BOISE, Idaho (AP) - Two critics of the Idaho Land Board’s push to acquire more commercial property introduce measures they hope will protect taxpayers from paying too much for new properties slated to be added to Idaho’s endowment portfolio.
Reps. Grant Burgoyne of Boise and John VanderWoude of Nampa introduced the measures Thursday, to require review appraisals of properties slated for exchanges and to require Department of Land appraisals be subject to public review.
Last summer, Burgoyne and VanderWoude blasted the agency for, among other things, a 2012 property swap they contend may have cost state endowment lands $1.6 million due to inaccurate appraisals.
Their bills will now be debated in the House Resources Committee.
The Land Board this week addressed part of the lawmakers’ longstanding concerns, by suspending endowment acquisitions of commercial property.
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