped citizens -- not in reversing it.

Boise County may end up following in the footsteps of another small community that lost a Fair Housing Act lawsuit. Desert Hot Springs, California (pop. 25,000) entered Chapter 9 after losing a large lawsuit to a group of mobile home developers. It eventually had to issue $9.7 million in "judgement obligation bonds." 28 percent of the community lives below the poverty line, and median household income is $26,000.

Steve Steckler, Editor

I also want to share a letter to the editor, also in today's paper. I thought it was very thought provoking.

It appears from the article in Friday’s paper that the Bloomington homeowners are reacting to something they likely have little understanding of.

If they truly understood the mission of the recovery home and the true nature of someone who is trying to be clean from addiction, they would open their arms. There should never be fear in reaching out and helping another.

The guests, or patients, of this proposed home are good people no different than others except they have heroically set their pride aside and exposed their illness in an effort to save their souls and families.

In order for them to have the greatest success, they need to immerse themselves with a positive environment, a neighborhood with people who will smile and encourage them to never give up on their journey to recovery.

Would this neighborhood turn away a home for missionaries? Their errand is no different — to save souls. I would venture that if this neighborhood would consider this as an opportunity to reach out to help a handful of God’s lost children, they would not see any lost value of their houses, but more importantly is what they will find.

Washington County Republican Women Luncheon

I haven't posted since the night of the primary election. With this election being longer than usual, I decided to give everyone a break from posting. Well, the break is officially over. Time to reengage. The general election is Tuesday November 5th. Just 2 short months from today.

Today I had the privilege of attending the Washington County Republican Women luncheon. Casey Lofthouse entertained us and he was fabulous.

I was extremely honored to receive an endorsement from the WCRW along with the following resolution:

WHERE AS, Washington County Republican Women is a women's political organization,

WHERE AS, Washington County Republican Women's mission is to encourage, train, support and elect Republican women,

WHERE AS, Washington County Republican Women have funds designated for campaign contributions,

WHERE AS, in the 2013 General Election there is one Republican women candidate running for St. George City Council,

LET IT HEREBY BE RESOLVED, Washington County Republican Women, as a group, contribute to and endorse Michele Randall for St. George City Council.

A special thank you to Larene Cox and Bette Arial for your encouragement and support. I appreciate your friendship and your confidence in my candidacy. Again, thank you to all of the WCRW!