Pocatello For Accountable Government Entities

Part 2

More documentation of historic actions/votes for mayoral candidate Steve Brown's appointed/elected history within PDA and City Council.

NOTE: Excludes Bannock County (B.C.) minutes as B.C. doesn't make more than one year of historic minutes readily available online & we have not archived these.

Here are actions/votes with corresponding links within the attached (JPG) documents. Some of the PDA minutes are not currently available online through a link. These are available through public record requests or if you have a specific set of minutes you'd like to have, send us a pm.

(1) 10/08/2002https://pda.pocatello.gov/minutes/2002/100802.pdf

(2) 03/17/2004https://pda.pocatello.gov/minutes/2004/031704.pdf

(3) 02/21/2007https://pda.pocatello.gov/minutes/2007/022107.pdf

(4) 03/21/2007https://pda.pocatello.gov/minutes/2007/032107.pdf

(5) 03/21/2007https://pda.pocatello.gov/minutes/2007/032107.pdf

(6) 09/19/2007https://pda.pocatello.gov/minutes/2007/091907.pdf

(7) 05/21/2008https://pda.pocatello.gov/minutes/2008/052108.pdf

(8) 04/18/2013 https://pocatello.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Agenda/_04182013-69

(9) 06/06/2013 https://pocatello.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_06062013-73

(10) 06/20/2013 https://pocatello.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_06202013-75

(11) 11/20/2014 https://pocatello.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_11202014-124

(12) 03/05/2015 https://pocatello.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_03052015-133

(13) 04/26/2017 PDA Minutes – available upon request/PRR

(14) 05/17/2017 PDA Minutes - available upon request/PRR

(15) 08/03/2017 https://pocatello.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_08032017-494

(16) 08/07/2017 https://pocatello.gov/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_08072017-499

(17) 09/29/2017 PDA Minutes – available upon request/PRR

(18) 10/18/2017 PDA Minutes – available upon request/PRR

(19) 07/24/2019 PDA Minutes - available upon request/PRR

(20) 10/16/2019 PDA Minutes – available upon request/PRR

Part 1
One positive about incumbent politicians/candidates - they have a history of records from which to compare their rhetoric with action.

Here's a list of (primarily ISJ) articles dating back to 2004 to help chronicle mayoral candidate Steve Brown's appointed/elected history within PDA, City Council, or Bannock County Commissioner. Many of these articles provide quotes. Others address projects that required action under the position/office he served. We're in the process of adding these as PDFs to our website for easy viewing. Check back for the link.

01/08/2007 - New Biz to Bring 200 Jobs
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/new-biz-to-bring-200-jobs/article_55edff1a-9822-55d2-a3ab-9dd01ef40df4.html
Excerpt:
The city has created a tax increment financing district to help Hoku Scientific. In a TIF district, tax dollars generated from improvements are diverted from general taxing bodies and used to finance infrastructure. In this, the TIF revenue will finance improvements including streets, sewer and water lines and a rail spur.
Steve Brown, board chairman of Pocatello Development Authority, which administers the city's TIFs, said instead of bonding for the improvements in advance, TIF revenue will gradually repay the cost.
Brown anticipates access to the new company will come from the Rainbow Road exit to Interstate 86. Now that the airport has enjoyed its first success, Brown is confident the business park will fill up within the next decade. "This was such a big deal, such a big fish. I think other companies will look at Pocatello and take notice," Brown said. "Now we're going to have the beginnings of industrial manufacturing. We're not going to be ignored by Boise anymore."

03/16/2007 - Hoku to Break Ground
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/hoku-to-break-ground/article_9d08aab7-7df9-5b82-9a69-82bce48301b5.html
Excerpt:
"I think we're past the hopeful stage, and we're at the point where we're going to see concrete poured," said Steve Brown, chairman of Pocatello Development Authority, which administers the city's TIF districts. "This is a young, energetic company, and I firmly believe their desire is going to propel them forward."
Brown said the plant has an aggressive building schedule in mind. "They've got a bunch of big contracts they need fulfilling," he said.

03/22/2007 – Special TIF Created for Hoku
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/breaking/special-tif-created-for-hoku/article_1096214a-041e-5a37-b37c-5fd6f186460e.html
Excerpt:
PDA Chairman Steve Brown believes the novel approach to TIF that will be utilized for Hoku will provide substantial benefits for local taxing bodies.
" The burden of the district is not going to be resting on PDA or the city of Pocatello. This will be squarely on the shoulders of Hoku to pay as they go," Brown said. "I'm very confident (Hoku is) on the right track, and we're headed in the right direction, and we're going to pull this off. It will not only be a huge benefit for the city of Pocatello, but of course a great benefit for them."

06/07/2007 - Brown Against Closed Primaries
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/breaking/brown-against-closed-primary/article_cc5c4561-5e5d-5b22-9f91-bff53aa9d6ad.html

09/02/2007 - Aide: GOP Abandoned Craig
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/breaking/aide-gop-abandoned-craig/article_039d2a85-682c-5b01-b2a8-7565046dd0e4.html

“U.S. Sen. Larry Craig's representative in Pocatello, Steve Brown, said his boss was forced to resign Saturday and believes his innocence will eventually be proven.
"I am disappointed in some of Larry's fair-weather friends," Brown said. "He has stuck with many of these people through the years and at the drop of a hat, they've left him."

10/17/2007 - TIF Extended for Retailer
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/breaking/tif-extended-for-retailer/article_b9911252-c16d-5c67-95a3-556b90e6a5cc.html

12/18/2008 - Positron Posed for Growth
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/breaking/positron-poised-for-growth/article_a1c33010-2865-54d4-a025-a076cc8dba3a.html
Excerpt:
Positron, based in Boise, got a $400,000 loan from PDA in 2001 to open local operations utilizing the accelerator center.
"Because we have that loan out there, they come back periodically to give us reports," Brown said.
The loan isn't due to PDA for a few more years.

Note: The loan was never repaid, the PDA foreclosed on the property and eventually sold the property for $125K after expending approximately $550K.

12/06/2010 - Clash Over Open Space Heating Up
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/clash-over-open-space-plan-heating-up/article_1b61d5cc-0108-11e0-8837-001cc4c03286.html

09/07/11 0 Idaho Freedom Foundation – PDA Misleads Public About Decision to Forgive Loan in Exchange for Stock in a Private Corporation
https://idahofreedom.org/pocatello-development-authority-misleads-public-about-decision-to-forgive-loan-in-exchange-for-stock-in-a-private-corporation/

07/26/2014 – Councilmen Want Out-of-Town Paving Stopped
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/councilmen-want-out-of-town-paving-stopped/article_62092d4e-14a1-11e4-afd0-0019bb2963f4.html

11/20/2014 – PDA Authorizes 6-million Loan for Project Pipe
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/members/pda-authorizes-6-million-loan-for-project-pipe/article_23d84f88-70cb-11e4-ab85-3f67b9c1c4e4.html

11/20/2014 - City Oks Lease for Project Pipe
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/members/city-oks-lease-for-project-pipe/article_257b81cc-714b-11e4-ba06-872a17f71e59.html

02/05/2015 - FAA Could Plug 'Project Pipe'
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/members/faa-could-plug-project-pipe/article_20c5d4f2-adcd-11e4-b1c6-cf6436d7e183.html

07/16/2015 – Project Pipe Will Not Move Forward at Pocatello Airport
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/members/project-pipe-plans-will-not-move-forward-at-pocatello-airport/article_84cf1406-2b16-11e5-abdc-5bfd32157292.html

05/31/2017 - Local Solutions Sought on Pocatello Fire Department Overtime
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/solutions-sought-on-pocatello-fire-department-overtime/article_63d7e68e-f0df-5e88-8060-db947319a80b.html

11/16/2017 - City Council Votes Against Revision to Billboard Ordinance
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/business_journal/pocatello-biz/city-council-votes-against-revision-to-billboard-ordinance/article_bb0b9f43-b525-5815-b0e8-ba30fdd17bd4.html
Excerpt:
Added Brown, “Obviously we’re not getting it right because we keep revisiting it. … Let’s figure out how to get it done so that in four years we’re not sitting here doing it again.”

04/10/2019 - Bannock County to Expand Upgrade RV Park
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/bannock-county-to-expand-upgrade-rv-park/article_7f7bf855-fc60-5f4a-af69-10a4def7c24f.html

07/18/2019 - Bannock County Turns to Bulk Appraisals
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/bannock-county-turns-to-bulk-appraisals-with-2-400-tax-appeals-still-unheard/article_3045b9cb-c14f-5080-bd43-0c834fd10cd3.html

08/08/2019 - County, State Official Provide New Revelations About Reassessment
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/county-state-officials-provide-new-revelations-about-reassessment/article_a7ab8a9c-aab0-5117-ab88-87f801760b98.html

08/11/2019 - Ambulance Service, Other Issues Causing Friction Between City and County
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/ambulance-service-other-issues-causing-friction-between-city-and-county/article_021bef04-da76-5d07-b523-6ac7af3b10ec.html
Excerpt:
Commissioner Steve Brown announced the county’s intention to submit a request for proposals from other potential ambulance service providers during a Thursday morning address to the Pocatello City Council.

09/11/2019 – ISU Intends to BUY Positron Facility to Supplement Idaho Accelerator Center
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/isu-intends-to-buy-positron-facility-to-supplement-idaho-accelerator-center/article_84e14e25-38cf-57cf-a273-5ab331fe8a90.html

12/08/2019 - Fruits of Cooperation: Officials laud partnership That led to new I-15 interchange
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/fruits-of-cooperation-officials-laud-partnership-that-led-to-new-i-15-interchange/article_d4671ba2-ade3-57fa-9d5e-cd05e91c4520.html
Excerpt:
Commissioner Steve Brown described the project as a “rare example of what can be accomplished when there’s a common goal and a greater purpose for everyone.”

02/02/2020 – Local Disagreements Plaguing Bannock County Assessor Commissioners
https://www.idahostatejournal.com/news/local/disagreements-plaguing-bannock-county-assessor-commissioners/article_f99e5b02-bc09-57fb-9853-8222d294eba8.html

Candidate questions were emailed to all City of Pocatello candidates and will be posted as received. See attached JPGS. Each candidate's responses will be copied/pasted into a separate post. We will also post to our webpage as time allows.

GREG CATES; CATES FOR MAYOR CANDIDATE
QUESTIONS FOR CITY OF POCATELLO - MAYOR:

1. The Right-of-Way (ROW) fees currently built into the three Enterprise Department Budgets are nearly identical to interfund fees that were ruled unlawful in Nez Perce district court. Do you support or oppose the elimination of these fees? Why?

I support the elimination of the “Right of Way” fees and here’s why:
For the past 10 years, City of Pocatello utility users have been charged over $11.5 million in disguised tax through unreasonable “Right of Way” fees. The mayor and city council have been asked directly by members of the public if these fees are legal, but they have yet to provide honest, straightforward answers. So, the question remains…are these ROW fees even legal?

Unfortunately, this would not be the first time our city government has included unlawful fees/disguised taxes within our user fees for city services. Many of you may recall the Hill-Vu class-action lawsuit that the City of Pocatello lost in 2018–19. That case exposed the “PILOT” fee scandal, wherein the city collected “unreasonable” user fees on water, sewer, and sanitation services from 2005 to 2014, resulting in a $4.5 million judgment against the City of Pocatello. In that case, the Supreme Court ruled the PILOT user fees were not reasonable, and the city was required to reimburse approximately 15,000 households.

So, where did these “Right of Way” fees even come from? Well, on the heels of the 11/15/13 injunction ordering Pocatello to cease collection of the PILOT fees, members of our city government, including Mayor Brian Blad and then City Councilman Steve Brown (the same Steve Brown who is currently running for mayor), conjured up this scheme to pad their budget while secretly removing your hard-earned taxpayer dollars from your wallets.

Since implementing “Right of Way” fees in 2014, the city has collected over $11.5 million in what’s being described as unlawful user fees from the citizens of Pocatello. And yes, these fees are still being collected today.

During recent budget hearings for FY2026, I watched as the mayor and city council approved a staggering $1,500,861 million in “Right of Way” fees that will, once again, be stripped from your pockets. It’s insane. They must know it’s wrong, but do they even care?

I sure do! And that’s why I support the elimination of the “Right of Way” fees.

2. Do you support or oppose the "One City" concept of combining Chubbuck and Pocatello? Why?

The idea of merging Pocatello and Chubbuck has resurfaced repeatedly, with supporters citing efficiency and opponents defending local control.

Proponents argue that combining the cities could eliminate duplicate services, reduce administrative costs and create consistent policies for zoning, development and public safety. They also believe a unified city could strengthen economic development efforts, increase eligibility for federal funding and present a more cohesive regional identity.

Opponents counter that Chubbuck would lose its independence and that financial savings are uncertain. Past studies, including a 2015 review of fire department consolidation, raised concerns about funding shortfalls. Critics also warn that Pocatello could assume Chubbuck’s debts and that differing community priorities could complicate governance. A 2020 advisory vote showed more interest in a merger among Pocatello residents than those in Chubbuck, highlighting the political challenges of uniting the two cities despite potential efficiencies.

I believe Pocatello must first focus on strengthening its own foundation. Our city faces pressing internal challenges; economic development, infrastructure, and leadership alignment, that need attention before considering major structural changes.

And past studies have shown uncertain financial benefits and logistical hurdles, and public sentiment remains divided. Rather than pursuing a merger, Pocatello should prioritize fixing what’s within its control, building stability, and getting the right people and plans in place to ensure long-term success.

3. Do you believe that the public should be made aware of situations that could be viewed as placing the City or City elected officials in an unfavorable light so long as such disclosure does not disclose confidential information (Examples: City named in a lawsuit, City elected official accused of sexual harassment, etc.)?

Absolutely. I believe transparency is a cornerstone of public trust. The public has every right to be informed about situations that could reflect unfavorably on the city and its elected officials. Hiding information only fuels speculation and erodes confidence in local government.

When issues arise, they should be addressed openly, honestly and with accountability. Transparency isn’t about avoiding difficult truths; it’s about confronting them directly, learning from them and ensuring that our community knows its leaders are acting with integrity.

As mayor, I will make sure that communication with the public is clear, timely and truthful, even when the news is uncomfortable because real trust can only exist when government operates in the light of day.

PART 2 -CITY HALL FACILITY OPTIONS - COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS: THE ESTIMATES

To aid in decision-making, the City of Pocatello through the College of Business had Bengal Solutions at Idaho State University complete a COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS in APRIL 2024.

Their analysis examined 5 City Hall scenarios AND provided estimated "Present Value (PV)" one-time cost numbers and "Net Present Values (NPV)" numbers for each scenario.

We EMPHASIZE this is only one source of information (preliminary estimates) and OTHER factors and sources of information should be examined!

We RECOMMEND all citizens read this analysis to understand its strengths and limitations!

COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS: http://www.pagefiles.org/infodocs

We hope our elected officials will heed the advice given at the conclusion of the analysis:
"Getting public opinions and perspectives can help to make a decision as they can help clear a path best supported by the community."

The five scenarios considered were:

1. Continue operating in the current building - no changes.
2. Continue operating in the current building - with renovations
3. Move City Hall operations to a RENOVATED building downtown and RENOVATE current City Hall for PPD use
4. Move City Hall operations to a RENOVATED building downtown and DEMOLISH the current City Hall to BUILD a new PPD building in the current location
5. Move City Hall operations to a RENOVATED building downtown, Move PPD to a NEWLY-BUILT location and DEMOLISH-AND-SELL current City Hall location

Note: We reworded these scenario descriptions for consistency of structure and clarity. Original wording is within the document linked above.

Cost Benefit Analysis *PRESENT VALUE "one-time cost" estimates (as of 04/2024) are:

--Scenario 1: $16,684,004.31 (includes $13,230,710.90 for PPD additional 46,528 SQ FT + HVAC/Plumbing repairs)
--Scenario 2: $27,430,650.00 (includes $13,958,400 for PPD additional 46,528 SQ FT and parking upgrades)
--Scenario 3: $31,362,596.80
--Scenario 4: $32,424,994.66
--Scenario 5: $32,163,596.80

*For Breakdowns, refer to the linked document

NOTE:
1. The estimates do NOT include any “additional” parking structures (i.e. acquisition, demolition, construction)
2. Also provided in the COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS are NET PRESENT VALUES (NPVs) and discussions of other considerations, finance, etc. for each scenario. [See page 17 for a summary chart]

Information Documents | P.A.G.E.