WHY GROWTH CONVERSATIONS IN ADA COUNTY ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT
Ada County Services
Individuals and families use these services:
Court and jail
911 Dispatch
EXPO Idaho
Prosecutor and Defender
Coroner
Juvenile Court and Detention
Faces of Hope Victim Center
Elections
Clerk/ Assessor
Landfill
Many services are necessary based on where growth is happening, such as:
DMV
Sheriff Patrols
EMS
Juvenile Services
Trial and Family Court Services
Weed/Pest/Mosquito
Parks & Waterways
As we grow, it is important to recognize that some growth patterns cost more than others.
Some facilities are built to be in a central location relative to population growth. The cost of development goes down for everyone when we grow in a coordinated fashion.
There is currently a $320 million deficit in Ada County’s budget for county facilities.
If we grow based on current comprehensive plans, that number jumps to $690 million.
WHY GROWTH CONVERSATIONS IN ADA COUNTY ARE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT
Ada County and the six cities within all have their own Comprehensive Plans.
Comprehensive Plans are the documents that guide land use decisions. For example, when a subdivision is proposed, planners refer to the Comprehensive Plans to determine if the project is compatible in the proposed area. If that subdivision is proposed in an area without service provision, it will cost money for all jurisdictions involved in order to provide those services to its new residents.
Ada County is committed to having conversations with all jurisdictions to determine if we are growing in a fiscally responsible way.
If not, what can we do about it?
Growth conversations are needed in Ada County so that we can understand the fiscal impact of our growth patterns.
If we coordinate our growth, every jurisdiction in Ada County can potentially save money.
The maps below show potential growth scenarios based on COMPASS’s Communities in Motion 2040. While the Comprehensive Plans are only guiding documents for growth and may not be built out in their entirety, we are making land use decisions based on them, which can create gaps in service provision.
The map to the left shows a 2040 growth scenario anticipated by COMPASS (population: 674,000), while the map on the right shows populations density if the Comprehensive Plans of each jurisdiction are build out (population: 1.5 million). The dots represent existing Ada county Facilities and their sizes, which are currently sized and located based on where Ada Couanty’s population is. As development is approved based on current Comprehensive Plans, there will be gaps in service provision and additional facilities will be needed.